#But it is ingrained into Minato's very character

[blooming-water-roses]

Tobirama for the ask game plss

Yayyy comin' right up!

favorite thing about them

His intelligence & skillset. Also his self-control & discipline. It commands respect. His voice too, whew it's so authoritative. I also think his character design is so cool! The blue wardrobe against his pale skin and hair (I support the headcanon that he's albino, I think it adds so much depth) with his red eyes and face marks. How prettily his eyes are shaped too. His sarcasm and dry humor. And (last thing I promise) when he gets so indignant after Nart mistakes his jutsus for Minato's. (i literally named almost everything whoops)

Cont. below cut:

least favorite thing about them

His stubbornness & huge ego. The man will never admit he is wrong out loud even when he knows he is.

favorite line

"First you must take a hard look at yourself and come to understand who you are objectively."

This speaks to who he is as a person. Look at yourself unbiased, with all of your shortcomings, your flaws, and your weaknesses as well as your strengths, know your limits and know what you're willing to do to lessen your faults. It's how he came to be who he is, and man if it isn't good advice.

brOTP

HashiTobi obvs. I think their brotherly relationship is cute. Hashirama is the older sibling and yet the one who is more responsible and level-headed is Tobirama. Also the fact that Tobirama lived his life to realize Hashirama's dream of his village--as he knew Hashirama was a visionary but lacked the concrete know-how to actually execute his vision.

OTP

I have two.

TobiIzu in the way that they were true equals and I headcanon the idea that while Tobirama harbored the generational mentality that Uchiha were evil, he was also very fascinated by the Uchiha in general because of their traditions/prowess, and Izuna's strength and abilities in particular were so intricate, it was his favorite thing to study. Izuna got under his skin (which amused Izuna) and Tobirama couldn't help but be interested and in awe of him despite his pesky beliefs about the Uchiha. I believe he felt heavy guilt when he killed him.

TobiKaga in the way that Kagami was the only Uchiha ever to gain Tobirama's utmost trust. I want to know so badly how Kagami was able to obtain it. I believe Kagami was a very sunny-personality-type, who inherently understood where Tobirama was coming from and had unwavering respect for him. The beautiful "you are my exception" trope. I support the headcanon that Kagami got his Mangekyo after Tobirama left to be the decoy.

I do enjoy me some MadaTobi/TobiMada, after all they are very similar and they butt heads to it's always fun to read fics where they're stubborn in admitting they're attracted to each other.

nOTP

TobiMito, I just don't see it. Mito is Hashi's wife &...why would they be attracted to each other?

TobiSaku...I see so many Sakura-self-insert ships that make no sense and this is one of them.

Just bc I don't ship/understand doesn't mean I judge you if you like it tho, by all means ship what u ship

random headcanon

I have SO many

the lines on Tobi's face each represent a fallen loved one, and the last line for Hashi is on his forehead underneath the protector

he created the Reanimation Jutsu to bring Izuna back

He hadn't meant to kill Izuna, he believed he would counter his Flying Raijin slice and was shocked & horrified when it actually worked

That he is albino & autistic (I love these hcs)

unpopular opinion

I don't believe he is prejudice against the Uchiha, I believe his misgivings about them are so ingrained (from growing up as Butsuma's son, having to view them as enemies all his young life) in his mentality that he refuses to give them up because that would mean admitting he's wrong which he never does.

I believe he did his very best to make sure Konoha would be successful and strong (creating the ANBU, delegating roles to clans, etc.) and the fact that some backfired was not his fault. He's only a person and did the best he could with what he had.

song i associate with them

R.I.P 2 My Youth - The Neighbourhood

favorite picture of them

Pretty, pretty, and pretty.

Ask me here!

[depressedhatakekakashi]

Thinking about the the worst Hokage, minus Hiruzen is really difficult… it’s a bit like trying to make a mortal rating of characters based on decisions they made when they were in power. Problem with that is assuming that they are above human feelings and bias… No one is going to be completely good or completely evil, and while an improvement may not be perfect it can still be better than the previous situation.

Hashirama made a school to teach kids how to fight, yes. Which was better than what was happening before where they were sent off to “learn” on the battlefield.

