#Protagonist Development

[joncronshawauthor]

The Intertwined Themes of Revenge and Morality in "Guild of Assassins"

As a writer, one of my primary goals is to create stories that not only entertain but also challenge readers to consider deeper questions about the human experience. In my upcoming dark fantasy novel, “Guild of Assassins,” I’ve woven a tapestry of themes that explore the complexities of vengeance, morality, and personal identity. At its core, “Guild of Assassins” is a story about the consuming…

[ancientroyalblood]

Character Growth and Change: Crafting Dynamic Protagonists

Characters aren’t static entities frozen in time; they are living, breathing entities that evolve, learn, and change. As I embark on the journey of exploring character growth and change, my thoughts meander through the profound responsibility a writer bears in crafting protagonists that resonate not just at the beginning, but throughout the entire narrative. The Seed of…

[deikshen]

One day, Shen Qingqiu comes from the city with a little baby in his arms. He says: "His mother died during childbirth and I am taking care of him." He names the child Shen Yuan when he is old enough to give him a name, and the child grows up in Qing Jing.

Everyone, absolutely everyone, believes that Shen Qingqiu is the biological father of that child. Only have to LOOK at them both and see the resemblance: the same eyes, the same hair, the same facial structure, the same lips, even the same angry pout. Rumors - Shen Qingqiu had a child with a prostitute who died and now he is taking care of him!! - are open secrets.

Shen Qingqiu, as usual, ignores them. He cares for his little one, raising him with the closest thing other Peak Lords can call love. Impeccable robes, the best meals, the best early education. Shen Yuan grows up as a polite, gentle, kind-hearted, sweet-faced child. He frees insects before killing them, isn't afraid to dirty his robes if he must go after someone, and has an avid interest in beasts and monsters beyond comprehension. The Peak Lords jokingly think: this child has taken his father's face and surely the good heart of his mother, may she rest in peace.

When he comes of age, he doesn't even have to dig a hole to be chosen for Qing Jing Peak - everyone knows that Shen Qingqiu has already made a place for him there. However, Shen Yuan insists on doing it on his own! He wants to earn his place. The Peak Lords respect him for it, and there are various interests, but he still ends up in Qing Jing Peak.

And Shen Yuan becomes Shen Qingqiu's clear first disciple. He is a skilled scholar, excellent martial artist who is not afraid to tear someone rude with foul words, but with an almost natural disposition to be kind, sweet and gentle with those who deserve and require it.

It is then that Luo Binghe arrives at Qing Jing Peak.

The Peak Lords hear of the rumors and they spread them like pollen in spring: apparently there has been a HUGE discussion between Shen Qingqiu and his spoiled son! Something involving a child with water burns, a beating, and a woodshed. No one understands what happened, but a day later, Shen Yuan completely disappeared from the Cang Qiong Sect.

And he has taken a young disciple with him.

Shen Qingqiu begins to act as if he never had a son - as if his whole life has been all about him, hostile and unpleasant. His mood is worse than ever and his cruelty is undeniable. No one understands what has happened between father and son, but these are rumors that even if whispered, bring the very bad faces of Shen Qingqiu. And no one wants to be behind Shen Qingqiu's wrath when it is unleashed.

(Shen Yuan had transmigrated. Into a baby! Into Shen Qingqiu's son! Yes, indeed his memories had been gradually unlocked, thank god. It would have been so weird to be a baby with the mindset of an adult... And he had believed, for a long time, that perhaps Shen Qingqiu could change. That loving him and caring for him would make him better when Luo Binghe reached Cang Qiong.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

So, Shen Qingqiu can hate him for this reason if he wants! But Shen Yuan has to leave there and take Luo Binghe with him. He will teach him cultivation and do everything to make him become a powerful cultivator before his demonic seal is unleashed, he will do everything possible to prevent him from the Endless Abyss, and will prevent Shen Qingqiu from being turned into a human stick.

Probably, a single night of punishment and humiliation wasn’t enough for Luo Binghe to want revenge so hard. Actually?? He just would save the lives of all his martial uncles and his father in the process to kindly educate Luo Binghe and make him as powerful yet happy as possible. They should thank him!! He's sacrificing himself, his comforts, and his reputation to save everyone's asses!!!)

...

