Okay so this isn't a chapter, really, but I found this thing on Tumblr about couples SOOOO i decided to answer these for OliRyn!
Basic Information:
Q: What real couples could they be compared to and why?
A: No one, really. They aren't based off of anyone I know. I don't know any two people so incompatible but compatible at the same time. So yeah-
Q: What fictional couples could they be compared to and why?
A: OH OH OH I KNOW THIS ONE I KNOW THIS ONE- Day and June from Legend. Ryn is badass/a fighter and shit whose brother left her, and it had a big impact on her, someone got killed, yadda yadda, you all know this. And then Oliver vs. Day... Umm, they both grew up in the slums, they're both kind of stubborn, and not to mention the Skiz fights that Day observes, I compare them to the street fights that Oliver participates in.
Q: What are their common interests?
A: Umm... smoking... fighting... the stars.... is the stars an interest?
Q: What is the individual goal of each character?
A: Oliver, I haven't mentioned this in the book, I don't think, wants to go to art college. I haven't mentioned his art yet... again, I don't think... but he's really good at it and shit- Yeah, he wants to go to art college one day after he graduates. Ryn, on the other hand, wants to get out of school and, as ironic as it sounds, become a private investigator. If she could help avenge someone's murder or find a criminal, it would help with her sense of justice, which she actually strongly believes in.
Q: What are their common goals?
A: To have everyone be safe and peaceful. If everyone that they love could be happy, they'd be happier than they could imagine.
Q: Do their goals conflict?
A: They haven't discussed them yet, honestly.
Q: What are a few of their inside jokes?
A: OH OH OH I KNOW THIS ONE- Well, obviously, Koneko and Okami, but this was mainly because of Oliver's weeaboo phase that he went through when he was 12. He got the Japanese names from this phase. Dandelions always make Oliver smile, because of the time they were 9. Ryn had been so ecstatic about the idea of making a wish on a flower, they had run around picking all of the dandelions in their neighborhood.
Q: What is the core for each character?
A: What the hell is a core-
Q: How do they reveal their core to the other character?
A: BY TAKING THEIR CLOTHES OFF
Q: What are their relationship expectations?
A: Erm. WHAT IS THIS QUESTION- They both feel like they have everything they could possibly want from each other, I guess?
Q: Does either have an addiction?
A: Oliver smokes weekly, though he's been trying to cut down. Ryn occasionally smokes, when she feels stressed out. She also used to be a bad alcoholic, but eventually, with the help of Andy, broke free from it. Ryn is also addicted to video games. Badly.
Q: In what ways do they worry about each other?
A: Literally, all Oliver ever does is worry about Ryn. He worries about her sanity, her well-being, her health, her grades, how much she's smiling, how much she's eating, what she's eating, what mood she's in, how her day was, how tired she is, where she's going, if she's feeling lonely, the poor boy only worries about her. All the time. Ryn, on the other hand, worries about his street fighting, and the effects that her past decisions have on him now.
Q: How would each character feel if the other had to leave for a time? How would they react if they broke up?
A: I think we've seen how they both react. But, just for the hell of it, I'm gonna elaborate a little more. Oliver can't do anything. He can't move. He can't think. He just feels incredibly empty. Sometimes he gets sick, but most of the time he just stares up blankly at the ceiling. Ryn is the exact opposite. She'll pace around the room, her legs bouncing, her fingers moving, as if she can never sit still.
Q: How do they handle dividing up chores and household duties?
A: Oliver can't cook for shit, so Ryn would be the one cooking. Oliver would be the one doing laundry, Ryn would probably do the dishes, though she hates it. Oliver and Ryn would take turns mowing the lawn because Ryn demands that girls can just as good as guys can.
Q: Who brings home the bacon and how?
A: Oliver most certainly brings home the bacon, and as much as he possibly can. He fuckin loves bacon. But, I have a feeling that this means something else so... [looks up 'bringing home the bacon'] OHHHHHHHH OKAY IT MEANS MONEY. Ryn would probably bring home more money than he would at first, because of her job, while Oliver went to college.
Q: Do they ever resent each other?
A: Umm, duh. Probably on a monthly basis. It's how they work. They get over it every time.
Q: What activities do they enjoy doing together? What activities does one enjoy that the other doesn't?
A: Oliver constantly pesters Ryn on going bungee jumping. He wants nothing more than to go bungee jumping, though Ryn denies it every time out of her fear of heights. But, other than that, umm... they... SEX. SEX IS AN ACTIVITY, RIGHT? Yeah, it's an activity. Ryn doesn't like doing art because she can't, while Oliver loves it.
Q: How do they fight for or defend the other?
A: Both of them get very physical when the other is in danger.
Q: How do they express love for each other? (Examples: Acts of service, physical touch, words of affirmation, quality time, or receiving gifts.
