#This would be like just before they become girlfriends. Leaf just crushing real hard and Moth thinking she’s a super close friend

[nightly-ruse]

Just a Sunny Day for You💕

In my eyes, akin to a summer day. Eternal, smiling, never shall you fade <3

I love love love how they both came out! Moth’s outfit and her little details and the leaves on Leaf’s cardigan is just my favorite thing. I’m writing out how anthro Leaf and Moth work so I’ll post that soon. Their stargazing in some flowers like I put in this piece.

(ID- Leaf is laying against Moth with her arm over her body and looking upward. She has a split eye with one half amber and the other green, a heart in the center and three shooting stars reflected in her gaze. A Lily is on her ear and she has a pink cardigan, two brown leaf buttons on the middle and her curly chest floof poking through. She has a small smile on her face and has a flushed, happy face. Moth is laying down beside her with her one arm around her shoulder, a paw over Leaf’s arm, and the other pointing off the canvas at the stars. She has a dull blue shirt with a sunflower on it, the other half of the sunflower with sun like decorations. Ripped black jeans, a dark blue beanie, wavy blue choker, and a necklace with a sun motif and a piece taken out like it can be put together with another necklace. Black eyed Susan’s are on her head and she has her mouth open, two fangs poking out, as she tells Leaf about the stars above. Her ears poke through the beanie. Her eye is a amber orange color with a shooting star reflected in her gaze and a clearly joyful expression on her face. The background is just of the grass with purple flowers dotted all around them. Purple, blue, and pink shade them with a pale yellow to shine like a reflection of the shooting stars. End ID)

[cyberramblings]

3DS: Time for Playtime

It's been fun getting a Wii U lately, but I wanted to look back on all the use I've gotten out of my 3DS in the last year by running down my most played games.

Super Smash Bros. - 154 Hours

This is still my most played game after recently getting back into the 3DS, despite playing zero Smash in that time. I played a lot of this game when it came out and then leading up to the release of Ultimate. This game was a godsend for someone like me who didn't own a Wii U but wanted to stay involved with the series.

Pokemon X - 56 Hours

Again, this is from when I first got my 3DS. I played this one over a whole summer vacation off and on! I still can't decide how I feel about XP Share.

Pokemon Ultra Moon - 51 Hours

Okay, this one is this high because after beating the game, my girlfriend tried to catch all the Pokemon and collect all the totem stickers. I really enjoyed this one, but the Ultra Necrozma fight kicked my butt.

Link Between Worlds - 49 Hours

I actually own the special edition Triforce 3DS which came bundled with this game! As my first game on the system, it is no surprise to see it so high, even though I got stuck on the final boss. I consider this to be one of the best Zelda games.

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask - 41 Hours

This one makes a lot of sense. When I played all that Smash Bros before the release of Ultimate, this was the one other game I played during that time, to the point of actually beating it and a good chunk of the daily puzzles! I even missed a college lecture because I was so wrapped up in the climax.

Pokemon Alpha Sapphire - 27 Hours

Finally, a game I played recently with no shenanigans or excuses. This was an interesting "book ends" with Omega Ruby, as OR was the first Pokemon game I played in my recent endeavor to play them all, while AS was towards the end. Backwards of their names, huh?

Pokemon Omega Ruby - 26 Hours

Fitting that this game should be so close to Alpha Sapphire. I would think that one of these two games would've been left running overnight or somehow had the playtimes differ more, but it somehow makes me hapy to see them side by side. I appreciated Wally's Theme much more the second time through.

Pokemon Y - 23 Hours

Considerably less than the time I spent in X all those years ago. This was one of the last Pokemon games I played in my recent playing of all the games, since I had already technically beaten X. It was a lot of fun to revisit though, and I love Sylveon!

Ocarina of Time 3D - 21 Hours

This one also makes sense, since I owned it during my original teenage years of owning the 3DS. I can't believe I paid 40 bucks for this just to get stuck on the Forest Temple for years! OoT doesn't resonate with me the same way as everyone else seemingly.

Pokemon Red - 19 Hours

Again, this makes sense. I think this was the third game of my recent Pokemon marathon, right after Alpha Sapphire and Ultra Moon. It was a short run thanks to an overlevelled Venasaur and the three legendary birds. I enjoyed crushing this game.

Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy - 16 Hours

This is the game I just finished. I love the series and it was nice to finish it out. I think the ending was silly but the presentation value was nice to see.

Pushmo - 14 Hours

This was my go-to breakfast game for weeks, but phone-scrolling has replaced it as my morning activity while eating.

Shovel Knight - 14 Hours

This used to be the premiere downloadable title on 3DS. I think this game still holds up, but it has lost the sheer novelty of being a Kickstarter retro success over time.

Shin Megami Tensei IV - 13 Hours

I liked Persona 4 so I thought I would like this. It was too difficult for me back then, but now I don't have the patience. This was one of the games I actually paid 15 bucks to download back in highschool.

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - 13 Hours

The first of my several attempts to get into Monster Hunter. I bought, played, quit, and sold this game all back in high school. I would later go on to buy, try, and sell Monster Hunter World as well. It just isn't for me.

Metroid: Samus Returns - 12 Hours

I tried and hated this game on PC emulator, but it has a lot more charm on the actual system. I still generally dislike the melee mechanic but I generally enjoyed this game. It helps that I even beat the original first! Hopefully Dread fixes the few things wrong with this game.

Kid Icarus: Uprising - 12 Hours

I don't know if I ever fell in love with the "unique" control scheme of this game, but I definitely fell in love with all of the characters! This was a great one to play with my girlfriend watching. It's also great to have more of a context for Pit, Palutena, and Dark Pit in Smash now!

Pokemon Sun - 11 Hours

I haven't beaten it yet, whoops.

Rhyhm Heaven Megamix - 11 Hours

One of the last purchases I made before the Switch came out and killed my 3DS playing nearly permanently. I paid 30 bucks! As much as I love this game, I don't know if it was worth that.

Super Mario 3D Land - 10 Hours

A rare game that I played before AND after the rift of me playing 3DS. It's...fine. Definitely Mario.

Picross 3D: Round 2 - 9 Hours

I have always loved Picross and this is no exception. I really should dive back in sometime!

Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 8 Hours

I just can't get into it, I've tried but I can't.

Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright - 8 Hours

This was actually a birthday gift! I was very excited for the concept but hugely turned off by the time travel and setting. I need to give it another shake, perhaps after replaying some of the Ace Attorney games.

Resident Evil The Mercenaries 3D - 7 Hours

One of my few highschool digital purchases. I played a lot of Mercenaries in 6 and 5 (which this is based on, seemingly). It's...fine. But I should have just replayed Revelations on 3DS instead.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy - 6 Hours

It was 7 bucks at GameStop used, so I guess I almost got a 1:1 ratio of hours to dollars. I would've enjoyed this game more now, after playing FF7 Remake.

Pokemon Picross - 6 Hours

Free AND Picross? Yes, but also grindy and scummy. I wish you could just buy a physical copy of this game with everything unlocked.

Paper Mario Sticker Star - 5 Hours

Ten dollars on clearance was too much for this game. Maybe I will try it again sometime knowing ahead of time that it is a joke of a video game. I spit on this game's grave.

Mario Tennis Open - 5 Hours

A lot of the games I acquired within the last year have much lower playtimes, so I was not expecting to see this game this high. I guess I played a few tournaments. I feel like I quit because Waluigi cheated, then played just the tutorial of Mario Golf before quitting that too.

Elite Beat Agents - 4.5 Hours

This game rules.

Tetris Axis - 4.5 Hours

This game drools.

Kirby Planet Robobot - 4.5 Hours

Cute game, but I only play it with my girlfriend.

New Super Mario Brothers 2 - 4.5 Hours

I am surprised it is this low considering I got stuck on the final boss in single player and beat around 2 worlds in coop.

Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward - 4 Hours

I need to play more!

Super Smash Brothers Demo - 4 Hours

Hell yeah this was such an exciting time to be a Nintendo fan! Trying to get ahold of this demo was like getting a Willy Wonk golden ticket. I was so excited to play as Mega Man, Villager, Mario, Link, and Pikachu even if just on Battlefield.

Kingdom Hearts 3D - 3.5 Hours

A surprisingly competent action RPG. This game kind of reeks as part of the PS4 collection, but it really shines on the original version.

Layton's Mystery Journey - 3 Hours

I like the idea of playing as Layton's daughter, but I don't like having a talking dog and an insufferable simp as sidekicks. I hope the next game just returns to the original crew.

