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TL;CR MEME
1. Comment with your character.
2. Receive comments from others.
3. Reply to their comments with long ballads and explanations of your characters' relationship throughout the game.
4. Suffer as we have suffered over your CR.
1. Comment with your character.
2. Receive comments from others.
3. Reply to their comments with long ballads and explanations of your characters' relationship throughout the game.
4. Suffer as we have suffered over your CR.
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So, to start, obviously they didnāt really know each other well in week zero. They didnāt talk much that week, so her impression of him was about the same as most people: nice, potentially a friend, but still a stranger. Even so, she did respect him for stepping up to help in the trial after the mess with Virid. Not everyone wouldāve been able to? That, to Ochako, is one of the first signs of a hero - someone who steps up without hesitation to try to help and protect others.
Fast forward to Thursday of week one, and they were thrown together into the CYOA without any warning! And then Soo-won and Xie Lian just vanished as soon as theyād taken a few steps! Obviously, Ochako was very worried about them, and determined to find them, but first she and Chiron had to get through their side of things. And when they finally did find the other twoā¦ they were dead, with their bodies sporting the same injuries she and Chiron had inflicted on those monsters! Wow! That was horrifying! Sheād connected the dots pretty quickly, and while it made her feel more guilty than anything sheād ever done in her life, it honestly still made Ochako want to help people even more. Sheās seen death before, you know? Deaths that she tired to help prevent but in the end, couldnāt change their fate - and she really hated that Xie Lian and Soo-wonās deaths would be that way, too.
That said, even she thought the life-saving serum was questionable? But the off-chance that it would really help was too great not to take, so. She gave them the serum, accidentally turned them both into bloodthirsty monsters, and it was just a really bad time. Still, they were alive - and Ochako desperately wanted to keep them that way, so she resolved to try. Of course we know that failed, and Soo-won and Xie Lian both had to die again, but. Her canonpoint is after the school festival, so the battle at Hassaikai and the injuries and deaths that Ochako couldnāt prevent were all still fresh in her mind, not to mention the stuff with Virid.
As a hero, Ochakoās main goal is to support her family, because heroes make good money if theyāre popular enough. But after Hassaikai, her goals have shifted a little to actively wanting to save people, so having that turned around on her so soon afterā¦ Actually, I donāt know where you are in MHA canon so I wonāt spoil who, but after a very significant death!! After that, and her decision to try to save people, being forced to kill someone wasā¦ pretty traumatic! Even though it was technically self-defense! Even more so because they asked to be killed! Even more so because it was Ochakoās own actions that led to this outcome!
It was a bad time all around, basically. She was so relieved when they were revived on the way back that she could have collapsed - and afterward, Ochako kind of wanted to avoid Soo-won and Xie Lian, to be honest. She did kind of manage that with Soo-won, but Xie Lianā¦ she was a little afraid to approach him, too, but Ochako felt like she owed him an apology for what happened, because it never would have gotten that bad if she hadnāt used that serum. And honestly, she didnāt expect him to forgive her for it. She wouldnāt have blamed him if he didnāt!
The last thing she expected was for Xie Lian to turn it around and try to reassure her. But he did, by using her own motivations as a hero, and reminding her that taking risks to save people is something that heroes do. And when she argued that she should have thought it through a little better, that heroes arenāt supposed to hurt (or kill) people, he did it again: āSometimes, for the good of the whole, good people have to do things they would never do.ā Those words stuck with her for the rest of the game. To be honest, I think the Realm would have been a lot harder for her to adjust to without hearing them. It was something that she really needed to hear, even if it didnāt make what happened any easier to bear at the time, and I think sheāll carry them with her into her career as a hero. She wanted to be the type of hero that he was describing, someone who would try their hardest to save at least one person, because that would be one less loss. And it was the first step to her viewing Xie Lian as her favorite hero, albeit one that nobody will know in her own world!
At the same timeā¦ It made her wonder just how, exactly, Xie Lian had learned these lessons. It sounded like he spoke from experience, which honestly scared her. She had no idea what kinds of things heād been through, and judging from how easily heād downplayed his own injuries and experience in the CYOA, sheā¦ honestly didnāt believe he was handling it well at all, but really just hiding it as he continued to move forward. The thing is, she wasnāt how to ask about any of that, and Xie Lian was so deft at redirecting the conversation that he easily steered her away before they could even get into it. But yeah - it was Xie Lianās words that convinced her to keep going, so after this week, she sort of just refused to show that it bothered her anymore? Which. Isnāt exactly healthy, but when youāre taking cues for Xie Lianā¦ well, you know.
