#liya.answers

[yuechihua]

How do you think Harumasa would deal with jealousy? Like do you think he's the type to easily get jealous and get all clingy or would he act a bit cold towards the reader?

Oh, this was super interesting to think about!! It took me a while to formulate my thoughts on how I think Harumasa would deal with jealousy, just because I think it's such a complex emotion, and he's such a complex person.

In my Bangboo fic, I wrote about him handling his jealousy in a more light-hearted way, where he acts overly clingy and makes jokes, and doesn't really mind when reader brushes him off. Part of this is is because it's a non-serious situation, and part of this is is because if he's close enough to care for someone, then there's usually a strong level of trust involved where he won't feel insecure in their relationship. He doesn't open up to just anyone!

This is how I think he acts in general when it comes to jealousy: if it's a more casual situation, then he might play up his reaction as part of a joke, but he doesn't really think too much about it/actually feel that upset. I think he tends to respect people he loves too much to easily get jealous over their other friends/life/people hitting on them etc.

Additionally, I think jealousy mainly stems from insecurity, and Harumasa's brand of issues doesn't really revolve around low self-esteem. I think he's generally pretty confident and reasonable, and has a decent control and understanding of his own emotions, so he wouldn't lash out at reader, either.

If anything, I think jealousy for him would mainly arise out of anxiety over the factors in his life that he can't control, and he would need a lot of compounding stressors to really make the jealousy settle in. In that case, he'll still try to pass it off as a joke and act clingy, but he's a bit more subdued and serious about it and holds reader for a little longer than he usually would, before letting go abruptly and pretending he's fine. He wouldn't complain if reader noticed how he felt and was a little nicer to him than usual, though.

[yuechicake]

loved the most recent comm for li <|:-) bloody and ominous li fuels my soul... what are your personal thoughts/feelings on ais? i just think it's sooo funny that mhin has two (2) pennies now for every person they've met that has lusts for a difficult and bloody fight /pos

hehe thank you so much!!! I'm glad you like it when she's off-putting and strange <3 there's nothing like the thrill of a bloody fight to put a genuine smile on her face <3

Also, I personally was a little indifferent to Ais at first but because he's Gumi's blorbo and because I made Li and Ais beat each other up as a form of bonding, I've become a lot more fond of him lol. I'm primarily interested in him as someone with intense ennui, who can also only feel something through violence, which he relentlessly seeks. He functions a little as a parallel to Li for me in that sense!

I'm fascinated by Ais like he's my personal school science experiment. I'm curious to see how far he will push himself in pursuit of his goals, especially if it comes at the cost of his self-destruction. I also like that he's an asshole with a twitter character limit when it comes to his speech lmfao

[yuechihua]

I've been thinking about this lately but what do you think harumasa would feel when he like. Realize(?) that one day the people he's with will forget him once he dies? Maybe I'm just projecting my feelings onto him but he wants people to move on from him if he dies but knowing that people would see him as an insignificant memory one day is kinda sad(?). I'm sorry if this is ooc

Hi anon!! I don't think this is ooc, haha. I think there's actually a bit of contradiction between what Harumasa says he wants, and what he actually does. We can think of it as the difference between want/need: the first is what he thinks will fulfill him, and the second is what actually will.

So, I don't think Harumasa is lying when he says he wants people to move on from his death / to celebrate his life. This comes from a place of pragmatic care: he knows his death is coming sooner than most, and he's learned to make his peace with it. But he also knows most people don't think this way, so he wants to help prepare them to face that.

He also doesn't think people will view him as an insignificant memory; he just wants to treasure what he has now, and to make happy memories with other people. If anything, he just wants himself and others to cherish the moments they do have rather than live in regret that they couldn't have more time together. That doesn't make those memories any less significant, even if they're fleeting! All memories are, and Harumasa is just very aware of that fact.

I think Harumasa knows the value he has in other people's lives, but he tends to underestimate it. He's used to viewing himself pragmatically, but other people don't look at him or their relationships with him in terms of utility, a difference in worldview he has to adjust to sometimes.

Also, Harumasa isn't an honest person! He's prone to misdirection, trickery, and even lying in order to do what he thinks needs to be done. This applies to other people, but it also applies to himself. He's not someone who will be upfront with what he feels, so you have to read between the lines with him.

