#especially because he doesn't outwardly express himself often... so his things are like... well. they're him in a way.

[minnie-mei]

yandere pillars (pt.2) | kny

yandere! au

general headcanons !

[Iguro Obanai, Muichiro Tokito, Himejima Gyomei, Shinobu Kochou]

note: I typically write muichiro as age 18, but bc there's no nsfw ig you could view him as whatever :/

WARNING(S): unhealthy/obsessive behavior, abusive themes, mentions of kidnapping and murder

Iguro Obanai

yandere type: stalker, obsessive, manipulative

Iguro has flexible taste, but would most likely be attracted to someone social and "pure"

due to his self-loathing and insecurities, he admires those who are completely opposite to him

Different to the other pillars, you caught his attention for a unique reason, separate from your looks and personality

you were sanemi's tsugoku

(sanemi has very outwardly expressed how he would never take on a tsugoku but here you were, why?)

how was it that such a kind individual was sanemi's tsugoku?

and so he watched you, purely out of curiosity at first

but then curiosity turned into a crush and a crush turned into an obsession

Unlike the others, he has no intention of making you his

he feels dirty and completely unworthy of you, especially because he's lucid about his unhealthy feelings

however, he also sees others as unworthy of you

oh you got a suitor? dead; they don't deserve you

yeah he's never gonna let you get married

He's willing to be your friend, but he's not so bold so you'd have to start that friendship

Very intelligent and determined, Iguro knows how to get what he wants from you

which is really just attention

he's also really good at getting you to change your mind about things

he can convince you out of missions

or out of friendships with those he deems competition

He hates himself for it, but he often gives into his urges whenever you want to touch him or spend time with him

he tries to say no but he just can't

as much as he fantasizes about you confessing to him, he knows he shouldn't ever say yes if it happens

he's not nearly good enough for you

he's worried he'd accept you

He's a stalker right off the bat, even though he had pure intentions originally

but then he eventually starts breaking in and watching you sleep, hoping Sanemi doesn't catch him

After a long while of his obsession going on, he may get a bit delusional

he may think you're doing this purposely

you're tempting him

he does pull himself together though, and won't do anything

If it somehow ever gets to the point where he feels he has to kidnap you (highly doubtful), it will come from a purely protective standpoint

you were seriously hurt and he can't let that happen again

He'd treat you as neutrally as possible

he wouldn't treat you as a romantic partner, he doesn't deserve it

he probably feels guilty about it at first, but it'll pass

he'd do whatever you ask except release you (and he'd do his best to say 'no' if you were to ask him to cuddle)

As a stalker, he'd likely leave little gifts around

not anything too large or noticable, just things like jewelry

he'd never tell you they were from him

He's scarily good at hiding his true feelings

well he should be obvious to you, but you take his willingness to help you constantly as friendship

He craves your affection, but refuses it

you'd sometimes eat dinner with him and pat his head and he'd have to freeze to keep himself from pulling you close to him

he low-key gives off worshipper energy idk

Muichiro Tokito

yandere type: clingy, possessive, selfish

There's no specific quality or energy he's attracted to in his darling, they're just them

you have an affect on him as soon as he sees you and he doesn't like it

You're new there when he first meets you at a pillar meeting; one of the newer workers for Oyakata-sama

you weren't that noticable either, just someone who brought them tea or food

the only other pillar to even glance your way more than once was Mitsuri, who always complimented and thanked you whenever you brought food in or did something for her

something irked him when she gave you attention

she shouldn't do that, only he should

would she even notice if you were gone?

would anyone? he would.

He never makes his feelings clear to you, it's like he expects you to already know

he barely speaks to you, and when he does it's about simple random things like colors or clouds

after becoming only slightly aquainted with you, he'll start dragging you places without giving you any information

usually it's to watch him train so that he can show off or to just sit with him (which is incredibly awkward because neither of you say anything)

you get put in that situation more often as time goes on, especially if you were talking to someone beforehand

he'll grab hold of your hand and pull you away from the person you were speaking with, to a bench where he sits beside you and stares ahead

you don't say anything, not wanting to offend a pillar

Muichiro is the most likely to kidnap you, and does so without ever truly getting to know you

he doesn't even hesitate when he does, he knows he needs you and can't have others taking your attention away from him

He had a perfect image of you in his head and there's nothing you could do to tarnish that image

escaping and misbehaving will no doubt earn you punishments, but he'll still think you're perfect

He's pretty strict when it comes to rules and is consistent with his punishments

always keeps his promises, there's no talking your way out of anything

he doesn't understand why you try anyway, it only makes sense what he's doing

He has the intelligence to manipulate you, but doesn't see much of a point unless he's trying to guilt you into hugging/comforting him

that's about it

he tends to be very straightforward as he doesn't see anything wrong with what he's doing

he may see it as a way of protecting you, but it's mostly just to calm his raging jealousy and need for you

your feelings aren't a big concern for him (especially at first)

Over time he'll grow nicer and start treating you with more empathy and respect

but that underlying selfishness is always present

He loves when you touch him or give him even the slightest attention

he wants to be loved and praised more than anything else

if you refuse to show him affection, he'd threaten you into it

forces you to tell him you love him and such

he's so good at conditioning you that only after a couple years, you're turned into the perfect partner

Muichiro isn't so caught up in the marriage and children aspect of things

he doesn't look far into the future but is open to the possibilities

Once he becomes more aware of your emotions, he starts doing nice things for you like bringing home small gifts

they're most often flowers or rocks he thought were pretty

not very cool, but a sweet effort nonetheless

You're access is limited to just the house, but he'll let you sit on the porch or in the backyard to watch him train

(he's very soft for when you bring him water to cool him off. any show of care for him is happily welcomed.)

sometimes afterwards, he'll lay you on the grass next to him so you can watch the clouds and trees together

he enjoys it and knows it helps ease any stress or anxiety you have

maybe maybe he'll let you go on walks with him after a few years but he's still against the idea of letting others see you

you're for his eyes only

he's the only one you can look at and give attention to

Himejima Gyomei

yandere type: obsessive, protective

Given the fact that he's blind, looks play no part in finding a darling for him

it's all about gentleness and empathy for him

(he might have a soft spot for a small darling but he's so big that anyone is small compared to him)

