#sorry this got so long lol but it was fun!!

[minjoonapio]

🎐 Wind Breaker CH.155: Oath

💭 Thoughts & Analysis

⚠️ SPOILERS ⚠️

Note: Sorry for the late post. I posted way ahead on twitter on the same day the chapter dropped.

Yeah I am…ecstatic about this chapter. It’s like the anime was playing in my head and for some reason Yuki Hayashi’s MHA OST was playing at the background during the turning point of the chapter lol. So yes this is added to my fave chap list 🙂‍↕️

We finally got a POV of Chika Takiishi! I am not sure if this means that Chika has Face Blindnesss. A condition where you struggle to recognize faces or can’t interpret facial expressions and cues. It can explain the push for him not to connect with people. Or it’s just solely, like he said, he has no interest in people.

But then people like Ume and Endo came along and kept shoving themselves in Chika’s path. Ume was seen as a nobody at first, a common boulder in his path. But with how they constantly insisting being in their path, Umemiya eventually became a goal to reach; a challenge to overcome. And Chika found enjoyment in that.

The fact Chika says “these THINGS called HUMANS” He completely disassociates himself as that. It also explains why he held this stoic face for most of his pages, not a single different emotion until he faces Ume. I guess he really does see himself as what Endo does—A god.

But I think it's not only because he chooses to be this way. If he really has a condition, he is sort of forced to choose not to care, and not to give so much effort in connecting with people.

Chika looks sad that the fight is over. Before all this started, he was walking around with Endo in search of enjoyment for the past 2 years. His world has shifted ever since he met Umemiya…or since Ume kept bothering him.

Now the leader is down. What now?

You don't even need to understand Endo's reaction alone. As someone who chose to disconnect from any human interaction, Chika finally said Umemiya’s name!

Callback to what Kotoha said: "Calling someone’s name is looking at someone properly and accepting them" Chika acknowledges Ume; thankful even that he had this much fun after a long time. He even surely respects him.

This was an unexpected reaction from Sakura. When we thought he had retracted from Ume, he actually held onto the hope of the leader he knew & the words he embedded in him. Ume didn’t do anything horrific yet that makes Sakura completely lose trust. He continues to believe, not taking Endo’s previous words of past Umemiya completely to heart (last chapter).

Perhaps Sakura and Umemiya will have a chat about that after all of this is over.

Sakura echoed the words Umemiya told him that day at the Ori rooftop (what is it with Wind Breaker and rooftops?). The words that Umemiya swore by.

The same words that snapped Sakura back into shape when fighting Endo. The same thing that’ll happen back to Umemiya.

AND HERE'S THE FREAKIN' CALLBACK!! FULL CIRCLE MOMENT!!! I’M SCREAMING.

We got our Umemiya back!

The facial expressions say a lot of things. Sakura's face is saying it's about time Umemiya is in his senses. He knew their leader wouldn't be defeated that easily. While Umemiya's face is saying how could he forget the words he swore by in front of his kouhai? And now, he is throwing those words back to him in the face. At the same time, he's glad Sakura is there and believes in him.

Imagine though Sakura said all that and Ume didn’t move. That’ll be funny. I actually thought Sakura would be mad when he said those words. I expected anger because he would have Endo's chitchat of Umemiya to his head, and would be internally conflicted. So he would want Umemiya to prove him wrong; that he's not like that.

But I guess calm was chosen to show how much faith Sakura has for the leader. That he was not easily swayed by Endo's words.

Y’all…Umemiya really freakin prettified the heck out of Chika. He first cutiefied Choji and now this? Look at how Chika's eyes are lit up. He looks more HUMAN. Less stoic. We’re getting more emotions out of him. It’s like he’s been set free.

(Not gonna lie, Umemiya looks pretty good despite all the blood, cuts, dirt and sweat.)

Umemiya admitted Chika truly got to him; he triggered his rage and blinded him, which led to his initial downfall. Since there never was a clear winner in their fights, Umemiya reminds himself that Chika was doing this just so he can finally be defeated.

I think Umemiya is not only saying this to clarify with Chika, but also to himself. He won't be blinded by his emotional impulses again.

If Ume and Chika were left alone on the rooftop, Ume would lose.

