lyra's corner

hobby artist / writer / nerd, current focus: spy x family :)

[fishdogma]

Chapter 135 thoughts, MICE and Twilight

Chapter 135 thoughts, MICE and Twilight

Alt title: Overthinking a fictional character on my day off while sleep deprived and stressed. (MANGA SPOILERS)

“A double life is not an easy life as evidenced by the number of agents who burn out, break down, or simply decide they cannot continue, particularly in high risk environments.”

I’ve been thinking a lot about the latest chapter. I think my first initial thought was frustration (at Twilight). To be clear, I really enjoyed the chapter and I found the overall situation to be endlessly fun. I forget sometimes that Spy X is a comedy, that so happens to be based loosely off of the Cold War. And as someone who does not generally enjoy comedies it’s easy for me to fall into the trap of expecting a dark, serious thriller with this fiction. (Hence the creation of Scission). So this morning I was thinking, “I should probably not take the comedy too seriously. “ But. As an over thinker I can’t help myself...

It’s one of those manga that I think has balanced the comedy with the serious tones very well. I often take Loid very seriously (too seriously) so my reaction to his ‘plan’ was frustration. But I think actually, this chapter treaded on a major theme of the story that is: Letting go of the past.

Twilight has mentioned from chapter one that he’s been losing his edge. And I’m pretty certain throughout the story this has been a constant point that he’s not what he used to be, that is: master spy, Westalis’ greatest and man of a thousand faces.

I think this is mainly due to the fact that two-hours sleep and working like a robot for over a decade takes a lot out of a person. If you look into any research regarding spies that have remained for long periods in a host country, it gets harder and harder for them psychologically to continue their work. And since we have not seen or been shown, or told that Twilight has returned to Westalis since the war — then I am going to assume that he simply has not been home for a very long time. (And you know, it’s doubtful now that he could recognise it being a vagrant Spy in a host country). So why is he losing his edge? Well I think it’s best to consider why any spy loses their ‘edge’ after so long in service and we should cover the framework of Spy recruitment that I think is important here. That is: MICE! Money. Ideology. Compromise. Ego. Money Money (simple one), doesn’t really fit Twilight here, he never seems invested in money other than bellyaching over expensive keychains that Anya brings home. When it comes to himself (the trabant!) he seems happy to live frugally. Ideology Ideology is the core of Twilight’s being, so I will be leaving this for last as it will be the spine of my thoughts on this. Compromise or Coercion

Compromise or Coercion is a curious one. If we consider specifically recruitment, when [Redacted] was recruited by Westalis’ Military intelligence (WISE was not founded until post war). I’ve seen posts discuss how he was blackmailed, but while it’s true there was a threat made, the blackmail of being ‘court martialed’ was never something that stirred any real threat within [REDACTED].

“People coerced into espionage rarely make ideal agents” and coercion is generally discouraged when recruiting.

Twilight would not have stuck around, as intelligent and adaptable as he is, for over a decade if his Ideology did not embed him within the beliefs of being a spy for the West. SIDE NOTE: just ignoring the fact that while in theory someone could be court-martialed for lying about their age to enlist, especially if the lie counted as fraudulent enlistment, in practice during WWI and WWII, underage soldiers were often simply discharged or quietly sent home once discovered, especially if the only issue was age. [Redacted] was not underage by the time he was discovered either. By then his friends were all legally recruited. He was also a lieutenant at this point. He suggests this rank was obtained by everyone else dying but I’d disregard his self flagellation and consider more that he was a competent soldier and earned the rank because he is ultimately a competent and intelligent person (one of the reasons MI scouted him). So it’s highly doubtful he’d have been court martialed anyway and he was probably well aware of this. (Of course I am speculating here). Compromise comes back later as MICE is not just a framework for recruitment but considering the viability of a Spy. Ego and Excitement For this section I take an excerpt straight from the article: An Alternative Framework for Agent Recruitment: From MICE to RASCLS (LINK)

“Spy fiction may portray espionage as an exciting world of gun battles, explosions, car chases, and sexual adventures, but anyone who has lived in this world knows the truth is very different. For every hour spent on a street a case officer will spend many hours more writing up the results of the last meeting, preparing for the next meeting, and endlessly evaluating current cases and constantly looking for new assets. For the agent’s part, the life is usually equally dull and demanding. Successful agents must continue to perform in whatever jobs provide them the access for which they were recruited in the first place, all the while meeting the tasks levied by case officers.”

Anya was a great instrument in gauging this thread of Twilight’s life not being as glamorous as the work of an agent might appear. She is often portrayed as bored with her papa and loses interest in his antics. She considers him an over thinker and mentions that he is always working hard. I think this is a way of portraying the grind of Spy work as one that is hard and does not come with rewards or pats on the back.

In fact, if you consider the Cold War, and the difference between East Germany and West Germany, the idea of reward is something Twilight would not consider at all. He is bluntly told this:

East Germany in the Cold War, the GDR was a soviet-aligned socialist state ruled by the SED. While West Germany became a parliamentary democracy tied to the Western Bloc. Reward in the GDR was used as a social control; medals, titles, bonuses, and public accolades were systematic tools of socialist discipline and loyalty-building. (Think about those gaudy, ceremonies put up to inflate the egos of dictators, all while the populace is starving. Pageantry is a form of ego stroking and control) Consider the use of Tonitrus Bolts and Stella Stars and Imperial Scholars, how very public and privileged it is to be awarded one. How your social status (even amongst children) changes. How getting a Stella or a Tonitrus often captivates and controls the children of Eden. Anya’s friendship group grew exponentially with her Stellas. Even dropping into a different class due to her grades has not changed her standing with the other children. (Merit usurps worth academic intelligence). You can also consider how Twilight concludes that Yor being single would not actually be an issue where Yuri’s title/role within the SSS is concerned. Though of course she doesn’t know about this. This is not to suggest West Germany did not have such honours but there was less ideology surrounding them, it was more a consideration of civic recognition. All that to say that Twilight’s work does not come with the expectation of anyone recognising his efforts. He’s accepted his thankless job. Though, I do think Twilight has an ego. And I think to some extent this comes from the very evidence based fact that he’s been instrumental in evading catastrophe and that his peers often over bloat his abilities and successes (again not really without evidence).

This of course creates a pressure vacuum and an echo chamber in the mind. He’s just that good. And I think this is why, when he questions his abilities he tries to self-soothe by asserting his position as "Twilight, Westalis’ Greatest spy…"

it’s because any bump in the road or failure is a huge hit to the one part of him that is him… and that is that he is reliably over competent.

Not being competent, terrifies him just as much as not having all the information because to Twilight: lack of information is not just a direct threat to himself and everything he cares about.