Mario Kart 7 - 3 Hours

It's...Mario Kart. Not a ton more to say.

Mario Party Island Tour - 3 Hours

I have trouble keeping the different 3DS Mario Party games separate in my mind, but anything that's not Top 100 is fun with friends. Top 100 only has one, miserable board! Why???

Ultimate NES Remix - 3 Hours

A great game for pick up and play, but not for long sessions.

Art of Balance Touch - 3 Hours

Recently got into this. Tons of fun until the difficulty gets a little too high!

Warioware Gold - 2.5 Hours

I completely beat this game and it is still this low. Fun, but hard to recommend at any price but free.

Luigi's Mansion 2 - 2.5 Hours

Cute game....but feels hard to play for more than 20 minutes at a time.

Dead or Alive Dimensions - 2.5 Hours

Again, all I did was beat the game and then quit. Surprsingly competent for a 3DS fighting game, but too barebones with content compared to Smash.

Boxboy - 2.5 Hours

I feel like I played this game way more. It's cute and fun, but now I have a hard time picking up the puzzles where I left them.

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Demo - 2.5 Hours

This tricked me into buying the game! Dangit

Mario Party Star Rush - 2.5 Hours

Oh god, I can't keep this one and Island Tour straight.

Pokemon Shuffle - 2 Hours

I feel like I played this one way more, but that is probably because the phone version also exists.

VVVVVV - 2 Hours

Beat the whole game! Not a bad way to spend time, but this makes it worth only 2 dollars according to my 1:1 ratio of dollars to hours.

Final Fantasy Explorers - 2 Hours

I like some things about this game but I just cannot play anything related to Monster Hunter.

Tri Force Heroes - 2 Hours

This suffers from "Overcooked syndrome" where you have to rely on your teammates so much that it becomes a total chore.

Theatrythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call - 1.5 Hours

I played that much just to unlocked multiplayer.

Super Street Fighter IV - 1.5 Hours

I think I paid for this game full price back in high school and then barely played it. I've always tried to delude myself into thinking that I can play real fighting games that are not Smash.

Hatsune Miku Project Mirai DX - 1.5 Hours

Again, I feel like I played this game for days and days. I suppose rhythm games feel like time slows down when you play them. Thumbs up for including Puyo Puyo! I am surprised this game released in the West at all.

Rune Factory 4 - 1.5 Hours

I got this far as a favor to a friend. I just can't play any game where there is an optimal way to act that sounds exhausting but possible to me. I know I could easily talk to all the NPC's every day... but I do not want to.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate - 1.5 Hours

This was exclusively played with friends. Not a fan.

Pokemon Rumble World - 1.5 Hours

Free games. Novelty as a kid. No time for them as an adult. Nothing about this game is appealing beyond the price point.

Attack of the Friday Monster - 1.5 Hours

My biggest memory of this game is playing it on the schoolbus when a little kid asked if he could play/watch and I told him I was playing a boring game that he wouldn't like. As cute as this game is, yes, it is boring and not very fun.

Sonic Generations - 1.5 Hours

I somewhat enjoyed this game until the Shadow boss fight. Can't figure it out. Not fun.

Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn - 1.5 Hours

Cute, played it with girlfriend.

Super Mario Land 2 - 1 Hour

I think I got this with Club Nintendo points?

Rage of the Gladiator - 1 Hour

Medieval offbrand Punch-Out.

Mario Party: The Top 100 - 1 Hour

ONE BOARD?!? At least it has the storybook minifame from gamecube Mario Party.

Trace Memory - 1 Hour

Bought used from GameStop. I was told it was a hidden gem, but I didn't have the patience.

Mario and Sonic Rio 2016 - 1 Hour

Cute game to play with friends but some of the minigames suck. Thumbs up for less common Sonic characters.

Azure Striker Gunvolt - 1 Hour

Not bad, just helped me realize that I don't really like Mega Man style games all that much. The genre of "Mega Man" just feels like a Metroid with no exploration or meaningful progression.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon - 1 Hour

I tried to get into this franchise but it is so booooorring and slow and unappealing to me.

I've been rounding to the half hour, so the next game is Zelda Oracle of Season at 44 minutes, which would round down to half an hour. I will take that as my cue to finish here.