Anyway! It was because of that conversation that she felt safe enough to swap team information with Xie Lian! Ochako may be inclined to trust people by default, but she also follows the rules as closely as she can - so without their CYOA experience and subsequent talk, Iām not so sure she would have agreed to it. But they did have that talk, and he didnāt seem like the type who would use that against her, though, so it was fine, probably.
She also just. Really appreciated Xie Lian not dismissing her ideas of trying to use more positive feelings to generate nova! Honestly, with how many folks who had already tried to shut her down when it came to trying to work together here, she might have expected the idea to be dismissed as childish or something - but he didnāt. They just agreed that āstrong emotionsā didnāt have to be something negative, and that was justā¦ really good for Ochako, to have someone encouraging her in a positive way instead of all the doomsday-type chatter about being prepared for the worst to come to pass. It was like seeing a little ray of sunlight peeking through the clouds of an overcast sky, and that made it easier for her to hold onto hope while everything else seemed to be going wrong. It made Ochako want to be a better hero, too - one like Xie Lian, who had the sort of inner strength that let him keep facing forward, no matter what, and one who never gave up on hope, even when the odds were looking worse and worse by the day.
And after the trial that week, Xie Lian told her about what happened between Hua Cheng and Claude, and it put the seeds of suspicion in her mind, which she super didnāt like!! I mean, okay. To be fair, there was nothing telling them that they really could trust their leaders except for the leaders themselves. None of them really had any reason to believe the leaders, but Ochako wanted to trust hers, becauseā¦ if they couldnāt trust their leaders, then what did they have that they could trust? Each other would be the obvious answer, and itās true that Ochako did trust a few of the other participants by that point. But the leaders were their only real source of information here, and if they were giving out disruptive abilities like that, it made her wonder if they were even supposed to resolve the situation at all, and if they werenātā¦ what then?
That said, the fact that calm, level-headed Xie Lian just wanted to go and fight a monster made her like him more. Wanting something tangible to just punch and call it a day? BIG mood. She felt the same! If only we could just punch all our problems, life would be so much easier!
Thenā¦ she forgot about being a hero! Haha! And the conversation where Xie Lian realized thatā¦ it honestly made her wonder if sheād done something wrong? She didnāt ask him about it outright because 1. the thread didnāt get that far, and 2. somehow it didnāt feel right for her to pry that much into the thoughts and emotions of someone she looked up to so much, but Ochako did see how his expression changed during their talk and felt awful about it. But because she did look up to him, and because she could tell that Xie Lian was very stubbornly trying not to let her (or anyone, really) worry about him, she didnāt press. Instead, she leaned into the encouragement he gave her for trying to learn about first aid. Better to focus on the positives, right? Right.
So. It was between that conversation andā¦ laughs, ALL OF WEEK FOUR (yells in memshares) that Ochako realized just how much sheād come to rely on Xie Lian for support. He was always there when she needed someone, you know? And he always understood, and never brushed off anything that concerned her, no matter how small. He always took her seriously and treated her with respect, instead of like a naive child. Sheād come to cherish that more than she realized, especially with her most important memories falling apart enough that the only people she remembered caring so much about were the people there in the Realm with them, Xie Lian foremost among them.
Thing isā¦ Ochako always had this air about her that made people think she was fragile, and after the first few weeks, it was really on her mind how weak she really felt. All she really wanted after all that was to learn to be strong, but that wasnāt all for her own sake! I mean, of course thereās the heroic aspect to it, because even if she didnāt remember wanting to be a hero, she did still want to help people. But! There was a more specific goal in her mind, and that was wanting to get stronger so that she could help Xie Lian. Because, again, sheād noticed the wisdom in the things heād said to her and to others. Sheād noticed the way that he bottled up his emotions so no one else would see. And, of course, sheād seen that memory of the human face plague (which I never replied to because wow endgame but still). All of that made her wonderā¦ if Hua Cheng wasnāt there - because she recognized, too, how important Hua Cheng was to Xie Lian, how much they trusted each other - but if Hua Cheng wasnāt there to support Xie Lian, who would be there for him? Who would help Xie Lian pick up the pieces if something happened to Hua Cheng, and he needed a moment to fall apart before putting himself back together? Though she honestly didnāt think for a second that Xie Lian would actually allow it, Ochako wanted to be strong enough to be that person, if it came down to it. She wanted to be able to help him, like heād helped her. She wanted to help make his life take a turn for the betterā¦ but she didnāt know how to get there.