Tobirama had very strong prejudices against the Uchiha, which were deeply ingrained in him as a means of survival after a lifetime of fighting against them. He also advanced a lot of the institutions and systems that set Konoha up to thrive.

Minato may not have done much but when faced with a catastrophe, he did his best to minimize the damage and casualties.

Hiruzen (and I say this as really despising him) probably genuinely thought he was doing the right thing when he took over as Hokage again after Minato’s death and in all of the terrible things that happened after.

Tsunade was doing the best she could moving from crisis to crisis but it was also a job that she didn’t want, and she made that known.

I don’t know enough about what Kakashi does as Hokage but there will certainly be things in it that weren’t the best option.

I think that sometime people forget that leaders are human too, capable of making less than perfect decisions or able to turn things into a perfect utopia in just a few years. There is another problem in there where changing people’s takes an incredibly long time and is a very slow and painful process… but I’ve already already dumped a bunch of stuff here.

See i don’t expect any of them to be perfect. I don’t think Kakashi is a ‘perfect Hokage’ as there is no such thing.

But i do hold a certain standard and ‘clan Massacure’ is far below that standard.

Tobirama loses points for admitting he thinks that ‘if the Uchiha clan died to protect Konoha then it’s a good thing’. That’s never an acceptable stance to have. Children were killed and there’s never an acceptable time to agree that it was alright to Massacure children.

As you said Tsunade was just trying to survive and keep the village going for the five years she was in power.

I’ve said it myself, Minato wasn’t Hokage long enough to be a good or bad Hokage. He never got a chance to do anything meaningful.

Kakashi’s time as Hokage are only really addressed in ‘Kakashi Retusden’ so you’d have to read the book, but even he’s bias against himself. Like this man actually did do some meaningful good changes (capture enemies instead if killing and even going so far as having iruka teach him how to knock an enemy out because he’s only ever known to kill. The Acadamy being open to everyone even if they’re not going to be Shinobi and just want to learn things that can help them in their every day life, creating trade agreements with the other villages and helping Konoha become an economic giant instead of just being a shinobi village). Kakashi did all of this and still craps on himself so much that he thinks Minato, a man who had no opportunity to do anything as hokage, was more deserving of a book than him. He also never expected anyone to like him. He thinks about an old woman in Kiri who spit on him during a visit and he holds no anger toward her because he understands people are going to be angry and hurt after all the war. Her son died to a Konoha shinobi and Kakashi accepts her anger being directed at him)

I will say that Tobirama making the system as is is honestly not something i look up to. Like, i know he may not have intended it to be used the way it was, but five year olds at the acadamy learning to fight? Six-ten year olds doing the chunin exams? He set those things up and as someone who was a child soldier for a war against the Uchiha i HATE it. His brother wanted so much better for future generations and Tobirama focused soley on making Konoha a military village and nothing else

[ragecndybars]

top 5 mbs characters, bc im predictable, and then top 5 persona ...ships? if you don't do a lot of shipping than characters works.

unfortunately i don't actually follow persona all of my knowledge of it is just me voting for whatever you say to in the various polls you reblog (i gotchu homie).

and then just for the sprinkles on top, top 5 favorite birds. they can be specific birds (ie steve the magpie, a local magpie in your area, or big bird) or bird breeds (parrots, a titmouse, lilac breasted roller, etc) up to you. 🎉

or only do one, or two, or all of these! no offense will be taken. im giving OPTIONS

aaaaa thank you!!! for the ask, for the options, and also for supporting my little blorbos in those silly polls 😭

Top 5 MBS Characters:

Kate Wetherall. I. Was. OBSESSED with Kate as a kid. I do prefer her in the books but I love her show incarnation as well!! The weird girl energy, the autism, the ADHD, it's all off the charts. Fav line from book Kate is still "Well of course it's not funny, but what do you want me to do? Cry?" List of sentences that changed my brain chemistry as a child.

Not to be a basic bitch, but Nicholas Benedict. Oh my god, I loved him in the books already -- we love to see a "wise, all-knowing mentor" character with actual personality and limitations -- but the direction the show took his character in was truly inspired. His discussion with Reynie about the white knight in the books is PEAK.

