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soursherbat · 6 months

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Sensation; Chapter 6

Haunted

To start from the beginning Click Here ; Previous chapter Click Here

A Springtrap x OC fanfic

Word Count; 2,332

[content warning for depictions of violence, non-graphic]

Springtrap laid in our bed, pinned under my sleeping body for at least an hour now. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t exhausted. What if he had another nightmare?

The thought kept his mind racing, making him fight off sleep a little longer. It was so hard, my bed was much more comfortable than the disgusting floor of that abandoned pizzeria, not to mention the pleasant warmth of my body cuddled against his.

It was making him uncomfortable. I looked so fragile- so soft, pliable under his rough grip...

Springtrap realizes that he’s holding my shoulders tightly, immediately letting go and dropping his hands to his sides. How long had he been doing that?

Thank god that didn’t wake him, he thought. I don’t know how I’d explain myself.

He’d say he’s a killer. A monster. That’s how he could explain it.

He huffs, closing his eyes. He was fighting a war of attrition, and slowly beginning to lose. Even with his thoughts racing at a million miles a minute, he felt sleep start to take him once again.

Springtrap opened his eyes, in that familiar room once again.

He realizes how terrible it smells in here.

He hadn’t thought about that smell until he stepped into my home, greeted by the pleasant smell of cinnamon scented candles.

He can hear the sounds of a party on the other side of the wall.

A door opens. A door that hadn’t been there before. There’s a silhouette of a person, their shadow cast over his crumpled body.

The light behind them was blinding.

His breathing is labored, he didn’t need to breathe- but his chest feels like it’s collapsing, like he was drowning in his own blood again.

Something about this person’s outline was familiar. It was bringing out forgotten urges- his hands clenched into fists, he slowly rose to his feet.

He can’t stop himself.

He shambles toward the figure, the only feature he can distinguish is a warm smile, seemingly directed at him.

He recognizes it. His hands shake.

He lurches forward suddenly, a sick sense of satisfaction washing over him as his gloved hands wrapped around the shadow’s throat- he hated how much he enjoyed the sounds of his victim getting the life choked from them.

He’d longed to hear it again, just one last time.

No, that’s horrible. He couldn’t want that.

He squeezes harder.

He needed it.

The lights in the room flicker on. His hands lose their grip, his entire body freezing.

He trembled. He knew who he’d been strangling now.

Hawk?

His eyes snap open.

The choking doesn’t stop.

Springtrap looks down, realizing where his hands are. I had been sitting over him, likely having woken up before him.

His hands were wound tight around my throat, squeezing with a specific intent.

He releases me, his eyes wide with panic. His body is trembling, shaking his head slowly as he looks down at his hands. He instinctively sits up, trying to put his hands on me.

“Hawk! Oh my god! I’m so- I’m so sorry!”

Springtrap’s voice is so loud in my ears. My throat aches so badly, I was lucky he didn’t crush my esophagus. I cough and sputter, hands on my bruised neck.

I’d crawled away from him the moment he’d let go of my neck, tears spilling down my face as I stared at him, disbelieving.

I knew it had been because of a dream. That didn’t change the fact that he’d nearly killed me.

I choke a little, feeling sick to my stomach. I can’t reply to him, waves of a memory hit my mind like a tsunami, one I had hoped I could forget.

A knife glinting in the dark. Dangerously close to my neck- too weak to fight back, only managing to slip away by the skin of my teeth.

I shiver. The feeling of snow stinging my bare feet lingering in the back of my mind.

The screaming. The sirens.

He’s still trying to apologize to me. He’s only getting louder. I cover my eyes, shaking my head and pointing at my bedroom door.

“Get. Out.”

“H-Ha-... Hawk?”

“Get out of here! Just- go to the living room...!”

I can’t face him, holding my arms and curling into myself. I feel bad for yelling at him- I’m sure he genuinely didn’t mean for that to happen, but that was little comfort to me right now.

Springtrap is shocked into silence. I’d only been kind and understanding with him up to this point, and he’d clearly pushed me too far.

He nods slowly, silently walking out of the bedroom. I shut the door behind him, breathing heavily as I begin to break down.

I hadn’t felt like that in so long. Seeing my life flash before my eyes, the genuine threat of losing my life forced into my face, and I had no way to stop it.

I shudder.

I could’ve been killed if he didn’t wake up in time.