Deep down he really does yearn to be valued and loved. He just can't honestly admit it, even to himself. He wants to matter to other people! He wants to be loved! He wants his life to mean something! This is why he treasures his bonds with Section Six so much; they provide him a place to belong, and it reaffirms to him he does matter to others. It's also why he has a complicated relationship with his master at the end of his agent story: he has concrete proof that he was loved and cared for in some capacity, despite everything else.

So, in this case, his "want" is for people to not to be sad when he dies, to move on from him and celebrate his life, but his "need" is to matter to others, to be loved and cared for!

[yuechihua]

Do you have any tips for writing? I'm tryna be as good as you lol 🩷 if not, what's your writing process?

Aw, I'm flattered you think I'm a good writer! <3 I do have some general advice about writing, but writing is such a complex discipline, so I can go into more specific details about any area of craft I didn't cover here (plot? pacing? characters? prose? etc) if you want to send a follow-up ask, anon! I'll put everything under the cut for length lol, but it's divided between general, non-craft specific advice, and then more specific craft advice based on my own process.

So first I'm going to talk about general, non-craft specific advice that I utilize!

Reading books. When you read other people's writing, you can study their craft. How do they organize the plot? How do they build tension? How do they manage good character development? Do you find it effective? Why? If not, what would you change to make it more effective? Also, what is the author attempting to do when they present information in a certain way? What do you admire about their work, and what can you borrow from them? Also, the more you read, the more you're exposed to different forms of creativity and ideas, which is important in keeping your own creativity sharp!

Consistent writing. Sometimes, it's important to just write! You can't improve if you never actually put pen to paper, no matter how much we talk about the idea of writing. Is there something you want to work on in particular, like characterization, dialogue, or world-building? Then you should try a few practices and prompts focusing on that particular skill! It's also helpful to just free write and get your ideas out; no writing is ever wasted. This also doesn't mean pushing yourself to write every day, and more about writing consistently, which are two different things. Maybe your process is writing for a few weeks, then taking a break, then coming back to writing. Resting and recharging your creative energy is also important!

Having a peer group. Writing isn't a solitary discipline. What I find helpful is having a group of friends who I can discuss writing with, whenever we're analyzing craft, or we're bouncing ideas off of each other. It's always enormously helpful to have interpersonal support, because it makes writing fun and is incredibly useful whenever you're feeling stuck or unmotivated. Never underestimate the power of #friendship, and it also helps to have people who believe in you and can help read your writing and point out areas to improve in or things you do well.

Now, I'm going to discuss how I approach writing! These are all general things I like to consider, and not always fanfiction specific lol.

The first thing I do is I consider what I want to write about. I like to begin with a general outline of events I want to get through, while leaving them vague enough that I can fill in the details or change scenes entirely if I feel like it's necessary. But if nothing else, I always like to have a starting goal and an ending goal. Where do I want the story to go? Sometimes, I start with themes or general ideas, and then refine it down into a particular plot. This helps prevent me from feeling aimless, because I know exactly where I want to go.

What do your characters want, and what do they need? These are two different things, and I also like to think about it in terms of the A/B plot, the desire/goal, the inner world/outer world, the emotional/physical, etc, depending on what fits it the best, since this dichotomy can be fluid. But in short, your characters always have a goal/desire driving them, and then a reason they want this thing so badly. When they have a goal, it creates tension when external or internal obstacles get in their way. Your character wants to achieve A, but what's driving them is actually B. Sometimes, what your character wants (A) is different from what they actually need (B). But either way, a character needs to desire something, and desire it badly enough to carry a story. All stories are about achieving this desire, having it thwarted, or coming to a compromise.

I always believe world-building should be in service of the story! Of course, there are genres and stories that are more focused on world-building, but I personally never found it interesting unless done really well lol. But your world both needs to feel like it exists beyond the boundaries of the story, while also not overwhelming the characters or plot. What I find interesting about world-building is how it challenge, influences, or interacts with characters and their actions, desires, and personalities. We need something to ground us, especially in a less familiar world, and what grounds us are understandable emotions and desires.

When it comes to dialogue, I want each character to sound unique, and to have their voice and speech patterns reflect their personality. They have to be distinguishable by speech alone. Do they have accents? Use slang? Are they cheerful, or taciturn? Make jokes, or are they always serious? I also find dialogue more believable when characters don't share exactly what they feel; no one ever just says what they mean, and talking around things can be more powerful than just stating it outright. It creates tension, but it's also just realistic that people struggle to express themselves, or simply refuse to. When it comes to fanfiction in particular, I like to study character voicelines and note down anything I notice about their speech patterns lol.