Also I just want to say - curfew that week was so funny. She wants to arm wrestle Xie Lian again someday? Stupid jocks. AND ALSO THE GHOST STORIESā¦ they were very fun and she appreciated it even knowing that it was murder night and, uh, seeing such a weird memory of Ghost City. Itās fine. They can pretend that last part didnāt happen and just keep teasing Mr. Crimson Rain Sought Flower for his temper. It was a fun night! Not so fun for the rest of that weekend, but you know. Things happen, and she knew she wouldnāt be able to help Xie Lian (or Hua Cheng, really) just yet, so. She let him be for now.
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Anyway! This was the week where Ochako put her own plan into motion to try to generate nova from positive emotionsā¦ with the spa party!! And to be honest that didnāt really go as planned because it was just supposed to be the ladies, leaders, and Chinese gays (because theyāre her faves, why wouldnāt she invite them? hello?) but obviously it became a free-for-all since not a single one of us knows a little thing called restraint. But thatās fine. It meant that everyone was having a good time, which was honestly the most important part! And then the ball happened, too, which made the week even better! She saw the dance that Hua Cheng and Xie Lian shared, and she was so delighted to see them having a good time, too! By curfew time on Thursday, week five was rated a solid 10/10, best week in the Realm so far, and not a small part of it was due to the proximity to Xie Lian, because just being around him made Ochako pretty happy.
Then it all tanked when the investigation results were announced on Friday, and it turned into the worst week in the Realm so far, actually, at least, for Ochako. It was the first time sheād lost someone she was really close to - I mean, there was Bucky, but they werenāt nearly as close as she and Mob were, and losing Mob just utterly devastated her. Elsa, too, because she was in on that one, but again - they werenāt as close as she was to Mob. And you know, Ochako had really tried to be strong by the time she made it back to their room that day. Sheād already cried, and she didnāt want to put another of her burdens onto Xie Lianās shoulders. He was always helping her, after all, so she thought there should be one thing she didnāt have to lean on him for. She figured that she could be strong, like he was when Hikaru had died. But when they both got back to their room, which as I said had already become something of a safe space for her, Xie Lian just - hugged her, and didnāt say a single word, and in that moment, something inside of her just shattered. It was safe there, in their room where only Xie Lian would know, so she just. Fell apart, and cried and cried until she couldnāt cry anymore. Mob had become her best friend since theyād all arrived in the Realm, and the first member of her team theyād lost, so it was a heavy blow on multiple fronts, even knowing that heād, apparently, been splintering. So basically - sheād lost a lot of people who were important to her within the past two weeks.
But. Xie Lian was still there.
Besides the fact that he was on Goatās team and therefore in danger if their team took another hit, with Mob gone, there was no one in the game that she cared more about than Xie Lian. So when she needed something to hold onto, she really clung to the knowledge that he was still there, and refused to let go. And yeah, she felt guilty about having to rely on him again, but in that moment, she was just a girl who needed someone, and that someone justā¦ always happened to be Xie Lian, who was always kind, who always knew exactly what she needed to hear, who always made her feel safe.
She wanted to be stronger than this, to not fall apart again - not just for herself, but for Xie Lian. That was just one of the things that led her to volunteer in her team meeting following that weekās execution. There were other factors, too, but with what Rabbit had remembered, she was worried about Xie Lian in particular - because his team was the one that everyone knew was in danger, but did they all know exactly who they needed to protect from that fate? As far as Ochako was concerned, the obvious solution was to volunteer as the next weekās victim, to guarantee the most minimal risk possible. Sure, people would still die, but Rabbitās team had only lost one person so far. Even if all of their volunteers were chosen, they would be in the clear for revival, as long as the quota was met by the remaining teams. And if this was the only way that Ochako could help ensure their victory, she didnāt mind being the one to take the fall.
Of course, there was no way she could do it without telling Xie Lian. The last thing she wanted was to upset him and make his time in the Realm harderā¦ but Ochako thought that not saying something would hurt him even more, in the end. There were a few other people sheād considered telling, too, but obviously Xie Lian didnāt take it well, so she refrained, and clung to the possibility that it wouldnāt actually be her, because to be fair, she didnāt know! But she thought that, at least with a warning, Xie Lian would have the chance to emotionally prepare for losing someone else that he cared about, you know? It wouldnāt make it better, of course, but at least it wouldnāt be so much of a shock.
