Oh my! Of course you can, Sowainne! It's not everyday I get to see a fanfic of my charavters >///< it's almost 1AM over here though so it will take some time for me to answer later in the morning～
No worries, please take your time! I've already been at it for a month so I'm not in any rush LOL I have a few in mind for now, you can totally ignore any that you just don't feel like answering, it's just for fun!
So this fic is...basically me writing in Gale as a love interest too LOL I really really like him and wanted to cope with the bittersweet ending by making up my own, it's pure wish fulfillment LOL so it's sort of a retelling from the perspective of a different MC, and I guess because of that I'm wondering what a relationship with him would look like in general? It's hard for me to get a grasp on his personality since most of his screen time is him putting on an act and I'm not 100% confident in my portrayal of him just yet.
Honestly, anything you could tell me about what he and Kaiden are like on their own time would be so helpful LOL just how their minds work, how they view themselves, anything that helps me understand their perspective would be so appreciated.
Also! 'Cause of Kai's...issues, we don't really get to see what he's like as a romantic partner, since he keeps most of his feelings to himself. I was wondering if you'd be willing to give me a general idea of what both he and Gale are like when they fall in love?
Things like, how do they act when they start having those feelings, are they the type to keep it to themselves or do either of them want to take initiative? [Maybe assuming that they're in a slightly less dire situation, I understand that for them love isn't exactly on the table right now, so I'm bending logic a little here LOL]
I guess I'm basically asking what they're like at different stages of a relationship. When they're crushing, and then when they're actually in the relationship, cause this is a VERY long fic and it covers the entire story, so it's very much an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers sort of thing LOL I'm curious about how they feel about the progression as it happens.
Are they the type to reject warm fuzzy feelings when they first happen? Or are they happy to be falling in love? Do either of them try to fight it when they realize what's happening, or do they accept it? Just stuff like that!
And I was wondering if Kaiden is particularly touch-averse? The MC I'm writing does tend to be more physically affectionate, and I wasn't certain if he or Gale would appreciate that or not. It doesn't happen early on, she waits until they're closer before initiating much contact, but I was curious about whether he would ever want to be touched because of everything beneath his armor.
I feel like these are already questions that are really complicated, and I don't wanna ask too many right away, so I have just one more for now, I hope these aren't too hard to answer LOL
Would you be able to tell me what sort of traits that they find particularly endearing, and/or attractive? I'd like to know what they would look for in a romantic partner, in an ideal world where they are actually interested in dating LOL I've tried to make an MC that I think pairs well with both of them, but I wanna make sure that I haven't totally misread their characters and written up someone that annoys them in a not-fun way
I hope this isn't too much I'm a little embarrassed honestly, I've never actually talked to a creator for the stuff that I'm writing before, so please tell me if I overstepped at all or if I'm being way too much!
--Okay I lied I was reading over this before posting and I wanted to ask a very stereotypical question LOL what are their love languages? both giving and receiving, if that's okay. Gale SEEMS like the type to do acts of service, but I have no idea how he would want someone to show him their love language.
Kaiden stumps me I truly have no idea what his preference would be LOL Okay I'm done now, sorry again and thank youuu
No problem at all, Sowainne!
I'm really happy that you want to make a fanfic about Gale. I'm a little sad when I can't write his route (it's one of the stretch goals during my Indiegogo campaign so I did plan his route briefly!)
I will do my best to answer your questions one by one!
1. I'm wondering what a relationship with him would look like in general?
First of all, Kaiden and Gale have simple mindsets. They came from a humble background so their education is limited and can be a bit gullible... Due to that, the nobles sometimes took advantage of them. While Kaiden persisted on trying to gain people's approval, Gale on the other side, eventually developed a wary habit/easy to be suspicious of people's intention (Hence, he didn't hesitate to point an arrow at Maya the first time they met lol)
He will definitely be wary of new people until he knows whether your intentions are true or not.
2. How do they act when they start having those feelings, are they the type to keep it to themselves or do either of them want to take initiative?
