[Rinku's eyes go wide. She takes some of it in, but when the person in front of her talks about hiding away from humans, about not taking risks and not making connections, she shakes her head.]
I don't care if he's marrying a king. Or if he's not human. Lots of people aren't human. And maybe I wouldn't've assumed that, but I wouldn't've just assumed it's not true, either. There are all kinds of things in all kinds of different worlds. Why would one seem like the only thing there could be?
What I do know is making friends, no matter what species they are, and reaching out so you're not lonely -- that's important. If you don't have any connections, it's too painful. And aren't you trying to protect him from pain? From things that would hurt him?
You claim you "do not care" if he is marrying a king, but the truth is, you would care.
You would mind if getting close to him would impact your own lifetoo much to return from.
It's expected of commoners. When they see the actual responsibilities attached to a position like Wolfram's, it's understandable they would rather no longer want tobe associatedwithhim.
( some of the stuff Wolfram mentioned back when they danced may make slightly more sense by here, now-- )
No one reasonable would blame you for turning your back to a life such as that. Not even Wolfram.
( Except Shinou is FAR FROM "Reasonable" most of the time??.... )
Moreover, you do not understand the true nature of even the Maou that Wolfram's "marrying".
There are also reasons why Wolfram concealed that information, but what Wolfram implied about it being a "marriage of convenience" was not wholly incorrect.
Because it's partly a political marriage. ( beat )
Because the half-human that the Maou has chosen to reside in refuses to deeply consider the fact that he could truly "love" Wolfram out of a constant, never-ending fear of how others would perceive them and the life they've begun to create with their daughter.
Others who live at Shin Makoku and this castle where Wolfram grew up see this fear in the king -- not knowing of the true situations behind it -- and they avoid Wolfram in turn, believing Wolfram to be involved in a loveless marriage to the point he's become a target of mockery amongst many citizens, even other demons who live at the castle. The rumors have even spread as far as to have reached the human lands.
Because "if even the Maou doesn't fully want Wolfram"...
The king that Wolfram's "marrying" knows this, too.
He knows that regardless of his "efforts", there's the lingering possibility that himself and Wolfram will always face discrimination in their shared world of Shin Makoku and especially his home world even far after he's gone.
... So "what's the point" of "trying" in those ways, as the king might ask himself?
[A lot of this speech seems to have some effect on Rinku. She goes through a series of expressions: worry, resolute frown, shaking her head, fretting again. But then the person in Wolfram's head asks his question.]
Why would it be pointless if it's hard?
[She gulps and continues.]
All this hate, stuff your world and my world and Wolfram-san's boyfriend's world from the sound of it have to go through, that's just causing more problems. If something is that bad, it's worth changing and fixing.
And of course it's possible that might last forever, but if you or I or they don't try, then it's definitely gonna. So why not work to make the world better? And if you do it, other people who are scared, other people who are struggling, they're going to think, "Hey, I'm not the only one."
I don't get some of the stuff you say, sure. Like how of course he's gonna have a lot of responsibilities. Don't lots of people have responsibilities? Why would that keep other people away? Besides, if you have a lot of friends and other people close to you, maybe they can help you if you let them. Being in charge of so much, you gotta let others help anyway.
So the answer to all your questions is the same. No one person can do it, but we're all people. We can work together, so we gotta. Being a person is all there is.
1/? Wait for It {+I can't resist this bit-} (My Face When I saw it was Kagepro lyrics...)
[ It's NOT being phrased Like A Light Suggestion ] --
Edited ({Something Something What Are "Soushu"/The Originators!!1!}+He might more specifically mean Wolfram's heart bUT... {"Collective Unconscious"}-) 2026-01-02 11:16 (UTC)
[Rinku startles. She runs where the other presence is pulling her. Even if it means disappearing into the darkness -- she glows, after all, and she's certainly doing it right now.
She runs until she can stop to catch her breath.]
Who was that guy? Is he supposed to be here, or is he from somewhere else?
[Given recent events, "are you plural or are you possessed" seems like a pressing question... as invasive as it is.]