A: Oliver LOVES buying Ryn crap. If he thinks she'll like it, he'll buy it. Even if he doesn't know, he'll buy it. The only reason he doesn't buy her shirts is because he loves seeing her in them, and the one time that he did buy her shirts, she demanded that he took them back because it was a waste of money. He also loves touching her. Not necessarily in a sexual way, just little touches, like kisses on the head or cheek, hands around the waist while she's cooking, constant hugging. Ryn, on the other hand, just loves to spend time with him. Whether it be hanging around him as he's drawing, lying her head on his lap as he's reading, she doesn't like to leave his side.
Comparisons
Q: Who is more grounded?
A: UMM... Neither? Honestly, they are both very childish once you get deep enough. But, I think Ryn is the more "mature" one, and would be the more grounded one in the relationship, considering Oliver is really fucking childish.
Q: What values do they both share?
A: STUBBORNNESS.
Q: Who takes more responsibility for their actions?
A: This is something they both have problems doing. Oliver's is an insecurity thing, while Ryn's is a pride thing. But, I think Oliver is more secretive than her, so if that counts...?
Q:Who is usually more ready to give in and compromise?
A: Neither. If they have to both be stubborn, they will be stubborn for as long as they have to. One of their stubbornness standoffs continued for 3 weeks. Both of them, by then, couldn't even remember what the fight was over, but they both kept their ground.
Q: Do they feel the same way about money?
A: Although Oliver grew up in Detroit, he still spent some of his life in New York, so he doesn't take money as hard as Ryn does, who takes it VERY seriously.
How They See Each Other
Q: What habits do they have that makes the other unhappy? (Examples: angry outbursts, disrespectful judgments, annoying behavior, selfish demands, dishonesty, or apathy.)
A: Oliver doesn't like Ryn's angry outbursts towards herself. He wishes that she would be easier on herself. Ryn doesn't like Oliver's care-free-ness. When it comes to the stuff that really is serious, she wishes that he would act more mature.
Q: What things would each character appreciate the other doing for them?
A: Oliver would love getting a massage from her, as strange as that sounds. He just likes the idea of it, and he's constantly tense, so he would love it. Ryn would love getting breakfast in bed from him, though she knows he can't cook. Even if he just got her breakfast from McDonalds and put it on a plate and brought it up to her, she'd be incredibly happy.
Q: How do they think the other character sees them?
A: Ryn feels like Oliver sees her as weak, for some reason. She's afraid that she's shown too much vulnerability to him. Oliver, on the other hand, worries that he's being to hard on her.
Q: What little things remind them of each other?
Things that remind Oliver of Ryn: Dandelions, the Rolling Stones logo, shooting stars (you'll understand in about 2 questions-) anything that has to do with aliens. (same with above)
Things that remind Ryn of Oliver: butterscotch candies, paint, cigarettes, fire... always fire, because of that night.
General History
Q: How did each character come to trust the other?
A: Ryn still, honestly, doesn't fully trust him. Just because of past experiences, with her family's location being hidden from her, and the street fights, and Skitty communicating with Max, she doesn't COMPLETELY trust him. She doesn't COMPLETELY trust any one. It's who she is. Like I stated in the prolouge (Begin.) she doesn't want to let anyone in.
Q: What are their shared background experiences?
A: I mean, they grew up together. Ryn had a serious alien conspiracy theory back then. Once, she made Oliver stay up, sitting on her roof, all night, looking for a UFO. She almost fell off of the roof because they saw a shooting star and she swore it was an alien spacecraft. Umm... another time...? Ryn had a severe phobia of dogs since the time Oliver saved her from one, so for a long time, Ryn demanded that Oliver carry her on his back to keep the dogs from getting her.
Q: What are differences in their backgrounds?
A: Oliver grew up in New York for 3 years, while Ryn didn't.
Q: What was one moment when one side was weak and the other has to be strong for both?
A: Every single fucking day of Oliver's life.
Q: When are they jealous for the other?
A: Jealous FOR each other, or jealous ABOUT each other? Ryn gets jealous over Oliver's mom. Yep. She gets jealous over Abby, because she's still alive, and he doesn't know what it's like to have a missing mom.
Q: When have they let the other down?
A: Did you mean: the night of Emily's murder?
Q: When have they betrayed each other?
A: Did you mean: the night of Emily's murder?
Defining Moments And Milestones
Q: How did they meet?
A: Ryn was being chased by a dog, Oliver saved her, yadda, yadda, you've read the book, you should know. I'm too tired to write all this out.
Q: What were their first impressions?
A: Oliver thought she was adorable, because of how much smaller she was. Ryn thought he was her hero, because he saved her from the dog.
Q: When was the first temptation to kiss? When did they actually kiss?
A: For Oliver, when he was 12 and they were on Ryn's roof, looking for aliens.
Q: At what point did each realize they might be in love?
A: For Oliver, when he was like 14, but that got instantly demolished on the night of Emily's murder. For Ryn, not that long ago.
Body Language
Q: What are their mannerisms when walking side by side?
A: Oliver holds her hand, or at least tries to at every chance he can get. Ryn tends to stay close to him.
Q: How they sit when they talk?
A: Ryn loves to sit in his lap.
How They Act When They're Together
How does each character behave differently around the other?