In conclusion: games I owned longer tended to be played longer. Shocker. This was all just an excuse to ramble about Nintendo games anyways.

[tokyoteddywolf]

Super Shallurklance

@syeriane @shallurklancentric as promised, some cute Shallurklance, but with a cute cliffhanger ;3

"Is everyone in my apartment building a superhero?” More like Lance is the normal guy who usually ends up taking care of his neighbors after they go out to fight crime and befriends them all, but has a pining crush on three of his neighbors bc fuck he's too poly and bi to function- Anyways, Pidge has plant powers and hacking skills, Hunk is basically an earth bender, Keith is a fucking dragon, Shiro can fly and use super strength, Allura is Wonder Woman but has cats, and Coran is the landlord of the building. There are Major powers and Minor powers. Those with Major powers are usually in the Hero or Villain business. Those with Minor powers are generally sidekicks or civilians. Lance and Coran have Minor powers. Lance can pull water from the air or from anywhere within ten feet. It's not very strong but it helps to clean wounds. Coran has the ability to bend metals. Enjoy ;3

-------------------------------------------

"Is everyone in my apartment building a superhero?” Lance groaned, eying the pretty new girl moving in. "No, not everyone. You aren't. I think she's the Hero Altea though. The hair certainly matches." Lance's above floor neighbor, Pidge, yawned from her spot leaning against the railing next to him. "As in the city female favorite, Altea? Great. Let me guess, you guys are gonna show her the best place to patch up after a fight?" Lance asked defeatedly, narrowing cold blue eyes at the grinning superhero girl. "You know it, Lance! I'm not taking chances! Also, do you have any more tea? I'm out of green leaf and I know you have an extra stock somewhere." Pidge poked him in the side. Lance sighed. "Yeah yeah, I bought a new box yesterday. Come on, I'll make you a cup." Hours later, an explosion rocked the city and sure enough, as Lance calmly drank his hot cocoa in front of the TV, the news coverage showed the Voltron team plus Altea herself fighting against a massive metal monster. The Voltron team, aka Lance's neighbors in the Lion Apartments. Black, a powerful hero with indestructibility and the gift of flight, his powers mostly originating in his prosthetic arm. Olkari, a small hero with the ability to manipulate plants to her will, no matter the size. She could also hack anything, which was what she was currently doing to the monster's mainframe. Balmeran, the bulky hero with extreme strength. He was known for using the ground and environment to his advantage. Red, the original partner of Black's and gifted with extreme, nearly uncontrollable power. His flames could melt anything, as well as change him into a dragon if he felt like it. And Altea, a woman with super strength, speed, and energy manipulation. Usually sending it out in the form of lightning or beams, usually white or pink, sometimes blue. The creature went down after a short while, and the camera followed the heroes launching away in different directions. But Lance knew where they would all end up eventually.

He came back from a quick trip to the supermarket and groaned when he found the lock picked and half open from a cute little vine, seemingly innocent. "Pidge! What have I told you about breaking into my house through the front door?! The balcony sliding door is always unlocked you know!" The irritated Cuban called as he entered his home, noting the dirty tracks on the carpet. "And Hunk! I trusted you to keep Keith in line during that fight, and now half the city is rubble! Keith, did you even shower properly before you came here?! Hi Shiro, Miss Altea. Pidge! Get out of the tea cabinet! I just gave you a box yesterday!" Lance set his bags on the coffee table in front of both Shiro and the startled Altea before marching over to yank Pidge away from his tea storage, a small whip of water putting out a small fire left on Keith's head. Lance ushered everyone to a seat on the various couches in the main room. "Okay, who's first? I got extra gauze this time, and special disinfectant for rust bacteria." Lance pulled water from a nearby cup and wrapped it around a particularly nasty burn on Shiro's arm, the hero Altea looking on in fascination as the water slowly started massaging impurities from the blood and skin. "So, miss Altea, I'm Lance. I usually patch these guys up after a fight, so I'm guessing they decided to bring you around too?" Said male asked the white haired heroine, raising an eyebrow and using another small water whip to clean up the blood on her cheek. "Ah, well, Olkari insisted, since you are very trustworthy and she mentioned you keep a wide variety of tea?" Altea admitted, Pidge piping up from her seat trying to wrangle Keith into using an ice pack. "Call me Pidge! We all live in the same building anyways, and Lance here knows us all on first name basis so we might as well use it ourselves!" The tiny plant hero chirped triumphantly as she managed to headlock Keith and press the ice against the nasty bruise on his back.

