#NOBODY is saying you can't selfship or not relate to her

[sylusmc]

LADS fandom and MC, an analysis.

After being on twitter and seeing how they treat MC (regardless of what she looks like, not default MC), and seeing the posts about her here, I've come to a conclusion that some (and unfortunately, a MAJORITY) don't like her because she simply isn't them. What does that mean? Let me explain.

Do we play as MC? Yes. Are we experiencing everything? Yes. Is MC us? Yes and no. We play as her, but she is not US. And I think some of you don't get what that means. We see everything through her eyes. We, the audience, know more than her when it comes to the complex situations with EVER and etc. She cannot react like we do when we talk and meet the LIs, because she is reacting based on what she knows and what the story makes her know. She feels like her own character because she IS one. We simply play as her, and only get to customize and name her. Keep reading.

By no means am I saying you can't self insert into MC or that that's bad. No. What I'm saying is that people who hate on her and self insert, or people who hate on her and don't self insert, share one thing in common, and it's that they don't understand this one concept.

I think ya'll want or expected an Otome protagonist who's entirely blank. LADS is a mainstream Otome game which has gone out of some traditional Otome bounds, but that doesn't erase the fact that it still has traditional aspects and it caters to the East Asian audience the most. Here's the thing about Otome games that's very easy to look up. Pay attention.

“In otome games, the main female character is generally categorized as either self-insert or non-self-insert. Self-insert DOES NOT have personality and backstory, giving players space to insert themselves into the game. In contrast, the non-self-insert main character has a more vivid personality and detailed story, whose characteristics do not depend on the player for existence.”

I've seen people say that LADS MC has a strong personality or does things in the game that makes them not be able to relate to her. I've also seen people HATE MC just for that, and THAT is the only audience I'm critiquing.

I don't care if people self insert into MC. I don't care if they don't relate to her. I don't care if people create OCs or sonas and place them in her place. I don't care. You can have fun however you want and no one should stop you with yumeshipping/selfshipping.

WHAT I DO CARE FOR is the unnecessary mindset some people have about LADS MC, which stems in internalised misogyny. Antagonizing LADS MC when she's not even as bad as ya'll make it out to be AT ALL, making her get cheated on by the boys for the reader, the reader having pointless female rivalry with her, separating her from your customized MC and making photos or art where she is being abandoned by the boys for YOUR customized version of her, is perpetuating misogyny. Especially when you can EASILY write stories and make content without mentioning her let alone shittalking her for no reason.

And don't give me that "she's fictional" shit when this fandom defends these 2D men like their lives depend on it. If she's fictional and it's not that big of a deal, ya'll shouldn't complain about her, hate her, make that type of content, or take it so seriously that you send Infold emails to make her personality "nicer" in the first place. CLEARLY, there is layers to this widespread hate for her.

Now, let's repeat what I said before and connect the dots of why some people can't relate to MC.

“In otome games, the main female character is generally categorized as either self-insert or non-self-insert. Self-insert DOES NOT have personality and backstory, giving players space to insert themselves into the game. In contrast, the non-self-insert main character has a more vivid personality and detailed story, whose characteristics do not depend on the player for existence.”

(Again, I don't care if people don't relate to MC, I'm ONLY critiquing the people who use that as an excuse to hate on her and be insufferable about her when she's a damn good female character).

Let's think about LADS MC for a second. She HAS an established personality. She's strong, feisty, kind, sassy, compassionate and etc. Her personality also SLIGHTLY depends on the LIs because of her Resonance Evol, meaning that she adapts some of their personality traits/complements them. She literally has the RESONANCE Evol. Even her MYTH versions are slightly different from the Miss Hunter we are playing as in present time.

Take Sylus's Sorceress MC for example. She's greedier, more bold, does crime, but she's still kind and soft. Hunter MC discourages crime, is more 'responsible', but she's STILL Sylus' MC. I'm not saying she changes personalities every myth or depending on the boys. She is the same yet DIFFERENT. The whole concept of another version/another life is wrapped around that.

And for a more simpler explanation, MC has different relationship dynamics and different stories with every boy. Which is why she is going to act more soft towards some upon first meeting or reunion (Zayne and Caleb, who are ESTABLISHED to be the people she's known longest in the main story) compared to the boys who she didn't know most of her life in the present time (Rafayel, Sylus, Xavier). This plays a factor in the development of her relationships with them. Caleb is more intimate because he's known her for a decade. She's more familiar with Zayne because she's known him since they were kids. The other boys took some time with their development with her because she didn't know/trust them all that well.

