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The wildest thing about Ben 10 is that it took until 2005 for someone to have the idea "what if a kid could turn into a bunch of aliens" like this isn't obviously the coolest and most marketable premise for anything ever. Each design is a new toy. A new powerset. Come on.

But to prove that it wasn't a fluke, they continued to have the best ideas for every aspect of it. How does he transform? A cool watch you can also sell as a toy. That watch's name? Omnitrix. Say it. It's so satisfying. How many aliens? Ten. Nice round number. The kid's name? Ben. The show's name? Ben Ten. His full name is Benjamin Tennyson, a normal, plausible name, but he also turns into 10 aliens.

Bigger brands dream about this synergy. Better writers would kill for this coherence. So holistic. So intuitive. The identity alone!!! The retro alien sound motif? Chilling. The green? Any other color would be wrong. The kirby krackle pattern? It seems so obvious in retrospect. The roadtrip format? Genius. Lesser writers would've done the spider-man high school thing. His arch nemesis being Cthulhu darth vader? Inspired, iconic, intimidating!

The execution has its highs and lows, but the idea??? Game changing. So self-evident that it seems inevitable. If Ben 10 didn't exist, it would be necessary to invent him.

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As someone who only watched that one anime.

How did Yosuke grow?

An important thing to note is that Yosuke is also a transfer student like Yu (the protagonist), and has been having a straight-up horrible time in Inaba for the past six months.

You find out in his Social Link that, because of Junes, a lot of the locals in Inaba resent him and his family. So he lives in a small town where everyone dislikes him, working part-time at the new chain store that's driving local shops out of business, his bike keeps crashing, and can't make any friends. He's having a bad time.

And the protagonist shows up. A new kid from the city- great! Someone who doesn't resent him because of his dad's Junes branch. Someone he can finally actually befriend in this town. He has his crush on Saki, sure, but he knew deep down that she didn't like him either, but cared about her nonetheless. The protagonist is the one person who he can at least try to open up to, no baggage included. He's a big cagey (he acts friendly, but he's still on guard), but there's a chance.

Then, Saki dies. They find the TV World. There's a mystery, and he and Yu are the only ones who can stop it. Yu gets an amazing new power (Persona), he's sort of left in the dust, and then his Shadow appears... and starts saying way too much.

His Shadow spills it all- saying that Yosuke hates everything about his life in Inaba, is only checking out the TV World because he thought it'd be fun, and is just using Saki as an excuse to go on a wild adventure. This is a pretty scathing thing to have said aloud, especially in front of the new kid who you want to make friends with, so Yosuke obviously starts rejecting the Shadow.

Now, the point of the Shadows is that they're (kind of) right, but also wording someone's inner feelings in the most disingenuous, harsh way possible. They want to prod the 'original' into rejecting them so they can get stronger, and eventually kill their original.

Yosuke doesn't like living in Inaba, or having to move because of Junes, he doesn't have any friends and he wants to look good around Yu, and he was excited to see the TV World because it's something to do out there. He does care about Saki, but her death was the impetus and a bit of an excuse for him to start exploring with Yu.

It isn't until he accepts his Shadow that he begins his growth.

This is when Yosuke starts taking the case seriously, and becomes Yu's right-hand man. No more excuses, no more whining, he's going to give it his all.

And again, his change is subtle. He starts genuinely having fun in Inaba, he starts making friends with the other members of the Investigation Team, he's reliable and taking the murder investigation seriously, and he's found a group of people that are worthwhile and a cause that's worth fighting for. And despite how the rest of the group craps on him at times, they also recognize that he's probably one of the most reliable members of the team outside of the protagonist.

He makes friends and gives himself a purpose, and making friends with the Investigation Team and Yu gives him more drive than he had in the six months where he was just angsting away in Inaba.

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Before I start rambling, I'm gonna say that I don't think Persona 4 is a story that is devoid of flaws, or immune from criticism.

I do think, however, that people tend to miss that Persona 4 is intentionally written as a pretty 'mundane' story. It's a murder mystery, sure, but it's not a bold story of societal reform like 5 or a Greek tragedy like 3.

