tbh the more i think about it, the more i want to lean into their codependency
ive is the most quote-unquote 'well adjusted' person between the three of them so whoever ive deems as a good/okay person is automatically okay for yumi and yui
which means,,,
ive as an li automatically makes yumi and yui an li!
3 for one babeyyyy!
ive's special stat is protectiveness, and this goes with yumi and yui.
protectiveness (ive): police fame/crime fame is lowered. in certain situations where the police is searching for pc, ive can come up with an alibi to lower suspicions on them. low protectiveness: ive is well aware of pc's crime fame but only expressed worry over them getting caught
protectiveness (yui): lesser chance of encounters at night
protectiveness (yumi): automatic school popularity boost
any sexual acts can be done with either one of them or all of them
the same dynamic applies to the future au lol
since ive is the new orphanage caretaker, if the pc manages to boost their love, then they'll meet yui and yumi (strip club, brothel, pub, or the orphanage)
claiming older!ive as a love interest still also makes yui and yumi as love interests
same stat, same process!
except this time, any sexual acts are done with all three of them. seriously. Share™
anyway, it's a cuddle pile at the end of the day! And yui's big enough to hug all three of you
ive lore time (character analysis? of my own oc? it's more likely than you think!)
used to be taught how to steal,,,, by his dad
his mother helped him get out and taught him how to be a good kid (aka, not to steal or fight)
when his mother died (and he was subsequently sent to bailey's orphanage), he tried to emulate his mother's teachings
couldn't stand looking in the mirror when he was still a teenager because his own reflection made him want to throw up (is it because he's reminded of his mom? his dad? or because he was just experiencing gender dysphoria? probably all three)
despite how hard ive tried to be 'good', the town is... not. so all his feats of goodness? his purity? the halo over his head? it feels like a sham.
it's like going into another identity crisis all over again because despite how hard he tries to be the good kid his mother wanted him, the consequences pushed him to go back to his old ways. out of necessity, and born from the environment around him sure, but nevertheless, back to his old identity still.
the 'good kid' identity felt more and more like a mask as he tried to go through the motions of his day to day life, but the cracks eventually came the moment robin was taken because he couldn't pay on time.
he still tries to hold on to the so-called 'goodness' he has inside, but the tells are there. fist fights, the itch in his hands to steal something valuable just for an additional amount of money.
don't get him wrong, his work at the spa pays well (provided, he has to please most of the clients... at least to some degree), and really, he owes it to charlie for being the first to offer him a job even though it was once a week. it was much appreciated still.
but old habits die hard, you know? muscle memory is kind of hard to unlearn.
the final straw, however? ivory wraith.
it's one thing to feel yourself slowly losing grip of yourself and the identity you've built. but it's another to lose it against a different entity.
suddenly he feels like he's eight again, biting and clawing against something bigger and more scarier than him. scarier than the adults who caught him stealing when he was a kid. scarier than the nameless molesters down the street.
he escapes after a long and hard fight. but as he crouches in the middle of the frozen lake, wearing nothing but his pyjamas — the glow of the blood moon upon him... ive could only let out a shuddering exhale.
the change doesn't come abruptly. no realization, whatsoever. it just... happened.
ive continues to work to pay for robin and himself. he continues to give hope to the orphans.
the experience of losing control felt like freedom, in a way. to be broken and left alone in the cold — suddenly, nothing in the town felt daunting anymore.
ive smiles more openly, not really all that bubbly, but he's definitely more expressive. granted, there are times he has to play the role of the 'good kid' once more (*cough, avery), but it's not as often as before.
he's not numb, per se. he just... learned? he's still scared, he's still worried, but it's not as heavy of a burden as before.
older ive time!
clandestine is synonymous with secret, something illegal. the word also sounds like it implies the opposite, it looks like it means something positive or good. idk.
ive leans into being graceful and put together
the town is shit but he can't leave the orphans by themselves, so he stays
and he fights bailey so he can become the new caretaker
it's no easy feat, especially considering how bailey knows the schemes he's up to (he's had that brat under his care for so long now, of course he's going to know what ive is up to)
but at the end of it all, bailey concedes and allows him to take over
and take over he does.
he has a lot of savings, and naturally, he spends it all for the orphans: new clothes, toys, better furniture.
they upgrade the garden too! just so they can plant more vegetables, or maybe flowers too if the kids want to learn how to garden (ive is shit at tending)
much like how bailey deals with trespassers assaulting the orphans, ive is always ready to kick their asses
it gets harder to ensure the kids are safe outside the orphanage, but that's why he instills the lesson of fighting back to them
(what are the cops gonna do? arrest him? he'll just clean his records at the dead of night)
does a headcount of the orphans every night and checks in on who's missing.
if the kid/s aren't back in an hour, he's going to assume something bad happened to them and uses the connections he gathered in the town to hunt down the perpetrator.
on a lighter note, ive cooks for the kids and teaches them how to help around the house
he leans in on having a motherly caregiver vibe and role because the kids probably (definitely) need a parental figure, and he's ready to step in
in bailey's old office (now his own), the sundays are always marked red. he doesn't require the orphans to pay him because he has a steady income to keep providing for the orphanage, but he takes the money if the orphans insist.
the newer kids have no clue why they do this. no one tells them unless asked.
