#BUT IF RIKA DID SENSE V

[moon1833]

OBSESSED- Yuuta Okkotsu

“I’m sorry, I tried to be patient.”

Inc: Female reader, reader is a jujitsu sorcerer, obsessive Yuuta, mildly yandere Yuuta, reader is lowkey just as insane, smut, 18+ characters, p in v, beach sex, post resurrection sex, biting, mentions of blood

There was something so deeply different about Yuuta Okkotsu. Maybe it was how his very existence changed your entire knowledge of jujitsu sorcery, or how he carried the second most intense cursed energy you've felt in your life, you weren't sure. Maybe it had something to do with his pretty doe eyes.

When you first met Okkotsu when you were seventeen, you would've thought he was too delicate for this world. He was a sweet boy, he didn't look you in the eyes for a month when he first arrived at Jujitsu High. He baked for his classmates, and he makes you come to his dorm if he's unfortunate enough to find a bug of any sort in his room.

As you got to know him, you noticed something else, something heroic. Besides that, there was something almost deviant deep within him.

That was why you believed he would become one of the greatest sorcerers of your time; he was crazy.

It wasn't so obvious at first. Okkotsu wasn't flashy or loud, even if the cursed spirit practically leeching off of him was so powerful it was almost headache inducing.

The first time you knew he was utterly batshit, was about a year after you had met him.

Being a grade one sorcerer meant you went on almost every mission with him, not that you minded in the slightest. In this particular mission, you were coming off of a leg injury, and you probably shouldn't have been cleared as early as you had been.

There was still a small limp in your steps and your mind was a bit foggy. That, along with your minor crush on the boy beside you had completely distracted you from the giant curse breaking through the ground beneath you, catching you in your grasp.

You hardly had time to recognize it, one second you were peacefully admiring Yuuta's side profile, not a trace of cursed energy that didn't belong to you or his around you, and the next there was a thick hand grasping you to it's chest, mumbling a soft "mine, mine, mine" as it dragged you away.

In your defense, this was definitely not the second grade curse you were sent out to exercise. Even at the time, your senses told you so. You hardly had a moment to register a plan to escape the curses hold before its grip loosens, and you're falling to the ground.

The winds knocked from your lungs, but you jump to your feet quickly, ready to fight the curse before it could get to Yuuta. Instead, you're met with the sight of a limp body, chunky purple blood pouring from what looked like its head was.

It was a rat. A giant, furry, ten-foot tall rat.

To the left of it stood Yuuta, panting while facing away from you. From your position, you could see his katana drawn, blood leaking from its blade. You’re confused for a moment, Rika hadn’t been let out at all, so how could he possibly have moved that quickly?

He turns to you, the sickly innocent smile on his face that you know so well not even twitching. Your eyes flickered to his hand, only now taking notice of the fat head he's grasping by the scalp.

Yuuta always smiled at you when he saw you. Not a cheap one, either. Always, and eager, molar showing, bright grin that felt out of place in your world.

This one was a bit different. There was a small darkness lingering in his dimples, almost playfully. Like it was amusing to him that something thought it could just take you like that.

He threw the head to the side, jogging up to you to check if you were okay. His hand flew to your torso, grazing your stomach. Only then did you realized you had been bleeding there, the rat-curse's nails must've dug past your shirt and into your skin when it grabbed you.

Still, his hands on your bare torso made your heartbeat pick up, especially when his touch was so gentle.

He flushed when he realized, and your mind almost felt numb with how fast his emotions had changed in the last two minutes. It almost made you forget about how his cute, fragile persona melted away into something so sinister.

If you were any more sane than Yuuta, you would've been afraid. If you were any more sane, you wouldn't of replayed how his head tilted, how a little blood made it's way onto his face, how his knuckles tightened around the mangled head in his hands. If you were any more sane, you wouldn't have finger-fucked yourself the moment you got back to your dorm.

But, the truth was, there were no sane sorcerers, and you were no exception.

The second time you bore witness to Yuuta loosing complete control was about a full year later.

A lot had changed, but him being your mission partner didn’t. You two were taking on a curse that would usually be left to Gojo, but instead ended up in your hands.

You studied the limited information in front of you, drowning out the crowd of people on the train. Yuuta sat next to you, pretending to read the document over your shoulder while he breathed in your scent.

The case had sent you to the edge of Tokyo, seven people had gone missing under suspicion circumstances from a nearby beach.

You had theorized with Gojo about what it could be, but he was even less help than expected. It didn’t help that it was almost midnight, and you hadn’t slept in over twenty-four hours.

Yuuta must’ve sensed your drowsiness, because he took the document from your grasp, a glint of concern on his expression.

“Get some rest, we still have another hour and a half before we get there.” His voice is so clear against your ears it almost jolts you awake. Instead, you nod, letting your head lay against the seat.

When your eyes flutter close, Yuuta feels a new sense of protection overwhelming him. You trusted him enough to put yourself in a position of complete vulnerability. He widens his legs slightly, a small glare looking over the crowd.

The train hits a curve, and your head lolls uncontrollably to the side. Gently, Yuuta places his shoulder under your temple. Gladly, you nuzzle your face into him, finding a comfortable position before drifting off again.

For the next 87 minutes, he did not take his eyes off of you.

-

You yawned stepping away from the tracks, half aware of your grip on Yuuta’s sleeve. He seemed happy leading you out of the station like this, and you were too tired to object.

When the cold air hits you, there’s a slight regret in your choice of clothing. The jacket you had over your long sleeve button down did less than you had anticipated, and even your thickest tights weren’t doing much under your skirt. You were going to be freezing when you got to the water.

The sand made your balance a little wobbly as you walked, the night sky reflecting sharply against the ocean waves.

Even with the coldness racking through you, the lingering cursed energy was stronger. Whatever was here was definitely at least a grade one.

Starting your investigation, you began walking down the coast while trying to keep your skirt from drifting up.

“It’s in the ocean.” You conceded, calling back over your shoulder.

In the dark, you can see Yuuta narrow his eyes in thought. “Let’s check out the dock.”

You nod in agreement, falling into step with him. The dock went about 100 feet past the shore, but it was old and creaky.

With each step, you felt closer and closer to the curse, using your technique to form a throwing knife and letting it rest in your palm.

Suddenly, the energy increases so dramatically it almost knocks the breath out of you, and thunder cracked above your head.

You summon another knife, coming into stance as something emerges from the water. It’s hard to tell in the darkness, and for a moment you thought it was a lump of stretched out skin.

Normally, you’d like more time to assess the situation, especially when you can hardly see what you’re throwing at, but you had figured out already if the curse got you or Yuuta in the water you’d be in trouble.

You weren’t sure, but the lightening above you probably had something to do with the curse, and no bodies had been recovered.

You threw the knife, aiming to take off one of its limbs. You succeeded, the appendage falling off completely in a sickly sound.

You didn’t have time to congratulate yourself, because by the time you had realized you had hit the curse, the arm had grown back.

Behind you, the dock ripped open, a plank of wood hitting you in the back. Another arm had crashed through, a giant hole pushing you and Yuuta. He called out your name, but the blood was rushing to your ears so violently you almost couldn’t hear him.

“I’m okay!” You shouted, but before you could add anything else, something wrapped around your feet and dragged you upside down. Instead of fearing for your life, you were thankful you wore shorts under your skirt.

Now that you were practically face to face with the curse, you realized it was a giant fucking octopus. It had one eye, but it was completely black and didn’t reflect light at all. Its skin was an inky black, and it’s numerous tentacles stretched it’s rot-like scent further towards you.

From behind you, you could hear Yuuta scaling its side, his katana making repeated contact with its flesh.

You thrashed around, throwing more knives while trying to aim for its eye. The curse only seemed mildly aggravated, another tentacle wrapping around your torso and trailing up your throat.

Your head was pulsing, and your arms were pinned to your side. You could only use your technique with your hands, so your only option was to cut off its limb and fall into the electrically charged water, or let it choke you to death.

So, basically, die either way.

From the corner of your eye, you saw Yuuta jump, landing his katana in its iris and using his weight to drag it down.

The curse screamed, and that was the last thing you heard before your body slammed into the water.

You were right, the water was fucking cold. Not only, but you felt like you had fallen onto concrete, and the tentacle was still clasped around you.

You tried to pry it off, but it only constricted. You held onto hope that somehow Yuuta would get to you, since he had obviously killed the curse before you hit the water. It was dark, completely black and you couldn’t see your own body when you looked down.

Even as you sunk deeper and deeper, you didn’t doubt for a moment you would die. You couldn’t, Yuuta wouldn’t let you.

When your vision begins to fade and your legs feel blurry, the thought is only an echo in your mind.

Yuuta won’t let you die. And he doesn’t.

Not when he finally grasps you, ripping the tentacle around you into shreds with his bare hands. Not when he holds you while he swims towards the surface, ignoring how cold your flesh is. Not when you resurface, and you’re not breathing.

Yuuta’s acting before he’s thinking. He could use his reversed cursed technique, but that wouldn’t do anything about the water in your lungs. Your lips are blue. Yuuta’s beginning to panic.

He starts doing compressions, not stopping when he feels your rib break, or when he remembers how unreliable cpr is outside of a hospital.

He doesn’t stop because eventually, your upper body lurches forward, and water falls from your mouth.

His arms are around you in a second, and you momentarily think the octopus curse is still wrapped around you with how tightly he’s holding you.

Yuuta is warm, and you’re freezing. You cling to him, your body trembling as the early signs of hypothermia begin to start.

He pulls away, holding your face in his hands. There’s a look of concern you’ve seen him wear thousands of times, but it’s more crazed. More wild. For a moment, you think he’s going to kiss you, but instead be begins to heal you.

Immediately, you stop shaking, heat flooding from your face down your spine. Yuuta has used his reversed cursed technique on you more times than you can count, claiming he didn’t want to give Shoko any more work, but you never got use to how intimate it felt.

Your jacket is long removed, and your shirt is sticking to your skin. You can see your bra through the thin material, and you’re a little embarrassed when you catch his eyes lingering.

Yuuta’s in a similar state as you. His white tee shirt was soaked, and his hair was sticking to his face. You felt his forehead with your palm, frowning in concern at his temperature.

His eyes changed. God, only you would be worried about him when moments ago your heart had stopped.

Only now did he notice his position, how close your lips were to his. He couldn’t take it. That thing almost got you before he could even make you his.

“Yuu, what is it?” It was a simple question, with a complicated answer, but the nickname pushed him over the edge.

He ducks his head closer to you, breaking the distance. He felt your lips moments ago, but they were frigid and lifeless. Now, you kissed him back with such fever it would’ve knocked him off balance if he wasn’t already sitting.

He’s climbing on top of you before he can register it, and your back hits the sand. You moan into his mouth in encouragement, shifting your hips up to meet his.

“Fuck, I can’t wait.” He whimpers into your neck. “Please let me fuck you, please.”

You nod before he finishes his sentence, muttering a broken ‘god yes’ that’s interrupted by your own moan as he attaches his lips to your neck.

He keeps licking at your collarbones and you’re withering under him. You’re unsure if it has something to do with his reversal technique, but everything feels too good.

You drag his hand to your clit, forcing him to palm you through your shorts. He slides them off, cursing as they stick to your legs before diving back down, shoving your panties to the side to feel you.

His fingers are long, and they’re surprisingly soft, even with his callouses. He rubs at your clit, dragging down to collect your slick before repeating his slow circles.

Subconsciously, you grind yourself onto his hand, eager for more friction.

“I’m sorry, I tried to be patient.” He mumbles against your shoulder before thrusting his middle finger into you.

A rough groan leaves your throat, and you attach your lips to Yuuta’s neck in effort to muffle your sounds. You bit down on his skin a little too harshly, drawing a small bit of blood. Instead of wincing in pain, he whimpered into you in wild excitement, pushing his jugular closer to your incisors.

He’s finger fucking you harshly, your pussy sucking him in loudly, drowning out the crashing of the waves a few feet from you.

“Gonna cum- shit.” You try to warn, but your orgasm reaches you closer than you anticipated. Yuuta fucks you through it, your legs trembling and chest heaving.

You’re still recovering when you hear him slide his pants off, pressing kisses to your face when he lines himself up against you. He pushes your legs over his shoulders, slipping into you so easily it makes you gasp for air.

He thrusts into you slowly, each time inching into you more and more. Water falls from his hair and drips onto your face in between each stroke, and you’re singing his name.

“Love you.” He kisses your forehead. “I love you so much. I can’t loose you. I won’t. You’re everything to me.”

His words are soft, but sudden, laced with a near obsessive tone that makes you squeeze down on his dick even harder.

“I love you so much, Yuu.” He plants one last kiss to your lips before pounding so harshly into you it forces you deeper into the sand.

He keeps his pace, fucking you at an animalistic speed. His eyes are crazed, wide and focused while trying to study how your body responds to him. His lips quiver, stuttering out strings of curses that tells you he’s completely gone already, and he’s not stopping any time soon.