And with that being said, just because the main story is separated from the four star/five star cards, that doesn't mean that canon concept doesn't bleed into them.

Now, personality and relationships aside, MC is introduced to us with an ESTABLISHED backstory and specifics when it comes to her character. She has entire LORE. Not just the hunter version of her but the different versions too. She has a personal MOTIVATION for being a hunter based OFF that lore. She is not BLANK, and her being blank wouldn't even make sense for a game like LADS, which is centered around a strong female character in a complex story.

MC also has a heart condition. A FULLY self insert character would not have all these things because a fully self insert needs to be blank for the audience to FILL THINGS IN for her THEMSELVES. Instead, when we play the game, we NEVER make decisions for MC. All we can do is choose her dialogue options, but she's the one doing everything else in the story without the player's interference. The developers sometimes don't even make you choose what she says, which is why people can't relate to her because when she says something they don't like, it doesn't feel immersive for them. That's the point, she is not meant to be fully immersive beyond customization and naming her.

Now, reiterating for the third time, there's nothing wrong with self inserting into her or creating a version of her that's filled up by you. But people who HATE on her (just ridiculous because there's nothing to hate if you actually read and understand shit in this game) because she doesn't act like them, need to realize this:

The only two things about her that say "self insert" is that you can name and customize her. That's not enough for her to be a self insert. She has an established backstory, established relationships that rely on HER lore, a PERSONALITY, and isn't bound by the player beyond minor dialogue. So what's the point of this analysis?

You ARE MC. MC is just NOT YOU. And that's OKAY. It will NOT kill ya'll to enjoy the game without hating her or saying stupid shit about her. It will NOT kill ya'll and it is NOT that hard to play the game, not relate to her, make your own version of her, or create a sona or an oc and place them in her place, WITHOUT hating or diminishing her to validate yourself.

Unless it's valid critique for her character, I won't take any of the hate she gets seriously because most of her hate stems in pointless jealousy (which is ridiculous these are 2D men and that's a 3D woman, and at the end of the day it's a fucking game) or internalised misogyny. And before you ask why I gaf, tell yourself why people gaf enough to antagonize her over jealousy or hype up the misogynistic treatment she gets (which is common because every flawed female character has faced this in fandoms). Go on. I'm waiting. Is me defending her more dramatic, or is the treatment she gets more dramatic?

Defending fictional characters is also a norm in every fandom and I'm pretty sure 99% of you have done it, lol.

Also, if you understand this and still hate her, I can't change your mind, sure, but it's so pointless to hate on her when she is literally the LEAST flawed character in the game or literally just amongst female characters. Like, sure, hate on her all you want, but that won't validate your self insert, oc or version of her in the slightest. That also won't validate the OOC mindset that the boys would leave her for you or your character. You're just being a misogynistic POS and think it's not that serious, when it's just showing how pathetic you are. Especially when you're a grown person.

And finally, if I may add, it's hilarious how people will encourage posts like "we want more evil/flawed/complex women", but can't even handle LADS MC.

[castorochiaro]

💔 📢 🔔 and 📝 for Scratch because I just enjoy hearing you talk about him :D (This is also a excuse for you to do all emojis if you want, no pressure!)

character ask game [ x ]

aaaa chy you're always so sweet, thank you for once again enable me to ramble about my favorite dead guy. i accept your challenge to do 'em all!

🏳️‍🌈lgbt+ headcanon - bisexual icon babeyyyyy. toyed with the idea of him being intersex at one point, just would hafta be something i did more research on before i would feel comfortable exploring it in more depth.

💌fluffy headcanon- he purrs. i don't care if it makes no sense i love it so i'm holding on to it.

💔angsty headcanon- scratch was placed in foster care from birth, and has never met his birth parents or learned anything about them. he idealizes being part of a family so much because his experience bouncing between foster families wasn't good. even if he doesn't actively remember his life anymore, those feelings of never quite belonging remain.