He first meets you when you visit his estate to deliver desserts

you're a new kindergarten teacher at the nearest village and wanted to welcome all your neighbors kindly

he was interested immediately, but didn't see you again for awhile after that due to his profession

the second time he met you, he was on his way back to his estate after a dangerous mission and he stumbled into you heading home from buying supplies for your students

noticing his injuries, you offered to go home with him to help and that kick-started your relationship

Gyomei is most likely to have a "normal" relationship with you

his tendencies aren't very extreme by any means and he has a lot of self-control

he admires and respects you and wants you to feel the same for him

Very lucid with his feelings, he accepts that they're not healthy and forces himself to hide them

there's nothing that could make him snap/break into hurting you

kidnapping however,,, maybe

He's pretty traditional when it comes to courting you

he takes you on dates whenever he can, he guys you gifts, he visits you, and walks you home

Marriage is definitely something he wants, he also wants children, having a soft spot for them himself and knowing what a good parent you'd be

unfortunately he’s so passionate about his love for you that he gets a little ahead of himself and moves quickly

He's not very forceful with any of his actions, however he's serious when it comes to knowing where you are

whenever you go somewhere, he has to know

this is his protective nature taking over, not wanting you to be hurt in any type of way

accidents are fine and normal, but he doesn't know what he'd do if a demon went after you

he carries a lot of guilt from his past, letting people get hurt, so his reasoning is easy to understand

Say you were to die from any cause, he wouldn't be able to carry on

not even to get revenge for you

he'd just slowly waste away, refusing to eat, drink, or sleep

he wouldn't survive without you, you're everything to him

He treats you extremely gently, afraid to accidentally harm you in any way

this man is Large™

and very capable of breaking any bone in your body if he squeezed

he's terrified of hurting you

so much so that he sometimes refuses to touch you

you'd have to hold onto his a while on dates because he doesn't want to hold your hand too tight

Piggy back rides and carrying you around is fine, but he doesn't put any effort into hugs, handholding, cuddling, etc.

well cuddling sometimes, but only if you're on top of him bc what if he rolls over and crushes you in his sleep?

he's always concerned about your feelings and general well being

Should you ever break up with him?

oh god he'd feel as if he were dying

he'd probably be sobbing on his knees begging you to stay with him, unintentionally guilting you into agreeing

he always tries his best to go along with your wishes though so he'd feel bad about it afterwards :/

oh well at least you're still here

But if you still leave him? he might kidnap you just to keep himself alive

he really can't be without you for long

In a kidnapping scenario, he'd be a very good captor

spoiling you and giving you whatever you want

he'd feel constantly guilty about the whole thing but he loves you so much

there's no escaping from him

his blindness isn't much of a weakness and he's impossibly strong

he'd still try to give you as much freedom as possible though

Gyomei is keen on verbal praise rather than physical affection

hearing someone speak to him so kindly really does something to him

If you're the more clingy type, that's fine too

he likes getting on his knees and letting you pet his hair and kiss his face (he's much too tall to let you do this standing up)

Shinobu Kochou

yandere type: manipulative, protective

Shinobu is most attracted to naivety, someone she can tease

you want to learn medicine, so you begin studying under her after talking your way into the position

she didn't accept you at first but you impressed her with your persistence so she eventually agreed

Her obsession wasn't much of an obsession at first, more of a soft crush

she thought you were the cutest thing she's ever seen, so focused on listening to her teachings

she found every reaction and expression shown on your face as something she wanted to see again and again and again

it gets to a point where she'd lie and trick you with certain things just so she'd have an excuse to scold you and see the pitiful look you give her

She's not really the jealous type, in fact you can hang out with whoever you like as long as you're in the estate and come back to her everyday

so nothing she does is driven by feelings of envy or possession

she still needs to be your number one though for sure

if she thinks there's a risk of a rival, said rival will be eliminated

Shinobu is the second most likely to kidnap you out of all the pillars

it starts slowly with refusing to let you leave the estate (to visit your family or get supplies) with excuses of how dangerous it is out there and someone else can do it

it ends with her poisoning you so you're bedridden and unable to leave

whether or not you figure out what she's doing, it doesn't matter

you can't convince anyone to believe you and she'll never let you go

With how manipulative she is, she could do whatever she wants with you at this point, so it's definite that she won't allow you to stay sick forever

she'd likely make you think you're delusional, that there's no way she'd do this to you; she's your mentor

you're just so sick that you're mind is making things up to help you cope

she loves you

Once you start believing her to be your savior, then she'll begin healing you and letting you get back to regular life

only this time you're dedicated to her, so you wouldn't want to leave constantly

She'd know if you were to lie to her or show any in-genuine feelings

she's studied you and trained you well enough to know everything she needs to in order to keep you in check

She doesn't care too much about punishments, she knows she can act hurt and guilt trip you into behaving

but if you act up too bad, she's willing to step in and correct you in any way she has to

She doesn't control your entire day, but she does dress you up, feed you, and have time that is reserved for the two of you to be together

cheek kisses are required every day when you leave her and when you see her again

she's ok with you hanging out with whoever, but no treating them with the same affection you should be giving her

She's the only one who can cook for you, too afraid of you getting sick otherwise

she may have the ability to nurse you back to health, but she prefers you to be happy and healthy

as much as she wants you to enjoy yourself your happiness isn't her main priority

keeping you safe with her is

She's the "if I can't have you, no one can" type

if you're too set on escaping from her after a long period of time and are causing a lot of problems for her, then she may have to kill you

it'll be fine because she'll reunite with you in the afterlife, where you can't escape her no matter what

she'll think of you every day until she dies and can see you again

if she thinks she's going to die, she'll be sure to take you with her

you belong together

Her ideal behavior for her darling would be clingy

she wants her love to follow her around, clinging to her closely and whining for her attention

she doesn't find it annoying as long as you listen when she tells you to calm down