Its a sin.

So here we come to IDEOLOGY. Religion is not really discussed much (I don’t recall at least) in Spy X family. So When Sin is used here, I take it less as a religious concept and more of a core belief expressed in the most vitriolic way possible. To be ignorant is contemptible, the worst thing possible to him in a way that — someone who never expresses religious beliefs — only refers to them here. Because religion is also an ideology.

Ignorance is sin.

So he has fastened himself to becoming a master. Of cooking, flying planes, lock picking, tennis, psychiatry... horse riding If you’ve read my fic… whatever it is... and In his downtime, he’s often reading, studying (something he hated as a child) because relaxing doesn’t cross his mind when there is knowledge to be attained and knowledge makes him feel in control of things, anything else is just the failure of the mortal body (his stomach).

To not have knowledge is to not be in control. If he doesn’t know something it makes him feel sick. This is why the stomach tearing is so prevalent throughout the manga. This is the core of Twilight’s being; the spy, [Redacted] and Loid Forger.

It’s often discussed in fandom that Twilight, Loid and [Redacted} are separate people/masks. While of course, Loid is an alias, I’d suggest that as he’s embedded himself in the role of Loid, the name is just decoration at this point. These are not separate people. Now I may lose you here but I’d like you to stay with me as I challenge a widely considered concept of masks.  I’m going to invoke Erving Hoffman here and the concept of the mask becoming the self. Anecdote: In high school, I was bullied a lot. I remember watching Robert Downey Jr’s portrayal of Tony Stark in Ironman. The nonchalance, quippy, thick skin and water off a duck’s back attitude beguiled me. Being an angry and meek kid, I looked up to his ability to amuse even his adversaries. He’s an asshole but you kind of like him. I decided to study the character and wanted to embody that confidence. Force myself from being an introvert into an extrovert. Now it worked and I quickly became someone who could bounce between groups of people with this mask. But that was a decade (OH MY FUCKING GOD) ago and I am not really introverted (despite hating group situations). I notice, sometimes to my chagrin, that my colleagues look to me to make light of a situation or pull a funny story or give guidance. And, unfortunately, I am a bit of an asshole too (working on it). At some point that mask just became part of my face. Goffman’s theory challenges the idea that a mask hides the “real” person. Instead, social roles are partly how an identity is formed. And so if you perform a role long enough, sincerely enough, and with real consequences… that role eventually becomes who you are. Twilight isn’t a role. [Redacted] is not a role. These are just titles of the same being. 

He only changed his name to Twilight because his old self could not be traced. Nothing changed other than the gathering of trauma, knowledge and experience over that period and the fact we saw within a few pages a little, scared boy become a big, traumatised and cynical, man. And being a little boy, [Redacted] was a blank slate to adapt to the world and society as he grew up. Unfortunately the world was war torn and suspicious and cruel to him. So as a result he adapted to live within it.

When people say that [Redacted] is peering through and the Twilight mask is slipping, I actually disagree. The name is arbitrary, he could be called Leon, Leonard, Bob, Johnny... whatever.

The person is what matters. He’s still: Competent, thoughtful, analytical, gentle, cynical, cold, stoic and bloody bull headed, Etc. When he is Twain Honey, Robert, Lionel, Lawrence or henchman #2: These are masks. He is not embodying these characters. When He is Loid Forger, initially this is a mask, but he has been embodying this for (as of writing) about seven months now. He allows the non-perfect husband cover to drop because the mask is hard to keep up 24/7 with a six year old. He’s grumpy, quippy, impatient, stern and standoffish but remains competent, thoughtful and analytical in that role. So to me, Loid (now), Twilight and [Redacted] are all the same man. His ‘bad’ attributes are just as much [Redacted] as his good attributes.

“Agents who serve for reasons of belief are the only agents that most officers can truly respect.”

The best agents spy for ideology. This is why Compromise is such a dangerous aspect to Twilight’s career and why he is so shaken by the concept of having feelings for his fake family. Being a spy and knowledge gathering is a core aspect of who he is. While WISE certainly has had a hand in some part of Twilight’s outlook, especially with encouraging his already bloated beliefs about his skills and necessity in the stratagem for peace between East and West. His Ideology is easily simplified to the fact that he considers lack of knowledge dangerous and wanting to make the world a safe place for ALL children where they do not need to cry.

He does not care about anything else, material or sovereign. 

WISE did not have a hand in training any other mindset into him. They are an intelligence agency and there is an important aspect that should not be missed. Straight after the chapters revealing Loid’s past and how he came to develop his ideology we were given a chapter where a rookie agent thinks in black & white in regards to his information gathering. Sylvia actively guides this agent away from pointing fingers over minimal information.

This is exactly how she guided Twilight:

I think Endo laid this chapter straight after to hint to the reader that while there was guidance from his Handler, first and foremost... he has his own ideals and they are not constructed by anyone but his past and self. (along with other reasons but we're discussing Twiguy here). WISE is dedicated to keeping the peace between Westalis and Ostania. They are of course a government agency and I want to be careful of not falling into the trap as seeing them as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. But in regards to Twilight, an agent with agency, his ideology aligns with the goal of peace between both countries. As above you see Twilight himself considers that he does not know who started the war. He is no longer purely aligned to Westalis and seeing Ostanians as devil as he did when a boy. And Handler instills into her rookie's the mistake of black and white thinking and the need to evade falling into the trap of propaganda (which was prevalents and a real danger when agents are stationed long term in an authoritarian host country). WISE benefits from Twilight’s ideology and not trying to indoctirinate their agents. As the psychology of recruitment does not stipulate coercion or control as being effective measures of recruitment. Twilight does not receive from WISE, no decent pay or accolades. He doesn’t owe them anything so it is purely his aligning ideology that keeps him in their corner. In fact, in reality some of the best known spies in the world were purely driven by their ideology. And so we return to one of the themes of Spy X family:

Letting go of the past and creating a better future. Twilight values above all his intelligence and the ability to predict situations and act upon them, this ultimately comes from the trauma of losing his friends, joining the war and still not being able to make a change. He was wrong and his dad was wrong. People he loved still died, towns were still destroyed and children still cried.

Intelligence gives him a sense of control.

Yet no one makes him feel absolutely clueless and out of his depth more than Yor — and Anya. All the information he gathered, all the knowledge, the 864 date plans, the schemes… do not account for the fact that those two aren’t normal. The fear of being thrown out of his depth, especially portrayed in the latest chapter has caused him some irrationality and a (lot) of belly aching. I think his character will come to some revelations, and it is starting to happen in some cases, when he finally learns to switch off the mind, the paranoia, the fear… and just let go. Then he can finally stop pretending he has any masks at all. (But of course re: latest chapter, he's going to slip up on the way. It is hard to break from one's ideology hence why ideology makes great spies... but speaking for myself, I'd like to see a husband and dad come out of this).