Hot tears fall down my cheeks, it stings a bit- not as badly as my neck. I can’t help but cough again, he didn’t do serious damage, but it still feels like I’m being choked.

I flop over against the covers, wiping my face futilely. More tears flooded out, I can’t stop the sobs that force themselves from my throat.

Why did that even happen? I knew he’d had a nightmare earlier- but... most people don’t just strangle somebody with murderous intent in their sleep.

Well... Springtrap wasn’t most people. Perhaps I shouldn't be so hard on him.

I don’t know what to do. He didn’t try to finish me off when he woke up- he seemed... genuinely apologetic. I feel bad for snapping at him, but given the circumstances I’d hoped I could be forgiven.

I’d slept better on his chest than I had in several months by myself, but what if this happened again?

What if he didn’t stop next time?

These thoughts were eating away at me. What if I had been wrong about him?

No. There’s no way... those soft eyes, the gentle way he spoke to me...

And that moment in the kitchen, when he’d startled me. Whatever he was before, he seemed to be trying to become better now.

A heartless killer wouldn’t look at me the way he did when he realized what he was doing- sheer terror plainly displayed on his face.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we had the same expression during that moment.

I didn’t want to make excuses for him, I’m sure he could explain everything when I talk to him.

I just... need a minute. I still feel my hands trembling, my neck was definitely going to be bruised for a few days.

What’s worse is that if he didn’t nearly choke the life out of me, I... feel as though I would’ve enjoyed it. It feels weird to even think about- but, is it really?

I wish I wasn’t so conflicted. I had to talk to him about this... I hoped this wouldn’t become a nightly occurrence.

Springtrap was sitting on the couch, staring down at his hands. He was still trembling, he couldn’t believe what he’d done.

His nightmare was haunting him still, knowing that those feelings weren’t true to how he really felt now-

His feelings were different from his actions.

He had almost strangled me to death.

Springtrap knew now that he needed to come clean, his conscience weighing on him heavily. He didn’t want to be the person he was before the incident. Regardless, it was impacting his life now, and he’d decided that I had a right to know about it.

The thought of confessing was horrifying. I hadn’t judged him at first, but what about now?

He knew I was being cagey about physical contact, and though he didn’t want to pry, he could tell I didn’t exactly have the easiest go at life either.

Springtrap sat there, twitching and trembling, unable to pry his unblinking eyes from the bedroom door.

His ears perked up, he heard a noise. He listened closer.

It was nothing. He was just imagining it, anxiously waiting for me to open that door. He hoped I’d have some sense and tell him to get out.

Springtrap’s breathing became labored, closing his eyes as he thought about what to do.

Should I try to comfort him? He asked himself, glaring down at his shaking hands. No. I’d just make things worse. He’s probably terrified of me...

Should he leave? His eyes narrowed, sighing heavily.

He couldn’t force himself to do that. If I’d decided to kick him out- he supposed that was for the best... but, he couldn’t make himself leave now.

Springtrap looks up as the bedroom door clicks open, staying silent as I approach him. I’d regained my composure for the most part, sitting a small ways away from him.

I felt bad about it. Self sacrificing as always- but I needed to force a boundary.

“What just happened, Springtrap?”

My question cuts through the silence that’d fallen over the house. Springtrap can’t bring himself to look at me, ashamed of what had happened.

“I... I had another nightmare. I’m so sorry for what happened- I... I would never do that to you if... well...”

He sighs, trailing off. That obviously wasn’t all he had to say. He knew he had just choked me, but it was something he’d never even think of doing while he was awake and in control of himself.

He knew that was no excuse. He had no doubts about that.

“I need to confess something to you, Hawk. I apologize I didn’t tell you before...”

“I’m listening.”

He pauses, unsure of himself. I can see how conflicted he is and... well. He looks terrified of me, unable to make eye contact.

“Hawk... before I became... well, like this,” He motions toward his body, finally looking me in the eye. “I was a terrible person. A monster, a murderer.”

Springtrap sees the shock in my eyes when he tells me this. It... fades quicker than he would have expected.

It concerned him a little.

“And what about now? What do you want to be now, William?”

Springtrap looks away from me again. Did I just not care? He was worried about that. Was I just accepting him without a second thought? He had no idea what was going on in my mind.

He meets my gaze, that earnest look on his face again as he speaks up once more.

“I... don’t want to be that person anymore, Hawk. I want to be better.”