(Although Shang Qinghua had wanted to give Shen Qingqiu a son - a magical pollen pregnancy between Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu, which Shen Qingqiu would NEVER tell Yue Qingyuan was his child until the very last moment - for the drama and secondary revenge and angst 7/9, that had been a damn draft!!! He didn't even get to develop the background of Yue Qingyuan and Shen Jiu!!! And now that son ran away with his Protagonist!? System, what's going on!? Why do HE make sure the Endless Abyss arc be completed!? He doesn't even fucking know where the protagonist is!!! System have mercy on AND HELP!!!)

[filialdisciple]

bingqiu au where sy is thrown into the unexpectedly female body of sqq. so when sy finds out, he gets carried away with the bright idea that the best way to avoid the terrible fate of the original goods is to take on the role of a mother-figure for luo binghe.

after all, in pidw there were only two roles for good-looking women like him (and really he didn't expect the original goods to look this good actually. no wonder airplane never posted official art for this man—woman?—the dudebros would definitely clamor to make sqq part of binghe's harem despite all the abuse and torment he—she??—put the man through) that won't end in getting his entire body ripped apart: a) fall in love with luo binghe and join his harem or b) be a mother-figure for binghe and tragically die.

his prospects were, at face value, not very promising. he wasn't female so he couldn't possibly fall in love with binghe so sy has no choice but to follow through with the latter.

the system is surprisingly silent when his mind races through the idea and doesn't raise any complaints about sy messing with the plot this way.

sy believes that, with all his stock knowledge of murim and fantasy worlds, he can avoid the fates that often befell these types of characters—often sacrificial deaths that lead to the protagonist's next power-up. he could gather all the artifacts for level-ups and give them to binghe at the right time!

another good way to lock in on the surviving mother-figure role is by promising to be present during the protagonist's wedding. so he does just that (not understanding the dazed look that enters his bun's face) and, to really make sure, also promises the same for all of binghe's wives (to ning yingying, luo mingyan, wife #124 a defected qiong ding disciple, etc.).

suddenly, everyone in cang qiong is abuzz over rumors of sqq wanting a wedding/looking for a husband/getting wedding fever/etc. the rumors have all jumbled up at this point into a massive mess at this point.

lqg and yqy are trying to figure out if sqq is trying to subtly shoot them a sign by approaching their sister/disciple.

meanwhile, sy thinks that he's totally got this and how on track he is with his plan when binghe accidentally slips and calls him, "mom" one time. unfortunately, all he did was stir up the hidden pseudo-oedipus complex in his poor bun.

[fredicia]

Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher

[lloydfrontera]

what would alicia do if javier turned up at the tournament in a dress and a wig actually?

like. she would recognize him for sure so. does she confront him?? does she out him in front of everyone??? does she take him aside to ask him what the fuck he's doing?? i mean the answer is pretty clear, she made the rules herself, lloyd's the prize and if javier is there to participate he's also there to win but like. what the fuck nonetheless.

or does she just. let him in. does she even try at that point. because if javier's participating it's no longer a matter of whether he's gonna win, its about how badly she's gonna lose.

what do you even do if you organize a competition you're sure to win to marry a guy and then at the last moment his best friend, the only person in the world who can defeat you, turns up and signs in to participate. what's the royal protocol there.

[akkariynn-tries-her-best]

The Sky! This time Tsuna for a print. Man I'm having such a great time revisiting khr after all these years. Sobbing each time the "awakening" ost plays. Thank you Akira Amano.

[therealstonedelephant]

sukugo is a crack ship TO YOU. to me it's a perfectly legitimate ship, held back within the canon universe principally due to adherence to classic genre structures and not by lack of character compatibility

[lezabeththetheodoraimposter]

such an awful reality this is that writing a series with a female lead means there will always be people who think they’re annoying or poorly written no matter who they are

inspired by this post

[flowerbloom-arts]

AU where the Shifting Mound doesn't snatch the Damsel so soon and you have to deal with the repercussions of existing past "Happily Ever After" with a voluntarily undeveloped Sweet Love Interest™.

(also, yippee finally found a way to put my 2 interests together!!)

(absolutely incomprehensible ramble under the cut.)

Okay so I'm going to make this as understandable as possible for the uninitiated, whether it be for the Moomin comic strip or the franchise at large.