Reynie Muldoon. Understandably, since he's the POV character, he was the one I actually related to most as a kid. I love the "always trying to stay calm" thing he has going on, and how the narrative never punishes him for trying to be kind and genuine and earnest even though so many books and shows nowadays feel the need to equate niceness with naivete.

My funky little Milligan. Yet another character who I loved in the books already and adored seeing more of in the show. I especially love how much more autistic they made this man. "Geez, how 'bout a hello?" "........Hello." / "I'll be back." [vanishes] [reappears] ".......I'm back." King shit. And no matter what incarnation it is, his reunion with Kate will always reduce me to tears. The memory that was so deeply ingrained into his brain that even Curtain couldn't take it from him... was just that memory of his little girl asking him to go to the mill again... AUGH.... 😭

Constance Contraire. Like Kate, I prefer Book!Constance, but I adore the way the show portrayed her as well. First of all, she's hilarious. Second of all, while she's often being irrational, she also can be a voice of reason in some ways, and we love that. Funky little psychic child. And I just ADORE how kindly the book treats her. Even when she's getting on the other characters' nerves in a big way, the book never suggests that she's a detriment to them, that she needs to sit down and shut up, that they would be better off if they ditched her, or any number of other things that a less understanding narrative would be claiming.

Top 5 Persona Ships

Hamugis. Ohhh my god. MFW the overwhelming guilt I feel for having potentially ruined someone's life by sealing Death inside of her as a child slowly transforms into admiration as I meet her again and begin to see her as a strong leader and then love as I begin to discover my own humanity through her. MFW "I don't want you to love someone else... I don't want that, even if that's what would make you happy!!" MFW I touch my robot GF's literal heart and leave an indelible mark on her very being. Also uhh that one post. "I do not understand hookup culture!!! Die in my arms!!!" yeah. Aigis and Kotone for number one love story of all time.

Akimina. Much less canon interaction to go off of with these two but stay with me here. T4T autism4autism. I love Akihiko's earnestness and Minato's bluntness and how they combine to make a relationship that lacks miscommunication while also leaving a lot unsaid because neither is much one for conversation. I like the idea of Akihiko's intense desire to be strong to protect someone playing off of Minato's much more reserved, almost lackadaisical attitude, despite Minato's strength, and I think it would be so interesting to watch them move in opposite directions -- Akihiko learning to cut himself some slack and trust others rather than thinking he has to protect everyone alone, while Minato learns to break out of his shell and actually care about those around him and want to protect them -- while they also, at the same time, are learning almost identical lessons about relying on other people.

Ulamaya. The two girlies of all time. I adore how Ulala's combined jealousy and affection for Maya play off each other and how Ulala is one of the only characters in the game who feels like she's fully seeing Maya as she is -- a human like any other, even if she presents herself as eternally optimistic and strong so that others can lean on her. Their relationship feels so... equal. If that makes sense. Which, as much as I appreciate KatsuMaya, can feel a little lacking in other Maya ships imo, bc it always feels like other characters (ESPECIALLY the masked circle) tend to idolize Maya. And Maya's forgiveness of Ulala's betrayal... what's that one Hozier line... "I'd be the immediate forgiveness in Eurydice." Yeah.

Pegoryu. God I just love how ride-or-die Ryuji is right off the bat. You meet him, have a near-death experience with him, and ten minutes later he's shoveling more food onto your plate insisting that you need to eat more. Even before then, it may be Akira who saves Ryuji from Kamoshida, but it's Ryuji who tackles him away, yells at him to run and save himself, who gives Akira the faith in humanity that the rest of the world had eroded away at that point.

Tie between Saoriham and Kannao. Saori's social link is one of the best parts of Persona 3 straight up, and Kanji and Naoto are just so goddamn cute together.

Honorable mentions: TatsuJun ("I... have nothing to give you in return..."), YukiChie ("Yes, Chie is my prince..."), ShinjiMina ("If the burden of command gets to be too much, just let me know."), KatsuBao ("Idiot... What were you going to do if I pulled the trigger?" "I knew you wouldn't.")

Top 5 Favorite Birds

Orioles!!! I have such fond memories of helping my grandma skewer orange halves and fill jars with grape jelly as a kid to attract the orioles (though I thought they were called oreos for the longest time, lmao)

Robins. We get a ton of them around here and I love seeing them hop around on the sidewalk.

