#it's just cheesy enough to be a real actual line she'd say in the game lmfao

[igneouswyvern]

After replaying ys origin I've finally gotten brainrot for it which is probably overdue tbh

I'm so ill abt yunica she's such a lame character but she could be so much more

Please consider: yunica is half demon

No there is absolutely no basis for this headcanon in game. However there's also no counter evidence so you can never prove me wrong

She's too strong to be a regular ass human. She's stronger than like all the knights and all the magicians at like 17 or whatever she's supposed to be when the game takes place and there's literally no lore explanation for it. She's just crazy strong for no reason

But if she was part demon....that could account for the discrepancy

Also we know her father is human but her mother is never mentioned ever. I've concluded she never knew her mother and there's absolutely nothing that says her mother can't have been a demon

And I know this isn't canon but I keep coming back to that door you have to open with the evil ring. Like ik in game you just have to put on a protective necklace and then wear the ring to trick the door into opening for you but. What if yunica didn't need to wear the blue necklace. What if she could just put the ring on and be fine. What if putting on the ring even gave her demonic properties. What if those properties were innate to her all along. What if the evil ring is just a method of activation. What if she just needed to be exposed to demonic energy to reveal her innate demonic characteristics.

And what if there's nothing inherently wrong with being demonic. Maybe it's what you do with it rather than the fact of being demonic. But what if most humans are scared of demons by default anyways and assume they're all evil. What if the reason yunica spent so much time with the goddesses is because she didn't feel naturally comfortable around humans the same way. What if the goddesses were the only ones to accept her for being half demon because they've just seen so much there's no point in being frightened by it. They probably met yunica's mother too, anyways. And maybe yunica kept her demonic characteristics secret from everyone, from all her friends, because she was scared of how they would react to her. And maybe because the goddesses were the only ones to accept her for who she was that's why she's so devoted to them. Because they were her one true friends, the only ones who truly loved her unconditionally.

And maybe she has to reveal her demonic nature to her friends to get through that door, and maybe after the initial shock they begin to accept her as well. And maybe she slowly begins to be comfortable with her demonic side as well. Comfortable enough to be able to put the evil ring on again to tap into her extra demonic powers during tough battles. And maybe that's what she uses to fight Dalles in the end. Maybe it's not just sheer force of will that grants her victory, but her finally coming to terms with both of her halves.

Oh hm this got ramblier than I expected I apologize. Good night

[masschase]

for the boss ask meme, I have my own question:

what little (or big) bits of lore about your boss have you not shared yet with the world?

- snail-eggs :)

(p.s. your boss is so cool and i’m living off crumbs here, i wanna know more)

Boss ask meme

You think my boss is cool? 👉👈

It's funny because I do toss out scraps to some extent because irl I am extremely shy and awkward. I have a much higher confidence level online but I still get the feeling of oh no, I'm annoying everyone so... I sling out ask memes to see if there's anything people actually want to hear. I make fun of my asshole with a gun disaster bi emperor of everything but she is very close to my heart too. I wanted to draw her in each era to do a proper intro post, but I'm still developing confidence in drawing again.

I do get a little confused about what I've posted in fanfic vs what I've written but not posted yet vs what I've posted about her on here vs what i've slung in tags on other posts.

So I'm going to post stuff that just feels 'lore-y' and more about her personality vs. her life before the Saints, which I've written about in the other ask meme here and during the Saints which is basically the events of all the games with some fill-ins between/during them.

Ahem.

She's a big literature nerd. Spent her childhood escaping into books. Wanted to study English Lit at college but ended up dropping out of HS instead. She particularly loves period novels because they have relatably strong heroines but their problems are so frivolous compared to days without food or getting shot in the streets. She can relate to them just enough to escape into the idea of having no real problems. In fact she'd very much like to be Austen's Emma. It's pointed out in the post-SRIV era that she is in fact handsome, clever and rich now.

Obviously (and this is an example of really running a brief mention in canon) she particularly loves Jane Austen. She tends to fling out quotes when she's drunk because they just come to her in that lucid state, but also because, as Johnny calls out, she'd probably be doing it sober if she wasn't worried about "being a dork". Also the Brontes would be her next choice as Male Voice 1's line about reading Jane Eyre 13 times is canon to her too.

Again I think this is not unusual for a Boss in general but she often comes across as a bit of an airhead when really she is quite intelligent. I feel like by SRTT she is playing this up a little without realising and by some time post-SRIV she's straight up doing it on purpose at times; more out of humility than anything though it does contribute to people underestimating her. The first time Matt tries to tell her about her brain activity in the simulation she responds with "Sure, whatever Matt, blah blah FUUUUCK.". He tries again a year and a half later when they are actually friends and gets "Huh. OK. Well let’s just keep that between us, Matty."

