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#also been noticing how my process has changed haha it's interesting
salamispots · 7 months
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something something giant isopod sharing is caring pass the detritus
inprnt
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jingsyuans · 1 year
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Hiya, saw that you're taking requests for Jing Yuan :3
I've read through a few of your fics and absolutely love the way you portray him <3
So I wanted to ask if you could write something with him where the reader is struggling with insomnia due to either nightmares or stress overload? (preferably sfw with fluff overload ples :3)
If you're not comfortable with that or don't get an image in your head is totally cool and u can ignore this, have a cookie for your troubles and great work 🍪
a/n: you’ll actually find there’s little I’m not comfortable with, anon! This turned out longer than I thought, I’m still in the stage with Jing Yuan where everything rambles on into a full story because I like him so much and my muse is strong HAHA
Themes: oneshot, prior to any relationship, late night vulnerability and Jing Yuan being smitten. Unedited.
⚝──⭒─Jing Yuan ; 3am ─⭒──⚝
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Jing Yuan was no stranger to stress and sleepless nights. It comes with the job, fortunately or unfortunately. He has no trouble falling asleep- he’s proven that quite enough with how he dozes off at inopportune times. His problem is more along the lines of having too much to do at night so it keeps him busy.
He isn’t sure what your version of sleepless nights looks like. He knows that you have them- he can tell from the drag in your step and the heaviness of your eyelids. He also knows that there might be several factors as to why you haven’t been getting much sleep lately, the sudden jumpy nature you have while at work is proof of that. But how to approach the subject? That’s something that requires some thought.
Your relationship was almost nothing outside of a work environment. Jing Yuan had made the steps to possibly progress it further, but his process was always step by step and rather methodical. Which, to put it simply, means that he’s rather slow. He doesn’t like to rush into things. You’ve taken his interest and he doesn’t want that interest to run out, so he ever so gently coaxes new information out of you every so often as to satiate his interest but still keep him hungry for more.
Your change in behavior as of recently presents on opportunity for the two of you to grow closer. Presents an opportunity for Jing Yuan to show he cares about you more than just a subordinate, but doesn’t hint at anything too excessive. A gentle nudge is what it is.
So he takes his opportunity once the two of you are alone in the Seat of Divine Foresight. Some would call it his office, which he supposes it is, but the room is too open and broad with Knights, secretaries, and officers always moving around inside and out. Really, the Divine Foresight is too public in a lot of ways.
But people must go home eventually to retire for the evening, and you usually leave with the crowd. But these past few nights you’ve been keeping him silent company in the large office, scribbling away at papers and clearly keeping yourself busy with things that could be done the next day. So it’s on one of these evenings that you share with him yet again that Jing Yuan decides to retire early. Early for him, anyhow.
He wraps up messily- his desk is always full so he never bothers to clear it off, leaving scrolls open and scattered. He at least has the decency to cap his inkwell to make sure it doesn’t spill, but that’s about all before he’s silently walking down the steps where his desk is and heading for you.
You don’t notice him hovering from behind. Your hand is in your hair, slightly tugging on the strands as you tap your pen endlessly on the desk. Clearly, you’re reaching a dead end. But you’re making no signs to stop your work just yet.
He’s careful, but perhaps not very thoughtful as he places a hand on your shoulder and watches as you jump. The smile is already on his face by the time you turn around, eyes wide open before seeing it was merely your general.
“Evening, ___,” he says your name carefully. It isn’t often that it’s after hours and there’s barely anyone around so he can drop the formalities. “Why don’t you wrap up here? It’s late, as I’m sure that you’re aware.”
“Ah, yes, general,” your eyes don’t meet his for long before you’re looking back to your desk, lips pursed. He doesn’t mind that you don’t reciprocate his casualties— clearly you have more prominent things on your mind. “Yes, it’s late. But I’ve still got work to do, so-“
Without asking- because in all honesty he doesn’t really need to, he’s your boss- Jing Yuan picks up the scrolls you were staring holes into. You splutter and hold up a hand to try and stop him, but freeze when he reads the work aloud.
“Curfew laws, scuffles with civilians, signing off on trade and market…” All rather unimportant affairs that don’t justify you staying late. He looks down at you and doesn’t say anything more, and by the way you sigh and look to the ground, he knows his point is proven. Putting the scrolls back down on the desk, his touch returns to your shoulder with a squeeze before he brings his hands behind his back. “I’ll lead you out.”
Jing Yuan at least lets you wrap up by yourself, gathering your coat and other things that you’ve been bringing with you to work for your late nights. He stands by the large doors until you’re ready, and when you begin to walk toward him, expression bitter, he chuckles aloud and opens the door for you.
“Thanks, general… I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” you mumble tiredly when the two of you exit the Divine Foresight, already heading off to the sky jetty where a Knight stands ready to take the both of you back. Jing Yuan doesn’t say anything as he follows behind you, letting you slowly clue yourself in. You give him a strange look once you notice he’s not heading back to the Divine Foresight. “It’s still rather early for you, general. You’re already headed home?”
The Knight boards the jetty and opens the sliding doors for you to enter, Jing Yuan sitting down inside first as you continue to hesitate and stare at him from outside.
“I’m not headed home just yet,” he tells you, answer vague and surely frustrating from the face you make at him. His smile just grows wider as he pats the seat next to him. “Come on, then. You shouldn’t make your general wait.”
That at least spurs you into action, your bag in your hands moving to your lap as you make yourself comfortable in the jetty beside him. The airship takes off in a smooth movement, and the trip is silent as it brings you back to the Exalting Sanctum. There’s a few times that your eyes flit over to Jing Yuan during the ride; each time he’s already looking at you and you quickly look away, posture tense.
Once the jetty pulls into the drop off spot, you basically jump out of your seat to get out first. Jing Yuan isn’t sure if it’s because you couldn’t wait to get away from him, or you were still being uptight because of the fact he’s your general and you didn’t want to make him wait since he was in the seat away from the door. Either way, he laughs at you.
“You know, from the way you’re acting I would say you don’t like me very much. But surely that isn’t true.” Jing Yuan cannot help but tease, continuing to stick to you like glue as you both walk away from the jetty’s drop off.
Your jumpiness that he observed before still proves true as you jolt at his accusation and shake your head, eyebrows tensely drawn. “No, you know that’s not it, general! Sorry- I… just wasn’t ready to go home yet.” Your shoulders sink with your sigh.
Beside you, Jing Yuan hums. “Understandable. But you don’t have to go home yet, you know.”
“What do you mean?” Looking at him, you purse your lips again. “I’m not going to just mill around aimlessly at this hour. I don’t need the Knights thinking I’m some suspicious figure and then I have to deal with the report at work.”
Jing Yuan laughs, quirking his brow at you. “That’s not what I’m suggesting, but it’s amusing to see where your mind goes. No, instead of stirring up more trouble for yourself tomorrow, I was thinking of dinner.”
“Dinner?”
You don’t realize where Jing Yuan has led you during your short conversation until you’re already there, the late night restaurant catching your eye with its lights still buzzing. The lanterns for dining are still on as well, dimmed with the late hour and reflecting red across your skin and dancing across your eyes as you look back at him.
It feels like a piece of you is slowly crawling back as you smile at him, laughing discreetly through your nose. “You’re not asking me out, are you general?”
Jing Yuan leads you to a seat, pulling it out for you with his own eyes gleaming with mirth. “Depends on how you look at it,” he comments, and once you’re seated he pats your shoulders. “If you don’t mind, I’ll order for the both of us. I skipped lunch this afternoon in order to go to a board meeting and I’ve never regretted something so immensely.”
Another piece molds back into place as you outright laugh at him and relax into the chair. “Alright, go ahead. I still remember when the rumors were going around about you eating pounds of exotic meat all by yourself, and now I’m wondering if they’re true.”
“The Gluttonous General,” he recalls, “yes, I remember that. I’ll leave it up to you and your own judgement, but I should remind you I have a two hundred pound cat, if that sheds any light on anything.”
“Oh, Mimi! How’s she doing?”
Jing Yuan smiles and startles you when he taps your nose, teasing as ever. “I’ll tell you once I’ve ordered.” He watches as you blush, visible or not it’s clear as day that you’re flustered and it’s his turn to laugh at you, albeit not unkindly.
Ordering is a quick affair. He’s already thought this evening through and knows exactly what he wants. Taking you out to eat isn’t exactly new to him either; there’d been a few times in the long years you’ve worked for Jing Yuan that you’d both have lunch together. Sometimes there’d be a third or fourth party, and sometimes it was just the two of you. From those times, though, he’s learned your tastes and has a fair amount of confidence as he orders your plate.
He comes back with a tray of brewed tea in hand. You look a little surprised that he’s carrying it himself, which he explains once he’s sat down across from you and places the tea on the table.
“I didn’t want to wait.”
The way you giggle at him is downright adorable, but he keeps such thoughts to himself as he pours your cup first and then his own. You hesitate before taking the cup he’s offered, and he shakes his head.
“It’s not caffeinated, if that’s what you’re wondering.” Your shoulders sink and you’re clearly disappointed, lifting up the cup to drink anyway. “Sorry to disappoint, but I didn’t want to contribute to your long nights more than I already have. Someone has to look after you.” He mutters that last part, perhaps revealing more than he should and how he feels- but he forgets that you’ve been sleeping horribly so you barely catch wind of his implications. The expression on your face is reserved, clearly a facade as you clear your throat.
“No, that makes sense. Thank you, general, I-“
“You know, it’s long past office hours.” Jing Yuan can’t help but interrupt you this once, bringing the steaming cup of tea up to his lips and blowing softly before he lifts his gaze to you. “I’d prefer it if you didn’t address me by rank. I understand the need to keep yourself at a distance, but there’s no harm in opening up at this moment and letting us speak as two individuals rather than subordinate and general.” He smiles once he’s finished. “It would make me happy to talk to you without those restrictions.”
Again, maybe he’s stating too much. But Jing Yuan has observed a lot in his time and he recognizes that there’s certain moments that call for vulnerability in order to show a favorable outcome. Of course, vulnerability is a tricky thing, which is why he’s normally so hesitant. There’s no honest way to predict emotions like there is fact and logic, so predicting how you might feel to his vulnerability is like taking a shot in the dark.
But in an odd way, Jing Yuan trusts you, and you haven’t proved him wrong to trust you just yet. Especially not when you finally open to him like a flower that hasn’t yet bloomed, your expression loosening and no longer trying to hide like before. It’s a beautiful process to watch.
“I can understand that… Jing Yuan,” you’re shy as you say his name, but your smile overrules that. You try to hide it by taking another sip of your tea, but he sees the edges of your lips upturned and the crinkle in your eyes and he counts himself as satisfied. “I guess I never realized how holding titles can keep the atmosphere stiff.”
“It’s subtle,” he nods along. “But I believe it’s there. Anyhow, you wanted to know how Mimi is doing?”
Your eyes light up, and he’s caught you- hook, line, and sinker. Your conversation becomes a lot less filtered and a lot more genuine as the night continues to tick by, becoming later and later and yet earlier and earlier, depending how you looked at the clock. The food comes by and he knows he made the right choice in your order- just like him, you essentially ravage your plate. That in itself is something not a lot of people get to see- at one point Jing Yuan scoops up some food with his hands and you catch it instantly, your eyes shining with the knowledge as you make eye contact and yet saying nothing at all as he licks his fingers clean.
He wouldn’t dare to be so untidy and messy around anyone else, but it’s all part of the process to show you that you’re unique to him. Around you, he does a lot of things he wouldn’t normally do around others. You’ll come to realize this and what it really means as more time goes on.
It’s once your meals are finished and you’ve got a fresh pot of tea as a palette cleanser that he strikes again, true intentions for tonight coming to light.
“So, my dear ___, tell me. What is it that’s keeping you in the Divine Foresight so late?”
At this point, you’ve relaxed considerably. The possibility of opening up to him has increased dramatically, and Jing Yuan knows you’re about to tell him by the way your demeanor shifts. You’re finally letting yourself look as tired as you feel by just the question alone and knowing you were about to answer it.
“It’s hard to talk about,” you start slowly. “But I guess it’s because I’m trying to keep myself busy.”
Jing Yuan nods along, helping you ever so slightly. “Because you don’t want to go home. And why is that?”
“Um… well, if I have to go home, I have to go to bed eventually. And… I can’t go to bed. I can’t sleep.” Your lips twitch as silence washes over the two of you. He doesn’t want to interrupt you this time, instead offering you the silence so you can gather your thoughts and how you want to communicate them to him. It’s a careful process. “Sometimes it’s just a product of my own design. I stimulate myself too much before bed with work or other things, and it keeps my head awake. Other times, it’s… a lot of nightmares.” You finally let the problem slip, eyes drifting down to your teacup as you smooth your fingers over the rim. “I’ve thought about getting things to help, but… mm.”
Jing Yuan takes a deep breath through his nose, nodding once to show his understanding. “I see. Nightmares are tricky things. And you’re right, I’m sure you’re already aware of the ways you can try and make them disappear, but… it’s a different story if you don’t want them to.”
Your eyes flit up to his, an inch of surprise on your face that he merely smiles at, his eyes soft.
“I’m no stranger to nightmares either. It can be easy to convince yourself that you deserve them. That you need them in order to remember what you don’t want to remember. What you feel guilty over, responsible over, fearful over.” Jing Yuan takes another sip of his tea, letting the flavor sink into his tongue before he swallows. “I have a lot of fears myself. A lot of troubles that could haunt me if I let them. I understand the frustration that you might be facing.”
Setting the cup down, he inches forward into the table just a little bit. “Perhaps this is unwarranted, but may I offer you some advice?”
You seem surprised. Still, you nod, allowing him to continue with interest painted across your features. He notices how you’ve inched along your own seat and says nothing.
“We live long life spans, longer than what was ever intended. With that comes a lot more burdensome and troubling memories than maybe we were designed to handle. It’s natural to have your mind caught up in the excess every so often, considering the circumstances.” His tone is gentle and unwavering as he speaks. “My advice to you is to not be a stranger. I may not know exactly what your nightmares are about, but I can see how they’re affecting you. Do not forget the life in front of you now, the ground you walk, the people you see.” His eyes wander as he talks, to the overhead lanterns that create a soft ambiance to the small creek that lined the Exalting Sanctum and split the land with bridges. “There are a lot of wonderful things waiting for you. Always, day to day. It might not cure your heartache, but that was never the intention. It’s not always about the cure, the end all, erasing it from existence. It’s about nurturing it, forgiving it, loving it, and making peace with it.” Jing Yuan looks back to you, tapping the surface of the table with his fingers. “As long as we are living and breathing and trying to make our way in this universe, I believe it’s our duty to keep an open mind to our pain and know that it’s not always a bad thing to bear as long as you understand the cause, the purpose, and the meaning behind it.”
The silence that follows is long and thoughtful, at least from his own perspective. There’s a chill of wind that blows by, the creek continues to babble, and you look at Jing Yuan like you’re putting together your own puzzle pieces for him just like he is for you.
“Yanqing is right,” you finally speak up after some time. “You speak in a lot of riddles and nonsense, Jing Yuan.”
His eyes widen at your comment, at first too surprised to do anything except state. But then he cannot help the way his head throws back, laughing a little too loud for this time of night. You laugh along with him, eyes squinting with mirth and teeth showing through your smile.
“But still, with that being said,” you continue after the first wave of his laughter has subsided, “I appreciate you a lot. Though what you’ve said doesn’t make sense to me quite yet… I think your actions speak louder than your words.” You hum as you look down at the table with empty plates and tea saucers, laughing to yourself as if it were funny. “Thank you for taking me out tonight. Thank you for noticing. It’s kind of you, Jing Yuan.”
“Well, I’m happy I’ve at least done something right tonight,” he says, scooting out his chair. You look a little surprised before you move to do the same thing, standing up with him as you take your tea cup and finish what was left. “Let me escort you home.”
“You don’t have to do that,” of course, to be polite, you refuse. Just as he knew you would. So he sighs in defeat.
“Alright,” he says. “I suppose I’ll just walk right behind you and be the suspicious figure you have to file a report for tomorrow.”
Jing Yuan thrills in the way you practically squawk with laughter, and just like that he’s walking beside you away from the restaurant, bill being paid for a long time ago. “You really don’t give me a choice then!”
“Mm,” his eye crinkles. “No, not really.”
“At least you’re honest about it.”
“I’m always honest.”
You laugh at him again, rolling your eyes without even trying to hide it from him. “Sure, general.”
The rest of the walk is filled with just as spirited chatter. It’s refreshing to Jing Yuan- while its true that he tends to prefer a mutual, comforting silence, it doesn’t mean he cannot enjoy the moment. He greatly enjoys it- seeing you become so unfiltered around him makes him hopeful and happy, though he tries not to show just how much. By the time the two of you arrive at your home, things finally quiet, and you thank him genuinely as you stop in front of your door.
“There’s no need,” he waves off your thanks easily with a smile. “It was a pleasure to be with you tonight. And I hope you know that while we cannot do it every night, I will always be open to the idea of doing it again.” He hums before continuing, smile dropping a fraction. “And I hope you know I don’t mind your late nights. It’s been nice having the company, but it would be better if I knew it wasn’t at your own expense. Take care of yourself, ___.”
He seems to tie your tongue completely, because you merely stare at him in response. Not that Jing Yuan minds- he always likes when your eyes are on him, especially like this- when you look so soft and precious that you could break without proper care.
He wants to take care of you, he does. But he’ll try his best to reveal that to you along with everything else later on.
“Thank you, Jing Yuan,” your voice is soft once it manages to leave your throat. “I… well. I-“ you seem to be holding something back, expression debating before you visibly steel yourself.
And then, beyond all his expectations and planning, you take a step toward him and wrap your arms around him, closing the space between you. What’s unfair is that you don’t even give him any time to recover from his surprise, don’t give him the time to reciprocate and hold you tenderly and take notice to how your body feels against his-
Because as soon as you came, you’re gone. Face flushed adorably as you avoid his eyes and move toward your door, muttering a wish of goodnight to him. And then he’s suddenly all alone in the chill of night, staring at your front door.
Once Jing Yuan recovers, he can’t find it in himself to even be disappointed. No. No, he can only smile, perhaps he is even beaming as he slowly walks away from your door and back to the station of jetties so he can head home himself. But he’s not so sure he’ll rest all that well tonight, not when his mind is busy going over the night with you. He thinks about everything you said and the opportunities birthed from your honesty. But of course, more than any of that, he’s thinking about what else he’ll have to do to get you to surprise him again. If all it takes is a little vulnerability,
Than Jing Yuan thinks it’s worth it to be vulnerable with you.