I re-read all that and cringed at myself. If you did too, I don't blame you. I am going to go touch some grass and wonder why I spent hours on this...

If you did read all that... I am so sorry. Thank you.

[krystalgazer]

Something I’m finding a bit frustrating is how Twilight’s emotional stunting around love and sex is seen as something inherent to him and not something trained into him by WISE, and how many people seem to have blinders on when it comes to WISE’s stated goals and what they really stand for.

Twilight was a minor when he was scouted by WISE. They knew he was a minor; they were able to blackmail him because he was impersonating someone else and they knew that. They impressed upon him straight away that his work will preserve the tenuous peace between Ostania and Westalis, and his work directly impacts the continuation of that peace. They put that weight on him, straight away, as an impressionable young man, little more than a child.

Now fully grown, we can see how that pressure invades every part of Twilight’s psyche; every action, every choice he makes is given over-inflated importance because of the years and years and *years* of conditioning he has been given by WISE, Handler in particular, who as nice a person as she has seemed at times, relished in ripping Twilight’s psyche apart and building him into a tool for Westalis’s use.

This gets even darker when we look at Twilight’s relationships. I’d be comfortable speculating that Twilight has never had a relationship other than those he needed to have for a mission. In other words, relationships he was coerced into having by his employer. Coerced as in forced. Forced as in not his choice. I feel like I need to underline this point because I have seen takes blaming Twilight for tricking the women he had relationships with, as if these relationships were wholly his idea. He was told to find a wife and child at the beginning of Operation Strix with the usual ‘the world will blow up if you don’t succeed Twilight’ bs, so it’s way more likely he was told to forge relationships with women close to particular targets, and he was emotionally blackmailed with the ‘for the mission’ mantra that they bred into him as a weakness. In my opinion, WISE have acted very similar to traffickers when it comes to blithely commanding Twilight to share intimacy with women for their own benefit.

So what does that do to a person, when every instance of intimacy, of romance, of closeness with the opposite sex, has been for false reasons? What does it do to a person when every relationship you’ve ever had is not by your own choice, and on top of that you were told to ‘love’ this person and make it convincing otherwise oopsie, we might get into a war again, kids are going to be orphaned or die and it’s all your fault!

I don’t know whether it’s because Twilight is a man or what but most people can recognise that what Garden did to Yor is deeply unethical at best, and they only required her to kill; not torture, not lie to, not steal from, not have sex with, just kill her targets. Twilight is required to do all the above by WISE, and from the time he was a minor or close to a minor as well, but people don’t seem to recognise the deep harm he has suffered at the hands of WISE.

I have a theory that this is because we don’t see what Westalis is like currently and we only have Handler as a representative of Westalis, the majority of the audience take what she says at face value because they, like Twilight, trust her implicitly. I’d say this is a wildly incorrect reading simply because everyone reading this manga should understand the real-world parallels of Spy x Family enough to realise that WISE is the CIA. And like the CIA or really any covert operation operating in foreign territory, world peace is not a priority, the furthering of their own country’s interests is the priority.

The only reason why WISE and Ostania have their interests aligned *now* is because Westalis and Ostania both have governments that want peace. Operation Strix is basically a play at undermining a sovereign nation changing governments to one that doesn’t align with Westalis’s interests at this time, which is incredibly problematic even if the (stated) intention of preserving world peace is a good one. It’s completely in the realm of possibility that if Westalis’s government changes and their interests change, they can command Twilight and the other operatives to foment unrest and undermine the current Ostanian government, because that’s exactly what the CIA did in many parts of the world in the time period Spy X Family is set. We’re supposed to know this and distrust WISE accordingly. And when we distrust WISE we can see the cruel evil with which they have treated Twilight.

WISE took a boy who was deeply traumatised by the war, who had lost everything and used all the best parts of him to forge him into a weapon for their own interests. They straight up abused him, and we see the scars of that abuse *everywhere*; they deliberately made him into a person that cannot function normally, through emotional coercion and conditioning. That he has done horrible things for WISE and to other people in the name of WISE’s interests only binds him closer to them; he is not blameless of course but assigning full blame to him for his instances of deception especially is to absolve WISE of their blame, which I think is counter to Spy X Family’s broader point; that people wherever they come from are inherently good, but systems and governments are to be distrusted

[thriftymango]

Looking back at some Spy x Family panels and noticed something (which might be absolutely nothing ngl)

Major spoilers ahead...

Look at this panel of Yor confessing her feelings for Loid to Anya...

Notice anything?...

These little orbs appear in the air around them, as if to really signal that this is a big moment. It's almost like a way to show that it's an emotional tipping point or something (there are definitely people on here who have clocked this and put this into words better than I have)

It's not like we haven't seen these before, they've shown up a good few times. The time I remembered pretty well was this scene with Anya and Damian in chapter 96

Not as many as in that first panel but still there

BUT

The panel of Loid is orb-free... Except these little tiny speckles

I can't help but feel like this is intentional. I think it's mainly because Loid doesn't believe what he's saying yet

Yes, the SSS agent can tell Loid is telling the truth but I don't think Loid has clocked on yet, in his mind he's just saying it for the mission and in the interest of staying under the triple S radar

Imo there could be a second moment upcoming of Loid confessing his feelings and actually believing it, saying it for no good reason other than to say it. Not to convince others, not to keep up appearances, not for the mission but simply for him... And in that panel we'll see lots of those little orbs to signal that he really feels it

[doodleandcry]

⚠️CH 134 SPOILERS⚠️

he’s getting so good at this guys!

[yumeka-sxf]

Now I feel silly for thinking yet again that the TV station hijacking arc would wrap up because it just keeps getting spicier 👀 Yuri shenanigans and the interrogation was amusing, but I was not expecting this panel to drop...

It might be tempting to write this off as him putting on a facade yet again in front of everyone at the party, as would be expected from Twilight. But the SSS officer's comment that there's "not a single hint of deception in his eyes" is the clincher. I can say with 99% certainty that Endo wants us to believe that this guy is a seasoned officer who can tell when someone's lying or not, and if he's telling us that Twilight is being truthful here, we're supposed to believe him. From a narrative perspective, there would be no other reason to emphasize the scene like this.

