#he’s the true breastie

[demigoddessqueens]

No thoughts, head empty

[clown-eating-pig]

Some people fight waaaaay too hard for skinny twink boy Martin….

[bonemoisturizer-moving]

Newt, on his second tube of exorbitantly priced Extra Strength Results Guaranteed hair gel sometime in the earlier years of Shatterdome cohabitation with Hermann, having failed at his original goal of actually slicking down his hair as the dress code for the funding gala he and Hermann are attending in half an hour would require, but having succeeded magnificently in gelling his hair into incredibly stiff spikes of hair at a 75° angle instead of its usual 90° angle, conceding to the formal dress requirements in any other way by wearing his cleanest white button up and a pair of unripped black jeans: well shit. Also fuck. Yeah I think that sums up the situation.

Hermann, stepping through the door in an incredibly outdated suit cobbled together from thrift store finds, hand me downs, and though he would rather die than admit it to Newton, some pieces from Grandpa Gottlieb’s closet, well aware of how he looks: Newton, I’m ready to go if you are, and if you have anything to say just know that I am more than willing to hit you in the shins with my cane- oh. Oh dear

Newt, turning and seeing Hermann, immediately feeling better: holy SHIT dude you look like a spirit Halloween costume of a stodgy professor

Hermann, not rising to the bait due to his excellent manners and iron self control and certainly not the fact that he’s not sure what a Spirit Halloween is: well at least I don’t look like a low budget Naruto parody anime

Newt, finally getting himself under control after a three minute fit of laughter on the ground fueled by stress and caffeine, by the end of which he was only able to point at Hermann and squeak out ‘NARUto’ between hysterics: oh man. we are getting ZERO funding.

Hermann, shifting his feet into the most stable position he can manage and leaning on his cane as he offers Newt his hand up and then fixing his collar, the act of which happens to elicit an emotion that Newt will firmly refuse to interrogate for at least six months after this: Well. At least we’ll look as precisely in need of it as we are.

Newt, trying very hard to not think about Hermann’s long bony fingers brushing his chest, or why he wants Hermann to do it again: so true breastie

[soft-mafia]

Not me also having the „the balls match the nose“ hc „as a joke“and now other people are talking about it „as a joke“ and I am like „Haha maybe I should write about that „as a joke““ but also breasties I don’t think I can claim to do this as a joke anymore if I do this god please lord have mercy on my soul

BWHXAHZHAH😭 yeah dw everyone it’s just a joke we genuinely don’t think that Buggy’s balls are red like his nose and want to squish them👀

Imagine if that were true and he’s as insecure about his balls as he is about his nose😭

[thxrunaways]

My yakuza men ranking. from least to most sexy.

Shimano (no comments needed)

Terada

Nishiki (I hate him)

Daigo

Kazama

Date

Yuya

Ichiban (his loser swag and schizophrenic ways have captivated me)

Majima

Kawara (gone too soon but he was very sexy during his 10 on screen minutes)

Kiryu (so true busty. I mean breastie.)

[themournwatcher]

Finally going to lore dump about my Laurent Surana. Going to drop the lore underneath the cut but feel free to read and ask me anything about him :3 he’s not completely finished!!

Laurent Surana and his cousin, Rook, are actually alternate POVs that accompany Mahanon in my fic and they travel with him throughout the events of Origins. They join the party after the Kinloch Hold debacle with Wynne.

Rook was from Denerim and was taken in by Templars when she was young (resulting in the death of her elder brother attempting to protect her). Laurent was born and raised in Orlais and hid his magic until he was 12; his parents found out and arranged for Templars to take him right out of his bed. Because they had the money to move him around, they got him transferred across the border to Kinloch Hold so that way he could be together with his cousin.