🧸 hurt/comfort headcanon- it's common practice for ghosts to honor their death anniversary. i think that's one of the few tidbits of his previous life he recalls, even if he doesn't know when or where or how he died (or "died", in the case of wraith!scratch tho he doesn't know that's what he is). he doesn't know his name, so there's no grave to visit. i think he just lights a candle and is still for a while, letting himself feel those feelings of mourning for a single night out of the year.

🪀silly headcanon- he sings to himself when he's SURE nobody is around. he loves showtunes, and gets musicals stuck in his head all the time.

💤sleep headcanon - wraith!scratch related, but i muse on this headcanon sometimes where while he's sleeping he can briefly end up back in his body again. but it's always such a weird experience, he assumes they're simply dreams and forgets about them. it doesn't happen every time or even most of the time, and occurs less and less the longer he's separated from it.

✨a ship i like with this character - there's quite a few, because he's my favorite and therefore everyone is mandated to love on him. BUT the top faves right now are him with sally, jinx, and alister. my gf and i have this whole headcanon canon-divergent backstory that involves some OCs of hers that i ship him with. and of course, your selfship always makes me feel all warm and smiley!

🔪a ship i Don't like with this character - uHH i mean outside of the obvious no-no stuff, i can't think of one?? i guess i don't really ship him with geoff, but i don't dislike it or anything. just kinda neutral on it?

🎃something i think they're afraid of - ok this is another headcanon-based one, but i've noticed scratch cringes very strongly at the idea of being punished by the ghost council (and by THEM specifically, not anything to do with being thrown in the flow since he mentions being yelled at being the thing he's worried about). so i think he experienced some amount of corporal punishment when he was alive, such that the instinct to brace for impact so to speak is still present, when dealing with authority figures.

📦overall feelings about them - it really takes a special kind of character to strike the spark that scratch does in me. he inspires me, he brings me immense comfort and happiness, and i just! really super appreciate the fact he exists. i get embarrassed about how crushy and silly i get over him, because i genuinely do find him loveable, so...it's nice that people enjoy hearing what i have to say and like the things i write and make about him. he's so special, he deserves all the love!

📢favorite thing about them in canon- it's a tie between his voice and his design/animation. i just have this THING with characters where if they have a unique voice and design, my brain hooks on to them and obsessively studies them. their vocal tics, little bits of animation i like, just...the LITTLE things, y'know?

scratch got me right off the bat because i've been a fan of "aqua teen hunger force" since i was a teenager (and it's a popular source of references in my family because we used to watch it together). but the more i watched how he moved and emoted the more entranced i was with him as his own character.

🧨least favorite thing about them in canon- DEALING WITH HIATUSES I MISS HIM SO MUCH

💬favorite line they've said- oh god i'm horrible with picking favorites on stuff like this. i guess when i think favorite lines, i think of stuff that i come back to a lot in writing/analyzing a character, and for scratch that's him awkwardly explaining to molly why he lied to her about knowing lincoln personally. you can hear in his voice that he's trying to sort out his feelings into words, and that's very new for him.

also really like his speech at the end of the s1 finale. it sums up what makes him work so well as a character: he doesn't look down on molly for caring so much, he finds it greatly admirable! even if that's not the way he is, he loves her personality and is proud to be her friend. his avoidance of caring and commitment stems from a fear of being hurt, rather than him just plain being an apathetic jerk.

he IS a bit of a jerk but with a soft and squishy center

ok one more him bein' a l'il bitch in "friend off" is also fantastic he's so pretty when he's mean

DID I MENTION I'M BAD AT PICKING FAVORITES

🔔unpopular opinion- i want the wraith!scratch theory to be canon and don't think it diminishes anything about his sadness or loneliness. hell, i think it's even SADDER to imagine he just plain gave up on being alive.

🔊a song that reminds me of them- "love like you" and "i'm still here" always give me big scratch vibes. would love to do an edit to one of them at some point!

📝misc thoughts/headcanons - i LOVE the aspiring actor headcanon! i like to think he always wanted to get into it, but was so terrified of failure he just never went for it. he'd memorize monologues (that he still remembers, even post mortem, and can recite very easily) and get all prepared, but...just end up sitting in the audience, too petrified of making a fool of himself to get on stage. just love the symbolism of him always being part of the audience, but never the show. feels like a good way to sum up how he lived his life, allowing it all to pass him by in order to avoid being hurt by caring too much.

