Asuka here :D

Rippilie talking about their male characters... Unheard of... Anyway, I think about Mint a lot for how early he dies- he's one of my favourite characters to talk and write about. His FTEs are some of my favourites, even if they suffer from 'dump the whole backstory itus' due to wanting to flesh him out before he passed. But I think in many ways Shinku idealised Mint, in his eyes Mint is the person who helped his family (even if it was to an extreme) in a way he never could- it's similar to his idealisation of Dracul as this perceived better older brother. But I think part of Shinku's dynamic with Dracul is him imposing traits of Eiichi onto Dracul, plus Dracul lowkey has a really parasocial perception of Shinku which Shinku is more aware of than he'd perhaps like to admit. If he admits he's aware of how parasocial Dracul is then it becomes morally dubious for him to continue getting affection and validation from Dracul without establishing boundaries, so if he doesn't admit it to himself he can have plausible deniability. But as much as he tries to ignore the issue, I think Shinku is always aware things with Dracul will be messy. Mint's flaws and potential messiness of a relationship with Shinku is less immediately obvious to Shinku, so he's free to get close to him guilt free. Mint not only represents the brotherly ideal Shinku wishes he could be, but also is a lot more traditional and reliable- Shinku can't help but admire it, even when Mint takes it to the extremes. Mint's a lot more reserved, so his immediate flaws are often covered up by how 'helpful' or 'sweet' he appears to be- which means Shinku can more easily ignore them. I also think the fact Mint wasn't around as much as the other prisoners meant, even despite his crime reveal, Shinku didn't have time to really see how bad Mint could get- especially in comparison to what he's now seen from the other prisoners. Retrospectively, Shinku views Mint as a lot better person than he was. I think he idealises Mint even more than he does Dracul. To him, Mint is a selfless and well-intentioned person- the sort of person he could never be. The sort of person who could fix the prison's many, many issues if he was just still alive. This is not true, but it's easier to think that potential solutions to problems are impossible now instead of finding a way to fix them himself. Shinku is far from the only person who idealises Mint in this way and is far more restrained in his approach, but he definitely does still do it. I think this also contributes to his tensions with Zeke. Part of Shinku believes Zeke did not deserve to be close to Mint on any level. He cannot possibly understand why they were so close because it doesn't fit with the Mint he has in his mind. The Mint who's a perfect, soft, selfless, sacrificial lamb- the Mint who died because he didn't deserve to have to endure the prison like the rest of them. Mint's relationship with Zeke forces Shinku to acknowledge that perhaps he didn't know Mint as well as he thought he did and perhaps his perception of Zeke is similarly skewed. But Shinku does not want to admit that, which adds to the tension between the two. In all of this who Mint really was just continues to get buried further. But Mint was no means perfect or selfless, but he was also not awful and deserving of death- he was just who he was. Like in life how he took on the burden of the sin of dealing with his father in the way he did, now in death he takes on the burden of identities people want to put onto him in order to push their own views and ideas.