Kaiden and Gale have different approaches/understanding about romance/affection. Kaiden used to be the type like Mitra (if you played Winged Ones you'll understand :'D if not, let's say he used to be the warm and fuzzy type, innocent and gullible too). But ever since his personality became twisted... Well, if you played his route, you'll notice that he will test you more than once and rejected your approach countless of times, but once he accepts your, he will be the devoted type. He is very obssessive/paranoid with his partner. Kaiden's love language is skinship, he likes to feel your warmth. He will take initiative as much as you allow him and he will be a very jealous boyfriend that will cover your eyes whenever you try to look at other men.
Now enough about Kaiden x'D
Gale though, is the shy and quiet type once he deems you're not scheming anything behind him. He won't accept skinship on the early stages, but he will give you attention through other things, such as he will give you drinking water when he notice you're thirsty, fill your a bowl of food first before his (this is big since food is considered precious when he was a child, he lived in the slums, remember?), and his eyes will follow your movements. Basically, he will take care of you since he considered you one of his friends now.
Gale's love is the type that is calm and constant. That is, as long as you did the same. Because of his humble background, he is the type that will hide his feelings because he knows there are other people better than him. That can provide better, because he's not the type to chase wealth and content with whatever he has. Because his life right now is much better than the slums and he wants to keep it that way. Therefore, you will have to take the initiative in order to get closer to Gale and prove to him that your love is true and with marriage in mind/to be partners in life, not just a fling. Being constant with your actions is the key with Gale. Otherwise, how can he judge whether you're sincere or not?
Extra info:
- He likes straightforward people that doesn't scheme behind his back.
- Gale likes soft bread, preferably if they're freshly baked.
- He hates dried food or preserved food, because he eats it too often during long-missions or during his days as a knight-in-training. He only eats them because it's cheap.
- Secretly, he likes to stash money/hide some gold coins for emergency purposes. But the main purpose is for him & Kaiden to be able to comfortably retire.
- He doesn't like to cause conflicts if possible, but if someone mess with what he considers his, well, they'll find their lives to be more difficult in one way or another (like getting your requests for help ignored by the 7th Knights Division or have rumors circulate around you). Gale learned how to use rumors to his advantage from the Nobles, though he won't admit it.
I hope I answered all of your questions! If not, feel free to ask more~ ^.^)/
😭😭😭 GALE ALMOST HAD A ROUTE?? I DIDNT KNOW THATTT SDJKFVBHKS this is.....devastating news......LOL
and it breaks my heart knowing that Kaiden was like Mitra actually, he was the first love interest I picked in the winged ones, he has a very soft place in my heart so this is also devastating news LOL that poor man.
I am THRILLED to learn that Gale is a quietly petty person though, that's so funny to me. I really love seeing the glimpses of his personality beneath that stoic shell, I fear I'm never going to recover from learning that he was almost a love interest
I do...also have just a few more questions...thank you for letting me yap LOL
I wanted to know a little about their hobbies, if that's okay? We see that Gale is actually really good at drawing, is that something he likes to do? Or is it just something he's good at but doesn't care for? Also, would he be the type to draw the person he's interested in, or would that be too much of a risk? I almost feel like he wouldn't just because he'd worry about someone finding it LOL but I thought it would be a cute moment to have him and the MC drawing together.
And Kai with music, does he know how to play any instruments, or does he just really like listening to it? That little scene by the way, when he's listening to the piano with Maya, I love it so much I thought it was such a beautifully gentle moment, I liked him a lot already but that small snippet made me completely fall in love with him oh my god LOL
I'm not really sure how to phrase this next question, it's kind of weirdly specific. My MC is a little bit chaotic, she's got a smart mouth and likes to banter once she's close with someone, so she does try to tease Kaiden and Gale quite a bit later on in the story LOL Would they be receptive to that? It does seem like Gale teases Maya a little bit, and I know Kai likes seeing her suffer in early chapters but I'm curious if he'd be like that once he's dating LOL I loved their dynamic so much
So I think what I'm wondering is, once they're in a romantic relationship, how open are they to banter and teasing? Are they okay with receiving it, and also would they do it themselves?
