#they would perpetuate the harmful aspects of it instead of developing any sort of sympathy to classes below them

[pega-chan]

was rewatching some clips of Ejen Ali the Movie and you know what i would have liked to see more? Ali having some sort of culture shock with the class disparity. yeah he went to the slums of Cyberaya but i wanted him to have casual conversations with the low and working class citizens and find out some aspects of his upper class life (seeing as his father is a literal governor) was actually not normal. Ali does go to public school so i think he has some class consciousness already but it's limited to middle class at best. i want him to like really realize how much the lower classes struggle and if Ali was subject to the rules and pressure of high society, he would quickly realize his worries about maintaining an image are superficial compared to low and working class struggles of trying to literally survive. i think his knowledge of upper class norms would come in handy in trying to outsmart rich villains in the series because he knows how they work and what they value. idk i think his social standing is very underutilized.

also not saying Aliya is a class traitor, but like...why did you basically abandon your lower class friend once you got recruited by the government and got with a governor? can't you still be friends with Niki? like i'm on Niki's side here

[mikunology]

Mikunology File #5: Hatsune Miku

So here I am again, finally. Time for some more info dumping, but this time for a single character instead of an aspect of the verse or story.

Since Miku’s birthday recently passed, and I haven’t really done much to expand on some characters, I thought I’d make a Mikunology file based solely on a character and decided to start with our wonderful blue-green-haired protagonist.

This is a VERY LONG ONE, so if you’re interested enough to read to the end let me just say that I am virtually sending you a hug. Info under the cut.

So, as mentioned, Hatsune Miku (codename CV01) is the humble protagonist of the story of Vocal Android, as well as the instigator of the entire plot from her coming into existence. First in the line of Crypton Laboratories’ Character Vocal Series and supposedly the first fully functional completely humanlike android in existence (spoiler alert: she isn’t, but that’s a story for another day), within the world she lives in she’s a pretty hecking big deal. Naturally, this ends up causing her equal parts harm and good, giving her friends, fame, and recognition all over the planet but also bringing her into the sight of some messed-up, incredibly corrupt people who are quite interested in either her destruction or her exploitation.

Personality/Portrayal

I’ve discussed how I see Miku’s personality before, but I feel now if the perfect time to go further into depth on it.

Here, Hatsune Miku is a cheerful, friendly and perpetually nice girl with a heart for music and a strong sense of justice. Miku is as sweet as she appears, and is often concerned with the wellbeing of everyone, whether it be friends, family, or fans. Miku loves nothing more than to make people happy with her singing, and considers it an act that fulfills her purpose best as a Vocaloid. She can get along with virtually anyone, and can spare a spot of sympathy for just about everyone (at least, most of the time). That said, Miku is also known for being a bit on the silly side--as nice as she is, she can be very clueless and slow on the uptake compared to everyone else. She always tries her best to understand, though.

Even with her friendliness however, Miku is sometimes rather stressed by the world around her. Having to juggle a career as a pop idol, a big sister to her fellow Vocaloids, a life as a high school student, and a responsibility as a superheroine, she tends to be overwhelmed by circumstances when things get rough (enough that you could call her neurotic sometimes). This stress can occasionally make her afraid to make mistakes, and thus cause her to run away or avoid problems to support her own mentality. She also can have a rather explosive temper because of her constantly bottling her feelings up. But, she still has a large drive to do well and be efficient to serve her purpose (making others happy) and will stop at nothing to achieve what needs to be done when she puts her mind to it. She just needs a little incentive, that's all.

And lastly, Miku is known for her loyalty to her friends and her world. Even with her own anxieties, she makes her best effort to put others before herself and dreads the idea of anyone coming to harm because of her. She loves to give encouragement to her fans and fellow Vocaloids, and strives to use her own abilities to keep the world at peace. In all reality, all Miku desires is to bring an even brighter future.

Abilities

Gotta talk about this, right? Now truthfully, this list may change in the future, because this plotline is constantly developing and new ideas are always coming to me. But as of current, this are her current list of basic abilities.

Her singing voice. Obviously, Miku’s greatest ability is the power of her own voice. Being created to sing, Miku was granted the ability to do more with her voice beyond what an average human can do. This includes amplifying or quieting it, manipulating her tone of voice, throwing her voice, or pitching it up or down. After acquiring her Append, V3, V4, English, and eventually Chinese voicebanks, she can also switch between voices or languages at any time. Her ability to sing loudly has been perfect for concerts, but can also constitute as a weapon. Later on, she can power herself up with the strength of her music.

