#(which i've talked abt before so i won't rehash here)

[datastate]

pls talk more about lurien and aster (?)

i love them both and i love how you characterise them !

aaa i'm very happy you like the both of them!!! i enjoy writing their dynamic! :D

i would love to talk more abt them though it is a little difficult w/o direction sometimes ehe. if you have anything in particular feel free to let me know!! :] in the meantime! here are some misc. thoughts i've had lately between these two:

- lurien's never really been one to be openly affectionate. it's not that he's averse to it, in fact he'll often welcome it, it's just that he typically feels it's just... not something that he should initiate.

-> something similar goes for any of his possible romantic endeavors; this habit, alongside the fact there was a long period of time he wasn't in a state to hold (several, stable) close relationships, ended up with him only ever left admiring someone from 'afar' - often never able to break past superficial endearment to find some deeper connection, whether that's friendship or a romantic relationship.

-> eventually, he essentially bars any chance of committing to a romantic relationship once he becomes 'watcher'. he is gay, but never images he'll be able to cultivate something like this, especially now due to his position within the city. he finds his peace with it. it helps that it isn't often on his mind anyhow

- i'll shut up abt romance after this point, but it makes a fun contrast for aster. where aster's been the sort to throw themself out there for their relationships to figure out who they are and how they'll fit in this world and what they want, lurien's much more reserved and, while certainly not sheltered, inexperienced in some social fields that aster traverses much more easily.

-> from this, it's surprising that they're of the few friends lurien's had to ask directly whether or not it was alright to physically reassure them - who hadn't held him first. aster's made it clear prior that they find comfort in it, and they often give it out to other friends of theirs! but never once asked that of him. it's sort of like a give and take here, where they don't want to step out of line and assume too much of their friendship, and he doesn't wish to impose anything upon them. (and though they accepted that first time, there was some lasting fear there that he unintentional placed pressure within the phrasing of his offer; thankfully, they were more comfortable afterward with allowing the two of them smaller affections)

- anyway, speaking of aster coming to terms with who they are, i feel it's very important to have them be (mostly) certain of themself prior to joining lurien's service. while there is still room for them to grow, it's just. key, to me, to have them have experience outside of lurien's influence so there isn't any underlying possible manipulation going on. if they're sure of themself and their worth, then they aren't gonna let someone treat them like shit, watcher or no.

-> alongside the above, it's weird if lurien's the one insisting they keep titles of master/servant if he wishes to have a close relationship + there should be something financially aster can fall back on. while not their favored option, it shouldn't be entirely sour. if you want lurien and aster to be close, there has to be certainty that aster has chosen this work (whether it's something they genuinely enjoy, or they chose to work in place of a friend, or it's to humble themself lmao). this removes a Lot of weird implications where lurien could like... hold that over their head, you know? not that he necessarily would, but regardless of intent, there would definitely be external pressure to abide and keep him content which just! ruins their friendship / any possible close and healthy relationship, in my eyes.

- anyway, moving on to a lighter note - where lurien loves painting (and architecture; iirc i've spoken here before on why he prefers scenery more than portraits so i won't rehash that), aster favors embroidery as their hobby. same goes with sewing. working with physical materials is just very soothing for them. it's in part why they choose their work, too. it helps keep them in the moment

-> these two have definitely made some things for each other / let the other watch them work on their art ;-; (in fact there's a wip i've got of them giving something to each other something for bug new year's bc. they. yeah <3 ... also i imagine aster isn't all that close to their family, so they've got either the option of staying with a friend over this time or staying by lurien and... esp years later on, they tend to favor time with him :] )

- i feel like. although lurien and hegemol were close, aster and hedge could never quite click with one another. it became especially difficult after lurien became a dreamer bc. well. you've got someone who was also close to the person you cared for years on end. all they're doing now is reminding you of the person you've lost. for both of them, they end up avoiding each other where possible. it's just how they've grown accustomed to coping when other people embody the issue. aster's dealt with it countless times in their past, and in this case they cannot move past that cowardice; hegemol did the same upon his suspicions toward thk, keeping it out of sight when possible for his peace of mind.

- this is quickly leading into heavy territory, but i feel like... lurien, himself, was already counting down the days to when his life would be put to an end for the dreamer plan. and that's in part why he concealed the purpose of his visits with other dreamers / the king from aster. when he ultimately revealed he was to 'be set to rest' by the end of the season for the infection to be put to an end, aster was... deeply hurt. while they understood why he did this, it didn't stop them from feeling like he didn't trust them. which was just... there was such little time for them to process that whirlwind of emotions before he essentially died, so they ended up emotionally closing off - this only served to strengthen lurien's argument and he was so certain he was in the right that he didn't recognize it was just the little time that caused them to shut down, and just. wow. it became very messy very quickly

-> don't get me wrong! most of the time these two find it fairly easy to communicate, but. when you're talking about premeditated death. well... it's a difficult subject. and lurien, as proven, is one reluctant to change. he didn't want things between aster to change, and withheld information for that reason. he knew it was selfish, but 'ignorance is bliss' and all. (and deceit isn't necessarily such a crime in his eyes; it reflects integrity yes, but ultimately it is one's actions which count their merit.)

i'm sure i've written some fics/made posts on all of these before but . yep! some thoughts. i apologize if it's a little spotty / hard to read :'D i have a lot of thoughts on them but idk what thoughts to try to summarize and i haven't even finished my full document on how i write their characters / what the character's comprised of and that's for my own reference ahvmgsd

#ty for the ask!! :] <3 #i am sorry if none of these hit the points you wanted ahgmvsd #ask #anonymous #hk posting #long post