>>117006570I've been having similar problems trying to put into words what differentiates her "upbeat quirky" attitude in Hasting's run from other "upbeat quirky" characters that to me feel more... "synthetic"?
Maybe it's just that with her it seems like a natural extension of her situation, and not an arbitrarily decided character trait?
She's upbeat because her escapist wish (mostly) came true and acts all ~quirky~ because she doesn't take the fictional world and its inhabitants seriously.
If you put her in a situation that sucks, she won't force herself to crack a catchphrase and still wear that "default attitude" trait on her sleeve for example. Or for another example she isn't just a happy murder doll because something made her go insane and that gave the writers a free pass to do whatever they want with her personality.
But there may also be "positive by omission" stuff going on there. Suspiciously elaborate jokes can feel artificial for example. Despite being a fourth-wall-breaker, Gwen also rarely addresses the audience or cracks pop culture references, which may have made things feel more artificial for me.
I have no idea how to track or weigh those "conscious omissions" tho. Seems kinda weak.
Idk, maybe this is all post-hoc rationalization because she has a cute Gurihiru face, some creative power usages and I found her obligatory sad backstory sympathetic, but maybe I'm just bad at analyzing media or describing my thoughts.