She loves gifting you with attention and jewelry

she expects you to wear everything she gets you with pride

she'll get something matching with you, likely a charm bracelet or ring

Marriage isn't something she needs, but she'd love to show your love for each other in any way

Overall she's not the worst, but keeping up with her controlling, manipulative personality and minor sadistic streak can be quite difficult

_____

excuse any spelling or grammar mistakes I'm not illiterate i swear

-Admin Duckie

#yandere kny #yandere demon slayer #iguro obanai #iguro obanai x reader #yandere obanai #yandere iguro obanai #muichiro tokito #yandere muichiro #muichiro tokito x reader #gyomei himejima #himejima gyomei #himejima gyomei x reader #yandere gyomei #yandere himejima #shinobu kochou #yandere shinobu #shinobu x reader #yandere x reader #yandere

[somebody-909]

Stalkyoo After the Formal (pt.1) - Role Reversal and Yeong-Gi's Denial of His Feelings

The black and white formal acts as a turning point in Shin-ae and Yeong-gi’s relationship, establishing their friendship and giving them moments of romantic tension.

It all leads to the emotional finale on the hospital balcony, where Yeong-gi first feels genuine romantic feelings for Shin-Ae.

This analysis looks at key moments that show how Shin-ae and Yeong-gi’s relationship changes after the formal arc — displaying emerging romantic feelings, and why their roles seemed to have reversed: it is now Yeong-gi who is hesitant to get any closer to Shin-ae, and she is the one eager to connect with him.

Ep. 75 | Elevator - Why the awkwardness and melancholy?

When Yeong-gi first sees Shin-ae after the balcony he seems quite... polite and distanced. He doesn’t act like the Yeong-gi of the past at all. He doesn't joke around with her like he used to... He doesn't smile or act friendly and he awkwardly turns away after looking at her.

He only smiles in the first panel, and his expression is… complicated. Note his soft smile, slightly closed eyes and slightly furrowed brows.

It's a soft, fond but slightly melancholic look.

This mixed expression is caused by genuine fondness for the person it’s for, with the additional tension and slight melancholy/sadness caused by the fact that this fondness is unspoken. This Look™, is the first expression he gives her after the balcony.

(But if I’m speaking more subjectively, this is the look people give those they love, but where it is unspoken. The melancholy associated with the expression makes it less likely to be purely platonic in nature — platonic friendships don’t often have this sense of something hidden and unspoken, and more often have relatively straightforward reciprocal affection. The romantic nature is also emphasized since The Look™ is being given to someone Yeong-gi has known for only a few weeks/months.)

At the least, this unspoken fondness may explain why Yeong-gi seems so awkward afterward:

He senses a difference in their feelings towards each other (he feels this because he is somewhat aware of the true nature of his, but Shin-ae is not/would not be at this stage)

He does not appreciate the nature of these feelings and does not want to entertain them (for reasons mentioned in my balcony analysis)

Shin-Ae also notices his odd demeanour and tells him she thought he'd be more excited - Yeong-gi's behaviour is purposefully shown to be different now. It's hard to imagine this is the same guy who'd joke around, easily and outwardly showing his joy to be around Shin-ae.

In Ep. 78, Yeong-gi is called by Shin-ae after she’s forced late when Dieter passes out. He has The Look™ while speaking to her. (Notably, Yeong-gi only has this look when they are not directly looking at each other). When Yeong-gi picks her up, he seems awkward once again… especially due to seeming like a third wheel in Shin-ae and Dieter's budding relationship.

He has The Look™ in images 1, 2, and 4. And in image 3, he seems very awkward being with Shin-Ae and Dieter. (I'd argue his expression also shows displeasure — he slightly, and under-the-surface, doesn't like what's happening).

Ep. 85 | A Bear and Allergies - Compassion, but only at a distance

After Shin-ae’s sister invades her home and Shin-ae calls over the bois, she is obviously quite unnerved and uneasy. Yeong-gi immediately recognizes this and in aims of comforting her, tells Dieter to give her a hug (which he is unable to do without freaking out so he gives Shin-ae a hug using a bear as proxy).

Yeong-gi understands how Shin-ae feels and wants to comfort her, but instead of doing this himself (eg. by talking to her, giving her a pat on the shoulder, etc...), he tells Dieter to. Although he's being a good wingman, there’s an interesting sense of Yeong-gi making sure to keep his distance, even if he wants to be there for her.

When Shin-ae notices Yeong-gi’s allergic reaction (which they think may be a fever), she reaches to touch his forehead to gauge his temperature — he quickly declines and moves her hand aside.

In my black and white formal analysis, I discuss the motif of distance and how it’s seen in Shin-ae and Yeong-gi’s dynamic — and how it’s represented through touch and their hands. Characters who want to connect emotionally will also show physical signs they do (like extending your hand to someone). Emotional connection often requires characters to physically be present together as well. Characters who want to avoid connection avoid touch and keep their distance.

Here, Shin-ae shows a desire to “reach” Yeong-gi by helping him, and this is reflected when she extends her hand and reaches to touch his forehead. A refusal of her touch in this case is also a refusal of her help and her attempt to connect to him. Shin-ae shows some slight discomfort at this – it was a harmless attempt to help him, but he doesn’t want her to.

Yeong-gi follows with an explicit verbal refusal:

“Again, you don’t have to worry about me… You just had your home broken into, you need to put yourself before me, alright?”

This is fitting with Yeong-gi’s overarching character arc — he has an extremely low sense of self-worth that prevents him from accepting others’ concern. Him telling Shin-ae to put herself before him also fits his thinking: that those he cares about are more important than him, Shin-ae included. And it doesn’t matter if what she actually wants is to help him.*

*This is an interesting trait of Yeong-gi's... despite caring deeply for Shin-Ae, he undermines her intelligence and wishes by not accepting her affection for him, and carefully controlling how close she gets. Although born from insecurity, it is also, fascinatingly, covertly manipulative.