Also...I'm afraid of this question because of the potential for angst...but I do have to know for the sake of my own damn fic LOL In the event that they both have feelings for the same person, how would they react?
I wanted to try a polyamorous ending, because I love both of them very much and I'm not sure I could choose LOL but I haven't figured out in my head if I can make it work yet. I am curious about how they would feel in that situation though, if they'd be competitive about it, or accepting, or if one would defer to the other.
Or, maybe neither of them would try to pursue the relationship in that case LOL they have such a strong bond, I also can't imagine them letting someone get in the way of that
Thank you so much for enabling me btw 😭I hope this isn't a bother or too much of a hassle, and again please take your time on replying and feel free to ignore any questions you don't wanna answer
Have a good day!
*pass you a box of tissue*
Yes, it was sad and unfortunate for both Kaiden and Gale :') They're like us; both of them has a story to tell and both of them are just trying to find their happiness--I have so much I want to convey through the two of them, so it makes me really happy to see you pay attention to the smallest detail! >///<
Yes, Gale is a quietly petty person lol. That's the perfect word to describe him x'D
And you guessed their hobbies already, but I'll explain more! Kaiden has fondness for music because amidst his busy training, trying to win the nobles' favor, the audience with the King, and schedule as the captain of the 7th Knight Division... the only entertainment he finds & enjoys is listening to Hototo's/a bard's music. It gives him a moment of peace and makes him forget his problems. The stories told by bards are also interesting to listen to.
As for Gale, he's naturally good at drawing (example: him drawing Kaiden facing the dragon). But he's not particularly passionate about it.
He draws because sometimes, he will need to make a report about what kind of new creatures they encountered to the King during their patrols (as the legend said, it's a sanctuary so new creatures would pop up now and then. The purpose of the report is for documentary and to decide whether the new creature is a threat or not) or when there's a thievery, he's the one who will make a sketch of the suspect's face. So yes, drawing is more out of necessity than passion. He has a talent for it, but Gale doesn't believe it's good enough to make a living with it.
As for teasing, once they get to know a person better. Kaiden and Gale will be fine with both receiving and giving. They had their fair share of teasings from Sir Marco and Vivian. You get the gist with Sir Marco, the woeful father who is 'abandoned' by his boys once they grew up. As for Vivian... well... if the scene in the hot spring is not enough hint. Here's a bonus scene I just thought up from a short video I watched on YT that reminded me of Vivian: When Kaiden & Gale were changing their clothes in the soldiers quarters, they heard a shout: "SHUT THE DOOR, THERE'S A FEMALE PERVERT!" and they saw a glimpse of a redhead, before the soldiers slammed the door. She's a pervert and her teasings are very bold so yeah, they're not innocent lol, they're actually quite immune by now and found blushing girls quite amusing since they're used to Vivian's boldness.
Your last question is a tough one though :'D
In the event that they both have feelings for the same person, they will definitely compete fair and square. But Kaiden will be more active than Gale in the matter of pursuing, because Gale believes Kaiden to be a better choice than him. While they have similar backgrounds, Gale is not confident in his looks because he once heard people describe him as 'gloomy' and 'Kaiden's shadow'.
Both of them will be loyal to their partners though, so I'm afraid polyamorous is not an option ^^; not to mention they consider themselves as brothers and there's an unspoken rule about not touching your brother's woman. They will not share their partners. Period.
In the case they compete and one of them loses, the losing one will back out and take some time to sort out their feelings. They will need some space, but the brothers' bond is stronger than anything else and what matters is the person they love is happy. At the very least, they'll know their loved one will be taken care of, after all, who knows their brother better than themselves?
I hope it helps! ^.^)/
I did guess that it wouldn't work as easily as I'd hoped, polyamory requires a lot of trust and communication, and with their past I know that's definitely not gonna come naturally to them, still, it gave me a lot to think about so thank you for answering even though it was tricky LOL
It's not exactly fic related, but I was wondering if you'd be able to tell me how Kai and Gale view the rest of the cast? Just the other three guys and Maya, really, because we didn't get to see much of their real thoughts until the end, when things were already really bad LOL
But I'm curious about what they thought about them during earlier scenes, like in the harpy woods when they were hanging out together a little more often. I know Kha'lil's antics annoyed Gale LOL and he would fight with Arya often, but in a different setting I wonder how they would interact?
