Thoughts on Ananas' crk characterization?
TLDR: I surprisingly love it!!!! Its almost 1:1 with how I always saw Ananas in my eyes, and I love how much theyre showcasing how powerful a Dragon SHOULD be. THE ANANAS GLAZE PLEASES ME SO MUCH. THE PRIDE IS UNMATCHEDDDD
So far, this episode has been the most well-written one in Act 2 in terms of adapting a character from crob because shit-pacing at the beginning and awful handling of the og elementals aside, they benefited from actually taking a breather and letting a new setting be independent and thrive without too much influence from the current main shitshow that is the Act 2 storyline (its almost like the more you stop including shadow milk into the story the better and less messier it becomes).
Since Beast Yeast happened and so many counts of flanderization started popping up for so many characters originating from ovenbreak, I was sort of already expecting them to handle Ananas badly, but they actually did a pretty great job considering how bad it couldve been (i.e the elementals + sugar swan) LOLOL
First of all, their voice is absolutely wonderful in all languages. At first I was surprised at how deep it was but when you actually get to see it in action I absolutely fw it!!!!
Second of all, THANK GOD THEY WERE DISMISSIVE AND MEAN. I was so SO relieved that they ended up showing just how stubborn, bitchy and prideful this bastard could be towards cookies outside of pineapple island.
The entirety of the beast yeast arcs we've been seeing all of these legendaries and important strong cookies just glaze the beasts/ancients when it felt ooc (timekeeper, TBD, SCOOP) and just somehow stoop to their level as a deus ex machina + nothing more and it felt so LAME considering these people could have canonically crushed beings more powerful than the beasts in the ob canon.
To see that Ananas didnt give a single shit about Hollyberry or the concerns outside of Pineapple Island is INCREDIBLY in-character for me and I breathed a big sigh of relief. Even the fact they didnt care about what happened to Pitaya initially for the sole reason of "i dont believe it because a disrespectful cookie is saying it to me" was a definite win in my book. I love how they showed how much manners and respect towards them mattered and that they wont do shit if you dont treat them with the respect they deserve. Im glad they only decided to help when they saw how they SHOULD care and that it wasnt just bullshit (plus the added proof being targeted by the calamity)
(I also found it so fitting how Ananas doesnt really care about dragon hatchlings too, the fact they asked what Snapdragon was, its very funny to me. Plus they keep beefing with little kids!!)
(The fact that they also included the fact that they find every opportunity to shittalk pitaya and call them a foolish brute was also a win)
I love how much violent threats they spewed out so casually, Ananas is quite wrathful in nature, and crushing their enemies is the primary way they showcase their power and pride. Therefore, they are never afraid to be threatening and tell intruders they will spread their remains into the ground. Im so glad that theyre displaying the very idea that Dragons do not Give A Shit about cookies regardless of their powers, and WILL put them down with the sole belief that Dragons are better (not glazing smilk, the elementals and downplaying hollyberry). I was even more hyped up by how much they showcased the power Dragons wielded with longan's eye and the fact Ananas could handle it themselves, but chooses to leave it back to the gang because Its Not Something They Care About.
(The fact that they were only really shown overwhelmed/cornered when it came to LONGAN is even better, and I appreciate that they didnt even let Hollyberry protect them because they dont NEED her to. absolute aura.)
But inbetween their bitch-behavior, their sentimental side was also shown a little too. Im sad that they didnt show much of the Mango Tribe and Ananas interacting yet, but even then you can clearly see just how much they matter to them through the promotional material and the way theyve included the mangoes in their life. They even talked to Mango more gently like the mom they are to him. I also like how much the plot shows that part of their pride comes from being part of Dragonkind, and not wanting the cookies to mingle with it. I also like the care that seeps out of them that they try to deny, which is something we've always known from ovenbreak.
In the cookiechat system, you can also see how they interact with Pitaya and MyCookie and its exactly what you expect. THEYRE PETTY!!!!!!! THEYRE PETTY AND GREEDY AND STUBBORN AND IM HERE FOR IT!!!
My thoughts are so messy and theres so much I could say about their characterization, but all of them are generally positive so far. Im absolutely glad that Ananas wasnt brushed off to the side, and you can actually see them, their priorities, and their personality rather than just being a plot point for the sake of characters unrelated to them at their core (rip elementals). They wrote them with their main idea of pride and draconic power, plus even glazing them MORE than ovenbreak did with the idea of excess life powder flourishing in Pineapple Island and emphasizing their motif of being sun-like, golden, and full of vigor.
The fact that i barely have any complaints impresses me. Im not assured that this kind of writing will continue in the future, but this has been an incredibly pleasant surprise as an Ananas fan <333
p.s THEY MOGGED PITAYA SO BAD LMAOOOOOOO
romaincrisis