Ep. 85-6 | Bills - I care about you

Yeong-gi asks Shin-ae if she is able to get to where she is staying for the night and she gives him more information than he asks for, showing new emotional vulnerability. He notices this and gives her The Look™ — he appreciates that she is now more open to him.

When Yeong-gi sees her overdue bills, he makes sure to let her know that her financial struggles do not determine her worth and anyone who tells her otherwise isn’t worth her time.

“Remember you’ve always got someone to lean on with your friends, okay?”

His spiel is incredibly heartwarming, and we can understand that he states these things from his own heart. However, he keeps it impersonal, stating "your friends" (not “me” or “us”) and instead allowing Shin-Ae to define whether he fits under that category as well. Yeong-gi is no longer trying to assert his friendship anymore.

After opening up more in response and letting the boys take her to the hospital to stay with her father, she removes the "Stalker" in Yeong-gi's contact name in her phone, showing development in their relationship since they first met and a large difference in how she sees him now — they're friends, and she thinks so too.

Ep. 89 | Insolence, but only for Shin-ae (and only in secret) & a Kousuke/Yeong-gi parallel

After learning of Shin-Ae's etiquette classes, Yeong-gi enters Kousuke’s office, specifically to start trouble with him. Yeong-gi is shown to try his best lately to obey his family members (namely his father), but once again we see how he is fine with starting trouble, even if it costs him, if it's for those he cares about — despite Kousuke reminding Yeong-gi of the repercussions of getting in trouble with their father, Yeong-gi doesn’t back down.

Kousuke: “You know you’re only going to anger father if he catches you being indolent.”

Yeong-gi: “I don’t give a crap if he finds out.”

Yeong-gi then aggressively asks him about the classes Kousuke put her in:

Kousuke: “It’s for her own good.”

Yeong-gi: “What do you mean, her own good?”

Kousuke: “... She’s the worst employee I’ve ever seen, so I signed her up for classes to fix her issues.”

Yeong-gi: “Have you ever voiced your concerns… tell her what she can improve upon? … She may have her flaws, but she’s a lot more capable than you think!”

Kousuke: “I’m preparing her for what’s to come her way in the future.”

Yeong-gi: “You don’t even know if she wants this career for her future! Everytime I see her, she’s miserable. Like she wants to leave. She’s uncomfortable!”

In my black and white formal analysis, I discuss how there are multiple instances— where Yeong-gi and Kousuke, as well as how they affect Shin-Ae, are purposefully contrasted — and this is paralleled here.

Consistently in these instances, (although Kousuke’s intentions are often good) Yeong-gi is shown to be the one who best understands Shin-Ae. At the very least, Yeong-gi is shown here to care for Shin-Ae enough to confront his brother and potentially face the wrath of his father, despite trying especially hard to be in their good graces recently.

However, it is important to note — Yeong-gi goes out of his way to ensure his intentions of helping Shin-ae are indirect and she does not know. Instead, he tries to help her in roundabout ways, secretly.

Yeong-gi does not want his good intentions to reach her.

Conclusions

Yeong-gi displays a notable difference in how he acts, especially around Shin-ae. His new emerging feelings conflict his insecurities, resulting in a standoffish Yeong-gi who is secretive in his affection, and calculatingly tries to distance himself from Shin-ae. But... this isn't what he truly wants, and is instead, another form of self-sabotage.

However, as time goes on, Yeong-gi cannot keep this facade up indefinitely... and he's occasionally caught off guard, giving us glimpses into what he truly feels.

#i love yoo #stalkyoo #shin ae x yeong gi #shin ae yoo #yeong gi hirahara #yeong-gi #yeong gi #webtoon #manhua #manhwa #quimchee #yootip #shin ae x kousuke #kousuke hirahara #yeonggi #webcomic #nol hirahara #shoujo #my post #my meta

[slurp-imagines]

Could I pls get some fluffy Takemikazuchi headcanons? Your last headcanons for him were really well written! Thank you :D

aw thanks for saying that!! he's def one of my favorites from the series so I’m glad it came across well. this is my first noragami request too so I’m excited to write it for you anon :)

Fluffy headcanons: Takemikazuchi

↳ Takemikazuchi is always back and forth about physical touch.

↳ Do not touch his hair, ever. But also touch it all the time, whenever he is within reach. He's so fickle about it lmao. Most of the time he despises people messing with his hair, but every now and then he just wants to lie his head down in your lap and let himself relax under your touch.

↳ He gets little shivers when your nails pass along his scalp, he sighs when your touch ghosts along his cheekbone, clearing his bangs from his eyes when his eyelashes flutter under their weight. They're often short-lived, and always in wordless companionship, but this man lives for tender moments like that.

↳ He writes about you in his diary often. He’s probably unintentiinally written a log of most of your courtship and relationship. He finds writing about you equally comforting and nerve-wracking for him. Even in private, he sometimes shies away from his feelings, unsure how to translate something so intangible and ever-changing as it grows and grows and grows.

↳ So he writes instead about things he's more sure of: the color of your eyes, the meaning of your name, and a thousand memories he may have one day forgotten had he not chosen to savor and catalog them. The way you laughed at something he said offhandedly, the way you looked at him across the table when you sat for dinner. He would lose his mind if anyone ever read any of it– even if each entry about you isn't super emotionally charged, the sheer number of them is very telling by itself. But they're really treasured entries. He'll go back and read through them one day and get all sentimental over it.

↳ Take comes to associate the smell of ink and the texture of calligraphy paper with you. Early in your relationship (or even before you're official), he wonders what your handwriting looks like, or how it looks when you're rushed or have been writing a long time. It feels like a strange thing to hone in on, but he does fixate on it a little bit; mostly while he daydreams about what you would write about him, if you sat down with brush and paper the same as he did. Really, he just hopes you're thinking of him as much as he thinks of you. It drives him a little nuts.

↳ He isn't the most verbally expressive of his affection for you, partially because he's actually quite easily flustered by it. Something as simple as paying him a sincere compliment will have him at a bit of a loss tbh, particularly so when it's early on in your relationship.

