#he just has that sinister effect orz

[merakiui]

Hi hi, I love love love the way you write for jade and I would love to hear what kind of personality you have in mind when writting for him??

I seem to be struggling to do him justice with my interpretation and I would love to hear your thought process. TT

Much love!! ♡

Hello!! I'm so happy to hear you like my portrayal of Jade! I will share my thought process below. Forgive me for rambling. orz

Whenever I write him, I always envision the >:3c face because I feel like that sums up Jade's sly, smart-ass personality very well. He is quite the scheming devil who will play dumb if it's fun or entertaining, even though he most definitely already knows. He likes to be a very subtle pain, or he'll build up to it with little, seemingly insignificant things until it all comes crashing down on you at once. <3

That aside, Jade is such a complex character with a very interesting psychology! I always imagine him as being leaner than Floyd, whereas Floyd is bulkier/more broad-shouldered, and that perhaps when Jade was young he was the runt of the lot. It is said the twins chose each other when they hatched, so sometimes I like to think Jade chose Floyd in order to offset his own weaknesses and survive because runts don't often survive in the sea. Both of them are strong, although I think Floyd has more raw strength, and what Jade lacks in strength he makes up for with sharp wit and intelligence.

I like to keep a few things in mind when I'm writing Jade: body language, banter, and his upbringing in the sea. Body language is important because it's either very telling or very deceptive with him, and you can play off of both to make him seem oddly genuine or scarily evasive. In the game, he tends to cover his mouth a lot with his hand and he always stands so still and straight. He's also always smiling, and I love characters who can smile while saying the most horrendous things! Jade must always look polite, sound polite, be polite. It's the gentleman façade! Even when he's ruining your life, he will still be so polite. The type of man who appears perfect husband material, but then you look beyond the carefully crafted veneer and it is much deeper and darker.

Banter is another important facet to Jade because oh does he adore banter. I think the best reference of banter between Jade and a darling are the chapters in DRU because that's where the most banter can be found (but there's also some banter in the alpha Floyd story where Jade is being annoying about the jacket and the pastry just to get fun reactions from darling). Jade likes to annoy and push every button he can. Sometimes you'll think he does it just to get the most volatile reactions; other times it's because things have been too peaceful and quiet and Jade likes a little mischief every now and then. Banter with Jade is fun because he's so willing to engage in it. Even lighthearted arguments with him might spiral into nonsensical banter.

As for his upbringing in the sea, I just like to incorporate his being a merman whenever I can, even if it's little glimpses of his views as an ocean dweller. He is a predator, so naturally he would have that mindset even if he's temporarily human. He is also very calculated and patient. So patient!! As long as it's beneficial in some way or very entertaining, he will wait as long as he must. Though Floyd has noted that morays are cowards, so there are parts of Jade that are not as forward as others. I imagine this is why he can be so patient and wait long times because it's best to plan and observe instead of jumping in so rashly. I like to classify him as a persistence predator. Whether he wears you down with brutal mind games or the threat of Floyd or one of Azul's contracts or even with his own intimidating presence, he will delight in the waiting game.

He also has a bit of a mean streak. Like Floyd, Jade can be a bully. But unlike Floyd, Jade is an excellent actor. He's good at veiling his true emotions and intentions. His bullying of you could be lighthearted (little teasing remarks that truly aren't meant to cut deep rather than just sting enough to get a fun reaction) or something like cornering you in the desolate hallways to playfully intimidate you, momentarily allowing you to see beyond his respectful façade just to see you squirm. Of course if you have a problem with his behavior you're more than welcome to bring it up with Azul or Floyd. They won't help, and even if they did you'd certainly be gaslit to the deepest trench and back. <3 Jade has a way with words, smooth as sea glass, but those words often function as double-edged blades. Sometimes they cut; sometimes they're too dull. You'll never know what he's really thinking because he keeps the truth close to his chest like it's a winning deck of cards; even true meanings are veiled in his words, but you're never given enough time to dissect them because he keeps you on your toes.

He's also a glutton! Jade likes to eat a lot, and he eats big portions as well. I haven't really written about that facet of Jade much, but you will see a lot of it in DRU for...um;;;; obvious reasons... ^^;;; but little details like that make him unexpectedly cute. Like his fascination and love of mushrooms and hiking. It's cute and fun! Even big, scary eel has gentle hobbies (even if said hobbies include looking for the most potent mushrooms with dubious effects).

Additionally, I like to think his view of love is different from that of the standard human definition. I like to imagine Jade has very few reserves of love (most are for his family, some close friends, and even himself and his interests), so when he is able to love something he loves it wholeheartedly. Both twins are the same in this regard; when they love, they love. You'll just never know at first because Jade hides it well, but when you begin to pick up on aspects of his personality you'll begin to see his love for you is not as subtle as it once was. Essentially, you just need to get accustomed to Jade and all of his tricks to get to the real Jade who lies beneath. It's like licking a lollipop to get to the nougat lol. All of those candied layers will melt away eventually; you just need to bond with him more and he needs to trust you enough to know that it's worth showing you that deck of cards he keeps close, even if it's only for a quick peek.

Jade likes unpredictability and spontaneity. Life just wouldn't be fun if it was mundane and routine. He lives to be a nuisance. But a subtle nuisance! He still has to be sweet and polite, after all. :)

[merakiui]

Are there characters you see who just can't be yandere-ified? Like making them a yandere goes against their character or something like that? Genuinely curious. Also love your blog and hope you have a great day

Ooh, I feel like any character could be written as yandere if you try hard enough, but I think the effect it will have differs based on certain factors (such as if said character would play complex mind games or if they don't have any terrible bones in their body in canon). Or maybe I just prefer writing and reading the characters who are already villainous and work extremely well when written under the veil of yandere because they can be written to display the more messy, immoral sides of the human psyche. Characters like the Octavinelle trio and any of the Harbingers work so well as yanderes because they are already evil in their own ways, and so when writing them as yanderes you can take all of their worst traits and make them even more unbearable and terrifying.

Cheerful, sunshine characters like Kalim or Itto could work as yandere, but Kalim is still just too sweet (and Itto is really just a fun-loving himbo of an oni who could never hurt his darling or do anything remotely mean to them). The most Kalim would do is be an overbearing presence in your life who'd spoil you rotten, confine you in his very wealthy estate and call it your forever home because he's deluded himself into thinking this is what you want and this is what's best for you, and not truly hearing or seeing you when you try to voice your displeasure. And while that still makes for a good, classic yandere, I feel like it might lack the high stakes that might come with other characters (like Azul or Riddle or Scaramouche).

Now if you add Jamil into the mix and he plays the role of puppeteer behind the scenes, yandere!Kalim automatically becomes even more sinister because Kalim will see Jamil's actions as completely okay and valid because he loves and cares for you. And since Jamil always knows best, there shouldn't be any issues! Kalim even makes you believe that this is all fine and that he has your best interests in mind, and because he says it so confidently and happily you'll come to believe him. And it's much harder to escape Jamil when he's always two steps ahead of both you and Kalim, thus making escape a very tricky feat to accomplish. And his UM is literally hypnosis... orz that adds so many stakes because Jamil could very well hypnotize you into returning Kalim's (and even his) affections tenfold and you'd always be trapped and dazed in a relationship you were swept up into.

But I like to challenge myself when writing, so I would like to draft a surprising plot for characters like Kalim or Itto to really see how much they can be written as yanderes before the characterization falls apart! >:D