For those of us who pay attention to Twilight's expressions throughout the series, we know that he has his "Twilight eyes," which are when his eyes narrow and his face darkens (this is different from his default Twilight expression he has when he's doing his usual spy work without emotion). He has this particular expression typically when he's trying to suppress his emotions he doesn't want to show, and so ends up overcompensating with a very serious face. Example below:

Then there's his "Loid Forger" face, which is when he's being ingenuine behind a facade, which is signaled by him having a phony and exaggeratedly cheerful expression. Example below:

There's also been some "in between" moments where he's trying to keep the Loid Forger mask, but his true feelings slip out. This usually happens when he's interacting with Yor or Anya in some emotional situation. Example below:

But his expression in this chapter is one we don't see often, if at all - an expression that's definitely not "Twilight," but it's not phony like "Loid Forger" either, nor is it "restricted" in any way like the aforementioned "in between" moments. I believe this expression is, plain and simply, [redacted]...his true self, with no filters at all.

For those curious, his dialogue in the Japanese version is the same. He doesn't use the word for "love" that Fiona uses, "suki" (好き) but uses "aisthiteru" (愛してる) instead, which is for romantic love specifically. This is the word that the officer used when he asked the question though, so makes sense he would use the same word.

Another reason I think he's being totally genuine here is because of what happened a couple chapters ago where he was forced to confront his feelings about why he almost sacrificed himself for Yor. Instead of doubling down on pushing those feelings aside and making his usual "for the mission" excuses, he is, for once in who knows how long, being totally honest with himself (it just happens to benefit his mission at this moment too, lol). There's also a noticeable lack of background in this panel, which Endo loves to use when he wants to show a character being true and genuine.

We learn Twilight's age in the chapter as well, but I'd take it with a grain of salt since he could very well be lying about it. It could just be an age he established as part of his whole "Loid Forger" persona and not his true age (though probably close).

But besides some big character development from Twilight, another major event in this chapter was the name reveal of Yuri's boss in the SSS, the previously unnamed officer with the scar who we now know is Captain Curtis (no last name for Chloe though, sorry girl 😅)

There's been a long-standing theory that this guy was Twilight's father. I don't know if the theory was taken all that seriously, and I never believed it myself, but I think this chapter pretty much snuffs it out.

It was a little disappointing to see Yuri go back to rejecting Loid right after everything that happened. So Loid has him beat in the character development department in this arc, at least for now 😅

While Twilight meeting Chloe, Curtis, and the other officers was fun, I can't wait to see if Yor shows up next chapter 👀 I've been wanting her to meet Chloe for a while! Of course there's the chance that's not her at the door, or Twilight will come up with some plan to get her away from the party. Either way, I'm glad this arc is still not letting up 😃

[lyricalpsyche]

someone's tugging on those heartstrings

(or: Twilight and the slow, damning realization that maybe the head and the heart aren't so separate after all)

[doodleandcry]

for anya they’d hold the world on their shoulders, but how can they say no when she asks to hold the umbrella

[inspo post below]

[terra-fatalis]

The Weight of a Role

The recent "Five-Year Love Plan" arc revolves around acting, featuring the hijacking of a studio at Berlint TV Tower by a group of armed fans determined to reshoot the drama’s finale.

The seeds of this theme were planted about ten chapters earlier, during the "Poachers Hunting Arc".

During that arc Yor discovered that her superior, McMahon, has a wife and asked him how he manages to reconcile his life as an assassin with his marriage.

McMahon admitted that he has never revealed his double life to his wife, and never will. Rationally, he knows that if she found out what his job truly entails she would feel horrified. And yet, deep down, he still holds onto the hope that she might understand…and perhaps that very hope is what has allowed their relationship to endure despite everything.

Still, he makes one thing clear: he will never, ever drop the mask. He will wear it until the very end.

And he warns Yor to think carefully about her own marriage: if she’s not sure she can manage it, she'd better walk away before anyone gets hurt.

McMahon’s words hit Yor hard.

In the past she had already entertained the thought that Loid might understand her if she revealed her secret. Now, that same idea resurfaces from a completely different angle. And not just from anyone, but from someone who has already lived a version of her situation to its endpoint, and it comes at a time when her feelings for Loid are starting to take a more concrete shape. What began as a marriage of convenience is quickly giving way to the hope of something long term...something she still believes to be one sided.

The "Poachers Hunting Arc" also introduces Hemlock, another Garden assassin. Hemlock is cold, almost hermit-like in his isolation, convinced that true strength comes from the absence of emotional ties (a stance that, while exaggerated for the sake of his character, mirrors Twilight’s own mindset).

He harbors deep resentment toward Yor, to the point of forcing her in a mortal duel. Before meeting Loid, she too was cold and solitary, but now, paraphrasing his own narrow perception, domestic life has dulled her thorns. And in his rigid view that shift is nothing but a sign of dishonor, weakness and uselessness.

After that mission, Hemlock is assigned by Garden to work at City Hall alongside Yor and McMahon, mainly in an attempt to improve his nonexistent social skills. It’s there that McMahon reiterates his point: "Not everyone is cut out to act in certain roles", words that echo everything he has already told Yor, hitting her once again where she feels most uncertain.

Back home, a conversation with Anya (whose emotional intelligence is far sharper than it appears) leads Yor to admit, first and foremost to herself, that she loves Loid. This realization strengthens her resolve to protect her family even if she feels she’s not "suited" for the role.

After a couple of arcs focused on other aspects of the story, the spotlight returns to Yor and Loid, this time in a very literal way.

This arc fully embraces the theatrical motif. With the premise reinforced through a brief flashback, Yor ends up being targeted by the hijackers to play a role in the reshoot. And since she has a tendency to take everything VERY literally, she readily accepts the assignment determined to improve her acting skills.

The effectiveness of this setup doesn't come from the drama itself. Expectations are quickly subverted: the kiss led nowhere, no jealousy, no manufactured romance, no grand realizations tied to the narrative of the play.

The real tension comes from placing Loid and Yor in a situation where neither of them can rely on their specialized skills. They are trapped in an enclosed environment with no blindspots, Yuri is with them, cameras are on, they're backed into a corner. Loid cannot switch back to Twilight without risking Yuri to blow up his cover, Yor cannot resort to assassination without exposing herself.

They’re both forced to roll with the situation, exposed and vulnerable, and that’s what gives the whole ordeal its lingering weight and depth.

━━━━━━━━━━

While the idea of "playing a role" within the family has been present since the very beginning, Yor’s emotional development has intensified her fear of making mistakes. Every practical reason that once justified her place in the Forger family has now been replaced by a genuine desire to belong.

She lost the cold detachment that once defined her outside of work. She feels real affection for each member of her new family, and the respect she always held for Loid has grown into something deeper.