He cums in you, but he doesn’t let that stop him, continuing to rut into you even as he overstimulates himself. “Gonna fill you up. Fuck-I can’t stop.”

“Need it!” You cry, heavy tears falling from your cheeks. Yuuta notices immediately, licking them without a second thought.

He keeps fucking his cum into you, not stopping at the second load, or the third. Only until he behind to shoot blanks does he slow, holding your body gently as he pulls out.

“I’m sorry, was that too much?” His head is fuzzy.

“No, no.” You brush his hair out of his eyes. “Was so good, Yuuta.”

He collapses on top of you, and you draw circles on his back. You smile, watching the stars in the sky for a moment before speaking.

“How are we going to get back to campus?”

“Uh,” Yuuta thinks aloud, propping his head up. “Give me five minutes, and I’ll call Gojo.” He nuzzles his head back into your chest.

“Okay.” You giggle, kissing his head. Yuuta Okokotsu was insane, but so were you.

[marshmallowprotection]

what do you think saeran’s toxic traits would be in a relationship? like do you think he’d treat his gf well? (ge saeran)

GE Saeran may not be the perfect partner, but to be honest, I don't think we can quantify anyone as a "perfect partner".

Relationships are about working, learning, and growing together. Sometimes you'll say something really dumb or misunderstand your partner without meaning to, and sometimes you'll do something like peel an orange for your lover without needing to be asked because you love helping them!

It's very normal to have a relationship that flows like a river, seeming fast and slow at times, moving through rocks, fish, and sticks, too.

Now, don't let that make you think it's healthy to argument with your partner all the time. Disagreements are healthy in a relationship but not full-blown arguments and spats. You're two different people, even if you love each other, you will run into a wall sometimes, and you get moments where you learn how to concede, compromise, and adapt if and when it comes to that. There's a balance, you're looking for some kind of harmony in your partnership, but it won't always be perfect.

It isn't healthy to assume it's sunshine and roses every day, just like it isn't healthy to assume it's doom and gloom every second. It's about two or more people coming together to make it work, and as long as you have that, as long as you have communication, your relationship will thank you for it. The cornerstone of a relationship hinges on your ability to communicate your needs. If you fall to meet that, it will end up crumbling in some way, shape, or form.

So, what do I think would be unhealthy for Saeran? Well, let's blow this one out of the bag already since this seems to be a problem for many people who talk about Saeran and MC. Did you guys know in the game, V/Rika and Saeran/MC are written to to be foils? Most of all, especially in the case of Ray Route and the RAE. There's a line in which we need to draw when it comes to unhealthy attachment and dependency.

V and Rika? Codependent. They have a hard time functioning without the other even if they're both well-aware they're horrible for the other by the end. Rika feels like she needs V around no matter how much she screams in agony that she hates him because he is her Savior, her God, and her light. V feels like he needs to keep protecting Rika, in part because he doesn't want to hurt someone like he thinks he did to his mother, but because he promised her he would.

Saeran and MC? NOT CODEPENDENT. Saeran and MC work side by side, communicate, and make decisions based on what feels right to them. Saeran's actions don't hinge upon MC telling him what to do in the moment. He asks them for input but he isn't bound by it. MC isn't demanding Saeran do what they want. They tell him to think about all the options he has, and he considers what he wants before they talk it out, discussing pros and cons for everything.

The game lays this out very plainly but some people miss the point in the fact that these dynamics are meant to foil one another and show two sides of the situation and where a dynamic can be healthy and... well, where it goes wrong. Saeran and MC don't need each other to be able to function in life, but V and Rika... they have a hard time with that.

Codependency vs Interdependency.

So, with that being said, what do I think Saeran might deal with in a relationship that's not healthy, but could be worked on?

I think GE Saeran's core struggle will be trying to find a sense of individuality.

But, this is something he's already talked about in the game, and it's something he's willing to work on every day for the rest of his life. It isn't surprising to know that he values the comfort of those around him more than he values himself, but he's learning how to accept that his needs and wants matter just as much. So it's not as if this is going to be something that's happening for a long time since he's already well aware of it, but it's good to point out that it's not only something that he needs to be aware of, but you do, as well. You don't want him to focus on just what you want in life, after all.

I have a hard time imagining him struggling with most things that many people do in relationships just because he's so dedicated to working on himself and being aware of the problems that may spring up within him—it makes it hard to say something that could be toxic. His willingness to be better and to communicate squashes so many traits that can make somebody do something toxic, willfully or not.

Since communication is a cornerstone of any relationship, if there were any problems, he would work on them, and that reduces a lot of the expected "toxic" traits you see. It's so hard for me to say, "Well, he may do this or that," when I know the minute you said something, he would be researching and learning how to curb a bad behavior. He's not trying to be willfully cruel, after all!

Saeran's not perfect, is my point, but if there were any problems, he would work on them.

[takitafulily]

Misadventures of the MCs #07

Taking the Besties home pt4: MM!MC

(Slight Spoilers if you haven't played Mystic Messenger)

MM!MC: I'm not too spacious with accommodations but at least it's decent. I doubt the bed could fit all of us so half of us will need sleeping bags. Don't pick up my phone if it's buzzing, just tell me or someone might actually end up dead- No I'm not kidding- Try not to touch any stacks of paper or important looking documents or I'll be fucked-

LTD!MC: So do you just casually live in a stranger's apartment?-

MM!MC: I mean... yeah...

TWST!Yuu: Hey at least it's not going to tobble over any second or used to belong to dead people

MM!MC: ...about that-

OB!MC: At least they're just living in a stranger's apartment, they're not living WITH the strangers

WHB!MC: Yeah, at least they actually HAVE a place to live

LTD!MC: ... *sigh*

TWST!Yuu: Yo you have a stalker

MM!MC: ...how do you know that?

TWST!Yuu: When you have 4 people ready to jumpscare you daily, you gain a 6th sense for it.

MM!MC: huh, that's neat

TWST!Yuu: *stares at them*

MM!MC: oh, the stalker? Eh leave him be or he'll kidnap you for some cult.

TWST!Yuu: ...and here I thought I was desensitised-

(In the RFA chat)

707: hey MC do you have friends over at Rika's appartment?

MC: which one theres like 5 here

Yoosung: WHAT

707: WHAT

Yoosung: THERE'S MORE PEOPLE THAT KNOWS WHERE RIKA'S APPARTMENT IS???

707: THERE'S 5 PEOPLE AT RIKA'S APARTMENT???

Jumin: Wait that doesn't sound like MC

Jaehee: I agree Mx MC doesn't usually text like that

MC: oh if your talking about MM!MC theyre fighting with LTD!MC over a budget or wtev rn

707: what

MC: *picture of MM!MC yelling whilst holding up a piece of paper with numbers on it and LTD!MC point at the paper whilst holding a cup of coffee*

Zen: *gasp* a picture of MC

Jaehee: Wait so who is texting us right now?

MC: lol this is TWST!Yuu

MC: im just watching the drama lol OB!MC and WHB!MC went looking for the stalker even though MM!MC told them not to lol

MC: OH FUCK THE HAIR IS GETTING INVOLVED THIS IS GETTING GOOD ILL SEE YOU GUYS NEVER LMAO

Jumin: ...

Yoosung: ...

Jaehee: ...

Zen: ...

707: ... wtf just happened

*V entered the chat.*

V: hey guys what did I miss?

[annbourbon]

🖤 ✨ 🖤 ✨ Rika ✨ 🖤 ✨ 🖤

Let's start with Rika...

⚠️possible spoilers ahead, be warned⚠️

I can't believe I actually didn't realize that. I mean, I did it. Like 7 years ago, but I had no clue on how to explain it.

Besides it needs from Mystic Messenger Timeline *which I'm still working on, and trying to finish* to actually make sense.

Disclaimer: Please take into account that whatever I say here, it's only my opinion after playing the game so many years. I'm not a psychiatrist or a psychologist, or therapist of any kind. I'm just a writer, who loves to spend time analysing characters and stories.

I did asked to my mom to help me with this and the other characters because of how difficult the task ahead of me was. My mom, who is an actual therapist, did her best to help me, but I did most of the analysis here, since I'm the one who knows the in's and outs of this game. Besides, I did my research and I'll make sure to quote it! So give it a chance and keep reading even if you disagree with me. And then, I'd love to read your thoughts on the topic 💕

Narcissus. Also known as daffodil.

Should I talk to you about the dark side of the flowers and tie it to MM characters?? Anyways, Rika is a narcissistic. But also has a profound trauma. One doesn't exclude the other. Here's a quote from Mayo Clinic:

«Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance. They need and seek too much attention and want people to admire them. People with this disorder may lack the ability to understand or care about the feelings of others. But behind this mask of extreme confidence, they are not sure of their self-worth and are easily upset by the slightest criticism.»

Causes: The cause is likely complex. Narcissistic personality disorder may be linked to:

Environment — parent-child relationships with either too much adoration or too much criticism that don't match the child's actual experiences and achievements.

There are other two, that are genetic, and neurobiology causes, but I'll be focusing more on the environment, which let's be honest, it's what is displayed on the game. If you're interested on reading more about it, there's a link before the quote and, on References, I'll also be leaving every single link.

So let's go back to Rika and please read the next three images while remembering how's her relationship with V, and Saeran. Sometimes even with MC, and Mika.

As you can see...

Attention:

* Creates the RFA. Receives attention.

* Creates Mint Eye. Receives attention.

* Says V is her Sun.

* As soon as she gets tired, says V's killing her and wants to leave

* Wants to mix RFA and Mint Eye. I assume is because despite everything, she feels like she's losing attention on everything she created. And MC is the reason of that too.

They don't choose losers:

V is a millionaire

Jumin is a millionaire

Zen is super sexy and hot

Jaehee and the twins are really smart

Do I need to keep going? Even Elizabeth the 3rd is one of the most beautiful cats ever seen.

Grooming:

Here's the part that keeps bothering me because I realized about it before I could actually explain what it was going on. Seven years ago I decided to play the game, and I finished feeling a bit too weird on how everyone was so infatuated with Rika... it wasn't any other person that just dies and then the group dies too. It was still active two years after losing her (?) Even though they have only know each other for... 4 to 6 years?

Some even less. Like Jaehee. Which randomly brings me to: She's an ENFJ so she does focus on details like Jaehee (Jaehee might be ISFJ, ISTJ or even ESFJ considering how well she manages around people too. But that's another story.) Her enneagram is probably 1.

I can understand Yoosung, but... you know what I mean. It was weird. And once I reached the first VN novel about V and Rika I felt even more weirded out by these two.

I don't think I can pinpoint it but I felt like Rika was manipulating V so I was surprised when I realized some members were tying these two as lovers and a beautiful couple. Do you guys remember V being surprised by Rika quoting "The Sun is the mother of all"?? Yeah... Even back then, for me it was a highlight of how messed up their relationship was. But again, I couldn't exactly pinpoint it. Until, now.

After Cheritz released Another Story, and Rika DLC, many of my theories came true. But still in a disorganized way. Which is why I created The Mystic Messenger Timeline.

I did confirmed one thing:

Rika is a narcissist and V is a people pleaser (that doesn't make him any less villainous of what he is, but I'll explain once we'll reach his profile. I promise.) at least at the very beginning of this story.

She probably has psychopatic tendencies

She definitely has sadistic and abusive tendencies: I have a hard time putting through her whole behavior during Saeran's Route and especially during his AE. But she takes pleasure in hurting others. V, Saeran, MC, Mint Eye associates, etc.

A bit of One on the Enneagram:

It is called The Reformer.

Because Ones have a “sense of mission” that leads them to want to improve the world in various ways, using whatever degree of influence they have. They strive to overcome adversity—particularly moral adversity—so that the human spirit can shine through and make a difference. They strive after “higher values,” even at the cost of great personal sacrifice.

If you think I'm too far off, then please check the levels of healthy and unhealthy Ones can have. They sure ring a bit too much for me on Rika's behavior. From Level 1 to 9, we can see her evolution during the game. But here you have a couple of her worse traits.

Unhealthy Levels

Level 7: Can be highly dogmatic, self-righteous, intolerant, and inflexible. Begin dealing in absolutes: they alone know "The Truth." Everyone else is wrong: very severe in judgments, while rationalizing own actions.

Level 8: Become obsessive about imperfection and the wrongdoing of others, although they may fall into contradictory actions, hypocritically doing the opposite of what they preach.

Level 9: Become condemnatory toward others, punitive and cruel to rid themselves of wrongdoers. Severe depressions, nervous breakdowns, and suicide attempts are likely. Generally corresponds to the Obsessive-Compulsive and Depressive personality disorders

If you want to know more about this, check this.

So, why do you (player) like Rika as character?

Because it's okay, I know people who actually like Rika. I don't, but I definitely don't hate her either...