Rippilie talking about their male characters... Unheard of... Anyway, I think about Mint a lot for how early he dies- he's one of my favourite characters to talk and write about. His FTEs are some of my favourites, even if they suffer from 'dump the whole backstory itus' due to wanting to flesh him out before he passed. But I think in many ways Shinku idealised Mint, in his eyes Mint is the person who helped his family (even if it was to an extreme) in a way he never could- it's similar to his idealisation of Dracul as this perceived better older brother. But I think part of Shinku's dynamic with Dracul is him imposing traits of Eiichi onto Dracul, plus Dracul lowkey has a really parasocial perception of Shinku which Shinku is more aware of than he'd perhaps like to admit. If he admits he's aware of how parasocial Dracul is then it becomes morally dubious for him to continue getting affection and validation from Dracul without establishing boundaries, so if he doesn't admit it to himself he can have plausible deniability. But as much as he tries to ignore the issue, I think Shinku is always aware things with Dracul will be messy. Mint's flaws and potential messiness of a relationship with Shinku is less immediately obvious to Shinku, so he's free to get close to him guilt free. Mint not only represents the brotherly ideal Shinku wishes he could be, but also is a lot more traditional and reliable- Shinku can't help but admire it, even when Mint takes it to the extremes. Mint's a lot more reserved, so his immediate flaws are often covered up by how 'helpful' or 'sweet' he appears to be- which means Shinku can more easily ignore them. I also think the fact Mint wasn't around as much as the other prisoners meant, even despite his crime reveal, Shinku didn't have time to really see how bad Mint could get- especially in comparison to what he's now seen from the other prisoners. Retrospectively, Shinku views Mint as a lot better person than he was. I think he idealises Mint even more than he does Dracul. To him, Mint is a selfless and well-intentioned person- the sort of person he could never be. The sort of person who could fix the prison's many, many issues if he was just still alive. This is not true, but it's easier to think that potential solutions to problems are impossible now instead of finding a way to fix them himself. Shinku is far from the only person who idealises Mint in this way and is far more restrained in his approach, but he definitely does still do it. I think this also contributes to his tensions with Zeke. Part of Shinku believes Zeke did not deserve to be close to Mint on any level. He cannot possibly understand why they were so close because it doesn't fit with the Mint he has in his mind. The Mint who's a perfect, soft, selfless, sacrificial lamb- the Mint who died because he didn't deserve to have to endure the prison like the rest of them. Mint's relationship with Zeke forces Shinku to acknowledge that perhaps he didn't know Mint as well as he thought he did and perhaps his perception of Zeke is similarly skewed. But Shinku does not want to admit that, which adds to the tension between the two. In all of this who Mint really was just continues to get buried further. But Mint was no means perfect or selfless, but he was also not awful and deserving of death- he was just who he was. Like in life how he took on the burden of the sin of dealing with his father in the way he did, now in death he takes on the burden of identities people want to put onto him in order to push their own views and ideas.

Ismene Circe × Chococat

Shinku Kutsuki × Hello Kitty

I used a lower opacity for the first one, so that’s why her colors are so light. Hopefully that’s not an issue!

I think they would, they would just have to both fundamentally work on themselves first before they would work together. They need to stop idealising one another and accept the other's bad parts and stop placing one another on a pedestal. Dracul always saw Shinku as the ultimate escape, the fantasy, the life he never got to have- he thought he knew and connected with him through his novels. He needs to realise that he doesn't know Shinku just because he knows his works and put aside all his presumptions and ideas and expectations. Shinku needs to not just see Dracul as someone with traits similar to Eiichi, not just someone he wishes he could be- kind and attentive and loved by his sisters. Shinku sees Dracul as the person who didn't make the same mistakes he did. When in reality, they've both made mistakes. But I think when they face those mistakes, they could come together and be happier for it.

