Sharing my piece for the StanXeno AU zine @sx-realitycheck (โ ๏ฝกโ ๏ฝฅโ ฯโ ๏ฝฅโ ๏ฝกโ )โ ๏พโ โก Please check the full project for free on their account!
I'm so happy I got to participate and finally draw one of my favorite ships ever hehe. I really need to draw more Dr. Stone fanart in the future
"I love you," you say. "Those are my own words. Are they proof enough?โ
His face goes beetroot-red. "That's just the hypnosis talking. It's notโ"
You lean forward and close the minuscule remaining distance, kissing him. His eyes widen and he lets out a tiny squeak. But he doesn't push you away. You feel the world fade away for a moment, your doubts and troubles vanishing as everything shrinks down to just the two of you. An answer finally fills your mind. He's being in front of you all along. You expected to find the bottom, but you remain adrift in an ocean. He only raises more questions, spiraling down into infinity. Visions of Gwylan snuff out any other thoughts you have.
He is everything.
He gingerly returns it, his eyes close.
He pulls away after a moment, and flicks you on the nose. "You are too much," he hoffs.
He brushes himself off and stands, helping you to your feet too.
"How rude," you say. "Say it back."
He frowns, and turns away. "I've lied to you enough already."
Hey everybody! I've been ghosting around this app while completely locked in with DoL and ever since my last post l've been going deep into the game's lore, dwelling on it to be honest, and holy shit, it is a lot. I began romancing Kylar for funsies and ended up soooo hooked trying to get revenge on Avery and the other Children of Auriga, and of course, becoming a Gwylan yearner. Safe to say I loved Mother goose and Hopeless Cycle, the insight both of them give you on the world's dynamic of corruption, the temple, Aurigaโs cult, the witch (cough, cough Gwy?) an the gaoler's (um.... PC?) relationship are mind blowing to say the least. So here I present to you my thoughts of Fayne and Nona, Gwylan and PC.
Nona the witch was Gwylan's past life, in which he meets Fayne the gaoler. Nona is incarcerated by the temple and is severely injured and wounded, bandages around her head covering one of her eyes. As we go on, Fayne learns she lacks one eye, replaced by a black elk's antler, her skin showing cracks, a hole in the world where corruption can scape. This elk scar is similar to the one PC can get if they choose not to replace the wishing stones and go through the ritual for Avery, forever scarring themselves with Aurigaโs mark in their chest.
Now hold it thereโ if you decide to go through Avery's ritual and betray Gwylan (Betraying Gwylan), PC goes back to Gwylan's Forest Shop, where a dialogue triggers them asking PC why they did it, to which PC can respond that they did it out of spite, making a hurt and angry Gwylan question PC but also telling them theyโre not the only ones to have made such a terrible mistake out of hatred and spite, turning their now bare back and exposing hundreds of old scars, bitings and burns. He places a finger on PCโs heart and says theyโre not the only one with an invisible scar.
This made me think of Nona (Gwylanโs past life) plotting to get back at the Children of Auriga by infiltrating them so their fall could be greater and more severe, but resulting in the exact opposite, letting the corruption of Auriga use her as a broken vessel and leaving her extremely damaged and weak, disabling her to continue to purge the corruption of the town and forest in her state. This could be Gwylanโs past terrible mistake, made out of spite. He had gotten himself elkscarred, too. His invisible scar. Just like PC, the betrayer.
As we progress through the different endings of Hopeless cycle, we learn each time repeatedly that Nona tries to use the gaoler as a getaway, pretending to feel affection for him, even at the very last moment. During the S ending, Ivory Wraith responds to the gaolerโs wishing stones thrown at the lake offering help to save the witch, stealing a part of his soul to be able to possess him during the ritual. At this point, Fayne has explicitly told Nona that he loves her, wonโt leave her, will care for her, and that he gives her his heavily burdened heart to her. For this exact reason, she cannot steal his heart and possess him, allowing the gaoler to be possessed by IW instead and help her fight the monks and nuns. At last, the gaoler reiterates and states his feelings and intentions again, finally softening and warming up Nonaโs heart. After everything, Fayne takes Nona in his care and together bear a child, the witch gaining a Stockholm syndrome. She finally loves him back.
Fayne, just like PC, has the ability to purge corruption. PC also has an ability (curse?) no one else seems to have: being able to be possessed by IW. This could be explained by them giving a part of their soul to save the witch as Fayne in their past life, allowing the Wraith to possess them back then, and still to this day. This adding to the fact that IW calls PC gaoler and scion, and during the mirror hallucination, asks PC to remember them.
