when you look at akechi goro's SL from an outside perspective and it's literally insane in a There's no non romantic explanation for this:
- exchange numbers "our debate is interesting"
- go on dates that are 80% silly competitions and 20% heart to heart "we get along bcs we're similar"
- plot against and hint about it to each other "we are enemies actually"
- fight then vow to see each other again "i mean we are rivals"
and then akechi died to save ren, then ren revived him out of grief. its not to save akechi, but bcs he wanted akechi back so badly "come back please"
like you'd see the way their SL ends in engine room and think, well just a lil' promise between rivals who really want to fight again, and third sem hit you with the grief hammer like Ren was really gonna sacrifice the world for this "rival" who once killed him. and not as a victim - his therapist was selling this to ren as his very dream come true. ren wanted a different end with akechi, more time, more fights, more of him... he wanted akechi back so much it became maruki's trump card. all this for a rival, it makes so much sense considering ren being hard to read and flipping thru masks like drinking water. ofc he could not be clear with his feelings, he might not even be aware of them, yet they exist just as intensely - like the rage beneath the smile and hyper rationalism of akechi. like the games they play... just as intense as akechi was about ren in engine room, ren had the same intense obsession just under a mask. those feelings manifested as his wish in third sem, a wish so strong it could destroy the world.
otherwise how did he come to feel so strongly about someone who was a villain to him and many others, whom he couldnt fully trust and remained a thorny presence among his beloved thieves ? ren's regret for akechi in 2/2 means he similarly regretted what happened to akechi in engine room, meaning he'd seen the black mask and wanted akechi to live. the same can be said for the thieves, but ren feels the same for akechi as what they have with their wish - thats not the "victim saving" sort of pity. it cant be compassion that drove 2/2, not when maruki and akechi were both compelled to make it known that ren would definitely hesitate. sure ren is a bleeding heart... but look at the non-akechi 2/2. thats what trying to convince ren with only compassion for akechi looks like: he may still hesitate, but he isn't exposed like in 2/2. bcs his feelings are not just the compassion he wields wearing arsene and satanael's mask, its the selfish desire he has never revealed for the entirety of the game. and that, only with max SL with akechi, is the nature of the feelings he has for akechi.
germansingergirl
izzy806
blakekathryn
romaincrisis
theartofmadeline