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prince-kallisto · 8 months
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Random thought, but remember how Lilia said “humans and Fae stopped intermingling long ago”? Like…does anyone realize Crowley is (probably) a Fae? Characters in canon DO seem to have a hard time noticing lmao, because some thought Lilia was a young human boy all the way up till Book 7, despite his Fae-like features. But Crowley has been headmage at NRC for several decades, and likely at least 100 years based on the things he’s said (e.g “student selection process has never failed in 100 years”)
At the very least, he was likely headmage when Crewel was a student there- and probably hasn’t visibly aged a bit. It’s also interesting how no one ever really talks about him? Like “oh the legendary headmage!” Or “he’s been headmage for like, 100 years!” Like no one knows about him??? All they know is how prestigious NRC is, but no one seems to know anything about Crowley. And isn’t that strange? You’d think his abilities and age would come into question every now and then.
Human-like Fae (e.g Lilia) seem to blend in better with human society compared to other Fae like fire/water fairies, dwarves, and Fae with other features like Malleus and his horns. But is it really to the point that Crowley can just blend in-
Wait a minute.
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Crowley said he was appointed as Headmage by the chairman. The school board is very likely to made of humans. The chairman who originally appointed him as headmage, if Crowley has been in charge for at least 100 years, has probably passed away at this point!
Some people have theorized that Crowley was headmage when Lilia first got his invitation, which was over 500 years ago. But it wouldn’t make any sense, would it?!
So far, I can only think of three possible answers.
1. Crowley has not been headmage for as long as we thought, but I doubt this idea
2. Crowley changes identities every couple decades to better blend in with human society and get under the radar in legal aspects. When he said in the Halloween even that he had secrets he’d prefer the police didn’t know about, we all assumed it was for embezzlement lol. It probably is, but what if he’s also trying to keep his many identities under wraps? It’s an interesting thought (and fuel to my Revan theory lmaoo) but I don’t know 🤔
3. Crowley was quite literally entrusted with NRC from the chairman- either 100 years ago or even 500 years ago back in General Lilia’s time. Although he isn’t technically “in control” of the workings of NRC in title, NRC is still very much in the palm of his hand, and the school board can hardly touch him. It brings to question though of who entrusted NRC to Crowley, and WHY? Why for so many years, and what about Crowley made him so special to the chairman?
Does the school board have some odd rule that the headmage can be in-charge for as long as they want (and didn’t realize Crowley was a Fae with an extremely long life span)???
I wrote this point to ask about Crowley’s age, and suddenly remembered this line while in the middle of writing…haha I feel like I uncovered something, but as usual, I don’t know what it means! \(//∇//)\
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hagofbolding · 1 year
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hi! i hope this question makes sense. i was just wondering, do you have a specific process for blocking out the character poses? they way they "act" is really natural and lively, and the poses feel so specific to each character and their actions. do you use a lot of photo referencing and acting the pose out yourself to decide on the gestures?
thank you! i love the comic and i get really excited every time it updates. <3
OH I love this question, thanks so much! I definitely put an unreasonable of thought into every little expression and pose so I really appreciate that it's being noticed, haha.
I do many of my poses straight off the dome, but I definitely will use mirrors and photos for reference when I need to (which is often.) I have no issue with people who wanna use models to pose their characters (especially where extreme foreshortening/perspective may be involved!) but boyyy do I gotta say that continuing to practice gesture & figure drawing will do you wonders in saving time and getting more expressive poses - or at least, moving your character's design away from the generic CSP dummy. (I know it when I see it)
I start hammering out acting details pretty early in the thumbnails, and try to exaggerate things, because it's easier to reel it back in if I think it's getting too hammy and I also want to make sure I am set up to remember my exact intent/idea later one when I'm penciling/inking.
(Also, usually these are usually my favorite drawings. I wish this was what the whole dang comic looked like)
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Something I like to keep in mind aside from obvious stuff like "watch movies/consume media/life draw to pick up cool acting & body language ideas" is also how to incorporate the characters' design with their little mannerisms. Buckthorn's glasses give him a really fun prop to play with.
Or like - if someone has long hair, would they play with it or mess with it when they're bored or frustrated? If they're shy, would they "hide" themselves with baggy clothes / accessories when they're uncomfortable? My another solution of mine for making what has been a very acting / dialogue driven comic more interesting has been "ALWAYS GIVE PEOPLE SOMETHING TO DO" because talking heads are boring.
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Anyway: obviously things get tied down with pencils, goofy cartoony stuff gets grounded in some approximation of reality (unfortunately.)
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And then, like, at least a month after I finish penciling I finally make it to inking & coloring this particular page. After having an indeterminate amount of time to obsessively think about the story and characters up to this point, I make several significant acting / drawing changes because I am a ding dong. I just wanted to point out the tweaks I made here - on the left page, I changed Sanctuary to appear more interested in tuning his instrument than looking like he's intently listening to Buckthorn. Because ultimately, the purpose of the scene was to make him look a bit dismissive of Buckthorn's complaint, it felt like a better pose.
I also felt that the forehead kiss felt a little more natural in this sequence & rolling into the panels on the page that follows these.
Anywayyy - I rambled longer than I intended here, but I love this stuff and I got excited. I hope y'all find it interesting and / or useful!
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yuurei20 · 2 years
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Character Dialogue Comparison, ENG vs JPN: Epel and Idia Vignettes, Words Make the Man
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Original Vil: “Is it normal for the light in one’s eyes to change so completely depending upon if they’re doing something they have an interest in or not? What a troublesome apple.”
Translated Vil: “And yet his eyes clearly lit up at the prospect. I see right through you, my dear Epel”
For context, Vil has just seen Epel ride a blastcycle for the first time and is impressed by how Epel’s aura changes completely when he is doing something he actually enjoys (ride a blastcycle) since, when they are together, Epel is generally doing something that he is being forced to do. Vil assigns Epel the main role in his student film and Epel vehemently refuses to accept while being dragged away by the costume designers.
That is where the above line comes in, and the English line insinuates that Epel is secretly happy to have been assigned the role, despite his refusal.
This seems to be a misinterpretation of Vil’s original dialogue, however, which insinuates the opposite: Epel does not have any interest the role, his interest was in the blastcycle, and his eyes are not lighting up at the prospect of the role--the light has gone out, his excitement with the blastcycle having been extinguished.
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This is the one and only time (thus far) that Crewel welcomes his students by referring to them as “class”, rather than puppies. If this seems like it might be a continuity error, it probably is: in Crewel’s original dialogue he doesn’t say “listen well, class” or “listen well, puppies”, at all; he simply begins his lecture on lanternblossoms.
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In a very un-Vil-like form of expression, Vil says “Words make the man”, in the English translation. His original line, however, was, “Words make the person”, without specifying a gender.
※This is probably the fault of English-languages idioms (and my overthinking) more than anything else, but given Vil’s vehement dislike for separating words, clothes, interests, etc, along gender lines, it seems unlikely that he would choose to use a gender-specific idiom, and in his original dialogue, he didn’t.
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With the English translation referring to Malleus’ green armband as yellow, then to Kalim’s farmer badge as an armband and Floyd's deadpan "Twinsies, get it? haha", I have begun to suspect that the translation team might not be able to see the scenes they’re translating for during the writing process (not unusual in localization, unfortunately).
That certainly seems to be the case in the scene above, where both the original lines and Idia’s expression are both reserved, but the translation team has added “You’re freaking me out! Stop!”, despite it. Neither existed in his original dialogue.
Previously ◀︎ Vignettes: Leona, Ruggie and Jack
◀︎ Main Story: Book 5 Part 1 of 3
◀︎ Events: Wish Upon a Star
Thank you as always to my wonderful proofreading team! :> And if anyone notices anything odd about the interpretations above, please let me know and I am always happy to update!
Also just a disclaimer, I don't make these because I'm trying to start a revolution against the official English translation of Twst or anything ww I am always impressed with their work and encourage everyone to play the ENG-server version of the game :> But I also do localization similar to this as a part of my job and I am fascinated by how different professionals approach the same hurdles of language, that is all!
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reelybadfnafocs · 2 years
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he's back! it's luke from three years ago! meaning his original concept was posted six (soon to be seven!) years ago... what a ride it has been! i was in elementary school when i made him, and now i've nearly finished my senior year. crazy how life moves without you noticing, hey?anyways, i'm here to just sort of place him down and see what happens. i don't expect anybody to remember him, but it's fun to see how he's progressed through the history of this blog, right?
First of all: YIPPEE WOOHOO I LOVE OLD OCS SEEING THE LIGHT OF DAY!!!
Mod Bright here, and I wanna take a moment to say ohhhh my god I love tracking how your art style's changed and grown since you first submitted! I love the softer lines you seem to be using now, and your coloring style is…ugh absolutely gorgeous.
As for Luke's redesign, ohhhh I'm in love. Though I think the original designs were nothing bad (in fact, I'm still a little fond of the first design, it's got so much charm!) I do really enjoy how nice on the eyes the color palette is here.
I also enjoy how his antennae-thingies have returned to being right over where his ears would be! It's a good place for them. :)
(And his eyelashes…oouogougoguoguo pretty…)
I also like how, aside from the seams in his body, he seems like he could be mistaken for an everyday employee- I think that's a really fun take for his character concept!
alright, so his name is still luke. he is a humanoid masculine-presenting android located in an establishment known as cam and dolly's, a subsidiary of fun!pizza business. his primary role is that of a caretaker; he is stationed in an area of the main cam and dolly's location known as "luke's corner". he is unique to the main building, as other cam and dolly's chain locations lack his special area.
luke's main function is to provide a safe, calm space for people of all ages who may find themselves overwhelmed or upset by the other attractions. he can draw, tell stories, hold intelligent conversations, play (calmly) with toys, and assist with certain arcade machines.
I am sososo glad you kept this concept because I always thought it was very sweet, and definitely plausible for a FNAF fangame or FNAF-inspired story concept!
Not much to say here, since I've already sung my praises about this in my last review, haha. Him being one-of-a-kind, though, while often implied with characters similar to this, is a really nice touch. :)
luke was purchased from an auction by the owner of cam and dolly's two years before the founding of the actual chain itself, as one of approximately thirty androids salvaged from the rubble of an abandoned warehouse after a fire had destroyed it. his original creator is unknown, as all previous branding (nautilus robotics inc) has no existing record as a real company and the recorded owner of the warehouse had been found deceased in their home shortly after the incident. luke, despite the fire, was in relatively good condition and was easily repaired by the owner herself.
THIS IS KIND OF SICK AS HELL. I like this a lot! Super mysterious, explains well why this android is hanging around a kids pizza chain of all places, and has just enough intrigue to keep people guessing! …And enough that you don't have to have all the details ironed out right away, I'm guessing. :P
I like how you've put detail into the actual incident that happened, too! It's nice to have a little more detail to his backstory than last time. Fond of this funny robot :)
I would love to hear more detail in the future, maybe, about the owner and her history/experience...it'd be really interesting, especially, to hear about her skill level with mechanics/programming respectively and/or lack thereof, and how the repair process actually, like, went.
luke is an artificial intelligence and is far more advanced than he lets on, however he is not without his quirks and.. issues. while luke still has an issue in his code preventing him from properly recognizing after-hours staff, his logic and outside reminders will suffice to keep him acting 'normal'. while i've written his story without much of a legitimate gameplay loop in mind (he's definitely more of a story oc than a game oc at this point lol), i do have some ideas for him.
I'd love to hear some more elaboration on exactly how advanced he is and his actual personality (since "more than he lets on" does sort of imply a fun level of sapience) outside of his job! Some detail on his perspective in particular I feel could be really cool.And ohohohoho gameplay loop ideas…these are always fun, even if you don't get to use 'em! Let's see…
if we are working with a traditional fnaf five nights security guard office style, i figure he'd work something like this:
luke becomes active on the first night and remains active all week, increasing in difficulty and aggression as nights go on (of course).
due to a previous incident involving a nightguard at the establishment, luke insists on trying to come to your office to "supervise" you. if he enters the office during this phase, he will be an obstacle to your control panel/camera panel, as well as an auditory distraction as he talks — luring the sound-sensitive dolly to your office faster than normal.
you can send luke back to his corner via commands sent to the receiver on his head. he has to obey these commands, even if he doesn't want to, leaning in to a frustration/aggression mechanic.
This is a really fun concept and really fitting for what you've said about him thus far!
I like the inclusion of a mechanic to send him back to his corner, and having there be consequences for using this mechanic (maybe so you'd have to weigh the benefits of keeping him around for a little longer than you'd like while dealing with other threats?) sounds like it'd add a very fun layer of complexity to nights.
the more times you send luke back to his station, the more frustrated with you he will become, ticking his aggression up with each use. once his aggression surpasses a certain threshold, he will switch into a more hostile mode, becoming more persistent as well as capable of jumpscaring/killing the player instead of just being an obstacle. he will take multiple paths to the office in an attempt to evade your cameras and commands.
Ohohoho…very cool, I like! The commands still working as Luke is en route in hostile mode (presumably only when he's in view on the cameras?) is fun too, feels like a sort of riff on the audio lure mechanics we've seen in the main series and fangames! Very nice.
the best way to deal with luke is to let him get close to the office before sending him back — this minimizes the amount of times you have to use the commands, therefore avoiding triggering his 'hostile mode' for as long as possible.
Naturally. :P
i have no idea if that's good or even playable and i'm also very sorry for the novel of a submission. i just enjoy my funny little guy and think he's quite silly. thank you for reading and thank you for not deleting this blog so this small piece of my own oc history has remained preserved :,,) i hope you have been having as much fun as i have.
NOOOO THIS WAS FUN TO READ AND REVIEW!!! I enjoy your funny little guy also and I'm glad you've submitted him to the blog :) I am also very glad that the blog is still up…though I don't really agree with its original message and haven't for a long time, I think it's an important artifact of internet history, y'know? And, of course, of individual OC history. :P
As for the hypothetical game mechanics, I think Luke's got some interesting ones that are definitely workable for a game!
The thing I've found is that you can't really predict whether something like this'll be too much/unplayable unless you have the full picture of all the cast's mechanics together, and even then some game devs have had it worked out then figured out some overlooked synergy between antagonist characters that makes stuff impossible!
So…don't sweat it too much, unless sweating it is fun for you.
To conclude…Thank you for submitting, and thank you for sticking with us all this time. Luke is a character that was already genuinely solid in concept, and here I'm only seeing more detail and thought in your writing.
I'd love to see where you go from here, if you work on this group of OCs any more!
Good luck in the future! <3
-Mod Bright
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wired-migraine · 1 year
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look i know i dont vent as often on here anymore just cause im really trying to get out of this habit where i reread and rethink the same bad thought process over and over
but every time and i do mean EVERY time i bring up something my friend doesn't exactly know or i guess care about he just doesn't bother showing interest. or shits on it without going into detail why.
like today i brought up detroit become human. its whatever! not my favorite but i liked the story of Alice and Kara and also Hank and Conner. but i really LOVEd the story of sentience and coming to be. not really gameplay oriented or even really story oriented. i just brought it up and said i liked it.
my god i've heard nothing but "game didn't know what it wanted to be, the stories and characters are trash, i only liked hank cause he's the fuckin poster badass" so of course i shut up i stop talking about it cause clearly he doesn't want to talk about it. back to this fuckin streamer named destiny.
but this has happened so many times. only with things i bring up. even when i express interest in the first half (oh its not so bad i actually liked-!) it doesn't go well. we somehow always circle back to things he wants to talk about. one time i tried to talk about pokemon and he just shut that conversation down the same way, said magic was better and more strategic. fuck off i dont care about magic i want to talk about anything else for five seconds!! i'd give more direct examples but honestly i think i blocked out most of what he says and just go to the "uh huh, yeah, they did what now?" cyclical talking points
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and im not gonna lie i'm getting pretty tired of it! i made fuckin vent art of me like a pull string doll just talking away! hanging on a lil back string. thats all im good for is an echo.
but i think the worst part about any of this is how GUILTY he makes me feel about it. im fr talking puppy dog eyes but i dont actually look at his face when he does it. he just makes the sound and lip thing you know the one. its gross tbh and it SUCKS because i skip my fucking break so he won't be so whiny about it. TO TALK ABOUT THE THINGS HE WANTS TO TALK ABOUT
i hate it i really do. i know he's using me for therapy because he told me he wanted a female therapist. (also haven't talked about THAT either, i think we're only friends because i'm afab and a bit of a weirdo so that makes it like same league or something?? idk idc) he talks TOO much about sex and sexual activities to the point where regular conversations go back into lol i saw this anime... god i can't stand it i can tell im getting looks by the other people there because the room is too quiet i desperately need to leave this job.
he's also physical, mostly just by poking and prodding. he does hit me with a stack of papers as a joke but the jokes getting less funny. he's getting angry with how i respond. i know i can tell him to stop and he will but it'll just cycle back around to making me feel guilty that i should've told him sooner so he doesn't feel like an ass. like i guess yeah? but don't forget that you're the one that did this and i didn't feel safe telling you.
idk i just feel like as much as "good" friends we are he's desperate for attention and its really getting into my work. like i can tell when he looks at me and i hate it i hate having him just LOOK at me because and HE has told me that he had a dream of me naked. i hate it i hate it i want to burn off my skin it makes me feel so unbelievably small and worthless to be reduced to just my body and echos i hate this.
i really hate this and god forbid i tell ANYONE about it cause it comes on and off in passing and nothing will happen with it. i know i choose to sit in that fucking corner but what other option is there? because if i change if i so much as MOVE people will notice and they know we sit together and haha its so cute they're sitting NEXT to each other.
it honestly feels like i've been masking for three months and it only took the middle guy being fired to direct all this energy towards me and i hate it. i hate how i cant say no and can't talk about the things i like without feeling like a freak. i hate how he looks and straight up stares at me. i told him i can't look people in the eyes and talk at the same time and he took that as a challenge to stretch my comfort so thin that spider silk can't sew it shut.
thank god i still listen to music so i can at least focus on that (for the most part) but i can't even find respite in that because he keeps wanting that cyclical conversation that he knows i don't care about. i'm just playing the tape and hoping it wasn't a genuine question about my thoughts (it usually isn't)
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cinnamonest · 3 years
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Yandere Profile - Link (Legend of Zelda)
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ABSOLUTELY YES. MY BOY. LOVE OF MY LIFE.
