One Last Dance, Please

The Sundays: Goodbye (1992)

So I'm replaying Ray's After ending rn, and it got me thinking that what I adore so much about Rika as an antagonist is just how damn scary she can be. I always found those who cause harm with good intentions (at least in their point of view) much scarier than those who hurt you with pure intention on hurting you. I think the best example of it is this CG in particular:

Look at that. Such a loving, gentle expression on her face. Probably kissing his forehead. Because she loves him. Heck, without any context, this CG looks even sweet, if you think about it. And yet, all that is while Saeyoung is forcefully sedated on a powerful concoction of drugs even a trained agent like him can't do anything about (and Saeyoung WAS definitely trained to deal with this sort of thing, hence it's mentioned that this is a 'special' kind of drugs). He looks miserable. Bags under his eyes, his expression pained and troubled, even his hair is paler than usual. All that as a direct result of her actions. But she's utterly blind to it. What's scarier, is that she knowingly shuts off her understanding of what's really happening. She's not oblivious to it at all. She just chooses not to see it that way. Simply because she doesn't want to.

Rika is the type of antagonist that will cup your cheek into her warm hand with the most loving of smiles on her face, all while you are getting elixir poured down your throat. Even whispering to you that you're doing great, that the pain will soon pass, and that she can't wait to see you reach the happiness she knows you deserve. I won't be surprised if she even cried genuine tears of compassion during some ceremonies for her believers. All while being the sole reason behind their suffering.

And that's... God, that's terrifying to me. I love that about her.

Rika Kim, they could never make me hate you

Gekijô-ban: zero (2014) Dir. Mari Asato

time skip

a persona 4 velvet attendant!protag comic from 2 years ago! id enjoy seeing yosuke being the next wildcard and growing into the leader role he so admired

forgive the awkward dialogue i am not a good writer

This whole convo makes me wanna fight people who think the IT genuinely hate each other

btw I have uploaded to drive the digital versions of all the persona artbooks/guides i found so far!!

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1aEZ8YkeTv02CVq5tthkjX_-AmRG9yO1L?usp=sharing

btw I have uploaded to drive the digital versions of all the persona artbooks/guides i found so far!!

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1aEZ8YkeTv02CVq5tthkjX_-AmRG9yO1L?usp=sharing

My Mystic Messenger: Master List

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Theories

⚠️ Please be warned: Several of these post contain HUGE SPOILERS so, don't say I didn't warn you. ⚠️

Part 1- It's a Game

Part 2 - MC Mystery *I'm not on acid, but maybe my brain is lolol*

Part 3 - The Characters are Error Numbers

Part 4 - 404 as F.E.

Part 5 - Dandelion

Part 6 - Mystical Chess

Part 7 - Vanderwood

Part 8 - Choi Twins (Saeran's AE)

Part 9 - The Agency

Part 10 - Cheritz Matrix (The Ssum)

Part 11 - Rika killed Sally

Part 12 - Memories

Part 13 - Mystic Messenger Timeline

Part 14:

♥️ 🩷 💚🖤

Analysing RFA & M.E. personalities

💜💛🩶💙

💛 Jaehee 💛

♥️ Saeyoung ♥️

💚 Yoosung 💚

🩶 Zen 🩶

💜 Jumin 💜

🩷 Saeran 🩷

*This includes Unknown, Saeran, and Ray*

💙 V 💙

🖤 Rika 🖤

* Currently working on these analysis.

Part 15 - The Muse

Part 16 - The Real Wizard

Part 17 - Analysing Mystic Messenger Iceberg

Part 18 - The Ssum & Mystic Messenger connection

(More soon)

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Mystic Messenger but it's things I created, (not theories):

♡ Mysme but it's all Taylor Swift songs

♡ My favorite colors are tied to some MysMe characters

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

The following ones are not mine but are interesting and add a lot to my theories. Plus, some of these blogs have been deleted so I just reposted them to not miss this info:

♡ MC Soul

♡ Wizard Theory

♡ Not mine but is so cute~~~

i have a few asks that i'm working on, but i got this idea and it would not leave my head T_T saeran deserves the absolute world <3

-

saeran was cold. the room wasn't cold and the heater was on full blast, but as saeran laid there, an empty chasm, he was cold. healing was not a linear process. there are ups and downs, good days and bad days. and there are also really bad days, where all saeran can do is lay in bed and overthink. where all of the voices of all of his persons feel like claws gripping his throat, where the possibility of someday becoming betters seems more and more distant. its these days where he is saeranrayunknown, where he doesn't know which personality is truly him. saeran is no stranger to these types of days-- the first month of him coming off of the elixir was the most excruciating, both physically and mentally. he wasn't kind to anyone around him, and he certainly wasn't kind to himself. however, with the support of his lover and his brother-- and also the therapist that jumin recommended-- saeran began his healing process. still. the bad days don't go away, and saeran had never been more aware of that as he laid in bed, eyes blankly staring at the ceiling.