Magpies. Haven't seen one meself but they're such cool birds. If I could have wings I'd want them to be magpie-style.

Crows. Another bird we get a lot of around here, their calls are so Autumncore.

Falcons. They're just cool and I like them. (insert Madge joke here)

[halcyon-writings]

i checked this list and it said persona so im hoping this is still ok. Date night with the protagonists? (Makoto, Yu and Ren) please and thank you >///

ー『anonymous: Can i get dating headcanons for the persona protags (Makoto, Yu and Ren) please and super thank yous. I love these boys so much. ;A;』

note(s): I am going to combine these requests as they are similar enough I hope that is alright! no real warnings for this one either, I just think these dudes are neat. Also I know they all have like 5 different names, so I just went with the ones I am more familiar with. Maybe(????) spoilers for 3, 4, and 5, so if you haven’t finished or played them, be warned (although, idk if anyone would read it if they haven’t played the respective game but idk warning for spoilers just in case) also idk how i feel about these hcs rn, but i did my best dhdjdj

all my other links can be found in my navigation post!! If you like my writing and you’d like to support me, my tip jar is also linked there!

hcs under the cut so i’m not clogging anyone’s dash (originally these were gonna be a short set of hcs but i guess not dbdndn)

What our dear protagonist lacks in overall extrovertedness, he makes up for in action. Surprise surprise, dates can either range from hanging out in the dorms and cooking a nice meal together. Or maybe going to the mall and heading to the arcade. Or basically wandering around until your legs hurt and your purchases range from new outfits to weird antiques from the antique shop.

However he really does treasure these little trinkets, because the memory of your laughter when you were given a certain item will forever be ingrained in his mind. It’s a comfort in the end too.

Date nights are focused on you and you only. He definitely sets a date where he knows you both are free so that there’s less likely of a chance for being interrupted. He definitely wouldn’t want his time with you to be wasted. Although seeing his small pout when it does happen is very cute.

You also gotta be keen on if he sees something he likes and wants. While Minato won’t exactly say it, his gaze lingers a bit longer than usual. But he ultimately won’t get it, because he wants to focus on you and also save up for when the group goes to Tartarus. So if you surprise him with whatever he had wanted, he’s so happy.

While he is slightly more reserved in comparison to Yu and Akira, Minato speaks through action. Whenever you two are walking together, he always has your hand in his, or keeping close by in some way. He likes to cling to you when it’s just you two, his head buried in the crook of your neck as you two nap tother, legs tangled up together. Or the small jokes he says loud enough for only you to hear, but they’re still so funny. Sometimes you’re asked if he’s really a good boyfriend, and you have to laugh off the doubt, because they don’t see the sides of him that you do.

My god. Yu would absolutely be the best at arranging dates and hangouts. I take no criticism. Like you guys could literally just be walking all around Inaba, or just sitting by the river bed and it could be one of the greatest times you’ve both had together. A romantic at heart, Yu would also be a bit cheesy in arranging dates.

He shows affection through communcating it. Whether it’s a new outfit or something, he’ll say that you look incredible or if you’ve studied for a hard exam, he’ll make sure you know how amazing you are for passing. Idk just anything that has you smiling from sweet compliments and other words of affirmation. A big sap, honestly you try and joke about it but he just earnestly says “Who wouldn’t be for you?” And you have to sit down and hide your face in your hands for a solid 5 minutes.

You also gotta be cool with Nanako. But then again she’s a cute kid and a sweetheart so idk why you wouldn’t be. Although he does get a little flustered if it’s you two watching her while Dojima-san is working late at the station and the old ladies coo over how you three look like a mini family yourselves. Which is kind of a common occurrence. And I feel like Yu would know pretty well if he sees a future with someone he’s with, and with you he does shhh

Date nights in Inaba are really fun and a good way to wind down, sometimes it’s wandering Junes and finding whatever the newly advertised, as seen on tv appliance is. Or other parts of the shopping district, where he can really let go and just have fun for himself. When not worrying about school work or the cases the Investigation Team is working on.

some spoilers here; but after Izanami is defeated and the year ends. When Yu has to leave Inaba it doesn’t mean that he won’t put his best efforts to keep up the relationship. If possible, video calls or just the occasional text too. And when he visits, while he does miss his friends, he’s especially antsy to see you too. And when you’re both together again, he refuses to leave your side.