As a leader, Ume has always carried on his own this weight of protecting his beloved town and found family. He makes sure everyone is happy. Because of that, he would suffer under that weight and lose his strength.

With Sakura there in that rooftop, at the top, Umemiya is reminded that he’s not alone in carrying this weight.

It doesn’t surprise me that Umemiya would ask that of Chika. It’s so him. He’s all about connecting through conversations. Whether through fights or sitting down & eating together. I believe for the longest time Ume wanted to get to know Chika more, other than have him join them in the first place.

Chika finally accepting a deal with Umemiya is huge. He never took any interest in the so called “humans”. With the way Chika LOOKS at Ume, he has already acknowledged, respects, and is thankful to Ume. And I’m sure he wants to have fun fighting him again.

Oh the way Umemiya says those words so confidently. We’re gonna have one hell of an amazing fight in the next chapters. This last page I believe has already told us who’ll win.

--

I believe we will have that talk of Chika and Ume; Chika will talk more about himself. And Ume and Sakura will have a chat as well later on when it's all over; more details of how Bofurin came to be.

Someone in twitter hopes the BBQ party is still on. And I imagine that Chika and Endo will be there. Wouldn't that be a spectacle? 😆 I don't think it's impossible, given how the manga is so far.

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

Seven forms of love asks: the first one of each category for either Ari, Liam or June?

[ask game]

Ooh so many!! >:] Imma do all of them hehe

Eros 1: Is your OC romantic in the traditional sense? Do they enjoy giving or receiving gifts of flowers or confectionary? Or are there other courtship traditions from their culture of origin that are important to them?

Ari: Hmm honestly? I'd say so, yeah. He's romantic in a chivalrous kind of way, and even if it's less on purpose and more "how else am i supposed to do this?" i'll still say it counts lol. Once past the courting he's romantic in how much attention he pays to his partner's interests and likes and in how he will support those. That ties into gifts etc. as well, because he is more likely to go by his partner's preferences/culture/etc rather than his own. It's for them, after all, so it should be meaningful to them.

Liam: Yes 100%, he is probably The corniest romantic out of all my ocs lmao. He's the 'will slowdance in the livingroom', 'will hold hands at the theatre', 'will reenact the Titanic scene at the bow' kind of romantic. He is not a fan of expensive or elaborate gifts, but anything small and thoughtful will do the trick. I've long integrated that one hc about courting in Ferelden into my worldview so giving and receiving flowers from a lover is something he values a lot.

June: Not at all. She's a romance repulsed aro, so. Not much of a romantic hfldksjf. It wasn't something she'd given any thought until it became relevant, after she and Cullen started getting closer and she had to figure out what she wanted out of the relationship. There is certainly some overlap with what would typically be considered romantic, but she is still not at all romantic in a traditional sense. Also re: gift giving, she's not a fan lol. June is horrible at both receiving and giving gifts that are not practical in nature, so she'd rather avoid it entirely.

Philia 1: Does your OC have a Best Friend? If they do then how long have they known each other and how did they meet? If they don't then do they have a close group of friends they love equally? Or are they more of a loner?

Ari: I'd say that Joseohine, Leliana and Vivienne all equally count as best friends to him, out of which he vibed with Viv the quickest. Josephine he he didn't call a friend until later even though they got along really well, out of worry that it would be inappropriate. He also definitely had some close friends in the Valo-Kas, but admittedly i haven't thought about them as much as i should lol so i don't have any specifics there.

Liam: Varric and Fenris; Fenris because the grow close, Varric because they did the anime mind flash connection thing and simply forged a silent pact early on (they vibe because they are (partially) fucked up in the same way <3). During the time in Kirkwall until the Deep Roads he also definitely considered Bethany his best friend.

June: Dorian and Sera are her ride or die besties, but Dorian came first and is still just barely holds best friend status over Sera. They got along sooner, they share interests, and they simply Work.

Storge 1: Did your OC's parents love them unconditionally? If so then has this helped them feel confident as an adult? If not then how has this affected them? What were the conditions their family attached to their relationship?

Ari: Considering that both his parents felt a little out of their league because usually he would've been taken care of by Tamas, they did really well! Growing up as the only Vashoth kid around could get a bit tough even if the environment was friendly, so they made extra sure to make him feel loved.