During the scene where we finally get to have him as a LI, Gwylan says:
"Everything in my shop has a purpose, even if I don't always remember. If I stare long enough, I will, though." He's staring at you, now. "You're like that. A treasure. I want to hold you close and keep you. But that isn't love, and I can't rob you of your freedom like that. I meant it when I said that you're not ready for forever, but I was half wrong. I'm the one who's not ready for it, and I never was. You're a treasure I can't have." His hand squeezes yours. "My heart can't love anymore. Not truly. You're my treasure, but I can't love you."
The silence that passes is agonising. The sea attacks the shore like a hungry predator. You sit and listen until you hear his voice again.
"But maybe it doesn't have to be forever. Maybe we'll both hurt more if I keep being so thorny. Maybe I just need to..."
This is where the realization comes. Fayne nursed Nona back to health and took care of her until her death. Gwylan is and has been finally healthy for a long time now, has gained more experience too, and is able to handle the corruption by himself. And thatโs when PC (Fayne reborn) walks in again.
The witch doesnโt need anyone to take care of him. Not anymore. He had freed the gaoler when he died. Why does the gaoler insist to come back? He had set him free, free for the gaoler to love and live, which they had not experienced before when they had taken the responsibility to care and live for the witch. And itโs for that exact reason he wants to let PC go and be free. He already hurt PC enough. He already tried to trick PC and lie to them enough.
But the gaoler, PC, in this life and the last one, wants to remain by their side.
If being in love is what it means to be bewitched, hell, PC is devotedly and hopelessly bewitched. PCโs soul remembers. Gwylanโs soul remembers.
Soโฆ yes. These are my thoughts and theory on the lore, and the reflexion that came after this scene where PC asks Gwylan to say the L word back. Also a quick disclaimer: I might be a Kylar fucker, but I am in no means a Gwylan betrayer! I stomped on Averyโs mf hand and let his sorry ass fall tf down. Satisfying.
I hope you like my take on this! not to mention iโve been practicing so hard to learn how to render better lol.
I really need a job. Thanks Vrel for making me less fixated and depressed on my inability to get a job!
I knew like 3 things about the series when I started and all of them were from dmc5. I spent a lot of time missing Vergil... before he wrecked my property and beat my ass 10000 times
List 10 favourite characters from 10 different fandoms, and then tag 10 people
tagging @soratsuart @gamersagainstthemachine @strengthofmayhem and anyone reading this who wants to! (i get a bit shy about tagging if we havent spoke) (also no pressure to continue!)
under the cut + some additional rambling:
Rue (Princess Tutu)
up there among favorite antagonists/anti-villains
perfectionist with deep-rooted insecurity. at her core she just wants to be loved, and almost everything she does screws her (& Mytho) over in pursuing it.
in one of her early scenes she tells her puppet-like, literally heartless boyfriend to say he loves her. He does.
Agott (Witch Hat Atelier)
i love her arc of rediscovering her passion/heart after everyone around her stamped it down.
how she and Coco elevate each other is wonderful. So is her baby crush on her.
deeply 12 years old. Studious and perfectionist and narrow-minded at first. I like that she's depicted as selfish at times.
Vergil (Devil May Cry)
i dont think this one's a surprise
I love a guy who keeps screwing himself over because he doesn't realise what he actually wants and already has. To the point of stabbing out everything that makes him him. Great villain & foil & Dante's annoying nerd brother.
v v v fun to beat up & play as.
Ayda Mensah (Murderbot Diaries)
When I read All Systems Red, Mensah's leadership and presence was really nice to read. You could see why everyone respects her so deeply. She did her best to lead through awful situations and cared deeply for her team and was also ride or die to pull off batshit plans.
Cannot emphasise enough, I love how Martha Wells depicts Mensah's leadership style.
Always looked forward to the bits where Mensah & Secunit interact.
Cyclonus (Transformers/MTMTE/Lost Light)
his arc with Whirl & Tailgate was the best part of MTME for me
Stoic intimidating bot falls so so so hard for someone and all his goopy emotions spilled out
Goes from trying to kill Whirl to basically them being QPP.
Lelouch (Code Geass)
this show has a lot of issues.
but teen me had so much fun watching this guy go ham & screw himself & everyone around him over
Alucard/Arikado Genya (Castlevania)
popping Arikado's pic here because this is the funniest turn Alucard could have gone. government agent fakename-mcDarkGuy. Babysitting his evil father's reincarnation.