Flight. Miku is also able to fly, and can do so at decently fast speeds. I like to think that she probably started out with your standard “rocket boots”, if you will, but upon her upgrades from V3 and V4 she switched to anti-gravity. Despite being rather clumsy with it at the start, Miku is pretty swift and acrobatic when it comes to flying--it probably helps that her twintails can provide wind resistance.

Durability. Miku is incredibly durable, much more so than your normal person. Since she is a robot, and isn’t made out of bones or flesh, she is more than capable of taking a hit and usually requires quite a lot to so much as truly render her out of commission. She is NOT bulletproof or completely invulnerable, however, but as long as she’s capable of moving around it’s quite hard to do her in. Also, if she DOES get considerably injured, it’s perfectly possible to fix her up again. (Note: Just to say, though, while Vocal Android can get cartoony at times, these characters do NOT follow “easily detachable robot parts”.)

Learning capability and musical knowledge. Her brain is computerized, so it doesn’t take long at all for Miku to learn something; this especially applies to her knowledge in music and dance. If someone shows her how to do something, it usually takes very minimal tries for her to get it down. This often comes in handy for learning songs, playing instruments, or dance routines, and has also helped her in copying abilities. However, while she is a fast learner, whether she actually UNDERSTANDS the material she’s learning is a different story.

Download. Miku is also capable of downloading her consciousness or data within her into a computer. While downloaded, she can also take form as a program or virtual entity on the computer and can act within cyberspace as she pleases. Additionally, as a precaution, she actually regularly backs her memories and personality into a separate computer in case her physical self were to come to harm. 

Module usage. Thanks to a strange incident, Miku is also one of the few capable of using Modules, special “power-ups” of sorts that can change her appearance and give her special powers. Module powers vary greatly and can often be wild cards, and each one has a specific time limit based on how powerful they are, but they always help her in a cinch.  

Equipment

Of course, Miku also has various equipment to help her on her various escapades. Once again, this list is open to change.

Her arm sleeves. Miku’s most common equipment. Not only are they a vital part of her trademark outfit, but Miku’s sleeves are embedded with computers that organize her data and allow her to access songs, information, video-call, and switch voices. Her system menu can also be accessed via her sleeves and she can be shut down or switched on with them.

Headphones. Then there’s Miku’s headphones. While of course they can function as regular headphones and often do, they also function as a another “off/on” button, and also can allow Miku to call or receive calls from her teammates or from the facility.

Leek and Leek Gun. Unsurprisingly, Miku always has a leek on her, either for snacking or for a good comical smacking (although she can do some real smacking, too). Also, courtesy of Gumi, she was given the Leek Gun, a dual-fire mini-launcher that looks like a leek. She doesn’t always use it but to say she’s fond of it is an understatement.

Megaphone. Insert “Love is War” reference here. Miku also commonly uses megaphones, as a way to amplify herself further and sometimes as way to direct her voice more properly. Before anyone asks, however, she has used a gun similar to Megaphone Gun from Ultra Despair Girls once.

Microphone. And of course, a singer like Miku always needs a microphone. Aesthetically, she prefers the ones that come with stands, never mind that they tend to make good staves. 

Bonus Headcanons

Random extra stuff since I don’t know what else to put here!

Miku likes to cook, but tends not to be very good at it due to her innate ability to be easily distracted.

While she can play a multitude of instruments, she has a particular affinity for the guitar, synthesizer, and bass.

She loves video games, particularly the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

She doesn’t have a favorite song necessarily, but Miku Miku ni Shite Ageru has a place in her heart for being one of her earliest hits.

She likes sports, but is an utter klutz when she tries to play them. She's good at cheerleading, though!

Contrary to what some may think, she actually is pretty comfortable with her robotic existence. To say she doesn’t ever wonder what it would be like to be human would be a lie, but she doesn’t at all mind what she is. As long as she’s treated with respect, she’s cool.

She’s secretly the biggest freaking nerd ever

Inspiration Songs

Songs I used as a basis for my portrayal of Miku are: “39 Music!”, “Anger”, “Innocence”, “Miku”, “Mikunologie”, “SING&SMILE”, “Unfragment”, “Yellow”, “Miku Miku ni Shite Ageru”, “News 39″, “Koisuru Vocaloid”, “My Time”, and “The Bounce from Zero to Infinity”. For those curious, of course.