Liam: I am sure that they did, but it did not always come across that way. Subconsciously the love, over time, started feeling tied to how well he fulfilled his duties (or what he perceived a such) as eldest son, even if it was subconscious.

June: The love was most definitely perceived as conditional, always dependent on performance. They were a noble family with decent standing and strong ties to the Chantry, which left the sisters with high expectations and a constant competition for approval.

Agape 1: Does your OC wish to make the world a better place? How far do they see that as being their responsibility? What lengths would they go to in order to help achieve this?

Ari: Yes, and it's something he has become especially persistent about since becoming Inquisitor. He is now in a position where changing things on a greater scale is Actually Possible, and he maaaybe gets a little too hung up on the ideals he has in his mind.

Liam: Not really? He believes in common human decency and in simply being nice to people, but he does not generally see it as his responsibility to "make the world a better place". However, he does feel responsible as soon as he gets involved in something, so he ends up helping a lot anyway lol.

June: It is not a priority, no, and she does not feel responsible for the greater good. She does start caring more about the impact she has and the good that she can do, but never to the point where she'd get worked up about it.

Ludus 1: Does your OC have any particular favourite chat up lines? If not for themselves then perhaps ones they have suggested to a friend? How effective do these tend to be?

Ari: Any chat up lines he know he knows from books or from Leliana, and he decided that it would probably be best not to try those himself lolol. He is very good at complimenting people though! Which can come across as flirty sometimes, for better or for worse.

Liam: If he is being smooth on main you can be sure that it was on accident, because he is horrible at flirting. But he wouldn't try it for showing genuine interest anyway. However with an established partner he thoroughly enjoys throwing all the bad corny pickup lines at them, and we're talking "did it hurt when you fell [...]" type bad

June: Casual flirting is basically her modus operandi when it comes to friendly conversation, but when she's trying for a hookup or something she'll be way more bold and direct. June is way more witty than i am lol so i can't give you any proper examples, but she's very good at coming up with lines on the spot (and they tend to work pretty well!)

Pragma 1: Is your OC in a committed long-term relationship (or relationships)? If so then what has contributed to this relationship lasting so well? If they are not in such a relationship, then is this something that saddens them or which they regret?

Ari: A committed relationship hadn't been something on his radar, but he an Josie simply Worked. They mesh really well, they have similar interests, they enjoy talking with one another a lot, they're intellectually on the same wavelength... it gets strained after Trespasser, but they're holding tight so far.

Liam: Depends on the worldstate, but in the one where he lives he is with Fenris! I think part of why it works is that they're both very affectionate and very devoted people at heart, but they also simply get on well and work well as a team. A long-term relationship is definitely something Liam sought out.

June: It wouldn't have been something she'd have considered or missed, but here we are, and she is content with how it worked out. June and Cullen are good at both pushing and grounding each other, and they end up finding a good deal of support in their relationship.

Philautia 1: Does your OC have a healthy sense of their own worth and value? Or do they see themselves as failing to live up to their original potential? Perhaps they are convinced of their own sinful or inadequate nature?

Ari: I wouldn't say he has a lacking or inflated sense of self-worth, he simply exists as himself and is okay with that. There are things he is self-conscious about, there are things he is proud of, all within reason. Where it gets more complicated is the sense of value he gives his actions ; that is where the feeling of Not Enough sets in

Liam: I think it's decent. Overall he is fine with who is is and how he is, and does give his own needs their due, but he will quickly feel like he is not worthy of someone's love when he, in his eyes, fails to take care of them. It doesn't impact is sense of self-worth per se but it does make him feel like he failed as a friend/son/sibling/etc

June: There are things about herself that she is very proud of, but overall her sense of self-worth is. Not the best. Being self-centered is a defence mechanism against feeling like she is constantly failing expectations everywhere, a feeling that she got a little too used to growing up (yay for performance based families! <3)

[turtleblogatlast]

Leo learns something about himself 🏳️‍⚧️

Based roughly on this old post.

Bonus:

[Leo is taking the fact that he was born biologically female simultaneously very well and also not so well but overall he’s mostly coping with the fact that it was Draxum that just essentially gave him the turtle equivalent of ‘The Talk’.]