The critical point, however, is that while Yor still feels like an outsider within the family, she has no idea that Loid is wearing an even thicker mask than she is.

For him, acting isn’t an effort. It’s the core of his identity as a spy and something he's being doing masterfully since his teenage years. He’s used to long term missions, to emotionally demanding roles (his previous mission required him to act as someone’s fiancé). But the Forger family, for various reasons, is acting like a slow earthquake, cracking that mask piece by piece. And at the end of this arc that crack finally becomes visible.

This shifts the entire perspective. If Loid Forger is just a role, then the person Yor has fallen in love with doesn’t actually exist, it’s all just an act. On paper that’s true. And if Loid were to fully acknowledge Yor’s feelings that’s likely how he would frame it.

But the reality is different.

The crack isn’t revealing Twilight (the identity he fears most, the one that drives him to constantly scrutinize everyone around him, including Yor)…

…the fracture runs so deep that it’s revealing [Redacted].

And, finally, the epilogue ties it all together in a way that resonates deeply for both of them.

[Images sources: Chapters: 35, 117, 118, 119, 120, 128, 130, 132. Some panels have been slightly edited for visual clarity without altering the original text]

[piracytheorist]

Overanalyzing Spy x Family - Manga Volume 10 cover

other covers

Volume 10 is the first one to repeat a character on the cover. Young Twilight, aka [redacted], this time sitting not on a chair but on the ruins of a building.

An obvious and considerate choice, if you think that this volume includes his backstory from the war. This isn't the time for fancy and cool designer chairs. This is a sight that is, unfortunately even today, true for many children around the world.

The swap from having the cover character sit on very expensive designer chairs to having [redacted] sit on ruins is a clear symbolism of the devastation a war brings.

[redacted] was a child of a working class family. Despite wars being run by governments, it's mostly the poor people that pay the price for them. And so, [redacted] can't afford a fancy, expensive chair, he cannot afford a chair at all. He's not just sitting on ruins, he's surrounded by them.

His expression is quite subtle; if looked at from afar, it can resemble present Twilight's calculated look, or even some anger. Instead, if you look closer, he just appears despondent, almost to a numb degree.

This being overanalyzing, it also catches my attention that his left hand is with the palm flat on the concrete he's sitting on. It was an artistic choice to depict him like that; his hand could have been resting on his lap, or on the rifle, or even holding the helmet. The fact that it fully touches the concrete can either symbolize that he's trying to balance himself, or that he's expressing grief over the building this once was. We're not told or shown whether his childhood home was actually destroyed, but he did lose it. If you have other ideas of what this depiction could be for I'd be interested in hearing them.

The only objects around him are a radio he and his friends would listen to while they hang around together, as well as the helmet and toy rifle he bought with the money he lied to his father to get.

The radio's antenna is extended, but the volume (or frequency knob?) is all the way down and none of the buttons are pressed. It looks like it's ready to be used but not currently on. I wonder how much propaganda he was exposed to while he was listening on with his friends, and how often he would find a radio to hear news (and probably more propaganda) while the war was on.

The helmet and rifle are not only indicative of his war adoration, they're also indicative of that lie that seems to be haunting him to the present, even if he doesn't admit it to himself now.

And remember, [redacted] didn't just lie to his dad to get that money; he manipulated him. He acted like he was interested in something he knew his dad approved of, in order to get money to buy something he knew his dad didn't approve of. And that action alone made him feel so terribly guilty he couldn't even allow himself to enjoy playing with the toys he bought.

Yet, as a spy, this kind of lying and manipulation is his main tactic. It's obvious it's not something he takes pride in, but putting those objects on the cover with [redacted] makes it even more meaningful how much his own lie weighed on him.

But also, on another, different level... the objects are a direct parallel to adult Twilight's cover. Young [redacted] has a toy rifle and a radio next to him. Adult Twilight is holding a real pistol and a newspaper.

Radios and newspapers are news sources. [redacted] is not holding the radio, it's behind him, depicting how he was a passive consumer of propaganda. Twilight is holding the newspaper in front of him, depicting how he's actively searching for information so he can judge for himself.

And then there's the weapons. Young [redacted] is holding a toy rifle (naively idolizing war, without knowing yet what horrors it inflicts) while Twilight holds a real gun (he's deeply into the spy work).

[redacted] regretted lying to his dad, so he rests the toy gun on his lap.

Twilight lies all the time, so he has an active hold on the real gun, having already shot a few times (based on the bullet casings on the ground beneath him).

This cover serves both as a depiction of what this volume includes and as a reminder of who Twilight used to be. Ironically enough, it was his helmet - a propaganda toy - that saved his life in the bombing of Luwen. But I believe this depiction is more of a presentation of his innocence and naïveté, that led him to idolizing war and then fighting in it once it had taken everything from him, as well as a reminder of how it was this twisted turn of events that led him into becoming the spy he is today - surrounded by lies of his own making and constantly risking his life.

And there's another difference I notice now that I've got the two covers side-by-side: the lighting. The lighting for [redacted]'s cover is natural, coming from behind him and casting most of his face in shadows. Meanwhile, the lighting for Twilight's cover makes it look like a professional photoshoot.

There's a lot that can be deducted even from that. Natural light is, well, natural, it comes at no material cost but it's not something we can control. Artificial light is, by its very definition, fake, it requires material cost, and in professional settings we can use it to manipulate the image we want to present in multiple ways.

[redacted] was still an innocent kid, despite the propaganda he'd been fed. He didn't have a lot of money for fancy things - and once war broke out he practically had nothing - and he had no control over how the war destroyed his life.

Twilight is a professional liar, constantly using disguises to manipulate the image of himself he presents to others, and despite following WISE's orders without questioning them, he is actively working on having as much control as he can - he depends on no-one, he examines situations thoroughly so he can prepare for any scenario, and at the end of the day he's doing it all so that other children won't have to experience the loss of control he did.

The boy grew up into a man, the ruins were polished into a designer chair, and the equipment and presentation became professional. But the man on the expensive chair is just as broken as the boy sitting on the ruins. It's all just a carefully manipulated image to cover the truth from everyone - even himself.

The inner cover provides a much more hopeful contrast. Young [redacted] joined by young Yor, young Yuri, and Anya, and even Bond makes an appearance as a puppy!

Yor seems to enjoy playing badminton, Yuri has an open book while glaring at [redacted], and Anya is offering the latter a peanut. Meanwhile, [redacted] appears cautious, almost shy. It feels like an inner reflection of the present situation of the Forgers + Yuri, showing how despite his control, Twilight is secretly (and very deep down) wishing for carefree moments like this one. As the inner cover, it's fitting that it can represent what's really inside him.