As some of you may know, today is the release date of Skyward Sword HD for Switch!! So I decided to release this one now in honor of that :3
NOTES:
I went towards the idea of a Princess!reader because that just opens the gate for sooooo much potential. I'm leaning heavily towards the ZeLink interactions in BoTW and Skyward Sword just because those games have the most interaction between the two.
Also! This is great bc it gives me the opportunity to explore an idea I've actually had a long time! I've always thought about how many opportunities there have been across the games for Link and Zelda to be kinda like "haha well seeya later" and just... bolt, run away from everything, abandon their roles and responsibilities and all that. Like, if OoT kid Link got her before Ganon did and ran, if SS Link just decided to get her on the bird and bolt before everything went down, if botw Link was just like haha what if we ran away from everything together... jk... unless...?
And final note, Link is a great pick for the very traditional yandere -- sweet and : ) but can snap into darker personas. I really liked writing this bc I tend to have more self centered yans and less of the "worships the ground you walk on" type of yans like I think Link would be, so it's a nice change.
As usual now the nsfw section is divided by a ---- line.
TWs: fem reader, heavily implied Zelda!reader, stalking, murder, very brief mentions of gore/dismemberment of rivals, manipulation, very brief suicide mention, themes of reincarnation (I’ve been told this can be triggering to some people so just in case)
TWs (nsfw section): noncon, somnophilia
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Severity Scale
Intelligence/Perceptiveness: 4 Brutality: 8.5 Physical capability: 8 Mental/emotional instability: 7 Restrictiveness: 6 Sexual sadism: 5 Stubbornness: 8
What are they generally like? Lucid, aware? Obsessive? How do they behave?
The primary trait of Link that any darling -- any person, really -- would notice is that he is, well, quiet. He has always been a man of few words, and really, he often doesn't know exactly what to say. On his own, at a first glance, he really does seem like a gentle, humble spirit, someone who blends into the background pretty well, who isn't particularly prideful or reckless or aggressive.
Which is why, to be honest, he might sort of evade the gaze of most people -- he doesn't stand out. You remember him as the boy that smiled at you now and then, it's a soft, gentle sort of smile, one that you feel conveys nothing but the utmost innocence and contentment with the world. You know he's pretty good at fighting, but doesn't get into fights needlessly, he's accomplished and respected, but has never been the guy everyone is talking about -- he's in the background, against the wall. Never speaking, always looking out, sometimes at the sky, sometimes carefully watching people. Sometimes you see him, gaze blank and tranquil, and wonder what he's thinking about. Whether he's the village boy in the time of Twilight, the trained and honored warrior that slept for many years, the boy that came down from the sky -- you can't help but feel at ease around him, safe, you can't help but find him endearing and pleasant.
Yet, you always seem to notice him. Other people... forget he exists, sometimes, he's so quiet. You never do, for whatever reason.
When he needs to get something across, he prefers to express himself through actions, not words. If you lived in Skyloft, or Ordon village, you might find problems mysteriously solved, work suddenly done that you don't remember doing. That fencepost outside your home that broke has been replaced overnight. A village child went missing and he comes back a few hours later with them in tow. Always humble, never demanding or expecting thanks, he tells you in his quiet voice that he's happy to help you.
And should you ever ask him for anything, he'll drop whatever he's doing to help. Anything for you, he says with a smile, which makes you feel a bit guilty when, honestly, you're not even sure you're remembering his name right.
And yet, sometimes, you feel so at ease around him it seems unnatural. He seems so easy to trust. You feel like you've known him forever. And sometimes you feel... for just a split second, less at ease. You find yourself randomly stiffening at his calm, sweet voice. You find yourself looking around when you're alone, as if you feel someone is there, and for some reason, his face flashes through your mind. Sometimes when he looks at you, you feel sort of cold. It's almost like invoking a memory you don't have, like some kind of learned instinct you can't recall a reason for. But those moments are fleeting, they come and go before you can even process them, replaced by warmth and comfort.
If you do spend time with him, if you find yourself gazing out your window when he's training, the next thing you notice besides him being quiet and sweet is that he's strong. It's almost ironic, how all the other knights or village boys are so aggressive and rowdy all the time, many of them taller or bulkier, and yet, none of them could ever dream of defeating Link. Not one can match his agility, speed, prowess. Such a pleasant, calm person, with so much skill, strength, and power, but that power is so rarely seen exerted. People marvel at his talent, they say it's as if he has the experience of lifetimes and lifetimes of battle in his blood.
And it's why you feel at ease when he's assigned the task of guarding you. His capabilities are unmatched, and yet you'd never fear any harm to you from him. Both of those traits put together make him the best candidate to protect you.
Of course, you do find yourself doing most of the talking. Sometimes you find yourself rambling to fill the silence, and you fear you're annoying him, but when you stop he raises an eyebrow and asks why you got so quiet. Did he do something wrong? He seems to worry about that a lot -- has he done something bad? Has he made you upset? Are you mad? At first you think he's worried about his position security, but after a while you realize he genuinely worries about it.
And when you do continue your ramblings, you're surprised to find he remembers your words -- every little thing you say. Things you don't even remember telling him. He asks you about that relative you mentioned one time, his eyes light up and he walks a bit to the side because look, it's your favorite flower over there, he'll get it for you. It's impressive, really, how he manages to remember such things. He must take his job very seriously.
He does enjoy giving you such things -- he loves giving you gifts. It's usually things he finds, wholesome little things -- makes a crown out of the flowers you like so much, finds something interesting here or there, while he was off-duty he saw something in the markets he thought you'd like and got it for you. You almost feel guilty, it's so constant that he's giving you things.
Sometimes you ask him about himself, you realize he knows so much about you and you so little about him. He blushes, he rubs the back of his head, he insists there's nothing interesting about him, he wouldn't waste your time like that. It takes time to get him out of his shell, but eventually, he tells you this or that, little stories from his life.
Sometimes you take long walks, you like to get out of the stuffy walls and have fun outside, he accompanies you across Hyrule. Sometimes it feels familiar, you pass places you've never been that give you a feeling of nostalgia, deja vu, a sense that you've been here before.
He’s protectiveness incarnated. Insanely so. He can spring to his feet at a moment's notice and deals with anything that comes for you before they can even get close.
It makes you feel safe, but there's something else there. It's a ferocity that is so contrasting to his normal self, different even from the times you've seen him fight as he trains. It's a glint in the eyes, an aggression in his expression, that almost makes him seem like a different person. And it lingers for a moment, once the creature is dead and his sword hand falls to his side, he turns and glances at you to his side, a hand raised to wipe the blood off his face, and for that lingering second, it's still there, his blank expression and wide eyes -- a ferocity so intense it starts to look like bloodlust, chaos, destruction. And then, it's as if you imagined it. Smiling and telling you it's gone now, you're ok. You're glad he's so truly devoted.
In fact, he's so dedicated to his job that he starts... doing it... outside of his job hours...? Well, today he was given the day off, and you were told to stay inside because you didn't have to go out. He comes knocking on your door, says not to be startled if you hear someone outside your door move or shift or anything, but he just wanted to let you know in case. He'll be right here. Keeping watch. So don't worry. You're safe.
And likewise, he was supposed to have a day off when you were supposed to enter the town. You were assigned two other guards to watch you, since it's a special trip, so you're surprised to find just Link waiting for you. He took care of it, he says, he didn't feel right leaving your safety up to someone else, he doesn't trust them. So they agreed to let him take over for today.
All of this said, he doesn't have to grow alongside you, he doesn't have to be the childhood friend, the knight who guards you. He doesn't even have to have met you. Fate works in odd ways like that. There's a sort of inexplicable instant attachment he takes to you, almost as though it's some kind of destined, divinely inspired sort of thing. He would describe it as saying you feel familiar to him.
He's also, notably, prone to a more traditional trope of what you might call humility whiplash. For the most part, he's got that overly humble, worshipping, "I don't deserve to even stand in your presence" sort of mentality. However, although it's rare and requires a lot of wearing down his mental state, if pushed far enough, he can have brief moments where he snaps into more or less the complete opposite -- entitlement, arrogance, aggression, getting mad at you for the behavior he'd normally take with a smile on his face. Thankfully, unlike some yanderes that have a whole snapping episode towards their darling, his are very very brief, usually only a matter of seconds or a single snarled sentence before he snaps back to normal, wide-eyed and apologetic and telling you I don't know what came over me. It’s... a little frightening to say the least, but you blow it off, tell yourself that hey, everyone has moments like that... Right?
How likely are they to kidnap their darling? How quickly will they do so?
For the most part, he doesn't need it, he can pretty easily cling to your side well enough to be assured of your safety, and he manages to scare off the undesirables not with a glare, but a smile that's just a little too sweet and far too persistent -- it unnerves people. You hear a lot of people say that something about that guy rubs me the wrong way. Or that he gives me goosebumps for some reason. Even the people he scares away themselves can't pinpoint exactly what it is, all they know is that, despite being reputed as kind and quiet (and maybe a little dense), somehow a lot of people agree that something about him puts people at unease, and that's all he needs. Because they stay away from him, and if he’s by your side all the time, that means they stay away from you too. Why keep you trapped when you can just be isolated?
An aware Link is a a unique scenario. One scenario that's rather... interesting to imagine is a Link that defies fate itself, a Link that decides to be selfish in one of those rare snapping moments of his. Perhaps he makes a decision when everything starts going down, when the chaos is beginning, or perhaps he has somehow managed to gain knowledge of the bigger picture at work, the reality of the nature of your existence and his.
Perhaps he begins to think it's unfair. To suffer again and again. To prove himself again and again, and not always even to reap any benefits, to work so hard and yet still -- still -- you slip out of his grasp. He longs for a life with no tribulations, no struggle, no fights to be fought. He begins to feel like it's what he wants the most. He begins to feel like maybe it's what he deserves. So many lifetimes of struggles, if the higher powers won't give him a reward, he'll take it himself.
And perhaps, for all their higher power, not even the great goddesses themselves would have ever predicted it -- humans are ultimately creatures of will. To defy fate and to run away from destiny -- it wouldn't be the first time a human has tried such a thing. Sure, Hyrule may be destroyed. The people may all die. There may be nothing left. But you know what? He's stopped caring. If you're alive and he's alive, tucked away in your little corner of the world where you've found respite, well, that's all he needs. Even if you're on the run from forces that would want to find you, even if the threat of the final third of the triforce owner looms over your head. He'll ignore it, he'll look away.
You'll live a quiet little life together, a happy life without suffering, without quests and enemies, without strife, without worry. That's what he tells you when he steals you away, lifts you out of your bed one night. Says to be quiet, there's danger outside your door, he's rescuing you. You have no reason to not believe him. He waits until things go down, a castle under siege, but rather than taking you to where you're supposed to go, he climbs onto the horse and starts... riding away. It gets further and further into the distance, and you might ask why, what's going on? You have a job to do, he has a battle to be fought. But he says you're going far, far away, someplace you'll be safe.
But what about the divine beasts, the seals, the Twilight, whatever threat runs in this world in this time, what about the threat of Ganon, you ask? He says it doesn't matter anymore. You were doomed to fail, he thinks, it's either stay here and die, or run away. All that matters is you. And he'd like you to feel the same way for him. You will with enough time, don't worry.
He just wants this happy, quiet life with you that he’s been denied time and time again. It’s all he wants. If fate won’t give it to him, he’ll make it happen himself, and carve out the life he is determined to have, defying even the will of higher power.
How difficult is it to escape from them? How do they keep you restrained? How do they deal with attempted escape? 
He gets it. Really, he does. "Stop following me!" You yell. Well, he understands why you might feel that way, but this is kinda his job. He thinks you're naive. Not that he would ever, ever have a thought that you're imperfect, of course! It's because you're so perfect and pure that you're... less aware of the dangers all around.
He'll let you think you're free, perhaps. He's more than capable of being quiet, quiet is kind of his thing. Watching you from a short distance is easy. Of course, his horse might make a noise, he can't really help that, or he might misstep on a branch or something. And then you turn around and get all mad again. Now you're even more angry. Well, he can also tell your guardians/father, who will encourage you to accept it. You can't help but feel a little bad -- he's just doing his job.
Now, our aware, runaway Link, well, does he really need to keep you restrained? What would you go back to? Certain death, a land destroyed? Sometimes you mention home, and he's quick to remind you that home doesn't exist anymore. His home is where you are. Can't you feel the same way? You found peace here in this little place -- a village far far away. Travelers, you call yourselves. What's the point in going elsewhere? How would you ever survive without him? He's not very good at being subtle or skillful about the psychological manipulation, it's obvious he's trying to scare you into not leaving, but... it still works, because really, he has a point.
He doesn't want to have to use physical restraint, in any case. And for the most part, it's not needed, because one important aspect of your relation is that his job kinda revolves around you (in some incarnations), or, perhaps you live in the same little village, but either way the thing is that his presence does the job well enough -- he's always there, perhaps more so than almost any other yandere. Even when you think you've managed to get away from him for a moment, somehow his face pops up out of nowhere. How he manages to pull it off is a mystery, you swear he manages to find you so well and predict your movements it's inhuman.
But if you really, really pose a problem, a smarter and sneakier darling that somehow manages to keep slipping out of his grasp and running off (you never get away for more than about 20 minutes or so, but nonetheless), you keep trying to run off when he's sleeping (he wakes up in approximately 25 seconds if your presence is absent from the bed, but that's still enough time to run out the front door), every time he turns his head (which isn't often) you're trying to disappear... well, in that case, he can reach a point of deciding more straightforward measures are necessary. He hates to do it, really, at least when he's not yet at a snapping point. But it's for your own good. And he says so, quite apologetically.
But it's not so bad, it's not like you're being chained to a wall or anything. For one, he got leather ties so you'd be more comfortable, but more importantly, as your guardian, he figured the best thing for you to be tied to would be... himself. Think of it like friendship bracelets! It's just... got a 5-foot chain connecting them. This way you can't sneak off at night, and you won't get too far when he's distracted. It's a safety measure.
How easy are they to trick, deceive, or manipulate?
He's a learner. At first, it's easy. Honestly, he is a rather naive, gullible boy, sometimes he reminds you of a happy dog with his bright eyes. He likes to believe the best of people, give them the benefit of the doubt in all circumstances, and that goes double for you, who he believes can do no wrong.
And even when you do lie to him, it's still not wrong. You didn't do anything bad. Clearly there has simply been a misunderstanding, and you thought you had to lie. Or perhaps you simply forgot a detail or were confusing something with something else. It wasn't malicious on your end, he knows that.
He's actually significantly smarter than he lets on in practical knowledge, though. Those dungeon puzzles pay off, you know? He's got pattern recognition down. So over time he learns how to distinguish when you're lying to him or attempting to deceive him, and sees through it increasingly well.
And yet, he doesn't really... get mad over it, most of the time. Again, he's just capable of deluding himself into believing there's a reason. He believes so strongly in your goodness that he finds a way to interpret everything you do as out of benevolence. So you snuck out the window and didn't tell him you were going for a walk because you just wanted to get away from his suffocating presence for once? You were just thinking of him. You didn't want to burden him and wanted to give him a break. Well, that's thoughtful, but don't worry, he doesn't need a break. He thinks it's precious you're so considerate of him though!
You don't tell him you were talking to that person, and you lie and say no when he asks, because you don't want him to worry, and because you underestimate how dangerous others can be. He's told you a million times and you don't listen, but that's ok, it's because you're just so pure you see the best in everyone. Everything you do is good.
Because he perceives your lies, he will still work against and around it. He won't confront you on your lies, he'll just make sure to deal with the situation -- you lied about sneaking out, well, he'll just keep watch and be ready to meet you outside next time. You lied about talking to a person, well, he'll just have to make sure they stay away from you instead.
If you're trying to trick him, he just plays along until necessary. Smiles and nods. He gets the suspicion you're planning a break-out when he told you he was leaving to go get something from town... rather than saying so, he just decides, you know what? Why don't you come with him? Oh, you're feeling sick, you tell him it's ok, go without you? Well, he can't leave you alone then! Because you're clearly not and just trying to get him to leave... or, as he says, he can't just leave you alone. He'll go another day.
He's fairly manipulable when it comes to praise and affection. You can easily Pavlov him into certain behaviors or patterns with just the slightest words of praise and affection. He's not a very outwardly expressive person, tends to stay quiet, but you can tell how he feels inside when you give the slightest praise, a hug, a kiss on the cheek -- you can see that soft hint of a smile and tell that inside, he's basically melting, even if it's not obvious to most people. And, much like the lying, he’s honestly often aware of it, but he just can’t help it.
How lenient are they? What privileges can you have, and what will you be denied?
He tries to get you the things that he feels will make you happy. Your happiness is incredibly important to him, and he usually thinks about how any action he plans to take might affect you, spends a lot of time debating choices of things to do or say and try to determine how each one will affect you and choose accordingly.
As such, he goes out of his way to support the things you want to do. Have a hobby? He'll find the best materials available. Want a book or a food? He'll obtain it through some means. Even if procuring it involves a side-quest-y set of mundane tasks or scouring the world for 70 of this and 50 of that to exchange it for the item from an obscure specialist, it's all worth it.
The only thing he just doesn't give up on is the constant vigilance and insistence on being by your side more or less every waking second. And every sleeping second. And just every single moment you're alive. It's for your safety.
This is actually one of the things he can get a little nasty about when it comes to how he deals with it, because he quickly has the bright idea that if you don't get it, he'll make you understand. Of course, he can't actually risk you getting hurt, so he stages it. Allows you to sneak off, or at least think you have, and walk right into the path of those monsters he lured, or the people he hired to intimidate you. Of course, it's only natural that he shows up at the last possible second, right on time to save you. You should expect that, after all, it's his responsibility to protect you, of course fate works out perfectly like this. See, he was right, it's so dangerous, and without him you'd be dead. Hopefully you grasp that now.
What kind of rules do they have? What kind of punishment would they use?
His is mostly related to vigilance. Where are you? Who have you been talking to? Who was that person you were talking with just now? What did they say? He's not nosy. He just cares about you. It’s in the job description. You ought to understand just how much certain bad people would love to find you and hurt you. That's why he has to know.
This isn't our modern world, so there's no phones or tracking devices to speak of, just himself, which, well, might as well be a tracking device since he never seems to have difficulty finding you. Sometimes you're not sure how he does it.
He tells you that you don't have to be with him 24/7, but you will be, even if you don't realize it. He's aware enough to know that you'll feel suffocated and get mad if you're aware of his presence all the time, so he gives you your "alone" time, aka, the "follow her quietly from a 20+ foot distance" time. It all feels the same to you. Well, sometimes you feel eyes on you, but you shake the feeling off as paranoia.