[kamabokobun]

A sculpture I made of my slug fakemon starter :]

[surreal-duck]

master artist and his number one fan

guy who is being so normal about the new additions to their profiles. i think abt midoris initial infatuation with his art slowly developing into appreciating yuzuru himself as a person and idol to the point he worries about how he sees him (ex: a bit of home party and in workplace survival rules) sometimes thats a lie i think about it a lot. and yuzuru learning to enjoy art just for the sake of drawing!! seeing the lets try diy story where he doesnt even refute drawing on midoris desk and was only worried that his doodles might cover up the mascot design compared to how discouraged he usually would be in earlier ! stories. everything to me i adore their dynamic if that wasnt obvious by *gestures to basically everything*

and happy pride month 🏳‍🌈

[wigglesdtuff]

I would thrive if I healed, I can feel it in my heart And the peace of my mind is terrified of the light I'll never get there now

[i-have-a-lot-of-ocs]

Tempted to write a replaced au twst fic where Yuu (or alternatively, I'll use my Yuu, Riyuu, who is basically who I'm writing this for) used to be the cutest girl around, the cheery one who's always around everyone, the one you can't seem to dislike even if your crush falls for her because she earnestly says sorry (even though it's not her fault) and will always help you out if you need her back in her old school. But one day, a new girl comes around and her whole reputation got destroyed. She helps the new girl adjust, tells her all the rumours and introduces her to all the popular kids. But the girl ends up backstabbing her, telling the popular girls rumours about how she intentionally plays up the act to steal their crushes to her, and lies to the boys, telling them she's just playing with their hearts and that she's a horrible person.

Yuu ends up alone and excluded, being seen as "annoying" and only having a few close friends who doesn't really interact with her in public in fear of their reputation being ruined. She ends up miserable at school, and wishes to not go anymore. But one day comes a saving grace, she gets whisked by a mysterious black carriage into Twisted Wonderland, or more specifically, Night Raven College. She doesn't mind working if it meant she doesn't have to deal with her old school, there was still 1 and a half years left of school and she doesn't want to deal with all ghe group projects to be assigned that will inevitably end with everyone not wanting to team up with her. Plus, as annoying Grim is, he's like the animal friend all of the anime and storybook protagonists she knows has, and she doesn't mind him too much.

Some things did change after she and Grim got officially enrolled, but she had no problem adapting to the social expectations of the world, part time jobs with Sam -- and occasionally the canteen -- paid enough to get her tools for cooking basic but delicious food, and new friends without the weight of her past helped her get settled comfortably.

The existence of Overblots stunned her for a bit, but a peek into Riddle and Leona's memories helped her understand the concept, even if just a little. However, things began to change eerily simlarly to her old school when a new girl comes, also in a similar position to her, getting transported to a new, unfamilliar world, and seemingly hailing from a similar world to the Earth she knows. She warmly welcomes her, eager to finally befriend another girl, but it seems that the girl does not share the same enthusiasm.

The girl only barely responds to Yuu's attempts at forming a friendship, and always seems to talk her in a condescending way, and often dismisses her, and especially so whenever there are any boys around.

Yuu will not deny any statements claiming she's an attention seeker or that she plays up her sweet innocent girl act, but she knows to never, ever sacrifice a bystander for it. But if someone insists on war with her... well that's another, different story. She's learnt her lesson of being overly optimistic, and she will not make the same mistake twice. She will not let her make her life a living hell more than it already is with Crowley's irresponsibleness.

Aaand thus begins the story. Or well, however you wanna continue it. I'm honestly in favour of most Housewardens (Kalim, Vil, and Idia in particular. I'll put my reasoning in a few paragraphs down) Adeuce, Tweels, and Ortho for team Yuu. Why?

Well, first of all, Adeuce. This is mostly because the duo is like. with Yuu since Day 1, as much of a bitch as Ace is, I think those two are the most likely to trust and know Yuu well enough to not believe the lies R (< Replacer) tells. Especially Deuce, he doesn't want to betray a friend he knew for quite a while, that would not be very honor student-like of him!! And she helped him out in a lot of situations too! He doesn't want to hurt you after all the trouble you go through to help him, and also knowing how horrible your living conditions are. Ace would most likely give in to peer pressure if the student body is overwhelmingly in favour of R, but as of now, he maybe enjoys your company just a bit more than R. Just a bit, promise.