The plushie the Damsel is holding is that of the Snork Maiden (or just Snorkmaiden), the girlfriend/love interest for the main character, Moomintroll. Now, Snorkmaiden is an interesting and largely misunderstood character, especially when it comes to her comic version where she's a bit of a "promiscuous" character who oftentimes ditches Moomintroll for another man when she sees fit, this is where the misunderstanding lies.

Snorkmaiden haters will dismiss this (if they were to read the comics, because in all honesty they aren't that widely considered or even read in the fandom) as an addition to her general unlikeability as an "obstacle" to the fandom's main gay ship between Moomintroll and his best friend, Snorkmaiden sympathizers will leap to justify this with the good ol' It Was Heteronormativity All Along, which is a very... Honestly lazy reading/justification of her character which doesn't hold up under scrutiny. I, however, have an obviously superior reading of her character (/not serious)

Snorkmaiden simply has a very different definition of romance or at least wants to gain something different out of the concept of romance as opposed to the general public perception built up around it, one which even Moomintroll can't even begin to grasp.

What she gets out of romance, and where it begins and ends for her, is the adventurous fall and honeymoon of it, and each new man she gets into a relationship with is thematically appropriate to the adventure/problem of the week that she and her boyfriend's family are currently facing. When she goes to the French Riviera she starts dating a rich actor because it is a tourist shoreline city where all the celebrities go, when she finds herself in the wintery unknown (she and the Moomins usually hibernate through it, they're creatures like that) she catches a crush on a professional winter sportsman, when she decides to live a hedonist life because some self-proclaimed prophet came in and told everyone to she decides to start it by running away with someone new, when she gets a job as a secretary she falls in love with a coworker who is really interested in accounting, so on and so forth. Even with Moomintroll, they fell in love upon her introduction and Moomintroll signifies a new life in the valley in which they currently live in.

And in the end all of these new romances fall apart either due to unfortunate circumstances, Moomintroll's jealous intervention or her simply becoming disinterested eventually, and in the end of all of them she returns to Moomintroll, as per formulaic comic strip storytelling. (I must mention that Moomintroll also falls in love with other women based on their looks, and he also fell in love with Snorkmaiden because he thought she was pretty, so, he's not that much better really)

This is a repeating cycle, one that Snorkmaiden is simply incapable of breaking out of due to the conventions of her narrative. No matter what she tries, where she goes, who she gets with, she'll always end up back in Moomintroll's arms whether he "earns it back through chivalry" or she runs back to him much to her previous chagrin. It's a self-fulfilling cycle too, in one comic it's shown that she's so used to Moomintroll's behavior that it sours her current relationship with an already bad partner even further. If she was capable of Truly Leaving then she stopped being capable at that point. Snorkmaiden is stuck with a long-term boyfriend when she normally strives in a short-term relationship.

She's also deeply entrenched in romance tropes and loves to roleplay them with Moomintroll, and especially loves them when she thinks they're real, these tropes she fancies usually tend toward kidnapping (and not alot of rescuing) or romantic sacrifice such as dueling or... Romeo and Juliet. These things are extensions of her ideas on what romance is, more about the short-term thrill than the long-term contentment.

Of course, with most Moomin media having a child demographic as opposed to the adult newspaper readers of the comics, Snorkmaiden's character in adaptations of these stories get presented without the depth or the means for that depth, as she gets presented as either a somewhat boring playdate to Moomintroll with grand, childish ideas of romance or a naggy girlfriend whom the writers try to make feminist but ultimately fails to deliver on anything subversive or substantial.

How this ties into the Princess is the cyclical nature of it all, the choices with no branching ends, the new experiences with seemingly no development, the change and then the sudden stop. And with the Damsel in particular it is the reduction of such an interesting and intriguing person full of potential to a cutout of a simple Love Interest. All that anguish is suddenly washed away into something more palatable, a parody of a fairytale princess, a goodness so pure that it is sickening, no motivation behind the eyes except for one simple goal.

Now. Don't get me wrong, the Damsel is my favorite princess, between the Adversaries and the Towers and the Witches and Wilds, the Damsel is the one which captivated my singular interest, becaus I'm not immune to her trappings of adorable beauty and saccharine sweetness with no other motivation than to make her hero happy, I believe that it's a combination of the player's desire for her to be a normal princess they can have a happy ending with but also her willfully stripping herself out of guilt of what she's done to the player.