Underneath/alongside that, though, is this third level that is just... slightly surreal and quite cheesy. Not always for humour, either, sometimes it's just her being completely serious in her bizarreness.

A slightly humorous example would be how she sticks Viola and Oleg together to run Steelport. She says it's her get along shirt. She does the same with Pierce and Shaundi and the 'dirty dancing' dance.

A more serious example would be from one of my favourite chapters I've written but not posted yet where she's talking to Matt about their new planet during Nyte Blayde night. They get onto how they can persuade people to want to live there and to repopulate and the concept of the American dream. She points out that it was always something used to drive immigration and asks why he wants to live in her new nation. He makes a joke about her new nation having no internet if he doesn't, but then gives a very heartfelt response. She gets emotional and doesn't really know what to say so she gives him a green m&m. "My... green card?" he asks, because they're super close by this point and he's used to her weird brain.

Something similar is at play to the intelligence thing is how nice she is. She gets caught up in the snark with everyone else but equally when someone is kind to her she leans into that too. She would deny that she is the tough girl with a heart of gold type bc she doesn't try to hide her softer side. She just IS badass and reckless and kind and emotional and will do anything for her friends all at once. She doesn't stop calling herself an asshole, but that's more or less an internalised message by this point.

Which brings me onto honesty. It's not like she just comes out with everything, hardly surprising considering how shy she was pre-Saints, but she's not inclined to lie either. Ask a question and unless she is in denial about it herself (e.g. love) or concerns something from long enough ago that she finds it cringey (e.g. her penchant for trading cards and other non-techy nerdy shit in her teens), she's likely to answer honestly. Kinzie never seems to learn this and will ask her things to try to fluster her only to get a very honest gross answer. Alcohol or weed definitely exacerbates this honesty.

She is like... superstitious in a slightly weird way. Like where she's half joking and half believes it. Shaundi notes that she buys good luck charms whenever she sees them because she broke a mirror in *checks notes* February 2015. She *has* to get the christmas decorations down on time. She has this whole thing where pancakes are a bad omen bc Zinjai started making them whenever he had bad news for her. This came from a longer thing where Keith David's mom always did that and Casey told Johnny no-one ever did that for her and then Matt overheard and told Zinjai to do it for her when the heat broke and they were on backup heaters... this is already so long lmao.

She's always cold; she grew up in several layers and a snowsuit. She eats a lot. She fucks a lot of people including every SRIV romance option once bc she decides if she only fucks each of her friends once she won't develop feelings for them. She has a lot of these sorts of somewhat arbitrary, pulling rank rules about work at times actually, it's one of her more unpleasant qualities. A little dizzied by power. Luckily she does get called out on it and she does get better over time.

She tends to cry at most media, a lot more than irl. If that media is somehow relatable to her own life; something about a protective older sibling, a lonely child, a struggle for money, something where the protagonist loses a friend or friends, the floodgates full on open.

She's extremely anti-relationship for years and at times her excuses are pretty flimsy. Again, Johnny takes issue with this as he wants to see his best friend/little sister figure happy and feels she uses his loss of Aisha to back up her commitment issues. She has a genuine fear of losing someone she loves but fails to notice how dramatically her circumstances have changed between sr2&3 for this to be way less of an issue. All of it really is backing up a very deep fear of abandonment. Her father left, her mother neglected her, her sister had to leave home for the good of her own child. This is why the Saints become such a family to her.

This is probably super incoherent as I'm running on very little sleep and I've been writing it in drabbles for most of the day. In case it wasn't obvious, I'm always happy to answer more questions about her though and I'm sorry if this is kind of... boring. I never know where to start. I've been writing this character for months now and now I feel like I know her so well that it's almost as hard to talk about her without specific questions as if I was asked to just talk about myself. That's why I'm always fishing for questions from ask memes. I either don't know where to start or it ends in a word vomit like this 😅

Thank you for your question @snail-eggs!

[cjlouwho]

Tommy so appreciates all of his care packages! Here is what you gave:

September 1, 1990: Tommy is a little over two months from being six years old, and he wants everyone to know it! He manages to drag his dad to the park with him. His dad sits on a bench while he plays, talking to some woman that Tommy doesn't know. He gets distracted and trips over a tree stump, falling and scraping his knee. It hurts so bad! His dad gets mad that he cries and practically jerks him up by the arm and tells him to, “Be quiet and brush off the pain!” He wishes his mom were there, because she'd carry him home, but his dad makes him walk. When he sees your care package at the door, filled with Matchbox cars, toy planes, candy cigarettes, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle bandaids, his smile could light up a room!