You don't need to be worried about it as long as you know what she did was wrong. That's it. Now, why do you like her/identify with her?

Things that might, or not, ring a bell:

* Trauma: Rika has a traumatic past. And you might feel like it's a mirror of your past. Hence identifying with it might not be something difficult. Of course this doesn't mean you are leader of some religious cult.

* Her willingness to fight despite having everything at odds. Let's not forget that before she goes nuts and starts brainwashing people, she did a lot of great deeds. Tried to stay positive and all that.

* Her kindness (we can discuss over certain things, but as much as she did terrible things, she also did amazing things, like creating the RFA to help people. Wether she did it with a certain master plan in mind or not, she did helped as much as she hurt and that's the important part.)

* She's just a great villain! It might be hard to understand for some people but you actually just look at her character as what it is, a character, and you're impressed by how many discussions and hot debates she brings onto the table. Understandable!

* Her flower means forgiveness♡

Do you have any other ideas for why you might like Rika? I'd be happy to read them. 💕

Also, this might be one of my last post about her. Might not be the last but I do need to finish with the Mystic Messenger Timeline, and I will but I don't think I have a lot more material to write about. So thank you for sticking with me all this time! I'm linking the main post on MysMe theories I have, I still need to finish tying up all nicely. But we're coming to the end. I'm definitely talking about trauma, coping mechanisms, parenthood, childhood and societal pressures but it'll be in other posts, possibly not even linking them to this one. Who knows? Stay tuned~!

References:

Mayo Clinic - Narcissistic Disorder Personality

Between Narcissistic & People pleaser

Medium - Beware a narcissist with a hero complex

Paired Life - Hero & Narcissist

Enneagram Institute - One

[nonmurdery]

A THOUSAND KISSES DEEP

reader x yoosung | part one

summary: reader escapes rika’s apartment before the bomb goes off in yoosung’s bad ending 1. this uses his dialogue from the game.

author’s note: why am i obsessed with bad endings? i’ll never know! the mc’s personality is derived from how they were in that route. had this in my drafts for a minute, i don't know who'll be her end game, just take this as some angst!!

ps. chatroom formatting probably looks cuter on mobile devices

trigger warnings: major character death

word count: 1,444

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

You technically met Yoosung Kim last week.

The same could be said for the entire RFA. Jumin Han, V, 707, Jaehee Kang, and Zen. You've learned that the RFA is short for Rika’s Fundraising Association. You started texting them after receiving mysterious messages from an Unknown contact to go to the apartment you'd start living in. Yet you haven't met any of them in person.

Being separated by a phone screen didn't stop you from pursuing Yoosung. He's a cute SKY University student around your age. His inexperience kindled the spark between you two. You couldn't have been expected to pass up the opportunity! Not when he was clearly desperate for a partner. As were you. Your self esteem was in the gutters and the loneliness within you had become so voluminous as of late. The RFA has helped out with that.

Chatting with the RFA throughout your day wasn't difficult. Although planning their next party had its challenges. They helped you with whatever they could. Mostly with recommending guests while you picked the theme and most everything else. The best part? You were getting paid for your services.

In short: plenty of unexpected things happened to you this week. Most of them being new beginnings for yourself and the RFA. Yoosung showing up to the apartment by himself proved itself to be the most unexpected.

Intruder found. Special security system attack mode initiated.

“Did you hear that?” Your eyes wandered the room.

The bomb. You remembered it, well, you didn't forget about it either. It terrified you and made it difficult for you to get a full night's worth of sleep. No RFA member was supposed to enter this apartment—707 was still working to deactivate it. Your throat suddenly felt tight. Instead of feeling excitement upon meeting Yoosung, terror swamped your senses instead. Every fiber in your body yelled that you run. There's still time to get out of here.

Yoosung paid no attention to your words nor the alarm. “Reader … But you’re not blond like Rika … ?”

Sensing location of intruder … adjusting target …

“You cannot be serious! I was kidding about that.” You yelled, your eyes saucer-wide.

Is this his truly greatest concern? Your hair wasn't made up of the same lion's mane of loose curls as Rika’s was. Regardless, the ticking bomb that's about to go off was of more importance, to you, it seemed.

He stared at you with his large violet eyes, a cloud of confusion passing over his face. He looked exactly like the photographs he’s shared in the messenger. Short blond hair that pointed in every direction, a lithe build, and baby-faced. Your heart thrashed against your ribcage, thumping at a terrible pace. If you didn't start moving, you'd faint. Or worse, you'd die.

“And you don’t have her eye color … Your hands and face look different too … Is it really you, Reader?”

You answered with a shaky nod. “Yes! It’s me! I’m not some doppelgänger or any other look-alike. None of that matters, we need to get out of here, Yoosung.”

This changed from what you said in the messenger earlier. You spoke about how you'd need to become like Rika in order to be someone special to him. It shocked you to know he processed all of those texts you sent. For some reason, that made you like him even more than you did before.

Orders to destroy all information for the sake of protection. Activating system destruction.

“Oh … I’m sorry. I guess I just thought that you’d look exactly like Rika. But you don’t.”

You were beside yourself with frustration. “I still own you. That means we'll do what I say, let's go.” You slipped your arm through his elbow and yanked him toward the door.

It was mostly your fault for why he’d come to such assumptions. You told him that you'd be his Rika and replace her. Still, they made you a little queasy. Physically being here with him felt different than typing letters on a screen. You felt a connection to him.

“We’re not going anywhere! I ran over here because no one in the RFA helped Rika when she took her life away.” He wrenched himself out of your tight hold.

15 seconds left … 14 seconds …

Stand here and listen to his spiel, or run now and have a chance at living? You told him that you'd take care of him. That he'd be your pet and that's what you wanted. In the face of life and death, you knew what to do. You weren’t going to die for someone who looked at you with disdain for not matching their cousin in appearance. Someone who barely knew or liked you. Two days ago, you would have done anything to be accepted by him and be in charge of his life. The truth is, you barely knew Yoosung beyond the color green, LOLOL, and Rika.

Dying wasn't worth it. Not here, your life has just started.

“Yoosung, come with me. Running here won't matter if you don't run now! We’ll talk about everything after.” He looked unphased by your words, as if they held no weight to him.

Throwing one final glance at Yoosung, you darted out of Rika’s apartment as quick as a shooting star. You could only hope that he's shortly behind. Your heartbeat thrummed in your ears while the sounds of your footsteps pounded with them. Or they might've been his footsteps, listening to what you had to say after all.

Taking the elevator would've been a foolish decision. You ran down the hallways, knowing that 707 watched them through the CCTV. That explained the notification that made your phone buzz in the back pocket of your pants. It had to wait. You made it to a large stairwell that descended to the lower floors. Did V really have to purchase an apartment on the 14th?

Sucking in a breath, you headed down the staircase. You ran down the stairs faster than you knew that you could. The seconds counted down in your mind until a loud bang issued from behind you, startling you enough to fall. You hit the ground hard. Even with your eyes squeezed closed, you saw the light of fire beyond your eyelids.

None of this would've happened if he listened to you. You held your consciousness and managed to get to the 1st floor. When you got down there, firemen were making their way up, up, up. Sirens and screams glided to your ears as you fled the building.

A cold breeze lanced into you. From your peripheral vision, you saw ambulances, more fire trucks, and police cars coming down the streets. Nighttime stretched over the sky, littering it with glittering stars and fluffy see-through clouds. When you lifted your eyes up to Rika's apartment, there were fat tendrils of smoke rising into the air from the building's roof, like a soul ascending from their body.

“Yoosung! Yoosung, you idiot!” Your scream got gobbled up by the street’s cacophony. Tears pricked your eyes and you let them slide down your face. His death is on your shoulders. That's if he died. But you couldn't see a way that he could've survived.

You held yourself, squeezing your upper arms. Interviewers raced to the scene with their cameras and microphones. Your neighbors sprinted outside with some of their belongings, their mouths gaping. That's when it hit you that you only brought one thing.

“Do you know what's going on, Reader?” A woman with watery eyes asked. You bumped into her once in the lobby and talked about the weather.

You watched the flames. “I …” You wet your dry lips. “I need to go.”

Walking to the nearest alleyway, you whipped out your phone. The app was bursting with messages, most of the RFA members are active.

READER has entered the chatroom.

Jumin Han

Did everyone see the news? I'm watching it live now.

Jaehee Kang

? Mr.Han

ZEN

What news?

Jumin Han

There was an explosion at [ADDRESS] on the fourteenth floor.

Jaehee Kang

Goodness…

Jumin Han

The occupants are currently evacuating the building.

READER

HELP! I think Yoosung got cahgt in the fire!

707 has entered the chatroom.

ZEN

Yoosung?! Oh no...

Zen

Reader are you alright?!!! Tell me you're alright.

707

…

707

..

707

.

707

On my way.

READER

On your way here?

707 has left the chatroom.

ZEN

stay where you are, Reader!

ZEN

I'm sure that he has a plan…

Jaehee Kang

I agree with Zen.

Jaehee Kang

What happened to Yoosung, Reader?

Jumin Han

I can only hope for the best.

READER has left the chatroom.

[rfaromance]

Rika.

Love her or hate her, no Mystic Messenger player can deny that she is central to the overarching plot of the game.

Depending on your view of her, her major role in Ray (Saeran) After Ending is either intriguing, exciting, frustrating, or infuriating.

Personally, I loved the portrayal, insight, and development in Rika during the RAE. Read below the cut for my Rika thoughts. Spoilers abound for Ray's route, RAE, Rika Behind, and even the Secret Ending. Also, uh, it's a long post. Longcat long.

(If you're interested in opinions on the RAE from a Saeran-loving POV, I'd suggest you consult @marshmallowprotection who pours her heart and soul into her analyses, especially regarding Saeran.)

If you're reading now, I'm assuming you have enough background in the game's lore where I don't need to explain the basics, so I'm going to dive right in.

At the start of Another Story, our well-intentioned but common-sense-challenged MC ends up being personally escorted to Mint Eye. And MC chooses to fixate on Ray and his mysteries and allure, ultimately trusting the not-so-honest rose boy instead of the highly mysterious V, who apparently is not an AI but also should not be anywhere near this cult.

In MC's defense, sometimes it's easier to choose the evil you know versus the evil you don't.

Rika doesn't have a problem with this, initially. She knows that she needs to throw Ray a bone. Allowing him to have a little doll like MC to dress up and pose and control and adore will appease him, and he has a plan to make MC useful for her goals, anyway. It's a win in her book, to keep Ray indebted to his Savior and also the possibility of luring the RFA members to her faster.

But a major distinction exists between Rika in Another Story (AS) and Rika in the original timeline (OS). Much like Saeran's mental state deteriorated further over the extra year and 6 months (give or take) between AS and OS, giving us Unknown, so did Rika's. In the SE, she explicitly tells Unknown that he was a failure and she wanted Saeyoung instead. She no longer valued Saeran's prior contributions to Mint Eye or her mental state--she wanted results now, and she would sacrifice anyone and anything to achieve them.

(Well, almost anyone. Turns out sacrificing V was not what she wanted, after all.)

But her goals are different in Another Story. She's still pursuing her dreams of making people happy by "saving" them from a tainted world of pain, but she's still itching for the personal happiness she has wanted all her life: love.

She wants a loving family. She has never known what it feels like to have a family that loves her, as her earliest memories are in the orphanage, and she was adopted by a vile, hateful woman who cursed her and subjected her to physical and emotional pain, verbal abuse, neglect, humiliation, warped "religious" cult ideas of sin and salvation, and the list goes on.

When she learned of two twin children who needed loving, protective parental figures... she became obsessed. She could save them. Nobody ever saved her, but she could save them.

That delusion of forming a happy family with V and the twins only became worse after Mother Choi's death. (I hesitate to call it a murder, because it was an act of imperfect self-defense, and thus I'd argue it was voluntary manslaughter under USA law. But if we're being technical, under Korean law it's murder under extenuating circumstances. Legal jargon differs across countries.) Having taken Saeran's mother away from him, Rika got the idea that she needed to be his mother now. They would both have a good family now--that's a win-win, right?

This is the Rika we still see in Another Story. That's why she gives him the name Ray, to eliminate his past and all traces of V and Saeyoung, molding him into her obedient, doting son. That's why she dresses him up in layers upon layers and forces him to study hacking, so she can control every aspect of her sweet child. That's why she swipes Ray after she catches wind of his kiss with MC in the garden. She doesn't know or care who instigated the kiss; all she needs to know is that MC poses a risk to her fantasy, her game of house.

So she tortures Ray until he can become her puppet-son again. Except she ends up with Suit Saeran, and for the time being she'll allow that because at least he isn't tripping head over heels for MC.

That backfires too, and when Saeran frees himself of that stuffy suit and allows his body to breathe, once Saeran makes his own decision to abandon those shackles, follow his heart, apologize and atone for his wrongdoing, and break out of his gilded cage with MC... Rika loses it.