I nod, acknowledging him. I look down at my hands, my throat tight as I consider what I should do.

If this happens again, I might not be as lucky. I need to be more careful when waking him up- I did try to gently shake him awake when he’d grabbed me. He was making noises and his hands had been twitching intensely, I thought I’d be doing him a favor by waking him from a nightmare...

I couldn’t shake the feeling that initial confession wasn’t the only thing he was holding back.

“What happened in your nightmares?”

Springtrap visibly tenses. He clearly doesn’t want to tell me.

“I... was back in that room. Both times, you were there with me. The... the first time, I had a knife- and... I’m sure you know what happened.”

He feels terrible just saying it out loud. It was like an intrusive thought morphed into a full-fledged dream, it felt so real.

“The second time... I didn’t know it was you. Or... I don’t think I did.” He sighs, holding his face. “I was strangling you. It... it felt so real. I suppose I know why. I’m... still very sorry.”

He finally manages to work up the courage to look at my neck, seeing how red it was already...

“I don’t want this to happen again. I... needed to tell you. You deserved to know.”

I stay silent for a bit, nodding quietly. I look down at my hands, thinking about how to handle this.

“I... forgive you. I don’t believe your nightmares define who you are.”

I knew how it felt to be judged for such things. I was plagued with nightmares as well, terrible things happening in them that I’d never consider doing while conscious.

“I know you didn’t mean to do it. But...”

Springtrap tenses, not knowing what to expect out of my mouth next. He couldn’t tell what I was feeling from the expression on my face.

“As bad as it would make me feel- if something like this happens again, I don’t think we’ll be sharing the bed...”

“You’d... still let me sleep in your bed?”

I smile at him. I wasn’t unsure anymore- he was trying. He was trying his hardest, and doing remarkably well given the circumstances. I just hoped that this wouldn’t happen again...

“Yeah. It’s our bed.”

Springtrap’s head was spinning. He couldn’t believe I had forgiven him, and that I would even consider letting him sleep near me.

He felt an immense weight lift off of his shoulders, many of his anxieties quelled by our talk. He was so relieved that I was willing to hear him out, and... well, didn’t judge him outright.

It obviously wasn’t the best judgment call. He was aware that I likely knew that too, but if I thought he was worthy of a second chance, then he wouldn’t deny it.

He wanted to try. He... had something to care about again.

It was comforting. Yesterday, the thought had scared him immensely. But now?

He looks at me, seeing that warm smile on my face again. He feels immense guilt over what happened, but I’d already forgiven him. It didn’t stop the feeling, but at least I was alright...

He wouldn’t let it happen again. He was going to be better this time.

Next Chapter ->

#g.txt #my fics #fnaf fanfic #fnaf au #fnaf springtrap #fnaf fandom #springtrap x oc #springtrap x self insert #springtrap fic #springtrap x hawk #springtrap #named this one after a laura les song that just. fits his vibe but they rlly are haunted in this one #i think im only gonna have a couple more chapters but im not sure #im not sure where i should call it honestly??#probably when theyre used to each other... itd be cute to write them being genuinely cuddly

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dimiclaudeblaigan · 8 months

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uh-oh she's gushing about shinon again and it's super long

So you guys know I love Shinaff. BUT!!! I would like to explain to you part of how that came to be, i.e. how Janaff's supports with Shinon were both different and important!!! In other words, a direct exploration of his development involving laguz and how he's turning out for the better post Janaff A support and RD (and how it makes the most sense to have their A support slotted between the beginning of PoR and the end of RD for a full progression of his development)!

First of all, Shinon only has three supports; so unlike most characters, every line counts and needs to hold more weight to his conversations.

Rolf and Gatrie's supports portray different sides of him: the mentor and the friend. What we see in these supports is stuff we essentially already knew about him, but we're given more depth. The thing to note here is, again, we already knew these things about him. This is the man we started with.

What we don't get in these supports is proper development. Janaff is the only support he has that gives him that. Janaff's supports with him are the only ones that gives him any self reflection and improvement. This isn't necessarily a bad thing for the other supports, but it's more that it props up these ones a little bit more.

Also, when you get to RD, Shinon comes off as though he's already gotten this development. He feels like he's grown as a person. While that makes sense, from a player's perspective, we didn't really see that development in him (like we would have with characters like Ike, Mist, Soren, etc)... unless you supported him with Janaff.