Now, Akira can be described as this suave, casanova type character. But he’s also a giant dork and you know it, he knows it, the Phantom Thieves all know it, hell even Sojiro knows it. It doesn’t mean his attempts at flirting doesn’t get you blushing. And when he sees the flustered expression, it only motivates him to keep going. But turn the tables on him, and he’s putty in your hands. (And he looks very cute).

Because of the way you met, aka, at Shujin, where his reputation was basically over and done with before it even began, he has a lot of doubt and trust issues, what if someone dared you to speak to the “criminal” or something? While he won’t show these doubts out loud to his friends, it’s still something he thinks back on a lot. But when you defend him vehemently one day, he knows he was right to trust you.

A part of dating Akira, is eventually finding out who he is. Maybe trips to Mementos cause him to be late to dates or not even show up at all. You end up stood up more often then not once things begin to get really serious. From small time school teachers to the literal Yakuza (and eventually a candidate for Prime Minister, and a god), you don’t know where he is. And that becomes really stressful because then the doubt™️ sets in.

To make this less angsty and more funny, imagine you know from figuring it out. He’s suspiciously watching the news on the PT, and no offense to Ryuji, he’s not the most quiet. So he’s so nervous trying to tell you when you’re just “yeah I know, sorry for not telling you, I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to know.” and he’s just the surprised pikachu face.

As for date nights, the city is your oyster. I’d say the world but mans still currently has a criminal record so probably not yet. But he’s gonna take you wherever you want. Whether it’s a themed cafe, or just the streets of Shinjuku, as you take in all the sights from the bright places, he’s willing to do whatever for you. That includes facing off kids at the arcade for a stuffed plush you saw and admitted it was cute. He is a man on a mission. And you cannot stop him. So you both end up back at Leblanc at the end of the night carrying your plushies and eating some curry that Sojiro left warming for you. That even includes the Big Bang Burger challenge he will do it for you , even though you probably do laugh at his pain after but you still coo and praise his efforts.

After he goes back home, record clean and world hopefully peaceful. Virtual dates become a thing, either just sitting and talking while having dinner or something is nice. He still loves to say those cheesy pickup lines that had you hiding your flustered expression as you walked through the streets of Shibuya on call. You only hung up on him once but he quickly called back and was very pouty about it. You were forgiven though with the promise of giving many kisses when he visits.

[voglioungufoartsblog]

A brief explanation on why ObiNaru became OTP, just the key points:

I could give a lecture on why and sooner or later I'll do it with lots of screenshots of the manga, but it's not the right time.

First of all I beg to disagree with those who consider them too equal: they weren't even when they were (Naruto to capture attention was foolish, Obito helped old ladies or anyone in need) and then it is clear that they take two opposite paths, both are what the other could have been if their heart had been different, Naruto continues to get strong and keep making his way even in a horrible way to change it, Obito turns his back on this world to bring him to almost destruction. Naruto clings to his identity, Obito abandons him. And these are just some of the many examples I can give, which lead to one of my favorite tropes: inverted mirror relationships.

We also come to another of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers. Obviously at the beginning they are two enemies who hate each other, even Naruto the Saint clearly hates him to death, especially when he wears the mask, he is really keen on wanting to break that mask; on the other hand Obito is exasperated by Naruto who ruined all his plans, just blew his manipulation on Nagato in his face and how dare he?

It must also be said that Obito is the one who becomes more aware, who realizes the affinities they have and for this reason he tries to "convince him" to go to his side in every way (the part in which he holds out his hand after the death of Neji) and even Kakashi realizes it, Obito is looking for something inside Naruto, when he could just fight and maybe solve the situation faster he stops to "test" Naruto. Instead Naruto ... my god, the part when they extract the chakra from Juubito and, as good expert ninja, they can read themselves in their hearts 😭 Naruto cries on feeling Obito's emotions, so much so that Kurama must warn him not to get involved , but imagine if Naruto listens to him and suddenly puts aside all hatred to accept Obito and tries to convince him to go back to their side (Naruto holding out his hand !!!!) I could spend hours on that part, like the fact that Naruto's determination reminds Obito of the love of his life asdfghjk but the fact is that he eventually surrenders to Naruto and abandons a 17-year plan to totally rely on him, literally Naruto becomes the light that Rin was before AND THEN WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT ASDFGHJKL