May 30, 2003: Today is his high school graduation, but Tommy isn't going. None of his family would be there anyway, and they don't even hand you your real diploma. There's no point! He leaves Monday for basic training and needs to get a few things together before he goes. He hasn't even told his family yet, but he's not sure if he's going to. He might just leave them a note. He's surprised when he's heading out the door and sees a package addressed to him. Inside it are comfy clothes, white socks, a padlock, toiletries, and even some spending money. He had been told he could bring one backpack to basic, filled with necessities only. He wasn't sure he'd have anything to take, but now he's all set!

January 7, 2015: Tommy didn't mean to spill his guts to the random guy that came up to him in the bar to flirt. He had been there for a while, avoiding life and all the things that came with it. The guy was looking to try out a few flirty lines, see if Tommy vibed with it, then one goes home with the other, they fuck, and never see each other again. Instead, Tommy went on a twenty minute rant about how every time he tries to actually get the words out of his mouth, actually say “I'm gay” it's like someone dumps cement down his throat and makes it impossible for him to speak. The guy politely informed Tommy he wasn't there to be his gay savior and tell him what he should do. He would, however, help him get home. When Tommy arrives at his house, he sees your care package at the door. It's filled with inspirational quotes (which others might find cheesy but it's exactly what he needed), a few lgbtq+ romcoms, chocolate, and a teddy bear. He holds the teddy bear to his chest as he cries. He's thankful for you, and hopes one day he's brave enough to make you proud.

December 8, 2024: Tommy is fairly certain that everyone who ever told him something was wrong with him was right. He's out now, has been able to say he's gay for years, wants nothing more than to love someone and be loved in return, but there's something that lingers in the back of his mind. Something that tells him he's not good enough. For anyone. Ever. It hit him especially hard today, seeing his ex at work. He seemed good. Looked good. Tommy hoped he faked it well enough that his ex could say the same. He's about to pop open a beer when he hears a knock on the door. When he answers, there's not just a package waiting for him, but, “I- This isn't from me,” he says, handing over the box. “It was already at your door. I, um, I just wanted to talk, maybe, if- if that's okay?” Once they're both settled inside, Tommy opens the box to see wine, two glasses, cookies, and a game of conversation questions for couples. Tommy doesn't believe in coincidences.

August 7, 2030: Life has been so hectic there has barely been a moment for Tommy to sit down. The baby just spit up again, and the three year old won't stop destroying every room that just got cleaned up. Tommy is exhausted, and he knows his husband is too. He'd like to be annoyed when the doorbell rings and makes the baby start crying (there's literally a sign right there that says to please knock instead), but when he sees the care package at the door he's more curious than anything. He holds onto the baby tight as he bends to pick it up, then takes it into the kitchen to open it. Inside is a single piece of paper. Reservations to a hotel in Napa Valley. Two nights for him and his husband. You already cleared it with his sister-in-law and she's going to take care of the kids. He doesn't care that his husband doesn't know yet, or that they're not due to leave for another week, he's heading to the garage to get their luggage out right now!

[codename-mango]

Clarice's Story - Season 2

I recently finished Clarice's canon route in Season 2, and I'm currently replaying Season 3 to give myself a refresher on Seb and nail down the details of Clarice's story in that Season. So this will have a Part 2, but I want to write out the decisions made that ultimately led to The Least Satisfying Ending of Season 2™, and the reasons behind them that are informed by her past and personality. I know I care more about this than literally anyone, but I'm doing it anyway. So let's get started!

Before the Villa

Raised by Ursula, a famous actress with Antisocial Personality Disorder. She was very loving to Clarice, but wanted her to grow a hard shell like she did.

Ursula gets a participation trophy in parenting for trying her best, but alas, Clarice has severe anxiety that she can't properly express.

Didn't have any friends before going on the show.

Clarice applied for the show with the hope of finding someone nice, though she had very low expectations. She expected all the girls (and fans) to hate her because she went in planning to be ruthless. She was very aware that her mother will be watching, and wanted to make her proud.

Day 1

Friendly to Hope right off the bat - No reason not to be, right?

"I need to look after Number 1." - Clarice isn't underhanded. She tries to be as honest as possible, and this is no exception. The girls need to know where she stands.

"I'm more the quiet and mysterious type." - Outside the Villa, Clarice is much more reserved due to her upbringing.

Picked Noah - He's handsome and doesn't try some cheesy line right off the bat.

Objected to Hope picking him immediately - First day and she's already been screwed over. Her pride is hurt, and she's not going to take this lying down.

Thought Bobby was nice, but there was blatantly no sparks there. He didn't even step forward. She gave him no illusions that she's interested, and flirted with Noah and the other boys at every opportunity. Prioritized grafting over making friends.

