How does Eiko manage stress at work? Are there any outlets that make her more stressed? If someone was to ask her how she was doing, what would make her lie and how would she lie? Are there any situations in which she'll open up about something personal?
How does Hayato feel about the agency in general? Does this conflict with knowing he is supernatural and the feelings that come with that? Is he proud of being supernatural in any way, or think it has objective positives? What does he think of the people in the cult?
What fighting styles to the agents prefer, and what weapons do they use? I know they can't use guns, but are any fans of other ranged weapons? Are any of the agents the type to show off with cool moves?
Okay I'll number these questions so they're easier for me to answer, hope you don't mind!!
1. How does Eiko manage stress at work?
Her main outlet for her stress is fighting grims. While she makes sure to be careful, whenever Eiko is assigned on a mission and needs to combat a grim, she vents her pent-up frustration and stress by beating the shit out of them lol. This works temporarily but I think she's been bottling up her anger and frustration for too long for it to work long-term.
2. Are there any outlets that make her more stressed?
I assume you mean are there any things that she does to vent her stress that just end up making her even more stressed? If so then I'd say her job in general. She uses the combat missions to destress, but in a way they also cause her even more stress because she puts pressure on herself to do well. If her performance on a mission or the way she fights is criticized, which happens sometimes, it'll distress her all over again, especially because Eiko views her job at the PCD as the only thing that gives her any value. Her worth is entirely dependent on her being a competent PCD agent, so while it sometimes makes her feel proud of herself and like she's worth something, most of the time she's just anxious that she'll mess up and she'll lose the only thing she's got going for herself.
3. If someone was to ask her how she was doing, what would make her lie and how would she lie?
Eiko doesn't like to speak about her feelings and her previously mentioned self-esteem issues, so if someone were to ask her how she's doing while she's feeling particularly anxious and self-conscious, she'd absolutely lie. She almost never opens up anyway, so the most she'd say is that she's doing fine. At most, if someone was to tell her that they think she's stressed/she looks stressed, she'd just answer that she's busy with her work or that she's a bit tired but that everything is alright. It's not necessarily a lie, but she wouldn't elaborate further, and definitely wouldn't say "I'm feeling stressed because I'm aware I'm not the strongest PCD agent but working at the PCD is the only thing that makes me valuable as a person and worth caring about right now so if I'm not good at it that means I'm worthless and no one will ever care about me"
4. Are there any situations in which she'll open up about something personal?
I can only see her opening up if she was pushed to do so, and if she trusts and feels comfortable enough with whoever she's talking to. I do plan on having her open up to Hayato about her self-esteem and self-worth complexes during the story, but it only happens because she becomes overwhelmed and the floodgates open, so to speak. And it's at a point where they're relatively close, or, at least, Hayato has proven to her that she can trust him.
Other than that, I don't see Eiko opening up. Even if she was asked by someone she considers a friend, like Theo or Amara, she won't get into it. At most I can see Theo trying to psychoanalyse her, but she'd just shut it down and refuse to talk to him about it.
5. How does Hayato feel about the agency in general?
He has very mixed feelings about the paranormal in general, so he also has mixed feelings about the PCD. On one hand, he understands their goal is to keep the people safe from grims, and he recognises that a lot of grims are a genuine threat. On the other, he also knows first-hand how much grims suffer psychologically and that the vast majority of them don't mean to hurt others. He also knows those who do have either been driven to insanity by their condition or the cult, and others have been manipulated into believing humans are out to get them, so they lash out in self-defense. It's a complicated situation. He feels a lot of guilt for fighting and capturing the grims, but he'd rather have them confined to ichorite crystals where they can't hurt anyone and also aren't left to roam the country in perpetual confusion and suffering than handing them over to the cult. However, he really dislikes the way grims are framed by the PCD and the government, and how much emphasis is placed on them being unnatural beings that are nothing like humans and are out to torment them. This is also partly why he struggles to form genuine friendships at the PCD. The main reason is, of course, his own issues about him being a human with paranormal powers and being in the cult and stuff, but he also can't get along with the very extreme PCD agents that think all grims are evil and should be exterminated.