So it's not so much that he sets rules and reacts when they're broken, but rather, he works his way around anything you might do so well that he doesn't need you to follow his rules, or really, you take them more as suggestions. But honestly, that's kind of worse. It's enough to drive a darling to the brink of a mental breakdown very quickly. With Link you will inevitably become paranoid, nervous, you feel like you're going insane because he manages to pop up everywhere, he always knows what you did when you did it and you have no idea how it is even conceivably possible for him to know some of the things that he knows. He confronts you very plainly and quietly, often sweetly, asking why you did this or that or telling you it's ok, you don't have to hide anything, surely there’s a good reason, and if not, he forgives you anyway. In a way, it's worse than an angry confrontation. You begin to feel like he's omnipresent, like he can read your mind, and it truly takes a mental toll and affect you worse than any normal yandere's concept of punishment.
This ultimately works out well in his favor. The more you just do what he wants, the less it feels like a violation or intrusion that he knows these things, since he was there with you, it makes sense, and you continuously get bent to his will.
How do they deal with rivals, or perceived rivals? Will they get rid of them? Will they kill them themselves, or find another way?
Ah, and thus we get to that brutality rating.
It would be unthinkable to think that any sort of scum would even dare. Even he isn't worthy of being with you, and someone else thinks they could be? So, he more or less views "rivals" as an offense. When they're threats, well, he's allowed to deal with them. When they're not, well... he has a wonderful reputation. If he says he overheard that person planning usurpation or assassination, that they realized he was listening in and wildly attacked him, everyone will believe him. Even if the death seems a little... non-immediate. And uh... frankly... overkill. How exactly... did those limbs get perfectly severed during equally armed combat? And was it... really necessary... to kinda spill entrails all over like that? He'll apologize, of course, he was just so outraged by the thought of someone hurting you or your family, you know? You notice his eye twitches a bit as he says it.
He has a lot of... bottled up frustrations, which we'll touch on in the nsfw section as well, but it tends to manifest in those two ways: sex and violence. Rather than exerting stress and anger and frustration as it comes, he lets it fester. He tries to maintain being the noble, humble, self-sacrificing person he feels he should be. That is... difficult to do for a long time. People expect a lot from him, even in timelines where he's not necessarily realized as the hero quite yet, he usually has a lot of responsibilities. But then you tack on the whole hero thing? The weight of the world is sometimes, quite literally, on his shoulders. Do you have any idea the kind of stress that comes with that knowledge? It's not pleasant. And it quickly bottles up, a very very fragile bottle set to eventually shatter in a matter of time.
On a longer sort of quest, he just kinda... leaves a trail of destruction in his wake. Enemies don't actually just poof out of existence the way they do on-screen, you know. Anyone coming across an area he's just been through is met with literal piles upon piles of corpses, sometimes monsters, but sometimes people. He takes a very scorched earth sort of policy when it comes to dealing with things.
He's able to easily get close to people, with that sweet face and puppy eyes and lithe body, people don't really feel on guard around him nor intimidated. That makes it significantly easier to infiltrate enemy hideouts, earn favors, and work his way in to be able to commit mass murder more easily. Granted, no one thinks too much of it because they *are* truly enemies, after all, they *did* need to be taken out and well, if the rulers can choose to either send a group of ten soldiers or just one guy and get the job done equally well either way, they'll go with the latter option. No one thinks anything of it, except the occasional person who laughs and says something to the effect of remind me to never get on your bad side, haha! He gives that sheepish, sweet little smile, and jokingly tells them that yeah, better not.
How easy is it to make them mad? What does their anger look like?
For you, nearly impossible. For others, at a hair trigger.
For the most part, he conceals anger well until, as aforementioned, it bottles up and bursts. The truth is he gets irritated virtually all the time by other people. People who talk to you. Look at you. Smile at you. He’s actually rather easily annoyed even when you’re not involved, but again, he’s good at hiding it until it builds.
His rage has a commonality with his calm -- it's quiet. At least, at first. When it's directed at others, his eyes narrow. It's the telltale sign that someone has ignited his rage. It burns on the inside, it starts off as a spark that builds and builds and grows larger and larger until it's a blazing fire that consumes everything in his path. It's a loss of composure, a rare moment of complete loss of self-control. From his own perspective, it feels like he's not in control of his own body, it's all a blur happening in front of him and when it's over he's looking down at his own hands, unable to process his own actions, sometimes unable to remember them.
But it's violent, merciless, unforgiving. It does not yield to begging, it does not leave anything alive unless forced to. You remember the first time you realized how unnatural it was, how shocked you were at how he did something that certainly went against the code he was sworn to follow, the very first time you felt truly afraid of Link. It was a walk in town -- someone called out to you, spitting obscenities about you and your family, your lineage, threw something at you -- he caught it in his hand and crushed it, and quickly, without a word, advanced on the offender. And, to make a long story short, you had to prevent him from beating a man to death in public in broad daylight. He was forgiven by his superiors, but even they seemed shocked. You had to pull him off, and when he jerked his head around to look at whatever was stopping him -- before his face softened as he recognized your own face -- the split second you saw the burn of hatred and fury in eyes that were normally so soft and loving, was nothing short of unsettling, you still recall the chill that ran down your spine.
And honestly? It's terrifying. And the first time, it's shocking. Sure, you knew he could fight. You've seen him fight off monsters, bokoblins and lizalfos and the like. But something is different about seeing the blood of a human being run down his sword, dripping onto the ground, to see the bodies and the blank, numb gaze on his features he always has after it's over. The absolute lack of hesitancy he has to run human enemies through before they even have a chance to explain themselves, how unbothered he seems by the carnage left in his wake. The way he turns back to you, drenched in red and smiles, tells you it's ok, you're safe now. There's no need to look so scared.
And it changes how you view him, in the long run. Less of a guardian angel, more of a guardian dog, one that defends your name when you never asked him to. Pleads to tell him not to fall on deaf ears -- you just don't understand why it has to be this way, he says, you can't comprehend the threat they posed. From the sweet boy that leaves you flowers and repairs and instead leaves a wave of destruction in his path you would not have thought possible.
Directed towards you, though, it's entirely different. He tries his best to have patience with you, no matter what. He smiles, he tries to make excuses as to why you'd say this or do that, why you'd feel a certain way, and he's rather good at deluding himself to give you the benefit of the doubt.
But when it reaches an end, when he can no longer lie to himself, when you push it to a point that you truly make him mad, it's more of a snap. The times he'll lay hands on you in a truly violent way are rare, and as aforementioned, very brief. It's usually not so much of actually a blow, so much as a grab. He just can't get what he's trying to tell you through your thick head, so he stresses it, trying to make you understand as he grabs you by the upper arms, shaking you with each word, and he only stops when he sees the pain and fear in your eyes, drawing his hands back at lightning speed. He saves you from some danger very narrowly, one of the few times he lost track of you for a moment and had to frantically search before coming across you being attacked. What would I have done if something happened to you? Don't you understand that? He's so lost in the relief it takes him a moment to feel you beating on his arms in the embrace, choking and wheezing that you can't breathe, that his grip is so tight it feels like he'll snap you in half. He draws back again, and he apologizes, but it will certainly happen more than once.
So they see you as above them, beneath them, or equal to them?
Above. Like, so, so, so far above. He feels like he doesn't even deserve to look at you. Of course, neither does anyone else, so he's just, you know, stepping up to bear the burden of wrongdoing to keep people even worse than him away from you.
So it's less that you're just above him so much as you're above everyone. He's actually, perhaps surprisingly, a little bit of a pessimist about the world. The world is full of so many terrible people and so many horrible things happen that he's borne witness to. It's a "world cold and hard, (y/n) soft and warm" sort of thing. You're the one good thing, the thing that makes him happy, the ultimate source of comfort he has, and he has to prevent you from being defiled by the evil of the world, keep you innocent and sweet (even if he's just deluding himself to think you are those things in the first place).
This ties into, again, how he interprets every action you take as good and benevolent -- he has the "you can do no wrong" mentality. Even very blatantly malicious things, he'll interpret in a way that makes you somehow still come out a perfect, innocent angel. If you do harm to others, well, they simply deserved it. You did something technically wrong, but you knew no better, or you were desperate. You can't be held responsible for any of it. And if you're mean to him, well, he probably did something to make you upset.
How determined are they for you to love them? How hard will they try to make it happen? Or are they content just having you?
Sort of a duality. Yes, he's very persistent. He thinks about it all the time. Every time you yell and try to run and hurl nasty insults at him, it hurts far more than you realize. He doesn't let it show on his face or in his voice, but it really does, and it gets to him sometimes. He's hyper observant of every little thing you do, your body language, your tone, the way you look at him, and the slightest of differences can change his mood internally, although it tends to look the same outwardly.
He makes little mental notes of it -- today she didn't flinch when I touched her shoulder. Today she didn't frown when she saw me coming. Little things like that will make his entire day. Likewise, the inverse kills him inside. He aims to make every day one of the former days, where the littlest signs of acceptance or even kindness and affection give him a sort of high that makes him feel like he's floating.
He tries his best to do things that he thinks will, well, earn love. Every opportunity to do something for you, he takes it. Everything he sees he'd think you'd like, he buys (or steals, or... loots from a dead body) for you. On and on that idea goes. And although he doesn't say too much, when he does speak to you, he usually has something nice to say. He views it in a formulaic way -- ironically, think about it like those collectibles in overworlds. You get enough of this or that thing, and once you have enough, you can go talk to this or that person and donate them all and get a reward, right? He's accustomed to viewing things that way. Love should be the same way. If he just completes enough tasks and gathers enough items, eventually he'll unlock your love.
That being said, even if it doesn't happen, much to your despair, he just... doesn't. Give. Up. He doesn't quit. No matter how many times you tell him, it doesn't make a difference. You can tell him you'll never love him, and it's like it goes in one ear and out the other. He keeps trying. And he never, ever, ever stops trying. What did you expect? The boy's been fighting the same enemy over and over across lifetimes, needless to say his spirit has build up some persistence.
Bonus: Is there anything that makes them unique, in comparison to other yanderes?
Bonus: Zelda/Triforce of Wisdom Darling
And don't worry. If it all goes wrong, when he fails, those divergences in time where the hero is vanquished and evil wins out -- it's not the end. Somehow, that's the feeling he gets, holding your little lifeless body up, running hands across your cold skin. Somehow, he feels oddly calm. Like it hurts, but it's ok. Like he'll see you again. Maybe not soon, but one day. This time didn't work out. But the next one will.
And that's the feeling you'll always have. Every time you meet him and you feel like you've met before, the lingering memories when you wake from your dreams -- flying through skies and sailing on oceans, a child, an adult, a boy you've never met, or one you've known all your life, but it's always the same face, the same voice, the one right beside you in the waking world. You sometimes wonder if he has the same feelings, the same dreams, the same sense of something greater than yourselves at work, the sense of being just smaller pieces in a much bigger picture.
The sense of permanency, that each other is all there will ever be -- regardless of how it makes you feel, regardless of how that scares you, sometimes you feel like you can never be free. Sometimes, when you think of running away, those dark moments when you think of even escaping from life itself, it feels futile. It's as if you know it would never hold him away forever. As if death is insignificant. Perhaps in this lifetime, you'll become aware of why that is, or perhaps not.
With other obsessive lovers, just the idea of til death do us part is a terrifying thought. But, for Link, not even death can keep him away from you. Your suffering is already determined by the will of higher power, for the sake of a greater good. 
In truth, it’s the goddesses who made him this way intentionally -- it’s designed to ensure your safety, even at the cost of your suffering. Again, for a greater good. Sure, you may live one lifetime to the next desperately locked in the same cycle in which your freedom and will is stripped from you, but in the end, it serves a purpose. 
Nor will he change -- perhaps this one this time is a bit more spirited, more calm, more pessimistic, more optimistic... but in the end, at their core, they're the same soul, with the same will deep, deep down. The same drive to find you and protect you. The same love for you, an all-consuming love that destroys everything in its path to you and leaves ruin in its wake.
And if fate should one day keep you apart, should things change, for whatever reason, it’s unable to change him. There's another force even more powerful than fate determined to keep you together. The only thing more unavoidable, inevitable, and unescapable than fate, is Link himself.
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General perverseness: how sexual of a person are they? What’s their drive like? How touchy do they get? Do they have any reservations about sexuality?
In moments of passion, he changes a bit, unlike other more submissive yans who stay consistent in their reverence and desire to please.
You see, after a while, being as lenient and tolerant and flexible and completely devoted as he is... constantly self-sacrificing in so many ways, to you, to Hyrule, to the world... some frustrations build up. It's a big, big bottle of emotion, all tucked away and festering, getting greater and greater and eventually it has to explode somehow.
His reservations and inhibitions fall away. Perhaps a darker, more selfish side comes out. Perhaps that's why he's so rough. He knows he'll regret it later, the bruises from how hard he grips, the marks from the bites, but the hormones and the heat takes over. He'll feel bad for defiling you. He'll apologize. And he'll do it again. And again. And again.
But once the resolve crumbles, it topples. That is, he can't partially maintain it -- if it's partially gone, it falls apart completely. He lets go, so to speak. And when he lets go, you find that underneath that carefully constructed resolve and willpower that holds him back, he can be a very, very rough and possessive lover. In his normal state, he wouldn't dare think of you as a possession, or as something he's even worthy of. He would like so, so much to think that, to feel like he's allowed to -- but he doesn't. He chastises himself for even having such a desire. But in those moments, when his resolve is gone and his brain isn't thinking quite too clearly, he might even have to audacity to say "mine." Even if it's not true, not now, maybe it will be. He would like that so much. His and his alone.
And in a moment of clarity, he might even throw away the inhibition on purpose. The more selfish side, the same Link that drags you away from your destiny -- he's already forsaken his responsibilities, hasn't he? Why care anymore about the structures that no longer exist, your status and his, if there's no kingdom left? He likes that it happened, even. This way, this time, you can throw off those titles, those roles. Without your status, your title, there's nothing stopping him from making you his. And you will be his, and nothing more. It's all you need to be. So he doesn't have to care anymore about any of that, he doesn't have to stop himself from going wild. Biting into every little spare patch of skin, covering your body with marks that make him feel comforted to see.
As far as drive it's a bit of a two-sided duality. Outwardly he's not a very sexual person at all, blushes and stutters and averts his gaze at the slightest mention of suggestive topics, tries his best to be Respectful(tm) by always looking away when you're in a compromising position, or your skirt flies up, etc etc. Given how constant his vigilance is, he has a tendency to accidentally walk in on your changing or bathing, except unlike with many yanderes, it's genuinely an accident. Not that the image doesn't stick in his mind, nor does he wish he hadn't gotten to see, but he does feel guilty, and it was genuinely unintentional. He kinda freezes up, so it takes a moment for him to actually snap out of it and run out.
That being said, he quickly develops something of a masturbation addiction when he's younger, it starts as more of a stress reliever than anything, He's so sweet and always feels bad about talking about his problems and feelings, so that and, well, violence are the only ways he can get it out. Thus he learns to channel stress and nerves into sexuality, and once he has a real living body and not just his hand, that dependency on cumming to relieve it doesn't change.
How forceful are they? Do they care about your willingness?
Particularly so, yes, cares quite a bit. And it takes a while for him to feel comfortable. Even consensually, the first few times he touches you for several months, he's got trembling hands and stays quieter than ever, constantly freezes up every time you move or make a noise because he thinks he's done something wrong. He has to be coaxed into feeling more comfortable before he gets used to it, but he will build confidence over time.
As addressed before, though, if he's pushed and pushed and pushed long enough, you can get a darker side to come out. This is most likely something that would only occur post-kidnapping in a distant time, once he's far away from any possibility of consequence and destruction has set in to the world around you. He starts to get a little bitter, if you've been mean to him. It all builds up. Don't you get that he's literally saved your life? That he devoted every waking second to you? Isn't he kinda entitled to some thanks? The cycle of time never rewards him. Even the figures he helps over time rarely give him more than a verbal praise and thanks, maybe an item here or there, and then disappear. His role feels thankless. He starts to feel like he deserves something, something tangible, in return.
Surprisingly, though, he actually does not take the route of guilt-tripping or emotional manipulation or gaslighting his way into it like a lot of the sweeter yanderes when he does have that snap. His snaps/breakdowns are rather extreme in terms of how much of a polar opposite they are to his normal state, rather than just a slight bend of his normal personality. Rather than taking the route of most yanderes like himself, he just gets directly physically forceful. Still somewhat sweet, though, reminds you he loves you, he'd die for you, you're his entire world. You'd argue that doesn't really change the actions, but considering how frightening he is in that state, you're not dumb enough to vocalize that.
The guilt consumes him alive afterwards. Like, immediately afterwards. He's still panting and twitching and buried inside when it sets in. That being said, he doesn't get to stuttering and profusely apologizing, like he does over smaller offenses. It's all done and he can't take it back, so he just kinda collapses and says nothing. He's not the best with words, you know. It's an odd mixture of guilt and, honestly, a bit of satisfaction and relief. It feels like letting go of some self-imposed burden, that feeling of finally surrendering to some deep want, even if it comes with a lot of remorse, the relief of finally letting go does have a good feeling as well... and because of that, it’s another one of those barriers that, once broken, can’t be built up again.
What sort of kinks or fetishes do they have, or would they fill?
In all honesty the boy is, for the most part, a fairly gentle and vanilla lover. He doesn't really need anything special to get off -- he's easily excited and cums very very easily too. Just the prospect of getting to stick his dick in you in any capacity is enough to make him nearly burst at the thought honestly.
In general, as aforementioned, he's very very cautious and gentle to a point, but has a tendency to get actually kinda rough once he gets into it. The thing is, the roughness aspect is actually unintentional. He's one of those boys that is a little bit unaware of his own strength, doesn't process exactly how hard and fast he's going. He just gets lost in the feeling, kinda enters a dazed lusty haze where he's less aware of his actions. Doesn't realize he's literally got an iron grip pressing your head down on his dick or into the bed until you start flailing your hands because you can't breathe. Doesn't realize how hard he was gripping until he sees the bruises on your arms and hips later. That sort of deal -- poor thing is just unaware and doesn't have enough blood in his brain to think straight.