Here we come to a third trope: "Allow me to die (for you)"

I live by angst, you know, and seeing in those relationships where one is literally willing to give his life away for the other destroys me with feels. In this case Obito has abandoned everything he believed in for Naruto and it is obvious that he is willing to do anything to preserve that light and that's what he obviously does, sacrificing himself in place of Naruto AND Kakashi (because let's not forget the feelings of guilt, that poor fellow is convinced he can redeem himself only by dying to save a comrade, as it should have been from the beginning) and then we have that heartbreaking scene that leads us to

Fourth trope: "I feel the hole in my heart starting to fill".

The part where Obito yells at Kakashi that he doesn't have a heart anymore became a meme, so I don't even have to remember it. Obito, I'll be repetitive, he subscribed everything from his identity to his heart. In 17 years NOTHING has been able to change this, Naruto has succeeded in one night. Naruto felt the need so much to reach Obito, the real Obito, once their chakras were discounted that he made Naruto "return" a heart, all his dreams, wishes, who he was ... let's think for a moment what a shock of sudden feelings it must have been? And this is another trope that I love in romantic stories: a character who is dead inside who starts loving again thanks to another who managed to reach him in the part that he kept most hidden aaaaaaa

And on this I want to make a small parenthesis that is not a trope: "Thank you".

Just before he died Obito thanks Naruto, and honestly if the SasuSaku were canonized because a thirteen year old Sasuke thanked a thirteen year old Sakura just before knocking her out I don't understand why ObiNaru no I WANT TO TALK TO YOUR MANAGER.

In any case.

Some time ago I cried when I read that the Japanese are shy enough and reserved that they can't say "I love you" to their other half, so they use other tricks to make it understandable. One of the most significant is precisely to thank the other, because you are thanked for having them in your life, for the love he makes you feel, for everything they do for him and for the joy they share, etc. etc. And I am convinced that Obito meant this meaning. Otherwise I can't explain the shocks Naruto and Kakashi feel as soon as he says it. And why else be so surprised? I mean, it's not strange, he just sacrificed his life for Naruto's, obviously he must feel attached to him and in debt for things. So why show the surprise, why does Kishimoto want to show it was an unexpected sentence?

You obviously know the answer.

Finally, the fifth trope: being destined to meet.

I love when the path of two characters is "destined" to meet, when there is the inevitable, their destinies end up crossing without necessarily wanting it. And I'm not meaning that in the sense that like Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki, Obito would obviously have been chasing Naruto. No, I'm talking about Minato. When Minato seals the fox inside Naruto he knows nothing of the masked man, who he is, what his plans are and what he will do in the future. But he knows that the only one who can stop him is his son, Naruto, and he seals the fox in him to give him the tools to counter him. Minato destines Naruto to be the person who can stop Obito. Because his father had this feeling, he knew it and had no doubts that only Naruto could do it.

I was joking, I'm not done with the tropes, there is another one: I see in you the lover of my past.

And I'm not just talking about Naruto reminding Obito of Rin, but about when Obito was playing Madara. Now, I have this idea that for better or worse now Madara's will is ingrained in Obito as a part of him, even when he abandons the plan. He rejects being Madara, but inevitably a part remains, it is now in his character. But. When he is still Madara and meets Naruto curious to see the guy who convinced Nagato to betray him, he immediately recognizes Hashirama's will in him and we know that Madara and Hashirama had a not very straight relationship ... so ...

In conclusion: I ship them with the power of hyperuranium

Thanks for coming to my ted talks

[minaa-munch]

Do you see Minato getting paired with anyone else? Any other ships?

In canon? There’s always potential, I suppose. Minato and Kushina - their bond has been so well ingrained in the narrative, it’s...very hard to see them with anyone else but each other. I could go on about their dynamic but I’d rather not jump into a character study. That would turn this answer into a book chapter. 