Laurent and Rook leave with Wynne and become part of the Origins squad; Rook becomes spirit healer and trains under Morrigan, leaning towards entropy. Laurent undertakes the Arcane Warrior specialty. Laurent’s arc with the Origins crew is about disillusionment and the loss of his romanticism …

SHIT OKAY THIS IS A LOT im speeding uip im skipping lore. BRRR so after origins they find and destroy their phylacteries in denerim. rook becomes a warden, laurent does not but travels with them. when mahanon disappears with morrigan through the mirror it sends people into an uproar because uh thats treason. and considering laurent is an apostate and doesn't have the protection of the grey wardens, he bails (which i think in my worldstate so does anders)

time passes, he's still looking for mahanon, remembers Merill from Clan Sabrae and goes to seek her out, which takes him to kirkwall, etc etc. He disguises himself as an Orlesian Knight (which garners attention but not for being a mage, moreso for being an elf. its funny), connects with Merrill and tries to aid her with the mirror, is the one who stumbles upon Seb's quest for vengeance and inadvertently drags Hawke into it, etc etc. His whole bit is that he goes by a pseudonym (Garahel!) and is never completely honest with them (save for Merrill and Anders, the latter of which doesn't like him too much at the end of all things.)

Well, and Sebastian. Re: The Tale of Lohengrin, Laurent swears to answer any question asked of his lover with honesty, but if Sebastian asks him his name, he will have to leave. so uhhh yeah knightly romance hours.

There’s this vibe where he’s like He’s not playing “The Game” as an Orlesian noble who thinks it’s funny and crude and is willing to let their servants and lessers die he’s gambling on this idea that this specific play will work out in his favor … it’s a masque … emotional and literal … it’s… mmm

Basically he’s got the uhh an Orlesian mask and it’s like ITS LITERAL BUT ALSO METAPHORICAL and it’s the .. it’s the fact that Kirkwall, out of any place we see in Thedas, is the great imbalance; there will come a time where he will have to look at Sebastian and come forward with every lie and every hurt because you cannot have a true and honest relationship without those things but the very act of revealing is so discomforting that Laurent feels he has no choice but to leave, removing the agency of his partner in the decision

Anyways ok those are my rough thoughts enjoy the art from my irl breastie and @vahingoniloinenlapsi

[adashofniallandasprinkleoflunacy]

bb n vampy on every single date ever

https://www.tumblr.com/handmadecrybaby/719032220280553472

both bb n vampy

https://www.tumblr.com/handmadecrybaby/719028141234995200

what miss psycho unlicensed chiropractor saw in harry when he was still alive

https://www.tumblr.com/handmadecrybaby/719009236171030528

so true they just sit there and stare at each other lovingly it's disgusting

bb and vampy, breasties for life

he might as well have been wearing a sign on his forehead that said "I'm a hopeless romantic virgin, ruin my life" 💀

[hanji-is-life]

Best friend bakugou that asks you to tutor him, both of y’all fully aware he doesn’t need help. But you cant really say no to him can you? Well, you should’ve.

It starts of fine, he’s paying attention, your explaining the concepts to him, suddenly he flicks your nipple “wrong”. And you’re kinda bamboozled for a sec like... how do you know its wrong!? So he just shrugs and tells you to explain it again, and you hesitantly do.

One sec you’re solving the question, the next his hand is in your pants, knuckle deep in your pussy, growling at how stupid you are for getting things wrong. makes you keep going with him curling his fingers in you and daring you to stutter through your question.

You end up not studying, you actually end up bouncing on his dick with him laughing at the faces you make while hes making you lose yourself on his cock

You know whats worse? He gets better grades than you. Guess you’re the one needing tutoring, slut🧍🏻‍♀️

(No my exams are not coming up, and no im not imagining how my studying sessions should go👉🏻😔👈🏻)

NAMI PLEASE??????

and when this mf comes to you for tutoring, you’re like???? breast friend???? breastie???? you’re literally doing better in your classes than me???

but he just insists cause he does admittedly need you to explain a few more things to him. things that he’s already mastered, and knows you haven’t fully grasped yet—

he’s just so mean tho :(( keeps pinching your nips and clit whenever you explain something wrong :(( or when you stutter over your words :(( or whenever your eyes cross and you drool all over yourself when he’s making you bounce on his cock :((

your mind nami. lemme eat it. now 🔪.

I don’t understand how you can have horny thots about tutoring 🧍🏽‍♀️my anxiety ridden ass gets too stressed to even think about his dick

[bbbbbbbbbballgag]

newsflash: local homoerotic friendship is about to awaken murderous rage in local trans man.

