#there's also the possibility that the emotion route isn't solely good and the logic route isn't solely bad?

[nosomatsu]

(( suddenly thinking about ichimatsu and the riceball's hunt for cats again.. small analysis beneath the cut ))

it's fascinating that while ichi enjoyed it at first, the reason he went so numb to it so fast wasn't because he disliked cats. rather, he realized now that he had no real excuse to even go out of the house for extended periods anymore. ichimatsu doesn't enjoy being a hikikomori, it's pretty painfully clear that it's super fucking isolating for him. finding cats was the sole thing that could even get him out of bed most days.

... but now that he knows where all the cats are , what's even the point? he could go there and go right back home. now he has no reason to even TRY to go out of the house. i mean he still would to feed them and see them, but he would be miserable unless he found kitties in unexpected places. the search is the biggest reason he enjoyed it so much and the riceballs kind of ruined tht for him for a little while, albeit unintentionally.

the only other times he really goes out is if his brothers drag him along or the nightly safe care shit. but the thing about that is, like . . . they don't drag him out often at all. and it's very rare that he can muster up the energy to go on his own. it's not impossible or unheard of, but when he does, he also walks the least busy / lesser known routes, where he runs into as little people as possible. he goes to the park only when it's incredibly isolated. he probably only goes for oden because it's so isolated / out of the way at night that rarely anyone goes there.

we only ever see him out and about in public places if it's with his brothers but even then he keeps his head down and tries to avoid talking to everyone. the cats were the only reason he'd go out of the house when his brothers aren't around or they can't convince him to go anywhere. the idea of not knowing where he could find one is the one thing that kept him going and walking, trying out new places he'd never been to before even if he was ANXIOUS AS HELL ABOUT IT.

in his mind, it was his first step forward to be more independent and breaking the vicious homebody hikikomori cycle, and it was actually one of few things he isn't burningly numb / actually does have strong emotions about whether he realizes it or not ( although i err on, he's the kind of depressed where he worries he's numb entirely and can't feel anymore but then something Happens that proves otherwise and it always makes him [shocked pikachu] when he does still VERY MUCH FEEL EMOTIONS )

so. yeah. his spirit and tendency to go out on his own for a little while was absolutely crushed. I think it was even more noticable how glum he was so his brothers tried to get him out of the house WAY more often -- aaand that's why we see him in so many morie social situations he'd usually be caught DEAD before ever attending. although he's grumpy on the outside, he does seem to appreciate it. he has sincere and extreme trouble expressing his gratitude, but it cannot be understated how much that helped his mental health in the long run.

Evidently, it eventually healed, and he never once blamed the cats -- but there's a speck of bitterness and disappointment at the riceballs which he tries to smother. they could never and would never be able to understand the weird way he approached thinking about the search. they were confused when he got upset with being shown every place cats could possibly be, and even if he DID try to explain it, they still probably wouldn't have gotten it.

after all, it's not very logical, and certainly is a VERY strange line of thinking. but it is who ichimatsu is -- a shut in, who is desperate for any excuse to leave the house on his own and gain the courage to do so on a more regular basis. when the sole thing that kept him exploring and getting out on his own loses all meaning, he falls into a pretty bad headspace about it and becomes more of a shut in than ever.

thank goodness that his brothers didn't let that happen for too long, though. <:)

#˗ˏˋ꒰ 🐈 ꒱ ┈┈┈〈 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐘〉 ichimatsu #just some passing thoughts..... might add onto it and make it miles long later LOL #for anyone not in the know btw: the riceballs are a pair of AI twins who were sent to try and get the NEETs out of the house more often #there was an ep in which they showed ichimatsu every conceivable place to find a cat and while he was happy at first #he slowly lost enthusiasm before walking off and they expressed deep confusion over it #this is canon to season 3 btw

[gingus-doon]

so i guess...... the keiji contract decision is logic v. emotion as well....?

i literally cannot stop thinking about this choice.

so, there's three possibilities of what could happen to keiji– he could die either way, live either way, or midori could actually be saying the truth and one choice will kill him while the other will save him.

the most boring outcome to me is the first. imagine sara deciding to bear the consequences of signing the contract and keiji still dies 😶😶 assuming the contract is a bad thing, in the first place. though that's what it's framed as, we can't really be sure. the only guess i have as to what it'll do is kill the dolls, but i think it's more likely that it'll be something unprecedented. also, i'd just be really upset if keiji died here. i still want to see him grow !!

if one choice kills him and one doesn't, i still wonder what the consequences will be of us saving him. it'd really suck to have to make that choice blind but it's very interesting–

the one possibility i'm PARTICULARLY interested in, though, is if he doesn't die either way. it would make the cliffhanger a little disingenuous, sure, but it'd be cool if we as sara had to face the consequences of choosing to let keiji die, then having him be alive regardless and know of our decision. imagine if whether or not u chose to save him or not had a bearing on how his character would develop for the rest of the game... omg.

and that last one is kinda where i'd think the logic v. emotion theme would tie in more heavily, if it did. because if this decision counted in terms of whether you're going on an emotional route or a logical one, then signing the contract to save keiji would be the "good" choice, right? but it seems like such a bad decision to make when you have absolutely no idea of the repercussions of that choice.

idk man. i just think it'd be REALLY cool if our choice had an effect on his character in that way wjdhsj, especially since keiji's been somewhat influenced by sara thus far. and since we've had an impact on people's characters thru our decisions with say, the shin lives route, where we make him a vengeful regretful and vaguely logical version of himself that is significantly skewed from his typical nature.

but yeah idk :'D i'm so excited for 3-1b

#your turn to die #keiji shinogi #yttd keiji #yttd spoilers #kgs keiji #kimi ga shine #there's also the possibility that the emotion route isn't solely good and the logic route isn't solely bad? #like a mix of the two being best? #so therefore this could be a decision we're meant to be logical on? #but yeah i really don't know #i don't think that's it #man i just be talking about shinogi keiji @ 5 am #I SWEAR IF HE DIES. #not to be dramatic but i will crumble into fine dust and be whisked away with a nightly wind #my particles will land in a pond alongside autumn's fallen leaves and i will dissolve #i suppose the possibility of keiji dying either way could be interesting if it bore a significant emotional impact on the group #as a result of the consequences or something... #but as expressed earlier i really really really really really really do not want keiji to die #hmmm actually. logic and emotion in tandem could be a thing in yttd #because arguably choosing nao in the second trial was the most emotional choice and it's obviously not the best one #so... in moderation..? #idek :l #i might sound really dumb rn akhdksnd just hoping I Do Not