However, she welcomed Priya and condemned Lottie for being unnecessarily nasty.

Clarice didn't make any outright enemies except Hope for stealing Noah.

Participated in Lottie's celebration of the Moon - Strategically important to be civil with the girls of course

Day 2

Stayed friendly with Priya, and tried to be with Lottie

Confronted Priya for stealing Bobby - Yeah, she didn't like Bobby herself, but this was the second time she'd had her partner stolen. She was angry and embarrassed.

Day 3

Helped Hannah during breakfast and encouraged her to toughen up - This isn't Friend Island.

Told Rocco to pick her - It wasn't enough to steal Bobby back. She didn't even like him. But there was no chance of getting Noah back from Hope. Rocco was her real second choice on Day 1, and taking him helps her save face.

Told Hannah that Gary won't choose her - She thinks Hannah is totally naive, but has been friendly thus far and respected her couple.

Day 4

"If there's no spark, you've got problems."

Insisted Gary apologizes to Marisol

Grinded on Noah during the Slime Challenge - She's not sure if she's actually interested in him yet, or if she's just trying to piss off Hope.

Spoke up for Priya doing the same thing, and ignores Lottie

Tried to keep the peace between Lottie and Priya, and helps them resolve the issue - It's easier to live in the Villa without needless drama. Clarice's anxiety is hiked up enough as it is.

Day 5

Clarice went down to the pool alone to meet Lucas and Henrik - Why wouldn't she?

While she never cheated on Rocco, she did connect with Lucas like she never had with anyone before. She found him charming and kind and admired his humility despite his obviously posh background.

She definitely suspected Marisol and Rocco having a thing, but hoped he would talk to her about it before acting on it.

Day 6

Clarice was furious about Rocco kissing Marisol during the Kiss and Tell challenge.

She confronted Marisol afterwards, but wasn't aggressive about it. Marisol was by far the girl she's closest to in the Villa at that point. Despite feeling hurt, she wasn't about to ruin the start of a genuine friendship over a man.

Day 7

Worked with Lottie to ice out Rocco, but does agree to speak with him privately.

She was honest about why the girls were upset with him, and unleashed a bit of fury upon him.

Helped Noah win Mr. Love Island - She started to genuinely connect with him and found him very sweet, even though she thought his devotion to Hope was over the top and completely irrational.

Day 8

Extremely worried about the Mean Tweets challenge. She's had more than her fair share of Mean Tweets outside the Villa. She was worried how she came across to the public. She was even worried the producers would throw in one of her mother's.

Oh yeah, Ursula livetweets every episode.

If I had to include one of her tweets in the challenge, it would be:

"It's like Bobby isn't even trying"

She hated that Lucas went home. He was the one person besides Noah that she could see herself having feelings for.

Day 9

Confused by why Lottie wants to get with Gary, but doesn't say anything discouraging. Agrees to not pick him at the next recoupling.

Picked Noah to go on the date - They turn out to have great chemistry, and Clarice was even hopeful that she might be able to choose him at the recoupling.

Clarice fell back on picking Henrik after Hope chose Noah. She didn't see herself with any of the other OG guys.

Day 10

Clarice agreed to work with Priya on Operation Nope - She wanted to be with Noah, and this was the perfect opportunity to really crack on with him. Obviously she knew that Priya fancied him too, but may the best woman win, right?

She didn't tell anyone about ON.

She actually related to Hope acting snappy out of fear, but Hope's insistence on focusing on her rubbed Clarice the wrong way. She tried finding a common ground, and Hope ignored the gesture. She used that as (very poor) justification for...

Clarice kissed Noah. She knew they were having a moment, and went for it. She regretted it after he panicked and left.

Clarice dodged Chelsea's first hug - Why would she want a total stranger touching her without asking?? Though she sort of regrets it in hindsight, because of how close they are now.

"So he's just going to pretend he's innocent then?"

Day 11

She downplayed the severity of Lottie's kiss with Gary - "Hannah only knew him for 3 days." Besides, she's not a hypocrite who would condemn someone else for doing the same thing she did.

Said no to helping Bobby and Marisol resolve the conflicts in the Villa - She didn't trust herself to not make things worse. If things get better, then they'll get better on their own.

Brought Hope the hot chocolate - She knew she was one of the biggest reasons Hope was miserable. They didn't get along, but Clarice never did any of it to hurt Hope. That being said...

She refused to apologize - That's not the kind of woman Ursula raised. She needed to remind herself that she is her Number 1 priority.

Clarice barely interacted with Jakub. He was never her type.

