Misc. Shoka portrayal headcanons !
ย ย ย ย ย ย [ SUICIDE TW ]ย ย While I have yet to settle on what her relationship was actually like with her parents, I am of the mind that Shokaโs choice to become a Reaper at the end of her Game implies enough unhappiness with her life prior to the game that being a Reaper was preferable to coming back to life and that Shoka ending up in the Reaperโs Game in the first place was a deliberate choice on her endย โ well, maybe ending up in the Game wasnโt her intention, but taking her own life was absolutely what she had been trying to do.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Itโs also said that Shoka knew what the consequences of her actions in choosing to remain a Player instead of returning to the Reapers in NEO would be. Itโs another deliberate choice that she knows will result in her death andโฆ sheโs okay with this. Because itโs not the first time sheโs committed to the loss of her life and sheโs happy that at least, for a while, she had a family she loved and who loved her and that she got to meet her first friend in person, but most of that family is gone now and sheโd have to resign herself to never being able to see her friend again and thatโs just too much for her. And hey, at least being erased is easier than dying again, right?
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Anyway, the purpose of pointing these things out is to point out the subtle implications of Shoka having suicidal tendencies, at least prior to her returning to the RG at the end of the Game, and explain her cause of death.
ย ย ย ย ย ย Shoka has always felt somewhat out of place, never quite being able to find a sense of belonging anywhere. As a result, she struggled to make connections with people while she was still alive, mainly keeping to herself both at school and at home.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย This struggle followed her into the Game. Although her team won their Game and many of her teammates chose to return to their lives in the RG, Shoka, having decided that what waited for her back in the RG simply wasnโt worth the second chance that was being offered to her, opted to join the Reapers instead.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Shoka was (obviously) not in the same team as the other Shinjuku Reapers, given that she was put in Ayanoโs care when she first became a Reaper. Ayanoโs mentorship of Shoka created a bond between the two that Shoka hadnโt really experienced with anyone while she was alive.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Ayano gifted Shoka her trademark Mr. Mew hoodie upon their arrival to Shibuya.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Her next major relationship was with Susukichi. Though not officially under his care, Susukichi had taken it upon himself to reach out to her in his own way; protected her, made her feel included. Heโs the closest thing to a best friend that she has, but even then she thinks of him more as an older brother than anything.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Shokaโs third and final major relationship within the Shinjuku Reapers was with Kaie. Encouraged by Susukichiโs efforts to include her in their pre-established little found family, it began with her taking a chance and accepting Kaieโs offer of a card reading at his shop. Kaie was comfortable. Recognizing that though Shoka had a support network within the Shinjuku Reapers what she really needed was a friend, he encouraged Shoka out of her shell by giving her an opportunity to make friends with her Swallow account and FanGO. FanGO would also give her something to do when not on the clock for her Reaper duties so that her โjobโ wouldnโt become her entire (after)life. She relies heavily on him for advice through the course of their relationship.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Kaieโs shop, like Kaie, is very comfortable, not to mention it has some of the best WiFi anywhere, so she spends a lot of time there.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Shoka cares deeply for the other Shinjuku Reapers but itโs important to note that her relationships with them are more akin to family than friends. Shoka has never really had real friends prior to her friendship with Rindo as Swallow. Rindo is her first friend.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Despite her complicated feelings about the Game itself, Shoka canโt actually deny that sheโs actually very grateful for the opportunity the Game gave her to meet him in person and that it afforded her further opportunity to befriend the rest of the Wicked Twisters, albeit under far from ideal circumstances.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย โI put her back on the street with the other stray cats.โ This was literal โ very literal. When Joshua tossed Shoka back into the RG, Shoka woke up in Wildkat, Hanekomaโs cafรฉ on Cat Street. On the street with the other stray cats. Shoka was left in Hanekomaโs care and stays with him post-Game. She has a part-time job in the cafรฉ itself but also models occasionally for Gatto Nero. Itโs a literal dream come true when Shiki makes her the offer.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Shoka attends the same school as and is in the same class as Fret, a year above Rindo and a year below Rhyme. She wears her Mr. Mew hoodie over her uniform whenever possible.