She's lost everything. Mint Eye be damned, she's lost her illusion that she will reach a "happily ever after."

So when V blames himself and crawls back to her, not wanting to see her crumble alone, she locks a collar and leash onto him. Honestly, it's the worst possible ending for V. He can't shake his self-hatred and guilt complex, and he feels the need to stand by Rika even as she sends them both on a path of destruction, because he refuses to abandon her like his father abandoned his mother. He didn't even love her anymore, but he wanted to give her the peace that he never could when they were together. This was how he felt he needed to pay for hurting her, even if it meant destroying himself.

Okay, screenshot is a good place to wrap up the backstory and dive into the RAE itself.

I've seen complaints that Rika's character was inconsistent in the RAE, but candidly I think the fluctuations in her goals, emotions, and actions represent her fragile mental state in a phenomenal way. She was highly sensitive and susceptible to emotional influence, whether positive or negative. The seemingly smallest, most trivial events could send her reeling. She clearly has a lot of mental health issues and trauma that have never properly been addressed. Instead she turned to the worst possible coping mechanisms: comphet, making a cult, and brainwashing folks into being your make-believe family.

She didn't team up with Saejoong because she likes the guy. She sees him as a means to an end: getting the twins to live with her in her game of house.

The "he" that Rika refers to in this chat is Saejoong. He's a horrendous parent, but he managed to capture Saeyoung, and therefore Rika sees him as a tool. She also is adamant that the younger twin is "Ray", not Saeran, because the boy she needs for her happy ending is the submissive one with pruned wings, not the independent one who flies away on his wings of love.

If MC tries to inquire into Rika's motivations, she simply says she chooses happiness and to focus on the small joys in life. She's no longer as guarded and high-strung, because she has much less to lose. She doesn't feel the need to be perfect, to be a Savior. She's at peace with herself, instead of constantly seeking approval. Part of that cab be attributed to V's (reluctant) acceptance of Rika for who she is, instead of trying to fix her.

She's trying to be more open and honest, and with that attempt we get a Rika who is less guarded and poised, and rather a Rika whose mask is off and is trying to navigate what it means to simply "exist." She just wants her family of 4 to live "happily" together, and a lot less scheming is required. She almost has the energy of "I'm going to be the fun, cool mom. :)"

I bet she's awful at stacking chairs, though.

Now, many characters AND players have wondered, "Why in the WORLD would Saejoong team up with Rika?" He thinks she's nuts. We know that Rika is using him, and I'd venture that he's doing the same. He knows he's caught between a rock and a hard place, but he also knows that this woman is desperate to take his troublesome bastard sons and disappear with them. She can't exist in public, after all, or she'd risk her secret of being a cult leader getting exposed. It's a weird solution, but he was in no place to refuse her offer. Coerce Saeyoung into making false broadcasts to bolster Saejoong's public image, and then let Rika, V, and the twins run off into the sunset.

A special insight that you only get during the Normal Ending is that Saejoong thought he and Rika were similar, which is likely another reason he was willing to collude with her. And the Normal Ending is the reason that I felt inspired to write this post at all.

On day 3, Rika accuses Saeran of hating her. She's furious that she doesn't have Ray anymore, because Ray needed her and gave her a purpose. Saeran doesn't need her, and that sends her into a panic. But he chooses to be compassionate and to try to sympathize with her.

On day 4, we get this exchange between MC and Rika:

Rika breaks down in MC's arms. She didn't know what love was, and she didn't know how to reach it herself. Her solution was to control, to manipulate, to clutch desperately onto people who showed her even a shred of warmth... but always staying just distant enough where she could withdraw or flee if she felt threatened, or worse, sabotage the connection herself.

She didn't know what love was because she'd never experienced it. Her mother was a malicious, cruel woman. Mika sacrificed and manipulated her. Her priest assaulted her. V did his best, but he kept pushing his ideals and methods onto her instead of listening to her. She kept Saeran through control. She brainwashed and gaslit believers, smooth-talking her way into their minds and pockets. She even kept V bound to her by blinding him; we can only assume he got treatment after his trial.

MC and Saeran showed her what love is. It's about kindness for the sake of kindness, not to curry favor. It's a willingness to step out of your comfort zone to help those you care about. It's being brave when you're terrified. It's communicating in more ways than one, always listening and considering the other's thoughts, feelings, actions, and reactions.

For the first time in her life, she saw love. She saw love in Saeran, who'd lured her and V away so that his lover and brother could be free. She saw love in MC, who'd always been gentle but firm with Rika, expressing genuine intrigue and concern for her. She saw people who didn't immediately demonize her for her worst mistake: the death of Mother Choi.

She's being honest with herself, too, acknowledging and understanding that her actions were wrong. And she starts bawling, because she's been repressing herself, her fears, and her needs for so long. She laments that she yearned for love like a child, but her body was too big now... and that made the void feel larger and emptier.

She finally got the answers she'd been trying to find for her entire life: What is love? And is she worthy?

So when the opportunity comes for her to set Saejoong straight, she tears into him. Now, she only does this in the normal ending. In the good ending, Saeran is the one who talks to Saejoong, says his piece, and gets his peace. Clearly that's the best possible ending for Saeran, because it allows him to put his last demon to rest. Now he can focus on healing and finding happiness on his own accord.

But in the normal ending, Rika shows that she's not just a sob story for MC and Saeran to pity. She's taking their lessons and her new convictions to heart and putting them into action.

And Saejoong truly loses his cool when he hears that the investigation team is coming. He knows he's toast, and so he tries to appeal to Rika one last time: "You know that you'll be going down, too."

To which Rika says: "Yes. It's long overdue."

Rika has a long, difficult road ahead of her, but it'll be a surprisingly peaceful one. She wants to heal. She wants to live a better life. She wants to be honest and true, and that means atoning for her crimes.

But then, she's going to devote her life to love.

The RAE Normal Ending is, in a bizarre way, the best outcome for Rika that Mysme canon gives us. (Because seriously, shipping her off to Alaska to GTFO was the laziest and most unsatisfying ending for her that I can imagine.)

[kusukixcrystal]

Zen & Rika are Trapped in The MM World Part 1

I’m splitting this into 2 parts because it would just be too long. This is sort of a continuation of my “Zen is A Prince From Grass” theory and “Saeran/Ray created Another Story” posts. In one of them, I suggested the possibility that Zen is a bunny prince who is trapped in the Mystic Messenger world. In the other, I do talk about Saeran, but I added a follow-up delving into Rika, Saeyoung, and V and how Rika is trapped in the MM world, too.

In this post, I will focus mainly on establishing background information.

Pocket Universes/Dimensions

First, I have to establish that I believe that the world of MM is a pocket universe. Basically, it's a new universe completely different from a real universe. For example, characters from Nameless and Dandelion all live in a real universe. Dandelion is where the term ‘pocket universe’ first comes up in the franchise, and refers to a new universe created by The Wizard by using a large amount of his power. He did this because he wanted to be with a woman named Heejung, but couldn’t descend to Earth because he couldn’t leave his dimension. So, he created a pocket universe where he can enter it and brought Heejung along.

So, why do I think MM is a pocket universe? Well, basically pocket universes don’t operate under the same rules as a real universe. See the example I gave above with The Wizard and Heejung. In a real universe, The Wizard couldn’t physically be in her presence. In this pocket universe, it's different. Because he made it and probably established the laws of how this universe works, he physically can be with Heejung.

In my previous posts, I mention off-handedly how the MM world is ‘fabricated’ or ‘fake’. This is what I mean. It's not a ‘real universe’ but a ‘pocket universe’, operating under different rules and created by wizards.

I hope that makes sense. Now let’s get into all the signs of why MM seems to be a pocket universe.

These signs mostly manifest as the 4th wall breaks or references we see throughout the whole game. It’s not just a “hehe haha this is a videogame” thing from Cheritz. It's diegetic. No, it’s the characters literally realizing that they are living in a pocket universe. As for the references, I will go deeper into their relevance. First I will list the most relevant of these instances, and then break down why it's all important in part 2.

I won’t list all examples of 4th wall breaks, but here are some big examples:

1. Casual Story Common Route Bad-ending (4th Wall Break)

I discussed this ending extensively in another post, so I won’t get into too much detail. Basically, this ending shows how the RFA members might be machines, following an algorithm/script, and being controlled by V and Saeyoung. Yoosung says that the messenger is fake and that their only purpose is to hold the RFA parties. I also talked about how I think that V and Saeyoung are wizards who created this pocket universe. 

Just a tiny addition to this point is that Jaehee breaks the 4th wall in this ending as well. After Zen and Jaehee visit Yoosung, worried about him after he started raving about how they are machines. In the screenshot above, at first, Jaehee treated Yoosung like he was delusional, and sent him to get a mental health examination. Despite saying this, her last 3 messages indicate her true thoughts. She believes him and chastises the MC/player for getting this ending. You only get this bad ending if you either don’t participate in enough chats or don’t get enough hearts to get into a character route. Jaehee is directly telling the MC/player to choose a route next time. Some people can get this ending if they try to balance getting hearts with characters, too. That’s actually how I got this ending originally because I was indecisive and kinda wanted to see what would happen.

2. Another Story Common Route Bad-ending (4th Wall Break)

I went into detail about this one in my Saeran/Ray made Another Story post. In this ending, Saeran says that the RFA are AIs. In the surface story, this turns out to be a lie. Here in this bad ending, though, Ray talks about the RFA as if they actually are AI, even going as far as to mention Saeyoung (’that redhead’), asking if we played ‘his version’. I speculated that what he means by this is the Casual and Deep stories.

3. Dandelion and Nameless (References)

The first screenshot is from day 3 of the Casual story common route, the next 2 are from the April Fool’s DLC. 

Zen is dressed up as Jisoo from Dandelion in the first ss, which is apparently a play that is being adapted from a book. The other reference to Dandelion is in the 2nd ss, an animal hospital named Dandelion is mentioned by Jumin and Jaehee. The characters from that game were part cat/rabbits, so this ref goes deeper than just a name drop.

Nameless: The One Thing You Must Recall is referenced too. Tei’s Tea Leaf is one of the plays Zen starred in. This is a reference to Tei from Nameless, Cheritz’s game before this. (I don’t know where this is mentioned in the game). Another example is in the last screenshot, the password that Jaehee mentions is from the title of the game. There is also a big reference to Nameless in Deep Story that another Tumblr user named smol-grey-tea has brought to my attention.

The story that Jumin reads to MC directly references Nameless’ backstory, which is revealed in the true route in secret ending 2. Nameless is the character pictured above as ‘???’ and he is a stuffed bear. The scene that Jumin reads is when Eri’s grandfather buys Nameless for Eri. The person who gave this book to Jumin is Rika. I will talk about the significance of this later.

EDIT: Here’s part 2 btw

[juminies]

Hiii ! I saw that you played the ssum so now I’m curious about how you feel about June :>

Hi :~) I'm guessing you're newer around here because I was soooo annoying about June's route when it first started hahaha. I was very angry about the Jumin connection and I'm still not at all happy about it but less impassioned, at least. Once my annoyance died down I did end up playing the route—it had its moments and was gripping enough to stick around for a month even if I forgot about chats quite a bit. I'm not sure I care enough to go back to it when it updates as opposed to just keeping up with Jumin stuff via twitter/reddit again though. June is cute, but as a love interest not really my thing at all. Too sickly sweet and puppy lovey (also made me third wheel him and his doctor on a date?)

I made a longer post before playing where I said I don't see it as canon to Mystic Messenger, and that is still true. The story and timeline do not make any sense in regard to mysme's, so I don't consider them part of mysme's story or timeline. That said there were some slightly emotionally devastating Jumin moments, like him telling June "I do not want you to turn into another me" (💔) and this nod to V and Rika that had me staring into space like I was just given life changing news

[httyddragonfox]

Unknown's regard towards the MC

Unknown/Ray/Saeran is interesting in regards to how he feels about and he treats as well as his intentions towards the MC of Mystic Messenger. He's the antagonist, and a creepy one at that, but he's also a "bad but sad boy." I can't help help but dissect how he's written as the antagonist of a visual novel/otome game. Just as a note, this is a long one.

Let's start from the beginning and work our way through.

Our first possible interaction with him: the prologue bad end. You refuse to co-operate and lie saying their is no way to enter the apartment (As players you might have just been trying to escape the obvious sketchy situation, but there is a reason the rest of the cast wants to protect her, it's because she's so innocent.) If you back out at just the right moment, he laughs at your joke but then warns you if it went on longer he would have snapped. Of course if you don't, he reveals he can see you're lying, which blows his cover as to the fact he's been watching you. Why did Unknown choose you for plan? Who knows? He just needed some random innocent person, which would push V to hold a party and cause enough confusion to hack in. Was he specifically aiming for a girl? Maybe, seeing as most of the group is made of dudes, Rika was the same gender, probably a good replacement as coordinator. Anyways, he probably doesn't think much of you. Once you fail, he just opts to find someone else. He would get rid of you, except for the fact that you're cute. This shows he at least finds you attractive. He decides he'll let you live as his assistant, something he wants ever since he heard his brother had one. If you wish to leave, he'll tell you he can't allow that because you know about him, he can't let you be a loose cannon. If you do agree to go with him, he's ecstatic, thinking you're like him. He promises to treat you well and be very nice to you. It's still a bad ending because you don't have a choice but to go with him. Also the ending didn't mention this, but if you're going to Magenta you're going to be drugged!