[zeenmrala]

dear el, grace me with your writing for the intimate moment prompts 🙏🏼 ✨ #21 & 22 ✨❤️ feed me some soft morning maul content 😩❤️

Another intimate moment prompt with Lord Maul ❤️🖤

Thank you my sweet Nay, my darling breastie boo! I wrote this purely self-indulgent, comforting one shot ficlet as a celebration for Star Wars day.

May the Fourth be with you always, my fellow Maul lovers. { intimate prompts / requests open / my masterlist }

21. cuddling in the first morning light. 22. hiding their face in the others neck

Pairing: GN!Reader x Darth Maul Word Count: 880 Summary/CW/TW: Morning cuddles with Maul, pure fluff and softy gooey yumminess. A very brief and innocent mention of bruises and cuts. 

The affectionate caress of the sun’s golden warmth teases you from your dreams. You flutter open your eyes, releasing a contented sigh as you take in your surroundings and remember where you are. The lodgings you acquired for this brief trip are beautiful, but appropriately muted, and the room is modern and open: minimalist in its extravagance. No blinds or curtains shroud the windows, and so there is no restriction to the beams of radiant sunshine that drench the room through the large floor-to-ceiling panes of glass. Your first, lucid thought of the morning is that the sheer clarity of the day is dazzling. 

You are immediately glad that during the stifling summer night, you cracked open one of the windows an inch, because the mellow thin breeze that now licks at your naked skin is blissful. The brush of the air is so peacefully cooling, especially when opposed to the warmth of the sun-rays, and the smouldering heat that emanates from the body of your lover, who rests soundly at your side. 

You gently shift, rolling over to look at the Zabrak man that sleeps beside you. Your sight is hazy at first, what with the combination of your tired eyes and the pure brightness of the daylight - but you blink it all away to greedily drink in the sight of your beloved.

Lord Maul lies still on his back, the only movement he makes is the steady rise and fall of his chest. His lower half is covered by the bed sheet, and one of his hands rests on the decorated skin of his sternum. His head is tilted slightly to the side, and so the majority of his features are angled away from you. But you can see that his lips are slightly parted, that his face is relaxed as he rests: unfurrowed by his usual grimaces or scowls. His horns are sunken into the soft flesh of the pillow beneath his head, the material of which is now slightly frayed by small rips and tears. It is a consistent event, his sharp horns damaging whatever softness cushions his sleeping head. Your thighs are littered in fond bruises and cuts for the same reason.

Stars. He is magnificent. 

As you admire him, you breathe in deeply and stretch out your arms, practising care so as not to disturb him with your movements. You inhale the fresh perfume of the breeze, a crisp and minty scent. It mingles with the musky spice of his own fragrance, the mixing of the two working oddly well together, the balmy combination rich and addictive. You naturally move closer to him, magnetised to his brilliance, but your weight shifting on the mattress causes him to stir.

He awakens. As he slowly opens his eyes, you see him squinting under the glare of the luminous, unrefined light. You feel a sweet tightness in your chest, your fondness for him thoroughly stoked by witnessing such an innocent and mild expression on that severe face.

He turns his head to look upon you, and you welcome him into the day with a cheerful grin. He blinks his bright amber eyes as he really sees you, naked and beaming at him in the sunshine. It is an image so perfect, the scene such an unusuality to the darkness of his life, that he wonders if he is still dreaming. But he soon understands that this room and this light is true, that you are real, and the corner of his mouth tugs into a smile of his own. He extends his hand towards you, catching your upper arm with his strong fingers. He pulls you into him, granting your lips his lethargic, morning kiss.

The palm of one of his hands holds your cheek, the other is warm at the skin of your waist. You loom above him, your fingers finding and grazing across the extent of his chest tattoos as you kiss him back. You soon lower yourself down, his arms cradling you delicately when you twist around and curl up against him.

Maul croaks a mild, throaty groan when he slinks his strong arms around you, scooping you into him as close as you can get. His hard body engulfs yours effortlessly, his hot chest blazing at your back. He plants a languid kiss at the base of your head with a lazy grunt, and then you feel his soft lips trailing down to your upper back, across the breadth of your shoulders. He burrows his face into the crook of your neck, his hot breath sending a heady shudder deep within you. 

