Coming Out Of Her Shell (Plotter for Yoshino)

Yoshino is a sixteen-year-old student, and can come off as a bit of a loner. Unfortunately, while she puts on a tough front, this girl is an emotional wreck, riddled with insecurities that stem from a single incident in her first year of high school. Despite no longer being able to practice it, she's a fan of kendo, and, more recently, she's discovered a love of cooking, which is what she came to Fukui to study

Friendship
Yoshino can be...difficult. She has some rather deep emotional scars, and she will actively avoid getting close to others, because she's terrified of getting hurt. It's already happened once, and it's had a huge impact on her life; definitely not a good one, either. She's still friendly to anyone who she interacts with, so long as they give her a reason to be, but that's about it. Someone seeking anything beyond a casual friendship will have their work cut out for them. If someone is diligent or stubborn enough, they may be able to make Yoshino lower her guard and start opening up a bit. Otherwise, it won't be easy.

Still, should someone actually succeed in penetrating her defenses, few will find themselves with a more loyal and trustworthy friend. She has an awkward way of showing that she cares, but there will be no question that she does indeed care. It's just a matter of getting her to lower her guard just enough to where she feels even a little comfortable with letting someone into her heart. Once that happens, the rest will take care of itself.

Enemies
Usually, Yoshino will just ignore anything that annoys her, so it can take a lot to get on her bad side. Even if someone does manage to do so, she isn't the type to antagonize anyone, but she will more or less refuse to acknowledge that they exist, unless it's necessary for whatever reason (i.e. something class related). But even then, she can be rather spiteful, and she'll make it clear that she would much rather be doing something else.

Generally, all one has to do is act like a raging asshole to her or anyone she cares about. Her past is an especially sore subject for her, so prying into that and disregarding her feelings is probably the easiest way to piss her off. Making fun of her crippled shoulder and weak knee are also some surefire ways to anger her. Not that she'll do anything about it, of course. If nothing else, she'll make no effort to hide how much she despises you.

If, by chance, you do end up pissing her off, not all hope is lost. While it will take a lot of persistence, if you can find a way to make it clear that you regret what you did and/or didn't mean to do it, then you might have a hope of her eventually forgiving you. Still, they say that one of the hardest things to fix is broken trust, and, considering how difficult it is for her to trust someone in the first place, this is especially true for Yoshino.

Romance
Now we get to the fun part. Take all of the complications with friendship and increase them several fold; that's pretty much what we have here. She had a huge crush on a female senpai during her first year of high school (before coming to Fukui), and to say that it didn't end well would be a huge understatement. Not only is she terrified of being heartbroken again, but she was made painfully aware that her preference of other females is frowned upon by many.

Needless to say, she avoids romance like the plague, despite the fact that she would love nothing more than to find someone to become intimate with. Still, even if there was someone she might actually have a chance of hooking up with, he fears are still strong enough to keep her from acting on her feelings. Just like before, anyone who wishes to become "more than friends" with her will have their work cut out for them, as they will need to slowly-but-steadily deal with her insecurities.

In short, anyone interested in becoming "more than friends" with Yoshino will have some obstacles to deal with if they ever hope to fully capture her heart. Some patience will undoubtedly be required, but those who stick with her will find themselves with a very loving (albeit clingy and self-conscious) girlfriend. But it won't happen right away; some tough love may be required in this regard, but either way, they'll need to be persistent. Or at least very stubborn.

When it's all said and done, you know what they say; the Power of Love conquers all!

Miscelaneous Facts
• She won't admit it in fear of it making her seem childish, but she has quite a sweet tooth. She's especially fond of anything with chocolate and/or mint in it.

• While she doesn't outright hate it, she's not a fan of baking things. It isn't necessarily because she isn't any good at it (quite the contrary, in fact), but more because of how little room for error there is. She's more of the "throw things into a pan and see if it works" type, so having to be so precise with measurements can grate on her nerves a little.

• Despite no longer being able to practice it, she still greatly enjoys watching kendo matches whenever they're happening nearby or being broadcast on TV or the internet. That said, while she tries not to be bitter about being forced to give it up, knowing there's no point in dwelling on it, there are still times when she can't help it.

• It annoys her to no end when people go on and on about how wonderful their girlfriend/boyfriend is, and she's equally frustrated when she sees a bunch PDA all around her. She kinda hates Valentines Day as a result. Of course, she's fully aware that this is just her being bitter about her past, so she does her best not to take it out on anyone else.

• While's not not much of a gamer, she has enough of a passing knowledge about some of the more popular/famous games to not be completely lost when others talk about them; of the ones she's actually played, she's fond of games like Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing that move at a relaxed and casual pace.

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So yeah...that's about it. In any case, if you're interested in plotting with Yoshino and/or have any ideas for a potential thread, feel free to either post in here or send me something over discord.