Biting
Surprisingly a really big one for him. (Remnants of a past life cycle with some lupine experiences perhaps?) In all seriousness, he could not explain exactly why if asked, it's one of those "I just like it" sort of things. It feels like yet another way to conjoin the two bodies, pulls you close. The marking aspect is also nice. Granted, he feels guilty afterwards, tries to help it heal. He has that same duality where moments ago he was this intimidating beast of a human being, rough and growly and jerking you like you were weightless, and now he's back to this bright eyed softie stuttering while he apologizes.
The guilt is mixed with a bit of enjoyment, though. It's constantly conflicting -- sure, part of him understands it's embarrassing and will help you cover up, but part of him doesn't want to, he wants people to see. Part of him looks at the marks and tells himself internally to never do that again, and part of him sees them and just wants to give you even more. It's a constant internal conflict, poor thing.
As far as a place, he likes the neck and shoulders best, simply because it's the most visible and it's the most passionate ones to create, when your bodies are tightly locked together. That being said, though, he also has a thing for biting at the insides of your thighs. It's another one of those I just like it sort of things.
Sometimes, when you're asleep, or pretending to be, you can feel him trace the bite marks with his fingers, softly running them over the circular pattern, just enough to barely ghost over your flesh.
Somnophilia
It puts him at ease. This one is particularly prevalent towards the beginning of your relationship, before you really know... how he is. He has this image of you as so pure and he couldn't bear the thought of defiling you with his horrible horrible thoughts. The guilt eats away at him for a while, but eventually he just can't hold back, but how could he ever do anything to you and risk consequence? So... the solution he comes up with is waiting until you sleep.
He tests the waters to see how heavy of a sleeper you are. Calls your name at increasing volume, lightly runs his fingers over your hair, pokes your face, whispers in your ear, runs his hands over your arms. Just to see what makes you rustle, if anything, so he knows the limits. If it turns out you're an incredibly light sleeper, well, unfortunately that means he's limited to just jerking off to your sleeping form, but that's ok. Just seeing your soft face and the cute way you breathe, the slightest way your lips open, that's enough for him.
If it turns out you're a heavier sleeper though, well, he tries to fight the temptation, but ends up going further. Slowly climbs onto your bed, careful to make the weight shift as gently as possible. Slowly pulls the covers back. Runs his hands up and down. It's a lot better when he can actually see your body as he jerks off, honestly. If he's feeling particularly risky, he might press your thighs together, feel how soft your skin is to his cock, how nice the squeezing pressure between them is.
He gets easily lost in a haze, though, so he inevitably ends up accidentally cumming on you and has to frantically find a way to lightly dab it up without waking you. He panics quite a bit, but that doesn't stop him from doing it again the very next night.
Overstimulation/Forced Orgasm
It just means he's doing a good job, really. Sure, you squeal and kick your feet back and forth and tug at his hair, but that's just because it feels good. Orgasms equate to love and feel good, right? Sure there's a little bit of pain when you go overboard, but then it just leads to feeling even better, right?
It's kind of an irrational compulsion rather than a logical goal, though. He just has an impulsive need to feel you quiver and spasm and clench, it basically gives him a chemical high hit and a wave of reassurance, makes him feel good in both the physical sense and the emotional sense. The first one sends him into this compulsive need to feel it over and over and over again, as many times as he can. It's another one of his internal conflict things -- sure, he knows it's hurting, but he just has to get one more. Just one more. But of course, every time turns into "just one more" when he's been saying that for half an hour now.
And, to be honest, it kind of gives him a pride boost to think he can make you cum against your will. How many people struggle to achieve that even when both parties are trying? It makes him feel good in an adequacy sort of way, he feels needed.
Size Kink/Distension
You know, there's a well-known thing among the male-lovers in this world when it comes to size. It's never the arrogant, loud guys, it's never the social butterflies, it's never the tall guys, it's never the beefy muscly guys. No, they're not the ones that end up somehow bestowed with absolute monster cocks. It's always the soft, lean boys who don't talk much. And they're always painfully unaware of it, too.
He's no exception. Not to the size or the complete lack of awareness. He hasn't spent a lot of time around guys his age too much, he's always been the one sent for some special task and ends up out in the wilderness by himself on journeys, or, in some lifetimes, accompanying you most of the time. He doesn't know what the average dick looks like, so he has no idea he's far above average.
This might sound like a plus, and of course in some ways it is, but also he doesn't think about the fact that the average body isn't properly equipped to handle it. You're supposed to just kinda put it in, that's how the sex works, right? Poor thing, especially if it's entirely consensual sex, he's just kinda ???? because why are you in pain? What is he doing wrong? You have to eventually explain it's literally just his body, not something he's doing.
That being said, naturally, he's a humble person, but hearing you say that does kinda... make him feel good inside. A little bit proud. He's not a person who takes a lot of pride in many things, so he likes having this one thing, and quickly notices you can visibly see it through the bulge it makes in your stomach. Especially if it's in a position where your back is pressed to his front, every little movement creates the bulge, so expect to get a lot of that.
He doesn't really bring it up much or talk about it when he's actually fucking you, it's more like, as with many things, something he's quietly aware of and silently enjoys a lot internally, even if it's not voiced.
How do they feel about pregnancy or babies? Do they want them?
Yes and no. It has to do with his overactive protection instinct. What if something happened or went wrong? He couldn't take that. He couldn't lose you.
At the same time, he likes kids, and he's very good with them, very patient. And over time, realizes that a kid would be the perfect tool of manipulation, and besides that, isn't it a beautiful thing, an ultimate manifestation of love?
So how to work around that... Ultimately, what he decides to do is have a kid... Just not by blood. There are plenty of orphans in Hyrule, wandering the streets and the wilderness, picking one up is easy. ...You wouldn't leave this poor child to suffer out there, to fend for themselves, would you? Nor would you leave him to take care of it by himself... Right?
What kind of (nsfw) punishments would they use?
Oh, it's not like he thinks of it that way. He would call it... a reminder. You put yourself in danger again? You tried to go back again? You were gone and for ten whole minutes he didn't know where you were? What could the solution to this issue be? The only thing his brain can really come up with is making sure you need him. Making sure you're content and satisfied here with him so you don't go running off.
Thus we return to the forced orgasm thing -- see, you do need him. It feels good, right? You say it hurts, and maybe it does a little, but ultimately you wouldn't be cumming if it wasn't good. No one else can ever do that. No one else knows you like this. No one else was made for you like this. You can't replace him. You need him. And he can keep going as many times as it takes until you see that, too. Even if he gets milked dry, he has a mouth and hands for a reason.
And by "until you see that," I mean until you say it. In his more... emotionally intense moments, he gets a bit insistent. He needs to hear you say it. Admit it to yourself. And to him. That you need him, that you depend on him, that you'll never leave again. And don't think your patience and tolerance can stand a chance of outlasting his -- it will keep going until you say it.
What body parts of their darling do they like the most?
He's one of those wholesome type of boys who goes with something sweet. He says maybe your hair, your face, your skin, your eyes. It's all so comforting. So familiar. Of course, not to say that he doesn't like your less wholesome mentionable parts, but he wants to be chivalric about such a question, and feels answering that way would be too disrespectful.
In his unspoken thoughts, though, he likes the hips. It's a part of you he can grab onto and hold you close with. He puts his hands there a lot and holds tight, like he feels like at any moment you could slip out of his grasp. And, I mean, it's nice to look at, can't forget that.
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misnomera · 4 years
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On racial stereotyping of the Haans in TMA...
Right so as someone who is ethnically Chinese I have NO FUCKING clue how I didn’t notice this more distinctly in my initial binge of tma (going too fast and not paying closer attention to character names and descriptions, probably) but the Haan family storyline is, all horror elements aside, pretty fucked up in terms of racial representation re: stereotyping. This got long as hell, but please please please take a moment to read through if you’ve got time for it. thanks.
To start off, the Haans are one of the few characters in tma with an explicitly specified race and ethnicity—Chinese—and pretty much the only explicitly Chinese characters in tma, other than the mostly unimportant librarian (Zhang Xiaoling) from Beijing. But like, Haan isn’t even a properly Chinese surname, at least not in the way that it’s spelled in canon (it should be Han, one a. A quick google search tells me that Haan as a surname has...Dutch origins??).
Of course, that could be chalked up to shoddy anglicization processes within family histories, which certainly isn’t uncommon with immigrant families, so I’m not going to dwell on names too much (although I also find it interesting that John Haan’s name is so specifically and weirdly anglicized that he changed his own surname?? Hun Yung to John Haan is a very big leap of a name change and frankly not very believable. ANYWAY, this is not that important. I don’t expect Jonny, a white Englishman, to come up with perfectly unquestionable non-Cho-Chang-like Chinese names, though it certainly would be nice. Moving on).
What really bothers me about the Haans is how they almost exclusively and explicitly play into negative Chinese immigrant stereotypes. I don’t even feel like I need to say it because it’s like...it’s literally Right There, folks. John Haan (in ep 72) owns and operates a sketchy takeout restaurant. They’re all avatars of the Flesh—and John Haan is Specifically horrific and terrifying because he cooked his wife’s human meat and fed it to his unknowing customers. Does that remind you of any stereotypes which accuse Chinese people of consuming societally unacceptable and ethically questionable things like dog/cat/bat meat (which, if it’s not already crystal fucking clear, we don’t. do that.), which in turn characterize us as horrible unfeeling monsters? John Haan’s characterization feeds (haha, badum tss) directly into this harmful stereotype that have caused very real pain for Chinese people and East Asians in general. 
And Jonny does nothing to address that from within his writing (and not out of it either). And, speaking on a more meta level, Jonny could’ve easily had these flesh avatars be individuals of any race (like, what’s Jared Hopworth’s ethnicity? Do we know? No? Well then). Conversely, he could’ve easily, easily had a Chinese person be an avatar of any other entity. So why did he have to chose specifically the Flesh?
(This is a rhetorical question. You know why. Racial stereotyping and invoking a fear of the other in an attempt to enhance horror, babey~)
On Tom Haan’s side, Jonny seems weirdly intent on having other characters repeatedly comment on his accent (or rather, lack thereof) in relation to his race. Think about how, in ep 30 (killing floor), the fact that Tom Haan had spoken a line to the statement giver in “perfect English” was an emphasized beat in that statement, and a beat that was supposed to be “chilling” and meant to signify to us that something was, quote-unquote, “not right” with Tom Haan. Implicitly, that’s saying that it was unexpected, not “normal”, and in this case even eerie, for someone who looks Chinese to have spoken in fluid, unbroken English. Mind you, the line itself was perfectly scary on its own (“you cannot stop the slaughter by closing the door”), so why did Jonny feel the need to note the accent in which it was spoken in? Why did Jonny HAVE to have that statement giver note, that he initially “wasn’t even sure how much English [Haan] spoke”? 
This happens again in episode 72 with a Chinese man (and again, his ethnicity is Explicitly Noted) who we assume is also Tom Haan. This one is rather ironically funny and kind of painfully self aware, because the statement giver expresses surprise at Haan’s “crisp RP accent” and then immediately “felt bad about making the assumption that he couldn’t speak English,” and subsequently admitted that thought was “low-key racist.” Like, from a writing perspective, this entire passage is roundabout, pointless, and says absolutely nothing helpful to enhance the horror genre experience for listeners (instead it just sounded like some sort of half-assed excuse so Jonny or other listeners could say “look! We’ve addressed the racism!” You didn’t. It just made me vaguely uncomfortable). And again, having other people comment on our accents/lack thereof while assuming we are foreign is a Very Real microaggression that east asians face on the daily. If Jonny needed some filler sentences for pacing he could’ve written about Literally anything else. So why point out, yet again, that the crazy murderous man was foreign and Chinese? 
At this point, you might say, right, but yknow, it was just that the statement givers were kind of racist! It happens! Yeah sure, ok, that’s a passable in-universe explanation for descriptions of Tom Haan (though not John Haan, mind you), but the statement givers are fake made up people, and statement’s still written by Jonny, who absolutely has all the power to write overt discrimination out of his stories. And he does! Think about just how many minor (and major!!) characters are so, so carefully written as completely aracial, and do not have their ethnicity implicated at all in whatever horrors they may or may not be committing. Think about how many lgbtq+ characters have given statements, and have been in statements, without having faced direct forms of discrimination, or portrayed as embodying blatant stereotypes in their stories (though lgbtq+ rep in tma certainly has their own issues that I won’t go into here). Jonny can clearly write characters this way, and he can do it well. So why, why, am I being constantly, repeatedly reminded in-text of the fact that the Haans are East Asian, that they’re from China, that they’re Chinese immigrants, that they’re second-generation British Chinese or whatever the fuck, and that they’re also horrifying conduits for blood, gore, and general fucked-up-ness? It’s absolutely not something that is Needed for the stories to be an effective piece of horror; the only thing it does is perpetuate incredibly harmful and hurtful stereotypes.
And listen, I love tma to bits. It’s taken over my blog. I’ve really loved my interactions with the fandom. And I am consistently blown away by Jonny’s writing and how well he’s able to weave foreshadowing and plot into an incredibly complex collection of stories. But I absolutely Cannot stop thinking about the Haans because it’s just. It’s such a blatant display of racial stereotyping in writing. And I’ve certainly seen a few voices talking about it here and there, and I don’t know if I’m just not looking in the right places, but it certainly feels like something that is just straight up not on the radar for a lot of tma fans. And I’m disappointed about that. 
Just, I don’t know. Take a look at those episodes again and do some of your own thinking about why these characters had to be specifically Chinese (answer: they didn’t.). And in general, PLEASE for the love of god turn a critical eye on character portrayals and descriptions whenever they are assigned specific races/ethnicities (Some examples that come to mind are Jude Perry, Annabelle Cane, and Diego Molina), because similar issues, to an extent, extend beyond the Haans, though I haven’t covered them here. 
You shouldn’t need a POC to do point out these problems for you when they’re so glaringly There. But for those of you who really didn’t know, hope this was informative in some way. I’m tired, man. If some of the only significant Chinese characters you write are violent cannibalistic men with a perverted relationship with meat, just don’t do it. Please don’t do it. 
EDIT: Since the making of this post Jonny has acknowledged and apologized for these portrayals on his twitter and in the Rusty Quill Operations Update, which went up September 2020. A long time coming, but better late than never. This of course doesn’t necessarily negate the harm done by Jonny’s writing, and doesn’t make me much less angry about it, but is appreciated nonetheless. For more on this topic there’s a lot of productive discussions happening in my “#tma crit” tag and in the notes of this post
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gb-patch · 3 years
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Ask Answers: July 10th
I really let asks get away from me lately. I was super focused on working on that Patreon Moment. With that done I can finally think about doing other things, so here’s a new collection of answers!
Thank you for sending in questions everyone ^^.
For the new Patreon moment, will you be able to reference it in step 4? Or just like a tiny nod to it if you pick certain choices?
There won’t be. I’m sorry if you were hoping for that! The Patreon moment is meant to be entirely optional, it’s not something that gets you extra content in the main game.
Is the new CG artist the main one now? :0 I’ve noticed theres been a difference in the art style recently. Is the old CG artist still going to make art for the game? :0
The original artist still makes CGs for the game sometimes, but he mainly focuses on character sprites.
Are you going to put the NSFW our life moment on a website other than patreon? I would love to get it but I can't use patreon atm.
I don’t know. I'm afraid we can't release the Patreon Moment on a normal game storefront because we can't mix 18+ content with our family friendly game. If there's some other place similar to Patreon where it's not the normal type of full-scale public content releases we'd consider using that, but I’m not sure if there is another site that’s better than Patreon in that regard. I'm sorry.
Out of curiosity, in all of your games so far, which characters in each were the most fun to write? They obviously don't have to be your favorite characters!
Buffalo Seer in AFA, really everyone in XOD/XOBD is pretty equally entertaining to write, The Guide in LoV, and Cove in OL!
idk if you accept "personal" questions, but is there anything you've been watching/ listening to lately
Mostly, I’ve been watching/listening to Authortube videos as of late! It’s people who talk generally about the process of how books become traditionally published and/or share their own experience as they attempt to be published. I don’t have an interest in writing normal text based books, but it’s really interesting to hear about that world. I’m listening to a video about royalties right now as I answer these asks.
Will one of the desserts we get to pick be fudge? That'd be such a cute reference! 
Haha, yeah, it should. Unless I completely blank on it and forget when trying to include the various referential food options.
I don't know if this has been asked previously but what would be the approximate heights for the presets MC can choose from Step 2 ~ 4? Are there any measurement you had in mind? Sorry if I didn't make myself clear kk I've been struggling with my English lately 💀 
I don’t know, ahah. I didn’t have any numbers in mind for that. So it’s whatever you imagine it is!
I noticed a bug with the Patreon moment when it comes to what your character wears. When Jamie and Cove are kissing while my character only had dresses selected, I had both the option to remove the dress or to remove the shirt... Picking one of the options to interact with Cove, after he removed his shirt, it had Jamie remove their shirt followed by ther pants despite only having dresses picked. 
Thank you for reporting ^^
I keep refreshing steam to see when the new doc for xobd will be released. I noticed you haven't posted anything about it in quite some time. Would it be possible to ask about a timeline/potential date? (If it's even this year—) I know you and your team are probably working super hard, I'm just super curious! ~Thank you!~ 
There are more stories done, I just haven’t gotten around to publicly releasing them. Hopefully I will have a chance to spend the time on that sooner rather than later!
hello!! i’m not sure if it’s an update but i’ve just replayed our life and at the end i can’t propose to cove anymore? :(( i’ve actually tried playing twice but the options are not there anymore, did you guys remove the options? i’m sorry if you’ve answered this before!! thank you and have a good one :) 
I’m afraid things haven’t been changed or removed, so I think you might’ve accidentally picked the wrong things somewhere along the way and locked yourself out of being able to propose by mistake. Sometimes you meant to say you want to get married but instead you mis-click and have it so the MC isn’t thinking about marriage or something. All I can suggest is starting from the beginning of Step 3 and making sure to follow the steps listed in the FAQ. I’m sorry for that.
Did yall remove some of the options for when youre making out with Cove in the charity moment? I could've sworn you could grab his bonkadonk and its not there anymore 
This is the same situation as the above. We didn’t remove things and you’re not wrong that there are sometimes those options. But there are various choices you have to make to get those options and it sounds like you accidentally missed something. If your relationship isn’t long-term, you can’t do it for example.
HI IM SO EXCITED I CAN FINALLY GET THE STEP 3 DLC 
Thank you for getting it!
Is Shiloh super totally straight bc I’m very gay and a huge Shiloh fan, would my man make an exception?😩
Sadly, he is one of our super straight characters. I’m sorry.