In RD, Shinon has Gatrie and Rolf as bonded by defaults. These are basically internal bonds in RD - ones that aren't needed by supports. You can carry over support data from PoR to RD, and characters will receive a bond with the character they A supported. For some, like Ranulf and Ike, these bonds will be there regardless of if they got an A support.

That means that even without supporting them in PoR, Shinon will bonded to these two by default. Janaff is his only other support, so if they reach an A support and that data is carried over to RD, he now has his full list of supports bonded to him. Mind you, that's a liiittle bit of a big deal (and kinda cool to me!) as nobody else can do that (or almost nobody, since I'm not totally positive what Stefan and Volke's situations are and would have to check on that in my game, as the only other characters with an extremely low amount of supports).

So why do I say that's important? Because the only character he won't have by default as a bond is Janaff. You have to go out of your way to get their support bond (and when I say out of your way, I mean it pretty literally if you don't normally use one or both of them, due to how PoR's support system works). Janaff is the only character Shinon has to build up a bond with from scratch, which is something the player has to decide to do.

Gatrie and Rolf are the base - the bare minimum. It's given to you, no questions asked. Shinon doesn't have to develop as a person to have those bonds. When Janaff arrives in 3-7, if they were A supported in PoR (and your data was carried over), he and Shinon automatically have their bond show up in the bond list on each of their profiles as of the turn Janaff is on the map. This also means they can get a double A support, which is, again, something Shinon has very few options for.

Without Janaff, Shinon doesn't get that extremely direct development. In RD it's assumed all the characters had development of some sort (example, Shinon is much more chilled out and takes a much more active role in watching out for the GMs and making sure they're properly funded). However, with the way Shinon's development toward laguz went, you'd think something must have happened for him to change his mind.

However, it's an uncontestable fact that Ike stated everyone in the GMs decided to stay knowing full well they'd be fighting for the Laguz Alliance:

"I told the others they could leave if they didn’t want to work with laguz, but everybody decided they’d rather stay. Don’t worry about it, Ranulf."

If they didn't want to work with laguz (Shinon and Soren would be the primary candidates he brought this up for), they didn't have to go. They didn't have to take part. They didn't have to be there. Shinon decided to stay despite fully aware they would be the only beorc there. That's development already... but if he supported Janaff, it starts to make more sense and feels like a proper linear path for his development.

"But DCB, he was racist toward Lyre!" Sure! He's not perfect and there's still room for growth. In fact, Shinon started out calling her a sub-human but referred to her as a laguz when Gatrie was the only one left to hear him, so he either:

is trying to keep up appearances in front of laguz he doesn't like, using sub-human to their face but not using that term in private anymore (or to laguz he doesn't hate, i.e. Janaff in their A support where he catches himself about to use that term. Though he wasn't quite ready to say "laguz" yet, he stopped himself from using "you sub-humans" and instead said "you guys").

slipped up in using sub-human (from habit*) and called her a laguz when speaking to Gatrie because he's becoming more used to using that term regularly. That is to say, it's becoming more natural for him to say.

If you got his A support with Janaff, it makes sense that he slips up sometimes still but is trying to speak more properly about laguz. Getting out of old habits is hard. Feeling differently about something you've had a steady mindset for (in his case for 27 years as per his support with Janaff) is hard. There will be slip ups.

*It's possible Shinon uses "sub-human" as an insult aimed at individuals he doesn't like while not meaning it toward others (i.e. he doesn't like Kyza and Lyre). Yes, this is a big flaw! He could very well be using a racist term to express distaste toward someone specific but not mean it toward the whole of laguz. It's still racist and shouldn't be done, but the fact that he turned around and said "laguz" only a couple sentences later (if that) means that something is kicking in and some gears are turning.

Again, if you look at his A support with Janaff, he wasn't even at the point of using "laguz" at all! If you consider their A support part of his linear development, he starts as he is in PoR, supports Janaff and goes through their conversations while seeing laguz differently now, and ultimately ends at respecting Janaff. Despite this, he's not ready to use "laguz" yet because he experiences with laguz to date, prior to Janaff, had all been presumably negative enough for him to develop this racist mindset.

Linearly, that brings us to RD. He's suddenly fine staying with the GMs and fighting a war on behalf of the Laguz Alliance, even when he was directly given an out. Next, we have him refer to a laguz as a laguz - something he wasn't able to do yet in PoR.