6. Does this conflict with knowing he is supernatural and the feelings that come with that?
Yeah, sort of. Hayato has a lot of complicated feelings about his situation and how it relates to the state of the world he lives in. He doesn't see grims as inherently evil beings that only exist to hurt humans, and feels compassion for most of them, but he can't extend that same compassion to himself, because he sees himself as wholly unnatural. Grims don't spawn out of nowhere, they're born spontaneously from the souls of people who have died untimely or wrongful deaths. But he has become paranormal through "artificial" means, so to speak. He was made that way by someone else, so he views himself as an unnatural abomination, and so, unlike the grims, he isn't deserving of compassion. He's just the product of someone's insane plan to create an unnaturally powerful and immortal human, with the goal of ultimately replacing all existing humans with "better" immortal ones. Hayato detests this plan, since at best, it requires all existing humans to be subjected to torture like he was to become like him, or, at worst, it requires the mass killing of existing humans that fail to become like him or die in the process. And he was the first successful step towards that. So yeah he has a deep hatred for himself and for what he represents.
Hayato only keeps his paranormality a secret because if it was found out, it would obviously get him killed, and he doesn't want to die before he can carry out his plan to stop the cult. He wants to use his life to do as much good as he can. Him joining the PCD was something the cult made him do, so he could pass them information (since he's the only human in the cult, no one else could do it), but he also feels that he's able to do some good as a PCD agent. He likes that it at least allows him to save people, and that he can find grims before the cult finds them first and leads them down the rabbit hole.
But he also has some mixed feelings about working at the PCD as someone with paranormal powers. He doesn't really know whether to consider himself a human or a grim, basically, so he feels like he doesn't deserve the grace and protection humans deserve, and doesn't deserve the compassion grims deserve. He's an abomination in the middle-
7. Is he proud of being supernatural in any way, or think it has objective positives?
No, he has nothing but contempt and shame when it comes to his paranormality. When it comes to his fire powers specifically, it's a bit more mixed since he still feels very negatively about them, but he can't help that they're a part of him. He also can't help that it feels good to use them and to go all out, but he's also ashamed of that. I guess in simpler terms he has a love-hate relationship with his powers, and objectively recognises the advantages they give him and how useful they can be, but he absolutely hates the fact that he has them in the first place.
8. What does he think of the people in the cult?
When it comes to most of the members, which are grims, he has a mix of pity and compassion for them. He's uncomfortable around most, but it's mainly because the majority are actively suffering and I think anyone would be uncomfortable if you had to spend time around beings in constant psychological torment and know that you can't really do anything to help them. He doesn't dislike any of them, though.
There aren't many humans in the cult. He doesn't know how to feel about them, and mostly just keeps his distance. They make him uncomfortable as well.
He deeply hates and fears the leader of the cult.
9. What fighting styles do the agents prefer, and what weapons do they use?
Fighting style is melee, and they can use a variety of weapons. Swords, spears, anything good for stabbing and/or piercing. I have drawn examples of PCD weapons in the Masterpost.
Also, to answer the next question since it's related, no one uses ranged weapons, only melee since the weapons are meant to absorb the spirit of the grim like how a needle draws blood. Yes you could make arrows which function like that but given ichorium and ichorite are relatively rare materials I think it makes more sense to make a sword than multiple arrows for one person.
10. Are any of the agents the type to show off with cool moves?
Some probably are. I wanna say Amara isn't exactly a show off, but I like to imagine she mixes in gymnastic moves with her fighting like bar moves and flips. Watch her do a dead loop just to kick someone in the face 🔥
Thank you so much for the questions! I had a lot of fun answering them ❤️❤️ also sorry for taking a while, I was going to wait until after Artfight but realized that was stupid