[vs-redemption]

I love Soft Saturday/Sunday! :3 I remember you posted a selfship of yourself and I wanted to try one for me lol so, here goes! It was a bit hard/weird because I don't think any of these wonderful guys would be with me ^^U It was still fun to do though!

1.) Belle x Todoroki, Shouto (Bellouto? Shoutelle? Belloroki?)

- I'd probably be very distant with Todoroki at first because of his cold demeanor. It would have to be Midoriya who would get us together.

- We would end up sitting together at the same lunch table, chatting with our group of friends. Eventually our love for noodles would bring us closer. I would buy him some different types of cold soba or even show him unique recipes to try out. If I ever see anything soba related, I'd text him and say "Look! I thought of you! It's your fave ^^"

- Once he opens up about his past, I'd probably get teary eyed and give him a big hug. I'd thank him for trusting me enough with his childhood memories and I'd also eventually open up to him about my own hardships.

- I would give him all my love without smothering him. I'd just want to show him the love and care he deserves especially since he didn't have much of it growing up.

- I think it's the little things that might make Todoroki fall for me. Things like bringing him tea when he's studying late, if he fell asleep before setting up his alarm, I'd put one on his phone and on my own just to make sure he'd wake up on time, praising/acknowledging all of his big and small accomplishments, getting his favorite food when he's sad/had a rough day, sending him cute text messages like "Good morning, handsome!" or even doing something like this:

Me and Todoroki: *studying intensely*

Me: *gasps loudly* OMG

Todoroki: What? O_O

Me: I love you. (´,,•ω•,,)♡

🙈

2.) Belle x Miya, Atsumu (Bellumu? Biya? Atsubelle?)

- I'd have to have known him for a long time before we'd date. Kind of like childhood friends to lovers? If I met him at an older age, I might think he was a jerk and wouldn't want to go out with him.

- I wouldn't be afraid to call him out. Like when Atsumu is having his "if you can't hit my toss then you shouldn't be on the team" moment, I'd probably punch his arm and scold him.

- I'd have to turn it around and tell him "what if someone told you that?" or "treat others the way you want to be treated". I think he'd like that I don't treat him any different or baby him.

- Since we're childhood friends, we're already comfortable with each other. We've also seen, heard, and been through a lot together. We'd know silly small things about each other like "Atsumu always listens to this song right before a game" or "His right eye always twitches 3 times before he sneezes"

- He's seen me go through some relationships and has seen how I've acted/treated the person I'm dating. Atsumu would see that I put in a lot of effort and the stuff I'd do for my previous boyfriends. I think that would eventually make him want to ask me out. It'd be something that he might want to experience, too. Like how it would feel to hold my hand or share a loving embrace.

- When we'd get angry at each other, it could get a bit loud, but we would resolve things quickly.

- Our relationship would also be fun and full of silliness and lovely surprises. He'd do something like honk the horn right when I'm passing in front of his car to get to the passenger side. Atsumu would also surprise me with a gift that I've been eyeing or even a spontaneous trip to somewhere!

3.) Belle x Kageyama, Tobio (Bellayama? Tobelle? Kagelle?)

- We met at a mutual friend's party in college. We'd probably talk about how we were basically dragged there.

-I love to party/hang out, but when I have something to do/ a goal, I strive hard to accomplish it. (ugh, getting some PTSD from nursing school lol)

-We would end up talking about our ambitions and what we hope to end up doing in our lives. After becoming friends for a while, we'd get on the topic of relationships. We'd both want someone who is patient and understands that when we're busy, we're not ignoring them. We're studying/practicing.

-I think that is what convinces both of us to start a relationship.

-We're both busy and can get stressed out easily, but we'd know what to do to ease the stress a little. Like giving Kageyama different flavored milk cartons.

-It would look like we don't spend much time together/don't really act like a couple, but when we have free time, we'd be spending it with each other.

-We'd get our nails done together. （〃・ω・〃）

-We'd both have to think about how great it would be when we get settled with our careers and that we'd have more time to spend together. Planning future adventures/vacations is our motivation.

-Even though I'd miss Kageyama dearly, I totally understand how it feels like when you have other obligations. I'd never want to get in the way of his goal so I would do my best to support him and show my love in any way that I can and that would be something he might love about me.

First off, all three of these amazing boys would love you to pieces! You are so thoughtful and kind and they'd be foolish not to fall for you! I accept no arguments about this. 😊 This got way out of hand so... gonna put my rambling below a cut.