Soā¦ yeah, she told him. And with that came one of their most significant conversations about heroes - you know the one! By that point, Ochako had forgotten she was a hero at all, so sheād been feeling uncomfortable with anyone telling her she was one up to now, but even more so when Xie Lian said as much during this conversation. He said she was brave, and selfless, and maybe that was true, but something about having that heroic part of her removed made it easier for her to see the way that heroes could hurt people, too - i.e. that one line, āI think... that heroes forget sometimes, that they aren't the only ones who are affected by their sacrifices.ā She had no idea the effect those words had on Xie Lian, but she did know that her own death wouldnāt be insignificant. Sheād even argued with her own team about whether it was worth it, so the matter was fresh in her mind. And she genuinely hated that it would hurt anyone, especially Xie Lian - but as heād told her before, sometimes people have to do things they wouldnāt otherwise for the good of the whole, and that to try to help at least one person is what made someone a hero. Those were both heavy on her mind as she made this choice, and stood by it even if it did mean hurting the ones she cared about.
And when he sort of indirectly offered to protect herā¦ stares into the void. So she didnāt get what Xie Lian meant immediately, which obviously would have been the point given how that power worked. But the way he worded it kind of horrified her a little? Like, why on earth would she ask for someone to take her place? If sheād understood what he was getting at, and what was at stake, she would have argued even harder against it - see above re: Goatās team being in the danger zone. But also, she justā¦ felt so sorry for him, once he revealed the role and power. She could hardly begin to imagine the toll it must have taken on him? But also, she figured he must be used to that kind of thing, that it must have fed into the advice heād given her before, because the way he spoke always seemed veryā¦ weary? Like heād seen too much, and just wanted to rest, but couldnāt even dream of stopping when there was even the chance of helping.
But this time, he couldnāt help her. He actually chose not to, because it wasnāt what she wanted. She was unbelievably grateful for that. Not just because it meant he wouldnāt be in danger, though that was huge - but also because she wouldnāt have expected anyone else to actually listen to her request to let her die for the sake of everyone else. That meant he was, willingly or not, going to stand aside and let Ochako do what she needed to. It meant that for once, she could finally help him, too.
So! As the next week carried on, she tried to stay positive, both for herself and for Xie Lianās sakes. It was a fun week? And very funny? The carnival was great, the curses were hilarious (she was particularly invested in wingmanning for Hua Cheng lmao). But when Thursday rolled around, Ochako couldnāt really pretend she wasnāt afraid anymore. So, as always, the first person she turned to wasā¦ surprise, Xie Lian! What she wanted more than anything was to spend what little time she had left with people she cared about, and Xie Lian was always at the top of the list. She was extremely grateful to him for allowing her to join him for curfew, and absolutely delighted to introduce him to sāmores and bonfire parties!
Thenā¦ she died, after all! And to be honest, she felt terrible for cursing him (and even worse when she found out that Xie Lian was the one who found her, yikes), but sheād felt that if anyone would understand what the plan was supposed to be, it would be Xie Lian, especially after heād told her about the role he held. Obviously that didnāt work quite as planned, and once she saw Dorothy in the graveyard, Ochako worried a little about how Xie Lian must have taken it? She remembered how heavy his voice had sounded when heād told her that he hadnāt been successful yet, soā¦ she hoped he was doing okay.
And also - Certain People in the graveyard had her a bit concerned about how they would treat him when they made it back to the living. Not. That she could stop it. But she worried nonetheless, because Xie Lian tried so hard to save people and he did not deserve to be treated badly for it just because he missed or saved the āwrongā people!
Anyway, when they all made it back, Xie Lian was the first person that she wanted to see to make sure that he was doing alright, so she ran straight for him! And because sheād accepted her fate right alongside the knowledge of how it would affect the people who cared for her, she apologized up front for hurting him - because knowing about it wouldnāt have made it any easier to bear. In fact, knowing how Xie Lian held the things that bothered him so close to his chest, it might have been worse. She also had to apologize for the RSVP? Becauseā¦ haha. She hated doing it even if it was meant to help someone in the end. But more than anything, she was just glad to be back! And absolutely delighted to fight alongside him during the trial, and put all the things he and Hua Cheng had taught her to good use! Two jocks finally got their monster punching bags, and by god, did they punch them!
All in all? Xie Lian was, quite honestly, one of her favorite people in the Realm. She looked up to him, and wanted to be like him, and she desperately wanted to be able to help ease his burdens somehow. By the end of the game, heād really become her favorite hero, and once she goes home, sheās going to strive to make him proud as a rescue hero herself. Sheās not quite there yet, but sheāll never forget any of the things heās told her, because his words were always the ones she held onto the hardest when life (and death) in the Realm got more difficult. She loves Xie Lian a lot, and plans to visit him often in the following year to help him like heād helped her (hello, our psl), and once Hua Cheng returns, sheāll keep coming when her schedule allows. He is one of the people she wouldāve hated to lose the most, so now that her wish has been turned into reality, she wonāt let him go.