Shipping Thread!

[WhiteFang]

On a somewhat unrelated/related/general note, I've never understood how or why people impose different requirements on romantic and platonic relationships to begin with? I mean I understand this is a societal convention of a kind, but relationships are a spectrum. Back to my point though, I can't quite see reasons (that aren't shoehorned, self-constructed, or societal definition oriented) for how/why a platonic relationship of a certain kind would be OK, but a romantic one, not so.

[earthforge]

Admittedly I don't exactly support Yukio x Shiemi as a pairing for the manga. Rather, I now enjoy it as a complex pairing for fanwork, same as my fondness for Yukio x Shura. I don't want Yukio getting into a relationship in the manga since his internal journey is compelling because it is self-driven.

There's also a line to describe him from a fanfic that keeps cropping into my head, especially after the latest chapter... "it's really not fair, to expect a demon to love".

Yes, he felt bad but he didn't actually go and apologize for what he did (while I do understand what he is going through) and then Shiemi blamed herself, and took what happened as not being "good enough" or not doing "enough" instead of what it really was: Yukio was in the wrong for what happened, it wasn't her fault he reacted how he did.

Agreed. I believe Yukio's biggest mistake wasn't pushing Shiemi -- it was not saying sorry. He removed himself from the situation because he was terrified he'd hurt her by staying, but that didn't mean he shouldn't apologize. He also thinks he hurts others less by staying away, even though Shiemi was most hurt by how he left.

[Spice Fairy]

I'm going down with Yukio x Shiemi no matter what happens!

(Silently cheers in the corner)

Also, I dunno why I can never see the potential for Rin and Shiemi like others can. I've always tried to, but I never could.
 
Both him and Yukio spend so little interaction with her that I can't tell and its rare for us to dive into her concious and see what she's thinking. And I guess I'm more inclined towards Yukio because his feelings are expressed mentaly rather than Rin's whose expressed physically.

Still, what wieghs it down is Yukio's menal state - which is
actually more my concern than romance. Can he still hang onto himself, or will he play into the hands on the villians like a puppet who can never be saved? Who knows? I just want this kid to...be a kid for once in his life.

[BiriBiriMegane]

I don't think Yukio wants to join the Illuminati but I’m sure they’ve prepared some kind of leverage for him. If so I think there's a possibility a dynamic could build between him and to-be-named Illuminati woman. Obviously we don't know much about her right now except she works close with Lucifer, but she gives off the vibe that she has seen a lot and can cut through the BS.



I don't think Shiemi or Shura would work out in the long run, as much as I thought Yukio x Shura would be a thing for a while. Despite the events in Aoyama I don't think they're going to be able to be anything more than coworkers with a lot of history. And with Shiemi's little garden dream I think Rin x Shiemi will work out in the long run. And the events of 93 of course. That being said if this had been a year ago in-story Yukio's outburst would have destroyed her, but we she she's up and moving and getting help by the end of the chapter; she's come a long way and I think is a lot stronger than we're giving her credit for.

[Taytronics7]

I've always shipped Yukishi (though I love Rinshi as well), but this latest chapter just made me ship them even harder. I LOVE angsty ships   

However, I do think that Yukishi wouldn't be good for each other at this moment, (especially for Shiemi). Yukio just has too many mental hang ups and if they did get into a relationship I think he would constantly seek out Shiemi as an emotional crutch, while Shiemi would take all of Yukio's problems and blame herself for not being strong enough for him. It also doesn't help that Shiemi has a lot of problems that are similar to Yukio's, i.e. low self esteem, an obsession with wanting to be strong, hiding secrets from friends.

Once their problems have been settled, I think they can build a relationship with some common ground. Both are hard working individuals with a lot of ambition. I can see it work, and even if it doesn't, at least I'll have fanfiction.      

[kirarin]

im just here to voice out my love for Yukishi too. no shade or hate but I LOVE THIS SHIP NO MATTER WHAT. NO MATTER WHAT. and i mean not canon, not healthy or whateva, not good for each other and all that. but uh... this ship has always been beautiful and special to me. my first aoex ship. all the beautiful rinshie happening andnim just here feeling zen and happy too that even yukishi is next to crack, i know for a fact their story is special in a dark way. beautifully angsty .

[Natsume Rin]

And here I am, having caught up with the chapters and waving my 'Okumuracest' flag.

[Cloelia]

Two scenes where (the first time I saw em) I expected the boys to kiss Shiemi in the next panel... Well, something tells me Rin actually leaned toward Shiemi with this intention at first (before changing his mind the last sec cause Rin is such a kind and respectful guy).

[yukioisgay95]

yukio is gay and shiemi is his lesbian best friend. rin is gay too i dont make the rules i just enforce them

[earthforge]

yukio is gay and shiemi is his lesbian best friend. rin is gay too i dont make the rules i just enforce them

And here I am, having caught up with the chapters and waving my 'Okumuracest' flag.

Gay pairings are mostly discussed in this thread.

Two scenes where (the first time I saw em) I expected the boys to kiss Shiemi in the next panel... Well, something tells me Rin actually leaned toward Shiemi with this intention at first (before changing his mind the last sec cause Rin is such a kind and respectful guy).

I actually found Yukio hugging Shiemi to be far more intimate than a kiss would have been. He physically opened up and pulled someone towards him. It showed Yukio denies himself human contact even though he longs for that warmth. It also showed that Yukio wants to show affection, as buried and mangled with self-worth and identity issues as it is.