↳ Because Take will bite back when it's clear that you're teasing him, but when you're just genuinely telling him something you enjoy about him? Blush. Especially if it's related to his personality, it really catches him off guard.

↳ Outwardly he's kind of trying to brush it off as no big deal, but on the inside he's all "I feel like I've just been punched in the chest what is going ON"

↳ Sharing a bed with Take is honestly a mixed bag. He doesn't move around a lot, but I feel like he would have such a specific sleeping position. It's an intricate ritual lmao. On his side, one arm folded under the pillow, a pillow between his legs, a smaller pillow under his free arm, one leg hiked up with the foot sticking out from underneath the covers, etc etc etc...

↳ So he's kind of awkwardly flustered the first time you two sleep in the same bed. He doesn't know where he wants his limbs to go, he doesn't know where all of you is supposed to go. He doesn't want to be cuddling all through the night (the man needs his leg space eventually), but he also doesn't want to hassle you about it and make you want to leave. He overthinks it so much, please just say something before he ends up getting annoyed with himself lol.

↳ Also... he always forgets to check if you're lying on his hair before he tries to get up. The way he squawks every single time it happens, you would think you were trying to tear him a bald spot on purpose. He certainly acts like it

#noragami #noragami imagines #takemikazuchi #takemikazuchi x reader #trying smth new with the post format #because gifs for these (mostly) manga-only kings are few and far between #also more of me not knowing how to write general fluff headcanons! <3 #i can never decide if it's actually fluffy enough lmfao

[cutiebeams]

Hello TWEWY fandom, it's meta time.

TWEWY is filled to the brim with symbolism and hidden meanings, as we all know. Even the partners and their colors when they sync with Neku; I realized, have some depth, and I'm going to articulate my thoughts on it. This is going to be long, so get cozy. 

Shiki

Let's start with the first partner we get. Her theme's red, and Neku's is blue. Before we even delve into this analysis, let's unpack the general symbolism of the colors themselves, because that is important as well.

Red: passion, love, anger, energy, courage

Blue: trust, loyalty, wisdom, intelligence, stability

These two colors are essentially on the opposing sides of the color wheel as well; the only shade darker than blue is purple (which is Neku's theme of his attire but that's not important rn stay with me fellas)

Red & blue are portrayed as opposites in a plethora of media and this is no exception: Shiki is the extroversion to Neku's introversion, the pathos to his logos, bubbly and chipper vs his stoic and reserved demeanor. Neku is outwardly hateful (towards other people and his circumstances), and Shiki is inwardly hateful (she hates herself to the point she doesn't think there's anything special about her)

As expected, they clash vehemently at first. Neku is extremely irritated by Shiki's energy and she is frustrated with how aloof and mean he can be. But as they get to know each other, they become like yin and yang; and Shiki's kinder qualities begin to rub off on Neku which he exhibits in the following weeks. Red is often symbolic of love; and Shiki shows a lot of it: she's very friendly and amiable, sympathizing with total strangers and getting along with almost everyone; but she's pretty feisty too- she gets visibly upset when Neku ignores her and makes himself difficult and she's not afraid to call him out (and she DOES, quite a few times). However, she is still overall kind to him, even when he's prickly; trying her best to be patient with him and her gentleness eventually wins him over.. eventually. 

When confronted with an issue, Shiki seems to lean towards the emotional aspects of the matter, such as when Ai and Mina were at odds, she hesitated to bring the truth to light because she didn't want to jeopardize their friendship and emotional wellbeing; in contrast to Neku who wanted the truth to be brought to light as soon as possible because he felt that lying was wrong and it needed to be addressed sooner, rather than later, or things would just get worse. Or when 777 couldn't find his tech, Shiki listened to him vent out of sympathy while Neku agreed to help because of the logical results it'd bring- 

Shiki is also very outwardly emotional: she's very chirpy but she also isn't afraid to openly express her sorrow, anger, or fear, and sometimes she gets overcome by her emotions. But for the most part, she exhibits high emotional intelligence and understanding of other's feelings; and she's essentially the group's moral support: she's one of the most verbal about being sure that they'll make it back and that they all need to work together. Shiki is also extremely passionate; about other people, about the things she creates, it spills into virtually every aspect of her life.

The sad thing though, is that Shiki seems to love everybody but herself, and we see tiny glimpses of this in her small moments of passiveness (such as telling Neku he doesn't have to shout when he snaps at her) On the flip side, Neku's blunt honesty gives Shiki the inner strength to not only face her self-hatred; but overcome it. And that brings me to Shiki's other color: green. You can see it in her stickers + it's her nickname in Another Day. 

Green: nature, rebirth, growth, harmony, healing

I believe that this choice is two-fold: green also symbolizes envy and jealousy and this is something that Shiki's character battles with. She wants to be like Eri- beautiful, smart, charismatic; to the point she even tells Neku that she emulated Eri's personality at first because she was so excited to be in her body. But she then realized that she wasn't Eri, and would never be; nor did she ever want to be. What Shiki truly wanted was to love herself: and that's what her character arc encapsulates; a journey of self-acceptance and self-love. 

When we finally get to see real game Shiki, she's wearing green because she's a new person, hence the themes of rebirth and harmony: she's confident and happy in who she is; and so the green changes from the negative connotations of jealousy and envy to the positives of steadiness and self-harmony. There's also healing, for both her and Neku: she helped him to open up emotionally and become gentler, and he helped her accept herself. We don't get to see her face because it doesn't really matter: as Neku himself said, "You'll always be Shiki." It's her character that is important, not her appearance. Green is also red's complementary color, and we see that rather than doing a complete 180 in personality, Shiki just gets a little milder. She's not quite as bubbly, but a lot of her passion is still there, it's just gentler. 

In short, Shiki is Neku's opposite. They're like night and day: completely different, but inseparable. 

