The Effort This Dumbass Put Into This

Oh a fellow Rika lover! Any thoughts on her as a whole? Everyone views her differently and she's certainly a very complex character with lots of layers to her (another reason why she's one of my faves!). Maybe how would you interpret her own happy ending?

Hello, fellow Rika lover!!

I'll put my thoughts under a "read more", partially because I fear this will get lengthy and partially because I know Rika is a sensitive subject for many people!

Also putting a TW for SA and general abuse!

Honestly, I find Rika to be an extremely relatable character, at least from my perspective. She's a good (albeit exaggerated) example of what can happen if people who need help are abandoned.

A rough background is never justification for crime, but it can help explain it. This is a girl whose earliest memories are in an orphanage, who only had one person she could rely on. When she was stripped away from Mika, she at least thought she would have a happy, loving family.

Instead she lived a life where abuse came at her from all angles. Emotional and psychological abuse by her mother, physical and sexual abuse from the priest. She was treated like she was worthless--no, worse. She was treated like she was evil, a scourge upon the earth, devilspawn that would plague everything she touched.

She didn't want to be evil. She genuinely wanted to be a good girl and just have someone love her and be proud of her. But she turned to that "devil" that everyone made her out to be as a defense mechanism. If it kept her safe... how could it be a devil?

She genuinely strove to be a good person. She took in Sally, a stray, because she saw her own loneliness and neglect in that dog. She did originally want to use charity to help others. She went to a different church from the one she grew up attending, so that she could have a fresh life where nobody would judge her from the second she arrived, and she could actually help out.

The problem is that she still was missing that love. By the time she met V, she was... 18, if I recall correctly? 18 years of being unloved. By then she figured she had to be someone else, put on a mask in order to be liked, let alone loved.

And V was her sun. V, who could capture beauty and warmth in photos that Rika could have only dreamed of. She saw light and love and passion in his work. Truly, Rika at her core is a romantic, because V was genuinely surprised to hear her explanations and theories of his photos. He was the one who said, "Huh. It wasn't that deep for me, but part of the charm of art is that it means something different to everyone who sees it. I'd love to hear more about your beautiful, romantic visions of my pieces."

She saw his sunlight and wanted it for herself. But just having the sun in her arms wasn't enough. When V started calling Rika his sun, too... she wanted to become the sun. Because she saw the sun as a mother who gave a warm embrace to all of her children on earth. Rika had never known that warmth, and she needed it. Physically, mentally, emotionally.

Of course, we all saw how everything spiraled when Mika was dying, when Sally died, when Rika turned into a black hole that began to suck up the sun. V didn't--and couldn't--give her what she needed, and she snapped.

Candidly, I don't think that's too unrealistic. Growing up in an environment of abuse, and reaching out desperately to be loved but everything keeps falling apart around you. She went into survival mode, and that meant relying on her "devil." The darkness inside her protected her, and she couldn't give up on it entirely when it had saved her time and again. She didn't want to give into dark desires, but she felt that she had to. She genuinely wanted to be the sun.

And I think that's something people miss in Another Story. In casual & deep, she's too far gone. But Another Story, she still has a tiny fragment of hope of being able to love and be loved. That's why she's so desperate to form her "happy family", and why she goes off the wall when Ray disobeys her. She doesn't know how a mother is supposed to love. She never had that love. It's not good, it's not excusable, and it's not pretty.

But it's all she knew.

Rika is someone who had more masks than she had names (and she had three of those). She never was able to just exist as herself, always trying to fit a mold someone made for her (i.e. her mother), or to become someone else who lived a life she wanted (i.e. V). She lost herself along the way.

I think she genuinely loved the RFA, and to a certain extent did believe she could "save" them. She advertised Mint Eye as a haven for other outcasts, as a place where those who'd been scorned by the rest of the world could find solace and love. She had to become their sun, their Savior.

But Rika never had anybody to save her.

Now, common critiques are that she should've gone to therapy longer. And let me tell you, if you have a bad therapist? You don't want to go back. There is nothing more emotionally taxing than pouring out your heart and fears and insecurities and troubles to a stranger. Sometimes you get lucky, and you get someone who's patient and understanding and willing to work with you.