So he finds you attractive enough that he wishes to keep you, and hopes you'll be just like him...Mr. Trauma-boy Crazy-pants. I get the sense from this he's lonely and wants a companion who will see his side of things.

Throughout the game, he tends to go after you first out of everybody. The exceptions here are the bad endings for Regular route and Deep Route where he goes after Yoosung after he loses touch with reality (He's easy prey), or he captures V when thinks he's spying around.

The message he leaves you after you're dropped off is: "Don't worry, things will be really fun from now on. I'll come and get you soon."

You've already helped him commence his plans, so you seem to be a useful ally/tool. You also innocently decided to help a complete stranger, which makes you more cute. He seems more attached to you, but not completely, as I'll explain further down.

In the first bad relationship endings for the regular routes, he doesn't display much in the terms of attraction. In Jaehee's he just says he's going to take everyone early because she's not doing anything, and in Zen's he decides to get someone else to do her role while she's taken to Magenta to be re-educated ("You'll learn that we're the only ones who love you.") To early to decide anything. She's attractive sure, and nice, but she's a slacker. What she needs is a good fine-tuning.

Things don't pick up until Yoosung's second bad ending. Instead of forgiving V and understanding him, we are suspicious of V, and drive a further wedge between him and Yoosung. So much so, Yoosung wants to run away with us, more specifically leave the group. Unknown can't have that, that party needs to be held, we certainly can't leave. So he tricks us into thinking we were right and V can't be trusted, and he's just an innocent guy wrapped up in the turmoil. He offers Yoosung something he can't refuse, information on Rika, to get us into his car. That's when we start to feel suspicion and he knocks out Yoosung to make him his hostage and talk to us alone. He tells us he's only unconscious and he's his precious hostage. Hostage for who? Hostage for us, that's who. I assume he was in the front seat or else how could he knock him out. So Yoosung is unconscious in the front seat and we're unable to get him out of there. If we were to try anything, well he's right next to the guy. So Unknown takes off his mask to talk to us, probably feeling more personable. He tells us it was fun pretending to be scared, but not as fun as pretending to be the student...queuing us in that he was the guy who led us to the apartment. He's almost nostalgic as he remembers how we did everything he said then, but now we've gone and ruined his plan. He reassures us that it's okay, all he has do is re-educate us, and we can even decide how we start. He'll turn us into a proper assistant yet. At the ending he throws what Yoosung and we have been saying before this ending, 'how about we just leave out the traitors and be together," of course, with him saying it it implies he's just going to steal us from Yoosung after re-educating us. After all, he did see us first, and we've been helping him up until recently, all we need is some fixing and we'll be perfect.

Yes, in that bad ending it seems he likes us. However, around the end of the route things take a drastic turn. In Yoosung's route, Seven had discovered the IP address of the hacker's hideout, and was heading out to shut down their operations. Everything is burning down around him, all thanks to his brother. His final act of revenge is to make Luciel realize his sins and then have them all burn together. He's also going to have you burn too, for the heck of it; earlier in the route he had you trapped in your room...for seemingly no reason but to cause chaos (He didn't even come to get you before it was fixed), so why wouldn't he put you in harm's way again. Yes, you were his tool, his agent so to speak, but since he's done, you're done too. He no longer needs you, so he's going to kill you, as an added kick it'll make his brother suffer knowing he failed to protect you. If you want to think of it in a romantic sense, he wants to commit suicide with you and his brother. Of course it all depends on which ending you're looking at. In the original ending, he mentions he's going to blow up both Magenta and our apartment, and says Seven can make amends by allowing them all to die together; it seems romantic in a twisted way. He offhandedly mentions Yoosung will die too, forgetting the kid was there. When they wrestle him for the detonator, Unknown tells Yoosung that if the button is pressed, we will die too, like that was supposed to motivate him to stop. Unknown had lost his mind at this point, thinking it was a good thing to die in that moment, (Don't be scared, kid, your girlfriend will be dying with us.) Then he briefly captures Yoosung and tortures him, egging him on to talk about us as he tortures him. Either this was brought on because he wants to know why we're so great that Yoosung would save us, or he genuinely wants to hear about us; he's crazy at this point, so it could be either or both.

Now in the Yoosung Bad Ending 3, Seven instead of freezing up panics when he sees the detonator, knowing it will blow us up, then Unknown laughs and says we're not the only one going boom, as they're going up in smoke too. This purpose seems more malevolent, killing us as we have no more purpose to him instead of romantically dying together. In this one, Yoosung sacrifices himself to get the detonator away from him and ends up being indefinitely captured by him. While captured, the threat to keep him in line is no only will Unknown possibly mess with the RFA, he might also bring us to where they are. Seeing as he's torturing Yoosung, it's safe to say he'll probably torture us too. At this point, Unknown is just not happy Yoosung foiled his plans for revenge on his brother. As for what he thinks of us, he probably just sees us as a tool, something to release his anger on should the time come. He may have been attracted to us, but his plans come first.

Now let's talk about Jaehee's route, at least Bad relationship ending 2, as he doesn't really show up in the route aside from those. In this ending, V has apparently settled things between Mint Eye and the RFA, sacrificing himself to end the fighting. Yet, Unknown has still decided to cause trouble seeing as Luciel didn't play by the rules, so neither will he. He decided to go after you first because you seemed distracted. When you ask who he is, he asks you to call him an angel because he's delivering you to Paradise. He wonders if you wanted to see him (leaning on the 4th wall there), so he promises to spend so much time with you during your re-education that you will start to get sick of him. He also mentions he has a fun program planned for you that will probably make you tremble more than you're doing already.

So, it seems he wants to give personal attention to your re-education. Is this this because he feels this sort of possessiveness and responsibility towards you. He's the one to put you in there, and he's the one to take you out. You're his little tool of chaos, you're his assistant, so he has responsibility for you.

Now let's look at Zen's route. Unknown doesn't make himself known (ha) until near the end of the route. We get a little insight into Mint Eye's plans for the MC and RFA being discussed by Unknown to someone else. He's surprised we were able to pull it off (-_- What?), but everything is going according to their plans. (Question: why did he recruit us for this if he didn't think we could do it?) Apparently, we don't have to be good at the job he gives us, we just have to be willing to do it. Anyways, moving on...he says the plan is to capture the MC, which will eventually bring the RFA to them. Apparently the plan here is to bring in an innocent person so V will be pushed to throw a party, cause enough confusion and chaos that Unknown can hack in and obtain the guest information, and then kidnap the MC to cause even more confusion and chaos so the RFA can be captured and brought to Mint Eye. He then talks about his plans for the RFA, saying they'll tortured to the point where once they are nice to the members again, they'll be grateful to them. Zen then has a vision of MC being kidnapped; it doesn't actually happen, but in the dream we're told if we behave he'll treat us like a princess. The MC is referred to as a princess several times in the game. It's a term of endearment, so it's used by Zen and Jumin (who can actually treat you like a princess), but it's also used by Unknown, Ray and Saeran, for different reasons. When Unknown uses it in the dream, it means he'll treat you really nicely. Other times he uses it he seems to be implying that the MC is someone whom everyone wants to protect, someone who's sheltered away, a damsel in distress. When he actually shows up to kidnap you, he goes on talking about how he's taking you to a great place, so you should just come with him willingly. Yes, Zen comes in to save you, and he takes this moment to mock him and criticize the group. He points out that they shouldn't make a woman live on her own with bomb, even though having her live there was a part of his plan (He's pointing out they should have more common sense). He threatens to blow up the apartment if Zen tries anything, killing all of them. He's willing to die for the cause, and he doesn't care if you do as well; he's attracted to you, holds responsibility over you, but isn't in love with you. He tells Zen to watch as he takes "his girl" away. That's when you either bite his hand or wait for Zen to save you. He threatens to blow up the place, but apparently he doesn't because you go back there for the Valentine's day DLC. Maybe he had a change of heart, or didn't see the point because we already escaped.

Let's look at his bad endings, this is where Unknown shows more attraction to us. First, there is the 2nd Bad relationship ending. Basically, Zen doesn't get to us in time. Besides where he talks about how you don't have a choice and how you just waited mostly, he talks about what's going to happen. He says if re-educates you just a little bit, you will let go of everything and depend on him. He promises to protect you and give you an exciting life. He's mostly just excited on the fact you get to be "his." Here is my theory: despite everything, he's looking for a companion. He remembers his brother and his brother took care of him, but his brother "betrayed" him. He's lonely, and he wants that again, but not with him; he wants it with someone where he can be the protector, as he's not weak anymore; he'll also do a much better job than his brother did. The MC is attractive enough, maybe she can fill that role.

Then there's the third Bad Ending, where Zen also doesn't get there in time, of course in this ending we seem to go with him willingly. We are not happy we were forced to live with a bomb so we don't trust the RFA anymore. Unknown tells a story about a Prince and a Princess (Zen is Princely, and we are the RFA's Princess). The princess was being kept in a tall tower by a group of liars. She hoped the prince would save her, but he was just another liar. Luckily, there was someone better for her. There was an angel (him) watching her from afar, who wanted to bring her to paradise. Wisely, she believed him; going with him to paradise and becoming happy forever. The prince ended up following her, but unlike the princess it took him a bit for the angel to tame him. Unknown drugged and hypnotized Zen into becoming just a role to play, and it's implied he tortured him too. Unknown is crafting him into a prince to romance the princess (us), but Zen is having trouble focusing due to the drugs. I'm not sure how long that game would go, if he would even let us be together. Maybe Zen would be just some toy for us to romance, maybe he'll never be done 'practicing.' Either way, Unknown heavily believes Zen to be a liar, and not good enough for us. I think he's a hypocrite, as Unknown has pretended to be different people before. Unknown is insane, and insane people tend to be hypocrites. He doesn't think anyone is good enough for us, this is mainly because he believes he's better than all of them; we don't count as we're an innocent brought into this.

That's it for the regular routes. Now on to the Deep Routes.

First let's start with Jumin's Route, Unknown hardly shows up here. They run into him near the end of the route. Seven recognizes him, and Unknown asks how we're doing, queuing Seven in that he was the one behind everything. In the third Bad Ending, Unknown is waiting for you at the apartment. He expresses frustration that Seven basically destroyed his group, and now he wants to make him pay. His savior told him that in order to do that he had to wait for us at our apartment and then press the button. It doesn't seem like he knows exactly what it does in this route, as he's surprised when he hears the countdown. He does want to hurt us though, as he knows Seven cares about us; at least it was his job to protect us. There's no sign of attraction from him in this route, as he barely showed up. When he did, he was so mad, that we're just a means of revenge for him. Yeah he's attracted to us, but when he's mad, revenge comes first.

Seven's route the attraction comes through more. When Unknown realizes he's been tracked by his brother, he decides to speed up his plans to hack into the security system and kidnap the MC. As soon as he starts making his plans, he starts talking to us as if we can hear him ("Just you wait MC, I'll bring you to Mint Eye first.") You usually apostrophe like this if you're excited or anxious to see someone, or if you really wish someone could hear what you had to say to them. It shows he really wants to induct us. There's a story mode where he's talking to his savior about why he's leaving so suddenly, explaining that he wants to induct the girl he mentioned to them. Then he actually arrives at the apartment, telling us to be careful of the glass as he comes in (kudos to him). He explains to us he's the hacker of the security system and the one who led us to the apartment, as well as the one who sent the invites to paradise. He says the RFA is filled with liars and false hope which will be explained when we get to the second location. When we refuse, he tells us we don't have a say because he put us here, so he gets to take us out. This is all so everyone can be happy, including us. If you question the promise of Happiness, he's ecstatic thinking you're like him and promises special treatment for you at Magenta. If you still refuse to go, calling out for Seven, he gets furious. He claims Seven will not save us, and even if he tries it's too late. He then says he will cleanse us of our false faith and show us true paradise. He probably was reminded of how he wanted Seven to save him back in the day and he never did, and if Seven did try to save us, that would make him more furious; so Luciel would save her but not his own brother, huh? He wouldn't want to give him that satisfaction. He doesn't want us to believe in the fantasy he once believed in, so I guess he feels he's 'saving' us this way. He warns us that we better come with him while he's still rational. Seven then shows up, and Unknown grumbles that he was hoping to make Seven suffer, probably by taking away the person he was trying to protect. The brothers talk for a bit about their relationship and the past until MC is brought up again. Seven begs Saeran to let us go, as we nothing to do with what's going on between them. Saeran counters that since he brought us there, we're his. He then quickly figures out that Seven has feelings for us, and realizes he could torture us to hurt Seven. He's attracted to us, but his revenge comes first. If we try to get away, he warns us not to fight back as he will hurt us. He starts getting ecstatic thinking of how to torture us, implying most people have to go through it to get into Mint Eye anyway. Luckily, we get away from him.