Send me some soft headcanons

Let's talk Todoroki! Gonna be honest... I don't know if I trust Midoriya to play cupid 😂 Of course, meeting Todoroki through him makes sense, but you know who zeros in on how cute you two look together immediately? Yes, it's Mina! Thankfully she's not obnoxious about it, but she does have your back. She expertly manipulates every situation to give you and Todoroki a chance to interact. Somehow, thanks to her, he always ends up sitting/standing right next to you in class, at lunch, in training, on the bus, on the sofa in the common room... EVERYWHERE.

Poor boy would be so confused at first by your attention. Like, of course he doesn't mind being your friend, but nobody else texts or talks to him about his interests outside of hero stuff. He didn't even know anyone noticed he liked soba that much. And all the little things you do for him like bringing him tea or setting an alarm, he's not used to it. He doesn't hate it though. Actually, he kind of likes it. And I just want you to prepare yourself for the day when he takes the initiative and your phones lights up with a message from him for the first time with a picture of some random thing that made him think of you. *my heart would explode*

It's all downhill after that because he really likes the way you respond when he reciprocates your kindness. The flustered look on your face when he brings you some of his sister's homemade soba noodles for lunch, the cute emojis you use in your texts when he messages you first in the morning, and the shy smile you give him when he finds the courage to compliment you. He's never wanted to take care of someone the way he wants to take care of you before.

ATSUMU. You're totally right. I'm the same as you in that I would not trust this little shit for a while after meeting him. Childhood friends to lovers is nice because you there's no way you wouldn't know the real Atsumu. The idea of you knowing little personal things about each other is so cute too. Atsumu takes advantage of this and always gives the best gifts for birthdays and holidays. And he's always so excited to watch you open what he got because he KNOWS you'll love it because he knows YOU.

I'd like to say that he'd be into the fact that you treat him normally like anyone else, but something tells me he would actually expect special treatment since you two are close friends. It would surprise him a little every time you reprimand him for being rude to his teammates or fighting with his brother. He respects you more than anyone else in his life though, so he always straightens up his act just as soon as you give him that look. He hates when you're angry or annoyed at him, so of course he'll be on his best behavior for you. Honestly, he'd do anything to get positive attention from you. (He's already such a simp for you and he doesn't even realize)

He thinks he's just being a protective friend when he criticizes all your previous boyfriends. None of them are even that terrible but in his eyes, nobody treats you the way you should be treated and nobody would ever be good enough. He puts you on a pedestal to be honest. And yes, once you're together it would be full of teasing and giggles and he would absolutely take it too far and overdo it sometimes and get himself into trouble, but it's okay because you know he never means to upset you. He's just so excited and in love with you.

Kageyama's turn. Oh my god! This boy would be so awkward at a college party. He'd probably just be all tall and weird standing in the corner like 😳 what's happening? Thank goodness for you, coming over to talk to him ... but wait... you're so cute... WHY are you talking to him? Now he's flustered for a different reason and he tries his best to have a normal casual conversation with you but he stumbles over his words a bit but bless your heart, you pretend not to notice and continue smiling at him. He thinks you are SO PRETTY!! omg😭

A huge weight lifts off his chest when you start talking about your goals. He knows about goals. That's easy. The look on his face is kind of scary at first because it looks like he's scowling, but he is just listening very intently to you and absorbing every single word. He almost seems like a different person when you let him talk to you about volleyball. His whole face lights up and he's talking very enthusiastically with his hands. He apologizes for ranting at you afterwards, but is also amazed that you'd stayed and let him talk so long.

Being around you IS a huge stress relief. At first he's worried about not spending enough time with you or making you think he's not interested because of his awkward mannerisms. But you're always super understanding and patient with him. Plus, you're just as busy working towards your own dreams. He supports you as much as he can just as you do for him and falling into a relationship is just really easy and natural for the two of you.

Kageyama doesn't really know how to do big extravagant dates, so just being able to take walks with you, or do activities like doing your nails together is enough to make him happy. He WANTS to do more for you though. He would never admit to this, but he actually has a small list of things he plans to do once you both have more time. He pays attention to what you might even consider silly throwaway comments like "One day we should...." or "Sometime I'd like to...." He writes it all down because even if they aren't career goals, those are still things you want which makes them very important to him.