Hi, I have a very dumb question. In Step 2 does Cove not wanna share his drink with us at the mall (or rather why he stops drinking it) because it's an indirect kiss? Or is it like ...weird to him to share? Because if I remember right he eats off our spoon in the birthday scene right? 
Yeah, he’s awkward about it because he likes the MC and it feels very personal to share a straw with his crush.
Hi! If you don't mind me asking, who is the artist for OL2? Their style is so pretty! 
Thank you for saying so! This is her Twitter- https://twitter.com/redridingheart
Do Beginnings & Always and Now & Forever exist in the same universe? 
Yep! XOXO Droplets also exists in the same universe. It’s one big GB Patch world, haha.
Do Pran's parents regret the way they raised him? Do they feel ashamed of it?
No. They’re the type of people best cut out because they’re not gonna change. Which is why Pran does go very limited contact when he’s an adult.
Hi! I just wrapped up my second playthrough of Our Life, and I absolutely adore it, but I had a question. I went to the gallery and found I was missing 2 CGS (specifically Step 1-3 and 2-3) and I had no clue where they would've shown up. Which moments are those found in? 
You get it by telling Cove about his dad offering you money to be his friend in Step 1 and Step 2. You can’t get both in one playthrough, since you can only tell Cove the truth once. I’m really glad you liked it!
Hi hi! Please, how tall is Baxter and Derek? Love the game so much and I can't wait to see more! 
I don’t know, aha. I think Baxter was around 5′10 and Derek was like 5′8/5′9, maybe. I really am not one who has specific heights for things in mind.
is adult cove a bottom, top, or switch? 
A switch, though would choose the top if he had to pick.
I was wondering if there is a way to transfer save data? Even if through the game files. I wanted to be able to transfer my save data from my desktop over to my laptop so that I could continue playing right where I left off from but I'm not entirely sure how to go about that. 
If you save the save folder/persistent data of the game from your desktop and put it into the game folder on your other device, that could work.
Hi! Is it possible for us to know the date when our life: now and forever comes out on steam? Sorry if you've mentioned it before but I haven't seen it and I'm looking foward to that happening and just wanted to know :) 
It’s gonna be a long time, I’m afraid. There’s no estimate right now.
I started playing Our Life with my sister a while ago, and I think you guys should know that we discovered your secret. >:)
L from death note and Cove are clearly the same person, and this whole game is just an origin story!!
I’ve never seen that show so I’m sorry to say I don’t understand the connection/reference you’re trying to make. I’m pretty out of the loop when it comes to media. I don’t watch movies or TV.
Will OL2 have options for disabled MCs?
I understand if it's too complicated, just curious
Unfortunately, it’s not really something we have a plan for. We couldn’t finish the game if we tried to include every disability and have it be meaningful. It’d just be too much content to create. But if we decide to only include a few, how would we choose which disabilities get to be represented and which are left out? I don’t know. It’ll probably have to be something we don’t include as an option again, sadly. I’m sorry.
playing our life > anything else 
Haha, I’m glad you’re enjoying it.
Honestly, I would like to thank Our Life for helping me come to terms with my sexuality. Before, I never would've actually thought that it was possible to like boys romantically and still be asexual. Almost all of the BL visual novels I've read had unskippable sexual content in them and it honestly just didn't click with what I feel. I'm glad I found Our Life. I love the game, the developers, and this fandom so much. Now, I can safely come out as homoromantic AND asexual (at least anonymously here anyway; my parents are still huge homophobes 😂). 
Aw, it’s great to hear you felt comfortable being yourself in the game! That’s wonderful. I’m really sorry about your parents, though.
Will the demo for OL2 be on android? Really not sure if I could wait any longer than I have to aha 
Yeah, it’ll be available for Android once we eventually release a demo!
Do all these reveals perhaps mean development is progressing ahead of schedule? Please let that be the case I'm already obsessed with Qiu 
No, sorry, aha. Art comes along much faster than script/programming-work for us. It’s gonna be a long time before the game is a finished thing you can actually play. But at least we can look at the beautiful images.
Hey! First of all I wanna say I reallllllyyyyy loooovvveeee Our Life and XOXO Droplets! I have over 300 hours of playtime on Our Life… Anyways, I was just wondering, are the Derek and Baxter DLCs going to come out at the same time? If not, which one do you plan to release first? :3 
They will come out separately and Derek will be first! Glad you like the game.
I keep replaying Our Life to get every possible iteration and I am loving it <3 I was wondering if Cove gets locked out of his confession because MC was talking to Lee, would it be possible to confess to him in step 4? 
Yeah, you can avoid the confession in Step 3 and then get it in Step 4.
Hi, my Cove wears bracelets through step 2 and 3 but I still don't get an option to give him a bracelet? I didn't even know that was possible until I seen someone else ask about it lol 
Hm, did you use the Cove creator? Maybe there’s a bug where using the creator to add bracelets doesn’t fulfill the requirement to give Cove a bracelet in Step 3.
Wait, I'm dense, when does Baxter appear in step 2? Is it from big park firework? I feel so bad since i really love Baxter and waiting to buy his dlc. 
It’s in the Soiree Moment. You have to be just friends with Cove, indifferent, or crushing but not ask Cove to the dance at all. Then while there you can find someone new to dance with. But if you bring Cove to the dance while crushing, the MC won’t wanna dance with anyone else so you can’t get the scene.
In step 2 when we go to the soiree I made my mc go alone and baxter chooses the mc to dance, i'm curious, why did he pick the mc? sorry if this has been asked before! 
Because the MC looked to be around his age, seemed to also be searching for a partner, and had nice legs. A perfect option for him.
I read some of the FAQs, and I saw that we could tell Baxter about the condo that he rented there was previously the mean old grandparents. how do we get the mc to tell him that? 
It happens in the DLC Moment “Late Shift”. If you don’t have a job you instead get a longer scene with Baxter.
I don’t know if you’ve addressed this or not, but are you planning on paying voice actors for our life: now and forever? 
Yeah, we pay our VAs in all our projects.
hey can i ask how you did the moments thing in ol? im trying to get into making visual novels and while im VERY sure its out of my comfort zone and all that atm i kinda wanna know just for the future, bc im p sure it would work well for something i wanna do :O but its also fine if you cant say for other reasons :> 
I’m afraid I’m not sure what you mean. Are you asking how we programmed the screen or something script related? Adding Moments like that is pretty straightforward, though. You just have buttons that open to different labels and then the scripts are essentially individual short stories/vignettes. Good luck with your VN!
Since Autumn becomes gender fluid later in the game, will there be a character who remains as he/him to romance in game? 
OL1 has the he/him LIs, OL2 is all about other genders.
I don't want to impose on your creative plans, but a parrot could possibly make a good pet in an OL-type game? They're pretty long-lived and likely to still be thriving by the end even if the MC got them back in step 1. 
I do appreciate the suggestion, but I’m afraid it’s not likely going to happen. I understand there are technically some animals that could theoretically live long enough to last the whole game that or we could have the MC only get a pet after some years have already passed. But the many things that would have to be considered/accommodated for makes it just something we probably can’t manage adding. I’m sorry.
As time passes will we be able to see Qiu and Tamarack's other stage arts as well?
They are both so cute i can't wait to be friends with them!
Yeah, we’ll show content from other Steps in the future. It’ll be a little while from now, though.
Can you date Cove and still have your family comfort you in the car?
You can’t get Cove’s Step 3 confession scene if you have the family comfort you in the car. But that’s not the only way to date him. You can get together with him earlier in the game or later on in Step 4.
Is Mc always going to be the one walking down the aisle or could Cove do it? Also could you choose to have one of your moms walk you? 
No. Cove wouldn’t want to walk down the aisle like that and the MC automatically respects that. And the MC also gets to have their preferences respected, so it’s up to you whether they want to do an aisle walk or not. You also can pick who, if anyone, walks with you.
Once step 4 is out, will you be able to go the whole game on crush/love without either of you confessing? 
Yes, as long as you tell the game you don’t want to progress the relationship. Even in Step 4 it won’t force you to officially get together.
Howdy, so in Step 4, there will be any Romance with Derek that is not part of any dlc? 
He’s only a friend unless you get his romance story.
Will the step 4 in OL2 be one big step or are you considering moments? 
Step 4 is just an epilogue in both games.
hi kind of a weird question but!! we know tht cliff doesn't start dating again but. wht abt flings? like does he ever do 1 night stands or anything? thank u!!!!!!!!!!!! 
Nope. Cliff has a very small interest in sex. If he’s not in a real relationship with a partner he’s crazy about it simply isn’t something he feels a need for, so one night stands wouldn’t even cross his mind.
sorry if you've already answered this, but i was wondering if there were plans for there to be bonus love interests in OL2 like how we have derek and baxter in OL1.
Maybe! There are side characters who could be given romance stories, but whether or not it will happen depends on funding and how long everything else takes to finish.
I don't know if i'm allowed to ask about ol2 here yet, if not u can ignore this or answer it later. My question is can you date one of them and be good friends with the other? I don't want to be strangers with the other bcs i love them both a lot :<
Yes you can!
what patreon level do i have to be to unlock the nsfw moment? im on the $5 one right now, will that give me access to the moment, or just access to the moment progress? 
That’ll give you access! Tier 2 and anything higher allows the player to download it.
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joannasteez · 3 years
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Headcanon request:
The guys going shopping with their girl while she is trying on more and more hideous clothing trying to make her man crack and say “what the fuck are you wearing?”
Not sure whose included when you say “guys” so I just did the Reyes boys since I only really write for them at the moment! Also, comedy isn’t my strong suit so hopefully this isn’t completely cringe LOL, if it is forgive me! Haha
𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒
Shopping is no simple endeavor, never has been, never will be. There are far too many components to just offhandedly consider the process easy. Color scheme, sizes, fabrics, the cut of the clothing, the energy of the store, the weather outside, all these factors and many more play integral roles in making or breaking your shopping experience.
But you never considered Angel to be such an influential factor, but he was, and his far off nonchalant mood was putting a damper on your shopping.
He’d been occupied by the bright screen of his phone, scrolling and tapping away vigorously, texting EZ or Coco or Gilly no doubt, or hell maybe all three at once, which was no problem any other day, but considering you wanted his insight on the things you’d picked from the lined up racks, it was becoming a tiny bit of an issue.
Every other thing you showed him he barely looked at, giving you a short nod or a thumbs up, and these outfits were GOOD mind you. Like dinner date, catching the eye of every other person around you good, baby making till 4 AM good, and he was giving you these half assed responses.
“I’ll fix you”, you thought. Grabbing a bunch of random pieces and leading him to the fitting room.
The first couple of outfits you put together aren’t horrible but they aren’t amazing either, but that’s purposeful because you want to see how much he’ll notice. And you’re actually surprised, because he does notice, the upturn in his brow telling you he isn’t that into the outfit. “Yes? No?”, you ask.
“Try something else”, he mumbles before tapping away again at his phone.
You try again. Coming out the fitting room. “What about this?”.
He looks you up and down, taking the time to look over the fit of the clothes and the colors before he speaks. “The bottoms don’t go with that top”.
You try once again, a smile giggle emitting as you throw together the craziest, most random things. ‘Time to up the ante’, you think, as you move from out the door, clearing your voice to catch his attention.
He double takes when he sees you, and it takes a lot not to burst into a fit of giggles. “You being serious? You look like a Y2K red carpet”, he scrutinizes and you tilt your head not sure of what he’s getting at, so he clarifies as he texts away on his phone. “That’s not a compliment baby”.
You roll your eyes, making quick work of changing the top of the outfit. “Ok is it better now?” You hands smoothening over the top.
He sits his phone down, brows coming together in deep thought. “You know that word people use to like describe stuff that’s unpleasant? Stuff that’s uneasy on the eyes?”
You think for a minute..... words unsure as they leave you. “Ugly?”
“Exactly”.
“Ass”, you gripe lightly. Throwing a nearby shirt his way before you make your way back to the fitting room. His voice carrying over toward you as you close the door. “Don’t even hang that top back up on the rack, just toss that shit in the trash”.
“Excuse me J. Alexander”, you mock.
He’s confused at your reference. “What?”
“Nothing”, you say, piecing another outfit together another outfit, more ridiculous than the others. “I have one more outfit, it’s good this time I promise”.
“I’m at the edge of my seat”, he deadpans.
You come out and it takes a moment for him to respond, eyes stuck on the jarring contrast of color and patterns. He rushes to you, holding your face as his thumbs pull at the skin just below your eyes to get a better view of them, expression dramatically worried.
“Are you color blind?”
You swat him away. “No Angel, what are you talking about”.
“You must be because what the fuck are you wearing?”
𝐄𝐙𝐄𝐊𝐈𝐄𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒
Ezekiel’s a bit different from Angel when it comes to your shopping experience, and so despite his lack of knowledge or interest even in the complex goings on of such an endeavor, he realizes that it makes you extremely excited. He gives as much attention as he can muster, which is pretty hard sometimes, especially when it’s been a long day and his feet are hurting or if his muscles are sore. But there’s still a bit of an issue when it comes to him, a tiny issue you come to realize as you walk through racks of clothes.
No matter what you show him, even if it’s not particularly your style, he gives his approval.
And it’s kind of sweet and endearing, because he doesn’t want to dampen your mood by expressing how he doesn’t like a particular color or pattern on some dress or shirt or another, but honest opinions are crucial to the shopping experience. He’s hindering more than helping and he doesn’t even realize it, so now you’ve got to fix the situation a bit. Nudge him a little into the right direction.
So you pick up a couple of ok outfits, some not so great outfits and a few that are just completely awful. Even looking at them as you lead him to the fitting room you’re wondering why they’re even in the store.
You change into the first outfit, coming from behind the fitting room door to show him, and his head tilts. Eyes taking you in but he’s unsure of how to express what he’s thinking. “It’s...... nice”.
“Nice?”, you ask before looking down at your self. And again, it’s not awful, the cut of the top and the bottoms go together pretty well, but the colors are just off. “That’s it?........ nothing else?”
“It’s cool. If you like it, I like it”.
“Forget what I like, I want honesty”.
You’re changing again, into something a little more ridiculous, lips turning a bit at this little game you’ve been playing to see how long it’s take till he cracked and gave you some truth.
You come out again. Twirling to give him a 360 view. “Yes? No? Be honest”.
His face is scrunched, brows pulling in dislike. “It’s alright......... would look a lot better if you left it on the rack”.
You gasp, tone of the comment taking you back a bit and he throws his hands up in defense. “What? You said be honest”.
You try again, upping the ridiculousness with some janky looking braided belt and it’s taking more and more not to laugh at how good you’re putting these bad outfits together. “Ok ok..... this is better I think. Thoughts?”
He gives a once over fairly quickly. “Are we still doing the honesty thing?”
“Yes!”
“You’d look better in a burlap sack”.
There’s a near by piece of some cotton shirt that lays idle, you throw it his way. “Harsh......”, your hands slipping off the ugly belt. “And for the record, I could pull off a burlap sack if I wanted to”.
He nods. “Exactly my point. Anything is better than this”.
You’re turned now, slipping of the belt and walking back to the fitting room. “Who knew Mr. I Only Wear Plaid and Sleep in my Jeans was such a critic”.
“At least I match”, he shot back. Readying himself for the next outfit.
You’ve completely thrown caution to the wind, mixing patterns and completely destroying any sense you have of color theory. Patterns clash and the contrast of the color is just despicable at this point. A four year old could do better than what you have on, you’re sure of it.
You step from the fitting room, giving a strut and face that just might make Naomi Campbell proud. And honestly you were kinda selling it..... till Ezekiel really took a good look at you. His features dropping.
“Ok babe forreal, what the fuck are you wearing?”
Taglist: @appropriate-writers-name @est1887 @xladymacbethx @blessedboo @brownsugarcoffy @elektriknachosss @queenbeered @sesamepancakes @superhoeva @witching-hour @noz4a2 @withmyteeth
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kimageddon · 2 years
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A Prince of Dathomir - SPECIAL Q & A
Welcome!
If you aren't already aware, I have reached 50 chapters of my Maul x Nightsister fic, A Prince of Dathomir. I have had a really great response and I am overwhelmed that my readers like it so much. Thank you to everyone who was read this, thank you to everyone that asked me questions!
I also recieved my first ever fanart of the story and I am in awe.
FANART!!!
My wonderful friend @sl-walker made me this amazing piece of Zaiya, our protagonist, and I have to say, this is very close to how she appears in my head when I write her.
I love it so much and I am just floored by how good it looks.
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Questions:
Q: So I noticed that Zaiya was teaching Savage and Feral in the usage of Force Techniques! Makes me wonder if their fates can be diverted along with them joining Zaiya and Maul down the line as a space-nomadic Dathomir Tribe?
A: That is certainly a possibility! I won't give away any spoilers, but I do have ideas for what I want to do with Feral and Savage, I don't want them to be useless certainly. Not everything will be canon accurate, we have seen a divergence already and you will see that the next few chapters divert things a little more. I know it's a vague answer but I don't want to spoil the story!
Q: I would be interested in your inspiration process.
A: Inspiration for a lot of the story actually comes from my life. I know there are those that dislike OCs because they are self-insert characters. It's my belief that the author puts a bit of themselves into every character they write. Zaiya however, I fully admit to having much of my personality, not all, but much of it. The main inspiration is from events that have happened to me and this fic is a way for me to write about it, but also combine it with my love of Star Wars. It's rather theraputic.
Q: Okay one imma ask is the Amulet. Where did you get the inspo for that? I know it was probably an homage to the amulet Savage got from Talzin but the design of yours and it's bisection.
A: I am a sucker for an Amulet. I love a tangible item for a character to be reminded of something, a physical embodiment of their connection. I actually forgot about Savage's amulet until I rewatched the show after starting the first few chapeters like "ohhhh yeah!" But I wasn't going to change it haha. I wanted something for them to have as their 'anchor'
Q: Depending in what happens to Jango or not, will we likely still possibly see some more interactions between Boba and Zaiya? You did say they were family in a way, just not under the same name?
A: I definitely think so, they are sort of cousins and I think Boba needs some friends. This was also quite the conundrum, introducing Boba and Jango. With one line of dialogue I realised that I had a big diversion from canon and my own plans, and deciding the fates of Boba and Jango. So I had to decide how far to change things and what to do about it. Either Jango had to live of Boba was getting adopted and I had not been prepared for either of those outcomes until I wrote the scene itself. Sometimes the fic and characters take on a life of their own!