1/? (Honestly I wasn't sure if I could show him but if it seems okay I'll go ahead+be careful...!!)
( She might not COMPLETELY be wrong there but it's Very Complicated. Wolfram doesn't even know what "Plural" means?!? )
... --Oh!! You can hear me!!?
( "He" sounds a little surprised. His voice is slightly more high-pitched, and it was pretty Loud back there -- his voice can sound rather Distant even to Wolfram )
[ Her own glowing definitely helped keep the darkness at bay just enough, but now-- ]
Edited ({This is going to all be very experimental but I'll make clarifications as I go+everything will be kept non-physical between them [since... dream!!]}) 2026-01-02 19:55 (UTC)
( SUDDENLY... the space around her glows for a moment too, before the darknessbursts away, melting into LIGHT-- )
( -- it's not the typical "blinding/total white light" one may expect although it might catch her by surprise in its intensity yet still-- )
{ The space around her is glowing with a mix of blues, black, and white that all seem to constantly meld, rise again, and melt together; overall with a heavy hue of light blue, almost feeling like the slowly rolling waves of the ocean. The blacks mixed in cast a slight amount of shadows around them yet still, but it's definitely more bright enough that she can see the figure before her, and overall, it might even feel... comforting?? }
I'm so glad, it looks like I made it just in time...!! It's great you're unharmed.
[ he means as in the state of her soul is currently "unharmed" within this spacefurther at least, but as for her being "okay"...?? ]
Even Wolf has a lot of trouble hearingme!! I usually have to shout a lot to get him to even start listening...
( She might recognize him from the painting Wolfram showed -- he looks exactly ""the same"" too,
looking completely like an average Japanese schoolboy, "dressed" in an plain all-black gakuran with just a white collar edge and gold buttons for other details. )
Edited ({Drama CD link more for reference but} my voice for Yuuri is much closer to Novels portrayal and there's a similar scene there in which canon!Yuuri breaks into his dream and Wolf is ""surprisingly polite"" to him to the point it feels off to *him* lmaocry) 2026-01-02 19:54 (UTC)
( "We"? Was this "form" vaguely aware of what had been going on...?? )
[ Wolfram doesn't know much of anything about Japanese honorifics outside what Yuuri's used more often, but Yuuri's own for-real self does tend to at least attach a -san to unfamiliar women, like Julia or Flynn. ]
I could see "something" was going on back there, but I was blocked out for a while...
[ Those dark forces definitely don't like ANY form of ""Yuuri"" interfering if they can force him away. ]
... Why are you trapped in Wolfram's heart too??
( He doesn't sound angry, just really confused and genuinely concerned for her sake. Was Wolfram watching the performance at home, did Wolfram even finish it before everything happened, who knows... )
[ but one thing is for sure -- Wolfram at least definitely hadn't stepped outside ]
{ ""Shinou"" may be to ""thank"" for that part. }
Edited ({He just wants to let her clarify! She's not supposed to 'know' who he is yet too, after all, but Shinou Talked A Lot-}) 2026-01-02 20:03 (UTC)
[Rinku's eyes go wide. She nods at being identified, giggles at Yuuri's complaints, and shakes her head.]
Thank you! I don't really know a lot about what's going on, but... I dunno if I'm trapped here. I'm just trapped as in not where I'm supposed to be. But you're here normally... Sorry about what that other guy said about you.
(No worries! Things set in mindspace like the "heart game" trope in DWRP regularly include NPCs who are essentially the character's cognitive vision of their castmates, so that should work.)
... Ohhh. ( and he winces ) ... Don't tell me it was--
[ and Yuuri shakes his head, looking a bit worn... ]
... I couldn't "hear" everything that was going on, either. I just knew "someone" was in major trouble back there...
You're "supposed to be" back in -- your -- "body" right??
-- I'm not exactly here ""normally"" too but... ( another cheek scratch ) It's not like your situation! No.
{ Nodding head firmly as if to Emphasize-- }
-- If I have right what's going on but...