[yuechihua]

Love your Harumasa works so much and felt like asking after just having finished the main storyline today, at the season 1 epilogue cutscene Harumasa is shown drinking with Caesar I think and I just had to ask;

What do you think drunk Harumasa would be like? Generally and with reader if you don't mind..? I just went feral over it since I assumed he couldn't drink because of him using so many medications...

Thank you so much for enjoying my writing! I was also super tickled by that ending scene, haha! It's fun to see him socialize with other characters. Also, warnings for alcohol and alcohol consumption if that bothers anyone!

So, generally, Harumasa is very careful with his medication, so I don't think he would run the risk of drinking if it was going to mess with those in any way lol (whether it's making his meds less effective or. you know. giving him other side effects like nausea and internal bleeding). So assuming his medications and alcohol don't react negatively together, I still don't think he's someone who gets super drunk. First of all, hangovers suck, and second of all, drinking to the point he can't remember the night before or losing complete control over his actions is not fun.

If anything, I think he'd enjoy a light buzz, where the world is softer around the edges and his head is fuzzy, but he still retains awareness of his actions and some measure of control over them, even if he's more susceptible to bad decisions. I think he'd be an amiable drunk; he acts about the same as usual, but makes stupider jokes and tends to laugh more freely. Alcohol releases inhibitions, and everything feels more enjoyable because of it.

I think Harumasa is also more of a social drinker. It's not as fun if you're drinking by yourself, and he seems like the person to grab a drink while he's chatting with a coworker, or if he's at some company get-together. Since he enjoys bitter tastes, then he'd like mixed drinks that lean towards bitterness (he would love bitters as a component lmfao), or just alcohol made neat or on the rocks.

I think he'd have average tolerance, too: one drink isn't enough to knock him out, but he'd start feeling it after three or so. But of course, this also depends on the type of alcohol he's drinking...

Anyways, if Harumasa is drinking with reader, then he 100% acts more clingy and whiny. Is this a calculated move, where he can blame it on the alcohol, or has he really dropped his guard enough to act like a spoiled cat, begging for attention? I don't think even Harumasa knows for sure, but it's probably a bit of both.

Depending on how inebriated he is, Harumasa is latched ON to them, and he will not let go for the life of him. It would be endearing if he wasn't refusing to let go even if reader needed to use the bathroom or something. If reader is out with coworkers or friends, they'll get a lot of comments about how close the two of them are....

Anyways, I think Harumasa is (subconsciously or not) milking the entire thing, even if he isn't that drunk. It's just an excuse to cuddle up to reader and the two of them end up laughing over silly jokes or the most nonsensical things. They probably end up crashing at whoever's apartment is closest. If reader is the one with the hangover the next morning, then he's giving them a glass of water and patting their back sympathetically as they complain, haha.

[yuechihua]

i have such a hyper specific ask for you...

despite everything he's gone through and everything yet to come, do you think harumasa would still want to have a family? having a spouse, buying a house, organizing sunday dinners with his friends... ouuuuu the angst

side rant i think harumasa would be suuuuuch a good girl dad...

honestly? i think harumasa does crave the warmth of understanding and acceptance that family is supposed to offer. i would even argue he already has a family right now, section six, and that this fulfills and supports him in a way he's never had before. so on a conceptual level, he does want a family lol.

but if we're talking a more traditional family, with marriage, kids, the whole deal, then i think harumasa might be more reluctant to get into such a commitment. there's his illness ofc and how he doesn't want to leave someone behind to mourn, much less raise a kid on their own, because he knows how painful it is to be left behind. also, in general, his job is dangerous and takes up so much of his time, so he wouldn't have the space to give the proper care and attention that a family needs. and he is very, very aware of that.

but does he want it? i don't think he's ever been in a secure enough space to really consider it. he doesn't have such a happy or stable idea of family, either, so can he give someone else what he himself doesn't know? i definitely believe he's thought about it and entertained the idea of having a normal life like that, but doesn't let himself dwell on it. it's not practical to long for something he can't have.

so the long answer is that it's complicated, but the short answer is that i think he does want a family a little as a hypothetical and a marker of normalcy denied to him, but would only let himself seriously consider the idea if he had a more consistent, secure lifestyle and future. this isn't to say he's unhappy, though. a nontraditional family structure suits him and his lifestyle better, and it makes him happy to have people he can cherish, who also cherish him, regardless!

