Leo is already very abusive but I was wondering, since you’re going to add “razz,” do you plan to add traits of Bear or Nikki to his character, moreover if it is bear does that mean more content warnings would be oblicable to the AU as a huge trait of Bear was sexual abuse towards Nikki? I know you said before its up to viewer perception whether Usagi is a victim of sexual abusve/sexual assault from Leo but I’m curious the path you want to take.
I was mostly going to add traits of Willow! Nikki to Leo! I think Bear is a great character (awful person but ykwim) but there isn't much from him I could really add to Leo specifically.
Bear avoids responsibility for bad actions but Leo just doesn't think his actions are bad at all. Bear's very resistant to the idea that he does things that have consequences, and tries to play like he's a bystander in his own life when he isn't. Leo knows and believes he can control everything tho, and will tailor others and manipulate them into getting consequences he wants and will never allow himself to be a bystander.
Bear's avoidance, tho, I think may be fun to kind of incorporate into Usagi. Like Bear's low-power little "you can't dig my dead cat out of the trash" just. Yeah Usagi would do that. Just be like "hey wtf pls don't" but then not do anything else. Trying to brush away and ignore behavior like taping the door shut because he just doesn't even want to think about it. Ofc Bear keeps coming back cus he's a POS and Usagi is literally trapped and unable to get away, so they would do these same things but for very different reasons. But other than that, FUCK BEAR AND THE HORSE HE RODE IN ON
The 'razz' I wanted to add mostly comes from Willow! Nikki's behavior. I adored how she moved throughout the movie, especially like the sleeping scene, boys night scene, and moonwalk scene (idk if that's proper name but yk). The erratic, uncanny way she walked and moved her head and talked and emoted. Like, in the sleep scene, the slow like creeping with the Dino arms or the suddenly walking off or twitching, the hyperawareness of it yet how she never got it quite right, that she clearly was trying to portray something specific but no one knows what and that makes it so scary.
And I know ppl think the Willow! Nikki frown was funny in the boys night scene but it was honestly one of the scariest moments for me. It's such an intense, exaggerated face that we have never seen on Nikki and literally looks out of place on her face. That really matches Leo, who mostly smiles and rarely makes exaggerated faces, so if he did something like that frown when he was displeased it'd be SO fucking freaky and I absolutely want to use that.
And I loved how she talked, too. Leo isn't as apologetic or terrified of abandonment as Nikki, but i love when she suddenly starts shrieking. Like in one scene when Nikki and Bear are laying together, and he tries to get up and she just screams "ssssSSSSTAYYYYYY!" In his ear like that is SO Leo coded. I want to add some of her behavior to really make him seem erratic and terrifying, adding to the tension and fear.
Like, in the restaurant scene when she starts screaming in front of everyone. I love that because it shows that Willow! Nikki has no regard for social convention or judgement, just action and her own emotion. Leo is like that too. He doesn't care he's in public, or people will see, or it's embarrassing to act that way. He wants to get what he wants and he will make a scene to do it, you know? He doesn't care about other people or being disruptive, he cares about making Usagi do what he wants.
Like I've always believed Leo has a really loud scream (bc war machine) but I haven't used it much. Incorporating that into his behavior to make it so he could, at any moment, snap and just start doing some ear-splitting yelling until Usagi relents and does what he wants. And I LOVE that
Basically just to repeat myself but I loved how Inde acted Nikki and I want a lot of that tense, erratic, scary behavior to be present in Leo to really add to the unpredictable and threatening vibe. Rn he's very calm and low down and like a big part of abusers is they have extreme mood swings and stuff and the victims have to walk on eggshells. I want to add in the idea that Usagi has to do that too, to avoid Leo screaming or making a scene or breaking things even if Leo wouldn't actually physically hurt him.
SA is a big thing in the movie but I don't think using inspo from it for character behavior really means I need to add SA as a for-sure TW in the AU. As I've said before, SA in the AU is up to personal interpretation and it will stay that way!! I won't ever post anything explicit about it but yall know I love my metaphor so yeah!
Sorry this post is long I just love this movie ajndkendj
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