#umidarkocean

Thank you! Thank you so much for this cute fan mail!

That’s a really interesting question, and definitely something I want to explore now that you’ve brought it up.

I can think of a number of reasons that Hide uses this tactic, firstly, because I don’t think his friendly persona is entirely fake or crafted just to put him at an advantage. Though, in the plot itself, we’ll obviously be presented with more situations where Hide is put in danger and such a deceptive personality could come in handy, that’s just to make the plot interesting. If we think about it logically, Hide still seems to have lived a relatively normal life, so having this method of gaining the upper hand would seem kind of pointless in everyday life. 

I think that, though he may find most people difficult to trust, he still does genuinely like people and enjoy their company. One of Hide’s main character traits are his good social skills and his ability to make people like him, and though this is useful to him in terms of giving himself some leverage, I think he also naturally possesses these qualities. Hide’s a social person who enjoys the company of others; that much is apparent, because if that was all just a mask, then he probably wouldn’t engage in anything sociable when unnecessary, but it appears that he does. So, since he naturally possesses such a sociable and jovial personality, and he seems to have the ability to make people like him without malicious intent, it would only make sense to utilise this to his own benefit.

I think another reason that Hide makes himself look more vulnerable than he is is because he really is vulnerable, in a way. What I mean by that is that his strength seems to lie in tactical thinking and gaining the upper hand through unconventional means (i.e. using rice balls to defend himself against Cain), so we can deduce that his physical abilities aren’t exactly something he can rely on. He’s not strong enough to physically fight off a ghoul; he has to use what skills he does have to manipulate the situation to his advantage, often meaning that he can get someone else to fight for him.

Hide is the ace of spades, the death card, and he has brought death to ghouls, but never directly. He’s always managed to get someone else to do his bidding for him (leading that ghoul from Anteiku to Mado where he ended up being killed, for example.) Since Hide’s strength isn’t physical and he knows this, he has to use what skills he does have to manipulate others into doing for him what he can’t do. That makes up for the skills that he lacks in, and that’s another reason that fooling people with his sunny disposition is much to his advantage and probably the best way to do things for someone with Hide’s skill set.

Like I said earlier, making people like him isn’t something difficult for Hide, and if people feel comfortable around him and are trusting of him, that makes them easier to manipulate. Making himself look vulnerable steers suspicion away from him, which means that people may be more willing to do things for him, but more importantly, are less likely to suspect anything when he manipulates their actions to his advantage. If people underestimate what he’s capable of and how aware he is, that means that they’re less likely to even notice that he’s setting them up. That directs no attention to him which means he can continue to manipulate others with little to no suspicion, and using others for his own benefit is crucial to Hide because it makes up for the weaknesses that could potentially put him greatly at a disadvantage.

Laying low is Hide’s best chance, because the way in which he manipulates things is done so indirectly that no one even knows he’s involved (like when he anonymously gave the CCG the location of Aogiri’s hideout.) That means that he often avoids any malice being directed at him.

If we use the example of the ghoul he lead to Mado, Hide manipulated the situation so that the ghoul would run into Mado and then be killed, therefore saving himself, but the ghoul had no idea that his encounter with Mado was intentional. He just thought he’d lost Hide by chance and ran into an old man he could eat instead, and even Mado himself had absolutely no clue of Hide’s involvement. He’s invisible to both sides, which means he’s out of their line of fire, and that makes him extremely powerful.

^^^^^^

this. All of this. I’ve been waiting for an Arata arc focused on the bunny siblings since forever, and after the Cochlea raid arc that need only got worse and worse tbh. I need to see them facing the truth about their father. I need for them to be framed as the victims for once, because I’m so sick of how the arc that was supposed to make everyone talk and smooth things out only ever focused on the ex-ccg side and barely spared a thought to how ghouls are always the losing side, how they never get any justice at all, let alone an apology, because “that’s just how the world works”. It’s not. Hinami’s loss was never addressed and dealt with properly, and so was Touka and Ayato’s. It’s about time they finally get some closure, even if the only way to bring it is to make them suffer to hell and back by means of reopening old wounds.

Not random at all! Currently it’s a tie between Your Name and Star Wars: Rouge One.

Herbal tea: Which person would you chose to travel the world with?

I would travel with my bestie takaratime! I would love to travel with my parents too.

Pu-erh tea: What is a book you can recommend to others?

rose: what makes you feel beautiful?

Oh geez haha I guess when I make an effort to look nice and my friends compliment me for doing so. Also when I get to wear really fancy dresses.

wine: talk about something you are looking forward to

GRADUATION! I’ll be finished with my degree and certificate in May and I’m hyped!

gloss: list ten songs you love right now

Sea - BTS

Spring Day - BTS

King - Lauren Aquilina

Here’s to the Heartache - Nothing More

The Apprentice - Gorillaz feat. Rag’n’bones

Song at the End of the Day - Secret Garden

OUTRO: House of Cards - BTS

Serendipity - BTS

Gotta Love It - Ruelle