#'you're so composed of Nothing maybe there's some potential in you within your nothingness'

[vv-ispy]

@windcarvedlyre I think....a month or two ago...when we first started the game you made a remark that I might like naegami. And I must say you got me spot on skldhf it's currently my #2 ship. With naegiri also floating around there and the three of them also float parallel somewhere there

So far the vibes I'm getting is that naezono is very earnest and thus very tragic in what actually happens...whereas naegiri and naegami all have a degree of hilarity to them. Naegi himself is very funny to me in ships (esp to these more self-certain characters) bc he just kinda goes along with everything??? Maizono is so fundementally lonely that what she seeks in someone else is friendship and companionship — even how driven she is towards being an idol is still driven by loneliness in her belief that their group has to stay relevant in order for them to remain friends. So a lot of her interactions with Naegi is less rooted in her being an idol and instead about connecting with each other, having someone to hang on to in her own uncertainty of the situation, having someone to confide in about the sort of life she live(d) and her need to get out of the school. Which Naegi does very well as his normie-self who operates on the power of believing in his friends.

But then you have Byakuya "We are not friends here" Togami and Kyoko "I'm used to working alone" Kirigiri, and Naegi, bless him, he tries his best but is so out of his depths with them nor does he have the self-assured knowledge of what he's about that the other two have so he's dragged along with whatever the other has going on. Which includes the fact the other two does not do friendship like a normal person like Maizono does. Hence the resulting relationships are. So good. They're so funny. Naegi's just There. I love the image of these three bickering like hissy housecats between Byakuya "I must be in control of things at all times" Togami and Kyoto "I am 100 steps ahead of you" Kirigiri and Naegi caught between them trying to Normal Guy

Anyway Naegiri is cute! I love it! I don't have my Conclusive Thoughts on them yet bc we're not done the game but currently I love the balance between "Naegi you're kinda dumb but useful, serve as a distraction for me" and the genuine respect Kirigiri has for him in giving him hints during the investigation and trials and cluing him in on the stuff she's been up to in unravelling the overall mystery. I think it's hilarious that Naegi just Lets Her use him as a distraction even after he literally got hit on the head and possibly concussed as a result.

I love love love the Divorce Chapter and the resolution: the way that Kirigiri understands Naegi and his soft-hearted nature in how he trusts his friends and hence wanted to talk to Sakura first about the spy thing before spreading that 'rumour' — but at the same time calls his arrogance in not trusting Kirigiri to do her own fact-checking and judging of the information. I can see them being a surprisingly compatible couple in a genuine way due to Kirigiri's understanding of Naegi combined with Naegi's belief in and willingness to match Kirigiri where she is and what she prefers in a friend without a need to prove he's as capable as her. They both are who they are. And then I remember this is also a pairing where twice (2) Kirigiri has dragged Naegi into getting in trouble to serve as a distraction for her without telling him and also effortlessly outmanuvers him in how easy he is to read and uses + teases him for it with an undercurrent of affection and I go 'guys. what's going on here'

And ahhhh sfsdkhf Naegami is the 'Togami makes fun of Naegi and I make fun of both of them but especially Togami' ship. Togami's whole deal is hilarious, he is such an over-the-top 'perfect' guy he's so bullyable I cannot get over him and his interference in the Chihiro trial and his breakdown over being wrong in the Sakura trial and now his literally taking command of everyone remaining (except Kirigiri) that. I am facinated by him okay I need to capture him under a plastic cup and stare at him and his combination of "genuinely really capable at what he does" and "it makes sense why he's like this with his backstory" and "he fucking sucks and I want to see him have an actual heart attack". So no surprise the same energy is brought into Naegami as a ship.

You see Naegiri I can at least separate it into 'this part of the ship is genuinely really sweet' vs 'this part cracks me up'. Naegami, I start thinking seriously about "Togami offering Naegi a job as his secretary with high pay is, for Togami at least, a genuinely really considerate offer and an expression of desire to have Naegi in his life".....BUT hecking."work for me. I'll pay you 55000/year. I'll pay you 550000/year. That was definitely a test and not a genuine offer but it still stands bc I don't lie." TOGAMI JUST ACCEPT HE'S YOUR FRIEND LIKE A NORMAL PERSON. Or "okay yeah he wrapped it up in some self-interested 'it's bc this is no fun anymore' but Togami has turned around and is now willing to work with everyone and no longer considering this a competition that he will win" and then he takes literal command of the group like he's running a company and 'Naegi open this potentially dangerous door this is an important job I've entrusted to you don't let me down' lksdhf Togami. Celeste is lies all the way down but it's pure unadulterated lies. With Togami every semblence of fear and cooperation and friendship has to be wrapped up in some Objective Command Reasoning that Sounds Logical. Bc he can't accept he also experiences human emotions called friendship

And yet Togami also genuinely likes tolerates likes Naegi? Between 'work for me pls' and 'tell 'em Naegi' as a sort of vote in confidence and telling Naegi his backstory, Naegi is the one guy who's brought out any semblence of being-human in Togami. Togami doesn't need to do any posturing about how in control he is around Naegi, he's able to be himself just a bit more since Naegi is such a nobody to him Togami is already better than Naegi by virtue of existing.

But that's also so rude to Naegi lskdhf he bullies Naegi so much and Naegi just takes it in stride and confusion and stands his own ground. The two are in such different worlds they mix like oil and water but boy is circumstance stiring them around together. Naegi and his power of friendship is perfect for getting Togami off his high horse just a bit and as exposure to the rest of the world outside of the hypercompetative environment Togami lives in, while in a way Togami would be great for Naegi in the way he provokes Naegi only makes Naegi more certain in who he is (eg. Naegi's turning down Togami's offer speech about wanting to work and make something of himself without a 'cheat') and possibly able to give Naegi some drive in life in a way Maizono (has her own drive, needs companionship) and Kirigiri (has her own drive, uses Naegi as-is) can't. But they do it in a way that they're never on the same page they just don't Get the other while perfectly pushing each other's buttons to make the other slightly better except it's by insulting Naegi who in turn Judges Togami

....I can't go on about them I can't take them seriously that post you shared once about dangan being capable of deep commentary but next second shoots your blorbo to get a reaction? Yeah that's how I feel about Naegami. There is potentially something deep between them. I am constantly smacked in the face by rakes of absurdity trying to get to that depth and so it remains out of my grasp.

Ships that could have worked out if it wasn't for one (1) thing