Tweels I feel like is self-explanatory. Those two are perceptive as fuck istg it scares me. Jade especially. I feel like the two would just toy with R for a bit despite her facade and lies before dropping her after she bothers them for attention and favours one too many times.

(Ortho ties in with Idia so I'll explain him in Idia's paragraph)

Kalim is actually very emotionally intelligent. He can come off annoying and stupid, but from all the scenes I see of him, he's actually really good at dealing with people. Have you seen how he deals with the Scarabia residents after Jamil's OB??? The way he phrases his sentences?? He didn't force or even plead with them to forgive Jamil, he simply asks them to wait before making permanent judgements, and I think he's gonna be uncomfy with how condescendingly R talks to Yuu, and even if he's used to people going after him for money, I feel like R mostly eyeing him for money and how she "secretly" sighs in annoyance everytime she goes out of the party for a "bathroom break" will only solidify his dislike/discomfort, even if he doesn't show it.

Vil is also kind of self-explanatory if you read into his character and not just the shell the official English localization makes for him. (I could rant for hours about how the official tl portrays his character istg. He's hardworking and he actually didn't attempt to poison Neige out of pure jealousy, he did it because he felt like all his efforts to be beautiful will never be able to surpass Neige, who, in his eyes, always seemed to be innocent and naturally beautiful. He feels like the villain in Neige's story. He feels like he is reduced to what he often plays as, a snobbish, overconfident villain obsessed with overthrowing the hero. And because of it, it became a twisted self-fulfilling prophecy, pushing him to, in a fit of despair, be that same villain everyone sees him as.) I really don't think he will take well to R's condescension to Yuu, who genuinely wants to befriend R. (I actually have a whole thing in my head where Yuu and Vil occasionally have sleepovers where they do skincare together after the whole VDC thing happened. I feel like this is also a "vent sesh" of sorts for the both of them, just to air out their grievances without much seriousness, and I think Yuu would admit to wanting a fellow girl in the school that she could befriend, since no matter what, being the only girl can be exhausting.) Ik Vil's not a girl but he is such a girls' girl istg.

Idia... this mostly ties into Ortho and The STYX Incident, but like,, I think we can all agree on this one,, Idia is smart and capital V Very pessimistic. Would you rather trust the girl you've known for a while, who saw your memories, who helped you in awkward social situations when she can and is besties with your brother or some random new girl who trash talks said girl behind her back? The former, right? Plus, even if Yuu did only hang out with him and his brother because she likes to secretly laugh at him behind his back, there's mo guarantee R wouldn't do the same, given his experience. And he would rather have someone who actively helps him and his brother out than someone who wouldn't.

I didn't put Malleus in because of how canon him actually treats Yuu. I feel like the fandom kind of put on rose-tinted glasses on with his character, and kind of ignored some things like, idk... him just leaving them to fend for themselves homeless during Octavinelle... maybe he thought Crowley would offer them a place to stay but like... I'm still bothered by how didn't atleast offer a spare room in Diasomnia. He's a housewarden goddamnit. He's not as distant or scary as the rumours say but like. still rubbed me the wrong way.

Anyways I don't think my attention span will let me write it to completion so if anyone likes this and wants to write it feel free. Pls tag me if you do tho. I would love to read it :3

[sysig]

An eye for a life, unquestionably worth it (Patreon)

[iknowwhereyousnoozeatnight]

this one's for all the yuri enjoyers out there — nsft under cut

meronia event prompt(s): scar

[madootles]

[seriousbrat]

what do you think lily's flaws were likely to have been? I hear so many people complain about her being a "Mary Sue" and I feel like it's true that the narrative doesn't really give us problems with her character in the way that it does for James/the other marauders.

Love this question!! I actually think we do see some of Lily's flaws in the narrative, they're just not quite as obvious (or grievous) as Sev's or James's.

In her conversations with Sev in the Prince's Tale, we see that she's willing to overlook pretty unforgivable behaviour because of her friendship with/loyalty towards Sev. He's friends with Mulciber and Avery, he calls the attack on Mary 'a laugh'. In the post-SWM conversation, she displays awareness that Sev calls other people 'mudblood'. Sure, she's not okay with it, but she still tolerates it; it's not until this actively affects her that she decides to end the friendship. I read this as a mixture of naïveté but also just willing blindness. She knows better deep down, but chooses to ignore it because of her love for Sev.