She did apologize to Henrik. She had an obligation to communicate her feelings to him, and didn't. So she apologized. She told him that she fancied Noah and wanted to pursue him, and they broke up.

Bobby was the one to come comfort her and start grafting. She shut it down pretty quickly.

After Marisol asked about it, Clarice told the truth and that she wasn't interested in him. Marisol asked who she is interested in, and she told her Ibrahim just to put a stop to the conversation.

Day 12

Clarice eavesdropped on Noah's conversation with Priya. She was so excited that Noah said he had feelings for her, and that it was all worth it.

No secret of Clarice's was exposed during the Down in Dirt challenge. But if Henrik had opened hers despite her insistence not to, it would've read:

"Clarice was once escorted out of her own great-aunt's pub."

Clarice insisted Priya apologize and make peace with Hope, but refused to back down herself after it came out that Noah wanted to pick her.

"Priya stirring the pot and getting away with it. Can't say I disapprove."

Day 13

Clarice ate the whole cake. Canonically. I don't care, it's one of my favorite parts of the game.

Clarice coupled up with Noah at the Disaster Recoupling.

She was so excited to finally be coupled up with him. She savored every kiss and every touch. That was it for her.

Day 14

Said goodbye to Noah before sneaking off to Casa Amor

The only guy who caught her interest was Kassam, but he clearly wasn't interested, so she never acted on it.

Arjun was basically the leftovers from the other girls, and he seemed like he would be respectful of her space, so Clarice ended up with Arjun for the entirety of Casa Amor. (Even though he didn't give her nearly enough space for her liking.)

Day 15

Clarice didn't volunteer for any extra Villa vs. Villa challenges.

Clarice insisted on remaining loyal to Noah throughout CA.

She enjoyed getting closer to the girls, but was otherwise very reserved.

Day 16

Clarice indulged in Lottie's tea reading, but refused to believe it.

Clarice was shocked by the video the girls received, but still refused to believe Noah would go and sleep with another girl. He wouldn't do that to Hope, and he wouldn't do that to her.

She tried to comfort Hope the rest of the time there. Hope was obviously still upset about the Disaster Recoupling, but she appreciated that Clarice had remained loyal during CA.

Day 17

Clarice spent breakfast with Kassam. She really enjoyed it.

Clarice stuck with Noah.

Day 18

Obviously, Clarice was hurt by Noah bringing back Blake.

Ursula had this to say about Blake's "trying so hard" comment:

"The cheek of this one. Good luck with your career after this, babe."

Looking back, she regards it as karma. Something she deserved.

She didn't really know how to handle it. She kept her distance from Blake as much as possible.

Agreed with Shannon that you get what you deserve in the Villa - She thinks about this conversation often, especially after how she finished the season.

Helped the girls figure out what happened while they were away, and sort of regretted it after...

Noah went back to Hope. Clarice's grievances were ignored and criticized. She was frustrated and hurt.

Clarice saved Elijah from the dumping. She thought maybe she could start to move on from Noah with him.

She said goodbye to Priya, and sort of hated Bobby for letting her be sent home.

She had her first anxiety attack at the Villa that night. Gary and Chelsea were the only ones who knew about it, because they were the ones who stayed up with her until she calmed down.

Day 19

Confided in Chelsea and Shannon that she wished she could've been with Noah

Rather than Shannon teaching her how to read body language, Clarice challenged her to another game of 2 Truths 1 Lie, claiming Ursula raised a perfect liar. (She lost. But Shannon said she should try poker.)

Day 20

Scrambled eggs! It was the only kind Ursula could ever make.

Clarice was nervous about the arrival of Elisa and Jo. Although Jo seemed friendly enough, and Elisa was someone she briefly worked with before.

Didn't agree to talk to Ibrahim for Shannon after the double dates - Shannon needed to talk to him herself. And if he lies, why waste your time with him?

Insisted that Jo be given some space; Defended Chelsea while disagreeing with her actions

Day 21

Had to take multiple breaks from the girls day out - Good lord the fighting was exhausting and nerve-wracking

Helped Hope untangle the mess

Laughed out loud when Jo called her a people pleaser - "I might just be adopted then!"

"A people pleaser! Good on you, love!"

Legitimately almost cried when Chelsea called her amazing??? And when Hope praised her for taking the high road??? She might actually be a good person????

Got the girls to all make up

Cooked 🌟creamy garlic pasta🌟 for the group with Elijah

Started thinking she might have a chance with Noah again

Day 22

Asked Elijah to choose her at the Recoupling - Gave no promises that they'd be the next epic love story

Pining for Noah...

Day 23

Agreed to help Rahim ask Jo to be his girlfriend - Mainly for Noah's sake, because they're best friends

Went shopping with Elijah - Got Jo's nachos, chocolate, and blanked Elijah's flirtations

First pillow fort!