Volume 11 cover analysis coming soon...

[smallpapers]

made a part two of this! Keep thinking twiguy!

[smallpapers]

Hmm indeed

[cantareincminor]

Playing a Role

A recurring theme in this arc is Yor's desire to "play the role" well, after McMahon said this:

The above scene is from Chapter 128 when Yor is remembering their conversation. But in Chapter 118 what we as the audience see him say is this:

This made me wonder what exactly Yor believes "the role" to be. It seems clear to me what McMahon means: if she wants to keep her double life, she has to continue deceiving her husband just like he has deceived his wife Maureen all these decades. And she has to be fully committed to the deception instead of wavering out of guilt and causing her husband to grow suspicious.

But is that what Yor understands? That it's about swallowing her own guilt and maintaining a lie without regret? What exactly is she thinking in this scene:

And why is she so adamant about doing a good job of it that she agrees to be Bumblina?

From the beginning of the story, Yor has been concerned about not being "normal" and falling short of society's expectations. And especially Loid and Anya's expectations, so much that she feared Loid would divorce her as soon as someone like Fiona showed up.

And what Loid has done throughout all that is to repeatedly assure her of her place in the family. He doesn't tell her she is "normal." He does better than that.

"That's why I want you to be exactly who you are."

That's the greatest reassurance Yor could receive. (Of course, unbeknownst to her, Twilight just disguised himself as an SSS agent to interrogate her, so he is probably feeling a lot of guilt as he sees Yor so insecure afterward.)

Just like in real life, insecurities don't go away after one affirming statement from someone we care about. We need to hear it many times and experience reinforcing events in our daily lives in order to really internalize a new belief. Loid continues to provide that.

The ancillary text there is important! The full "Yor Forger" package.

Unfortunately she was drunk and didn't remember everything he said the next day, maybe only the "You're strong, Yor" line. But that's still important!

Then there's the chapter after she meets Melinda for the first time and asks Loid if she can hang out with the Lady Patriots. Twilight puts aside the mission for a moment and provides genuinely good advice for Yor's sake.

I think Yor has internalized some of these affirmations. She's more joyful and at peace than she was before she joined the Forgers, like in Chapter 119 when she and Loid visit the park and she realizes this:

It's sad though that just as she has begun feeling secure and fulfilled, she realizes she's fallen in love with Loid and takes a new burden upon herself. She thinks she doesn't deserve for Loid to return her feelings, and that she wouldn't be good for him anyway.

"I'm not a good girl."

And now the role she thinks she has to play is truly an impossible one.

She has to hide that she's an assassin. She has to hide that she's in love with Loid. She has to continue on as the happy, caring platonic wife and mother of the Forger family as if it's enough for her. She has to keep this act up for years, at least until Anya graduates.

This is a hellish role. It's torture. And she thinks she can get better at it by practicing on a TV sitcom.

In actuality this is what Twilight has mastered. Playing endless roles where he denies his true self and desires until he has forgotten they exist. It's the only way to survive like that. It's not a fate he would wish on Yor. To him, she's the innocent civilian he roped into his mission and he must protect.

I really hope that Endo will end the current arc with a heartfelt conversation between Loid and Yor where he again provides the exact reassurance she needs to hear, just like he did in the other pivotal moments above. Loid often fumbles around when it comes to Yor but when he gets it right, he's ON POINT. Given how great the arc has been so far, I trust Endo will deliver!

[cantareincminor]

After seeing protective Twilight in Ch. 131, I wondered if we can see a difference between him putting on an act to appease Yuri vs. feeling genuine concern for Yor. And going back through the last 2 chapters, I don't think it's always clean-cut. It always makes things complicated when Yuri is around because sometimes Endo doesn't gives us insight into Twilight's thoughts, just his expressions and behavior.

Fake: Twilight and Yuri are talking to each other alone. He's putting on The Best Husband act to deflect his brother-in-law's suspicions. Even doing a bit of manipulation re: Yuri's 'diplomat' job to take the attention off his own skills. This doesn't mean that his intentions are wrong per se, he definitely does want to get Yor out safely, but I doubt that it's his sole or top priority.

Real: instant reaction to a threat, Yuri's not in the immediate vicinity, and Twilight's facial expression gives away his true exasperation. The little sweatdrop is so cute.

Real: this is Yuri's version of "Mama and Papa are flirting!" Twilight and Yor react the same way -- sputtering and sweating nervously.

Real: lol I just love this 'I'm so done' look that Twilight gives Yuri. It reminds me of the face he made in the household chore battle chapter where he thinks to himself, can you just go home already?

And then the big moment! Which I believe is real.

A thought experiment: would Twilight have done this if Yuri weren't there? I think he still would have. The fact he reacted instantly (again) and that intense focus in his glare with the darkened shadow over his face, all make it look like he's solely concerned for Yor's safety and not about Yuri's opinion. In the earlier panel where he said he doesn't care about being pushed around etc., he has no shadow over his face, the background is actually brightly lit for exaggerated effect, which made it seem more like a facade.

Real: his surprise and concern and instant "solution mode" for Yor's sake.

And now the final one which I believe is both real and fake!

This is Yor's POV on what happened. She sees her husband's reassuring, gentle-eyed smile that he's given her so many times. We as the audience know that Twilight never looks like this outside of his Loid Forger persona. However, even though his expression is not genuine to Twilight, the intent behind it is. He is using that 'fake' smile to provide real comfort to Yor and let her know he'll take care of the problem.

This is not the first time he has fake-smiled at Yor while (probably) harboring altruistic or vulnerable thoughts underneath. The most prominent instance I can think of is the aftermath of the mole arc:

Thank you for reading my over-analysis. I LOVE THESE TWO SO MUCH AHHHHHHHHHHHH

[aerequets]

this is very short and quick but i got work tomorrow so this is all i got

[lyricalpsyche]

not everyone is cut out to act in certain roles

(don't mind me, just obsessing over Yor's current character arc and the fact that her desire to "play a role" stems from a deep-rooted belief that no one could ever love her for who she truly is)

[friendly-analysis-demon]

Chapter 128 rapid reaction & mini-meta

I had such a strong gut feeling about this week's chapter that I had a hard time sleeping the night before release. Let’s. Freaking. Go! This was my first official spoiler-free new chapter as I’ve slowly been rereading from the beginning, and oh my, I love this manga.

Yor has always been my favorite character because she is The Heart of the series; she reflects on her emotions, challenges herself to grow, and, as a result, naturally develops much of the story (todo plans to discuss this more in a deeper analysis). And this chapter is confirmation of so much growth (which we’ve already known Yor to display).

