I haven't really had any standout favourites amongst the DFF characters and I don't really ship any of the canon ships in the usual sense (i.e. no obsessive brainrot, although I'm enjoying them all from a narrative perspective). But the bombshell that was ep 9 has finally made me latch onto a character. This guy:
Although not I think for the most common reason that has caused Tan/New's surge in popularity i.e. being Non's avenger. Because man, New is so much more than that. This kid is a hot mess who's lost everything he holds dear, filled with guilt for failing Non and then his family, seeking answers, revenge, redemption and now has nothing left to lose. I'm so here for it. New's character and his arc is just fucking fascinating to me. Kudos to Mio for playing it so subtle until now and then knocking it out of the freaking park for ep 9.
This kid was the golden child of his family and favoured at least by his mother, and yet clearly felt the pressure of those expectations.
And then! And then! His and Non's whole deal makes my brain buzz. I love me some tragic siblings with a yawning emotional gulf in understanding between them; of a relationship lost or a closeness that never quite made it, of a relationship of two brothers endlessly set against each other and damaged by their parents. A relationship where he failed Non in a litany of little ways by not being there for him, and one always inevitably overshadowed by the comparisons their parents made between them both.
And when Non disappears, New is overcome with guilt! For failing him, and for not being able to be there for him, and so he resolves to find out what happened to him. And he fucking commits to it! This guy throws away his scholarship, his life in England, to fucking redo highschool and infiltrate the gang of kids who bullied his brother! For two years, he hung around with these people pretending to like them and lied to his parents, only to have nothing to show for it and to lose even more when his mother kills herself, his father disowns him and then does the same! This shit would break the strongest of people (and I'd argue something in New is broken now) but he still finds it in himself to kickstart the plan that will bring hell down on these kids.
This kid has lost everything, and is clearly at a place of desperation and despair. But he's still not giving up. Even in the face of ruination and perhaps his own destruction, I feel like New will keep going on regardless if it means finding out what happened to Non. He'll do whatever it takes, burn the world, immolate himself, if it means making that happen.
I think ultimately, I love that New's a tragic, complex character who's been ruined by life and by his own doing, and through ruination, has come out of it unhinged, perhaps even something worse. Someone haunted by the ghosts of his lost family, by his failures and his guilt. Someone with so much potential for further tragedy, who'll likely destroy themselves relentlessly chasing his end goal and end in misery.
TLDR; I love me a haunted, broken, unhinged, fucked up li'l guy.
109 notes
·
View notes
Y'know what fuck you. Hispanic Junpei propaganda on P3R day
His parents moved to Japan when he was young. His father is Latino while his mother is Japanese, and takes on her surname rather than his dad's due to him feeling ashamed about him (see: his social link)
I think I saw somewhere that he played guitar but I. Can't find anything on it so HC that he can play guitar pretty well and he plays songs in Spanish mostly. (I am so sad this isn't canon btw EDIT: HE DOES!!!!! ITS CANON and he deserve[s] to serenade Chidori*)
He listens to songs in Spanish, as well as English and (obviously) Japanese. I feel like he'd like reggaetón in the early stages of his character arc IM SORRY... He'd listen to other stuff once he grows out of that tho (around the time he stops making "Ladies Man" his Whole entire personality sry mi rey you were so annoying). He'd listen to Cuarteto de Nos or Miranda probably, maybe some old Spanish rock too like Soda Stereo or just random one-off popular songs. Even if he doesn't like his dad, his music taste is Fire
[* building off of the two HCs, he sings Spanish songs to Chidori at some point! He sings whatever song he thinks off and it unfortunately ends up being all the silly ones. Ataque de las chicas cocodrilo (hombres g) for example. Look it up it's so dumb <3 love it]
He can understand Spanish pretty well! He grew up speaking both languages, and know a tiny bit of English from watching American movies and music. He struggles a little writing Spanish tho since Japanese kanji and the Latin alphabet are Very Different and confuses the two at times. Ta bien rey tqm
He doesn't have a particular preference for a particular culture, and doesn't really care. He can eat a good pollo chuco and go to get a beef bowl at the mall no problem.
He doesn't talk about his heritage much though, since the topic never comes up in conversation and he doesn't think it's too relevant. Probably drops it in a dad way – random story in the middle of a conversation that shocks everyone in SEES and they're all like YOU HUH???? – and proceeds to tell more stories since he realises that "wait being mixed is COOL actually!?" Yes it is.
Also, stealing this from @mimikiwi77's post, he calls Yukari "Yuka-tan" BC of the Yucatan Peninsula that's all gn America have fun with your persona 3 reloads and your akeshuakes
43 notes
·
View notes