"I'm Keith, Shiro's boyfriend and partner in heroism." The man wheezed from where his friend was currently crushing his back as she 'tended' to him. Shiro waved with his prosthetic arm. "I'm Shiro, nice to be working with you, Miss Altea." Hunk came back from the kitchen, stirring what looked to be a bowl full of chocolate chip cookie dough. "Sorry Lance, I borrowed some stuff for cookies. Also, hi, I'm Hunk and I'm usually the one to feed these people because somehow none of them know how to cook." The bulky man leveled a glare at his three teammates, each glancing away with a sheepish smile or a nervous chuckle. "I kind of know how to cook!" Keith replied defensively, pouting. "Keith, charred lumps of god knows what does not equal cooking." Lance deadpanned, finishing his task of bandaging Altea's arm. The heroine snorted out a half giggle half wheeze, and Lance had to mentally stomp on the growing attraction in his heart. He already had two impossible crushes, he didn't need a third... "Well, my name is Allura. It is nice to meet all of you!" She introduced herself, and the others all grinned back. "Well now that all the introductions are out of the way, who wants tea? I also have hot chocolate and coffee." Lance asked, standing up and moving towards the kitchen. He was sweating from the effort of holding up five separate threads of water. The ones that were currently cooling and healing the burn wounds on the 5 heroes. Shiro wanted black coffee, Pidge wanted green tea with extra sugar, Hunk wanted a specific amount of sugar and cream in his coffee, Keith demanded chamomile tea, and Allura politely requested juniberry petal tea. He didn't notice Keith intently watching him serve their drinks, didn't see Allura narrow her eyes when Lance swayed slightly, didn't realize he was collapsing until Shiro practically vaulted over the couch to catch him on his way back to the kitchen.

He did, however, notice the worried voices whispering near him as he slowly woke up to someone stroking his hair. It felt nice, nothing like the stress his job had been putting him through lately or the strain of using his Power too much recently. He sighed and rolled over to fall back asleep, the stroking in his hair never faltering. Meanwhile, Allura frowned as she watched Red, Keith, pet Lance's hair as he kept vigil over the man on the couch. "It's strange, normally he doesn't collapse like that. I always tell him to rest after he uses his Power and take a break now and then, but today must have been a bad day to ask for help." Shiro murmured, gazing at Lance in concerned fondness. "For someone who exercises his Power so much, I wouldn't think something so small as purifying wounds on five people would cause him to collapse. Perhaps he has been working too hard lately?" Allura asked, placing a comforting hand on Shiro's shoulder. "He isn't home as much, actually. I've seen him come home real late at night and leave at really early hours." Keith piped up, quiet so as not to wake Lance up. Shiro sighed. "He has a communication problem, which is surprising for someone who's so talkative."

Allura giggled lightly. "I find it quite endearing. You were right to bring me here and convince me to move into this building. I believe Lance will prove to become a large part of our lives. I just hope he accepts us when the time comes." She moved over to crouch next to Keith, her fingers joining the Fire Hero's tangling through Lance's soft, silky hair. Keith hummed lightly and tipped his head onto Allura's shoulder. Shiro folded his arms over his chest and smiled as his girlfriend and boyfriend watched hopefully over the object of their affections. After all, it was a secret that Black, Red and Altea were not friends, but instead a trio of polyamorous lovers. Not even Pidge or Hunk knew that Shiro and Keith knew Allura a lot more intimately than they'd acted like today. One day, Shiro hoped, Lance would make it a group of four. He wished for that day to come soon.

-------------------------------------------

What do you think? Sequel, maybe? :3

💖💙❤️🖤

[lazuliblur]

Obirin manifesto

1) A disclaimer:

I have a huge soft spot for Rin and Kakashi, but Obito is my precious baby. I feel like the manga mishandled him at times, but whatever, that does not change the person he revealed himself to be throughout the series. I have spent a lot of time pondering the dynamics between these three and their individual personalities and I will try to be objective, but my views on Obirin are inevitably colored by my personal interpretation of them.