there was no hunger. no thirst. no discomfort. only blank, empty, dark nothingness. it was that state that she found him in. saeran felt the room become warmer, felt the light she emitted. his eyes immediately found hers-- they always did, no matter what. understanding dawned on her as she saw saeran's state, and she slowly- like she was approaching a wild animal -made her way to him. "bad day?" she quietly asked, carding her fingers through his hair with such gentleness that it brought tears to his eyes. all saeran could do was give an imperceptible nod. "...one moment." her voice was nothing but kind as she got up and left the room again. he could hear her quiet, gentle voice and then after a beat, the warm, low voice of his brother. a few minutes passed. or maybe it was hours. weeks. months. saeran didn't know- all he knew was the emptiness he felt, the chill that ran bone-deep.

eventually, she stepped back in and took his hand. "come." she said, giving his hand a light tug. it took every ounce of saeran's strength to force himself into an upright position, and he had to lean on her to walk. (lean on her like he has every time he stumbled in the past. she remained as she always did, an unwavering pillar of strength.) they walked through the hallway, passing by the kitchen where saeyoung was doing-- something. saeran couldn't tell, couldn't lift his eyes from the ground. she led him into the bathroom, where the faint scent of lavender hung and flower petals floated in the full bathtub. "let's get you out of this, hm?" she said as she started to undress him. shame colored his face, but saeran couldn't find the strength to do it himself. couldn't find the strength to do anything more than stand there and let her take care of him, like she always has. (at her core, that is who she is. the caretaker, the pillar of strength, the shoulder to cry on. saeran thinks she is the strongest person he knows, to be able to carry him and others when they could no longer carry themselves. how many nights had saeyoung cried to her? yoosung? zen? jaehee? jumin, even? and yet, she never wavered. was always there with open arms and a kind smile and kinder words. she is nothing short of an angel.) and though saeran knew she was doing all of this because she truly loved him, he couldn't help but let the negative thoughts swirl around. how long until she grew tired of him? of his bad days? of taking care of him? how long until she saw him for what he truly was-- weak, frail, nothing?

she helped him into the bath before kneeling on the floor, reaching for the shampoo. "not that this will fix everything," she began as she lathered his hair, "but this always makes me feel a little better. our burdens are easier when we let other people help us carry them, no? and i'm here to help you carry yours, my love. it's okay if you don't feel up to speaking, just let me take care of you." the gentle way she washed his hair, the kindness in her voice, her unwavering love, all of it made saeran burst into tears. he had never been loved quite like this before, never had someone to hold him when he was feeling low and piece him back together when he fell apart. because that's what she did- when saeran broke into pieces, she took those pieces and put him back together, her love shining through his cracks. she is written deep in his bones, all over his heart. like he existed only to love her.

she let him cry, never stopping her soothing movements. for a while, all that there was was his soft cries and her low, comforting humming. after his hair, she moved on to lightly wash his body, nothing but care in her movements. saeran could not remember the last time he felt so fragile, or the last time he felt so loved.

it went on like that. after she washed him, she helped him out of the bath and into a warm towel. she got him his softest clothes, brushed through his hair with the gentlest motions, held him with the lightest touch. saeran clung to her once he was dressed, his arms immediately going around her waist. "i don't deserve you." his voice was muffled by her shirt, and he felt her shake her head. "nonsense." she replied. "you deserve everything." and she said that so matter-of-factly, like there wasn't any room for argument. "won't you tire of this? of taking care of me?" "never ever. i will always be here to pick you up and to hold you together."

it was easier to stand on his own two feet now; his body and his mind were both still heavy, but he could finally muster up the strength to carry himself. still, though, she held his hand and guided him out the door and to the living area. "saeyoung and i have your favorite movie on, and snacks have been prepared." ice cream and popcorn weren't exactly the healthiest of options, but saeran didn't care. his brother, who was always so loud and boisterous, who unapologetically took up space, was sat quiet and calm on the couch. he looked visibly worried over saeran, but she must've given him a look for he quickly covered it up. as saeran sat on the sofa, his lover on one side and his brother on the other, he could feel the coldness in him slowly melt away, replaced by the warmth of the two beside him. there would always be bad days, always be days where saeran doesn't have the strength to exist, but they were just a little easier with her and with saeyoung.

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.