Q: Will there be more animal taming?
A: I am not 100% sure. I think I would like to, Zaiya has an almost Disney Princess vibe, doesn't she? I was pretty excited when I saw the Loth-Wolves and OML I would love to give her one. Should Maul gift her one perhaps? Or maybe a Tooka? I would like to, but we shall see. I am curious now if you guys could pick an animal sidekick to give her, what would you pick? Let me know!
Q: Where you get your inspiration for her singing and songs?
A: I do write most of the songs myself (if I used existing songs they are linked in the fic), and for the inspirations I try to draw on emotion more than anything. I am a very emotive writer and I have to putmyself into the character's shoes. Feel what they feel and describe it. So when it comes to the songs, I ask myself: "What is the feeling in this scene?" "What do I want to say with the lyrics?" "Does it flow well?" With these I am usually able to conjure images and emotions and then I glare at the page in order for the words to appear. The song in Chapter 52 (Signal - Part 2) was meant to portray whimsy, innocence lost and longing. (I would be curious to know if that was what you felt on reading it, let me know!)
Q: Do you think it might be possible for Zaiya to encounter Ahsoka as well down the line? I’m sure that would make for an interesting encounter!
A: I think that is very likely! As we have seen, she finds the Clones interesting and plans to return to Kamino so I think that she will have to encounter Ahsoka at one point. As to whether they would get along... well I am not sure yet. What do you guys think?
Q: Who is your favourite side character?
A: Canon wise? Hondo. Absolutely. He is so fun to write and I make myself giggle when I do. I am not sure if any of you noticed but I have tried to follow his speech pattern as much as possible, and I hear his voice when I write his dialogue. It brings me joy. OC wise, it would be Adaji "MandoDad" Treshan. No Star Wars tale is complete without a Mando Dad, and even though we have not met Zaiya's real dad, Adaji has done a great job so far. He is kind of nuts but he has a good heart and I want to bring him back again. Lord knows what Maul will think of him. There is another mention of them coming up in the chapter titled 'Lost' (that will be chapters 55 and 56). It is my favourite chapter so far and a really big one too. There is a lot in there and it was fun to write.
Q: Did you always have the story in mind with the corporation of the pirate members as well as bounty hunters you create yourself like Adaji? Or was that something you thought of off the bat?
A: I do plan roughly, I have a small description of each chapter in a large document to give me an idea on what to do, so it was sort of planned, but I didn't have it in mind at the beginning of the story, I took a little bit to figure it out, I was writing the chapter and put Hondo in, though I realised he would need an offsider so Adaji was invented more or less on the spot. He had evolved as time has gone on and like I said, he is one of my favourites now.
Q: I was curious if Zaiya might possibly…"coerce" some of the Kaminoans to clone new legs for Maul?
A: You're not the first person to ask or suggest that to me and TEN GOLD STARS! I think chapter 51 (signal - Part 1) added more to that information. That is indeed her plan, but.... will it work out? That's the main question.
Q: What you want to do in future, do you already know how it will end or do you want to let it go on "forever"?
A: Ohhh the future... a fickle thing that it is... well, suffice to say I have at least 100 more chapters roughly planned out. At that would only take us to the events of Order 66. There will be a bunch more once we get past that because Crimson Dawn is a thing. So I think I will be doing this a while longer. Do I have an ending... uhhh... no. Not yet. Would I like to write it forever? I mean kind of... but all stories need an end. So yes it will have an ending... as soon as I think of a satisfying one.
Q: I’m thinking of posting some of my own writing but idk if anyone will read it. I haven’t posted before so I wonder how do you get readers? Did you ever have to promote your work anywhere or did you just post and ppl picked up on it?
A: I had all the same questions when I started. I didn't know if anyone would read it or care, let alone get to 50 chapters. My best friends that are also writers, they aren't that big into Star Wars either. What I have discovered is, that you write for you. If you write it hoping that it will appeal to others, it won't have as strong of a connection to it. Write the story for you and the readers will come. It's slow, hence the need to write it for yourself. I mentioned my fic on my tik tok once or twice, and on Tumblr I have had people reblog links so that has been helpful. I suppose the best advice would be to be patient, write something that makes you happy and be interactive in regards to comments and what not.
Thank you to Antex the Legendary Zoroark, @eyecandyeoz, ender_puppy and @mach-opress for your questions! I hope you are satisfied with the answers! If anyone has more questions, let me know and I might do another one of these!
Taglist!
@two-black-leviathans @fallenrepublick @eyecandyeoz @ashotofspotchka @sitherin-mxschief @littlepossss @octupus-on-the-moon @by-the-primes @justalittlecloud @nxctuaryninetythree @mach-opress
Join the tagist here and lmk if you wanna be removed. <3
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bestofbucky · 3 years
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The Reason (2/2)
Pairings: Bucky x Reader
Word Count: 2.8k
Warnings: Angst, panic attack, FLUFF!
Summary: Part 2 to The Signal.
A/N: I hope you all like it! Also feel free to submit requests, prompts, anything you want in my asks. (That kind of rhymed haha)!
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Bucky almost wished that Helen hadn’t turned up. Maybe then he could have accepted your fate. You could have drifted off peacefully, instead of surrounded by all this chaos. 
The whole two hours on the quinjet he didn’t move, didn’t speak, just kept his eyes on the floor in front of him while doctors and nurses fought to keep you alive just three feet away. He blocked out their words, not wanting to hear what was happening, what was going wrong.
When they landed, you were wheeled away leaving Bucky and the other Avengers to sit in the waiting room. It wasn’t your average uncomfortable seats, too clean, sickly green walls, hospital waiting room. This was a SHIELD base so, due to the fact that agents would frequently be getting fatally injured, the waiting rooms had been given a makeover. Instead of having one big room there were lots of smaller ones, giving loved ones the privacy they needed. 
Looking around, Bucky could see how the room could be soothing for someone. There were a plethora comfortable places to sit or lie down and a stash of blankets and pillows in the far corner. He spotted a diffuser, and smelt the lavender fragrance it was emitting into the room.
The Avengers all spread out, none of them brave enough to talk. The only sounds filling the room were occasional sniffles, instrumental music flowing from the speakers and the low hiss of the diffuser.
Bucky couldn’t sit still, the repetitive music intended to calm the listener was doing the opposite. He could smell the lavender and all it was doing was reminding him of the baths you two would take together after grueling missions. His foot starts bouncing up and down as the music becomes the only thing he can hear and the smell attacks his nostrils.
He tries to focus on something else. Anything else, but his mind just keeps drifting back to you. The smell of your hair, the taste of your lips, the soothing touch of your hands. He wants to make it stop. He can’t make it stop. It’s too much.
He stands up abruptly, shocking a few people near him and stomps out the room. He finds himself laser focused on the wall ahead of him as if it’s the reason this is happening to you. He lands a hard punch. It’s the wall’s fault you got hurt. It’s the wall’s fault because it didn’t protect you. It’s the wall’s fault because it has done so many horrible things in the past and this is just the universe paying the wall back for all of it. The wall doesn’t deserve to be happy, he lands another punch to prove his point.
Exhaustion causes Bucky to collapse to the ground, his chest heaving as he holds his head in his hands and rests his elbows on his knees. His head is spinning and he tries to focus on his breathing to calm himself down. The only noise he can hear is the wheezing of his breath as he sucks in air at an erratic pace. 
Suddenly Steve is in front of him. He places his hands on the sides of Bucky’s face forcing him to look at him. Steve’s hands quickly become wet with tears but he doesn’t care. He only cares about calming his closest friend down. He speaks reassuring words and eventually Bucky manages to get his breathing under control and the world comes back into focus.
Bucky looks up into Steve’s eyes, which are red and puffy. He doesn’t even want to think about what his own look like. Steve pulls him into a hug and they stay holding each other as Bucky sobs into his chest. They eventually pull apart and Steve moves to sit next to Bucky, both leaning against the wall. They stay in silence, Steve knows that if Bucky wanted to say something he would. 
They sit there together until they spot Helen Cho heading into the waiting room. Gathering up the courage Bucky stands up, wiping at his face to get rid of any tears still left over. He glances at the wall, the two huge dents staring right back at him like a pair of eyes, but before his mind can tumble down the slope of self deprecating thoughts, Steve places his hand on Bucky’s shoulder and guides him to the waiting room.
Stepping into the room, Bucky's eyes quickly fall to Helen. He notices her unkempt hair, the slouch in her shoulders and the slight drag of her feet as she walks to the edge of the room. He starts to wonder if Helen is feeling grief because you didn’t make it or exhaustion from the hours of extreme care you have been under.
Helen knows that there are assassins in the room, trained to pick up on micro-expressions and body language so she decides to get right to the point. “She is alive and stable.” 
Collective sighs are heard around the room. Tears fall from Wanda’s eyes just from the sheer relief that you are ok.
“She lost a lot of blood and was bleeding internally. We had to take the shrapnel out, treat the internal bleeding and then close the wound. Due to the size of the wound we inserted a drain to prevent infection. It will be kept in for a minimum of two days depending on how well it heals. We need to keep her here to monitor her recovery.” Helen explains to the room. “You can go and see her whenever you’re ready but she’s still under from the anesthesia.” 
After giving the directions to the room you’re in she excuses herself. Most likely heading somewhere to rest, understandably so.
The Avengers all make their way out of the room, Tony being the last out and mumbling something to Steve. He nods and turns to Bucky.
“We’re all going to make our way up to check on her, you can come with us or you can go take a shower and change so you can stay with her until she wakes up. Completely up to you.” Steve explains.
“I’ll go clean up, just please don’t leave her alone. I’ll be really quick.” There is still fear in Bucky’s eyes so Steve reassures him they will all stay with her until he gets there. 
Bucky makes his way to the quinjet to grab a change of clothes and then heads to a private room. He showers as quick as he can, he just wants to see you, to hold you in his arms and be near you. He rushes to your room but hesitates when he reaches the door.
He is like a deer in headlights, he wants so badly to go inside and see that you are ok but something is stopping him. Something he can’t quite put his finger on. Suddenly the door is opening, he quickly retreats.
“Bucky?” It’s Tony, he walks out and closes the door behind him. Bucky just stares, trying not to let the tears that are gathering in his eyes fall down onto his cheeks. Tony takes a few steps closer.
“How is she?” Bucky hesitantly asks.
“She is alive.” Tony sighs, he can’t lie to Bucky. “It isn’t going to be easy, when you walk in there. She doesn’t look like herself and it might be shocking, but she needs you. She needs you to be there at her side when she wakes up. Can you do that for her?” Tony places his hand on Bucky’s shoulder and eventually Bucky nods.
Tony guides him to the door but takes a few steps back when they get there. It needs to be Bucky’s decision to go in, he can’t be forced in. He places his hand on the handle and slowly pushes the door open.
Walking into the room his eyes scan over your body. Tony was right, you don’t look like yourself. He panics a little because you don’t really appear to be alive, your body is so still, but he settles when he sees you are hooked up to a heart monitor and it is steadily beeping. He has never seen you so vulnerable and weak and it breaks his heart. He is brought out of his trance by the sound of the door closing, indicating all the Avengers had left the room. It was now just the two of you and all the machines and tubes you were connected to. 
He walks over and takes a seat by your head afraid at first to go near you, but every so often he shuffles the chair closer and closer until he is right next to the bed. His hand inches towards yours, retracting when he feels how cold your hand is but eventually he holds it with both of his hands, bringing it gently up to his lips. 
He stays holding your hand but tiredness hits him like a truck. It wasn’t just the kind of tiredness you felt in your eyes, no he felt it everywhere, his bones, his muscles but also his mind. He felt like his brain had been working overtime, processing everything that had happened, he wanted nothing more than to just let himself slip into a deep sleep.
He rests his head on the edge of the bed, telling himself he is only resting his eyes, he wanted to be awake when you woke up but he couldn’t stop sleep from taking over. Stealing his consciousness from him like a petty thief. 
You could feel your senses start to come back online. Your ears filled with the sound of consistent beeping, it was annoying but also slightly relaxing, the speed and pitch of each beep gradually hypnotising you. You shift your focus, you hear a low grumbling sound. It only lasts a few seconds and then it goes quiet. Then you hear it again, and again. Snoring.
You blink your eyes open and you’re greeted with a plain white ceiling, not very interesting at all. You continue to hear the grumbling sound so you decide to sit yourself up a bit to find the source. That was not a good idea, the movement sent shooting pains from your side up and down your body and you hiss at the pain. The grumbling stops with a weird grunt and you feel movement by the side of the bed.
“Doll? Are you awake?” The brown haired man comes into your view, his sleepy face showing the happiness he holds to see you are awake. 
You go to speak but your voice is scratchy and just comes out as an undecipherable croak. You start to get distressed that you can’t speak. 
“You’re ok doll. I’m here. You’re safe.” Bucky soothes you, stroking his hand over your hair.
Once you have calmed down Bucky presses the button for assistance and goes to fill up a plastic cup of water. 
You take the cup from him, deliberately brushing his hand with yours. You hold on to one of his hands and slowly bring it to your lips. His entire body relaxes and he smiles down at you.
You point to the back of your head and then to the cup of water and he seems to understand. He places his hand at the back of your head helping you lift your head, supporting all your weight with his hand so you don’t have to strain your neck. You raise the cup up to your lips and take small sips, the water instantly refreshing your dry mouth and throat.
The nurses come in and do all the checks they need to, everything is looking as good as it should. Once they have all left you look back to Bucky who has taken his place back in the chair by the side of your bed. You reach your hand out and he takes it, holding it as if it was the rarest jewel on earth. 
“Thank you.” You manage to croak out. Bucky opens his mouth to argue but quickly closes it when he sees the look on your face.
“You’re welcome doll.” He smiles back at you. “You should get some rest.” His smile is replaced by a caring frown which makes you chuckle slightly.
“Sleep with me?” You give him your best puppy eyes which only makes the creases in his forehead more prominent.
“I don’t want to hurt you.” He admits sheepishly.
“They put me in a double bed for a reason.” It still hurts to talk so you hope that he isn’t going to need anymore convincing. You smile when he gets up and helps you shift to one side of the bed. He very carefully slides in next to you, his arms gently wrap around you as he tries to avoid everything that is attached to you and be as far away as possible from your wound.
You can feel his body is still tense so you squeeze his hand and gently rub circles on the back. Letting out a sigh of contentment you close your eyes, allowing sleep to sweep you away. 
Bucky was not so lucky, he loved having you in his arms but he was terrified to move in case he hurt you in any way. He just listened to the sound of your slow breathing which eventually lulled him into sleep.
You were both woken up by the nurses entering the room, saying they had to do their regular checks. Bucky slipped out from the bed to give them room, heading to the bathroom to give you some privacy. 
He stared into the mirror, the events that have taken place clear in the sag of his skin and the puffiness of his eyes. Sighing, he splashed some cold water on his face before drying off and heading out of the bathroom. 
The nurses had left and you were sitting up in bed, still to one side leaving room for Bucky. Again, he very carefully took his place next to you, wrapping one arm around your shoulders the other hand resting on your thigh.
He leans over to you and kisses you on the cheek. The words you both want to speak hang heavy in the air above your heads. 
“Bucky I-”  “Doll-”
You both chuckle at the awkwardness. “You go first.” Bucky encourages you with a smile.
“When we were out there, you told me not to say something.” You pause to gather your thoughts but Bucky takes this as an invitation to speak.
“I am so sorry. I never should have taken that away from you, I just didn’t think I could handle it if those words came out of your mouth.” His words fall out of his mouth in a jumbled mess but you understand.
“You knew what I was going to say?” You ask and he nods.
“You told me not to say it. To hold onto it as a reason to fight for survival. You don’t realise it already was my reason to fight. You, James Buchanan Barnes, are my reason to live.” You look up at him, a few tears falling down your cheeks but you notice he is the same.
“I love you Bucky.” 
“I love you doll.” 
His smile is the biggest you have ever seen. His happiness beams out of his body and lights up the room. He reaches a hand up to your cheek to wipe away the tears. Leaning in slowly he presses his lips to yours. In that kiss you feel his emotion, the unspoken words that don’t need to be shared because the kiss is saying everything it needs to. In that kiss you are transported to another world, a heaven but in that kiss you are brought home. 
Pulling away for breath you are both glowing, basking in each other’s love and the comfort in brings. 
“Say it again.” Bucky asks you.
“I love you Bucky.” 
“Again.” You are both laughing now.
“I love you Bucky.” Before he has the chance to ask you again you cup his cheek with one hand, the hand on your good side. You pull him closer to you and press kisses all over his face whispering ‘i love you’s in between each kiss.
Both your chuckles fill the room, replacing the atmosphere of sickness with one of joy and love. In that moment you felt like Bucky’s love could completely heal you. 
That day all the avengers came to see you, bringing flowers and gifts. There were tears shed but they were happy tears. Tears showing how grateful you all are to have your little family, to have endless love and support surrounding you. The only time Bucky left your side was when he had to, but as soon as he could he was right back next to you, kissing everywhere he could reach. 
That night you fall asleep in Bucky's arms knowing this is where you will be for the rest of your life. Your mornings will start with Bucky because he is the reason you smile when you wake up. Your evenings will end with Bucky because it’s his touch that can soothe you off to sleep. You want to be with Bucky forever because he is the reason you live.
Permanent Taglist: @vampirewithbedsidemanners @townwitchbitch @velvetcardiganbucky @courtneychicken
The Signal Taglist: @thefuckupoftoday @wiccanmetallicrose @band--psycho @shamelessfangirl-3
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ravenhealer5 · 3 years
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How did you know that Jean and Mikasa would be together before 139? I'm a JK fan and never noticed that Isayama was planning to leave them together haha, I feel kind of silly
Well well...
For me, figuring out JeanKasa endgame was the last step of figuring out Mikasa’s character arc. Like the final puzzle piece that in itself might not be super important but it finishes the picture. It was a very long process and I honestly don’t think I can remember it all but I’ll try. I’m putting a cut because it’ll be long and by that I mean LONG.
Funnily enough, few years back when I was discussing AOT with a friend he suddenly said Mikasa and Jean will end up together. I was very surprised because I had never considered it. But more importantly, I didn't want to consider it because I still had a bit of hope left for EreMika. In fact I got into a fight with him, not serious fight but a fight. The thing is EreMika is the central relationship of AOT (not necessarily in a romantic sense) and as its rival ship JeanKasa always remains in its shadows. So for me to see JeanKasa, first I had to give up on EreMika and accept that the narrative was not painting Mikasa’s over-attachment to Eren in a positive light. Which I wasn’t able to do until the table scene in 112. 