2) The facts:

Obirin was never unquestionably confirmed in canon. One-sided Obirin (or unrequited Obirin on Obito’s part) was unquestionably confirmed in canon. Mind the distinction. These facts are more or less set in stone and the lack of indisputable confirmation does not make the ship incompatible with canon.

3) Rin is an important person in Obito’s life and has been since very early on.

Chapter 599 shows the tail end of their entrance ceremony at the Academy. Kakashi is there too, so they were, at most, five years old. Did Rin know Obito before this point? If you want to speculate, then there is a chance that yes, she did, since she seems to know who he is when he shows up. Whether this was their first meeting or not, however, matters little. Rin took it upon herself to hold on to Obito’s Academy entrance papers, something that she was under no obligation to do (she could have left it up to the teachers) and that no one else seemed to have any interest in doing (the other children walk past Obito when he arrives, without pausing to greet him or tell him anything about what he missed). Rin does worry about filling him in and the joy in Obito’s face makes it clear that he appreciates the attention and the trouble that she has gone to.

4) Obito’s interest in Rin stems from the fact that she sees him.

Here is a lonely kid, a bit of a screw up, who suddenly meets a pretty girl who was kind and helpful when she didn’t need to be. She did not scold him for being late or resent the task of delivering the papers to him. Rather, she acted like there was nothing wrong about his being late and worked with it: “you weren’t here, so here are the things you missed.” Of course he liked her instantly.

Let’s face it, the Leaf is not a shining example of a tolerant society that protects those that are less fortunate. Obito was an orphan who lived alone and apparently had no caretaker or guardian or adult supervision of any kind (do not talk to me about his anime grandmother, that arc directly contradicts the story and is rubbish). He did not have a lot of sources of affection. We are not even sure if he had any real friends besides Rin and his rival Kakashi.

His love evolved from that foundation of friendship in the purest, most natural way: Rin was nice to him and treated him decently when others would not, so she became important to him. She eventually became his favorite person in the world. Call it a self-centered love if you want, but what love isn’t just a little bit selfish? At the end of the day, you can’t help but love people that somehow make you feel good.

5) Is it a healthy kind of interest? Kind of.

I have seen people call Obito’s love abusive and manipulative. I do not see it. I cannot even understand where the idea came from. Whenever they are seen together, he is nothing if not gentle and supportive of Rin and doesn’t press her to do anything. Just consider operation “give Kakashi a present” (chapter 599). When Rin’s invitation to meet alone turned out to be about Kakashi, Obito pushed down his disappointment and did not get mad at her. He might have been upset that Rin only wanted to do something for Kakashi, but deep down he could recognize that her idea was a good one, that it was something a good friend would do and he didn’t make the slightest effort to change her mind or undermine her plan. Proof of that was that he admits to having spent a long time thinking about what would be an appropriate gift for the great Kakashi himself, before deciding that nothing short of a sharingan would do (chapter 243).

Her friendship was freely given and Obito cherished it. He probably often wondered what he had done to deserve it (he even cries when he realizes that Rin actually listens to him and cares about his safety – see chapter 653). He does, however (and unfortunately for the whole Naruto world), have a tendency towards exaggeration and obsessiveness.

Rin was possibly Obito’s only friend, definitely his best friend, one who showed him kindness and who made him feel like there was nothing wrong about who he was. It’s only natural that he’d want to hold on to that connection and, given his obsessive nature, he held on to it hard. He clung to “the one beam of light in his dark world”. That makes him flawed, but it does not make him an offender. He did not manipulate or blackmail Rin into becoming his friend, nor did he force her to do anything that she was unwilling to do.

5) How interested in her is he then?

Before falling into Madara’s hands, I almost hesitate to qualify Obito’s love for Rin as romantic. He was under thirteen years old and they had a war on their hands. I doubt he had even entered puberty, despite the very deep voice he was initially given in the Kakashi Gaiden animation (wtf), so how could he comprehend all the dimensions that exist in the love one adult feels for another? No, I am convinced that his was a young type of love. He was probably just leaving that stage where “love is gross” and discovering that it would be kind of nice if he could have Rin all to himself. He wanted to kiss Rin’s photograph, not masturbate to it. Those feelings would have only developed as he grew older and matured.