Edited ({I'm not sure I even experienced the "Heart Game" trope but it sounds interesting hahaa!!} \o/ there was at least one point Wolfram was interoggated at length by a semi-prominent NPC in Somarium too, but I'm not sure that counts...!!) 2026-01-02 22:57 (UTC)
To me, I'm ""Shibuya Yuuri""!! It's up to you how... you want to call me??
But I guess in this place, for now you could call me something like Wolf's ...
" Consciousness ?? "
-- I don't really get it myself, how I wound up "here"... .. I think something happened before when Wolfram travelled or was -- pulled?? -- between Shin Makoku and that other world.
And when I "woke up" I was here... so... um. I might be a little "trapped".
... But I don't really know how to leave. ( nervous grin ) So I've kind of been hanging around here...
At least it's Wolfram's head. It could have been WAY worse!! Like --
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
6/6
( beat )
That he's as good as officially "married" to "the Demon King" -- "Maou" -- of Shin Makoku.
{ Shinou emphasizes "Maou" as it'd sound in Japanese there }
[ beat ]
That HE'S a full blooded demon who only has a form similar to a human -- but is definitively not human.
-- Or he would have been "married" if it wasn't for this "Ellipsa" 'pulling' him from just moments before he could truly bind himself to the Maou.
( ... )
Is any of that things you would have presumed about Wolfram before this encounter?
no subject
I don't care if he's marrying a king. Or if he's not human. Lots of people aren't human. And maybe I wouldn't've assumed that, but I wouldn't've just assumed it's not true, either. There are all kinds of things in all kinds of different worlds. Why would one seem like the only thing there could be?
What I do know is making friends, no matter what species they are, and reaching out so you're not lonely -- that's important. If you don't have any connections, it's too painful. And aren't you trying to protect him from pain? From things that would hurt him?
1/? Wait for It~
... And is it really me trying to protect him...?
2/?
resting' on hands behind his back-- )-- Perhaps it's more like Wolfram trying to protect himself.
... Or, Wolfram's heart trying to protect him from self-destruction.
... Because he's been betrayed too many times in the past by both other demons and humans.
3/?
You would mind if getting close to him would impact your own life too much to return from.
It's expected of commoners. When they see the actual responsibilities attached to a position like Wolfram's, it's understandable they would rather no longer want to be associated with him.
( some of the stuff Wolfram mentioned back when they danced may make slightly more sense by here, now-- )
No one reasonable would blame you for turning your back to a life such as that. Not even Wolfram.
( Except Shinou is FAR FROM "Reasonable"
most of the time??.... )4/?
There are also reasons why Wolfram concealed that information, but what Wolfram implied about it being a "marriage of convenience" was not wholly incorrect.
Because it's partly a political marriage. ( beat )
Because the half-human that the Maou has chosen to reside in refuses to deeply consider the fact that he could truly "love" Wolfram out of a constant, never-ending fear of how others would perceive them and the life they've begun to create with their daughter.
Others who live at Shin Makoku and this castle where Wolfram grew up see this fear in the king -- not knowing of the true situations behind it -- and they avoid Wolfram in turn, believing Wolfram to be involved in a loveless marriage to the point he's become a target of mockery amongst many citizens, even other demons who live at the castle. The rumors have even spread as far as to have reached the human lands.
Because "if even the Maou doesn't fully want Wolfram"...
... who WOULD??
5/?
( and Shinou prominently sits back up as Shinou sat originally-- )
... Even knowing all of 'that'...
... It is immensely hard to change that many minds in such a lifetime, is it not?
Perhaps verging on the level of impossible for any one being to achieve.
6/6 {Icon more for Wolfram Feel}
He knows that regardless of his "efforts", there's the lingering possibility that himself and Wolfram will always face discrimination in their shared world of Shin Makoku and especially his home world even far after he's gone.
... So "what's the point" of "trying" in those ways, as the king might ask himself?
( and Shinou lets that question linger )
no subject
Why would it be pointless if it's hard?
[She gulps and continues.]
All this hate, stuff your world and my world and Wolfram-san's boyfriend's world from the sound of it have to go through, that's just causing more problems. If something is that bad, it's worth changing and fixing.
