#shatters comic extra

[quiethealer]

2026 Reverse Asks Day 3

@diggingforkuponuts's Reverse Asks is a great idea!

This one's from ruvviks:

What are some of your OC's coping mechanisms during stressful or overwhelming periods in their life?

Garrett will either train excessively or drink heavily. His go-to is whatever bottle of wine he can get his hands on, straight up, no glass. There was that one time he punched a wall, though.

What is your OC like when they're angry?

He doesn't hold back. He will rant or yell and make it very clear exactly why he's angry. He will eventually stomp away and seek solitude.

What is your OC like when they're upset?

If he's experiencing that lost, disconnected feeling of being upset, he needs a friend. Or a close acquaintance. Or a bartender. Or some rando who happens to be nearby. He has to talk through it even if he can't come up with a solution.

How does your OC handle rejection?

It has historically not happened very often. He's outwardly pretty chill about it, accepting that things just weren't in the cards. When Brithael rejected him all those years ago, Garrett made a point of smoothing over the rejection and moving straight to friendship while on the inside he was actually devastated. He's gotten better about that sort of thing since.

How does your OC handle jealousy?

Not well.

OK, so that's an extreme example. But for as much as he tries to remain even keeled at all times, his anger and jealousy are the things that could and actually have gotten him in the most trouble. His jealousy always springs from wanting a person, never an object. It's worth mentioning that he'd never try to steal a person out from someone else.

What is the most recurring theme in your OC's nightmares?

His family and friends turning their backs on him and walking away.

[quiethealer]

2026 Reverse Asks Day 13

@diggingforkuponuts's Reverse Asks is a great idea!

This one's from inhurtandincomfort:

🌓Day or night?

Garrett is a daytime guy! Azem's symbol is the sun, after all.

👐What is their relationship with their family like? 

It's tricky. He harbors a lot of hurt and anger at his parents for not being around, shipping him off to boarding school, and not listening/believing him when he told them he didn't want to be a merchant like them. They are the only two living family members he has, so he doesn't feel like he can just completely cut them out of his life, but it's rare for him to send a letter and rarer yet for him to make a visit.

💖What’s something they like about themselves? Can be a physical feature, a personality trait, anything about them. 

His body. He knows he's hot. He loves it.

😶What’s something they dislike about themselves? Can be a physical feature, a personality trait, anything about them. 

He likes people. He needs people. But when it comes down to it, he doesn't really get people. Sometimes he feels like an alien.

💘Have they ever been in a relationship? How many?

Surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, no. He's had more sexual partners than he could possibly count, but he hasn't had the inclination toward a real relationship, and he wouldn't know where to begin with that anyway. It's something that he alternates between being curious about and being repulsed by.

🎶Pick three songs that represent this character.

🥶What is this character's primary fear response; Fight, flight, freeze, or fawn? 

Fight! Fight! Fight!

🙉What is something your character wants to hear, vs what do they need to hear? How would they react to being told these things?

He wants to hear that he is on the right track in life, and that he's a good person. Hearing that would bring a sense of relief that would quiet those pesky doubts he tries so hard to ignore, at least for a little while.

He needs to hear that he needs to slow down, stop being so damn impulsive, and to consider others' feelings before he acts selfishly. He'd hang his head and say that he knows. And then he'd go right on doing the same old things.

🍝How good is their cooking?

It is not. He can burn water.

[quiethealer]

2026 Reverse Asks Day 11

@diggingforkuponuts's Reverse Asks is a great idea!

This one's from cityandking:

oc asks: AU ABCs

A. alternate universe. What kind of AU is your OC best suited to? Are there any AUs they're in already? What are they?

I honestly don't know. I'm actually not a big AU person. Shatters is an AU because of the Seela/Ardbert thing, and that's about as alternate universy as I get. It feels better to be to try and nail canon and characterization as much as possible.

B. band au. What is your OC like in a band AU? Are they a performer or a groupie? What instrument would they play? What's their relationship with their bandmates and/or the group(s) they follow?

Garrett would be playing rhythm guitar and singing. He's the kind of guy who always wants to be center stage. He'd be automatic best friends with his bandmates, because that's just what he does. Even if there was a tiff with someone, and there always is in a band, he'd find some way to smooth things over. Possibly by sleeping with them.