Does the linear progression stop there? Not if you supported Janaff! Following those things, again, when Janaff arrives in 3-7, their bond will show up in their profiles. These bonds are separate from RD support bonds in that they're basically saying these characters were bonded before the events of RD and thus have special bonuses near each other, regardless of if you support them in RD.

So where does this lead us? Well, like in PoR, we start to lose focus on the GMs as a whole and only end up with focus on a few of them. Our next line of progression can only come from supports again. These are notable and extremely important if he's supported with a laguz.

If it's Janaff you support him with in RD, he gets one of his standard support quotes in battle. Maybe you're thinking that sounds unimpressive and unimportant... but this means he's responding to Janaff as someone he's familiar with and not treating differently from the others (which is not the case when responding to several others, which I'll get to). Normally you'd expect him to treat a laguz differently, but he speaks with Janaff like he would to any beorc.

It gives off an air of familiarity - like they already know each other, are passed all that nonsense and aren't even thinking about it anymore. This is, of course, the case regardless of if you supported them in PoR (but again, I find their PoR supports to be important in terms of a proper, full linear progression of Shinon's development, which is something not every character actually even gets, i.e. they don't get a fully fleshed out and ongoing development story between both games if they're not a main character).

It's almost like it's considering that you may have gotten their PoR supports. It has to leave it up in the air as to whether or not you did, because it'd be odd if he was suddenly treating Janaff like they weren't as familiar with each other after getting their PoR supports. In other words, by default, their relationship in RD is not as bad as it starts in PoR in their C support. It feels like they've already supported and are closer now to be at this point.

So why is it important that he acts no different with Janaff than anyone else? Because he does act different near laguz kings. He's given special, personalized lines to the laguz kings and refers to them sincerely as laguz. Important to note is that the laguz kings only become playable in part four (Tibarn and Naesala) and Endgame (Caineghis).

These are characters he would have absolutely no chance at having any development with in either game prior (even if you consider time spent in PoR, Tibarn and Naesala are not playable until the final chapter and you can only pick one of them. Caineghis, plain and simple, is not even an option). That means his supports with them are the very beginning of their relationship.

This is by part four. There's been development since part three in his character that we don't see. He's now openly referring to them as only "laguz" (remember, he was back and forth earlier in RD). He treats them with respect.

"But DCB, of course he does! They're kings! They're powerful!" But the Shinon we started out with in PoR wouldn't have cared less. To him back then a sub-human was a sub-human. Even as allies, he wouldn't have respected them (re: his C support with Janaff). Instead, here, in RD with these supports, he can talk with laguz directly, refer to them as such, and give them respect.

He also doesn't start out being intentionally racist toward them. He's at the point, by the time he can support the laguz kings, where he skips right past the active "sub-human" bullshit.

What do I mean by that? Well... I mean with Tibarn, he almost says sub-human but catches himself and doesn't just say "you guys" like he did with Janaff in their A support (which came before his C support with Tibarn if you consider his development linear and including Janaff). He corrects himself, and instead uses "a king" - similar to his "you guys" pull back, but outright referring to him as a king is actually a step above that (and again, this is their C support).

King Tibarn. It seems like a sub-hu– I mean–a king such as yourself can hold your own.

He's learning! He's growing! He's maturing! He's realizing he can get out of that mindset! All his experiences prior to PoR, based on his supports with Janaff, would imply he's only ever known that he has to protect himself against them. He never got to actually meet one. When he did, it was hard to pull himself out of old habits for new experiences. He was trying for Janaff, but he wasn't quite there yet. Here, he does something very similar.

With the other kings, he just outright refers to them as kings with no stumbles.

Hey, Lion King! Of anybody here, it seems like you’d be just fine.

Raven King, you seem all right. No need to be babied, I hope.

Mind you, the latter is pretty standard Shinon in personality. It's unrelated to Naesala being a laguz. However, both are these are completely respectful as a person talking to another person.

For his B supports we have:

I thought you were the all-conquering King Caineghis! And yet, you mess up. Bizarre. You better stay by me.

Hawk King, whew, even you mess up sometimes. Kinda makes me nervous. You better stay by me.

Raven King–your fighting? Not good. Just…stay by me and let me handle this.

Bizarre, he says, that one of the strongest people he knows is having trouble. He's actually surprised. No comment about how sub-humans suck or anything, not here!