Arya is probably too blunt for some, but I think they might actually appreciate that he's so honest? Gale bickered with him a LOT, but it seems like they might have gotten along in other instances where they aren't directly pitted against each other. That might be me projecting though, because I find people like Arya easy to trust LOL I know Kaiden is probably suspicious of them no matter what, since we never really got to start pulling his layers back and getting to know him, but I wonder if they had qualities that he might have admired otherwise?
Like how Gale would quietly try to help Maya, even though it went against his best interests, they do so many little things that just make me wanna know so badly how they really felt in those situations LOL I know so much of it was an act, the fact that I can't tell if all of it was an act is what makes me so curious.
I'm just so fascinated, I really fell in love with these characters there's too much I want to know LOL it might not look like it, but I am trying to pace myself.
It's mostly unrelated, but I actually did have a couple questions about Gale's prosthetic too. I think it was really such a cool idea and it's been so fun to write about.
How does he feel about it, though? As in, is he ashamed or embarrassed about it, or does he accept it as a part of himself? Is he able to do anything interesting with it? I don't know as much about how his magic works compared to Kai, other than he's basically a compass LOL I loved that.
Would he be uncomfortable with someone he trusts touching it? Or does he not even think twice about it?
And actually, on a similar thought, I know you said Kaiden likes skinship, but does it hurt him since he has so many unhealed wounds on his body? Is it that he likes the warmth more than he cares about the pain? Or have those wounds gone numb over time, even if they haven't healed?
I promise after this I'm done for the night...you've given me so much to think about and I can't wait to start writing LOL I'm at like, 115k words so far and I'm not even out of the autumn village arc yet 😭this is actually gonna be the longest fic I've ever written, it's been so much fun I'm so in love with the world you created, I honestly cannot gush about it enough.
Oh in a different, peaceful setting where the betrayal didn't happen, Kaiden and Gale will still be wary of new people but not as much.
They will definitely see Guntur as a threat though x'D he has a big built and Gale won't feel confident enough to be able to seize him alone if something were to happen. And you're right! While Arya will have much to argue and fight often with them, his straigtforwardness will be seen positively. I mean, they'd rather you talk bad to their faces rather on their backs. Kahlil, on the other hand, the first impression will be that he's annoying at first but grows on you as time passes.
Interactions between the men will be limited though, since Gale & Kaiden still have their jobs to patrol the area & they will also be absent sometimes if the King sent them on a mission or if they want to visit other villages and do the odd jobs there. They might encounter often in the hot springs though. It's the only place where you can relax and honestly, the soldiers like that place very much. Nothing like a hot spring loosening your tense muscles after a training or two. Oh and let's not forget the Bar!
The qualities Kaiden & Gale value the most will be: Honesty, Hardwork, and Don't talk bad about the soldiers or Sir Marco in any way. They'll appreciate you more if you help with the odd jobs though. When people work together, you'll find out people's characters/habits when encountering a problem and see how they try to solve them.
About Gale's prosthetic and Kaiden's scars... Gale won't mind you touching it, since it's very sturdy and he can make a new one if smth happens to it. He likes how practical it is and accepts it as a part of himself. It's a shame that he can't feel anything though, so if you touch his protestic arm, he will feel nothing. But the shoulder is another matter. The place where his arm got cut off is discolored and very sensitive. He don't want anyone to touch it unless it's absolutely necessary.
Kaiden's scars will not exist if it's a more peaceful setting and the Spring Village still stands. But if the scars are present, then yes, he will be numb to the pain already and unconciously, he will seek warmth because his body is as cold as ice. After all, his heart already stopped for a long time.
And no problem at all! Feel free to ask because my goodness, 115k words already? O_O;
I look forward to read it <3