I fear he'd be destined to be in Fleetwood Mac.

C. coffee shop au. What would your OC be like in a classic coffee shop AU? Are they at all suited for the barista lifestyle? What's their go-to coffee order?

I gotta be honest, I've never quite understood the coffee shop au. Is it like Friends?

Garrett would have a ridiculous coffee order, though. Like, XL triple shot oat milk latte with three pumps of caramel with whip and chocolate drizzle. And as many chocolate covered coffee beans as he could charm out of the barista. Possibly by sleeping with them.

D. duplicate. How would your OC react to meeting their clone or doppelganger? What if they were a clone or doppelganger? How would they feel about that?

K. kids. Does your OC have kids? What are their kids like? If they don't have kids, would they? What would they be like as a parent?

He's never wanted kids. He didn't have very good role models, and he's bright enough to realize that his lifestyle hasn't been conducive to that sort of thing his entire adult life, and the thought of having something that small depending on him so much scares him a lot. Sure, entire nations or worlds have depended on him for their safety, but the arms-length nature of the hero business is good for him.

M. multiverse. Are there any points in your OC's life where things could have gone differently? Where else might they have ended up? How would your OC react to crossing the multiverse and meeting another version of themself?

Q. quiet. What would a quiet and peaceful life look like for your OC? Would they enjoy living a simple life or would they get bored?

He'd be so bored omg. He'd rather go back to the Maelstrom than sit on some porch sucking tea. T. (star) trek au. What would your OC's role be in a Star Trek AU? Are they part of Starfleet? Another organization?

Much like how he was booted out of the Maelstrom for insubordination, he'd be booted out of the Academy in much the same way. He'd probably find his way onto some kind of adventuresome crew, maybe performing heroics against authoritarian regimes or smuggling people and cargo out of dangerous situations. He'd easily rise to a leadership position, hot dogging his way around the universe in some kind of flashy ship with some asshole Ferengi's underpants fluttering from a mast in the solar winds.

U. underworld. How would your OC deal with being part of a criminal underworld? Would they be a thief, a spy, a conman? Something else?

He tried that already with the Thieves' Guild. It didn't go well. Half because the guildmaster at the time was corrupt, and half because he just can't help punching his way past injustice. He wasn't bad at the game itself and learned a lot of tricks that got him through some tight spots down the line.

W. werewolves (& vampires). Is your OC more of a vampire or a werewolf? How would they feel about being turned into a creature of the night? Would they be part of a clan, a pack, a coven?

He'd be a werewolf and would naturally insist upon being a part of a pack.

Z. zootopia. What animal would your OC be if they were an anthropomorphic animal? Would your OC be a furry? What would their fursona be?

He's just always going to be a labrador retriever.

[quiethealer]

2026 Reverse Asks Day 12

@diggingforkuponuts's Reverse Asks is a great idea!

This one's from stormemes11:

❤️ RED ❤️

1. What is the easiest way to make your OC angry?

Acting nonchalant about injustice or intimating that it's a foregone conclusion. Accepting selfish bribes. These are things that lead to Garrett's fists swinging.

4. How important is the concept of strength to your OC?

He's always had the inclination to protect others, and he's trash with magick, so he's spent a lot of time training to be strong and fast. The Warrior job suits him well even if he doesn't always get to use the skills he learned as a Rogue.

5. Is your OC vengeful?

YYYEP. His internal compass for justice is strong. A little too strong. Honestly, he can be kind of a violent guy. All in the name of capital-g Good, according to him. He eventually starts feeling bad about it all and tones it back a touch.

🧡 ORANGE 🧡

3. What first impression do strangers get from your OC?

People can't tell if he's incredibly sincere or totally full of shit.

7. What is your OC’s favorite season?

Summer!

💛 YELLOW 💛

5. Does your OC have a strict morning routine? If so, what is it?

He's lost without his morning strength training.

💚 GREEN 💚

6. Is your OC generous? If so, is their generosity conditional?

Once he learned that he didn't actually need much to get by (read as: he was always broke), he became very generous with what money he did make along with his time and skills. His generosity is never conditional. He still idolizes the heroes in the books he read as a child and if he gets to have a cool adventure along the way, that's more than enough for him.

🩵 CYAN 🩵

3. How easily distracted is your OC?

SQUIRREL!

