I did a google search for "oofuri ayano" because I wanted to draw her and couldn't quite remember what she looked like and google was all "did you mean 'oofuri yaoi'"
No, google, I did not. In fact, I was pretty much looking for the opposite since I was going to work on drawing Ayano and Mia so I could draw them kissing and cuddling n' shit w/ Chiyo.
Hanai had a little heart bubble so I clicked to see who he had a crush on and it was Onoda. Hanai just asked out Onoda. Onoda said yes.They are dating now.
I don't want to make posts like these; but sometimes you just have to say something.
One thing that consistently bothers me about the Oofuri fandom is the treatment of Mihashi...
Specifically the use of the name "baby bird" for him. I mean, I call him a bird sometimes, because he honestly does resemble one, but some people take it too far; they infantilize him and portray him as incapable. After all, what could possibly be more helpless than a baby bird?
Mihashi very clearly has an anxiety disorder. As someone who heavily relates to him in this area, I always feel a little sick reading the tags on pictures of him. It's true that people like us are set off easily, and that we do need to carefully monitor our environments. We do appreciate it when people remove things that could possibly be anxiety-triggering. But we are by no means helpless. We are independent human beings and while our crying may cause you to label us a small children, we are not.
When you treat Mihashi as such, it's disheartening and honestly kind of offensive. We can take care of ourselves. We appreciate support, but we do not need you to protect us.
I understand why you might see Mihashi and feel the desire to coddle him, but please realize that people with anxiety have to live our lives while people navigate around us like we'll shatter at any moment. The people around us create procedures to deal w/ us, we frustrate the people we love, and so many of us have deep ingrained self-hatred for all of it. But my god do people w/ anxiety try. We work to make it through the day and to live our lives and we are stronger for it.
When you call Mihashi a baby bird, you are disregarding his strength. Watching Mihashi grow and develop in Oofuri was really inspiring to me. Look at the Bijou game; he's put under intense pressure, and he handles it so well. Look at the manga. Look at him tell himself that he "is good enough" and remind himself that he deserves his position and persevere when everything has gone to shit. He slowly becomes everything I'm trying to be. He's inspiring.
Please stop turning Mihashi into a child and parading him as weak. Instead, talk about how strong he is and how much he is able to grow over the course of the series.
Mihashi (and every person w/ anxiety for that matter) is not a baby bird--he is a capable and strong human being.
Mihashi: Dfab trans boy no doubt. Mihoshi was an all boys school, but his Gradfather was super awesome and got him in registered as a boy. So it was never really a huge issue for him there. People didn't question awkward uncomfortable Mihashi doing things separately from them a lot. They kinda embraced it, I mean, if he was alienating himself, it saved them the effort right? It was a different story at Nishiura, because it became impossible to keep it a secret. He did a lot of stupid things like sleeping w/ his binder on during training camp, but w/ the help of Tajima became comfortable and trusting of his teammates. Biromantic/sexual but kinda comes into it late, like he only really starts feeling attraction to people after he's 16
Abe: Cis boy, but a little overly concerned about Mihashi and constantly checking in on his wellbeing. He gets pretty overbearing, but is earnestly trying to help Mihashi, but he's still cis and just doesn't get it. Very Gray-homosexual/romantic. Had a gross crush on Haruna and refuses to acknowledge it. Also ends up w/ a gross crush on Mihashi, who just doesn't... feel the same way? and it kinda fucks things up between them for a bit but they're so attached at the hip that it hardly matters
Oki: Dmab bigender. Just kindof generally likes cute things, probably paints their nails and wears hairclips even on boy days. Generally kinda nervous about starting to present female, because she really can't "pass" but w/ the support of the team does it anyway and feels more confident then ever. He's a major cutie who's androromantic asexual
Sakaeguchi: Sakaeguchi is complicated. She knows that they're not totally a boy early on, and have always been pretty femme, but the question has always been "how much of a girl am I?" In early highschool, she decides that she's just a demigirl, and likes to do some girlish things and still uses masculine pronouns (but only Boku, really) but likes female gendered words like "sister" By the end of highschool she's started using genderfluid to describe herself, but soon realizes that she spends far more time in girl mode than any other and kinda just slides into the idea that she might be a full on trans girl. By the end of college, she's pretty much presenting female all the time. Gynoromantic/sexual
Tajima: Dfab trans boy but totally comfortable w/ his body, like he still strips all the time. He thinks dicks are pretty cool but gosh have you seen his vag cause it's awesome Doesn't bind, he's really flatchested, but will wear sports bras to practice and on game days. His general comfort and openness w/ his body helps mihashi out so much, but sometimes he's a little too much and pushes Mihashi a little too far. But generally very caring, probably keeps a couple of extra sports bras w/ him just in case Mihashi needs to borrow one.
Suyama: Cis? w/ agender leanings maybe? Uses masculine pronouns and doesn't really have a problem w/ it and doesn't mind being called "brother" and stuff, but sometimes just kinda wants neutrality. He is very very very Aroace. Don't argue. Aromantic Asexual. He's qp w/ Sakaeguchi. They cannot be separated, all of sakaeguchi's girlfriends just kinda have to accept that Suyama is part of the package. And they're really touchy feeling too, like cuddling and hand holding, but it's all strictly platonic (they actually did contemplate a romantic relationship during college but after a few awkward conversations came to the conclusion it just wasn't for them) But they're together forever nonetheless.
Mizutani: Shitty cis het boy. The only one. Maybe kinda bi? But only in a sexual sense, not romantic. He'd probably be willing to go at it w/ just about anyone, he's maybe a little desperate. It probably takes him the longest to catch on to all the gendery stuff going on w/ his teammates and he feels pretty left out whenever they talk about things he can't relate to.
Izumi: dmab Genderqueer izumi is the only izumi. They're very androgynous in appearance and people always ask them "are you a boy or a girl?" and they never give anyone a straight answer. Wears lots of ugly sweater and has an extensive collection of tights and boots which they mix and match in the most... interesting ways. Aromantic pansexual. Doesn't give a fuck about people, but very much likes to fuck people.
Hanai: Cis dude and staunchly heterosexual coming into highschool, but after getting huge embarrassingly gross crushes on Mihashi and Tajima has to come to terms w/ not being totally straight. He probably starts off making really gross transphobic explanations to himself: like, well they have girl's bodies so it's okay, I mean they essentially are girls. But soon realizes of awful and offensive that is to the two of them and just gives in to calling himself Bi
Nishihiro: Pretty agendery. Really just likes the idea of neutrality. Watashi or Boku. Uses whichever they think will make them seem more neutral at a given time. Pretty pan and really just adores girls and boys and nonbinary people, so Oki becomes the perfect match for them and they really just can't get over how adorable Oki is everyday, regardless of presentation.
Wow that became a wall of text. It was nice to get this all written down.
Oki really does try to get into the manga Nishihiro likes, but Nishi is just so passionate about it and Oki ends up spending more time just watching him than they do actually listening to what he's saying.