Eren and Mikasa’s relationship has had questionable elements since the very beginning of the story, but they were easier to ignore back then. Also, there’s always a chance that things will change. Shounen romance often involves girl in love and guy who doesn’t seem to care but they still end up together (my other favourite ship lowkey falls under this trope). So I was like maybe? But post Marley arc the narrative was making it more and more difficult to overlook the problems in EM anymore. So it was around that time I finally accepted EM wasn’t happening and Eren was most likely dying and figured out Mikasa was gonna live on and have her own family in the end. So the question was with whom?  And the only option presented by canon was Jean. So I considered it for the first time. But I wasn’t very convinced.
Then, I think it was in chapter 125 or 126, where Armin and Mikasa have the argument and she goes to help Jean. It was not a romantic implication but they were being set together as characters which caught my attention. Also, interaction between romantically paired characters doesn’t have to be strictly romantic. But my problem was I wasn’t sure Jean still has romantic feelings for Mikasa. I knew he loves her and cares for her, but the romantic feeling plotline hadn’t been brought up explicitly in a long time, so there was a chance it had been abandoned? Therefore, I had my doubts. Then, chapter 127 came out and that was where I was finally convinced. I think when it comes to ships, your personal biases can affect your reading. Shippers tend to see things that are not there and ignore things that are clearly there. I was able to see JeanMika only after giving up on EM (and I wasn’t even that much into EM, so I can very well understand why hardcore shippers were so surprised to see JK). And for me it was easier because both Mikasa and Jean are my favourites. Anyway, the reason 127 convinced me. 
Firstly it answered my question regarding Jan’s feelings. Which was introduced very early in the story and never played any role. But Yams was telling us that it was still relevant to the story. That most likely meant its role was yet to come. If you put an element in a story, it must serve a purpose, otherwise don’t put it there. At least ideally you shouldn’t. 
Another interesting thing. I had always thought Mikasa was gonna have kids of her own. Her backstory begins with her mother passing down her family’s tattoo to her and asking her to pass it down to her children. And we have little Mikasa asking her parents how babies are made. Seemed like a pretty obvious implication. This topic is brought up again later when Kiyomi is introduced. Also in Marley when Eren kills children, Mikasa condemns him for that. In fact that was where I pretty much knew that Eren and Mikasa are not having kids together, aka a traditional ‘happy ending’ for them is out of the window. I just wasn’t ready to accept it yet. Now coming back to Jean’s dream. I didn’t notice the scar btw, still I could clearly see she looks very much like Mikasa. And she is holding a baby. Jean is outside, looking at them through the window which makes sense since it’s his dream. But the idea presented was once again, Mikasa as a mother. Which caught my attention. That’s when I went back and re-read the manga from the beginning and actively compared Eren and Jean’s characters and their respective relationships with Mikasa. 
Their first meeting drew my attention this time. No other canon couple’s first meeting has been highlighted like that, YumiHisu, AruAni, Falbi, none (you could say NiccoSasha but NiccoSasha hardly feels like a couple). Only EreMika and JeanKasa. And unlike EM where the setting is a bit disturbing and has a tragic undertone to it, JK’s is rather normal and more importantly, it’s set as a romantic scene. 
Another interesting element for me was Mikasa’s scar. It drew my attention for two reasons. Firstly because Yams made Jean the first person to address it. Could have used anyone, Armin was right there, but he chose Jean to bring it up and confront Eren. So the pattern felt like Eren gives her the scar (not intentionally) and Jean is the one questioning that. Tbh Mikasa getting the scar was one of the earliest red flags for me and the reason I tried to keep my attachment to EM to a minimum. You see, I have ships who have actively tried to kill each other but the thing is none of them actually managed to put a scratch on the other. They almost did, but something or someone always came between and stopped them. Almosts can be very important in a story, they tell you a lot. The fact that Yams let Eren cross the almost and actually hurt Mikasa and he put a permanent scar literally on her face, did not make things look very promising for EM. Secondly, it felt like a parallel between Mikasa’s feelings for Eren and Jean’s feelings for Mikasa. We have Mikasa blindly trying to cover up for Eren and Jean who despite liking Mikasa, is calling her out on her nonsense. He is being rational, she is not. To me at least it felt intentional. Like being up to date with the story, I knew the narrative was actively highlighting the problems in EM’s relationship and I could see how JM, the rival ship, was free from said problems. So figuring out JK will happen was basically figuring out why EM won’t happen and as its ‘better’ alternative as presented by the narrative, JM was the option.
Another prominent moment I remember is in Marley where Jean shoots a thunderspear at Falco. And he misses it. The way I interpreted it, he tried to do his duty but in his mind he wasn’t prepared to kill a kid. Another almost. He almost does it but in the end he doesn’t. Which paralleled imo Mikasa’s disapproval of killing kids and contrasted Eren’s killing of children.
You see, the difference in JK and EM is like the difference in Jean and Eren. The former is presented by the narrative as a ‘better’ version of the latter. But the thing is Jean is a side character while Eren is the MC, JK is a sideship while EM is the main ship. So Jean and JK will always be shadowed by Eren and EM. Comparisons are easier to notice when it happens between equals and since that’s not the case here, unless you’re very attentive there’s a good chance you’ll miss it. I mean I did for most of the story. But the contrast was there from the very beginning. 
Jean has been set as a foil to Eren’s character since he was introduced. When the story begins, we have Jean who is very self centred and doesn’t care about the world. And we have Eren challenging that ideology. We love Eren there and idk about others, but I disliked Jean at the beginning lol. From there, at 127 we have the roles reversed. Jean has had a positive development and is now putting the world before his own selfish desires while Eren has had a negative development and has become a monster by his own definition of a monster. And their bonds with Mikasa have also gone through a similar pattern. By the final arc therefore we have a very confused Mikasa, who has lost her faith in Eren. He feels like a different person altogether. And on the other hand we have Jean, who has become one of her closest friends and someone she can put her faith in. Especially since even Armin is very confused about Eren and Jean kind of stands out as the only one who is able to think clearly. In the time her bond with Eren fell apart, her bond with Jean (or say Sasha or Connie) built up. Bit by bit over time. That’s how human bonds are supposed to form. While with Eren, he was a complete stranger who saved her life and wrapped the scarf on her and suddenly out of trauma response she held onto him with everything she had. In a moment, he went from being a nobody to being her entire world. That’s not how human relationships are supposed to develop. Eren and Mikasa’s bond has been faulty since day one. If I get into these details it’ll become long so I won’t because it’s not relevant to this ask. All I’m trying to say is once again, JM does not have the problems of EM. It’s not just JM, Mikasa’s every bond except the one with Eren is free from said problems. So you could ask why am I singling out JM? Simply because we’re talking romantic pairings and canonically JM is where the romantic potential has been placed.
The nature of EM and JM imo are very well captured in their first meetings. EM’s is tragic yet beautiful, both beauty and cruelty are present together and there’s too much of both. It almost creates a conflict. It’s exactly how Eren and Mikasa’s relationship is. Too tumultuous, a lot of pushing and pulling going on at the same time. While JM’s meeting is a rather normal one with romantic implication. So is their bond. Just two people getting to know each other and becoming friends, and one of them being romantically interested in the other. It doesn’t have the extreme highs of EM but also doesn’t have its extreme lows. It’s as if JM remains stable somewhere between the extreme fluctuations of EM.  
Mikasa and Jean’s characters are also very compatible with similar dreams and motivations etc. To quote my own post, Jean is everything Mikasa wants, except he’s not Eren. And Eren is nothing Mikasa wants. In fact, more than Eren, Jean is closer to the person Mikasa thinks Eren is. Which can all be just a coincident in a real world setting, but in a story where everything is set up by a writer, they most likely won’t be. So, I was pretty much convinced that JeanKasa was happening.
Anything I can mention post 127 comes from that belief. You see, once the idea is in your head, a lot of things can look like a clue but if the idea doesn’t exist in your head, you’ll totally not see it as anything important. The one important scene post 127 for me was 136 when it was Jean who finally succeeded in making Mikasa agree to kill Eren. It also drew my attention when she was showing concern for Jean and Reiner as they were going for Eren. But to me, more than Jean, her concern for Reiner was a greater focus since Reiner had been an enemy she had fought against in the past, when Eren was her ally. Jean had always been on her side. Around 137 is when I became a shipper so from that point everything I thought should be taken with a grain of salt. I personally liked the way she was holding him after he came from literally blowing Eren’s head off and in 138 I felt like Yams drew them next to each other in many panels. I mean he was putting them next to each other the whole rumbling arc but chapter 138 had too many panels imo. None of these is very solid proof of anything. Like in original 139, people were making JK endgame theories based on their hairstyles which now looks valid but at that time it was nothing more than a theory. There was nothing solid to either support or refute it.
The thing is I never felt that the romantic aspect was a big part of Jean and Mikasa’s bond. It felt more like a future element sneaked in there to give us readers a hint. Even now when they’re endgame, in the timeline of the story their relationship still reads to me as just friends and comrades. Jean had clearly given up on Mikasa. To me his dream in 127 is just a moment of weakness. It’s like an impossible dream. We all have those dreams we know 99% chance is won’t come true but sometimes it’s fun to dream about the 1%. So I saw it happening, but only in a timeskip, as it did. And it felt rather natural to me. Given Mikasa’s character, it made sense for her to find love again. Her character theme is about going on, and keep finding beauty even after you face cruelty. So if she gives up on her dream of a family just because Eren is gone, to me it felt like a contradiction to said theme. She must not stop. She’s broken but she must pick up the pieces and continue her journey. What she thought she could only have with Eren, her having it with someone other than Eren seemed like a perfect conclusion for her. Her biggest fear, the fear that paralysed her for years, coming true and yet, it’s not the end of the world like she had thought it would be. Now I didn’t think Armin had to have a family, or Reiner. Because it’s not part of their character arcs. But a family and peaceful life are Mikasa’s biggest motivation and also Jean’s so thematically it felt like a perfect closure to both of their arcs. Of course Jean isn’t as important a character so the deciding factor in my case was Mikasa. In fact I thought the guy in the infamous ‘last panel’ was Jean with his and Mikasa’s baby. I even drew Jean with a baby like that panel but thankfully I never posted it so at least  I didn’t embarrass myself lol.
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candreloup · 3 years
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Hey! I heard you were looking for asks so I was hoping you could write about a hero with social anxiety who everyone thinks is shy, but in reality they actually have a lot to say and they are super sweet and considerate. And if their nemesis could be a suave villain who knows them better than anyone (and maybe even has a soft spot for them) then that would be amazing. Have a good day!
I am having a good day, thank you!(maybe it's because of your well-wishes :D) Have fun with this one too, this prompt looks super interesting. I'm excited to write it! Also I'm trying to write at least one snippet every day, but I might miss some days(depends on amount of stuff that day, inspiration, etc)- but for the summer I can actually have a consistent schedule! (Ignore the fact that today's is a bit late, haha) But anywho- on to the story!(wow that's like my catchphrase now)
Edit: also i have realized this may not be exactly what the original ask is about... so I think I'm going to do another one mor accurate to the request hehe
Hero gazed out of the window, staring into the rainy drizzle outside. It was a gray day, overcast and chilly with just the right touch of gloomy. The perfect day to sit inside with a cup of tea and listen to music. Instead, Hero was stuck inside, waiting for the rain to abate and sweating in the too-warm room. The temperature was just a touch too high, barely a few degrees over comfortable. It was a nice gesture, but in someone's over-eagerness to please, they had switched the discomfort to the other side. Oh well. Hero thought. At least the rain seems to be stopping soon.
The rain in question was slowing to a drizzle, the sky lightening and the sun beginning to peek out of the dissolving clouds. The inside was beginning to swelter, filling with heat faster than the dripping rain could cool it off.
Hero thought, "Here it comes."
The next few seconds came in flashes, going in and out of Hero's field of perception. The door slams. Flash. Windows shatter. Flash. A sweet smell drifts through the broken windows. Flash. A smooth voice fills Hero's head. Flash.
"Hello, Hero. It's nice to see you again."
It was over before Hero knew it. The sudden storm of sound, sight and smell flooding Hero's senses vanished in an instant, whirlpooling back into the singular figure in the center of the room, sitting languidly on a velvety chair. Villain.
Hero walked forward mechanically, feeling... numb. It had been years since they'd seen Villain, long before they became "Villain" and ceased to be "Friend". Hero could remember, clear as day, when that familiar face had appeared on the TV screen of the cold cafeteria. Along with a headline that read, "Dangerous criminal at large: 9 dead in lethal attack on Organization." And when the alarms started to wail, filling Hero's muddled mind with even more confusion. They'd struggled to process it, at first; it took them longer than it perhaps should have to realize that that smiling young child was no longer so young, and definitely no longer smiling. No. Instead they looked angry, resentful at the world for the cards they'd been dealt. Not like before. Not like before, when despite all the hardship and suffering that had been thrown their way, Friend had still seemed to love life. To cherish it and fill it with as much happiness as they could, as if to make up for the lost joy in other places.
What happened to you, my friend?
That all vanished into nothingness when Hero saw Villain sitting in front of them, fiddling with some small trinket in their fingers. Waiting. Waiting for what? Hero wondered, staring at the different, but still recognizable face. Waiting for... for...
Villain looked up. Hero stopped, waited along with Villain. What are they waiting for? Villain spun the trinket in their fingers and with a deft movement flicked it back into the dark recesses of their jacket.
"Waiting for you, Hero." Hero flinched. That was new. Hero sighed. They hadn't bothered to do research on Villain. Stupid! They'd been so naïve, believing that this clearly changed person sitting in front of them would still act the same, talk the same. But it was too late for that. All that they could do now was grasp at the small thread they had, hope beyond hope that they could figure out a way to bring Villain back. Now all that was left to do was try to understand, try to puzzle out what happened to that little kid they'd played with. And to try to bring that bright soul back.
"I know what you're thinking." The sudden noise startled Hero, jerked them out of their thoughts.
"Oh?" Hero struggled to stay as neutral as possible. Villain chuckled.
"You're so transparent, Hero. Just like I used to be. A dumb little kid. And you're wondering: What happened?" Hero hid their surprise as best they could. It wasn't enough. Hero could tell, could see the glee in Villain's eyes at Hero's confusion. It was a malicious joy, so different from that happiness they used to have.
"Now you're thinking that I've changed. Again. I did change. That's true. But I'm still the same person."
Hero cleared their throat, struggling for the right words to say.
"...No, you're not."
"Oh yes I am. I'm still 'Friend', even if I"-Villain gestured to their face and body-"changed in appearance. And perhaps personality."
Hero shook their head. "No. The friend I knew would never murder someone. You... you aren't my friend. My friend is gone." The bite in those words seemed to sting Villain, the hurt in their eyes barely visible. But it was quickly covered up and replaced with cold humor.
"O sentimental fool! You really believe your little friend was so great, huh! I almost feel bad for you."
"No. I know my friend was a good person."
"Ahhhh, you knew your friend so well! I see. Then tell me this, Hero. How is it that you never knew where your little friend lived? Or chose to ask? And how is it that you never noticed the deadness in their eyes or the tear stains on their cheeks? Tell me, Hero!" Villain spat. The venom in their voice was audible now, cutting through the smooth, smug tone as Villain glared at Hero. "And tell me, little Hero, how you never saw the bruises and scars on your friend's body? Tell me how you never, not once noticed how isolated, how totally alone your friend felt?" Villain was standing now, advancing slowly towards Hero with rage in their eyes. "Tell me how, Hero. TELL ME!" they half-screamed, standing almost nose to nose with Hero.
Hero kept their calm. Strangely enough, this was almost better than before, better than that slick villain sitting elegantly on the chair. Hero preferred unhinged to silence. "I'm sorry."
"Oh, the little Hero is sorry! Ha! What a joke! Well, little Hero with the oh-so-great-friend, explain to me your reasoning when you left me!!"
Hero snapped. They'd been calm, silent, reasonable this whole time. Kept their cool, kept their patience. Remembered- this is a person in pain. They are in pain because of me. I used to love them.
But the last line was the final straw.
"Oh, Villain, you want to know about leaving??" Hero yelled, standing on their toes and staring directly into Villain's wide eyes. "You want to know about loneliness, about feeling betrayed? You know, Villain, JUST BECAUSE YOU FELT ALONE DOESN'T MEAN I DIDN'T!" Hero screamed, filled with an uncharacteristic amount of rage.
"Hero, calm-"
"NO. For every time you hid things, every time you made me feel like I WASN'T THERE FOR YOU despite my CONSTANT PRESENCE, I'm going to tell you. You want to know, Villain? You REALLY WANT TO KNOW? Every SINGLE time I asked, EVERY TIME I BEGGED AND PLEADED WITH YOU TO TELL ME, you know what you did?"
"Hero-"
"TELL ME, VILLAIN. DO YOU REMEMBER?"
"I-"
"YOU RAN AWAY! So don't sit there, with your chair and suit BULLSHIT, and try and tell me that I WASN'T A GOOD FRIEND. Don't. Do you know how many times I tried, Villain? And god damn, COULDN'T YOU SPARE A SINGLE THOUGHT TO TELL ME? But no, you NEVER SAID A WORD. You just pranced around, acting happy until I left. Because APPARENTLY, EVERY SINGLE THING I THOUGHT I KNEW ABOUT MY FRIEND IS A FUCKING LIE."
Hero was breathing hard, still bubbling with anger. How dare they, how dare Villain accuse Hero of not trying. God knew they tried. Every. Single. Day. But even through all of that Hero had faith in Villain. They'd believed Villain was still good. But then that news report had come out. And now, Hero realized that their entire childhood had been a façade.
"I... I'm sorry." The words were almost a whisper, so quiet Hero could barely hear it. But they still heard it.
"Sorry won't cut it."
"I know."
"You know, Villain? Do you really?"
"I thought I knew."
"I loved you, Villain. I almost still do." Hero whispered into the room, feeling their words bounce off the bare walls. "I loved you..."
Villain looked up from their chair, eyes wide. "...You did?"
Hero started crying softly, tears rolling slowly down their face. "You idiot. You lovable fucking idiot." Villain stood slowly, looking ashamed. "Come here." Hero opened their arms to Villain, sobbing when Villain fell into the comforting embrace. "You idiot. I missed you," they whispered, tears falling onto Villain's shoulder.
"I missed you too," Villain murmured softly, quiet tears gently falling onto the floor.
It sounded like rain.
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