Let's talk about Neku a while now, shall we? His color choice seems contradictory given his personality when we meet him: he is extremely distrusting, volatile and aloof. The thing is though, Neku's arc is also about growth and while he does not exhibit any of the traits of his color scheme at first; during the entirety of the game, he regains himself. Neku's character is about relearning how to trust people and not being afraid to be open and accept different points of view and values- and that diversity is good and healthy! During his first week with Shiki, we get very small glimpses of how emotional Neku actually is, particularly through inner monologue. 

When Rhyme is erased, he's distraught (his thoughts tell us he feels awful) but he masks it with blunt logic ("Because we couldn't. That's how it was meant to be"), perhaps to avoid showing vulnerability, even declaring teaming up is a dumb idea- because people get hurt and there are situations where there's nothing you can do about it. Neku's rant when Shiki declares that Beat and Rhyme were their friends takes us right into his psyche:

"Who needs friends?! They just laugh and talk like idiots and pretend to agree with you- so you end up caring about them….exposing yourself...getting HURT..Screw it! We're better off without them! You want other people getting in your way? Dragging you down? I don't!"

And suddenly, Neku's prickliness makes sense- he views attachment as painful and vulnerability as a risk, and so he vehemently avoids them. He's mean because he's hurting and he's sad: and how fitting, as one of the negative connotations for blue is sorrow and grief. Remember how I said Neku didn't exhibit any traits of blue? Well, that was specifically for the positive ones. 

Negative symbolism of blue: coldness, aloofness, lack of emotion, unfriendliness, sorrow

And that's Neku to a tee: at first, anyway. While his behavior is not justifiable, it is understandable.

When Shiki snaps at him and tells him that he's inhuman Neku doesn't show any outward response during the actual conflict, but the next day when she apologizes his sprite changes to the "sad turtle" and we get to see his thoughts again:

That I was no better than a Reaper…

Rhyme…

……………

Well...right now…

Neku proceeds to tell Shiki that they need to focus on the mission, and she agrees. While he isn't being especially friendly with her, it's leaps and bounds from his initial open hostility: he's more willing to work with Shiki towards a common goal and one could argue this is when his paradigm shift begins- her comment rattled him a lot, and Neku makes baby steps to change. The daily mission (which involves helping two friends address a misunderstanding) gives us more development for him, too. At this point, he still doesn't think conflicting views and values are a good thing and that relationships only hold him back; and he voices to Shiki that he doesn't see the point of friendships built on falsehoods (which is an excellent point and one that she actually agrees with) and we get to see one of Neku's good qualities: he values truth and honesty a lot. 

She asks him if he truly thinks that people are better off without friends, and when he doesn't answer; Shiki talks about how meeting Eri made her want to be her best self (which is how ALL healthy relationships should be, whether platonic or romantic). She mourns Rhyme again, venting that it isn't fair she'll never know what dreams are like and this time, Neku doesn't deflect. He sympathizes, and for the first time since entering the game, allows himself to be emotionally vulnerable: 

"I know. I…. I'm sad too. We'll just have to live a little extra. For her sake."

From this point onward, Neku begins to grow positively, slowly but surely. He's not friends with Shiki yet, but he feels safe enough in her company to not only express sorrow but caring enough to encourage her to keep pressing forward; for Rhyme's sake. The next day Shiki is quiet and sad due to being confronted on her self-hatred, and Neku doesn't know how to deal with her lack of cheeriness. But instead of being annoyed with her like before, he's visibly concerned and wondering what's wrong; and he tries to engage with her as much as possible: asking for her viewpoint on the daily mission and what they should do, etc. When he learns the truth about Shiki's identity, Neku just listens patiently and afterwards, his monologue is much more positive and understanding:

All this time..she's been as confused as me.

He now realizes that she's just as scared and upset as he is and he empathizes with that, going even further to say that "I like you the way you are" when Shiki expresses fear in being brought back due to her underlying jealousy: he appreciates her, every aspect of her; not because she's perfect, but just for who she is. Later on when Shiki hesitates to scan Eri and runs away Neku gives her the push to do so: as said earlier, he values the truth, and he knows that Shiki needs to face it if she's going to improve as a person- and we see him beginning to exhibit his wisdom. He's not really gentle, but his honesty is needed. When Shiki begins comparing herself to Eri and self-deprecating, he intervenes, in his own way: 

"Oh, would you cut the crap? Who ARE you? You're you. You're not Eri. You'll never be Eri. You'll only ever be you."

Neku reiterates what Shiki told him earlier, about never wanting to be Eri, but he goes a step further. She only went as far as to say she wanted to love herself, but that she never could; while Neku asserts to her that being herself is absolute and unchangeable. Shiki mildly protests this though, saying that Eri is "so much better". To her, while she does value her identity the most, Eri's identity makes her feel inferior. She wants to be her own self, but Eri, in her eyes, is perfect, something that she cannot achieve. And that is why Neku's reply is so important.

"Forget her! You need to live your own life. If she can do it, so can you. All that matters is that you try. You're lucky you're jealous. It gives you something to shoot for. So..shoot."

Up to this point, Shiki has measured the worth of her identity based upon comparison to others, and Neku understands that and tells her upfront  that she needs to stop trying to be somebody that she isn't and be confident in her own self, and just do her best- and that'll be enough. He also encourages her to use her jealousy in a productive way, to find her niche; her drive. This gives Shiki the courage to go back and listen to what Eri has to say, and in doing this she hears her friend praise her positive traits, ones that Shiki herself most likely never even realized: her empathy and love for people, her eye for detail, her skill in creating things, her passion and motivation-

 ALL things, that according to Eri, "I don't have." And Shiki finally understands that Eri saw her as her equal and that who she is, is valued. Of course, a few positive reinforcements is not enough to do a 180 from most likely years of self-hatred, and so she asks Neku again if she's okay the way she is; and his reply shows yet more growth:

"Hey, Shibuya's got room for all types."