A: Oliver gets flustered easily, often stutters, or blanks out. Ryn gets overly cautionary of what she's going to say.
How does love make each character act irrationally?
A: Like I said, Oliver obsessively buys. Ryn gets defensive of him, so she gets in fights with people to make sure he's okay.
How does being around each other change their thought processes?
A: Oliver blanks out most of the time, just lost in her. Ryn constantly wonders what he's thinking about her.
What do they do in silent moments?
A: Oliver loves to read in his silent time, while Ryn likes to walk. She loves walking around the neighborhood, looking at the nature.
What habits do they have that annoy the other?
A: Oliver HUMS. CONSTANTLY. Ryn can't stand it. Ryn is always tapping on something. Whether it be her foot, her fingers, her pens/pencils. Always tapping.
Q: How do they each react to when the other is hurt or upset?
A: First, Oliver wants to know if it's his fault. If it is, he freaks the hell out.
Q: Do they try to help, and how?
A: All Oliver tries to do is help. Ryn can't even help herself, much less help someone else.
How do they spend time on each other's hobbies or interests?
A: Oliver is giving Ryn art lessons in their free time, though she's an incredibly slow learner. Oliver loves to sit around with Ryn and play video games.
How would they prefer to spend time when out and about?
A: Oliver loves going to the movies. He's such a sit-around-in-pjs-and-watch-movies-all-fucking-day person. So, he loves to take Ryn to the movies. Constantly. Ryn likes doing fun things, like going to a carnival or GO KARTZ. GO FUCKING KARTZ.
What signal do they give when they need some space?
A: Ryn just locks the door, while Oliver just says that he needs space.
How They Communicate
Q: How does each character react to the other being vulnerable?
A: When Ryn gets vulnerable, Oliver doesn't know what to do. He usually just sits there, looking at her, his hands occasionally reaching out, but pulling back because he doesn't know if he should touch her. He constantly hesitates, wanting to say something, but doesn't because he's afraid he'll accidentally hurt her feelings even more.
Q: What sort of things do they get into fights over?
A: What anime they're going to watch, what video game they're going to play... what's for dinner. Who's going to watch the kids, if they ever have them.
Q: How do they reconcile after arguments?
A: Oliver apologizes every second he can. He follows after her, pouting in shame, trying to
Q: How do they show affection?
A: Pretty much every way you can.
Q: At what times do they usually have most of their conversations?
A: At night. Ryn constantly talks to him at night, because that's when she's most awake and most of her thoughts come.
Q: How honest are they with each other?
A: Recently, they've tried to be more honest, but in the past, honesty didn't apply at all.
Q: How do they compromise?
A: They don't.
Q: What topics are the most painful to each character?
A: For Oliver: HIS DAD. He's never met his dad. He left them before Oliver was even born. For Ryn: her mom. I mean c'mon, it's people DYING. It's pretty painful.
Q: What secret would they never want the other to know?
Q: Is one character too insensitive about something?
A: Ryn honestly tends to be insensitive about Oliver's feelings. She's hardened herself too much for her to feel bad about stuff.
Q: What topic always leads to a fight?
A: Anything about the past. Everything about the past, really.
Q: What do they want to be resolved the most?
A: Their peace. They want to have peace.
Q: How do they hold each other accountable?
A: Oliver takes away Ryn's video games. Ryn takes away Oliver's Netflix/anime. Plain and simple.
Q: How do they react in times when they can't cheer the other up?
A: OLIVER GETS REALLY FUCKING GUILTY WHEN HE CAN'T HELP HER.
What They Want For The Future
Q: What are each character's plans for the future? What plans have they built together, if any?
A: Ryn doesn't know about her future at all. She honestly, for most of her life, felt like she was going to end up in prison for many years, so she never truly thought about it. Oliver wants to go to art college, get married-- to Ryn-- and have kids.
Q:What is the biggest threat to their relationship? Are they aware it exists?
A: Their trust. Oliver kept the fact that he knew Skitty's location from her for... 4 years...? They are aware that it's there, but Ryn already has a problem with trust, much less how to fix it.
Q: Do they want children? If so, how many? Do they agree about this?
A: Oliver wants nothing more than to have a little girl. Honestly, though, let's all imagine Oliver with his little daughter. He would be the kind of dad that would cry in the waiting room before she was even born, and then cry even more when he got to hold her for the first time. He'd pick her up from school and take her out for ice cream just for the hell of it. He would love her more than anything. I can't- I'M UNABLE. Ryn just wants kids. She doesn't know how many, or what gender. It's not something she really thinks about.
Q: Have they discussed the future? Why/why not?
A: Ryn, at the moment, doesn't have a clear sense of the future. She can't convince herself that she's going to live very long, so she doesn't really have anything to discuss.
Q: Where would their dream home be located? What would it be like?
A: Somewhere cold. Or Zhangye Danxia, if you could have a house there. Oliver likes the colors while Ryn likes the secludedness.
Q: Where do they think they'll be in the future together?
A: I dunno man I just wanna finish the book-