4. Is your OC more humble or arrogant?

Neither and both? He knows he's exceptionally gifted at whacking things with his axe in service to others but doesn't make a big deal out of it.

6. Are your OC’s decisions influenced more by their head or by their heart?

Always his heart. When that moral compass points a certain direction, no amount of reasoning can stop him.

7. How observant is your OC and how much does it affect them? Are they clueless or nearly paranoid?

He's a Warrior, and you don't just turn that off. He's not paranoid, but if something feels off he's going to look into it.

💙 BLUE 💙

1. Is your OC confident in themselves?

He comes across as incredibly confident and he even believes it most of the time.

3. How independent is your OC?

Not very! He needs the company of others or things start going very badly in his head. He's also hopeless when it comes to domestic things like cooking and cleaning. If he didn't pay for occasional housekeeping at his flat he'd literally never change his sheets. His stove has never once been used.

7. Is your OC structured or do they go with the flow?

He goes with the flow. It is his natural state. The structured life his parents wanted for him in their mercantile business was like torture and his entire school experience was excruciating in that there was no flow to be had.

💜 PURPLE 💜

1. What is one of your OC’s biggest dreams and do they believe that dream will come true?

He's already living it in the Scions. He's got his people, he's got purpose, he's traveling the world. Life is good.

2. How affluent is your OC? Does their level of wealth matter to them?

If his parents leave him anything in their wills, and that is very much still up in the air, he will be quite wealthy indeed with the business, the manor, and a ship. But to date he hasn't been given a single gil in pursuit of his adventurer dream, and he hasn't batted an eye since the last time he asked them for money immediately after graduating school.

6. Is your OC book-smart or street-smart?

He was a real solid 2.0 GPA guy in school. Everything else has been street-smarts. But let's be honest, he's kind of a dipshit all around.

7. Is your OC stylish? How much do they care about the clothes they wear?

Not quite Jacke Swallow levels of fashion disaster, but close. It looks like he's trying but not quite getting there in the end. He really doesn't care. He's usually wearing armor anyway.

🩷 PINK 🩷

6. Does your OC have a favorite flower? If so, what is it?

He likes carnations. They smell like the morning of a new adventure.

🤎 BROWN 🤎

3. How protective is your OC?

He can be very protective. Alisaie has had to remind him with more than a few harsh sparring sessions that she has neither the need nor the desire for his protection.

I don't think Seela really noticed how protective he had become.

And if he catches wind of someone trying to take advantage of Brithael, that's when a bit of the ultraviolence makes an appearance.

🖤 BLACK 🖤

3. What is one of your OC’s greatest fears and how much does it affect them?

His family and friends abandoning him. He's finally got this amazing found family in the Scions after going so long looking for his tribe, and the thought of losing them is enough to send him into a panic. Ultima Thule was incredibly traumatic for him and he nearly died several times over.

5. Is your OC comfortable at fancy gatherings?

He can fake it if he's got friends there, but if not he can usually eventually be found out back drinking and joking with the help.

🤍 WHITE 🤍

1. How much does your OC care about cleanliness?

Not as much as he should.

[quiethealer]

2026 Reverse Asks Day 21

@diggingforkuponuts's Reverse Asks is a great idea! Happiest of namedays to you, Flower, and thanks you to diggingforkuponuts for putting this together!

This one's from mimble-sparklepudding:

Did you create your OC with a plan to ship them with a specific character or another OC? Or was their relationship something that evolved all by itself?

When I was planning Shatters, I wasn't really sure where I was going with the interpersonal relationships. I knew that the main character was involved romantically with Ardbert, and that was it. But I quickly realized that I could bring in significant tension if the main character got involved with the WoL's best friend, and jealousy could be used against him. So Seela/Brithael sprang up organically from that, and quite robustly at that. I love it when my characters do whatever they want.

How important is your OCs relationship(s) to their story? Would it still make sense without it? Or is their connection to this other character integral to their development?

Very important. Seela gets a "home base" with Brithael, Garrett's head gets pulled in a thousand different directions, Aesil sees it all happening and throws kerosene on the fire... it's all great fun.

How graphic or explicit are your explorations of sexual interactions involving your OC? Do you happily name body parts and actions? Or do you prefer to leave the mechanical details to the imagination?