This is a STARK contrast to his dialogue when we first meet him- "All the world needs is me," "You have your values, and I have mine," etc. Neku valued his identity, but he took it to the extreme in that he ONLY valued his identity, values, and morals. After meeting Shiki though, his viewpoint changes a bit and at this point Neku now appreciates diversity- he's still not at the point that he feels he can understand other people, but he at least doesn't see conflict of morals as a bad thing anymore. And in turn, this gives Shiki the inner strength to want to go back to the RG and start afresh. He gives her one last push to go back when she hesitates since she was the only one granted a second chance, with the promise to see her again; and in just a week, Shiki goes from being the biggest pain in Neku's side to his biggest motivation for surviving the second game and one of his best friends.

Joshua

Another week, another partner.

What's interesting about Joshua is that he is also blue, just a lighter shade. While Shiki is Neku's opposite, Joshua is more akin to his shadow- a mirror, of sorts.

Light Blue: peace, serenity, ethereal, spiritual, infinity

Josh and Neku are extremely similar, but their personalities still converge at enough points that they're starkly different: their tempers especially are a separating point as Neku is much snappier than Joshua (especially if provoked), and despite Josh being represented by a lighter color, in a lot of ways, he symbolizes his partner's negative traits in even more extreme ways in a subversion to expectations; a "darker" version of him, in a sense. 

When they first meet, these two also clash, but for entirely different reasons. Joshua's attitude, as well as his dodginess, pisses Neku off immensely. While his first week with Shiki is about relearning how to build trust, his second week is a test of said trust by giving him a partner very similar to his former self: distant, aloof, uncaring. It gets especially tricky when Neku scans Joshua and sees himself dead, and he begins to distance himself again; deciding that there is no way that he can trust him- and not only that, but that it'd be ridiculous to do so. Neku senses something is off: he doesn't know what it is, but it unsettles him enough that he is steadfast in his decision to keep Josh at arm's length.

...Until he and Josh visit Mr. Hanekoma, and upon learning that his teammate and Mr. H are acquainted, Neku decides that perhaps Joshua isn't as bad as he initially thought: but he's still pretty hesitant; and understandably so. Mr. H gives him some backstory of his partner, and his motives start to come to light - turns out, Joshua has been able to see the game while living, and that alienated him from other people since Hanekoma was the only one he could confide in. Just like with Neku, this doesn't justify his behavior, but it does make it understandable: Josh pushes away people by playfully antagonizing them and making himself difficult, and Neku pushes them away through hostility. 

When he and Josh visit Udagawa, they connect on both not doing well in groups and Joshua comments that they're more alike than he thought, which leads into a conversation about people not being able to understand each other as long as they have their own worlds and Neku begins to backslide a little:

"Right? They're them, and I'm me. Talking to them gets me nothing."

He goes on to say he respects CAT and their philosophy about doing your own thing and how he needs to just enjoy his life and forget about others, and Josh agrees. While Shiki is Neku's friend, she is the exception, not the norm, and Neku still doesn't trust most people. However, when Josh expresses not needing other people's values, Neku's reply is interesting. He agrees outwardly, but it's hesitant, as if he's unsure of himself. 

"Yeah..."

His inner thoughts show us that once again, he is changing.

But...I don't feel that way anymore. Since coming to the UG, reading people's minds- Shibuya's full of people with just as many viewpoints. Mr. H said the world ends with me. To expand my world, I have to learn to look farther- not write off other people's values as inferior. 

….Maybe I had it backwards. Maybe I need to open up to really enjoy- 

Josh calls him and snaps him out of his thoughts so we don't know what he was going to think next, but Neku has definitely experienced a massive paradigm shift in his way of thinking: he's inwardly questioning himself and acknowledging his wrongs and showing willingness to trust again and is showing a lot more empathy to other people. However, this resolve begins to crack when more holes in his memory get filled. Neku is angry and confused, but most of all, he's hurt and we see it in his reaction when Josh asks if he's okay; because he distances himself again. This situation causes him grow distant once more and he also gets more openly prickly since his trust is shaky. Josh relating to him that he feels he belongs in the UG doesn't help matters, either.

However, a later conversation has him moving forwards again. While acknowledging that people are not meant to see eye to eye, he thinks to himself that perhaps it is better that way. People don't think alike, but they can at least try to understand each other; and he then gets the resolve to actually counter Joshua's argument of solely reading people's thoughts and not talking to them.

"But why? Where's the enjoyment in that? I'd rather broaden my world my own way."

And again, we get a small paradigm shift of Neku feeling comfortable enough to express the positive changes that he has slowly been experiencing: blue symbolizes stability, and by this point in the story he is obtaining more and more of it: in his values, in his emotional expression, in how he deals with people, etc. He gets thrown for an immense loop learning that Joshua is alive though, and Neku finally snaps when his teammate brushes it off claiming they're "just like any other pair"-

He's utterly disgusted by Joshua treating the Game as an adrenaline rush- even when Neku first got into the Reaper's Game, he never enjoyed it, even if he initially was only looking out for himself at first; and the idea of getting excitement from toying with death is foreign to him. It only gets worse when Neku accuses Josh that HE killed him, and simply is taunted in return. From that point onward, he becomes openly hostile and snappy again, throwing the idea of trusting his teammate to the wind and tells him upfront that he's only going to tolerate him to survive; leaning back on his negative qualities (because growth is a process and there will be moments of wavering and backwards steps, and that's normal!)

Later on he also shows open distress when a Reaper is attacked and they are unable to save him; declaring they "left him to die." Even though it wasn't any fault of their own, Neku self-blames just like Shiki did in the first week- thinking that he could've done something, maybe if he had gotten there sooner, or defeated the Noise faster. While not 100%, Neku is comfortable enough to openly express sorrow, and Joshua underhandedly sympathizes and takes the blame off him ("We did what we had to do Neku.") He also protects Sota from Noise later down the line even though his partner is already erased and he's going to die anyway and again expresses sadness ("If only we'd gotten here earlier") and even indignation after the older man dies, screaming in anger about all the people who have been erased ("These are people, not toys!!"). When Josh questions him about the interest in others, he then explains that he's gotten to know folks better and that "it's different now".