And of course it's possible that might last forever, but if you or I or they don't try, then it's definitely gonna. So why not work to make the world better? And if you do it, other people who are scared, other people who are struggling, they're going to think, "Hey, I'm not the only one."
I don't get some of the stuff you say, sure. Like how of course he's gonna have a lot of responsibilities. Don't lots of people have responsibilities? Why would that keep other people away? Besides, if you have a lot of friends and other people close to you, maybe they can help you if you let them. Being in charge of so much, you gotta let others help anyway.
So the answer to all your questions is the same. No one person can do it, but we're all people. We can work together, so we gotta. Being a person is all there is.
1/? Wait for It {+I can't resist this bit-} (My Face When I saw it was Kagepro lyrics...)
""Why"" would it "be pointless"?...
{ and Shinou again barks out a short chuckle, but this time, it definitely sounds... darker. }
... You continue to say such things, and yet, even in your ""duet"" "performance" --
( and Shinou mimicks the lyric, in the same drawling monotone, but it raises sharply at the end, almost as if he was singing it ):
"Don't even TRY to cry out, 'WHY'!!"
2/?
... The truth is, there are some things in this world you can't keep asking "why?" to.
You keep trying to rationalize such concepts, but rationalizing just doesn't work for every such thing.
And there is a vast difference when one's "responsibilities" include maintaining the balance of your world with your very presence.
( ... Shinou just might be speaking from own experience here too. Maybe. Maybe )
3/?
The universe does not always have time to wait for these issues to resolve themselves on their own.
( beat )
4/?
And sometimes, the universe may also completely reject such waiting.
[ b e a t ]
5/?
( and once again this expression )
"Being a person is all there is", hmm...?
6/? Wait for Iiit
.... Good thing I was never a "person".
[ ... wait what?? Did he just summon-- ]
7/?
I believe it's time for you to leave this place.
This was only a "dream" after all.
[ It's NOT being phrased Like A Light Suggestion ] --
8/8
{ as the darkness begins to enclose around them }:
[ there's the feeling of a hand grabbing her arm as if to lead her??-- ]
no subject
She runs until she can stop to catch her breath.]
Who was that guy? Is he supposed to be here, or is he from somewhere else?
[Given recent events, "are you plural or are you possessed" seems like a pressing question... as invasive as it is.]
1/? (Honestly I wasn't sure if I could show him but if it seems okay I'll go ahead+be careful...!!)
... --Oh!! You can hear me!!?
( "He" sounds a little surprised. His voice is slightly more high-pitched, and it was pretty Loud back there -- his voice can sound rather Distant even to Wolfram )
[ Her own glowing definitely helped keep the darkness at bay just enough, but now-- ]
2/? \o/ (if this is all okay so far!!-)
darknessbursts away, melting into LIGHT-- )( -- it's not the typical "blinding/total white light" one may expect although it might catch her by surprise in its intensity yet still-- )
{ The space around her is glowing with a mix of blues, black, and white that all seem to constantly meld, rise again, and melt together; overall with a heavy hue of light blue, almost feeling like the slowly rolling waves of the ocean. The blacks mixed in cast a slight amount of shadows around them yet still,
but it's definitely more bright enough that she can see the figure before her, and overall, it might even feel... comforting?? }
I'm so glad, it looks like I made it just in time...!! It's great you're unharmed.
[ he means as in the state of her soul is currently "unharmed" within this space further at least, but as for her being "okay"...?? ]
Even Wolf has a lot of trouble hearing me!! I usually have to shout a lot to get him to even start listening...
( She might recognize him from the painting Wolfram showed -- he looks exactly ""the same"" too,
looking completely like an average Japanese schoolboy, "dressed" in an plain all-black gakuran
with just a white collar edge and gold buttons for other details. )
3/?
( "We"? Was this "form" vaguely aware of what had been going on...?? )
[ Wolfram doesn't know much of anything about Japanese honorifics outside what Yuuri's used more often,
but Yuuri's own for-real self does tend to at least attach a -san to unfamiliar women, like Julia or Flynn. ]
I could see "something" was going on back there, but I was blocked out for a while...