Another thing Lily-haters tend to harp on is her defending James, Sev's bully, to him in this conversation. And I do somewhat agree (although I think it's ridiculous to hold this as worse than everything Sev does to her) but I think it's another sign of her willingness to overlook certain behaviours that she shouldn't. She wants to believe that there's good in everyone because that's easier than facing reality. I don't read this line as 'you should forgive James for everything', I read it more as 'why can't everyone get along because that would be easier than dealing with conflict'. In some ways she's right, because there is good in both Sev and James-- it's somehow both her greatest strength and her greatest weakness. This blind trust is what gets her killed, it's what causes her so much pain in SWM, but it's also what saves her son in the end.

Another thing I think we see in SWM is her temper. Like I've said I think Harry gets his anger issues from Lily rather than from James, and I think she's impulsive, reckless, quick to anger. She leads with her heart. It would have been more rational to get a teacher but she dives into the confrontation personally. She insults both James and Sev pretty viciously in this scene (totally deserved, but still). Her giant squid rant is not some well thought out moral indictment of James's character or actions but an emotional response, a personal attack borne of anger. It's very similar to Harry's numerous all caps rages throughout OotP in which he takes out his anger on the people around him.

When thinking about Lily I think it's fair to extrapolate from Harry's character, because they're meant to be similar. Thematically, DH is largely about Harry realising that he's much more like Lily than he realised. Dumbledore says he was counting on Hermione to slow Harry down: Harry represents the intuitive approach, Hermione the logical. Too much reliance on intuition can't save the day, but neither can too much reliance on logic. It's about balance. Sev is the Hermione to Lily-- his learned ability to put aside his emotional needs and impulses for the greater good is ultimately how Lily protects her son through him.

[screwpinecaprice]

In the city!

Commission for  missyuniverse_ for her fanfic at Wattpad! ( account: Kittens_escapism or juanitasuniverse ) 😊😊😊

[carcarrot]

ok sitting down for a moment at disneyland. elaborating on the post-beat concert shenanigans in the tags

[shesmore-shoebill]

I read your shourtmanda rpf ideas i would totally read any of those as fics. very fun. especially courtmanda first and they loop shayne in. i love it.

ah thank you! :D i mean. ill make zero promises on if i actually write these fics or not. i love doing this kind of mapping/puzzling/dynamic exploration/plotting thing where I take characters and rattle them around in jars/put them in situations and see what i think they'd do. I find it very fun. But, it's not the same as actually translating it into a readable fic, sadly. 😔

anyway, you didnt ask for it but. sure i can keep talking about shourtmanda that starts courtmanda first.

obligatory "rpf F for fiction". Not about real people, these are all my little rpf universe characters I am Putting Into Situations.

Anyway, Courtmanda first....... I know i've talked a decent amount about how I imagine Courtmanda in rpf, so I'll try not to dedicate a few paragraphs to it but like. Ghhh so much fun. Okay lets see.

In this world- maybe Shayne and Courtney who have been around each other long enough to trust each other, where romance with each other isn't even an active question- not in an unsustainable, unhappy way. Just people who know the other has their back, who haven't had to question it for a while, who have settled into.. something comfortable with each other. Maybe dabbling in dating, and they like to keep each other updated. But there hasn't been anything serious for a while.

And then Amanda comes in, and.... Courtney likes her. A lot. And look, its all fun and games, it's fine. Courtney has a little admiration crush on Amanda and mentions it to Shayne but its, not a big deal, really. Amanda flirts with everyone. Courtney loves a lot of her coworkers! Is there a lot of flirting. Yes. Does it FEEL weirdly sincere at times. Yes. Have the fake bit-kisses been drifting closer and closer. maybe. Things slowly get more intense but it never feels scary. Just surprising. The friendship and trust between them continues growing alongside everything else, and if Courtney's feelings don't exactly subside even as she gets to know Amanda better- that's fine.

And then. Shayne befriends Amanda, and they're doing the pod, and. Getting closer. and its like. Oh. Fuck. First of all. He hears her talk about Courtney and how she'll gush about them on a whim, he gets to witness how, yes, Amanda flirts with everyone but there's a different quality to this. After all the time of Courtney admitting and then playing off her feelings. It seems like. Maybe. Those feelings are not unrequited. Shit.