"They're not just strangers. I can't shut them out like that." 

This is really important because in this, Neku is essentially declaring he cannot go back to who he used to be; nor does he WANT to. He refuses to, and he is making a conscious effort to be open to other people even if he doesn't understand them. Neku goes on to assert that one needs to reach out to others as well in counter to Josh asserting that he won't ever be able to understand others and this time, Joshua responds positively. Through Neku's steadfastness and refusal to waver on his viewpoints once he truly feels solid in them, and his courage to express them and not back down; he influences Joshua into thinking that perhaps people truly do need each other and can understand each other, even if it isn't easy to do so. In showing sympathy towards his enemies, he also proves again and again that people can change too, for the better; and his wisdom begins to shine once more. (And it is this change that ultimately leads Joshua to decide to save Shibuya) Unfortunately, Neku is thrown for yet another loop upon getting more of his memory back and thinking that Sho killed him, and Josh sacrificing himself is absolutely world-rocking.

He blames himself again, angry at himself for not opening up; and it is with this mindset that he is thrown into the Reaper's Game for the final time. His trust is in shambles, and the third week is Neku's personal test to see if he is willing to reach out despite being recently wounded by his partner.

Speaking of, Joshua doesn't really have an arc compared to the rest of the cast: rather, he serves as the catalyst to their growth instead. His character is interesting because from beginning to end, he expresses essentially none of the positive attributes of the color he is represented by; he only appears to at first glance. While Josh does change his mind about destroying UG Shibuya and is convinced that people can change for the better, whether he himself changes for the better is up for debate. Orange is the second color associated with him (it's the shade of his cell phone and his stickers), but just like with light blue, he expresses none of its positive traits.

Orange: enthusiasm, happiness, creativity, determination, encouragement

Negative symbolism of orange includes insensitivity, pessimism, and being unsociable, all aspects of Joshua's character. He doesn't think that people can change; and that it is impossible to understand them (he even goes as far to express "I'd rather just get rid of them" in a dark contrast to Neku, who is content to merely ignore people). Josh doesn't like groups of people either, and he exhibits insensitivity many times throughout the second week, merely behaving charismatic in order to interact with others. He doesn't really grow outwardly, but that's not the point of his character; he's Neku's test to see if he's truly changed or not.

Joshua is Neku's shadow, he's in the same vein. Rather than night and day, they are as dusk and midnight.

Beat

Beat is interesting because his color was actually switched for Final Remix: in the original DS version Beat is green, and in the Switch version he is yellow. I'm going to dive into both because I feel they're equally important. I already covered green for Shiki, but green has yet another meaning which describes Beat to a tee- safety. While Shiki is the moral support and mediator, he is the protector: he's extremely sacrificing for his sister and the people he cares about to the point of putting himself in physical danger to keep them safe (such as jumping in front of a car to save Rhyme, or jumping in front of Neku to protect him from a brainwashed Shiki). That much stays constant throughout the game. Healing also applies to him, as he helps Neku to open up and feel safe being emotional again by not being ashamed of being emotional himself: Beat openly cries over Rhyme and Neku mourns with him, and they help each other heal by learning to rely on one another. Not just as partners, but as friends.

Yellow: joy, warmth, positivity, friendship

From the get go, Beat is a huge bundle of energy and he's extremely kind; although he gets rather volatile if he feels slighted. But like with Shiki, he's overall a very sweet person and openly emotional: he gets angry in a heartbeat, laughs heartily when he's happy, and cries freely when he's sad- and his tears are never portrayed in a negative manner either; they're just a normal reaction to a sad situation and this normalization of sorrow leads to Neku getting comfortable again in being vulnerable- one could argue he's the most emotional in Week 3. Yellow is the complementary color to purple, which is also the main shade of Neku's design. Rather than an opposite like Shiki, or a shadow like Joshua, Beat is Neku's foil. He's a lot kinder and he's got a big heart but he is also extremely impulsive and acts w/o thinking. In contrast, Neku thinks things through logically, but he's a little lacking emotionally; and so they balance each other out. He's also highly attune to when Neku starts withdrawing into himself and gently snaps him out of it constantly; showing once again his sensitivity to emotion. (He consistently asks Neku if he's okay when he gets lost in thought; which Neku does a lot, especially if he's upset. Beat keeps him grounded.)

Beat's arc is finding value in himself again + doing his best; not for other people, but for himself and finding his drive. When mourning Rhyme, he vents that "she thought I was worth dying for" and that she had much more to live for, and he doesn't understand why she'd sacrifice for him. (And he blames himself for her death, as well) While Beat is protective out of the kindness of his heart, it also comes from a lack of self-worth: he places other people above himself, to a fault. Neku sympathizes with his grief but then goes a step farther to encourage him to not be regretful. In another contrast to Shiki, rather than another's identity making him feel inferior to the point of emulating them and overshooting, Beat jumps to the other side of the ditch and loses his passion altogether. 

Rhyme refused to give up on him, but eventually Beat began to resent her pity and he began to push her away as well. After they both died and came to the Game though, Rhyme's declaration that she had nothing to live for startled him into realizing that she meant a lot more to him than he thought and more than anything else; he wanted to be there for her as she was for him. After beating himself up, Neku comforts Beat in his own way, telling him that he needs to focus on the now and not let his sorrow overcome him, in essence; but also to go the distance just for himself, not for anyone else.

And Beat gets his fire all over again, eventually declaring that Neku isn't his partner anymore- he's a friend, and one that he cares about a lot.

Through his partners, Neku finds himself, they all strengthen different aspects of him. He learns to trust, to be open, to find value in friendship again and him taking off his headphones is the ultimate metaphor of him letting the world back in.

Shiki, his opposite.

Joshua, his shadow.

Beat, his foil. 

They all shaped his world, and showed Neku just how wonderful it really is.

And that is beautiful.

#twewy #neku sakuraba #shiki misaki #joshua kiryu #beat #daisukenojo bito #the world ends with you #meta #I have a lot of feelings for this game. It's a masterpiece.