While I knew Endo was cooking, a part of me was still afraid that we were going to be in “development chicken” with Yor adding distance to Loid and being very low self-esteem (he’s too perfect, he could never return my feelings, why imitate anything). Afterall this is what so many writers like to do (just dangle that carrot for a few chapters). So, while I knew Endo was cooking, I didn’t know how long he would make us wait. But like many, I was pleasantly surprised!

I love how on-the-nose Endo was with the title. “The five-year love plan,” eh? hehehe (cue the new fanfic title theme).

This is really cute, classic, normal domestic life. It’s also so fun to see the dynamics changing with the co-workers. I know they have selfish intentions, but the gals wanting to spend time with Yor is still really sweet because look how much things have changed!

I think Yor unintentionally walled herself off from the gals club early days in a way that comes off as rude. She didn’t know how to act 'normal', so she just avoided socialising, and it made it seem like she rejected the conventions that the girls sign up to (traditional femininity and marriage) and was stand-offish to their attempts to converse (what do you think, Yor? Hm?) So it’s nice to see that things really changed when Yor just simply started…opening herself up more. Talking, engaging, saying yes to things. She’s still not “normal” in their eyes, but she’s not walled off either. Everyone, including Yor, has been surprised by how much she has changed since the series started (we love to see it).

Yor is fully acknowledging the implications (and still going forward with it!) (We love to see it)

Also, it looks like Endo is teasing a potential jealousy plot…TBH, I don’t think he would do a traditional jealousy arc for Twilight/Loid. But that doesn’t mean he won't take the classic trope and cook something up in a different direction (that will be just as fun). I think Hemlock is a back-burner character that can always stir things up and trigger some plot for laterrrrr. Endo added this character (a single man in Yor's public circle who knows her secret) for a reason, afterall! Orrrr, with Millie's waste-no-time-attitude, perhaps there could be adouble-date (help me get a date with Hemlock, Yor). It may be a while, but I trust Endo has fun plans with Hemlock as a character!

Cue Yuri’s interruption:

I breathed a sigh of relief that Yor not only immediately shot that down, but then made a full “I want” statement! (Yor is setting boundaries and we love to see it!)

And then my face looked about like Yuri’s bc I was *not* expecting this level of development

So Yor has realised her feelings, admitted it out loud to two different people (who know her very well) on separate occasions, and is straight-up taking the step to initiate a date with Loid without any excuse. I was afraid Endo would stall progress with Yor going full acceptance to immediate defeat and retracting inward. But nope!

I think the fact that Yor is willing to admit this, to herself and out loud, to an adult, is a huge development. This is also a big shock for Yuri. Sure, everything is, but this was different. Big shock + Yor being genuine + Yor setting boundaries. (We love to see it!!) She doesn't let Yuri's behavior get in the way at all this time; she leaves him to pick himself up.

(Fingers crossed Chloe makes an appearance and can talk some sense into Yuri about his behavior. Given what Yor just said to him, he really needs to start listening hehe)

About Twilight...

His reactions to Yor are eyes closed with Loid’s hyper-likeable, cheery face, and his monologue is purely focused on work. Normally, he would be quick to collect, y'know, more information (oh, I didn’t realise Yor was in to this sort of thing, etc). But here he is, not trying to calculate Yor's equation, which is especially interesting considering he recently said he needs to work to better understand Yor…

Two ways you can read this: either he is [already] down bad and just making excuses bc he subconsciously likes the idea of a date with Yor, or, [more likely,] he is extra guarded and trying really hard to stay focused on work. However, didn’t he recently make the case that he needs to better understand Yor “for the mission” in chapter 120? -> Twilight is being inconsistent. He needs to get to know Yor “for the mission,” yet when his brain goes straight to work regarding a date, he doesn’t consider Yor at all. So what exactly is his brain working on? The mission, making excuses, or keeping his guard up? Is he over-the-top in character as Loid as a defense mechanism, or is his genuine reaction becoming more like Loid? (Both? Both is good!)

Something isn’t for the mission, and it shows.

Twilight hasn’t really looked at Yor for a while, and he’s definitely not looking at her in this chapter! I suspect the next time he truly looks at Yor (which will happen despite his best efforts because she will be herself and catch him off guard), he’s going to be rather unprepared for how it hits him.

These days, they are on completely different pages (or at least trying to be). But boy, they sure seem to be on the same page when reacting to Anya’s suggestion! (Something isn’t for the mission, and it shows.)

Let’s talk about the significance of this:

Yor is not “changing herself” to appeal to Loid. She’s just going to be her unmasked self. That speaks volumes for her confidence and, yes, we love to see it. But also, that’s just so lovely. Yor is skipping the classic bullshitTM that so many people lose sleep over to get someone to 'notice' them. I love how straightforward she always is (even when she doesn’t realise it). One of the major reasons Yor fell in love with Loid is because of how accepted he made her feel, so of course, she feels comfortable wearing what is most natural to her! (Also, all that acceptance from "Loid" is actually coming from Twilight, so just another reason why they are unknowingly so good for one another) TLDR: your girl is going on the first date without makeup.

As I mentioned above, absolutely no eye contact in these panels:

Also, Twilight doesn't seem to be as...smooth with his multi-tasking...

We need to talk about Twilight’s outfit as well: He opted for a more comfortable casual jumper, not his usual, more polished, spy-ready attire. He came here fully dressed as Loid. And no, not because a suit would have been out of place (several people are dressed in more formal wear than Twilight/Loid). In fact, Yor and Twilight are dressed the most comfortably/least formally.

Interesting how we don't get any of Twilight's inner thoughts here...

Normally, Twilight would be diligent to every one of Yor’s reactions (oh no, is she uncomfortable, is she going to leave the marriage, what does this mean, I must pay attention to Yor for the mission!) So either Endo is intentionally restricting us to Yor’s thoughts to put the audience in her shoes of not knowing what he’s thinking, or Twilight’s lack of calculation regarding Yor is the change. Like I said above, one way or another, there’s a slight inconsistency to his logic and actions.

And of course, the significance that Yor is in her full natural attire with the only change being her earrings. Is this the first time she's changed out of her iconic Thorn Princess earrings?! I would have missed it bc I'm not good with flora, but others have mentioned how these are rose buds too! Cough *obvious symbolism is obvious* cough. Has Endo been reading the fanfics? hehe

So here is the potential for all the bread and butter of this arc: Anya changed the channel. I think this wee detail will force the adults to handle the plot without Anya's telepathy. (Classic Endo to include a slice-of-life detail that actually has a huge impact; love to see it!)