Grinded on Noah's lap during the Heartrate Challenge, then went to Elijah

Went to bed early

Day 24

Excited and relieved to have Lucas back!

Hugged Hannah upon her arrival - Overall, she was proud of Hannah for coming back more willing to get what she wanted.

Named the spider Todd

Reassured Lottie about Hannah

Clarice reassured Elijah after her date, but went up to the terrace and kissed Lucas.

Later at the party, she went back and slept with him. - After he came back, she thought maybe she was finally over Noah. She can be with Lucas and finally be happy in a couple. And she definitely rushed it.

Day 25

She told Elijah everything, and she felt horrible that he was more into her than she was into him.

Confessed to the girls after

Obviously bombed the Happily Ever After challenge

Clarice was left to couple up with Lucas.

Day 26

She was noticeably distant from Lucas - She wrote it off as guilt for cheating with him, though she was still happy to be coupled up with him.

Lottie's snide comments about her cheating made her distance herself from Lottie too.

Became Bra Sisters with Chelsea! And made up a handshake!

Lost the Couple Trouble challenge, so she and Lucas didn't go on the date in the Hideaway

Talking to Gary about his body image and therapy inspired her to go to therapy herself once the show was over. She really related to him when he said this:

Helped Marisol pack - Marisol was still one of her closest friends in the Villa. And she honestly thought it should've been her and Lucas going home.

Day 27

Babies? P A N I C M O D E!!

Clarice does want kids in the future, but doesn't trust herself to not fuck them up.

Very irritated by Lucas's refusal to help with the baby. It stressed her out more than it really needed to, so their unsteady relationship took a hit.

The beach break was a relief. And by the end of it, she was really happy to have made actual friends on the show.

Sent Ibrahim and Jo home - Sure, they're a better couple, but Chelsea is her emotional support bra!

Day 28

Finally got to talk to her mother. She "praised" Clarice for not letting "peer pressure" stop her from getting the guy she really wanted. (It was really a reminder that she still doesn't have him, and she should still go for him. However, what Ursula called peer pressure is what most people consider respecting relationship boundaries.)

Felt awkward talking to Lucas's family

Said no to being his girlfriend at the Final Date - They hadn't been together long enough, and his text conversation with Ursula was fine, but cryptic.

Privately relieved that Noah hadn't asked Hope to be his girlfriend yet

Day 29

Dress shopping was... An experience. She's definitely not unfamiliar with formal wear, but she spent a long time deciding who she should dress for. She ultimately chose a dress she knew Lucas would like.

Hopeless at dancing. She never got any of the steps right.

She tried to be as lighthearted with the speech as possible - She has a hard time opening up, and really, there wasn't many deep feelings to express for him.

Jumped in the pool

Sent Hannah and Elijah home - It was a tough decision, and it came down to Lottie and Gary's relationship being stronger.

Went up to the terrace with Noah, but she decided she was done with him leading her on, struggling to make a decision. She ended it once and for all, as opposed to sleeping with him.

Day 30

Still reeling from the night before

Helped Chelsea make breakfast - She told Chelsea that she wasn't feeling confident in her couple and their chance of winning.

Clarice and Lucas made it all the way to the end, but Noah and Hope won Love Island.

Lucas acted happy to be with Clarice until they went back to the Villa for the After Party. Then, he dumped her. - Clarice was furious, but she felt as though she absolutely deserved it.

Noah decided it would be best if they stayed away from each other.

Clarice told Hannah about what Lucas did, and Hannah promised to give him hell. That solidified their friendship for after the show.

Clarice pulled Chelsea aside, Chelsea nicked a bottle of champagne for them, and confessed everything to her. Her thing with Noah, his lingering looks, the terrace, Lucas acting for the cameras, everything.

Clarice went home with her mother. And cried almost the entire way to the airport.

After the Villa

She faced backlash for her actions in the Villa, but the Islanders she befriended came to her defense.

She had a long talk with Hope after everyone had a chance to watch the season back. It was a miracle Hope and Noah won, considering how much of his time with Clarice had been included in episodes. Hope broke up with him shortly after, and she and Clarice started to repair what they could. They agreed that they absolutely would've been friends if Clarice had made different choices. But for now, they're just being civil.

Ursula apologized for all the biting remarks about people in the Villa, except Noah and Lucas.

Clarice managed to keep her from running a full on smear campaign against them.

Clarice started therapy, and even got anti-anxiety medication.

The producers of Love Island offered her a second chance.