Similarly, even Tibarn messes up sometimes. He's surprised. He expects basically perfectly from Tibarn (so this presumes he has positive expectations of him from what he knows of Tibarn).

Naesala's fighting isn't good? Well what does PoR Shinon care! Let him die! But that's not RD Shinon (and remember, these quotes could've been anything else considering he got specifically personalized quotes with these three, and personalized quotes for RD supports are somewhat few and tend to be for specific pairs).

Stay by me, he says! The same things he'll say to anyone! To any beorc and to any laguz. Again, personalized quotes did exist and they were there for certain pairs. Those pairs got special quotes specifically for their relationship). He didn't avoid saying "stay by me" just because they were laguz.

Mind you, his support quotes with these three are much more respectful than usual Shinon. He's very, uh, hilariously Shinon (there is a word for this, however at this time I cannot think of it 😔. I am not thinking of sarcastic, I am thinking of... something else. Granted, these lines are directed to Reyson and Rafiel, who technically can't fight... so I'll give him a break on that one) in most of his quotes, and some don't sound particularly respectful ("Prince ___, it’s really hard to watch you fight. Why don’t you stay by me and let me handle this?").

Now for the A supports (and BOY HOWDY I'M EATIN' GOOD HERE)...

You know, I’m not one for making friends and being nice. But, Caineghis, I gotta say, you are one bad laguz. In a good way! Hang in there.

I gotta admit… I didn’t like you when I first met you. But, Prince ___, I hope you make it through all this. I was wrong about you.

You know, I really don’t care who lives and who dies. But, Hawk King, for a laguz– hey, for anyone–you seem pretty decent. I hope you make it.

You know, I never thought I’d say this, but… King ___, I’m thinkin’ you should live. Don’t ask me why! Just a crazy notion. Maybe I like you?

Not one for making friends and being nice in general, with beorc, but he's befriending a laguz? Well now! What would PoR Shinon pre-Janaff say!

If you need me to explain the lines to Reyson and Rafiel to you, I have no hope for you at this point. If you can't read "I was wrong about you" and understand what that means, you might need to go back to school. In fact you definitely do.

For a laguz - no, scratch that because that doesn't fucking matter anymore - for anyone - you seem pretty decent (<-- this is the way Shinon talks to everyone).

Maybe he likes Naesala? Maybe they're friends? Maybe he just admitted he's fond of a laguz? Maybe he just said he likes a laguz??? Gosh jolly, early PoR Shinon is rolling in his grave!

So uhhh, what does this have to do with Janaff? Well, like I said, I feel like their supports slot perfectly into Shinon's development that's going to exist anyway. It's like the middle part of it that you get to see but also may miss out on. It's like jumping from PoR to RD and wondering what on earth happened in between to bring Shinon to that point... and if you consider his A support with Janaff, it makes sense that that's what happened. It fills that gap, and it also slots in perfectly with where he is in his development as a character between two games.

Timeline:

PoR start - Shinon hates laguz. He seems to hate them for reasons unknown. Greil dies; Shinon leaves. Chapter 18 is reached and Shinon is recruited back into the GMs. Despite that the GMs are now working with the Crimean army which has actively allied itself with the beast and bird tribes, Shinon whatevers his way through that fact and rejoins. He'll tolerate, he guesses. Fam is here.

Cue Janaff supports. New birb, who dis, except he's rude! Yes folks, it was Janaff who was rude first (his lines were also very Janaff... who is very like Shinon, so it makes sense that would get a negative reaction from Shinon even if he was a beorc). Shinon is set off and now thinks he was right to hate laguz. Look at this annoying birb face and his dumb lil hat!!! Better threaten to kill him just to be safe...

B support, they're having a conversation and learning from each other because Janaff came over to apologize. He knows he was in the wrong to nag at Shinon just for being an unfamiliar face. Shinon is still pissy though because it's a goddamn birb with a hat!!! Their conversation is a mix of ugh fuck this annoying guy to actually talking things out... and Shinon admitting why he hates laguz - because he's always needed to protect himself from "those half breeds". Sounds like his only experiences were very negative, so he ends up racist. Well, Janaff was also racist until very recently for similar reasons, and he used to think all beorc liked to kill. He, too, had misconceptions that bred a racist hatred. Now, though, with Shinon talking to him, he's realized he was wrong about beorc and is open to seeing things differently. Shinon backtracks, realizing he's having this conversation with the birb with a hat and wonders why.