It's a bunch of kids trying to solve a mystery in a small town, and growing up a little along the way. The supernatural elements are, honestly, a little tangential- especially the things with Izanami.

And that mundanity is a little confusing, because character growth and arcs in this game tend to settle themselves quietly.

For example, Yukiko and Chie.

Yukiko is dependent on Chie because she doesn't feel like she can make choices on her own, and Chie likes having Yukiko depend on her and being the one in control. This is exaggerated by Yukiko's Shadow being overly yearning for a prince to save her, and Chie's shadow being a dominatrix. These smaller negative aspects are exaggerated and overblown, but they're inherently indicative of a smaller, yet still important issue in their relationship.

And then, once the Shadows are accepted, Yukiko becomes more outspoken and confident, and Chie (while still very much a 'Type A' personality) doesn't overshadow Yukiko anymore. Neither of them change drastically, they both adjust their personalities slightly and then... settle. They're a little healthier, have grown a bit as people- but there's still exams and a mystery to be solved so let's move on.

This is pretty consistent with how every party member is handled. A small acknowledgement of their flaws, and a subtle yet poignant adjustment. Naoto doesn't change her presentation, but isn't as stringent about her gender or engaging in the Investigation Teams antics. Kanji is still brusque and a bit awkward, but he's more open about his interests and is less afraid of judgement. Rise stays an idol, but she puts on less of a front and is more honest with herself.

In terms of small changes, let's talk Yukiko again. A pretty common critique is that her arc ends with her conforming. She doesn't want to run the Amagi inn... but she stays at the inn? Shes stuck in the same situation after all that time?

But, her Shadow pretty clearly represents her situation. She's a bird in a cage... but the cage door is wide open. She's not really trapped. She feels trapped and burdened by responsibility initially, but she lives in a small, understanding community and has more autonomy than she realizes. So, while her Social Link starts and ends with her at the inn, she finishes with the knowledge that she's choosing to stay because she wants to and that she can change her mind.

And as a story, that seems a bit strange, because you'd expect the revelations to be... bigger. Larger, more world-changing realizations about themselves coming from each character as opposed to these smaller realizations that are being exaggerated and overblown by their Shadows.

Because while Persona 4 isn't a very cerebral game, it's one that practically drowns itself in metaphor as a 'coming of age' story as opposed to a grand JRPG about saving the world. Whether that's a flaw or a perk depends on the person engaging with the story, though.

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ojou-sama that married into a commoner family but kept her pride

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they’re neighbors okay!! 

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really enjoying all the videos Muslims have been posting of their cats looking like this

when the humans are up at 4 am for suhoor

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"We found God, he's from Detroit."

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wrapping up the inner senshi!

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"The graveyard is the only place where a monster can find peace."

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日向愛

特捜エクシードラフト

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toei spiderman self-appointed titles compilation (part two)

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saw someone on twitter with a pfp that looked like makoto with a split dye. proceeded to be very normal and sane about it

{Image ID: A digital drawing of Makoto Niijima from Persona 5. She has tanned skin, red eyes, and short brown hair cut into a short bob with blunt bangs, with one half of her hair dyed blonde, and wears a braided headband the same brown as her natural hair colour. She wears a black turtleneck, white slacks with a brown belt, and a black trenchcoat as well as black fingerless gloves and dangling earrings. There's a messenger bag over one shoulder and in one hand she's holding a cardboard coffee cup. End ID.}

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I'm sorry you're not feeling well, yet glad you don't have something premature death-causing. XD; If you find yourself up for it, my suggestion would be a SURPRISE KISS CHEEK from one of the Sailor Moon girls to one of the others; your choice. XD Only NSFW if you want it to be. *wonk*

It’s been so long since I drew some cute space lesbians! <3 Thank you for the suggestion! Enjoy~

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More makoami collection from Twitter

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FORGOT TO POST THIS HERE but drew a silly little makoami for makoto’s birthday yesterday 🎉🥳

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Also just realizing now that I forgot to post about the other AkeSumi fic I made recently for a different secret santa event. This one was written this year and may or may not receive a follow-up in the near future. It all depends on a couple of factors. Either way, hope y'all enjoy it!