You briefly consider the day ahead and think, what better way to begin than here? Your bodies entangled together, both relishing in the embrace of one another beneath the glorious glow of the morning’s first light.

He purrs behind you in agreement, sensing your thoughts. 

The rest of the morning is spent in this way, safely nestled in his arms. What myriad of tasks the both of you must face are delayed for the beauty of this comfort. You are granted the peace of his delicate kiss over and over, the bliss of his red, ink-stained fingers grazing across your skin. 

And it is the most wonderful morning of your life.

–

tagging mutuals (please message me to be added/removed): @seriowan @kimageddon @maulslittlemeowmeow @eyecandyeoz @elledjarin @corona-one @bisexymaul @lifeless-being @gggoldfinch @gran-maul-seizure @nxctuaryninetythree @moonstrider9904 @grinningnexu @the-chains-are-the-easy-part

[shapeshiftinterest]

Omg So True, Breastie- BESTIE! I MEAN BESTIE!!: sun x monty, moon x monty (CH 1+2)

based on the term ‘bestie’ and THIS meme of a girl staring at a dude’s chest

sun and moon have different ways of addressing the same topic

they’re short so i put both chapters on this post

story under the read more

Omg So True, Breastie- BESTIE! I MEAN BESTIE!! (also on ao3)

Sun’s version:

“-and then I said to her, ‘I AM the manager!’“

Sun wheezed, his voice box glitching at Monty’s reenactment of how he dealt with a Karen hours earlier.

“I AM the manager!” they giggled.

The bouncy animatronic wiped a fake tear from their eye and sighed. If their face could emote it’d be scrunched up from all the sillies they were feeling.

“Whew! That was a good one, Breastie-” Sun froze upon realizing his blunder, backtracking as fast as he could. “Bestie! I meant Bestie!! Haha!!“ Even if no one could tell he was blushing, Sun covered his face, fans overheating because of his slip up. “Oh my stars, I’m so sorry, Monty. I don’t know what that was about-.“

Monty let out a loud guffaw and roughly patted his buddy on the back. “Bwahahaha!!!“

Honestly he was surprised Sun’s programming hadn’t auto censored the word.

“Don’t worry about it, Lil Guy.“ he said, slinging an arm over Sun’s shoulders in a friendly way. “I know I’m hot stuff.“ The gator jokingly flexed his opposite arm.

Sun snorted “Sure sure,“ he said, shoving at the other playfully.

“Whaaaat, you know it’s true, you basically said it yourself!“

Sun ‘rolled‘ his eyes, the two exchanging playful banter as the shorter animatronic continued to clean around the daycare.

____________________________________________________________

Moon’s version:

“-Graaahhh!! It’s so frustrating though, y’kno?“ Monty huffed, retelling a confrontation that had happened between him and his handler only hours before Moon’s patrol.

The two were sitting next to each other. their legs dangling over the catwalk above Monty’s Gator Golf. Recently Moon had taken to ironically pretending to drink coffee and was currently holding a steaming cup as he listened to Monty rant.

“I mean, it feels like she’s not even listening to me!“

Monty tossed his hands into the air, the frustrated ‘whump‘ from his tail resounded on the catwalk.

Moon nodded sagely. If he could emote better he would have closed his eyes to complete the look. As such, Moon just turned off his night vision for a few seconds to simulate it.

“So true, Breastie.“ The celestial animatronic hummed in agreement.

Monty paused, the shorter’s words catching up to his processors. “Don’t y’mean ‘Best-’“

Moon ‘drank‘ his coffee, the liquid dripping down his face plate and onto his pants. Without even facing the other, Moon reached over to pat Monty’s chest plate affectionately, still pretending to ‘drink‘ his coffee.

“I know what I said, Montgomery.“

“O-Oh.“

Monty could hear his fans whirring as Moon withdrew his arm and did a graceful flip onto the railing. “Welp!” they said ”This was fun but I need to get back to my patrol.”

Giving his mohawk a quick ruffle, Moon bounced on one leg, and then the other, before springing into the air via his cable. “See you later, alligator~“

Monty blinked, wide eyed, and waved goodbye. He absently sent a message to his technician about seeing error signs and suddenly overheating.