[ Those dark forces definitely don't like ANY form of ""Yuuri"" interfering if they can force him away. ]
... Why are you trapped in Wolfram's heart too??
( He doesn't sound angry, just really confused and genuinely concerned for her sake.
Was Wolfram watching the performance at home, did Wolfram even finish it before everything happened, who knows... )
[ but one thing is for sure -- Wolfram at least definitely hadn't stepped outside ]
{ ""Shinou"" may be to ""thank"" for that part. }
4/4
( and "Yuuri" makes a move like to scratch his cheek lightly, as if in embarrassment-- ) --
... It might be a while more before he can "wake up". He's... a really heavy sleeper.
( sounding a bit more animated ) -- ... But he always gets up in the morning, even if it's really late in the morning--!!
no subject
Thank you! I don't really know a lot about what's going on, but... I dunno if I'm trapped here. I'm just trapped as in not where I'm supposed to be. But you're here normally... Sorry about what that other guy said about you.
(No worries! Things set in mindspace like the "heart game" trope in DWRP regularly include NPCs who are essentially the character's cognitive vision of their castmates, so that should work.)
1/? Wait for It~
( and Yuuri's eyes go wide-- )
... Ohhh. ( and he winces ) ... Don't tell me it was--
[ and Yuuri shakes his head, looking a bit worn... ]
... I couldn't "hear" everything that was going on, either. I just knew "someone" was in major trouble back there...
You're "supposed to be" back in -- your -- "body" right??
-- I'm not exactly here ""normally"" too but... ( another cheek scratch ) It's not like your situation! No.
{ Nodding head firmly as if to Emphasize-- }
-- If I have right what's going on but...
2/?
But I guess in this place, for now you could call me something like Wolf's ...
" Consciousness ?? "
-- I don't really get it myself, how I wound up "here"...
.. I think something happened before when Wolfram travelled or was -- pulled?? -- between Shin Makoku and that other world.
And when I "woke up" I was here... so... um. I might be a little "trapped".
... But I don't really know how to leave. ( nervous grin ) So I've kind of been hanging around here...
At least it's Wolfram's head. It could have been WAY worse!! Like --
3/?
4/4
(no subject)
1/? Wait for It~
2/? Its a Best Yuuri Look/Reaction sorry-- /o\ \o/
3/? This Is Still ""Yuuri"" After All--
4/? This was a cute reaction style too hahaa... {He Can Get Quite Pouty}
5/?
6/?
7/? The truth Slipping Out
8/8 He's resorted to rambling....
(no subject)
1/? Yuuri Just Might Be Connecting Dots but his "mind" is Still Processing Everything-
2/? {Still Thinking It Through}
3/?
4/?
5/?
6/?
7/?
8/8
(no subject)
1/? (I at least kind of know why she does this now after seeing Ep1 hehee~)
2/?
3/3
(no subject)
1/?
2/? \o/ {He Is Having Epiphanies}
3/3 Yuuri Shibuya Is Still Slow AF
(no subject)
1/? (Wait for It)- {He's A Bit Conflicted}
2/?
3/? What Is Acknowledging Certain Other Feelings
4/?
5/? Wolf Why TF Aren't You Waking Up When He Needs You To?!??
6/? {Wolf is at least much more like icon right now currently}--
7/7
(no subject)
1/? {see the 'bAM' react from before--}
2/? Digging His Own Grave Too Possibly
3/?
4/?
5/?
6/?
7/?
8/8
(no subject)
1/? Wait for It
2/?
3/?
4/?
5/?
6/6
(no subject)
1/? /o\ /o\ \o\ \o/ /o/
2/?
3/?
4/?
5/?
6/?
7/?
8/?
9/?
10/10
(no subject)
1/? {Hold on-}
2/?
3/? Wait for It
4/? {In case it can ever become possible during future plots/events again hahaa....}
5/5
(no subject)
1/? Wait for It~
2/2