[aeiiope]

How did Jean cope with having a kill count in the teens when SHE was just in the teens? Her ultimate, does it affect her squad or the squad of whomever she's targeting? If it DOES affect her squad - does she tell them beforehand 'hey y'all are about to be nakey' or does it just. happen. What's the fallout like for her at that point? Has she won a Game yet? If not, what do you think she'd do with the resultant fame of becoming a Champion?

Coping

Oh she didn’t handle it well at all at the start, and absolutely thought about turning herself in a million times before coming to terms with her actions. The very first time she killed someone, she actually disappeared for a week or two to try and gather herself again (primarily to stop her shaking enough to where she could operate normal enough to keep going. It just took longer than she thought it would).

To try and cope with the fact that her kill count just kept rising after the initial one, she would often find justifications for all of them since?? Who could she really go to about it?

Her family’s proven themselves as no one to turn to.The people she worked with/for would take it as weakness and potentially get rid of her when she needed the money she was bringing in to help keep the lights on and food on the table. And she was terrified of ratting them out since she knew that if she did, she’d be dead in the next week, so that was off the table.Even those she believed she could trust in some vague sense of the word seemed like the wrong choice to have this discussion with (primarily because she cared about what they thought, and just. Couldn’t handle the disappointment she knew they would have).In her defense; She was still only practically a kid at this point, and one who was panicked and terrified and didn’t think everything out completely because of it, and already had a view point that told her to keep with the trope-y Don’t show ANY weakness or you’re fucking dead.

Anyway, her justifications always tended to fall into the argument that it was either her or them, and she just chose herself. They would have done the same, so there’s no real reason to feel terrible about it (though for the first year or so she wanted to puke after every murder and fight that ended with cold bodies and try to skin herself to get rid of the feeling). It was always her or them, and that was it. She was defending herself. If they didn’t want the chance of getting murdered, they should have stayed out of her way or didn’t try to pick a fight with her.

As the years pass, she eventually grew desensitized to it, and found a new way to cope; Confidence. To be as boisterous and fuck it all as possible because if she could at least fake it at first, it would come to be eventually, and I know this sounds trope-y too, but it’s just. What she did. After each fight, she held her head high, and grew a taste for it by 15 or 16 (the fighting part. The murder part is still very much just. part of the job). Started picking fights just to keep herself sharp and to make sure that she’d always come out on top. And after each one, if she managed to still be standing by the end, it was enough to affirm that this was just natural. It was just what she was good at, and she should revel in it.And eventually, it worked. Even now, she’s confident and can be boisterous and sharp, but it came with broken bones, bruises, scars, and plenty of missteps and mistakes.

But hey, at least she doesn’t feel much of anything anymore when she kills someone; It is what it is. Move on.

And the others are going under the cut because wow this got longer than I thought it would.

Ultimate

It effects her squad! Like, I have a super half-baked idea on different ways it could work, but rn the one I’m leaning to is that her detonator is rigged to tune into the same frequency as her squad’s shields, and as soon as it’s triggered, she can send their shields into fucking overdrive to the point of nearly breaking, and then the result is that the shields are drained in exchange for an aoe explosion equal to what kind of charge the shields could hold, and her squad’s ok bc the base-material of the shields act as a grounded faraday cage. Maybe a little rocked on their feet bc of the force of it being discharged, but tbh it’s less about force and more so about the current produced, so it’s all ok.

Everyone else around? Not so lucky.

And yeah, she’d give them a heads up and a countdown. Like, something along the lines of ‘It’s ready, and I’m going to set it off in 3, 2, 1-’ . And then everything goes to hell in a hand basket as coms cut off for a minute and there’s this surge of electricity around them, and good luck.

Now, she can be a jackass and a little shit, but she wouldn’t throw her squad under the bus without a heads up at least. Like, maybe if it was just her because she knows herself and what’s around her, she wouldn’t be so keen on announcing that she’s about to blow out her own shields to try and fry the enemies around her, but if there are more people involved that she has to work with, she can be a little more considerate. Like, I think her ultimate can be canceled should there be any objections in the group since she’s just prepping the detonator at the countdown.

Though of course, she doesn’t necessarily have to listen to them, but she can note it.

As for the fallout, it would really depend on how things turn out I’d think.

Like, on one hand, the explosion can be the firm push needed for them to be able to take out another squad or two and come out victorious provided that they can work well either as a team or individually without shields, so then it would be good; A very clutch decision that - for as risky as it was - proved useful and beyond helpful.

On the other, at least one fist fight has 100% broken out because of this ultimate because it cost her squad the game, and y e a h. It really depends on how well everyone works together or super well on their own or luck.