Sometimes you get a horrible person who invalidates your feelings, talks over you, and flat-out tells you, "You're too unstable for me to handle. Go get on medication then come back to me." (Speaking from experience, here.)

And that hurts! Having someone spit on the very essence of your soul! Picking yourself back up to find another therapist and pray things go better is... it's one of the toughest things a person can do. I can't blame Rika if she had a terrible therapist.

Plenty of people like to blame V, and let's be honest, he has his faults too. He couldn't give Rika the love she needed because he was so focused on fixing her. No, seriously, he went, "I can fix her. I can help her." But he's someone else whose intentions were pure. He saw how his father abandoned his mother, and he never wanted to do that. He saw a woman in need, and he thought of his mother. He had to help her. His conscience told him to, and he didn't want another ghost on his hands. He's self-sacrificing to a fault, and he's also insanely stubborn. He decided he'd follow her to hell and back to save her. It wasn't love, it was obsession, and he didn't realize that until it was too late. It was a moral fixation.

They both needed help. They weren't right for each other. But they clung to each other and fed off each other, and that's why V has a tragic end in every route but his own. Rika doesn't even get that.

So, I don't condone Rika's actions. But I can say that it's easy to see how someone with pure intentions and a will to do good... can lose themselves in a world that is so vile and full of malice, hate, despair, and suffering. I see Rika, and I see my own struggles to stay afloat in a world that wants me dead, as a queer Jewish AFAB person living in Florida. I see my own struggles with narcissistic parents and how I'm constantly second-guessing my thoughts and feelings. But I digress.

Anyway, a happy ending for Rika? Cottagecore lesbian. I'm not even kidding. Gosh, she's so lesbian-coded. Don't get me started. Nope, I'm starting, but I'll keep it brief.

Basically, oppressive Catholic upbringing telling her she's a devil who's going to hell no matter what and she has to take the abuse if she wants to be saved. She clings to the first person who shows remotely any interest in her well-being and thinks it's love. Rika is a lesbian who had to suppress her feelings or else damn herself further, and she clung to a man in a serious case of compulsory heterosexuality because he was kind to her and she was not accustomed to that. Look at the V bad ending where she seduces MC. She has way more chemistry with MC than she ever did with V. That's a comphet lesbian with gender envy of her ex, your honor.

Let her live in a cottage in the woods, far from the hustle & bustle of the city. Let her live alone with a woman where they bake pies and cross-stitch and read and just exist peacefully. Get her another puppy. She needs peace, fresh air, and grass.

Screenshots to show that I'm not just pulling my Rika analysis out of thin air, lol.

She's extremely insecure and has horrible fear of abandonment. But she was failed at so many levels: the orphanage, the church, V, therapy.

I want nothing more than to see Rika be happy.

'Why do you love rika. I love rika myself as well. Tbh for me its like, the more I stay in mysme fandom the more my love and appreciation for rika grows. It initially started as me being angry at the double standards of the most asian media fandoms in general cuz i realised that rika would have been more well loved if she was a man, people would use the male!rika's trauma to justify his actions and this thought has made me angry and made me "appreciate" rika out of spite. But it eventually has grown into a genuine appreciation for her. Idk how to explain but something inside me makes me want to protect her and save her from everything happened to her leading upto the current situation. And more hate she gets more i feel the desire to defend her.

Actually my no 1 is another character and he has a place of his own which no one could take (its yoosung btw) but rika...i think she might be a close second fave i guess - anon'

I accidentally messed up your ask, so I'll be replying in this way instead!

Thank you for the question, dear anon! I'm always giddy to chitchat about these things. I do want to prelude this by saying that this is not really a proper analysis, but more of me just writing out my personal feelings. I might try my hand at actual analysis one day, but, for now, I'm just sharing my own interpretations!