[pharos-ryoji]

Rambling about video games under the read more, feel free to ignore ✌️

Replaying P3 has been the weirdest experience for me. I played through the first few months of fes 5+ times when I was between 12-15 years old but never beat it, I didn't realize how much it stuck with me. Like. I distinctly remember multiple dreams I've had that are similar to the dark hour and setting of the game, but just never connected to it until replaying. I loaded up the game a few months ago for the first time and knew EXACTLY where half the things were, I remembered stuff about the characters and Tartarus that I hadn't thought about since then, the soundtrack was apparently very ingrained in my memory 😂 but the main plot is something I have very little recollection of (because again I was 12-15 and did not know what I was doing w the game)

So now I'm in this really weird but cool spot of reliving suuuuch nostalgia while replaying it but also getting so much of it from a brand new perspective. I remembered Pharos, but never got to Ryoji. I knew Aigis vaguely, but none of the stuff that's revealed 12/2. I def remembered Minato and how much I loved him as a main character, but all the story stuff is new to me. It's just wild to me how this game clearly impacted me when I played it based on the things I do remember/how I feel replaying it/the years of dreams I've had based on it, and yet there's so much of it I don't know. I love it though 💕 I'm around 12/10 rn and all I want to do is keep playing it. Just, yeah. Crazy how much it has stuck with me for 12 ish years or so

[anbu-legacy]

Question for the writers, those of you who write multiple characters, which character do you find easiest to write?

Ki: We all write multiple characters, at this point: we have our primary and secondary POV characters, and then a bunch of recurring NPCs for whom we've delegated primary responsibility. I've got Ryouma, Minato, Naruto, Kurenai as POV characters, and I'm also in charge of reactions/characterization for Ayane, Fukuda, and Satomi. I started off Hakone, then handed him over to Nezu when we decided we'd like to see more of him. Of them all…

I've written Ryouma so long that figuring out his reactions is pretty much instinct, but he spends a lot of time in his head, which can be difficult to work through. (And when I'm giving reactions to another writer, it can be difficult to show the thread behind Ryouma's rapid changes of mood, so I've got to work at reducing the whiplash and conveying a little of the thought behind it.) Kurenai is WAY HARDER though, because she's so smart and I have to constantly be at the top of my game with her, so her POV can be a little exhausting. Minato can be tricky too, balancing his innately sunniness with his equally innate ruthlessness, but I get to write fictional politics with him and it's so much fun.

Fukuda and Satomi are easier than Ayane — I try not to let any of them become one-note characters, but Fukuda and Satomi's motivations are more easily displayed just through dialogue without need for a glimpse into their thoughts. Ayane's a lot more complicated, even to herself :)

Overall, though, the easiest one is definitely Naruto. Some of his best lines are cribbed from my three-year-old nephew. And writing his POV, figuring out how he sees the world, is sheer delight.

DK: With Kakashi and Raidou, it really depends on the scene. They both have easy and difficult moments, but overall I’d lean to Kakashi being the easier. That’s partly because I’ve been writing him longer, so he’s more ingrained, and partly because he was my first love, so it’s always braincandy to play in his headspace. Raidou is definitely more restful, though. Kakashi operates on several different (often non-linear) trains of thought, with a whole fleet of past traumas coloring his worldview, so there’s a lot to account for. Raidou’s train of thought runs pretty much from A to B, with occasional detours through planet irony.

Nezu: Easy answer: Genma. I’ve been writing Genma for a long time (over ten years), and he’s definitely my darling, but it did take me a while to find his voice with this incarnation. When we first started Legacy, I overhauled him pretty thoroughly, and at first I wasn’t sure I’d given myself good character hooks. But now I’ve realized he’s just on a very long character development arc, and he’s back to being the easiest. Slipping into character with him is like putting on a favorite sweater.

Actually all my characters have things that make me love writing them.

Ginta is a delight to write. He has a very simple character rule: if the answer isn’t obvious, he always says yes. He’s impish and cocksure, and just plain fun. He’s also crazy smart, and so is Hakone. That can be hard to write sometimes, because I’ll be in a scene and be sure my character would know what to say or do, but I have no clue.

Hakone is fun to write, because he is one of the most stable, self-confident characters I have ever created. He’s sardonic and dry, witty, charming, and completely sure of himself in a healthy way.

Shibata is probably the most challenging to write, again because he’s wicked smart, and astonishingly competent. But he is extremely satisfying to write, when I get it right.