She stripped herself of any real personhood just to make us happy, and that is the purest motivation anyone can have, really, a terribly misguided one but the sentiment is immeasurable. I pity her and I love her and I want her to be so genuinely happy because of what she's gone through but I know very well that she's incapable of that because the decisions the player chose made her that way, she is made incapable of genuine happiness without total dependence on the player's feelings and that really breaks my heart.

It breaks my heart when she's reduced to a crappy middle school anime drawing when she's put through the pressure of getting interrogated or being told strange things about what would make the player happy.

It breaks my heart when she's finally free but then immediately met with the coldness of the Shifting Mound and thought that coldness was happiness.

It breaks my heart when she accepts her second death with tears in her eyes and a smile because she thinks that's what made the player happy, and yet somehow she couldn't accept it as a real decision the player made on their own because in the first time she was warned that they were possessed, so the only conclusion she could come up with was that the cabin was causing this pain and so as the Grey she decides to burn the whole place to the ground and stare at you lovingly until her face melts away.

It breaks my heart that the Grey is in a wedding dress, on top of that.

She's so desperate to cling onto the first person to show her kindness that she seems to have become broken over it. She's so terribly tragic that I can't help but keep thinking about her and the million heartbreaks knowing that she's so lovely and selfless but she wasn't Real anymore.

I want her to have a massive fairytale wedding like at the end of Disney's old Cinderella movie and live forever with some physical manifestation of Voice of the Smitten. I want her to come back to personhood and cry and not be snapped like a twig over it. I want the Damsel to be happy in any way she seems fit to be but I know that can never happy, both by the nature of the game but also in the very programming of her character.

She is trapped, whether it's in the cabin, her own circular mentality or as part of the Shifting Mound, she's incapable of of being really free as her own person unless you count the ending of us leaving with the no-blade blade starter princess.

... And that's why I think she should hold a massive Snorkmaiden fair prize won by her darling new butch knight girlfriend.

[small-z24]

Shadows of Fate 1

Summary:

Y/n, Cassian's shy and quiet sister, prefers to keep to the shadows. Unbeknownst to her, she is Azriel's mate. His shadows are inexplicably drawn to her, and as they grow closer, a slow-burn romance ensues. Cassian, ever protective of his sister, watches over her as the bond between Y/n and Azriel deepens.

Word Count: 1032

Warnings: None

Chapter 1: The Shadows Find Her

Y/n had always preferred the quiet corners of the Night Court. While Cassian thrived in the heart of every battle and social gathering, she found solace in the shadows, where she could observe without being observed. The grand halls and bustling rooms of the House of Wind often felt overwhelming to her, and she would retreat to the less frequented areas, finding peace in the stillness.

It was in these shadows that she first encountered Azriel.

She was tucked away in a dimly lit corner of the library, a book in hand, when she felt a curious sensation. It was as if the shadows themselves were reaching out to her, curling around her in a protective embrace. She looked up, her breath catching as she saw Azriel standing a few feet away, his intense hazel eyes locked onto hers.

"Hello, Y/n," he said softly, his voice a gentle caress.

"Hello, Azriel," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. She had always admired the Spymaster from afar, but his presence now was both comforting and unsettling.

Azriel took a step closer, his shadows swirling around him, almost as if they were drawn to her. "I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"No, not at all," Y/n said, closing her book. "I was just reading."

He nodded, his gaze lingering on her face. "I’ve seen you around here often. You seem to prefer the quiet places."

She smiled shyly. "I do. It's peaceful."

Azriel's shadows brushed against her, and she felt a strange sense of connection. "I understand. I find peace in the shadows too."

They spent the next hour talking quietly, sharing stories of their childhoods and their lives in the Night Court. Y/n found herself opening up to Azriel in a way she hadn’t with anyone else, not even Cassian.

The next few days saw Azriel and Y/n encountering each other more frequently. Every time Y/n sought out her quiet refuge, Azriel seemed to be there, as if the shadows themselves guided him to her. The connection between them grew stronger with each meeting, their conversations delving deeper into personal histories and shared dreams.

One afternoon, while Y/n was browsing through the ancient texts in the far corner of the library, she felt a familiar presence. She turned to see Azriel leaning against the doorway, watching her with a soft smile.

