yanno with all of the traumatizing solus has been doing i figured connie's made enough positive progress and that it's time for her to become an actively worse person again u up for that
ωαℓєω∂єя 👑
That's part of what's been so much fun, honestly. Like... playing or writing Dirk in a way that's just "Dirk gets better!" doesn't interest me because it's not. Organic? Dirk has a definite effect on the people close to him, and that definitely isn't a one-way trajectory.
But with Connie it's been interesting to watch the way they affect each other, not really sharing a direction so much as. Well. The pulley is a really good visual tbh.
YEAH.... yeah, it does, and it's been. Kind of nice? I know a lot of people DO play characters like Dirk to. Improve them as people and I was initially actually afraid that was expected of me here (in VR in general) but instead I've really been able to play him... as complicated and infinitely imbalanced person but still a PERSON.
HONESTLY I've loved every moment of playing with you guys and his CR with Connie especially. I've stopped stressing about what I want to play because being able to write him freely has been SO.... easy?
Natsuo is so naturally gifted in and perfect at basically every physical activity that she tries that she's constantly, perpetually bored and kinda miserable, until she finally meets someone who is better than her in one specific area and immediately becomes fixated on beating her not because this girl beat her, but because this girl beat her AND is happy
the climax of natsuo's character arc is learning that this other girl is just as damaged as her but in an entirely different and arguably worse way, lol
and then you find out that the reason natsuo is such a sadomasochist and constantly looking for areas to fail in even when she tries her hardest is because her physical ability emasculated her brother when they were like super kids and he has relentlessly abused her for it ever since
she ended up like, almost getting charged with assault in beating up her former best friend and karate classmates just because she thought if the people who beat her brother got beaten by her in turn it would make him feel better but that really made him worse
the manga ends with her after having lost the big tournament having this heartwarming reunion sequence with him where they watched the action movies they both used to love together... only to fade out to natsuo asleep on the couch, holding a van damme vcr tight as she dreams
I feel like Akane realizing girls can slip and mess up too would be a massive shock to her system and not feel good but. Also be a necessary worldview adjustment?
As for whether or not he would try to corrupt Connie it would honestly depend! See, he actually values good people, but more often than not people prove to him they're shitty in some way or another, or if he sees them as a pliable pawns for some scheme or another
In his own canon he forcibly aligns himself with the protags to judge them whether they are worthy or not being his true allies, and when he sees they are actually genuinely noble people, he grows fond of them
BUT YEAH anyways point is, I am totally fine with him being part of a negative character arc if we can swing something that would give him a reason to encourage her worst traits
it occurs to me that anyone listening in on carly's conversation with Solus, who has fictional reality on the mind, will now be aware that at the very least she was from a -card-focused shonen- because where the hell else are debates solved that way
Fun fact: even though she learned to cheat the system from Carly, a lot of Connie's turn-ins are legitimate steals from just. The absolute WORST people. Because in the Pokémon black markets there's still a chance that the 'mons will find somewhat better homes, however slim, and she takes it just in case it works out for them.
But yeah, in his own canon there's a girl who is around connie's age who is pretty good and pure, and other than being a little rude to her, he doesn't try to inspire anything dark within her. I mean, he does encourage her to follow a path that might lead to her own demise and sounds pretty happy about it BUT it was also something necessary
SHADOWBRINGERS IS VERY GOOD there's like...a middle portion that is NOT my jam at all, but honestly most people are fine with it, I'm just a petty baby. BUT LIKE everything else is SO good
lookI dunno, Dirk likes himyepConnie carly was getting along with this man
there's no magically getting better so having dynamics actually Work with the way...improvement WORKS?? chefs kiss,
'improvement' when I say it?? super doesn't mean 'be nice dirk'
it just means
hey be less of a messyoure such a mess mannot feel goodbut. Also be a necessary worldview adjustment?not the BadGirls !but never the bad girls...
it's time for...The Speedwagon Effectoh wow that sure is 44 tagsbecause where the hell else are debates solved that way
Everyone Else:
ARE YOU FOR FUCKING REAL SHE'S THE ONE WITH THE MOST SOCIAL KNOW-HOW!!!HOW IS THE ONE WHO HAS THIS MUCH AWARENESS ON GENDERSTUDIES AND PERSONALITY -FROM CARD GAMES-a lot