Mystic Messenger is probably the only fandom I have been in since... well, since it has formed, basically. It's wild to think about sometimes. Things are very different in our little space now, compared to how it was before. Public perception of Rika is one of those things. I can totally resonate with your frustrations on that front, unfortunately. I know many folks miss the time when the fandom was bigger, but... personally, I don't. Especially as a Rika fan. It was borderline exhausting trying to curate your fandom space as a Rika fan at the time. Hell, we had full blogs dedicated to solely hating on her, a fictional character, and people who expressed their love for her. And that's just here on Tumblr. People used to full on write hate comments under every single seasonal CG with Rika in it. It was terrible, and very, very disheartening to see. Especially since most Rika fans I've met over the years are the sweetest people. Granted, there is a case to be made for practically every mm character, and how the fandom may have misinterpreted them in one way or another, so it's not just a Rika problem. Just that she was majorly disliked.

If anything, I'm very happy Cheritz still continued to include Rika in the seasonal events despite it all. Props to them on that front.

Right now, thankfully, things are much more peaceful and respectful. Rika is definitely not the more popular character, but now you can openly express your love for her in the fandom space, without fear of being harassed. I'd say that's a great win for us!

That being said, as to why I love Rika... Hm, it's interesting to put it into words. I didn't have a strong opinion on her until V's route came out. I never really shared the collective hatred of her, but I didn't love her either, you know? V's route came out during a pretty rough patch in my life, and I think that helped me get personally invested in what it had to tell. Rika actually feels like a fleshed out character with many nuances, and that instantly made me interested in paying close attention to what they wanted to do with her.

Rika is complicated, to say the least. She always was, but, with all the added content to her story that Cheritz have put out over the years, her complexity only evolved further. I love that about her. I love morally dubious characters who's mind you have to carefully study and pick apart piece by piece in order to understand them. I love how she is not really a villain in a traditional sense. She is not actively pursuing harm on anybody, not in her eyes. It is fascinating to me how different her view point is, compared to those around her. How skewed her perception of the world around her grows over the years. It's both scary and captivating.

So, it started with fascination. Appreciation for her character and a desire to delve deeper into what makes her who she is today. I think... my appreciation has grown into love when her Behind Story came out. I know many folks have very complicated feelings towards it, especially since it came out alongside V's After End and its unfortunate push for forgiveness, but I never really viewed Cheritz establishing Rika's past as an attempt to wash her of her sins. It just came out at a very bad timing is all. If her Behind Story came out a bit later, I think public opinion of it would have been different. It's a shame that their huge mess up with the message in V's After Ending sabotaged it like that.

Thing is, Rika wouldn't be as compelling and interesting as she is, if she was truly innocent. That being said, I... relate to her struggles on a deeply personal level. Not as deeply as I do with Saeran, but her story and her struggles do make me choke up to this day. Because, in a way, I see my past self in her. Being able to read through her story, her thoughts, and her feelings have really made me form a genuine fondness to her. Her religious trauma, her painful path of learning to survive in an environment that actively tries to harm you at every possibility, her fears of being the devil everyone says she is, her inability to accept and love herself, because all she has ever known is pain, danger and hatred... It hurts. I think, everyone has that little voice inside their head. Telling them that they are bad and undeserving of the love people close to them are expressing. That everyone actually hates them. That there is something inherently wrong with them. It's heartbreaking that, in Rika's case, this voice has eventually consumed her to the point of no return.

When you are an abused child, who knows nothing but the hostile world they have at home, it will follow you into every crook and cranny of your life. Even when you're not home, even when you're 'safe', your mind and body will still be on high alert, as it's natural to try and keep yourself safe from harm. Rika's fear of the world around her, her deep inner self-hatred is something I have experienced as an abused child/young teen. It's debilitating, and it's heartwrenching to think that so many people have to suffer like this.