What happened afterwards is a different story. His innocent and straightforward nature coupled with his less than stellar intellect made Obito an easy target for Madara, who used his connection to Rin to break him and reshape him as he pleased. If Rin wasn’t already the center of Obito’s universe, Madara would have had everything to gain by making her just that. He wanted Obito’s feelings to run as deep as they could, his obsession with Rin to be as intense as possible, before snatching her away – and Obito, as innocent and dim as he is (bless him), saw no reason why he shouldn’t run with his obsession. Madara exacerbated what was already there. Obito was the pawn in that relationship, not the chess master, even when Obito believed that he was calling the shots.

6) Rin’s interest in Obito is not like Obito’s interest in Rin.

In chapter 653, you can tell that Obito is already head over heels about Rin. He tries to make himself look cool, like he would be a good catch, coming up with the ludicrous idea that saving him is the same thing as saving the world. And what does Rin do? Well, she finds it as ridiculous as any normal person would but, once again, she accepts his actions and works with them: “I believe in you and in your dream, so I’ll stand by your side to make sure you don’t do anything stupid and are well enough to accomplish it,” is what she basically tells him. She is his friend.

Was Rin aware of Obito’s feelings? It’s possible that she was and never acknowledged them so she wouldn’t have to hurt a friend, but most likely not, given the way she reacted when Kakashi told her about it after they believe they have lost Obito (chapter 244). She may have known it subconsciously, but her infatuation with Kakashi blinded her to what other boys thought. Does this “blindness” make her a bad person? Absolutely not. There was a lot about prodigy Kakashi for a young girl like her to be fascinated about.

She does, however, deserve kudos for the extremely mature way in which she handled her crush. She could so easily have neglected Obito to endear herself to Kakashi but did not. Kakashi was constantly criticizing Obito for his failings, but, rather than automatically agree with her crush and put Obito down, Rin played the peacekeeper instead. She tried to convince the boys to get along and cooled their tempers when they started arguing. She continued to watch over Obito and spoke on his behalf (see: “saving you is the same thing as saving the world”), regardless of the impression that this might give Kakashi about her. She was a true friend to Obito and showed real character and self-possession in how unconcerned she was that supporting a male friend might hurt her chances of becoming another boy’s girlfriend (especially one with such an intense dislike of said friend).

7) So... Obirin?

At the time of the Kannabi Bridge mission, Obito was crushing on Rin and Rin was crushing on Kakashi. It is possible that her love for Kakashi took a hit when he admitted that he would have left her in enemy hands if not for Obito’s insistence, but who knows? Who cares? It has nothing to do with her feelings for Obito, which did not go beyond a very solid friendship. At this point, we have a one-sided Obirin.

Did that ever develop into a “two-sided” Obirin? The thing is, we don’t know anything about what happened in the months between Obito’s apparent death and Rin’s suicide. It’s possible that nothing at all changed in how she felt about Obito. She believed him dead, after all, and it would not exactly have been a healthy response to fall in love with someone after they had just died. On the other hand, it’s also possible that she had some sort of epiphany and realized that she had never loved Kakashi at all, but had merely been attracted to him – that she had been star-struck because of his genius and that Obito had been the true, good friend who had been at her side all along. Who is to say that she could not have realized that those strong feelings she had always held for Obito were, in fact, not platonic, but romantic in nature?

We see Rin again only in the afterlife, as she welcomes a redeemed Obito. I do not see here proof of anything either way. She might be the friend who has come to extend Obito a kind hand, knowing that no one else would be there for him and knowing all the hardships that he has endured (she was there for Kakashi too, when he died at the hands of Pain), or she might be there as the girl who is finally ready to return the love that she knows Obito feels for her. Both interpretations work and are consistent with what the manga shows us. The readers can choose which one they prefer to see. It is entirely open-ended. (I lean more towards the first.)

Obito’s love for Rin is not abusive or gross. Before Madara entered the picture, it was actually a very pure and sweet story about two kids trying to hold on to something good in the middle of a bad situation. Obito never spoke against Rin, to her face or otherwise, never took advantage of her and never raised a hand against her. He was manipulative and dishonest about a lot of other things, but not this – never this. Rin was sacred to him. When it came to her, he was the one who was manipulated.

tl;dr: Facts are facts (but they are not the alpha and omega of anything). Rin is awesome (but kind of blind) and Obito is obsessive (but not abusive). No one is perfect.