Rippilie talking about their male characters... Unheard of... Anyway, I think about Mint a lot for how early he dies- he's one of my favourite characters to talk and write about. His FTEs are some of my favourites, even if they suffer from 'dump the whole backstory itus' due to wanting to flesh him out before he passed. But I think in many ways Shinku idealised Mint, in his eyes Mint is the person who helped his family (even if it was to an extreme) in a way he never could- it's similar to his idealisation of Dracul as this perceived better older brother. But I think part of Shinku's dynamic with Dracul is him imposing traits of Eiichi onto Dracul, plus Dracul lowkey has a really parasocial perception of Shinku which Shinku is more aware of than he'd perhaps like to admit. If he admits he's aware of how parasocial Dracul is then it becomes morally dubious for him to continue getting affection and validation from Dracul without establishing boundaries, so if he doesn't admit it to himself he can have plausible deniability. But as much as he tries to ignore the issue, I think Shinku is always aware things with Dracul will be messy. Mint's flaws and potential messiness of a relationship with Shinku is less immediately obvious to Shinku, so he's free to get close to him guilt free. Mint not only represents the brotherly ideal Shinku wishes he could be, but also is a lot more traditional and reliable- Shinku can't help but admire it, even when Mint takes it to the extremes. Mint's a lot more reserved, so his immediate flaws are often covered up by how 'helpful' or 'sweet' he appears to be- which means Shinku can more easily ignore them. I also think the fact Mint wasn't around as much as the other prisoners meant, even despite his crime reveal, Shinku didn't have time to really see how bad Mint could get- especially in comparison to what he's now seen from the other prisoners. Retrospectively, Shinku views Mint as a lot better person than he was. I think he idealises Mint even more than he does Dracul. To him, Mint is a selfless and well-intentioned person- the sort of person he could never be. The sort of person who could fix the prison's many, many issues if he was just still alive. This is not true, but it's easier to think that potential solutions to problems are impossible now instead of finding a way to fix them himself. Shinku is far from the only person who idealises Mint in this way and is far more restrained in his approach, but he definitely does still do it. I think this also contributes to his tensions with Zeke. Part of Shinku believes Zeke did not deserve to be close to Mint on any level. He cannot possibly understand why they were so close because it doesn't fit with the Mint he has in his mind. The Mint who's a perfect, soft, selfless, sacrificial lamb- the Mint who died because he didn't deserve to have to endure the prison like the rest of them. Mint's relationship with Zeke forces Shinku to acknowledge that perhaps he didn't know Mint as well as he thought he did and perhaps his perception of Zeke is similarly skewed. But Shinku does not want to admit that, which adds to the tension between the two. In all of this who Mint really was just continues to get buried further. But Mint was no means perfect or selfless, but he was also not awful and deserving of death- he was just who he was. Like in life how he took on the burden of the sin of dealing with his father in the way he did, now in death he takes on the burden of identities people want to put onto him in order to push their own views and ideas.

i am in love with you zeke elias

Fu!

How times change

Shinku is so otome dissection it's not even funny and pretty digital heart and Dust and Ashes, but admittedly when I'm writing him I tend to listen to game soundtracks more than his actual playlist. Ismene on the other hand has a lot of songs I associate with her! Specifically Lower Ones Eyes, Witch, Little Dark Age, Tongues and Teeth, Always Forever, Drift Away, Scylla, Monster and a lot of other songs!

Alora enjoys the company of Ismene quite a bit, when Ismene isn't too focused on doing her whole verdict thing she's pretty reasonable! They're both from pretty rich/highly acclaimed families so they had pretty similar experiences growing up + being valued by their parents due to their academic prowess and basically showed off as an achievement. Alora also gravitates towards Dracul in the sense he'll do what she says if she needs help, even if it isn't always the highest quality work he'll always contribute if she asks and she appreciates that. Shinku as well but that's just because Shinku is sensible and fairly quiet. Alora avoids Zeke but sort of keeps an eye on him due to wanting to prevent conflicts, she had to keep less of an eye on him since Mint sort of had him covered for a bit but now she's a bit more wary about him. If Mint got Corrupt she would have collaborated with him a bit more and kept a closer eye on him, as she does most of the Corrupt prisoners. She's also pretty wary of Lyra just because she highkey finds her... Annoying. And also is incredibly frustrated with how irresponsible Lyra is in this situation, she only isn't as vocal with her distaste as to not cause unnecessary conflict- but will call her out if she puts other prisoners at risk.

Takiko wears Jirai kei to sort of subvert the stereotype, a lot of her clients at the moment are hikikomoris who struggle with issues with mental illness and her work involves gradually helping them get out more and re-integrate into society. Wearing Jirai Kei helps her silently indicate she's aware of their mental struggles, recognises them and views them as something human and not abnormal- it also helps build a sense of trust between her and the client and a silent idea of 'i know what you're going through'. Also by wearing Jirai and still being functional/happy/living life however she can is her showing clients that even if you struggle with mental illness you still deserve to be happy and can still live a normal life and work through those issues. She also wears it because it's trendy right now and it's what her agency thinks will be marketable.