                                                                               BONUS

The next day, Monty's handler found herself pranked halfway to hell and back, courtesy of Moon. She apologized for not listening to him after getting glitter bombed in Parts and Service.

[carbonateddelusion]

I GUESS. YEAH HE LOOKS GOOD LIKE SO TRUE BREASTIE I MEAN BUSTY ETC ETC.

he isn't even that buff I'm just mentally ill. I lose focus for two seconds and I give the poor man Jack tits

[tiixij]

Hes just some guy *points to you*

sooo true breastie i mean bestie

[manaosdeuwu]

he gets me. so true breastie

[tsunflowers]

reread iron widow before returning it and when yizhi interacts with shimin he really is like “so true breastie” and meanwhile shimin is like “zetian idk why you would want me when youre already dating yizhi and he’s so sexy and funny and his skin is like porcelain” and zetians just like Ok

when your squad is small but you’re all bisexual

[desertdragon]

1, 21, and 22 for the character asks

Hey breastie <3 @mossheartlesbian | meme

I will be mixing Vaste's pronouns so don't be confused it's still all about Vaste

TWs as always: references to manipulation/abuse, self harming, PTSD symptoms

Also me spending two paragraphs on connecting the main thematic parallel of Revolutionary Girl Utena to Vaste's abuse cycle and abuse in general

--------------------------------------

1. How do they move and carry themselves? Pace, rhythm, gestures, energy?

This is really dependent on mood and life stage but the one constant is that he puts his whole effort into it if that makes sense, even at times when she's poised and controlled none of it comes off as limp or half assed, Vaste is always someone with a strong desire toward a sense of purpose

As a kid she's full of energy and curiosity and walks like it, bounce in his step, exaggerated movements, fully emotive with her tail and ears knowing no restraint etc. he was slow to pick up the social lessons on self control and composure other kids eased into better, it was apparent from the start that she would be one of those (along with others and some siblings) in the tribe who needed extra attention toward conforming and being given a place in U society, never cast off as a lost cause just like, a difficult child toward the violent, emotionally regimented ends the tribe wanted as he got older and proved that energy wasn't a early childhood phase

For a good example like, you know when you have a friend or family member or just someone you're chill and aquatinted with where when you see them or send someone their way you're like Oh yeah that's ____ they'll get what you mean if you're patient with them or treat them like X way, you have to get on their level but they'll come around to what you're getting at in the end

It's like that, the U collectively weren't malicious or constantly giving her shit over it, it was like I wish you weren't so weird for us to deal with and perfectly fit into all our boxes but you're still one of us at the end of the day, though of course some people were just bullies about it either aggressively or passive aggressively with exclusion mostly (unfortunately when you're a kid and adolescent the extremes of this balance will be something you internalize hard and it felt more and more like even his body language was another reason he wasn't a fit to belong with her family thus pushing her to leave)

Which leads directly into body language gait and posture as an adult and WoL with the Scions whom I will continue to rip a new asshole on till the end of time

There wasn't an immediate, total change at first to everything, he kinda compartmentalized the way Hydaelyn violated him as a coping mechanism toward avoidance in the days and first few weeks afterwards; had she never met the Scions it would've still been a major trauma that would've slowly crept into the way she carries herself, however thanks to their involvement and eagerness to turn her into their savior guinea pig that wound tore before it could even begin closing

All that natural energy from growing up turned toward rage and fear that was ripe for her growing PTSD and its symptoms that she couldn't understand and didn't have a name for

I feel like I have to explain that a little just for better context, because from how I've seen people treat PTSD in pop culture or elsewhere it's seen as 99% the disassociating, the angry/violent outbursts, and flash backing (maybe the avoidance if someone isn't completely ignorant) that all paint this picture of a disorder that makes you stoic or sassy and crass or even predisposed to being abusive and the 1% is for everything else about it, if anything else even exists in the average public view and all of this is applied to a PTSD person with a universal brush- and that's not true

Every person with PTSD manifests it differently and disproportionately even if we share or pull from a range of the symptoms that make the disorder, in my case I'm often hyper vigilant a lot, about as much as I can also disassociate, so I may seem to have too much energy or just be an energetic people pleaser or outgoing/confident in real life and online- it's not always that I'm consciously doing this behavior on purpose but more often that my hyper vigilance makes me flighty, nervous, and panicky about literally everyone and everything around me so that I exaggerate every part of my behavior in anticipation of something going wrong or having to react, like when small animals make themselves look bigger to scare off bigger ones if that helps