(Then our hopes & dreams were brutally crushed.)

[earthforge]

\If so I think there's a possibility a dynamic could build between him and to-be-named Illuminati woman. Obviously we don't know much about her right now except she works close with Lucifer, but she gives off the vibe that she has seen a lot and can cut through the BS.

Haha, no way. That gal clearly only has eyes for Lucifer.

[gokusdonut]

On a somewhat unrelated/related/general note, I've never understood how or why people impose different requirements on romantic and platonic relationships to begin with? I mean I understand this is a societal convention of a kind, but relationships are a spectrum. Back to my point though, I can't quite see reasons (that aren't shoehorned, self-constructed, or societal definition oriented) for how/why a platonic relationship of a certain kind would be OK, but a romantic one, not so.

I imagine this was in reference to what I said.

Disclaimer: This isn't meant to start Discourse™ over shipping preferences. I'm not interested in that. I firmly believe in "Ship and Let Ship," as long as it's not at the expense of putting down another ship or being an asshole to people who don't ship what you like. That said...

(click to show/hide)

I feel like if you aren't good friends, there's no way you can be good lovers/significant others/boyfriend and girlfriend, etc. This is true for any and every character in AoEx (like Shima, imo). As it relates to Yukio and Shiemi, since they were who we were discussing, I personally prefer them much more as childhood friends (coupled with Yukio's one-sided feelings), as I feel like Yukio, as he is now, would not be good for anyone, especially not Shiemi. Aside from that, I don't think Yukio's been a very good friend to her or anyone. It's not enough (for me) that he treats her and others well, which isn't even wholly genuine, according to Yukio's own words about the "real" him. He's putting on an act/facade. Yukio is, understandably, a liar, on top of all the other psychological issues he has (suicidal, inferiority complex, depression, low self-esteem, etc., some of which he shares with Shiemi). He doesn't need a relationship (none of the Exwires do right now); he needs mental help, especially after the stunts he pulled on her and Bon.

@mayhem950 summed it up perfectly well. If she blames herself for not being able to help him as his friend, there's no way she wouldn't not do the same as his girlfriend, and I don't think it's fair to neither Shiemi nor Yukio. (Also, I just really, REALLY hate this idea that Shiemi can "save him from the darkness," when that absolutely should not be her responsibility).

So, tldr: Good friends make good lovers, and to me, Yukio and Shiemi should stay platonic because Yukio hasn't been the best of friends to anyone, her included. This doesn't discount a future romance, but should they have one, it should be after Yukio has received therapy and learned to trust people.
Keep in mind, this may be biased, because I ship RinShi, but definitely not at the expense of not shipping YukiShi.

[BiriBiriMegane]

\If so I think there's a possibility a dynamic could build between him and to-be-named Illuminati woman. Obviously we don't know much about her right now except she works close with Lucifer, but she gives off the vibe that she has seen a lot and can cut through the BS.

Haha, no way. That gal clearly only has eyes for Lucifer.

Last I checked only Gedoin has the hots for Lucifer

[earthforge]

What the everloving fuck possessed you to post THAT?!

[SimpleBliss]

If you thought that was bad:

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If I have to look at it, so do you

Edit:

You know, I've also never really been in the Yukio/Shiemi scene until..well, this chapter. I'm a pretty hard Yukio/Shura fan (sue me), and I'll accept Rin/Shiemi just because let's be honest, it's been given the most development and it's probably the closest we'll get to an end game ship.

However, I can't deny that The Hug (TM) gave me extreme feels. I loved it. I relished in it. I couldn't stop staring as Yukio and Shiemi shared the most intimate moment we've had since Yukio and Shura almost made out with each other, and you can hardly call that intimate! The ship would be so unhealthy, and we can all agree Yukio is not compatible with anyone right now, and we can point out a million flaws in their ship, but I don't care because??? It was amazing??? That was like...hug GOALS. Like not even Rin and Shiemi can have a more beautiful hug. It was beautiful.

Despite that, I don't think I'd ever SHIP ship them, you know? Like I don't ship them, but maybe I Canoe them; something that is enjoyable only on peaceful waters with a few sandwiches on board, in the evening when the waters are still and you can watch the sunset from the canoe, your significant other in the seat in front of you, as you huddle together in the light evening chill and stare into each others' eyes. But outside of that, you can't really go anywhere with it.

The way Yukio treats Shiemi is how I'd feel he'd treat his mother, Yuri. He would treat her extremely gently, always looking out for her, with extreme love and care, willing to do anything to protect her and, like a little boy, be able to be raw and seek comfort from her. You know how people say that females who grow up without father figures don't know how to draw boundaries in a relationship with men in the future (up for debate)? It's like the same thing with Yukio. Without a mother figure, and without any real female figure in general (aside from Shura, but she hardly counts as a mother-like, nurturing female), he might have latched onto Shiemi as that figure. Sure, he has a crush on her, but maybe he'd have a crush on anyone who really gave him the peace and support that he lacked from a comforting parental figure, namely a mother. Shiro was really harsh on him, and so was Shura; aside from that, there was no one else older he could really look up to.
Shiemi was his first semblance of peace in this world, and she would have been his last if he could actually kill himself. Isn't it sad that he cannot glean that sort of peace from anyone else? This is why this ship is so precious to those who ship it, I guess, since Shiemi is his only source of that. I wonder how both him and us readers would feel if he actually had another gentle, kind support person? It definitely wouldn't be the same! It wouldn't have the same novelty that it does now. And that's sad, for Yukio.