tl;cr meme

[marriagebroker]

post your character, people reply, give them the deets. you know how this goes.

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[hexensabbat]

I'M COUNTING ON U

[ordimame]

RINGO!!!!

The way their CR started was so silly. . . but also by the end of the game, Edamura had a massive amount of respect and fondness for her in a way that developed super subtly over time. They began things on a really goofy foot, what with Ringo going around STRAIGHT UP ASKING PEOPLE FOR KISSES, which totally threw Edamura off guard?? Especially since he was (purposefully) playing up the HOPELESS ROMANTIC at that point. . . both to subconsciously keep people at a distance and also try to con himself into being more of a romantic than he actually was. But despite his bafflement at her brazen confidence, there was a part of him that kind of admired it right from the beginning. Edamura is a deeply guarded person; he is not the type who can just jump into things with someone else without some kind of build up beforehand, simply because that build up is required in order to get him to lower his walls. So watching Ringo throw caution to the wind and just go for it kind of impressed him! Not so much in a "wow I wish I could be like her" way (he is not, and could never be, and that's okay) but more in a. . . "there is something I am fundamentally missing that Ringo has, and I cannot help but think her kind of cool for it" way. And in addition to that, bantering with her was kind of a familiar song and dance for him. The way she poked and teased reminded him a lot of his lovable band of lowlifes back home! So while his exasperation with her those first few weeks was genuine, it definitely came from a more positive place.

She also kind of got him for a moment when she brought up the kiss that she said she was going collect from him two weeks into the game, and then told him that it mattered even when he was like, "DOES IT REALLY, THOUGH??" It was such a small thing, but it actually did kind of mean something to Edamura! For someone to tell him that he mattered! Even if she never collected on it, it did a lot to endear her to him and make him feel like she actually cared.

Their first date was also the moment where he started to think she might be his match. Edamura totally lied to WWX about his "type" in their first talking head (he said he wanted someone kind and understanding and supportive), but despite that lie, he is also self-aware enough to know what kind of person would actually balance out his fussy personality well. Even more than that, WWX had asked him to actively think about what he could offer people, which is how he started approaching the ROMANTIC MATH of figuring out who his producer-determined match might be. And since their first date was bungee jumping (EDAMURA IS CANONICALLY AFRAID OF HEIGHTS), and Ringo was SO GUNG HO ABOUT IT, and he actually had a pretty decent time with her despite that fear. . .! In the back of his head he was thinking to himself, "maybe it is us??" His logic on that front was "I am 100% human and Ringo is an AI trying to learn about humanity, so maybe I could offer her a very human experience," which looped back to WWX's advice about what he could offer people. But despite his thoughts, Ringo was so certain that she was matched with Furina, which is why he never wound up bringing it up. And then it DID turn out to be Ringo and Furina and he had to throw all of his dumb logic away, lol. At that point he truly didn't mind having to reevaluate for himself though, because it seemed like Ringo and Furina had managed to find something very sweet and genuine with each other! And that made him pretty happy for both of their sakes! Especially Ringo's, since he knew at that point that she was an AI trying to understand the human heart. Which actually kind of made him realize why they weren't paired together. . . because what better way to understand the human heart than to receive someone else's as a gift? And Edamura knew that he just was not in a place to do that for her.

But it also brought forth a LOT of self-reflective questions for him. Because here was Ringo, someone so confident and bold who managed to click almost immediately with Furina, who somehow just knew what it was she was looking for in a partner, when the most romantic ("romantic") notion Edmaura had had at that point was, "this person is cool and I wouldn't mind taking them out on a date." That's why he wound up asking Ringo how she "knew" it was Furina, because he truly was not sure how in the world someone could after such a short period of time. None of his emotional walls had really come down at that point. . . which is why what Ringo said to him afterwards was so important to him! The way she answered by saying that she didn't know, but Furina had made her brave enough to try, really stuck with him for the rest of the game. And it actually influenced soooooo much of his approach with Rom once he actually stopped overthinking and just let himself feel for a change. I think he is aware of this fact-- he kept what she said about bravery in mind for literally the rest of the game-- but I don't think he knows. . . how to thank her for it, HAHA.

Ringo deciding to stick around the house and help them with their romantic mathing also left a really good impression on him. At that point he already knew that Ringo genuinely cared about people and wasn't just doing things for shits and giggles. . . but her support and efforts truly hammered that notion home. And that's why the game ended with him thinking so highly of her. He genuinely would keep in touch with her now that things are over, not just to keep her updated on how things are going with his blossoming relationship (now that he has taken her advice and BEEN BRAVE), but also because he thinks she's pretty cool to hang out with. He likes that she has a bit of spice to her, and he likes having connections with someone who ISN'T a conman. She still reminds him of his merry band of liars and cheats. . . but in all of the best ways, with none of the bad baggage attached.

tl;dr Ringo good people, definitely helped Edamura figure himself out in the final weeks of the game, considers her a friend and would continue to hang out with her if given the chance. WHEN HE GOES TO FURINA'S WORLD TO COOK FOR HER, RINGO BETTER BE THERE, TOO!!!