I leave the actual sexual interactions out of the comic and in side stories. I've been writing smut for a few years now, and while I still have significant self-doubt when it comes to it, I also lack shame and will go fully explicit in my prose.

How important is other people's investment in (or enthusiasm for) your character's relationship? Was this a consideration when you were planning it? Have you ever changed a character's relationship(s) due to other people's response to it?

I assume everyone has me blocked or simply rolls their eyes when my name comes up. I don't have any evidence to the contrary. So if anyone has any opinions on any of my ships, I wouldn't know. I don't think I'd change anything though. Like they say, create for yourself, share for the community.

[quiethealer]

2026 Reverse Asks Day 18

@diggingforkuponuts's Reverse Asks is a great idea!

This one's from alslamalskenaalraha:

Let's get to know Seela a bit!

4- Do they consider themselves special or average or below average

When she was growing up in Voeburtenburg, she considered herself the furthest thing from special. She had been relentlessly teased (mostly because she was mousey, small, and unassuming and wouldn't fight back) so her self esteem was in the tank. When the Crown's people came through searching for candidates for a program to train healers and chirurgeons, it was they who discovered her strong natural aptitude for healing and alchemy. Nobody else in her neighborhood even came close. It was nice to feel special (outside of her parents) for a change.

6- Are there any parts of them that they abandoned as they grew older

She fights back now. She will suffer no fools who take advantage of the weak. And after the events of Shattered, she no longer feels like she needs to throw every bit of herself into a relationship until there is nothing left. She loves Brithael, and he doesn't ask any more than she is willing to give freely.

7- What is their purpose that they believe in and work towards

To help. To heal.

8- How curious are they about the world around them, do they actively seek learning new things

The skills she learned in Voeburt gave her the confidence to set out as a wandering healer. She left home with a hunger to discover what lay past the meadows of home. Her career in the Scions has given her even more opportunities than she ever could have dreamed of.

9- Do they expect the worst from people or do they expect the best until proven otherwise

Unfortunately she still does expect the worst. She has seen and heard many things that she cannot forget, from those whose injuries were inflicted by cruelty to the mass destructive capabilities of war machines.

She goes into everything cautiously optimistic, but at the ready to stand against them who seek to harm others.

13- Is there anything they're terrified of becoming or turning into

Aesil. The amount of lost time in her memory and the sheer force of will it took to keep her in check was incredibly tough on Seela, and sometimes she even wondered if Aesil chose her because they were so much alike. She came close to giving up many times, especially at first.

22- How far would they go to be of service to others

As far as it takes, if she's in charge. Luckily she's surrounded by people who will pull her back from the edge of that abyss.

27- What does safety look like to them and when do they feel the most secure and safe

Safety looks like trust, a commodity that was all too scarce for a very long time. Safety looks like Garrett stepping between her and danger, Y'shtola's protective magic, and Estinien watching for threats from above. It looks like staying up too late talking and laughing with the twins, sharing a couch with Urianger to read books in front of a fire, and sharing a meal with Tataru.

But most of all it's in the quiet strength of Brithael's arms.

[quiethealer]

2026 Reverse Asks Day 17

@diggingforkuponuts's Reverse Asks is a great idea!

This one's from twistedwonderlandshenanigans:

(I'm a day late and a dollar short as usual for Pride.)

Does/has your OC struggle(d) with internalized homophobia? How have they learned to cope, if at all?

Not even a little bit. He's always been wired bi/pan, and though Eorzea appears to be a generally not-homophobic place, Limsa in particular is openly accepting due to the sailor/pirate population.

When did your OC realize that they may be different from other people?

When he was young, 8 or 9ish, he was talking to a friend at school about the new, young, and buxom female geography teacher. Garrett mentioned the previous young Miqo'te man and how his arms drove him to distraction a few times. The friend, who grew up in Ul'dah, looked at him like he was out of his mind. Garrett had to give him a strange look right back, as it never occurred to him that a person might not be attracted to all genders all the time.

So it's not that he was particularly different from his classmates (a subsequent vote revealed that about half the students were bi/pan), but rather that he realized that there were other people out there at all.

Is your OC out? How did their parents/guardians handle it? Siblings? If they're selectively out, who are they out to?

