you have no idea how hyped i am that the "toxic yaoi" isn't just "oh they argue sometimes 🥰" it's. well. incredibly unhealthy, toxic, and abusive. this is a horrible relationship and lain's vulnerable position as a traumatized underling/prisoner is clearly being taken advantage of by mariner. so yeah, massive props for that.
seeing the switch up so clearly is written so well, how easily yet fluently he goes from taunting and goading lain to kill him, to cuddling up and asking to sleep side by side. it's disgusting. it's so well written--dialogue in this comic is especially something that should be praised, as well as how meaningful your expressions are
sorry for the long ask btw!! just. yeah. woagh. i <3 dark themes and exploring them and cheer when they are used this elegantly and horrifyingly
Thank you! It's gonna get worse : )
I'm very excited to get to "this era" of their relationship bc it's This Scene that got me crazy about these characters in the first place. They're just now fully starting to slot themselves into the role that the other is familiar with (IF a bit hesitant to admit it, even to themselves). Up to this point, Mariner has been trying to figure out how Lain's head works and clearly this scene gave him SOME kind of answer that he wanted (and also perhaps he likes messing with Lain more than he claims to)...but I won't say more than that at the moment
Extra for fun, here's the first iteration of this scene allll the way back in 2023. I was still trying to figure out their characterizations/designs, but you can see the bones of it pretty clearly. (below the cut)
