tl;cr meme

[marriagebroker]

post your character, people reply, give them the deets. you know how this goes.

Comments

[beatmatching]

yes and gimme thread commentary for pre match ceremony 3 where luka came in like a wrecking ball

[poans]

Their first meeting was, frankly, baffling to Yi Sang, yet entirely necessary for future encounters where he'd go on to glimpse pieces of the real Luka past the crevices. Luka spoke of angles that would make him shine so bright as to be irresistible, which would have been understandable on its own if not for the addendum that included Yi Sang's gaze. This was confusing to Yi Sang, who sooner preferred to stare at the ground than look people in the eye. He also couldn't fathom how he could remind someone like Luka of an instructor whose job was to make another person shine—or perhaps he could, though not in the way he pictured a trainer to be. After all, Sang Yi had once proposed that he stay in the shadows to make Gubo stand out, and he'd almost done it out of indifference. In relation to this, Yi Sang answered that he was at the estate to rest his feet foremost, but in truth it was wishful thinking for the thread of hope that enticed him into joining the game. He'd entertained the notion of regaining his lost wings, only to soon write it off as a futile dream even with the power of a wish, and so it was natural and easier to view the game as little more than a respite from the hellish struggle of existing.

Luka, on the other hand, was allegedly here out of curiosity. His motives were unclear, and Yi Sang let the blurred image be. The mood shifted once his passivity became more apparent, though he wasn't lying when he said that he'd refuse orders under certain circumstances. It was just that his threshold for triggering resistance was incredibly high, as it had taken a threat to Sang Yi's life for Yi Sang to dig in his heels despite the futility of it. At the end of the day, he was far too willing to go with what others wanted of him, and Luka seemed to have clear thoughts about this.

When it came to the truth booth, Yi Sang saw more commonalities between Luka and Yingying, hence his choice to vote for Luka over Ringo. They were both luminous in their own way: Luka had a talent for expression while Yingying breathed life into what had passed. Having said that, he was beginning to arrive at the impression that Luka was highly performative, and it became increasingly clearer that the latter was just a vessel for the love others had for themselves. That love wasn't necessarily for Luka, who performed based on the audience's wishes. Luka's words to Yingying at the truth booth carried double meanings, so much so that Yi Sang lingered on the garden imagery for some time with sentimental lenses and an odd sense of foreboding.

Upon his return, Luka likened a song to weaving a tale of a moment for better or for worse. That expression spoke to Yi Sang, and he started to wonder when the focus turned to the audience and other individuals again.

Come the second week, he was entirely out of his depth at the nail salon. He had no idea what to do, so he simply followed Luka's instructions. The tongue-in-cheek brackets were so bad here. It's not like Yi Sang is as dead inside as Mizi was during their duet, right? Yi Sang could not speak for Mizi, but this was certainly his worst week by far! After growing the roots of attachment and being reminded of how pointless doing so was, he couldn't feel excitement. He would have preferred to die on the spot and be done with it. But, for all of his intrusive thoughts on death, he still made note of observations like the discoloration of Luka's extremities. Sloth and the fact that Luka seemed fine were the biggest reasons he didn't say anything.

More importantly, it was during the date that Yi Sang realized he was with the real Luka, who craved only Maya's attention. He considered Maya a bright spot for her ability to lighten a darker world, though in this particular context she was also someone who wouldn't fill Luka with light for her own gain. She was a nurturer who would surely give light for Luka to hold onto, so on second thought it made sense to Yi Sang why Luka was drawn to her.

Hence, the penguin on the third week. By this point, Yi Sang had definitely noticed some unspoken friction between them, but it still didn't matter when he was wallowing in the pits of apathy. Putting the matter of his hopelessness aside, he focused on passing out the souvenirs and was treated to the incredible sight of an overjoyed Luka. It was pure, raw, and wholly innocent. Deciding that he'd give Maya and Luka more time together in the immediate aftermath, Yi Sang tried to bear with the passing stress of handing out the rest of the balloon gifts on his own. All things considered, it wasn't too terrible when it was difficult for him to hang onto any feeling, good or bad, but the fact was that he made the effort for Luka in the first place. It didn't hurt for Maya to be doted on some, too.

Then he was completely caught off guard in the middle of the pre-ceremony discussion. Pursuing Luka in his bid to be a more active participant, he ended up juggling Odile and Luka as his candidates for the ceremony. He had reasons to believe in both, and each choice was rooted in deep sentimentality. In pursuit of his ideal self, he stayed with Odile while resolving to chase Luka in the following week to give him the dignity of being looked at more organically, as opposed to based on what cold logic seemed to suggest, now that he could intuit how important it was for Luka to be seen. His desire to view players beyond the scope of the game was the main reason he wasn't bothered by the improbability of his match with Odile after the ceremony, and also because, as a researcher, data were data regardless. He followed the statistics throughout the game, and there was a gain either way.

Going into the fourth week, he sincerely wanted to know Luka as a person in order to understand him. Because Luka had brought up choices on their first meeting, Yi Sang called back to it out of care for what they'd shared up to this point, only to be dismissed out of hand. After going back and forth for a bit, he realized that nothing he said would ever be enough for Luka, who was lashing out in what he presumed to be hurt, so he revised his approach and promised to take anything Luka gave him as his heartfelt concession. Ultimately, he didn't wish to influence Luka like those before him had, which was why he'd brought up the garden. Luka had been cultivated, and Yi Sang, who was growing back into his own personhood, had no interest in perpetuating that cruelty.

In the end, Luka's performance at the ceremony spurned him and Yi Sang was fine with that, because it was Luka's self-expression. It was Luka's tale. Yi Sang accepted it out of a sense of responsibility and also respect for Luka as an individual. Going forward, he'll respect Luka's wishes by staying out of his way. Bitter as their standing is, Yi Sang is extremely appreciative of some of Luka's qualities and what he did on Yingying's behalf, so, despite the cutting truth of that night in the gardens, he'll always regard him highly on that front. While he doesn't regret his choices, he understands how they might have been hurtful and desires to impart no more pain unto Luka, because the heart that loves so passionately should get to thrive. His one regret is that he didn't buck his apathy sooner to give Luka a better, longer look. Everyone in the game was important to Yi Sang in some shape or form, and that included him. If nothing else, he's glad that Luka can be seen by Maya and love her in turn.