I act like I'm over compensating or exaggerating on energy with how I talk too and even in the way I walk really fast down the street because I'm anxious and my body and mind both think I'm being hunted or targeted at any time, it makes going outside and doing tasks that are basic to most people an entire ordeal because my entire being thinks What if I get attacked or something bad happens and I'm not ready? the whole time, it's physically and mentally exhausting (my tendency in online/texting casual speech to just run on and on in my sentences is another symptom of this, anxiety makes my mind race)

All of this also just scratches the surface of racial disparity in diagnosing and treating PTSD because if a White person develops it it's a genuine concern and social issue to rally behind- they get to be traumatized, while a PoC especially Black & Latina women developing the disorder is seen as them playing into the Sassy Angry Always Arguing/Aggressive stereotype, which itself exists from the racist idea that PoC don't feel or develop mental illness and diseases the same as Whites- and this disparity is translated into how we create or perceive characters like this based on their skin color

Piggy backing off that actually for a second the reason why a lot of PoC negative stereotypes in fiction and in real life propaganda boil down to a race being either submissive to the point of inhumanity or aggressive/emotionally cold to the point of inhumanity in part stems from this same racist belief that PoC don't experience the world with the same complexity and biology Whites do- so if we can fucking stop making PoC characters especially dark skin characters like either of these extremes and check ourselves when we might be that would be great

Also the way Colorism turns PoC against each other based on our individual proximity to imitating Whiteness in each other's eyes and the privilege light skins have even if at the end of the day you're still lesser cuz you're not actually White and the way some light skins do weaponize this dynamic to suck up to Whites for security and self hatred haha as a light skin I'm fine lol I'm having a great time I'm-

With that explained I imagine most of this is true for Vaste as I can only intuitively imprint how I experience PTSD onto my PTSD having character, her energy turns to rage and fear and infects every gesture as well as gait and posture

When she's not disassociating the hyper vigilance gives her moves either or both of these emotions and their spectrums at any given time, her walk is measured but has this intimidating weight, this cautious reined in aggression in her steps, this slight sense if you're keen to it of her hovering between fight or flight as your eyes meet, this sense of how she wants to flee and is hoping you don't make her fight but she's prepared to fight if it comes to that

She still gestures with her hands when she talks or thinks just a gesture will do, but now it's become clipped and forced out almost comically so, as if she wants to get the communication over with so she can retreat into some semblance of safety in going back to being unnoticed, because being unnoticed means less chances for pain and being targeted into something, she's granted to be more scared of you than you are of her and she moves like it

He moves with a charged energy rather than a free spirited one if I had to sum it up, no movement lacks enthusiasm nor exaggeration, but the motivations and reasoning behind that enthusiasm comes from a place of hurt rather than peace

Only people she trusts get to see something like that original energy for energy's sake, it's always there it just becomes buried under the complications of trauma after repeated trauma, he does his best to not let the aggression and fear slip in and remind herself this person won't have intent to harm him and that she knows rationally they won't harm her on purpose, which leads into him getting handsy again as I've mentioned in the past whenever I've described Vaste as loving touching and expressing with touch like she did as a Drake

Once he's free after all the gods are dead and magic is destroyed, he moves so freely, her energy can finally refocus and heal even if it's forever scarred, and she becomes much more open to touching and just being happy or lively both consciously and on instinct because there's no overarching stress, no battle to confront, nothing to kill her, there's only her wonderful support of friends and family who truly let her know it's ok to be herself, even on the days when that old guardedness and pain returns

21. What kind of relationships do they tend to intentionally seek out versus actually cultivate? What kind of social contact do they prefer, and why?