"You always manage to find the most secluded spots," he remarked, walking over to join her.

She laughed lightly, the sound musical and soothing. "It's a talent of mine."

Azriel’s smile widened. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," she replied, motioning to the chair beside her.

As they sat together, Azriel’s shadows began to playfully swirl around Y/n, almost like they were welcoming her. She reached out a hand, letting the shadows dance over her fingers, their cool touch sending shivers down her spine.

"Your shadows seem to like me," she observed, her eyes meeting his.

"They do," Azriel admitted, his voice tinged with something she couldn’t quite place. "They’re drawn to you, just like I am."

Y/n’s heart skipped a beat at his words. There was a depth to his gaze, an intensity that both excited and frightened her. She looked away, trying to calm her racing thoughts.

Azriel reached out, gently tilting her chin back towards him. "You don’t have to hide from me, Y/n. I see you."

Her breath caught in her throat, the vulnerability in his words breaking down her walls. "I’m not used to being seen," she whispered.

"Then let me be the one to see you," he replied softly, his thumb brushing over her cheek. "All of you."

Their encounters became a daily occurrence. Azriel would often find Y/n in the library, the garden, or some other quiet corner of the House of Wind. Each time, his shadows would eagerly greet her, wrapping around her like a protective cloak.

One evening, as the sun set over Velaris, Y/n found herself in the garden, tending to the flowers. She had always found solace in nature, the vibrant colors and delicate scents grounding her. She was lost in thought when she felt a familiar presence beside her.

"Beautiful evening," Azriel commented, his voice low and soothing.

"It is," she agreed, looking up at him with a smile. "I come here to clear my mind."

Azriel nodded, his eyes reflecting the golden light of the setting sun. "I understand. It’s one of my favorite places too."

They walked through the garden together, their conversation flowing effortlessly. Y/n found herself opening up about her hopes and fears, the dreams she had for the future. Azriel listened intently, his presence a comforting anchor.

As they reached a secluded bench, Azriel turned to her, his expression serious. "Y/n, there’s something I need to tell you."

She looked at him, her heart racing. "What is it?"

He took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving hers. "I think... I think you might be my mate."

The world seemed to stop at his words. Y/n felt a whirlwind of emotions, fear, and hope battling within her. "Mate?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

Azriel nodded, his expression earnest. "I’ve felt a connection to you since the moment we met. My shadows are drawn to you, just as I am. I’ve never felt this way about anyone."

Y/n took a step back, her mind racing. "This is... a lot to take in."

"I know," Azriel said softly, reaching out to take her hand. "And we can take things as slowly as you need. But I want you to know that I’m here for you, always."

She looked into his eyes, seeing the sincerity and love there. Slowly, she nodded, a tentative smile forming on her lips. "Thank you, Azriel. I think... I think I feel the same way."

As they sat on the bench, the sun dipping below the horizon, Y/n felt a sense of peace she had never known before. She knew the journey ahead would be filled with challenges, but with Azriel by her side, she felt ready to face whatever came their way.

Author's Note: Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this part. Feel free to leave a comment or send me prompts!

[wintermav]

I was today’s years old when I realized that part of my poolverine fixation actually began years ago with my first born child… sterek.

[swordscleric]

I can't stop thinking about the post from a few days ago about how Critical Role has been great at doing personal faith but didn't put the necessary work in to discuss the religious/god angle of c3 in-depth. Like the fact that Cardinal Respa was linked to both the Dawnfather and the Chained Oblivion is, on a personal level, very interesting (fallen/corrupted priest goes hard) but like does that mean that there's a Papacy somewhere in Exandria dedicated to the Dawnfather? If so, are there more cardinals who ordain the bishops of the Dawnfather? Are there Conclave-level intrigues going on in the Dawnfather's Sistine Chapel? Why is the Dawnfather so Christianity-coded in vibes alone if there's no actual outline of his religious organisations? With Downfall the Dawnchild/Dawnfather thing makes the allusions to Christ as Son of God co-existing with the Father textual - was there a Dawnfather Schism around whether the Dawnchild was a separate mortal? Was there a Reformation about how the Dawnfather's Pope kept selling indulgences? Is that why the priest of the Dawnfather Grog & Pike offer a drink to doesn't partake because of a cultural shift between Protestant-Temperance-League-coded and Catholic-coded Dawnfather congregations? Why do I have so many questions about the religious organisation of one of the most important Prime Deities in Exandria and to Critical Role's 3 campaigns? How on earth were the cast (and us as the viewers!) meant to care about the gods if all they had were "really tall kings" instead of interrogating how religious organisations provide both a place of healing and community to a wide range of people and also a place of horrific harm and abuse for a wide range of people?

[critterbitter]

Do you think you'll draw the nimbasa trio catching their first Pokemon that's not their starter on their journey?

Definitely! It’s just a matter of getting there, haha. I am but one vaguely man shaped blob with a hyperfixation. Mortal needs like sleep and hand pains stop me from vomiting every brain idea I have.

I actually got this question multiple times, so to answer! I am not going to be drawing the nimbasa trio getting another pokemon until their late teens unless a brainworm strikes. (So no new pokemon during the current snapshot series haha.)

Why?

From a canon perspective, well:

Most npc trainers you meet on route have 2-4 pokemon, so I’m gonna try to keep within that amount until the trio settles in Nimbasa and have the revenue/space to upkeep a full pokemon team.

From a meta perspective, wellllll:

Another caught pokemon means character development, and I, ah... right now, I just wanna draw a candle, a zebra, and an eel. I love painting. But fitting seven or more characters on a canvas is, er… Make me draw more guys and I’ll melt like a vanniluxe on a summer day.

If people are curious for some pokemon headcannons though (note that this is not canon— pokemon gave me a puddle of information, so I’m taking the shovel to dig an ocean.)

- ingo saw a colony of dwebble collecting rocks while in the desert, and he’s been enamored ever since. He’s been trying to convince a dwebble to join his team for a while. Unfortunately, Ingo’s very excited and dwebble are naturally shy. (It doesn’t help that litwick can get mean when jealous.)

- emmet loves double battles and teams up with a lot of wild pokemon— but he doesn’t click with anybody until much further in the future. Me thinks his expectations are a tad too high from having such a good start with tynamo. He’s worked with multiple growlithes and thinks Helping Hand is the coolest shit ever.

- emmet’s first “caught” pokemon would be archen. More like “lab grown” and “lovingly hatched”, but it’s the thought that counts. Thinking once again about squab archen…

- elesa found her two emolga in the trash. She was going to release them after fostering, but got attached.

For future plans:

(The pokemon the twins live with and are officially part of the team (named at what stage the twins meet them! Note that everybody becomes fully evolved at somepoint.)

Ingo— litwick, dwebble, drillbur, and axew.

Emmet— tynamo, archen(lint roller), joltik, and durant.

They also have pokemon coworkers that don’t live with them, but agree to help in battles for exp and wages— kliklank twins, garbadore, shelmet and karablast, boldore (atlas), and gurdur)

And for our favorite electric gym leader:

Elesa— blitzle, the emolga twins (em and molga), stunfisk, mareep

(She has pokemon coworkers Eelektross (eela), zebrastrika (motorbreak), and Galvulanta (Lanta) who have a similar set up to the twins— the pokemon agree to work with Elesa for exp and wages, but otherwise have their own lives.)

(Fun headcanon: pokemon who are raised by humans tend to keep human nicknames. It’s not always the case, but it’s a common enough trend for research studies.)

[eulogyofaninsect]

Sometimes, the hand-drawn world gives way to something more… digital. (We take no responsibility for any suspicious executables you might open.)

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[decarabias]

shuake’s mutual "hmmm" at first sight vibe is so so good. the core motivation for them getting to know each other is really just "what the hell is this guy's deal?"

akechi's side is pretty obvious — what better way to supplement your monitoring of the phantom thieves than befriending their leader?

but ren's side is almost more interesting to me here, especially because he largely approaches his non-phantom thief confidants from a completely transactional perspective. akechi kind of starts off that way too, because he plays his hand too early by unintentionally revealing that he's seen them in the metaverse, and then follows that up with essentially concern trolling about their methods on national television. so of course that's going to pique ren's interest.

and then somewhere amidst the "you don't know that i know that you know" 4D chess of it all, they genuinely become friends despite both of them knowing that they're on a collision course that won't end well. they’re so much.