In the first Bad Ending of 707's route, we don't manage to get away from him. He takes us away, planning on playing with us to inflict pain on Seven. So he tortures us, takes pictures of us in pain, and sends them to Seven. He's talking to us, but we might as well not be there; we're not even responding. He decides to make it seem like we ultimately enjoy what he's doing to us, make it seem like we don't care if we're rescued by him or not. So, basically Stockholm syndrome. We are very compliant at this point, either we actually do have Stockholm syndrome, or we're tortured to the point we'll do anything he tells us to do (The difference here is we still want to leave, still are hoping we'll be rescued). We're so obedient here, to the point we give him exactly what he wants. He seems to like that about us. He decides then to have us after photo taking. In our state of mind...yeesh.

Later in the route, when we find him at Mint Eye, we try convincing him to hear us out. When we first run into him, he doesn't like the fact we're friendly with each other. Of course, he does say it's nice to see us again. He probably doesn't want Seven to be happy with us, not that he holds anything against us. If we wish to run, he comments how we're so naive. Once Seven begins to explain himself, Saeran warns us not to trust him, as he was abandoned we will be too. If we tell him it was a misunderstanding, he believes we're brainwashed. If we say we'll be the judge of what happens, he says we're brave but foolish to follow Seven.

In the 2nd bad relationship ending of the route, he mistakes us for his Mom in a dissociative fit. This is probably because his brother is nearby, and we're the only woman nearby, he was probably brought back to his time as a kid. That doesn't count.

In the Third Bad Ending of the route, he tricks us into thinking us trying to convince him worked. He secretly leads us to a cell where we'll be locked in a corner until we're 'tamed.' Seven begs for us to be released, which Saeran doesn't wish to do. We are useless in his plans to become a better hacker, he only needs his brother. However, he thinks he can use us to keep Seven in line. He promises a good life for us as long Seven listens to him, but we'll be tortured in front of him should he misbehave. He likes us enough to treat us nicely, but his revenge comes first. Seven then threatens him into letting us go. Saeran then says his savior told him he shouldn't desire too many things. He then decides to let us go. So that says he would've liked to have us around.

Then there's the Secret endings, of course the reaction to us in those is not strong there. The only real reaction we get is that he mentions us in his apostrophe to Seven. He says that us and Vanderwood will join Mint Eye, which was his original plan for us, so he might react similarly to all the bad endings.

So far, he would like us as a companion, especially if we're like him and have a dark broken side. He genuinely believes he's doing us a good turn, and wants to 'help' us. Of course, he'd like us to be useful to him. As well as we can't come in between him and his revenge.

Let us now look at the Christmas DLC: In this DLC, the plan just seems to be kidnapping us. Of course, that isn't abundantly clear, especially seeing as the MC is super naive. First, you get a text asking if you remember him (I'd be pretty disappointed if you don't), he says he's been wondering how you've been doing and asks if you want to see him. If you ask him about the other members, he types you this madness mantra of how much he wants to get revenge. Of course, if you say you want to know who he is, he says to be patient in getting to know him, as he has a lot of questions too (By the time we're familiar with each other, a lot of things will have changed.) In his second text, he goes on about he feels like in his attempts to see us he'll be blocked. (I want to play with you...) He continues by mentioning the event, but not knowing about it. He asks you to invite him to the event (You won't keep secrets from me, would you?). You can send him the address to the apartment or the event. With the apartment, he comments he already knows it, but it's still difficult. With the event's address, he realizes that it's a Christmas charity party being thrown. The last text says he still has trouble getting through, but if he knew a moment where the red-head wasn't paying attention he'd find a weak spot, like the end of the event. So he asks for end-time. We can tell him the event's over, or we can tell him the event ends at nine. If we tell him it's over, he knows we're lying and plans to attack the RFA. If we do tell him the end-time, we remind him he said he'd come to get me soon. He's happy we remembered, (I'm liking you more and more), promises us that we'll have more fun with him than the RFA. Later he gives us a call, in that call he hints he can see us trembling with fear after he freaks us out with his creepy singing. No matter what we tell him, that we want our gift or we don't, he tells us he'll just do what he wants. He's our Santa, watching over us, difference being that he despises nice children. Of course, he encourages us to be nice until he comes to see us, just to see what will happen. He gives us a text later based on the person we bonded with the most. He likes to make us feel guilty about bonding with them. For Zen, he claims he's an actor so he's probably just pretending his feelings for us. For Yoosung, he claims Yoosung's eyes are on someone else and we're living in someone else's shadow. For Jaehee, he claims that she works so hard and is constantly busy so she doesn't have time for you. For Jumin, he claims his trust in you will break once he finds out you've been texting Unknown, you've basically betrayed him. For Seven, he says he will get quite upset when he finds out despite everything he's done to protect you, you've basically betrayed that. Then the event happens, but you don't see him until you get back home.

Most people I see react to this ending are not surprised and actually wanted to see him, but at least one person I saw was surprised it happened. So story wise, the MC probably didn't know this was going to happen. She is rather naive, she probably thought he was going to show up at the party. Also probably thought she could avoid a kidnapping. He is not a great guy to be with, he's emotionally manipulative.

When you see him, he wonders if you honestly thought the place would be empty, and hopes you had the happiest day of your life. He comments on how strong the security was, but he got through thanks to you. He wants you to admit you like him, (players maybe, MC who knows?) why else would you help him? Were you just being nice? (Some people have that problem). He tells you if you admit you like him he'll make your Christmas unforgettable. Of course, MC is trembling, so he wonders if she's scared of him or what might happen? He then critiques us saying if we're scared of what might happen, we shouldn't have contacted him. We were quite bold. He's fully down to believing we like him, regardless of what the reality is, and that we want to spend Christmas with him. He goes to tell us his idea of Christmas, thinking we'll love it. He tells us about Santa, and how he supposedly gives presents to nice children, however he's just a made up figure adults use to control their children. People are naive and believe in him, and so the bad people like him should just feel guilty on days like Christmas. A better version of Christmas for him would not have a Santa, and instead he'd take revenge on the adults who made him feel guilty. "And bad children like you and me...will get our presents." MC can tell this guy is unhinged and tries to run, but he tells her it's too late. He promises to show us real happiness, promising a Christmas so sweet we'll never want to return to reality. His Christmas has no naughtiness, no guilt, just Christmas. It then cuts to black as he laughs evilly and hysterically. At the end of the chatroom where the RFA is freaking out over our disappearance, he comes in and says he'll be taking "good care of the princess" Every day will be Christmas for us. So it ends with us being taken captive, enjoying Christmas with Unknown...forever. The CG looks tame enough, it implies we're his gift. We have a lot of presents. Of course, we're not smiling, we seem pretty blank. I guess I wouldn't know what to think.

This DLC re-establishes some things: He thinks we're like him, he wants to play with us, likes us when we're obedient, and considers us a "Princess." Also wants to treat us well, but I think that's mainly for his sake.

[Part 2}

[natasha-in-space]

Tw// mention of s*icide attempt

So this is a very angsty scenario i got in my head (so thats why i gave trigger warning) its okay if its too much for you to write i will understand

So the scenario in question is what if something happens which causes yoosung to forget about rika's "death" and rfa collectively decide to keep him in the dark about the so called "death" for years until one day it eventually comes out that rika is well...alive.

There is no mc in this scenario until much later. Here yoosung loses his memory to a head injury caused by him trying to end himself because the grief eventually got the better of him. Luckily, he survives despite being seriously injured The rfa members distraught by this incident collectively decide to not tell him about rika's death upon finding out that he had a memory loss.

They along with his own family help him out with his studies esp jumin deciding to pay for all the therapies he would need to recover

As for yoosung himself he did have his struggles both physical and mental but he did well in his academics, the thought of making rika proud one day by becoming a vet got him pushing through the odds. Eventually like how his AE goes he ends up graduating faster than his peers and gets his job at 24. The rfa members and his family couldnt be any more proud

Things were going normal until suddenly the truth of rika comes out. From the other side, it happened because like how the game goes, unknown tried to trap a random girl in rika's apartment but the girl was smart and reported the suspicious number to the police which ended up opening a pandora box and eventually exposing rika's true whereabouts.

Im wondering how would rfa react to this how would yoosung react to this and how would jihyun react to this

TW

Putting this under cut, just because the subject matter is pretty heavy!

I honestly have a hard time picturing them all agreeing to keep Yoosung in the dark about something like this. I can see Jihyun, maybe, maybe suggesting such a thing, but... Jumin wouldn't stand for that for sure. Jumin is someone who believes that a harsh truth is always better than a well meaning lie. We see that at full display during V route especially. He would be very much against the idea of lying about such a thing. Zen, too... He's not the type to lie, especially about such sensitive things. That's a rare instance of them actually fully agreeing on something. The only ones I could see cautiously considering this option are Jaehee and Seven. Jaehee is more prone to hiding sensitive information to make sure no one is hurt (we see her stating this during moments of conflict), and Seven is... well, it's complicated. He is more likely to create a well meaning lie, just to keep someone happy, but he would feel very icky about it. I could see V swaying him, though. He is far too devoted to V at that moment of the story. Something he eventually comes to regret himself.

So, honestly, if we're talking realistically, I can only see Jumin putting his foot down and focusing all of his attention and resources into making sure that Yoosung gets the best care and support he needs as he recovers. He'll also be the pillar of strength to the rest of the RFA, as well as Yoosung's family in this horrible moment of crisis. We see time and time again that, whenever they are facing a serious problem, Jumin takes on the leadership role, keeping everyone together. It's actually sad to think about, because he would feel very much betrayed by V in such a situation. He hates going against his childhood friend, but he will not let his attachment cloud his sense of what is right, and what is wrong. It's kind of similar to their conflict in the Christmas dlc, but way more severe, since we're talking about a life of a friend here.

So, I can't really see such a scenario ever playing out. Jumin simply wouldn't let it.

But, if I am going to entertain your idea, and, say, V does somehow manages to sway everyone into secluding the truth from Yoosung... Well, anon, you just described the worst ending there is. See, if mc does the right thing, and goes to the police about Mint Eye... The government will be the ones to find Rika first. And, not only Rika, but Saeran, too.

You realize what that means, right?

They'll have his DNA. They'll have his info, and his identity. It'll only take days, or maybe even less for the prime minister to be notified of this. And... well, you can only imagine what this could mean for Saeran. I don't know where V is going to be in such a situation, but, point is, he is very much helpless to do anything. By that point, he is practically blind, there is nothing he can do himself, even if he tried. I don't think he'll get arrested, but he sure as hell is going to be brought in for questioning, and who knows how that'll go.

Truth is, this is the worst possible scenario for everyone. Sure, Rika gets handled accordingly with the law, and she does not face the trauma of seeing V die right before her eyes, but... There is a very high possibility of Saeran getting killed. Saeyoung is going to leave the RFA, pronto. Whether he manages to save Saeran (while also having to face the reality of what was actually happening to his brother for all these years, without him knowing), it doesn't matter. He is going to disappear from the lives of the RFA, and they are never going to see him again. He cannot allow it.

And, if we add Yoosung being unaware of Rika's supposed death to that, well, that's a final nail in the coffin. The RFA will simply cease to exist as an organization. I can't see them getting out of something like that, honestly. Lying about such a thing is unforgivable and very unfair to Yoosung, so, I can't even imagine the sense of betrayal he is going to face. Especially if his family was going along with it. Can you imagine? Realizing that everyone you called friends or family have been lying to you for years? It'll basically render all of his progress useless. I'd say he will end up in an even worse place mentally.

[away-ward]

Why was Pd so sloppy with Emory ? Like there are so many questions. What about her life before they moved back to thunder bay when she was 13 ? The people she knew before moving back . Or the fact that it was made clear of the other girls relationships but not Emory. Like we know rika was with Trevor , winter and banks weren’t with anyone else before Kai and demon , and winters hookup with that midterm guy . But we don’t know that about Emory ? Cause will thought Martin might has r word Emory at some point? And all the time apart was she with anyone? Cause with winter and banks it was kinda a big thing them losing their v card . Also Emory is described as having olive skin . Some people say she’s black but almost every book character is described as having golden, olive skin if they r tan. Like when I hear olive skin I think of Nina dobrev as elena Gilbert in tvd early seasons.

I know, I know! I’m not someone who needs a biography on Emory, but some more insight would be great. I really don’t need PD to confirm what happened during those 9 years. Likewise, I don’t know everything that she went through before Nightfall began, and I don’t need to. I like my headcanon, and to be honest, I like the mystery.