I think the beauty of her story to me is the sheer tragedy of it. It's a tough pill to swallow, but people are not born evil. She has done horrible, immoral and unforgivable things, and yet, in some twisted sense, her heart was not filled with malice as she did so. She believed she was saving Saeran, she believed she was providing her believers the safety and love they couldn't get elsewhere, she believed she was trying to show her old friends the truth by taking them to her side. Of course, none of those things are actually true. Her real intentions were selfish, albeit not evil. A desperation to be loved and not abandoned. That dichotomy is both beautiful and tragic to me. (Some of these are very bad quality bc I can't screenshot stuff right now)

Of course, there's also the whole V/Rika debacle. Personally, I never put all of the responsibility onto either one of them. That takes away the beautiful tragedy of their shared bond. V - or, Jihyun - genuinely cares deeply for her. He is heartbroken at all the suffering he sees her go through during his route. Of course, it's not just his care for Rika at play, but we're not talking about him right now. While, for Rika, he was her only anchor, her light, the one person who saw the real her and accepted her instead of forsaking her. At least that's what she thought. Rika and V are two very hurt and troubled individuals who have met each other at the worst possible time. And that makes it so sad to me. Neither him nor Rika truly wanted to harm one another. Whether there was any romantic love between them or not, they did care for one another deeply. Too deeply, even. Clinging to one another in order to satiate the emptiness they had inside, each in their own toxic way. It was not healthy. But it was genuine.

And I love tragic bonds, be it romantic or not. There is something compelling about two people who do want the best for one another just causing more harm than good. It's also painfully truthful. Not to such an extreme, but the struggle of doing what's best with no direction is one many can relate to.

I guess, to conclude this all, I'd say I love Rika for her complexity most of all. There are so many layers to her, and her story is truly a heartbreaking one to behold. But, God, is it beautiful, too.

Also, may I just add, her voice actress is absolutely amazing? She puts her all into playing Rika, and her story wouldn't be as moving if it wasn't for her breathtaking work. Her voice acting made me cry a whole lot of times.

Hey! I'd love to hear your opinion on two things of the Halloween Mystic Messenger screen

First of all what do you think of Rika in the Dirndl (germans traditional women clothing) I think she looks quite snazzy, the colors are unusual on her but she looks gorgeous either way

Second of all, do you think Rika is Hänsel, Gretel, or the witch cause I am not sure. Like for the role she plays in the game, the witch would make a lot of sense, but she only gets out of her house after the children started eating her house, so I doubt it. And I forgot who was the one wanting to eat the house first of the siblings so I don't know 😭 I tried gaining understanding by looking at MC's clothes. But I have no idea what she is wearing, so I am at a loss and would love to hear your take on it!

Sending lots of love, dear <33

Hi! Thank you so much for such a in-depth ask, it was a ton of fun to sit and muse with my thoughts and ideas on Rika's birthday CG we got.

So, first of all, I gotta agree with you there: that's definitely a form of dirndl she's wearing! The designs look awfully similar for it to be a mere coincidence to me. These dresses can come in so different designs so it's a very versatile type of clothing to work with. Here are some examples of what I mean:

And here's Rika's dress up close for comparison:

Personally, I adore dirndls and their rustic yet elegant look. Never knew the specific term for such a dress, but now I do! It's not a sophisticated dress per se, but the simple beauty it brings out makes me super happy. If you think about it, it does fit Rika quite well. While she certainly loves to dress up every once in a while, her day-to-day style is quite modest in its nature. She's not wearing any dark colors in this cg, but it's not the pure white dress we saw on her two years ago either. To be honest, this color palette of green and blue on her makes me smile. It's not black or white, there's no darkness or light. At least, not in a way that would get your attention right away. She's not trying to embody the darkness or the light here. Instead, it's such a peaceful and soothing combination of colors, and I think it fits her very well. I also really like the yellow apron she's wearing! Is it, possibly, a callback to the dress we see on her in the game and the past she's trying to forget, only for it to remain by her side in one shape or another? Who knows, but it's a fun theory. Though, it should be noted that her outfit is still done in a cold color palette. It's certainly a way more colourful look on her than we're used to seeing, but in spite of all that, there's a certain type of deep melancholy surrounding her, even with a gentle smile brightening up her features.