I enjoy the little check-ins from back home with Uncle Scruffy. And, ya gotta love this new reaction panel of Yuri. (Reaction to what? God, if I know! But I'll be telling someone to "Just keep on walking back to your home, Toilet Boy!") Also, a friendly reminder of how much Yuri’s presence is a huge risk to Twilight, always. P.S. Yor is having such a classic young love experience in her late 20s (and we love to see it)

It’s interesting that while Twilight/Loid is on a completely different page than that of Yor, they still mirror each other all the time. (Endo knows exactly what he’s doing).

Cue the action setup for the arc! Gosh, I love Endo’s paneling.

So there we have it. Smooching content. And for the first time, Twilight/Loid, Yor, and Yuri are all in the same space (without Anya around) while shit is going down!?

Some [over-excited] speculations:

I think Yuri’s presence is going to make it all the more difficult for Twilight to go full spy mode (you abandoned my sister in the middle of a date!?)

I also think Chloe will have a reason to make an appearance if SSS responds. I wonder if this will turn into Garden work for Yor the way it will turn into Wise work for Twilight? If so, we can probably expect an appearance from Hemlock. But that seems like getting everything on the wishlist and a really big arc so I don't want to get my hopes up

Either way, y'know Yor is going to have to use her classic strength in front of Loid, which, well…we know his type.

Orrrrrr we get triple secret identity hiding action running around revolving doors avoiding cameras, Scooby Doo style! (Both? Both is good!)

But no matter what, there is one plot set-up which cannot be denied: Twilight and Yuri are both going to think that Yor is in the presence of serious danger. Ladies and gents, I think Twilight is set up to learn something about himself. Oh, and the adults are going to have to do it without a telepathic gremlin holding their hands along the way!

And the cameras are going to make things all the more interesting...

Endo is cooking, and we’re eating good!

Happy Valentine's Day y'all!

[yumeka-sxf]

A chronological analysis on Twilight and Yor - Part 34

*This is part of an ongoing post series. If you missed the Introduction/Part 1, click here*

———-

When Twilight gets home, exhausted and battered, expecting to fight yet another fight with Yor's gripes…he's instead greeted by her radiant smile.

One can imagine the relief he must have felt seeing this instead of the scowl that he had last seen on her face. He's so relieved (and perhaps a bit smitten) that his knees give way under him. Of course, his unrelenting suspicious mind tries to tell him to stay alert, as Yor's smile could be a front for the gripes underneath. But once he finds out that she doesn't actually have gripes with him, he's free of that last load of stress and is finally able to fully relax, causing him to collapse (similar to the very first chapter when he collapsed after Anya passed the Eden entrance exam). After he realizes how utterly exhausted he is, he can't help but ask Yor to help out with his share of the housework.

Her reply is what really makes everything sink in for him: despite all his attempts to be a flawless husband (not to mention spy), she doesn't want him to be that way. She's happy when she can be useful to him and thinks it's bad if he pushes himself to be perfect all the time. Since Yor is so akin to taking care of others, she's happiest when she can help lighten his burden so he doesn't have to shoulder it all on his own.

I think this whole scene was more effectively done in the manga, mostly because of the lack of backgrounds that Endo chose to incorporate in certain panels. Especially for the panel where Loid first sees Yor upon opening the door, and later when she tells him that he doesn't have to be perfect all the time.

The lack of backgrounds in these panels really emphasizes what the characters are focused on; in the former, seeing Yor greet him with a smile is such a relief to Loid that he doesn't see anything else but that, and for the latter, not having a background shows how focused they are on each other...that there's nothing in the world but them in that moment.

And yet, as grateful as Twilight is to hear Yor say these things, being perfect all the time is exactly what he has to bein order to survive as a spy. The fact that he had to ask someone for help with simple housework, plus someone telling him that he doesn't have to be perfect, made him recall the feeling he had when he looked into Wheeler's eyes: that he lives in a world where you have to be perfect in order to survive, and having any kind of weakness will get you killed.

While Twilight continues to be clueless about both Yor and Fiona's feelings for him, this event marks a big turning point for him – acknowledgement of his own feelings. He realizes that refusing to kill Yuri in the sewers purely because he cares about Yor's happiness, shows that he's compromised as a spy. Even though there's been small examples of him choosing to act on his feelings versus what's best for the mission, such as when he punched Swan during the Eden interview, this is the first time where such action could literally mean life or death for him.

It's also important to note that when Twilight speaks to Yor in his head during this scene, his speech in the Japanese version is more casual than ever before. He uses the casual male pronoun "ore" and the colloquial phrase "demo ne." Even though it's only in his mind, he's never addressed her this way before, which further reinforces how comfortable he's become around her.

Twilight's newfound realization about his weakness is further revealed when Yuri unceremoniously pulls up his sleeve, trying to find the bullet wound on his arm. Luckily Yuri didn't have time to dwell on it as Yor, being considerate of how exhausted Loid was, pushes Yuri away, even after noticing he was injured. She didn't even invite him to stay and have tea with them. It's unusual for Yor to get annoyed with someone like this, especially Yuri, which goes to show how much she cares about doing what's best for Loid (and I'm sure she didn't like being interrupted when they were having such a sweet moment together!)

In the shower, Loid muses about how lucky he was that he covered up the bullet wound as he didn't anticipate Yuri being so astute about their encounter. But this only reinforces the painful truth he had just realized about this "weakness" he has to overcome. After getting yet another wave of panic after smelling something burning, only to realize that Yor had accidentally burned his shirts when using the iron, it's no wonder Twilight takes a much-needed day off the next day!

Being the conscientious, thoughtful person that she is, Yor not only gets up early to make breakfast the next morning (which somehow caused her to get more bruised than Twilight), but she does everything to ensure that Loid can spend the whole day resting in his room.

As she spends a peaceful day with Anya and Bond, we see yet again what a great mother she is and how happy she is being with the Forgers. She lovingly watches Anya draw pictures of her trip to the zoo, makes sure she cleans up her backpack, immediately brushes Bond's fur when it gets wet, when brushes Anya's hair at her unexpected request. Yor also makes the observation that Bond's fur looks shinier than when they first got him, proving once again how emotionally in tune to she is to those around her.

The last interaction we saw between Yor and Bond wasn't a favorable one, as it was the first time Bond became fearful of her cooking and thought she would get mad if he refused to eat it, to the point of running away from home to find Loid. So it's nice to see that he's gotten over that and enjoys being with her (he's only scared of her cooking!) I can't help but think that when she says to Bond "you're the best just the way you are" that she's also referring to Loid, since she had told him something similar the day before: that she prefers him as he is and that he doesn't have to try so hard to be perfect.

To be continued in Part 35 (when season 4 releases!)

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