But the initial fallout was probably wild since originally, the detonator was apart of a larger machine that only disabled the enemies’ shields. Like, cut them out completely for a time to allow shots at the person beneath it, and that was the effect she thought it was going to have after testing it. Like, during her time rigging the piece she managed to get to work for her favor, she managed to discharge a shield she was using then and figured that it worked; Just had to look out for the run off since it wasn’t as clean as it was as a whole.

Something expected ya know? Like, if you pull live wires, they’re going to have some spark left in them, but their own shields should be able to handle it even at the lowest tier.

The first sign that something was wrong should have been how her teams coms started to cut in and out as the charge on the detonator reached 90%, but she figured that maybe it was just because she needed to refine it a little more and it was nothing more than white noise from it starting up.

Oh boy was she wrong. But damn if she didn’t play it off as intentional if to save face.

Winning a Game

And she played it off well because I think that she would have won her first game with that little trick because. It probably caught a lot of people off guard, but she’s one to adapt and used the opportunity to her advantage and ta-da; Won her first game and still might’ve gotten into a fist fight with her squad after depending on who was in it. Like, I think it was a bunch of random people she never really saw again but holy fuck who fucking blows out their own team’s defense to try and win a fight???? Answer being her of course but that’s besides the point

Which feels a bit cheesy to write, but? Thinking about it? She’s had years of accidental training for it; Her scavenging for things def made her more aware of her surroundings when picking out loot. Being a mercenary gave her more arms and combat training. Hoping from place to place and working in different groups gave her a chance to figure people out. Ect. Ect.

Cheesy shit like that.

From there, I’m not 100% sure how many she’s won. Depends on how many there are and how the work in universe compared to in game, but at least a handful maybe?

Now as for the fame?

Initially, she wasn’t a fan.

Especially because it was a stark, sudden transition from working under tables and out of whatever bar or ship she managed to find herself in - having to take care to make sure her identity was hidden enough to avoid detection - to being in the spotlight and it was enough to make her nauseous in a way since?? It felt like a goddamn neon sign pointing out where she is, and though she’s taken extensive precaution to keep her identity under her helmet concealed before the game (so no one really knew who was under it), it felt like everything she worked to do was just thrown out the window and she gave it up willingly in an effort to outmaneuver people after her head.

Then there were probably questions about her next game since she got to keep going since she won, and her plans for it, and it was disorienting to say the least. But the thing she hated the most about it was how she managed to tether herself to the place without meaning to since?? Honestly?? She didn’t think she would get as far she she did; Let alone win any game.

Like, already said it, but she lived day to day - present to present - and only worried about what was going on then and now and how she was going to get to the next system or planet, and this put a screeching halt to that so now she had to stop and consider what her next plan was going to be and y e a h.

Initially, not a fan.

But! As time went on, she could find some benefit in it. ie; she was able to start cleaning her slate from her time as a scavenger/mercenary since she could finally pay off those she owed without having to run. Those who knew her identity probably became weary of approaching her in any sense of the word after directly seeing what she could do if they wound up on her wrong side, so it granted her a level of protection. She had a place to safely work on things instead of having to rig things together as she moved.

There were benefits, so it loosened her up to the idea of fame, but the one thing she will always hate about it is the tethering and how she feels trapped in a sense. Like, I’m sure that the legends can’t just up and disappear for weeks at a time, or travel anywhere with relative peace. Not if the games are so widespread. And she hates the feeling of it after being on the move for over a decade.

Now, that doesn’t stop her from vanishing for a couple days under guises and shadow, but it’s not the same I’m sure.

When it comes to the more entertainment side of things, she can be charming in a jerk-ish way. Sarcastic. Sharp tongued. Ect. Like, once the initial whiplash came to pass, she probs just said ‘fuck it why not if I’m stuck here’  and since rolled with the punches and having a decent time with it though like hell she’d give a straight or honest answer to things.

Like, one thing I’ve been thinking of is her answer to ‘why did you join the games’? And among her answers would be:

“I had a midlife crisis.”“I made a bet with someone, and now they owe me a dollar.”“This is my retirement plan. No, I’m not using the pay to fund it- This is it.”

Shit like that. But yeah, she def sees it as a double edged blade and I hope this bit makes sense bc I’m like. Typing off the top of my head now because this is the longest meta I’ve written out I’m p sure lmao

EDIT: I realize that in my rambling I didn’t really properly answer as to what she would use it for, but honestly? I don’t think she would use it for more than the benefits I mentioned above since she doesn’t have a cause she’s championing for, but give her time, and maybe she’d use it to aid others where she could in little ways.

She would use any extra funds to help those on the street and in day to day life since she knows that life. Use her reputation to help break up fights she doesn’t want to see, or in a vigilante sense if she’s in the area to help protect those who could be going the same way she did before the games. Little day to day things she can be direct help in, ya know?