Okay, now that we're done with her dress, let's talk symbolism! I'm gonna put up the whole CG now:

I'll be completely honest and say that it's been a while since I've read Hänsel and Gretel, so I had to quickly reread it to get a good feel of the story. It's very easy to assume that Rika's the witch leading MC away with the alluring promise of endless sweetness, only to trap them the moment they let their guard down. After all, the castle of Magenta sure does fit the sweet and inviting exterior of the witch's candy house pretty well. At first, it seems like a dream come true to the hungry and tired children, up until the very moment they finally get inside and see the ugliness hidden within these candy walls. That's what I thought of at first too! But, after rereading this story for your ask, I actually got another idea all together.

See, in the story, Gretel was wearing an apron. Not sure if she was wearing it from the very beginning, or after they finally freed themselves from the witch's clutches, but it's definitely there! And what do we see Rika wearing? That's right! An apron. Furthermore, I decided to look into the way Gretel is portrayed visually. To my surprise, she's often seen dressed in a classic dirndl. Which is actually not that surprising, since this story was published in 19th century in Germany, but hey, I didn't know that before :D Gretel was also the one leading Hänsel to the candy house, if I'm remembering it correctly.

So yes! Everything actually points to Rika being Gretel instead of a witch. Which means that MC is definitely Hänsel. This opens up a whole other possibility from a narrative standpoint. I wonder who the witch is then, though... But, I must admit, I REALLY like the idea of Rika initially helping the witch, albeit reluctantly and through her own tears, only to eventually find enough courage inside herself to break free and trick her, saving MC with her own hands. It's a nice parallel, considering that Hänsel (MC) was initially the one leaving pebbles and breadcrumbs to make sure that they'll return back home safe and sound. MC was also the one caring for Rika and promising her that everything will turn out okay.

Though, Rika still very much could be the witch, and I'm just looking way too deeply into this '^^ But, I must admit, I like the idea of her being Gretel much better. I want her to be happy!

Perhaps, Mika is the witch here. She's the one that first planted the idea for Mint Eye in Rika's head and she's the one telling her what to do for a short while. Mika playing the role of a witch that lured Rika and MC into her candy house only to force Rika to do her bidding does kinda fit the story. Maybe she locked MC up, because they were trying to warn Rika not to listen to her. I always loved the idea of MC knowing Rika before the start of the game, and how that would change up the narrative all together. I'd say that the father they return to in the end of the story is V, since he was the one genuinely caring for the kids, however his kind heart still did not stop him from unknowingly leading them to their doom. It does fit him quite well, I think. He's a good man doing his best and failing in the process, like we all do sometimes. Though, I have no idea who should be the evil mother... She's the one that quite literally abandoned Hänsel and Gretel in the middle of a forest, so... I don't know. I could go for a literal route and choose Rika's mother, but it's still feels kinda iffy and on the nose for it to make sense.

“Trauma, Obsession, Conflict and Reunion” 🌙☀️

pls the mizuena matching wedding dresses im on the floor on my hands and knees 🎀🎨

Sakurai Atsushi Answers 50 Questions in 1992

1. Name: Sakurai Atsushi

2. Birthday: March 7, 1966

3. Blood Type: O

4. Height: 177 cm

5. Weight: 59 kg

Keep reading

#mizuena

mizuena wip. something for the soul. i have like 20 wip god have mercy on my restless soul

Hey! I'd love to hear your opinion on two things of the Halloween Mystic Messenger screen

First of all what do you think of Rika in the Dirndl (germans traditional women clothing) I think she looks quite snazzy, the colors are unusual on her but she looks gorgeous either way

Second of all, do you think Rika is Hänsel, Gretel, or the witch cause I am not sure. Like for the role she plays in the game, the witch would make a lot of sense, but she only gets out of her house after the children started eating her house, so I doubt it. And I forgot who was the one wanting to eat the house first of the siblings so I don't know 😭 I tried gaining understanding by looking at MC's clothes. But I have no idea what she is wearing, so I am at a loss and would love to hear your take on it!

Sending lots of love, dear <33

Hi! Thank you so much for such a in-depth ask, it was a ton of fun to sit and muse with my thoughts and ideas on Rika's birthday CG we got.