I think there's a lot unsaid about Arikado seeing his father move on & break the generational curse on the Tepes & Belmont families
v v v fun to play as beautiful tragic dhampir prince.
Ao Bing (Nezha 2019/2025)
v v v good bestie & foil to Nezha. Tries to do good by his family & entire people. He is 2 years old.
Unflinchingly polite young boy with a lot of passion that bursts out. Don't see that often.
Enjoy the intertextuality that in the OG tale, him & Nezha should have killed each other as enemies. Difference is that their parents care so much about them in a new way. Whole films tackle family ties very well.
Protoman (Megaman - Archie comics)
his plot was the best part of the Archie run. Little robot boy with a core defect runs away thinking his creator wants to fix him (at risk of deleting his entire sense of self). Comes back & thinks he's been replaced with new robot kids. Crashes out.
He's Rock & Roll's wayward brother. You want to see him become that.
Hitori Gotoh (Bocchi the Rock)
this show and this character were so funny & charming.
Also she can get so in her head & value things like fame & popularity & the nice comments she gets on her youtube channel. I like that she's very imperfectly human.
She spends the whole show trying to get out there & when she succeeds you really root for her.
really just a good character. i like her for the same reasons everybody else does. and the nostalgia factor of course. as a kid i really wanted this game but i only played it last year for the first time. and it lived up to the hype. i like companion characters and get easily attached to video game characters especially if they trouble you as the player in any way. she is everything but mid....
Milchick (severace)
really really compelling character as soon as he doubled down on his role. the reveal that he is not severed comes as a bit of a chock and it makes you think how someone can otherwise be groomed to have the personality and functions of a severed worker but i really think its his purposeful mimicry of severed workers that makes him a mastermind sort of character. without kier actually present the villains of the series interpret him or act out systematic orders which is really great worldbuilding. im particular to stories of disillusionment and how a reality-defining delusion like capitalism is asserted (especially once the show made it clear that socio-cultural factors are involved) and i thought his methods for keeping the branch in check were interesting and terrifying.
Iris Thompson (scp)
been reading many stories about her and i very much like the Resurrection canon with her in a protagonist role. I'm also fond of Jude Kriyot because of his relations to gamers against weed and awcy and i like those power fantasy takes on creative organized protest. ultimately im glad these projects address the old internet issues of the prior canon but dont linger on it so they can become something new.
V (devil may cry)
i have said many times they had no reason to make this character in the sense of ramping up the action and stakes. he sucks to play as. he was entirely made for telling a vulnerable story mostly about emasculation that also feels like it touched on the roots of the series set in dmc1 and is unapologetically a homage to the original goth fans.
but you can also make fun of him because he is vergil.
Leigh from look outside
I really like loss of humanity characters. Its really cool that you can find her phone and have conversations about her old self. I enjoyed the drama between her and her fiancรฉ and i liked how her story showed some of the philosophy of the game. game of the 2025 also. its hard to single out a character.
Desmond sycamore (professor layton)
Antihero from professor layton series. blorbo of like 12 years. Just found out there is an active fancommunity for this guy. excellent. His design and personality is really fun. just an all-timer for me
Prismo (adventure time)
One of those characters that are written like you would like to know them in real life. I like what the sequels have done with him. Essentially just a narrative device with a personality which is easy to imagine as an rpg npc its nice.
deltaswap tenna laptop au (deltarune)
otherwise
Spamton
You know. I already wrote an essay on this. he got the essay treatment for like 15 pages and i didnt even touch on his homelessness. but mostly i like him for the same reasons as V. there was no reason whatsoever to make a character like this except the author just wanted to and you can smell it on him.
blue gnome (rtvs)
hes like a freak mode infomaniac. makes me smile everytim. feed me some goins sir.
earthmover (ultrakill)
really cool level and robot design with a sad story behind it. it really stands out as a symbol of the anti-war sentiment ultrakill is about and probably one of the most iconic things from this game. to put down a few buzzwords: its llke metal gear was presented like evangelion. sad awful beast that i think of whenever i spot large machinery on the horizon. great level also except for the timed blood punishment room that dusts me everytim.
List 10 favorite characters from 10 different fandoms, and then tag 10 people
I think most of my mutuals have already been tagged so uhhhhh @lavndrtwnn @volaenii @miseen02 @arino-pjm @kendymaycry and whoever wants to participate
Basically I love when characters go through the horrors and are at least a little bit fucked up in the head as a result, bonus points if they chose to remain kind in spite of all. List down the cut:
