#and i also liked seeing mr boss be like momentarily taken aback and actually somewhat aggressive again

[5hrignold]

glep being like thousands of years old has me wondering if that’s a critter thing like they either can be immortal or live to an absurd amount of time like that or it’s just a glep thing like it would be the case for him regardless of species

[notthatiwilleverwriteit]

do you think she li has a crush on jian yi?

Good afternoon, dear anon-san!

Since I received this ask so soon after the previous one, I assume it was prompted by me saying that I don’t think SL is in love with MGS and/or feels threatened by HT because of romantic jealousy. Just thought I would mention the potential context, so everyone reading this is on the same page.

To be on the safe side, I’m going to begin my answer with a little disclaimer: I’m a firm believer of “ship and let ship”. As far as I’m concerned, people are free to ship whatever characters they want and it’s not up to me to judge them for it. I will not call anyone toxic, problematic, trash or otherwise bash them for their ships. I may not share your love for a particular ship but I would always stand up for your right to ship whatever you want. I’m not about dictating and moralizing. I have many dark or otherwise controversial ships myself, so I know how it feels when people assume things about you based on what you like or are interested in in a fictional setting.

Okay? Okay.

“do you think she li has a crush on jian yi?”

No, I do not think SL is interested in JY in a romantic way. Personally, I have never interpreted their interactions as SL having a crush on JY and I would say this ship is based on people’s personal interpretations rather than canon. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t ship it.

All that being said, though, I think I can guess what moments have sparked this ship (ch. 179, 180, 203):

(Sorry for the nipple censor, but this is the kind of world we be living now.)

I mean, it’s not like I can’t see why some people would read those moments as some sort of tension between them created by SL or as SL being interested in JY. When someone dries their dripping wet and sticky sixpack on your shirt - while you’re still wearing said piece of clothing - or tells you to lick them clean, you don’t need to squint for sexual undertones or struggle to let your imagination go from there. I would even go as far as saying that this is how I picture SL being when he’s flirting with someone. There would be a glint of danger in his eyes, and it would be difficult to say how serious he’s being. He would do something and then just...observe. He would say something like “lick it clean” without even really expecting you to comply but that’s not why he’s saying it anyway. Like with pretty much everything when it comes to SL, it would be about mind games.

Perhaps a bit paradoxically, that side of SL is also partly why I don’t see him being romantically interested in JY. I think SL knows JY is the weakest link of the foursome and likes to mess with him. And JY - being the way he is - bravely talks back to him before the sense of DANGER kicks in. JY is brave and cowardly at the same time, and I think SL was momentarily taken aback by it and finds it amusing in his own twisted way (ch. 179, 180, 241):

I imagine not many people would dare to talk to SL like JY does. Even if JY’s courage stems from momentary impulse and is rather quick to give in to the fact JY is loudly talking back to a rather dangerous person. SL, on the other hand, seems amused by JY’s bravery and perhaps he’s even interested in it. Overall, SL strikes me as a character who’s very interested in observing people - their behavior patterns and reactions - because that’s ultimately how he can gain control over them and manipulate them. But make no mistake, whenever SL and JY interact, SL is very much in control of the situation - both mentally and physically. All he needs to do is to take a step closer to JY and smile like a cat about to devour a defenseless canary with a broken wing.

Even if I can I see how all of that could be interpreted as romantic/sexual tension or SL being interested in JY romantically, I read it as SL just being his twisted self. To him, JY is like an open book, and it seems to entertain SL to just repeatedly leaf through the pages whenever he bumps into JY.

Though, I think the main reason why I can’t see SL having a crush on JY lies in why he got interested in JY in the first place. This is my theory of how it went down (ch. 116, 117):

MGS and JY bumped into each other, and MGS took it as disrespect - as one would if they’re a delinquent boss. However, even if MGS could have easily won the fight against JY, he picked the wrong kid to get particular with. Instead of easy victory and not having his strength questioned, he was forced to back down by HT and submit in front of his own crew. And this is the early-days MGS we’re talking about, so you can take a guess on how much he was looking for a warm human face to plow his fists into after that humiliation. (A lot is the answer.) Somehow SL heard about this clash and JY’s name was mentioned. It may have been MGS himself or someone telling SL what had gone down. I imagine SL is pretty on top of different groups and crews at school. And from what I have understood, SL and MGS’s groups have a superior-subordinate type of dynamic, so SL kind of needs to be informed. Either way, I think that was the first time SL connected the name Jian Yi with his face when it was brought to his attention because of the beef MGS had with him.

Though, I’m not sure if I’m the only with this idea.

Regardless of the details, I think both HT and SL knew who exactly JY was before they got closer to him. Or if not exactly who, they at least had a strong feeling. I’m under the impression that Mr. Jian is somewhat of a big shot in the underworld, and his name rings a bell among people who are connected to the same world. And it seems JY’s existence isn’t as big of a secret as the people protecting him would like. SL might not have known who the kid was but the name Jian Yi surely made it at least worth looking into him.

So, I would say SL got interested in JY and continues to keep an eye on him because JY is potentially a huge game piece and romantic feelings don’t really fit into that equation. I’m not saying SL has a plan as to how to use JY yet but I imagine being aware of his close proximity is an advance. Above all, knowledge is power. Especially in a world where you can’t afford not to know and get yourself caught off guard.

When it comes to 19 Days canon, I don’t think SL has romantic or sexual feelings for anyone. I don’t think those things even matter to him that much or he sees them as a way to observe and control people. That being said, though, the idea of SL having someone that actually matters to him or someone who manages to have power over him is very interesting to me. I would love to see that. The potential layers of that relationship would be insane. I feel like whatever “love” SL shared with someone else would always be tinted with some heavy psychological elements.

God, I want to know more about this character.

Thank you for your question, dear anon-san!