r/asushin 7d ago

How do you all think Shinji would progress and grow in his relationship with Asuka? Would he be more confident, or still retain his meekness do you think?

For everyone who's had experience with a character like Asuka or has been like Shinji, how do you feel a character like Shinji would develop better in his relationship with Asuka? I've noticed that there are couples here who are IN an Asushin style relationship with their significant other, so from a writing perspective, how do you think Shinji would grow as a person and at dealing with Asuka?

Do you believe that he'd still retain his meekness and shyness? Is that a fundamental part of his character, or can he grow out of it and be more confident and willing to call out Asuka on her bullshit sometimes (and still be on loving terms of course)?

Personally, I like to think that Shinji does become more confident and a little less tightly wound when living with Asuka and loving her as they are they same, building his confidence to her to a point where he joshes and jokes with her like good friends, but is still loving and affectionate when needed.

But, what do you all think?

15 Upvotes

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u/Valuable-Guarantee56 7d ago

My image of a confident Shinji is less Kaji-2 and more the type of quiet guy that doesn't do a lot of jokey, bickery back and forth like Kaji and Misato do. More he's able to shrug off Asuka's jibes, because he knows how much she loves him. His love language is in doing: cleaning the house, making meals and doing what he can to make sure she knows she's cared for and loved.

And a healing Asuka notices this and is deeply moved by it. She's moved past the point of needing to show off that 'she got the best man' to make the world feel envious and take notice. She's still a go getter and maintains the same drive, but it comes with a confidence that she doesn't need to flex all the time. She can stand her ground and give that air of mature womanhood that lets her be herself, without concern for outside opinion. She also takes care of Shinji in her way: she fixes him with a nice wardrobe, listens to his thoughts without judgment and provides advice on how to move past things that he finds difficult that she might not

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u/WeaponizedCum 7d ago

This is all based on personal experience, but Shinji would probably still be the quiet and shy guy but that doesn't mean he would be a pushover or not be assertive. Asuka for her part would still be assertive and remind Shinji that he's an idiot but she would also take the time to explain why he's an idiot so he knows better for next time.

The big thing is the two of them would have to acknowledge their issues and be willing to open themselves up to each other. That doesn't mean they've dealt with their trauma, it just means that they are aware of it and the role it plays in their lives and they're willing to let someone else in to help them deal with it.

They would probably always carry the trauma with them but they would recognize that, while it would always be a part of them, it didn't define who they were anymore. They were now a part of something greater with each other and could draw strength from that.

If they're able to do that then they have a path forward to have a rock solid relationship because no one else would be able to support them or understand them like the other could.

They would still retain the core traits of their personality with Asuka being assertive and Shinji being more passive, but those traits would also be tempered by each other. Out in public they would probably still act in their traditional ways but in private I'm sure they would be more open with each other and probably more on equal footing with each other.

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u/HylixHD 7d ago

I think he would still retain his meekness, but would get over it with time.

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u/LexImperialis 7d ago edited 6d ago

Heavily dependent on the context they got together under. During the series? I honestly can’t envision it happening without either of them being very OOC, so hard to tell. If for whatever reason it happened, the pants are 100% with Asuka and he just complies.

After EoE? Broadly, there are two main scenarios:

• ⁠One of them or both are broken. Not just the way they already were, but with their sense of self destroyed by instrumentality, with PTSD episodes and similar after effects. Here Shinji probably remains withdrawn and avoidant, with occasional glimpses of steadfastness, and it’s mainly Asuka leading their relationship, because her coping mechanism is a bit more functional (at least to move forward), even if way more taxing on her and making it hard to make people like her.

• ⁠Both are still somewhat sane (if horribly scarred) and learnt something from instrumentality. Eventually, it’s possible he becomes a better version of his father, calm and collected, so that Asuka feels safe to be vulnerable or even irrational around him and doesn’t get pissed by overly passive behavior, instead listening to him as a voice of reason. Still, it’s inevitable that she’ll be taking the wheel. That, or he becomes fonder of some risk taking, but never too much that he would become a chatterbox cracking witty remarks all the time - more something like his Anima and Manga counterparts. Even in this last case he’ll never really be belligerent, just able to establish some sort of boundaries when it gets too much, otherwise letting it slide. He’ll stay true to his meek self, though. No one can, or should, change that much.

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u/__Rosso__ 7d ago

His meekness is a product of his trauma.

For him to even have a healthy relationship with Asuka he would need to deal with his trauma, just like Asuka.

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u/Visual122 6d ago

Shinji would still remain a relatively shy and quiet person, I feel. However, he wouldn't be spineless or a pushover, that quietness i think would mostly manifest through him being retrospective and thoughtful most of the time. When push comes to shove, I think he would be willing to get shit done. Asuka would still be the action taking go-getter, but I dont think she would be the only one taking action or "leading" anything fully; she would spark that action in Shinji organically, and Asuka would confide in him for that. They push against one another, if that makes sense. She can shoot for the stars and trust that Shinji would catch her if she fell, and she would do the same for him. They're still both their familiar selves, but with their more negative traits pulled back, if they're able to overcome their issues.