Oh this is perfect for expanding more on his abuse by others and how easy it was to manipulate her until she starts wising up

When she's young she wants love and affection like any child, to not let her elders, peers, and direct family down because of her sensitivity to other's feelings and expectations; she wants to make them proud so that they don't associate her with anything bad or with failure, because some of them like U'rahtalo and another sister U'thulani and even brother U'nkanyezi (I will be introducing them on the GoT carrd soon) as well as her father do what they can to make her happy, she wants to repay their feelings- and no one ever really told her she doesn't have to take that gentle emotion to such an extreme that she sacrifices herself in the process

This is exacerbated by the lingering feeling of not belonging at home, as if he has a personal failure by his existence

Which of course proves a glaring flaw when she's an adult on her own, she still seeks relationships that give her the love and affection and most of all the fulfillment her tribe couldn't give in its entirety; except that inability to not stop short of sacrificing herself as a person thus creating an exploitative relationship for her, now leaves her extra vulnerable to manipulation because of how much she wants to make others happy

She saw the Scions as people who could give her answers and make sense of the senselessness that had happened to her and this new world outside the Sagolii Desert; they offered to guide her and she felt in their debt for it at first, determined to prove her worth and pull her weight to make this potential new family happy with her, hopefully happier than her native home

In his blindness for praise and satisfaction he did all manner of things as they asked, subjected his body even when the pain emotionally and physically was so great it made him sick or near dead- still chasing the chance that it was all for something and that those ideal loving relationships would come if he just kept dragging himself through the mud long enough, unable to see that in abuse, there is nothing you can ever do that will be enough for the abuser to stop until you drop dead or have been rendered nonessential

It all stems from the belief that there is something fundamentally wrong about him; a belief that starts in childhood and blooms under this repeated abuse once the perfect conditions are met

So I can say she strives for loving equal relationships that let her believe in herself, and goes looking in the shithouse at the first promise of this where all the garbage is and is fooled into thinking that's where love is because he doesn't know better thanks to no one helping or teaching otherwise

Then she meets Yugiri, the Fisherman's Guild, Leveva and her Astrologians, she meets those few who can show her there's another way to live even under hardship, who remind her the world isn't the lies she's come to accept about herself and how it must be to live by their honesty and bravery despite their own fears; they are powerful examples of regaining her personhood and that's what leads to him shaking everything up

(You already know how I feel about the main theme of Utena, Moss, and it's recurring here- we in abuse cycles need people to show us we can make our own choices again, not to rescue us under the pretensions of satisfying their ego but because they love us and see our humanity to make our own choices; someone has to show us we're worth the change before we can save ourselves, self love is the Revolution before life can truly begin- Revolution is inside everyone not a chosen few)

22. How do people respond to them, and why might these responses differ?

It depends on who's doing the responding and in having said that the emotions they get back will also change to fit

I sort of covered this idea here before, but this is technically another angle of the same question too just with more room for depth from the other side

Commoners who don't know who she is will treat her manner however they treat the average person who talks extensively only in replies, keeps to themselves unless they do want to initiate something, and who generally tries to mind their behavior in public- the attitude of most Eorzeans universally seems to be as long as you're not starting shit and bothering people and being in the way, then you're ignored or given small talk before you're sent out again

The common assumption would probably be he's someone with a past and who wants to take off at a moments notice, but besides that he's nothing noteworthy and he at least isn't being an asshole in your face

Kinda circles back to the U going You're weird but you fit in just enough and mind yourself so it's not a big deal

This was different when she was just another adventurer however, before becoming WoL

Adventurers are generally seen as a nuisance, disposable labor, and too stupid or naive for their own good, they're destined to become beggars, die young, or be stuck taking exploitative jobs for mediocre pay; add to this what amounts to a fresh new immigrant who's never ever seen any of Eorzea's city states or customs and has no clue what she's doing and you're in for a mountain of discrimination and people taking chances to make a fool of her in ways she may not even realize- she was Disposable x2 especially given how xenophobic Gridanians typically are

Now as a WoL, for those who do recognize her they range from outright adoration and hounding to restrained idolization that shows in their shift in bearing or how much more accommodating they suddenly become; everyone who knows her loves her for her service and the rumors/stories that have followed her wake, she is this Other, this great champion, this pedestal upon the world they enjoy must revolve and they will virtually NEVER question her on principle for any of her actions, as she is the one who takes their agency, their burdens, their patronizing, their fears, and their presumptions of what her life is like and who she must be in relation to them, and they think this is respect