However, you kind of prove a point. I have never once considered that Emory lived anywhere other than Thunder Bay, and I had to go back to check if I missed something. I may very well have, but I think I found enough evidence that I’m not ready to change my mind. When Will talks about her parents dying, he says they were caught in “the river” when a hurricane hit “them” five years ago. To me, that implies he’s familiar with the river, and that he includes himself as one effected by the hurricane. There are a few other lines throughout that, to me, say she’s always been there, but they’re not definite. Either way, the fact that it’s unclear is proof that Emory’s background isn’t specific enough.

In some ways, the mystery surrounding Emory speaks to her character and background. Emory went five years being abused in a small community (not that 10,000 is small, but her circle was), by a notable member of the community (people knew who her brother was and that she was his sister). Nobody in her life suspected a thing.

Emory was invisible. Nobody, not even Will, really knew who she was. He didn’t know her background or where she was before he first noticed her. I can imagine that he saw the headline “Thunder Bay couple dies in Hurricane” and didn’t realize until Emory was their daughter until she got to Thunder Bay Prep a few years later. It makes sense that Emory goes through life with no one keeping track of her coming and going. Nobody but Emory should fully know her story.

However, as a reader and a writer myself, PD not knowing is a difficult pill to swallow. We’re not asking, “what happened at her sixth birthday party.” We’re asking, “Did Emory have any significant others before or after Will?” To answer, “I don’t know” is insulting when we did get that information for all the other girls. I could see PD thinking it’s not information that's necessary to tell Emory’s story (honestly, whether she’s had an SO outside of Will changes nothing within the confines of NF), but those experiences are important to understanding a character, and to not know them yourself is a letdown and bad planning. Like you said, sloppy. Even if they didn't make it to the book, answering those questions outside of the story should be easy.

My thoughts on it are that PD was too tired of Devil’s Night by the time they got to Nightfall. I honestly feel they should have taken a break between releases, but the fandom was really pushing for more. And I can go off on a tangent about how damaging that is for a writer, and how the story suffers the most, but I won’t to save everyone some mental space.

Also Emory is described as having olive skin . Some people say she’s black but almost every book character is described as having golden, olive skin if they r tan. Like when I hear olive skin I think of Nina dobrev as elena Gilbert in tvd early seasons.

I agree that when I hear “olive” I think of a golden tan. I’ve never heard of anyone headcanoning her as black, but if that’s what works for them, I won’t take it away. It's just that I never saw that. I know I get irritated when people don’t acknowledge her wavy/curly hair (this is coming from a curly girl. Please don’t take it away from me😭.) I still haven’t found my Emory, but I’m constantly on the lookout. I’ll be interested if anyone feels like submitting theirs, but no pressure. Fan casts and face claims can be a difficult thing to share. I’m just interested in seeing how other people picture her in their heads.

Please, don't stress about the things PD hasn't confirmed. Just headcanon to your heart's content, and if anyone tries to tell you that you're wrong because they said so, block them.

Thanks for coming around!

-Ko

[marshmallowprotection]

Do you think if ge!suit existed, he’d still be a tsundere? He’s not exactly one originally since his circumstances are a bit different, but I wonder if he’d still have some tsun-like tendencies post Mint Eye

See, as a Tsundere lover myself, I don't classify Suit Saeran as one. The staple reason why he can't show his feelings isn't because he's overwhelmed and flustered by them. Yes, gentle feelings aren't the easiest for him to navigate, but he isn't in a situation where we can lay down exactly how he feels naturally. Even in V Route, where he's not forced to have his back against the wall in the same way, there's nothing in how he expresses himself towards MC that aligns him as a Tsundere archetype.

He can't show his feelings for you or even figure out what he feels for you because there's a bottle of elixir against his back and one wrong move will get him cleansed. He knows he's intrigued by you and that he would want to explore more with you if he wouldn't be cleansed in the basement the minute he showed you a gentle side of himself, or the moment someone caught him "allowing" you to be kind to him as you were "kind" to Ray.

Why do you think he pretends to be Ray during the route? Ray was allowed to experience those emotions and he's not allowed to have that. He is meant to be "strong" in whatever way Rika wants him to be, and that's how he'll survive. He doesn't enjoy it, but he doesn't... that man doesn't have a choice! I can't call him a Tsundere when his feelings are being twisted by the threat of punishment.

Now, if I were to imagine GE Suit Saeran, I would imagine as him as someone who can be a bit snarky, but he doesn't push MC away due to the butterflies in his chest. He takes his time with MC and affirms boundaries because he has to learn how to forgive himself before he can get into a relationship, and even then, he needs time to properly get to know MC, for him MC to get to know him. He may seem a bit sullen at times, perhaps even moody, but that's just the way his face looks.

He's hesitant to accept your romantic affection, NOT BECAUSE IT'S OVERWHELMING TO HIM AND HE NEEDS TO PUSH YOU AWAY TO STOP THAT STRANGE, WARM FEELING, but—because he doesn't know how to accept love. Love is strange for a man who came into himself as a weapon meant only to be a sword and shield to survive. Ray could have everything and he couldn't. That's how it was sold to him in Mint Eye.

He's generally quiet, thoughtful, and enjoys parallel play. He likes to bake, and I imagine him learning how to make more to make up for what he did to you and to heal his inner child. He has a dry sense of humor and he gets along with Jumin really well because of that. He's a little bit clueless sometimes, even as smart as he is, because a lot of gestures go over his head, but that's really the only time you'll see him pout or grumble.

[moonsmultimusings]

“ Keep trying and you'll succeed. ” ( @ yoosung! )

5-Word Sentence Prompts - Accepting ☾

There were times when Zen could be a bit… what was a good word for it? Narcissistic? Or maybe… self-obsessed? He may even spring for something like cringe-inducing at times. There were times when he opened the chatroom on his phone while walking between classes, only to see a selfie posted with more than a big of bragging, and a bit too much encouragement from Jaehee. But, at the same time, there were instances when he truly did feel like Zen was a reliable person. Someone he could come to with his worries who would support him. A shoulder he could lean on. More than Seven, who might not understand the severity of his problem, or Jumin, who was probably the last person anyone would seek out for any sort of emotional support. Jaehee, too, was too busy. She had enough on her plate already. When Rika's arms were no longer held out to him, and he distrusted V too much to even consider him an option, he found Zen waiting for him.

There were instances, too, where Zen tried to offer some unsolicited advice that wasn't taken to heart. Little things about how he needed to quit playing LOLOL to get a girlfriend, and how he needed to change his diet and work out more. These were often ignored on his part, dismissed outright. While they weren't untrue, they seemed like large steps. Too large for him to try and take reliably. But… he recognized the thought behind them. That Zen was speaking from a place of concern.

In that sense, Zen was a bit like an older brother to him. One who would tease him on occasion, sure, but who was still there for him. He was someone who could be relied on, someone to run to when things became a bit too much. So, at the end of the day, the encouragement offered here still retained its weight.

'Keep trying and you'll succeed,' he could say, so casually, with so much certainty. How could Zen sound so sure of something that was so difficult to predict? There was no way to know, was there? There was so much uncertainty in the future, so much he couldn't know until he let go of the past. As hard as that felt, he couldn't hold on forever. He needed to keep trying. That was the key. He wasn't there yet.

“You… think so?” he asked, searching for any semblance of that certainty in his own tone. “I hope that's true. I really do want to find a way to succeed. Even after everything that's happened… I can keep trying, right?” Even if it seemed difficult. Sometimes even impossible. “And someday, I'll find a way to bury her in my heart. Like Jaehee said.” He drew in a deep breath to steady himself. “Thanks, Zen. I appreciate it.”

[ridingtorohan]

Content: References to Rika and V's relationship and their dynamic as well as Another Story spoilers. AU: Another Story (V's Route). Cross-links: ao3 A/n: Written in 2018. Never edited. This was an abstract psychological study. So it reads a little differently.

Rika doesn't know what to consider you as - a bug to be trampled on or someone to be saved. In the blinding, purifying light, there are answers - and there are secrets better left buried.

‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎‏‏‎‎‏LAMENTATIONS IN THE ‎‏‏‎THRONE ROOM ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎───※ ·❆· ※───

The slivers of moonlight on the floor marred the smooth expanse. They were like little rivers of pale light, fogged and distant. The haze to it looked otherworldly.

It was no secret that she liked to bathe in the light of the moon, the sun long eclipsed below the line of the horizon. For all her praise of the sun and its powers, she was by default, a child of the night. She has never understood everyone’s affinity for the daylight hours, for when the dawn crept in and smothered everything in its heat.

There was always a false sense of security there - the pale hours of the morning fledged hope and blind innocence. A cloudless sky often promised a fruitful future, did it not? People can get sunburned however, though, they can swelter and die beneath the heat of the star. The moon was incapable of its own light and relied on the sun to shine. She needed V as much as she needed the dark eternal cloak of the shadows.

The daylight hours did little to hide the truth - even though things lurked in the dark when the light is at its thinnest, it would be easy to hide and dispose of the truth and the frightening reality of insecurity that cannot be hidden from prying eyes. All her flaws and faults were visible then and it was all she could do to hide away from it all.

Was she the only one who felt this way? Had she been the only one dealt the cruel hand of fate, who had to listen to her parents scream and cry? To be taunted and belittled by her classmates? To be shoved into closets, to hide away from the pain, from the light that did little to hide her bruises or her tears? Rika had grown in that small little room of hers, where the only company was the curls of pure childish fear and anguish that pulsed through her. No one had come for her, not even the teachers who did little to shield her. Not her own aunt who had simply shaken her head at her mother. Everyone had tried to pry her from her closet, her own safe place, and she had kicked and screamed all the way. Even V had bound her wrists and dragged her from it.

There’s a sound then, a scuffle that dissipated her thoughts harshly. She mistook it for the sound from her dream of the pullstring light overhead. Instead, she blinked and the walls in her mind faded. She was instead left with the broad walls of the throne room, bright and colourful with cloths of ruby and gold that spilled onto the floor above her chair like waterfalls. The air was still aside from the sounds of her own breathing. Her blood thrummed like molten fire, hot and harsh against her arteries.

The sound echoed again and - there - her gaze focused on you. You who sat so plainly in the corner there. A dimmed light danced across the underside of your jaw, shadows long and dark through your hair and over your shoulders. The majority of candles in the room had since sputtered out and the darkness blanketed the air. She stared without comprehension and your foot moved, a slow bob to your head before you stiffened and straightened then relaxed and folded unto yourself.

Rika unfolded her fingers, the joints numb and her skin shivered without her taking notice of the cold. She called your name then but you could only nod plainly without response. Her exhale felt like an expulsion of steam from her blood-boiled body but nothing sickly came up, not even when she moved with the grace of a sputtering fire. Strands of light cut across her skin, soothing and calm against her. Her only real ally, even now. She strode across the room, her footfalls baffled by the end threads of her coat. The glow of the light as it fell across everything that she knew to be true - it was up to her to intercept and divine the sordid lies from it.

She stepped up to you, a sleeping person who barely stirred at her approach, even when she had called your name again. Her savior’s clothes are heavy atop her dress as if it might smother her. Rika stood there, aware that you had likely not moved since your arrival to the throne room hours ago. The honesty of the matter settled thickly into her bones.

You were a bug beneath her, the one with enough sentience to cower and shield itself from her when she approached. The one who was disgusting to even regard, with a flimsy shell of protection and naive eyes that dared to stare back when she graced them with a look. Ray had chosen you - he had become a moth to your inner light - the same light that threatened to snuff him out and choke her. You were feral with your sincerity and kindness but reckless towards yourself. Rika’s fingers clenched at the hem of her coat and the anger misdirected towards you festered.

Rika knew of your insignificance here, knew how little you mattered outside your title of Special Missionary. You were born to be weak, to be stepped on by the stronger as they climbed up the ladder to infinity. You were meant to be crushed underfoot, to be shoved aside and slotted away like a dusty unused toy after you broke. You weren’t meant to be loved, you were meant to be molded.

Just like she had been.

Rika unfisted her hands and the fabric fell loose, untucked past the palms and just long enough to cradle her fingers. Some part of her hated you so strongly that it reared its ugly head at the pit of her stomach to the point that her gut felt unsettled at the mere sight of you. It fumbled and churned, messy and fluid and hard to contain. This wasn’t her, this directionless anger, but the more she saw you trot down the halls with Ray at your heels, the easier she could pinpoint it.

She hated how easily she had been tossed away, so carelessly. She had wanted a Paradise where nobody would be hurt, where peace would be forced to compensate for the damnable silence that had traumatized her youth. Mint Eye was forced to understand each other because it wouldn’t happen otherwise, not in the world in which everyone lived. Nobody had understood her, nobody had even tried. Everybody only saw the surface and if your scars weren't there they simply didn’t exist.