[yuechihua]

Imagine if Harumasa and reader decided to swap their bangboos for a day just for fun (he suggested it-) and it goes how you can expect it just like in your fic; Harumasa getting ignored by reader's bangboo with him chasing it around to pet it or something meanwhile reader can barely do anything without Asaboo clinging to their leg.

But what if Harumasa got sick during that time?

How do you think he'd react if he took some meds and decided to rest for a while because he's feeling terrible, only to wake up to reader's bangboo just worriedly looking at him with some painkillers, fresh meal on a tray beside him and such? (dunno if bangboo can cook but assuming they can-) more of nonchalant-looking-reader saga!!!

I love your work btw.... Please don't forget to take care of yourself too <33

Thank you so much for your well-wishes, anon <3 I hope you take care of yourself, too!

Anyways, this is an absolutely adorable idea!!! I really love the idea of Harumasa and reader switching Bangboos, and how reader's Bangboo keeps ignoring him while Asaboo is just super attached as usual, haha. Chaos reigns in the Section Six office....

I also think Harumasa, if he was really feeling poorly and reader's Bangboo was trying to take care of him, might not register what he's seeing at first. He probably doesn't have the strength for his usual jokes, but he'd still try to tell it that he's fine and it's worse than it looks.

But if reader's Bangboo still persists in bringing him medicine, in making food for him that's easy on the stomach (I assume Bangboos can cook because Butler can? lol), or even just putting a cold compress on his head, I think he'd let it. It's easier to accept the care of a machine rather than let one of the other Section Six members see him this sick.

I imagine reader's Bangboo would let Harumasa cuddle or pat it as much as he wants! I think he's aware of how reader feels about him, but it's still a nice affirmation that they care for him. And it's just a quiet, tender little moment that Harumasa doesn't really bring up to reader, other than to vaguely reference "how cute their Bangboo can be" and how "they must think about him a lot" in order to tease them LOL

[yuechihua]

Thinking about Harumasa's feelings to reader when I listen to this song (´;︵;`)

“The night I got drunk and confessed my feelings for you

Let's forget it now

Walking together on the snowy day felt like a romantic movie scene

We must forget it now”

https://youtu.be/V1gFInEPENY?si=tF1LQ4boMRMsRNoq

I think this song encapsulates Harumasa’s feelings so well!!! T_T cherishing every moment he spends with them, even as he tries to maintain a certain distance/pull away. It’s the conflicting desires of wanting to be close vs wanting to spare the other person from heartbreak…

[yuechihua]

How do you think harumasa would react to a reader who never gets over his death? They kinda become closed off and never allow themselves to love again. Maybe they become that one grumpy old neighbor who watches kids play in on their street and when the kids notice they close the shades ominously (I'm kidding about this part). Like I know he would be dead and probably can't react but let's just say he watches over in spirit or something for funzies!

ohhhh I love this ask bc I love angst and tormenting my favorite twink <3 Let's ignore the logic of time and distance together and imagine that Harumasa is somehow aware that reader never got over him!

I think, in general, it would make him sad, haha. He's someone who's all about living in the moment and treasuring what you can, and he does everything he can so people won't be too sad after he's gone. He wants them to laugh at his funeral!!! This is the exact opposite of everything he wants!!

On the other hand, despite all his attempts to devalue himself in people's lives, he isn't fully aware of how precious he is to others. So it'll hit like a truck when he realizes how much reader loves him, and how much his death has changed them fundamentally. It's not that he wasn't aware before, but that he'd done his best to live in a way to mitigate the impacts of his eventual death. Sorry Harumasa... you can't logic your way out of attachment like that...

Also, he can't even comfort reader in any way! Everyone loses in this situation... He wants to see reader be happy, even if it means they'll be with someone else, but their happiness is tied to him...

[yuechihua]

Can't stop thinking about him...

(╯T_T）╯︵ ┻━┻

Look at his eyelashes...