He is and has always been out. He's never been one to hide who he is, and it was pretty obvious when he started bringing people back to his parent's manor to impress them into his bed.

How much of your OC's identity is reliant on their gender identity/sexuality?

He just simply doesn't make a big deal out of it. He'll go after whoever appeals to him most at any given time.

What/when was their first queer relationship? How did it go? If they're aro, have they tried a romantic relationship before? Or only QPRs?

The first boy he ever kissed was at age 14, a 16-year-old Elezen classmate. Maintaining a relationship in a boarding school when your partner is in the dorm clear across campus is incredibly difficult, especially when they are in a different grade. So there was just a lot of kissing for fun.

The first time he had sex was at age 17 with a fellow Midlander boy. Incidentally, the second time was the following week with a Miqo'te girl.

He's never once had a real romantic relationship with anyone. He's open to any kind of friendship on paper, but things get a little wobbly there.

How would your OC deal with a homophobe? Would this reaction be different if the person was targeting someone else?

It's happened a few times, and of course alcohol was heavily involved on the part of all parties involved. Whenever homophobia was leveled at him, Garrett would laugh it off unless the person really pushed.

If he noticed it happening to someone else and nobody else was willing or able to step up, he's thrown a few idiots out on their ass with enough of a beating that hopefully taught the right lesson.

How long did it take for your OC to accept themselves? What factors played into it?

The only time he's really struggled was when he got rejected by (the hetero) Brithael. He was young, fresh out of school, and it suddenly occurred to him that finding someone to keep his bed warm wasn't going to be nearly as easy as it was in school. There was a whole world out there who just wouldn't be interested, and he'd be dealing with a whole lot more rejection in the future.

Has your OC ever had a friend of the same gender that they had feelings for, but never admitted to? (or been rejected after admission?)

I keep coming back to it, but it truly was a pivotal point in Garrett's life. It was Brithael, of course. He was rejected but remained determined to keep himself in the blacksmith's life--first out of misplaced hope, then because they just clicked. They are hetero life partners.

[quiethealer]

2026 Reverse Asks Day 15

@diggingforkuponuts's Reverse Asks is a great idea!

This one's from noraleedoes:

🔗Tethers

Do they have a consistent living space/housing situation? Do they share it with anyone else? How do they feel about this arrangement?

Garrett keeps a flat in Limsa proper. It came furnished, and really he only uses it for the bed and bathroom. He tried using it to entertain his sexual partners for a while, but didn't care for finding them still in his bed in the morning. He switched to renting rooms for the evening so he could make his own exit. The flat has largely sat unused since the Bloody Banquet, but he likes knowing it's there if he needs it.

♻️Effects

Do they tend to act quickly or to take time to weigh the consequences of their actions? Do they generally feel that this strategy serves them well? Have there been any notable exceptions?

He's never weighed a decision in his life. He is the poster child of "fuck it, we ball". The king of impulse. He doesn't think too hard about the consequences, preferring to plow ahead and try something else to see what sticks. It drives Y'shtola and Alphinaud insane. Thancred and Estinien think it's hilarious.

👥Socialization

How comfortable are they with silence? Do they look to fill it themself, prompt others to do so, or simply sit with it? Do they ever try to initiate it?

He's going to fill every bit of silence with whatever stream of consciousness is running through his head. He's babbling about his day. He's taunting his opponents. He's teasing his friends. He's giving a play-by-play of a past battle. If silence is required, it feels like bugs under his skin. Then the dark thoughts begin.

🚫Taboos

Have they ever betrayed the sincere trust of a close friend, partner, or family member? In the aftermath, did they feel justified in their betrayal? How, if at all, was the relationship affected?

Yes, and he's never spoken about it to anyone. True, he fell for Aesil's manipulation in the most Meteor way possible--via seduction--but he knew that what he was doing was wrong. Way back in episode 54 it was established that Seela was off-limits, that Brithael was into her, and that she just wasn't for him. And yet, in episode 93...

When he had a chance to breathe in the aftermath, the guilt absolutely ate him up. So he pushed it down and pretended to forget.

He did not forget.

But the worst part of it simmering away in his subconscious is that irritatingly competitive part of him that feels misplaced triumph at having kissed Seela. He knows it was all a ruse, but there's a horrible little boy in his head thumbing his nose at Brithael.