A support, they talk more and it's getting better... and Janaff not only admits to relating to Shinon - which is a nice touch because they're two sides of the same coin who are both still very much learning about each other's races - and mind you Janaff was racist at 110 years old so he's been doing this shit for a while! It was because he talked with Shinon and learned more about beorc that, on top of what Ike did for Leanne, he's being more open minded now. Janaff, understanding where Shinon is coming from (ignorance and misconceptions), is much more polite and kind to him. Shinon, in response, backtracks when he almost uses the racist term "sub-human" so as not to offend Janaff, leaves off here respecting him and, when Janaff has to leave because the support is over, calls him back because he wants to hear more about the world from him because Janaff has lived for so much longer. Maybe the birb with the hat isn't so bad at all after all!!

From here the GMs fight with laguz allies until the end of PoR. Two or three years pass idk shit's inconsistent I guess, and we get to RD.

By this point Shinon has already been in an army that allied with and fought alongside laguz, and maybe that's tempered his feelings. When given an out from joining the other GMs in their aiding of the Laguz Alliance, and as the only beorc, he chooses to stay with the group.

At this point he's back and forth with "sub-human" and "laguz". There's definitely improvement, but old habits still get out sometimes. Still though, he's progressed from "you guys" to outright using "laguz".

The laguz kings join in the fight against Ashera. Shinon can support them, getting personalized quotes specifically for them (and for the herons). With Tibarn, he catches himself and corrects what he almost said - something he did once before with Janaff as per this linear timeline. That's the only instance left of a mistake in his wording. By now he's not using "sub-human" at all (B and A support with Tibarn or C-A with Caineghis or Naesala), or he's freely and without stumbling using "laguz" with no "you guys" esque backtrack.

This is obviously only one aspect of Shinon's development, i.e. the development of him growing out of racism similar to Janaff, and there are more aspects to him that did develop and grow throughout both games, but this post was specifically to highlight the importance of having Janaff there as part of his growth. Without it, it's like a blank, empty spot in his development where you don't know how it started happening and to such a degree (how did he go from outright using sub-human to using laguz at all? It feels like there had to be something in the middle of that growth, and without Janaff's supports it's just missing.

With them though, it's quite clear how he reasonably went from sub-human to "you guys" to laguz with some slip ups (ones that he corrects himself with if he actually respects the person, in this case Tibarn. He didn't bother correcting it with Lyre and Kyza because he didn't like them, which again, is still a flaw, but that was prior to his ability to support the laguz kings. It would be more reasonable to say he's starting to grow out of using "sub-human" just to specific people as an insult by this point.

Mans ain't perfect, but he's trying and he's working on it. Why is that without Janaff involved in his development? I 'unno, I guess he just had some random offscreen development between the games. With Janaff though? It actually works, fits and makes sense. It feels like that part of his development is meant to be there, as it compliments his development going forward.

that's it that's all i had to say bye now

#Shinon #there is quoted evidence so nobody can say im just bias and making shit up 😤#anyway he's a multi faceted character AND gets development which FE does NOT usually do for non-main characters!#they especially don't usually get BOTH of those things!#Shinon's extremely lucky in that regard (especially bc not even all of the GMs were given this treatment and good fortune)#It's also very fun seeing Shinon and Janaff develop simultaneously. you get Janaff a SINGLE chapter before you can #get Shinon back (actually use him again) and the very first time you can ever use Janaff is ON the chapter Shinon returns #cooooincidence? maybe but I choose not to think so #Janaff feels so integral in Shinon's character growth in this regard #at this point my brain has cemented their supports as canon #anyway they're a great couple they never kiss and they definitely don't admit to being in love #they think y'all are delulu for thinking they're dating but actually they're the ones who are delulu #i have a do not separate policy for them in part four so shinon always ends up in the hawk army #which rly i don't need to do bc it's not like i need as many shrieks as i end up with #so really janaff doesn't HAVE to be with ulki and tibarn but it feels right #also it's like the one time i have everyone from a respective class type (archer classes) in every army #ALSO also I think it's an interesting situation to have Shinon in the final chapter before endgame 1 #maybe it would be cool to write about someday. him seeing the feral drugged laguz and how nastily mindless/cruel/violent/etc they are #compared to the people he knows and starting to realize this was how he used to see ALL laguz #and now seeing it's only these mindless drugged ones and how the people he knows are nothing like this...

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