He is so pretty!!!!!! the prettiest boy i know!!!!!! i love his little spiky eyelashes it's so ridiculously cute..... shaking my head rn i'll never be able to get over him

[yuechihua]

Love all your Harumasa fic 😭😭😭 the angst, the emotional damage, and the dynamic between the reader and Harumasa is all soooo gooddd (like how you write and all iss soooo) OMG 😭😭😭

Have a little idea pop out of my head :

Harumasa sees Reader as the light that he scare to approach, a faint light that someday will dissapear, and even himself will someday leave the reader.

He honestly want to get close with the reader, but the illness he have, and the wounds he have (maybe a flower can bloms in wounds) make him scare that someday the reader will also have the same wounds because of him.

Like A Name Written In Water, something that he can't leave behind or even forget it (his feelings to the reader) but he tried to hide it under his playful and teasing manner.

He just want ... the reader sees him as a goofy adult Harumasa, not as a fragile little boy on the cage :"( tried to seek answer from his master, and tried to stay alive, surviving in this world.

Anyway, that's all lol (I end up making a new idea for my school project-the teacher wants us to make a short animation, and mine is all about Harumasa).

Anyway ... KEEP UP YOUR WRITTING BROO 🗣🗣🔥🔥

Thank you so much for your kind words!!! It means a lot that you read and enjoyed all of my Harumasa fics so much <3 It's so cool that you're making a Harumasa inspired animation! I'd love to see it if you'd ever be willing to share it, haha!

And I like how you phrase Harumasa's feelings towards reader! They really are so unbearably precious to him, like a gentle light he can never hold, because he's afraid of hurting them, and, conversely, being hurt by them. So he can only look from afar, because that's the safest distance to be with them...

He definitely leans in on the teasing persona in order to disguise how he feels, and to allow himself the room to express his emotions without it being "serious." I think it's true that as much as he doesn't want to worry others, and expects a lot out of himself, he also doesn't want them to look down on him, either. He wouldn't want reader--or anyone-- to pity him, not when he's striving to survive and live his life as much as he can.

[yuechihua]

In this household, we love freaky harumasa.

In this household, we love and respect freaky harumasa, especially when the freakisms are a release of emotion and pent up desire and everything he is afraid to admit 🔥🔥🔥

[yuechihua]

I've just known that Bangboo's weight usually is around 32-40kg, that's mean if we want to carry Asaboo it will not easy like carry a plushie 😞 I always forget that Bangboo is a robot

Wait are Bangboos actually that heavy 💀 I was under the impression they were weirdly light… brb everyone I have to edit some things in my fic rn….. To carry Asaboo we will all have to work out until it’s possible 🔥

[yuechihua]

All pictures of Harumasa I've collected on Twitter. Look at this dude, he's just so....

Oh Harumasa is absolutely GORGEOUS…. His smirk in the first picture? I’m going to put him in the ground. God…. The exaggerated motions of ZZZ animation is both fun and allows for beautiful movement of Harumasa’s hair…..

[yuechihua]

oooo. yes, i’m so intrigued with your study on how harumasa sees the world, especially on love considering he (agent story spoilers) had a grey relationship with his mentor. i say grey because he didn’t know if his mentor genuinely loved him until much later, and the period of uncertainty might have caused him to adopt certain thinking patterns… if harumasa was standing in front of you (or reader) rn, what do you want to say to him? (lighter anon)

Hehe I'm excited to write about his thought process, especially because I think he has a complex relationship with intimacy... he's been abandoned by his birth parents, he's been betrayed by his mentor (and how does he reconcile the hurt with the love?), and now, he has a home with section six, but he still keeps them at a certain distance even though it's clear they mutually trust and care for each other.

i just think he wouldn't be able to deal with a conventional relationship, and actually, wouldn't have a conventional approach to love (romantic or otherwise). he favors his light-hearted facades and clings to them to the end, and disguises his vulnerability through jokes until things get too serious for him to keep that facade up. he's someone who loves other so much, and yet has difficulty receiving love at times... ohhh harumasa, the person that you are!

anyways, if harumasa was standing in front of me, i wouldnt even say a word to him. i would just immediately flip him over with a german supplex before he could do anything <3

[yuechihua]

Next time they go to the doctors office they should totally fake kiss... Y'know just to make sure...

they have to fake kiss for harumasa's health ofc. and it has to be like ten minutes long. might or might not include harumasa being pushed against the wall and some tongue (he will actually die if so). and its just for the disguise guys you dont get it. theres no other reason. next kiss has to be thirty minutes long because--