This goes back to the interpretation of Princehood in Utena now that I'm exposed to the series, the Prince figure is positioned as a delusion that patronizes people and strips them of humanity when taken to its logical extreme, it's harmful to both the Prince, the person taking up all suffering for others, and toward the saved- because the Prince acts out of ego, out of a desire to save others for their own image and as reassurance that they are Good

But beyond doing the initial saving they don't actually care for those they believe need help, they're patronizing them by presuming they know how to act for another without understanding them and also taking away the self determination of those they patronize; a Prince is simultaneously punishing and destroying their own health and self by never carving an identity and agency of their own as they presume to bear responsibility for the agency of others, which all circles back into Toxic Masculinity as well with how people are groomed based on gender to fall within this Prince narrative/ideological structure and have their self agency and worth taken from them in order to fit in with everyone else

Basically everyone is suffering because of an idealized lie, an ideal that can exist only in fantasy, to cope against facing reality as it comes, and then assigning how to deal with reality in cartoonish categories for others to follow

The same concept applies to Warriors of Light or really the majority of traditional Western hero figures, they're scapegoats when actually practiced, scapegoats for the world to bear everything it can experience onto one source so there's less for the world to deal with and everyone forgets they're all human beings capable of choice and the daunting work of self determination (a part I feel like the Abrahamic Religions contributed to in their own ways)

This is Vaste's situation as a WoL, and it's another reminder of how much his body language wants to flee from attention because in this era he conflates attention with her negative self image or pain or overwhelming stress, people sometimes don't even let her reply or finish her sentences because they jump into pouring their feelings or adoration or how many favors they want to do for her and it's like talking to a brick wall (which is also part of why he largely shuts up in this era too because why bother talking when people aren't actually listening to a word!)

People don't even have to jump to lavishing him with their idolatry in words they can literally just try like touching him without permission for Good Luck or take their hats off or bow or kneel or whatever action for reverence they choose and it all enough to set off his anxiety and unease and anticipate not being treated like a real living person

It sucks, like leave the cat girl husband alone please, you don't even know her? You wouldn't treat someone you know like this so why do it to a stranger? It's inconsiderate and obsessive

Kids on the other hand are much more honest and less likely to conform to social standards, most have zero problem pointing or outright staying away from her if they find her scary (and given that he's killed kids for the Alliance this is like, double fair) for how imposing and flighty she often is, mostly while on official business

When they see him off the clock and slightly relaxed though they will tend to stare and gape at him like when you make eye contact with a baby or kid at random on the street and they keep looking at you till their parent pulls them away, the bolder ones outright approaching him to compliment or smile at, and even shy children may hide but still peak out to glimpse at her- she just has that kind of vibe, though sometimes she is doing something ridiculous enough to justify the stares

Her friends love seeing her always, over time they learn to read his moods at a glance; at first though each of them were introduced to different sides of him, but the broad picture ranged from sensing theres more to her she’d rather not talk about (something Lewena & Mercuo felt uncannily hard because it reminded them of themselves after their own traumas, Weyd read her as this too but that Vaste plays the fool to hide it- she was respectful to him all the same because Manners of course) into he’s very silly/humble and nothing like you’d expect from a legendary figure- they almost didn’t know how to approach him, especially when they sensed he's as haunted as they are

None of them were immune to viewing her with idolatry before they actually met her, except for Gan, to him he had no clue what the fuck a Warrior of Light is until he left the Arulaqs; I would say Vaste felt the most comfortable with him on a first impression just for that alone, a lot of barriers were broken for everyone to get used to recognizing and caring for one another and each other’s triggers, but it brought them closer together 

Yugiri? I could make a whole separate essay on her first reaction but in short- heart eyes internally (Vaste Hot strikes again, and she was willing to help Doman strangers without question?? Wow. King.) along with emotional denial, mixed with business only externally because she has to keep things professional and she’s there at first for her people’s safety, not for hunky handsome kind cat girl husbands

I will say when Vaste proves to be a really honest, capable warrior with a genuine interest in other people and their wellbeing, Yugiri is very happy the hopes from her first impression won over her fears of a callous, rough, and cold Vaste- that’s when she really starts seeing the similarities between them