So, first of all, I gotta agree with you there: that's definitely a form of dirndl she's wearing! The designs look awfully similar for it to be a mere coincidence to me. These dresses can come in so different designs so it's a very versatile type of clothing to work with. Here are some examples of what I mean:

And here's Rika's dress up close for comparison:

Personally, I adore dirndls and their rustic yet elegant look. Never knew the specific term for such a dress, but now I do! It's not a sophisticated dress per se, but the simple beauty it brings out makes me super happy. If you think about it, it does fit Rika quite well. While she certainly loves to dress up every once in a while, her day-to-day style is quite modest in its nature. She's not wearing any dark colors in this cg, but it's not the pure white dress we saw on her two years ago either. To be honest, this color palette of green and blue on her makes me smile. It's not black or white, there's no darkness or light. At least, not in a way that would get your attention right away. She's not trying to embody the darkness or the light here. Instead, it's such a peaceful and soothing combination of colors, and I think it fits her very well. I also really like the yellow apron she's wearing! Is it, possibly, a callback to the dress we see on her in the game and the past she's trying to forget, only for it to remain by her side in one shape or another? Who knows, but it's a fun theory. Though, it should be noted that her outfit is still done in a cold color palette. It's certainly a way more colourful look on her than we're used to seeing, but in spite of all that, there's a certain type of deep melancholy surrounding her, even with a gentle smile brightening up her features.

Okay, now that we're done with her dress, let's talk symbolism! I'm gonna put up the whole CG now:

I'll be completely honest and say that it's been a while since I've read Hänsel and Gretel, so I had to quickly reread it to get a good feel of the story. It's very easy to assume that Rika's the witch leading MC away with the alluring promise of endless sweetness, only to trap them the moment they let their guard down. After all, the castle of Magenta sure does fit the sweet and inviting exterior of the witch's candy house pretty well. At first, it seems like a dream come true to the hungry and tired children, up until the very moment they finally get inside and see the ugliness hidden within these candy walls. That's what I thought of at first too! But, after rereading this story for your ask, I actually got another idea all together.

See, in the story, Gretel was wearing an apron. Not sure if she was wearing it from the very beginning, or after they finally freed themselves from the witch's clutches, but it's definitely there! And what do we see Rika wearing? That's right! An apron. Furthermore, I decided to look into the way Gretel is portrayed visually. To my surprise, she's often seen dressed in a classic dirndl. Which is actually not that surprising, since this story was published in 19th century in Germany, but hey, I didn't know that before :D Gretel was also the one leading Hänsel to the candy house, if I'm remembering it correctly.

So yes! Everything actually points to Rika being Gretel instead of a witch. Which means that MC is definitely Hänsel. This opens up a whole other possibility from a narrative standpoint. I wonder who the witch is then, though... But, I must admit, I REALLY like the idea of Rika initially helping the witch, albeit reluctantly and through her own tears, only to eventually find enough courage inside herself to break free and trick her, saving MC with her own hands. It's a nice parallel, considering that Hänsel (MC) was initially the one leaving pebbles and breadcrumbs to make sure that they'll return back home safe and sound. MC was also the one caring for Rika and promising her that everything will turn out okay.

Though, Rika still very much could be the witch, and I'm just looking way too deeply into this '^^ But, I must admit, I like the idea of her being Gretel much better. I want her to be happy!

Perhaps, Mika is the witch here. She's the one that first planted the idea for Mint Eye in Rika's head and she's the one telling her what to do for a short while. Mika playing the role of a witch that lured Rika and MC into her candy house only to force Rika to do her bidding does kinda fit the story. Maybe she locked MC up, because they were trying to warn Rika not to listen to her. I always loved the idea of MC knowing Rika before the start of the game, and how that would change up the narrative all together. I'd say that the father they return to in the end of the story is V, since he was the one genuinely caring for the kids, however his kind heart still did not stop him from unknowingly leading them to their doom. It does fit him quite well, I think. He's a good man doing his best and failing in the process, like we all do sometimes. Though, I have no idea who should be the evil mother... She's the one that quite literally abandoned Hänsel and Gretel in the middle of a forest, so... I don't know. I could go for a literal route and choose Rika's mother, but it's still feels kinda iffy and on the nose for it to make sense.

Pen doodle hh