V had smothered her, had tried to pull her from her zone of comfort and forced her into the light. Even after she had escaped her closet in her youth, she had built a new one every time she needed to. Rika would close her eyes and it was there, her only comfort and friend when everyone’s words and hands had made her bleed. It had been full of the only comforts she had known and V had shattered it all. Then he had killed her in ever sense of the word except the action when he had spun the story of her death.

Her friends, the RFA - he had closed the door between them and her and taken the doorknob with him. It was all she could do to bulldoze it down and try to pull them through. Ray had been there - but he had obeyed her every word. He was still worlds away, still mentally chained to the house that his brother and mother had left him in. Rika tried - she tried to teach him how to break himself free, had attempted it herself and yet ... He was too far away ...

Not everybody could be saved but she yearned to try. She would save everyone that she could - just because she had never been saved did not mean that they couldn’t be. Did you want to be? Ray had said you had devoted yourself to RFA, but the messages that she had glimpsed on the phone for him ... she couldn’t be certain. Whether it had been Ray or someone else who you held dear, even now. V could have skewed your view, seduced you to his overwhelming light. Rika had been hardened by her youth, though, had been subjected to wounds and barely escaped with her life. What fate would befall you?

You, who looked so much like a child in this moment? So finitely small, minuscule beneath her full height, shoulders hunched together and knees folded to your chest. The slow, steady sound of your exhales without lapse. A defenseless child, already filled with so much trust towards her because why else would you sleep so tranquilly in her presence otherwise? Why else would you have sought her out time and time again and make the conscious choice to tuck yourself against the wall while she tended to the questions and faults of her believers?

You had rarely interfered with Rika’s work, barely pressed her with childish or idiotic questions. The answers you sought were given - not just because you had asked but because there had been genuine curiosity there. That alone had smoothed the edges of the hammer-blows behind each word you uttered. You are by no means docile, but neither are you reckless.

Perhaps the reason why Rika had hated you so was not because you had replaced her, but perhaps you were the echo of her youth, the child who had found solace in the closet after she had been condemned to it. There has always been pain in that knowledge, that the haven that she so readily believed to be her haven had been her prison for so long. That it still trapped her, even now. Had V even pulled her out? Or had she pulled him in and shunned him for the flashlight he brought to scope his way through the darkness?

Had you simply hidden yourself away, away from the truths and the hardships of the world like she had done? Is that why you took Ray’s hand and blindly trusted him, trusted his innocence? Was any comfort better than none, from a complete stranger? Is that why you stayed? Or had she forced it upon you, forced that trust and companionship through bribery and falsehoods? Had she only pressed her hands through the cracks and dragged you into her own room of darkness, shielded from everyone else? Did she simply only see what she wanted to?

Her outer robe fell easily away from her body, slid from the phantom bruises that had faded long ago. The aches from her past never went away and had burned and blemished her. It was back when she had foolishly followed those who should have known better. How stupid of her to believe that those people would have saved her.

She would save you, though. That was her full intention, and as her saviour’s clothes fell across you, a shield — a closet door — against the world, she knew she could very well die trying.

Rika’s back slid against the wall beside you, her fingernails clipped against the screen of your cellphone as she set it away from you, safe from any potential of flailed limbs. She knew little of your history, but it was enough for her to see the truth even within the dark: that you could be saved, that redemption could be brought to any and all within the RFA. In the meantime, though ...

Her eyes slid towards the meek and unassuming lines of silver in the middle of the room as it danced upon the floorboards. Her eyes closed and her hand settled along your wrist, fingers tangled along your pulse. For a moment, she was a child alongside you, at war with the world. Her mind’s walls crept back in and she is seven, dress tangled with her ankles and tears wet in her eyes but dry on her cheeks. In her mind, she was not alone this time.

Yes, in the meantime, she would figure out whose room the two of you were in - because now you sat curled up with her in her closet - whose safe haven built from lies and suffering and self-shielding. Was it her closet, both broken and patched and made of quilted lines of puzzle piece dreams? Or yours, completely separate and foreign to her touch, to her mind and to her questions? She was the Saviour, the Keeper of Truths. She could not answer the question of who was in the attempt of saving whom, but she supposed that when the answer came, it would suffice for the other question as well - of whose room she imagined now for comfort. Wherever they chose to shield themselves from, wherever they found solace — the sliver of light that slid through the crack of the door ... was that the door as it closed upon them, or had it been the moment she had started to push it open?

[linhmiu201]

Press F to pay respect to our Vanderwood, he never ceases to amuse us. :) He's basically promoted as Seven's nanny now. Give him some spotlight please Cheritz. 🙏🙏

Finally, I read the Judge End. It's sad how the RFA basically torn apart (I did agree that there should be a name change but throwing away the name and breaking apart ain't the same thing... *insert sad V emoji*) And it's absurb how harsh you would need to act in order to unlock it. At least now I totally understand why it only took a few 'soft' choices to lead you to the other ending, and why Cheritz seems to push us into getting Forgive End. They feel the need to sink us with lessons about forgiveness and keep saying that's the right thing to do because of Korean culture, I suppose. Be warned, this is just my own speculation.

When I was in junior high school, a certain Korean TV series was aired at noon. It was unfortunate that I had to go to school every afternoon so I didn't get to watch all of it, but that series left such a big impression on me. Its name is Phantom, an SBS series about hacking and cyber crimes. I remember this detail the most: a girl was cyber bullied to the point that she committed suicide. At that time it was so unfamiliar to me that I remember it even now. If you guys read Chinese web novels then you'd know that the netizens there don't really care if news posted online is truthful or not. If it is said that this celebrity or that idol had an addiction, committed adultery,... then they'll just assume it's true, and swarm said celebrity's Weibo with hate speech. And do you know about a case where an actor in Japan was revealed to have a girlfriend, his fans felt so angry and 'betrayed' that they pressured a production he was starring in to cancel his role? In the end, he got removed from his role for real. Does this feel familiar? That's right, it's Zen's route in a nutshell right there, where Jaehee was so worried about MC and Zen dating, because she knew fans would turn hostile to Zen once they found out he had a girlfriend "who weren't themselves". I don't know what's it like in other countries, but here, in Asian countries, many of the netizens are just so... uncultured, if I dare say. It's not only these 3 countries, but probably all over the world, cases of cyber bullying are still happening. How convenient it is for people to just hide behind the screen and spit cruelty at others or play god. They curse and sneer at prople who they think that were in the wrong, while maintaining a high sense of moral for themselves.

With VAE, you can see such behaviors reflected in the 'wrong' choices, for example:

Rika: My thoughts are evil. No, it's all because of my head. This head of mine can think of nothing but dark things.

Rika: I wish this head of mine would stop working... So that I won't do anything. So that I can't do anything.

The players then have to choose from 2 options, including:

Maybe you've been too obsessed with saving others that you forgot how to save yourself.

Or:

You know, that'd be the way you can be the least of help for others.

To reach the Judge End, we need to choose the second choice (alongside a series of fixed choices before that of course). Honestly, that choice is way too cruel for me, we're basically telling her to shut down her brain and stop functioning here (which she did, she fell into a coma), but in order to reach Judge, I can't help but choosing it, since I knew even 1 'wrong' choice could possibly lead to Forgive and that sweet free talk would remain unlocked forevah. If judgement goes too far, it's no longer judgement but pure cruelty... is what I think Cheritz is trying to tell us here. They're telling us to be more understanding even only a little bit, and don't take malicious pleasure in judging other people, even if they are wrong, because you never know whether a life would be lost due to such malice. For me, sometimes it's hard to tell whether I was pleased to see Rika brought to jail since I felt bad for those she hurted, or because of pure pleasure in playing justice defender where you get to curse the bad person all you want. If it's the latter, then it's bad - said Cheritz, probably.

Oopsie, I nearly forgot I took this picture. The wording is harsh, but I laughed for that savage line of Jumin. xD This is the Judge End where RFA members were utterly disgusted by Rika and shooed her away from their lives. It was all fun and games I honestly think their reaction was understandable given how badly hurted they were when suddenly we were introduced to a "Rika's Circus"... How could something be both hilarious and cruel at the same time?? Seven being the narrator, Jaehee's and Yoosung's exaggeration, Zen talking in monotone, especially Jumin's high-pitched voice and Vanderwood's "why the hell am I here again?" confusion, they were so hilarious I couldn't stop chuckling. ......Sorry that I laughed, what's the password for Wi-Fi in hell?

Entertaining as it is, the "Rika's Circus" thing is still something Cheritz made to guilt trip us. It wasn't real, it was only a dream MC had, but after laughing, we started to feel guilty. Brilliant, I must admit.

Anyway, although I did feel bad for her since V's route actually I still consider what she did is wrong, and no excuse for her actions. You and I, we can understand her, like her, but should never justify her crimes by blaming her past and mental illness. Likewise, V haters could hate him all they/you want, he kinda sorta deserves it with what he did wrong, but don't point fingers at him for the crimes Rika did. Oh yeah, now that I think about it, Saeran is a combination of both V and Rika, don't you think? He was a mentally unstable innocent like V who was exploited and suffered by Rika's hands, then became an abuser himself like Rika. Remember who locked and chained? MC in her room, starved her, verbally abused and kinda sexually harassed her? And then guess who had to sneak in to give MC food to eat hm?

My point is, these 3 characters are flawed as hell and they did so many annoying wrongdoings, but instead of purely hating them, how about trying to understand them? - was probably what Cheritz wanted to convey. Not my words since I have love-hate relationship with them where sometimes I hate them and sometimes I don't. And I still can't like Rika one bit if you ask me, never was, never will.

If you guys read this till the end and agreed with me, then you'd probably love this underrated masterpiece too. It's a parody that whichever fandom you go, you'd still see people using it... the ultimate scene we don't understand but can still enjoy... xD

[dexmckinnery]

I stand corrected about Giacomo's shape now, hahaha, I always thought it was the vest bumps and not actual belly ewe (This is sad because I've been chub my entire life AND used puffy vests at some point xwx' I should have known better) (*Has flashbacks of Guzma with Giacomo's model with white hair*) I also love that in the reference sheet it's all the Team Star members and Arven is just there because xD (Arven is my other fave uwu) Oh dear I'm as tall as Mela and Penny irl sksksjs

I like technology but I'm tech illiterate to a degree, so I got what you said about the model ripping... Partially eAe but as you said, hopefully someone rips the models soon!

(I was the dork that send the anon ask about the changes and self consciousness btw because I didn't know better... and since every other ask was on anon I did as I saw :V)

Hahaha, I don’t blame you! XD I wasn’t sure either until I looked at the model, honestly. And really? That kind of body type is probably the rarest to come out of Japanese media (or media in general I suppose), so I don’t think ANYBODY expects it...

The only reason I’m willing to believe that was their intention is because... they’ve obviously been trying hard to be more diverse in their body types lately, you can see that in the game itself in the NPCs, props to them! Also... Arezu exists in Arceus and she’s undeniably a rare build. XD Giacomo would be the male equivalent, I’d guess... also, when you take his coat layer off and stand him next to any other thin male character, his waist doesn’t taper in (like say... the male grunts or Atticus). Which could be the vest, but at the same time, it doesn’t look or behave like the vests on the definitely thin male characters. They’ve also... rigged up his coat in multiple places =T So that it will curve around that part. And they have done so in many of the animations. You can also see it in most of the “held” shots where his pose is held for a while (opening a battle, seeing him for the first time, defeating him in battle). So I feel like they wanted it to be known. Otherwise it’s a whole lot of coincidence? I dunno, I could be wrong. XD That said, Rose also exists!

I do feel guilty when people think that I came up with it though XD;; No, it’s based on the game, promise, give GameFreak their dues! Not that people will see the shots of the model since tumblr decided not to put that post in tags XD Thanks, tumblr. Let the people see Giacomo!

And hahaha yes Arven! XD He actually doesn’t have a face there because he was imported before the python script could handle their faces =D;;; There’s actually Rika (faceless) and Larry to the side of Arven, but I cropped them out to take a screenshot. I figured I’d include Arven so people could see how tall he is compared =) He’s my bestie’s favourite, so he gets special treatment. He comes out by that scale as 5′06″ (same as Rika) and Atticus at 5′08″

Hahaha, no worries! XD;; I figured I’d elaborate anyway, just in case ¦D I have no reason to hide techniques from anybody... maybe somebody might know how to get the face rigs working, that’d be incredible! I’m no expert with 3D models by far... I’m far better at ripping 2D spritework!

And don’t worry!! You can send anon or not, it really doesn’t matter. =) Just receiving asks at all is a big feel-good moment for me XD And despite what José said to Giacomo... I think his outfit DOES work in his favour and people think he’s slender, hahaha! XD I feel like that was true on the ask blog too... Hopefully his answer makes sense now though. At least for the “canon” I use on that blog. He’s not actually in denial!