And also, despite himself. Despite all odds. He gets why Courtney is enamoured with her, where those feelings came from, why they haven't gone away. Because maybe he likes her too. Double shit.

How this plays out/how much everyone is personally aware of depends on personal preference for angst levels, probably. I lean towards Shayne being the most aware of his feelongs, but in a way where he's hopefully not agonized over it as much as "ah shit. ah fuck. that's not great." I want Shayne playing matchmaker to an extent between Courtmanda because both of them are...... either unaware (Amanda?) or convinced it won't/can't happen (Courtney, maybe Amanda too) and he wants them both to be happy. It maybe takes some time for him to feel as confident on his read of Amanda's feelings, but once he's sure its kind of like. My friends are great and like each other and I want them happy. This could solve itself, or they should at LEAST talk to each other about it. #communication.

Either way. Courtmanda agree with each other first. And then figure out how best to talk to Shayne about it, because they know he wouldn't otherwise. OR they DON'T plan it out very well, and instead are flirting with him and Shayne is losing it a little because what the Fuck are they Doing He is In HELL. These are his friends who should be happy and dating each other and who he MAYBE he feelings for. and they KEEP FLIRTING WITH HIM. And is he evil for enjoying it but also they're together and he shouldn't be- oh god. Sorry Shayne. (Ladies!!! COMMUNICATE!! WITH!! HIM!!)

They do eventually talk. And more than talk. and they keep talking. and some way- some how- their feelings towards Shayne come to light. I'm open to lots of things in these scenarios, but I will say I don't see a world with my characterizations where Shayne is the one to try to bring himself in vs Courtney/Amanda making the move. Maybe Amanda talking to Courtney making Court realize their friendship with Shayne IS invaluable but their love isn't strictly platonic. Maybe Amanda realizing her own blossoming friendship with Shayne feels like its morphing into something different. Maybe Amanda feeling guilty because Shayne and Courtney should be each other's first and foremost. Courtney and Amanda both feeling guilty because theybhave each other! and yet. and yet. They both keeping wanting to talk to Shayne about it all. They both keep wanting Shayne around, maybe more than they should.

Shayne feeling odd because- he did it! He got his friends together and now has two happy friends, this should be objectively good. and yet.....

anyway. it all works out in the end either way. fun :) sorry i got a lil carried away lol.

[digisurvive]

Keep thinking how immature Aoi gets in Wrathful, I'm so delighted lol Think about it this way: one of the important lessons Iori Hida 02 has to learn in order to grow up is to be able to contextualize his actions within the possibilities the circumstances offer so he can choose what causes less harm or is more fair beyond strict adherence to clear cut rules. His extremely black and white morality signals how childish he is (and this is fine because he's 9, I find very endearing how righteous he wants to be). Yet, in Wrathful, Aoi basically regresses to that kind of inflexible mentality. Every body must obey strictly (which she reads as well behaved), everyone must know their place and not act out of it, there must be no fighting nor conflict. She holds no nuance nor compassion for anyone that doesn't follow her rules to a tee.

Aoi even struggles with paralysis caused by her moralitiy crisis, too. While Iori's about lying and thust tailored to the fact he's 9, at the core of it is struggling to reconcile how acting in a way that is fair clashes with his view of what is correct behavior, which trips Aoi up, too. She gets a similar blockage where she feels incredibly torn if what she wants to do goes against social order. Thinking about how she also felt Shuuji was being unfair, so she likely wanted to do something more than just keeping her juniors in line... And in the end, couldn't even commit to preserving harmony that way because of her self-doubt about her own capacities as leader and troubled convictions. It feels very pointed that in part 6, Aoi is promising to actually get involved in mediating the group fights, coming at the tails of what happened with Shuuji.

Anyway, I love how we get that peek to her internal struggles in Wrathful. Like she correctly identifies as part of the issue that she can't step out of what she considers correct (and makes a lot of sense how much she likes the flippant Saki lol), yet Wrathful has her doubling down. I love the irony.

I also really enjoy how different her spin on a scrupolous work ethic is to Iori's because their different social positions (Iori being the youngest vs Aoi always being responsible for others), their age and gender. Endlessly fascinating to me.

[deus-ex-mona]

my five surviving braincells when something remotely good happens: