#hifumi's gonna be another really fun one once i get the hang of him

[drawbauchery]

Okay so out of these kids so far who's your fave to draw

luckily a handful of my big faves are the most fun

if i could just draw these guys forever that'd be nice TAT

#maishelf #art #danganronpa #shuichi saihara #ryoma hoshi #teruteru hanamura #chihiro fujisaki #kokichi oma #makoto hajime and kaito..also big faves #but their hairstyles are a fucking nightmare #and fuyuhiko my darling...i can't draw buzzcuts #hifumi's gonna be another really fun one once i get the hang of him #bus au

[deadmandairyland]

Hi! I’m here to bring you yet another Danganronpa tier list: the sexuality tier list, which you can find here.

Now I’m going to be honest here: I don’t really have any LGBT headcanons. It’s just not really something I focus on much when it comes to fandoms. Instead I usually just focus on ships, and as a result from that I tend to present a lot of characters as LGBT in fanfictions and posts I’ve made or reblogged. In other words, a massive chunk of my “headcanons” here are a direct result of shipping (as well as information I’ve picked up from the games themselves). That being said, it was interesting to actually think about this for once, so I’m kinda glad I did the tier list. And it gave me an excuse to bring back the rainbow color scheme I usually put in my tier lists for aesthetic reasons.

The original tier list had Straight at the top, but I moved it to the bottom for two reasons. One, this is Tumblr and that’s not what you’re here for. Two, I gave it a neutral color, and having a gray section next to a white section (i.e. the title of the list) like that looked bad to me. I definitely prefer this setup just on aesthetic alone.

Because this is largely based on ships, I feel it needs to be said that representation does not factor into this chart in any way. I know it probably looks bad that the only character in the Lesbian category is one of my least favorite (though NOT hated or even disliked, I should point out) characters in the main series. That has nothing to do with the fact that she’s a lesbian. She’s just a jerk, and usually not in a way that’s at least entertaining enough for me to like her.

Also keep in mind that this is just the main cast of the main series games. If you were to include characters from the DR3 anime, UDG, or the spin-offs, the Gay, Lesbian, and Ace categories would get more rep, certainly. Think Juzo, Yui, Takemichi, that gay guy with the trumpet, etc.

With that said, let’s go through the list:

Gay

Not gonna lie, one of the reasons why Rantaro is here (and not in Ace) is because of ships. Though I do sometimes ship him with girls, canon suggests he’s not interested in dating girls, and most fans seem to headcanon him as either gay or ace because of this, so I respected that. That being said, I also acknowledge he’s a very popular character in mlm ships, and at the time I was putting this together I hadn’t gotten to Taka yet so the Gay tier was still empty, and Byakuya was already sitting in Ace, so all of that swayed me to putting Rantaro here instead of Ace.

Taka was much easier to place here. He strikes me as a closeted gay man who probably doesn’t even realize he is gay. “Hey, let’s all hang out in the bath, guys! Getting naked is essential to form bonds with your fellow man! No need to be ashamed, it’s tradition!"

Lesbian

Again, ships. I only ship Hiyoko with one other character, and as soon as I say that you already know who she is.

Bisexual (Male Preference)

Akane is mostly here to account for any wlw ships I may have of her (e.g. Hina, Sonia maybe). Obviously she has a thing with Nekomaru, so Male Preference.

Chiaki is here for the same reason as Akane. I’ve shipped her with characters like Sonia and Ibuki before, but she really digs Hajime.

Chihiro honestly could have been anywhere in the Bi and Pan sections, but I ultimately went with Male Preference because of ships, specifically the fact that outside of the more... R18 circles of the Interwebs Chihiro tends to be shipped with guys more often than girls. Also doesn’t hurt that my OTP is Naehiro. I mean, have you seen how often Chihiro blushes around Makoto? (There’s more to it than that, as I’ve covered in the past. I’m just trying to add more fuel to the fire.)

Himiko is probably one of the few characters that isn’t here mainly because of ships. I do think she has some attachment towards Tenko, but I also get “I’m uncomfortable around her” vibes from her, and there are moments where she seems to crush on Kokichi (of all people) so that’s why she’s here. Still very much bi, though.

Hina has a crush on Makoto and has a complex around wishing she was more feminine so she can attract boys. So why isn’t she in the Straight section? ...Because Sakura, duh. And Kyoko too. And any other wlw ship you can think of that might work with Hina.

Honestly if it wasn’t for Miu I probably would have considered putting Kokichi in Gay. Again, while shipping plays a big part of my choices here, much like with Rantaro I have no qualms with putting a character in a tier that contradicts any ships I might have with that character, if those ships aren’t something I’m super invested in. This is a very important distinction, because it’s why I let ships sway my hand for so many of these even if I am also okay with going “Just because I ship this doesn’t mean I headcanon it” as I did with Rantaro. And honestly Kokichi’s ship teasing with Himiko does come off as more trollish than a sign that he’s into her, but he really gets into his back-and-forth with Miu, in my personal opinion, and he gets into it far more often with her for that matter. It’s why it’s one of my favorite ships for both of them tbh, and it’s because I like the ship so much that I just can’t ignore it for this sexuality headcanon tier list.

Maki... is here because of ships (e.g. Kaede).

Sakura... is here because of ships (e.g. Hina). ...What, you were expecting me to put a guy in the example? Remember, she has a boyfriend in canon.

Sayaka... is here because of... NOT ships, but DRAT. Yes, really. (”We really got down and dirty, Naegi-kun.”)

Sonia... strikes me as someone who swings both ways. I can’t describe exactly why I feel that way, but yes.

Bisexual (No Preference)

Celeste wants a harem of vampire boys but shipping her with Kyoko is also very popular and honestly i feel like it would fit her character. She’s got a look that says “I could get any ass I want and I know it.”

Ibuki is decked out in blues and pinks, and also I ship her fairly evenly among both boys and girls. She just screams bi icon to me, more so than any other character in the series.

Junko is either bi with no preferences or pan. She is an equal opportunity heart-and-soul-breaker and lust-for-despair machine.

There is no Mukuro in this list, but honestly I would probably put her where I put Junko anyway.

Kaede... is here because of ships (e.g. Miu, Maki)

Honestly I had no idea where to put Kirumi, so I just randomly chose one that I wouldn’t regret later if I ever put more thought into who I shipped her with.

I’m pretty sure Nagito being bisexual has some degree of canon attached to it??? I think??? I’m not entirely sure tbh, but fuck it. I’m doing this for fun anyway, so this doesn’t really matter.

Shuichi, like all Danganronpa protags, is bi as fuck. I also find him to be more shippable with guys than the other two protags, so IMO he has no preference.

Toko might have a thing or two for pretty boys, but... Komaru, I mean, this isn’t exactly shocking, I don’t think. Probably was closeted before she met Komaru. I mean she did focus on Hina’s boobs a lot in DR1, let’s not forget.

Tsumugi, much like Kirumi, is here because I haven’t put much thought into her ships.

Bisexual (Female Preference)

Gundham has a thing with Sonia in canon, but I can see him being bi. So... yeah, ships again.

Hajime, like all Danganronpa protags, is bi as fuck. It’s just that his Chiaki and Mikan game is just too strong.

Hifumi might claim to only like 2D, but his interest in Chihiro both in human form and computer program form (and the fact that this didn’t go away after the gender reveal) places him here.

Kaito strikes me as a closeted bisexual. The kind that could start any given conversation with “I’m not gay, but...”

Kazuichi also strikes me as a closeted bisexual, only his “I’m not gay, but...” is rooted more in dumbass than it is in systematic homophobia.

Korekiyo... is here because of ships (e.g. Rantaro).

Kyoko is bi as fuck, and I can see her having a preference towards girls in particular. She gets shipped with girls a lot (e.g. Celeste, Hina, Yui, and even Junko and Mukuro), and when she is shipped with boys it’s usually just pretty boys (e.g. Makoto, Byakuya, Ryota, Shuichi, and, depending on your interpretation, Chihiro). Also note that aside from Makoto and maybe Byakuya, Kyoko’s girl ships are far more popular than her boy ships. Just something I’ve noticed over the years.

Leon... is here because of ships (e.g. Chihiro).

Mahiru is here because I’m pretty sure she has a thing for Hajime in her FTEs, but obviously she tends to get shipped with girls more often (especially Hiyoko), and I agree.

Makoto, like all Danganronpa protags, is bi as fuck. It’s just that his Kyoko, Hina, Sayaka, and Mukuro game is just too strong.

Mikan may be interested in Hajime somewhat, but her obsession with Junko cannot be ignored, no matter how much some of you may want to.

Mondo is another character that strikes me as a closeted bisexual. He is said to strike out all the time with girls, so I do think he’s attracted to women. And I do get some vibes that he’s attracted to Chihiro pre-reveal. And if circumstances had been different, I imagine he probably still would have been post-reveal. But obviously it’s his bond with Taka that I feel cements his sexuality in, at the very least, an mlm category.

Tenko... is here NOT because of ships, but because I’m pretty sure she’s at least sort of interested in Shuichi because of some canon thing... and also I don’t want to put her in Lesbian just because it feels like I’d be stereotyping the Lesbian category if I do that. If we were to compare her to the character that I did put in Lesbian, Hiyoko doesn’t treat people like shit because they’re men, she’s an equal-opportunity asshole. Still not the best representation for lesbians by a long shot, but at least Hiyoko doesn’t follow the stereotype of a man-hating lesbian. She’s just like that, and that’s okay. But putting Tenko there, especially if she’s shown some degree of interest in a male character at some point in the game, just rubs me the wrong way personally, because it would feel like I’m ignoring canon just to stereotype her. But that’s just a personal hang up of mine. No disrespect intended toward anyone who genuinely feels that Tenko is a lesbian. Maybe you see something there that I don’t, and that’s perfectly fine.

Pansexual

I don’t remember exactly how her FTEs went, so I’m not going to get into that, but Angie just comes off as pan to me, like gender doesn’t fit into the equation at all for her.

Gonta I can see as either pan or ace. I feel like he wouldn’t care about gender, and honestly the only reason I decided to put him in Pan rather than Ace is because of that scene with Miu.

Imposter is not only pan, they are currently OT3ing it up with Ibuki and Ryota as we speak, and that’s a fact.

Keebo... is mostly here because of ships. A lot of ships, actually. Mostly male ships (Kokichi, Shuichi, Kazuichi, and, depending on your interpretation, Chihiro) but there’s also Miu to consider. And the Miu game is SO strong that I put him in Pan instead of, say, Male Preference.

Just gonna lump them together because I have the same thing to say about both of them: Miu and Teruteru would **** anything that walks. What did I censor? Well, I’m doing the Nier: Automata thing, so you can put whatever you want in there and trust me, it would probably fit, for better or for worse.

Ace

I know this is an unpopular opinion, because Naegami, but I just don’t think Byakuya is interested in anyone, at least not in that way. He might be fascinated with how common people live, because it’s so foreign to him, but that’s about it.

Straight

Even though I do ship Fuyuhiko with some of the boys, his Peko game is so strong that honestly I can’t see him actually dating anyone aside from Peko outside of some very niche fanfiction.

Honestly, Hiro was another one that I was just like “I have no idea what to do with you.” I think maybe his team up with Kanon made me eventually choose to put him in Straight? I don’t remember. I clearly didn’t put much thought into Hiro.

I really only ship Nekomaru with Akane, so that’s why he’s here. I’m sure if I dive deep enough into my psyche I can pull an mlm ship with Nekomaru in it out of my ass, but like Rantaro that wouldn’t be significant enough to change anything.

Peko is in the same boat as Fuyuhiko. I have shipped her with girls before, but her Fuyuhiko game is just too strong.

Ryoma had a girlfriend once, and as far as I can remember he didn’t really seem interested in anybody in the game, so that’s all I have to go off of for him.

-----

So there you have it. Explanations for literally all of them! Explanations that were definitely not pulled out of my ass as I was typing them, nope, certainly not. Definitely won’t be tagging all of them, but I may tag the ones with the longest entries. And like all the tier lists I’ve done, this was just for fun and honestly any opinion I have for any of these characters could change at a moment’s notice because my brain is fickle like that. Tried my best to make sure that every tier had at least one character in it, but I did so without trying to force characters in places that I personally did not believe they should go. I hope you all enjoyed my dive into this area of fandom that I rarely dive into (the LGBT headcanons, not the ships, obviously). It was a lot of fun, and hopefully it will stay fun and not result in angry anons blasting me for my opinions. I am grateful that this never seems to happen to me, but I’ve seen it happen to others and I know what Tumblr is capable of at its worst. These are just headcanons and a matter of personal opinion, and if you disagree with them, that’s perfectly okay. Your feelings and opinions are also valid.

#dangan ronpa #tier list #rantarou amami #kiyotaka ishimaru #hiyoko saionji #chihiro fujisaki #himiko yumeno #aoi asahina #kokichi ouma #kyouko kirigiri #mondo oowada #tenko chabashira #kiibo #miu iruma #teruteru hanamura #ended up tagging anyone who (at least in the editor) has four or more lines of text in their entry #or in hiyoko's case because i mention her a lot outside of her entry

[bow-wow-wark-wark]

Hiii happy 4th hypmic anniversary, I know it's been like 3 days since the actual anniversary but *shrugs* anyways I wanted to answer the questions from this post to celebrate!! (This is going to be a long post lol, this just brings a ramble instinct in me)

1. How and when did you get into HyplMic?

I got into hypmic during the end of September/ start of October of last year, it feels like a lot of time and very little at the same time lol... so many people in the fandom have liked this for super long!! I got into it bc of someone I followed on twitter, they would talk about it sometimes and I was getting a bit sick of the music I listened too so I thought "why not expand my music taste?" Little that I know It was going to become the only thing I listened too lol. I also saw this like "a hypmic characther once said" video and I thought it was soooo funny I just had to get into it. I'm honestly surprised hypmic started in 2017 bc I was going through a god awful musical phase and knowing I could have liked it earlier in life amuses me (tho back then I thought anime was silly so it wouldn'thave happened either).

2. First impressions of the characters? Who stuck out the most?

(Another long one soz) I'm going to do most of them btw.

Buster bros: ichiro was the 1st chara I knew before I got into it, for a bit I had him mixed up with jyushi tho lmao. Tbh I didnt have a very strong opinion on him, I wasn't super into BB at the start 😅 same with jiro, I liked him the most, thought he was really cute. At the start I disliked saburo a bit lol, like he was just soooo mean and I didn't like that, also I wasnt a huge fan of new star at the start so I didnt like him bc of that either.

MTC: I had to fight a lot to openly like mtc, I felt a bit bad liking them at the start bc they're all like criminals and stuff lol. I have to be honest I think that at the start I didnt think about them like at all... the strongest impression here was Rio, he was my favorite also I thought jyuto was hilarious bc of the start of bayside smoking blues, I really liked his voice too.

Fling posse: ok so the moment I saw Ramuda I was like "this guy is evil as balls isnt he?" I was pretty right lol, I thought he was a child like saburo at the start bc hes so small, man fooled me there. I liked dice the most at the start, my 1st fanart is of him lol. I didnt have very strong opinions on Gentaro, I was surprised to find out his VA also voiced yamaguchi since I was a haikyuu fan if anything.

Matenro: Lol matenro was my favorite (still is), idk what was it but I saw all of them and I was like: great :D I dont remeber specific impressions tho.... It was almost like love at first sight lol. I remeber I really liked the fact that both hifumi and doppo had tips, I thought it was super cool.

BAT: ok so I also knew who kuuko was before I got into hypmic my actual actual 1st fanart was of him (I did it before I even knew what hypmic was like at all). I really liked him, I remember listening to gyara bam and being like "this guy rules so much", I really liked jyushi, as mentioned before I had him mixed with ichiro (they look nothing a like I dont even know how) I was super shocked to find out he was also a teen lol I was pretty happy. Not gonna lie I had no idea who hitoya was at the start (rip) I knew kuuko I knew jyushi but I didnt know him, I dont remeber being very big on him till like the dramas and getting more into hypmic bc before nothing nada.

Dotsuhon: lol I slept on dotsuhon for the looongest time, I literally only liked sasara, rosho and rei were just really there for me. Sasara was my favorite bc I loved his voice and tragic transitor gace me unrivaled latino vibes so he felt very close to me in a sense. I thought rei was a scumbag the moment I laid eyes on him.

3. Who was the first character you liked?

My 1st favorites before I found out about bat and dotsuhon where jiro and hifumi!! I really liked their voices and like over all attitude and stuff.

4. Which was the first Division you liked?

My favorite was matenro, they were just so cute and I liked how they were pretty chill and just had fun most of the time. Like how they tried looking all edgy and intimidating but they were all nice guys lol.

5. How have your favorites changed?

Not much lol my favorite is still hifumi tho know I have jyushi and Otome if were ranking on like top 3. I love all the charas now tho!!! Lol these are just my bigger ones. Division wise now my favorite is mtc, followed by bat I'm still a matenro stan tho!! All divisions have done some big growing on me so I love all of them anyways.

6. What was the first song you listened to?

The 1st song I listened to was battle anthem, I was super convinced it was the 1st hypmic song so I was surprised to hear it was division rap battle lol.

7. What's your favorite solo song?

Ghhhh this is so hard to choose... I actually like basically every single hypmic song.... if we're talking only 1t set that's easier to choose. Um that would be sensenfukoku, drops and champagne gold, I like all the mtc ones so I cant choose. Second set every single one is amazing so I cant choose either, tho at the start I disliked most of them somehow...

8. What's your favorite group song?

Ok at 1st i thought it was like an all division song but I just read it and it's just group song in general.... I love all of them but one of my biggest comfort songs is papillion so I'll say papillion. If were talking all stars songs that's easier tho: in no particular order its hoodstar (just heard the + ver and it slapped), survival of the illest+, glory or dust and hang out.

9. Which songs do you think are slept on?

Mmmmm I personally have no idea which songs people like more in general but I have seen a bunch of "my favorite hypmic moments" videos so I'll base it on that. I'll personally say any mtc song lol, in those videos theres always a surprising lack of mtc so yeah.

10. Do your favorite songs come from your favorite Division?

Yes, tho it's really no problem bc I like all songs😅

11. Objectively, who do you think is the best rapper?

I had never heard a lot of rapping till hypmic so I have no idea what good rapping is lol... I personally thinks everyone does a good job, I guess someone else can school me on that.

12. Which composers for HypMic do you listen to?

None... I honestly dont like know who composes which song.... I know very little about music and I dont look into it so I cant answer this one either.

13. If you had to get someone into HypMic with one song what would it be?

Oh :0 well I'm not very sure but if anything I think the way to go would be an all stars song bc you can get the feel of each division pretty good, then if they like that introduce them to other stuff. Of course this all depends on the person lol... my brother really likes strong songs so to him battle anthem was a good hook up... I quite personally would go for survival of the illest bc it has a good feel of the divisions and it's very silly which is a series staple.

14. Do you play ARB? Drop your friend code for people reading!

Nooooo I dont 🤧😢 I really want to but I dont think I would have space on my phone, besides idk how to download it, if you have to pay for it I dont have money and if it's only in japanese I'm learning at snails speed so I wouldnt understand it *cries a little* I have seen certain events tho, I find it funny.

15. What events are you hoping to see? What character combos do you hope will show up together?

Mmmm idk I have a post about but I'll love to see a sasara jakurai interaction, I'm pretty sure one has already happened but I want this funny man to interact with jakurai more. Some people mentioned that they would like to see more interactions between kuuko and samatoki and I agree, wheres that side of the mad comic dialogue line up? I'll also like to see hitoya and samatoki bc they're both into vintage stuff ish, like fashion wise so I think it would be interesting to see. Last I want a jyushi/jiro interaction idk of there's any but there needs to be I need them to interact!!! Or maybe saburo jyushi that would also be interesting.

16. Are you into any ships?

Yes!!! I'm a little shy talking about ships not going to lie so I don't talk about it too much lol. I like samajyu a normal amount, I also like ichikuu, jiroshi, hifudo and hitojaku. I like a lot of other ships too tho, like ot3 mtc is good so is fling posse tho my favorite is ramugen. Hypmic has a bunch of cute ships so it's hard not to enjoy most.

17. Do you have a yume/self-ships? Platonic or romantic.

Not really lol, I have considered reading self insert before but I always feel a bit embarrassed. If you do you're super poggers tho.

Ok I'll keep answering in another post bc this is getting super long and the next question is one I want to say a lot about again. Umm if you happen to see this and want to answer them too fell free to!! You can tag me if you want as well, I love seeing others opinions about like hypmic and stuff so feel free too. If you want to comment on something I said you're free to do so as well

#this is so long #km not sorry tho 😈 #ok maybe a bit #this questions really bring that animal instinct in me lol #brains is being replaced by hypmic sorry #im not tagging bc #long post #ramble post #you can block the ramble tag if you dont want to see this lol #also if theres mispelling in this ignore it #i cant spell or read #this really is so long im so sorry.... ill make sure to cut the next one earlier if it gets too long

[missblanchette]

Rumor Has It [7/10]

Series: Hypnosis Mic

Characters: Izanami Hifumi/Yumeno Gentaro; Amemura Ramuda, Arisugawa Dice

Rating: T

Summary: Thousands of hearts broke that day. With tears shed and cries resounding to the heavens, each grief-stricken woman wondered how this could possibly happen. In the year 20XX of the H. Era, Matenrou’s MC GIGOLO and Fling Posse’s MC Phantom were officially in a relationship.

Except they weren’t, actually.

Words: 4,113 words

ko-fi // Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | You can read this on AO3! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!  (,, ･∀･)ﾉ゛

Ch. 7: The Heart in a Fog

"Gentarooo~ Why didn't you tell us you and your boy toy were serious?" wasn't the first thing Gentaro expected to hear once he sat down at Fling Posse's usual cafe for their "Play Time" (team bonding, as Ramuda put it; never mind that they stayed at either his or Ramuda's place a majority of the week), but their dear leader had never been the most predictable. The whine of Ramuda’s voice sounded like a tease than anything else, but his baby blue eyes held a scrutinizing glint to them. Cup of tea in hand and a bag of Hifumi's belongings hanging around his wrist, Gentaro supposed this was karma for arriving five minutes late.

"What? You got a boyfriend?" Dice asked between mouthfuls of a crepe.

Feigning offense, Gentaro placed a hand over chest. "Yes, you didn't realize? We've been going out for some time now. He's one hundred seventy-seven centimeters tall, has blue hair, and likes to freeload."

"Sounds kinda ugly." Dice's face scrunched up. "Wait --"

"Nope, nope, nope-y, nope! ★" Ramuda singsonged, booping Gentaro's nose. "I mean the other boyfriend who's one-seventy-nine centimeters, definitely not a real blond, and lives in Shinjuku."

Gentaro's brow creased as he pretended to ponder over the description. "Who ever are you talking about? I would've told you if he existed."

"But you were with him right here?"

Ramuda turned his phone towards him and lo and behold, the picture of him and Hifumi sitting together at Sakuragaoka-cho Street laid on the screen. Barely sparing it a glance, Gentaro took a sip of his tea.

"Ah, but that's not exactly me. That's my doppelgänger."

"Your dopa-what?" Dice said.

"My lookalike, another person who shares the same face as me. An evil twin, as some say."

Ramuda's eyes bulged wide. Making a noise of awe, he looked back and forth between the picture and Gentaro.

"Really, really? Don't they say you die after meeting your doppelgänger?" He tilted his head, lips puckered in bewilderment.

"Oh, certainly. I died not too long after laying sight upon them. My MC name is 'Phantom' for a reason, you know."

Slapping his cheek with a pop, Ramuda's jaw dropped.

"Wow~ ★ How neat, how neat! We have a real ghostie on our team!" He hopped forward in his seat with sparkles surrounding his big eyes. "Can I put my hand through you?"

Before Gentaro could answer, Dice reached out and smashed Gentaro’s cheeks in between his hand. He turned his head left and right, up and down; once more, all around.

"Ghost, schmost. I can touch ya jus' fine!"

Chuckling, Gentaro pried Dice's fingers off his face. "Yes, you've caught me. That was a lie."

"Whaaa, so Gentaro's not really a ghost?"

"I'm sorry to disappoint, but I'm flesh through and through," he said, pulling his cheek to prove it. "Though I will say that I'm appalled that you're using that image, Ramuda. It's old news by now."

"Ah, ah, ah~ It's not old news if it's still relevant." With a finely manicured finger, Ramuda pointed at the bag at his side. "You just don't carry another guy's stuff around for no reason! A~nd I know for a fact those aren't your style."

His years of lying paid off, allowing Gentaro to maintain a straight face at the comment. He hadn't mentioned what was in the bag since he sat down, let alone bring attention to the bag itself. To top it off, it wasn't see-through. Keen underneath the ditziness, Ramuda was an interesting one for sure.

"Damn, Ramuda, what if he's trynna experiment?" Dice piped up, bless his soul. "Guy can't wear what he wanna wear?"

"I merely borrowed these from an acquaintance," Gentaro said, nodding a small thanks to Dice. "I'm meeting up with them later, so I'll be returning these to them."

"An acquaintance you've been texting all week~?"

As if selling him out, the chime of a LINE message rang through; Gentaro's hand an even worse traitor, having reached to pull his phone out on instinct. He caught himself before he could do so, but Ramuda simply smirked at him and Dice raised a brow as he munched away at his food. Gentaro cleared his throat and took a sip of his tea.

"Purely business, I assure you."

"Must be some fun kinda business since you've been so glued to your phone lately!"

"Yeah, actually..." Dice's chewing slowed to a stop. "You said you've been workin' on your next book, but I always see ya textin' someone and smilin' at your desk."

Gentaro shrugged nonchalantly. "What can I say? Business is going well."

Smirk ever present, Ramuda drank the last of his bubble tea in reply, slurping loudly against the cafe's white noise as he sucked up air through the straw. Setting the cup down with a plop, Ramuda's nails click-clacked against the table.

"Y'know, Gentaro --" Like sharing a secret, he scooched in closer. "-- the whole thing with you and that Hifumi really went viral, and that got me thinking 'bout what we can do to boost Fling Posse's popularity for next season."

"Is it choreography? The idol image is very big in Chuuoku."

"Nope! But that's a good idea, I should add that to our next practice session~"

"Fuck no, I can't dance for shit --"

"B~ut, what I had in mind is that me and you should make it seem like we're dating! ♥"

"Hm, a fake dating scenario, is it?" Taking the longer strands of Ramuda's hair, Gentaro twirled it around his finger before cupping his cheek. Ramuda giggled and leaned into his palm. "The love story between a leader and his second-in-command, defying all odds and overcoming their struggles together; a tale of secrecy, mystery, and passion. How romantic."

"Hey, hey, hey, whatta 'bout me?" Dice said. "Can I be in the story?"

"Featuring their idiot third member."

"Shit, bro, after all we been through? Just gonna do me dirty like that?"

Gentaro stifled his snicker behind his sleeve. "Their idiot third member who ends up winning them the grand prize due to his immense luck."

He nodded approvingly. "That's more like it."

Clapping his hands, Ramuda laughed. "See, see! We got the perfect set up for it already so let's give it a shot! ★"

Lips quirking up, Gentaro shook his head.

"As compelling as it sounds, I don't think it's the best idea." He gave Ramuda's cheek a pat before pulling away. "Something like that will only lead to a disaster in the long run."

"Aw, boo-y. 💔" Ramuda pouted, but soon set his sights on Dice. "Looks like it's up to us then, Dicey-Dice!"

"Yeah? What we gonna do?"

He hummed while tapping his chin, baby blues scanning the cafe. "I know! You go over to that corner and I'll kabedon you! Gentaro can take the pic."

"...Shouldn't it be the other way 'round 'cause I'm taller?"

"Yeah, but I'm the leader! ★" Ramuda grinned as he pointed to himself. "Oh, maybe I'll get on Gentaro's shoulders and we'll both kabedon you."

"Hol' up, hol' up! Why's it gotta be me gettin' slammed on?"

"Don't you know, Dice? The elders must establish their dominance over the weak," said Gentaro matter-of-factly.

At that, Ramuda’s laughter filled the cafe and Gentaro joined in with a small huff. Dice squinted and jabbed his crepe at the two of them, whipped cream flying onto the table.

"Oi, who ya callin’ ‘weak’?!"

“The one who owes me a hundred thousand yen,” Gentaro teased. His eyes fell to his watch then, his plans for the afternoon fast approaching. “I’m afraid I’ll have to give Ramuda the honors of dominating you, though, since I have to be going now.”

Pouting, Ramuda tugged on his sleeve. "Awww, but you just got here."

"Forgive me, but business calls." He stood up and drew his arm out from Ramuda’s grip before making sure all his things were in order.

"The fun kinda business?"

"Business is business."

"A'ight, well, we'll be here when you're done," said Dice, waving at him.

"There’s no need to wait for me. It'll be an all day affair."

"Ooh, so the super fun kinda business~? ♥"

Gentaro gestured vaguely, but he couldn't help the curl of his lips. "Business."

----------------

A ghost of a smile growing on his face, Gentaro pocketed his phone and set off to meet Hifumi. Sakuragaoka-cho Street wasn't too far from the cafe, but he walked with a hurry to his gait and a bounce to his steps nevertheless. Admittedly, Hifumi's invitation had caught him off guard; another meeting so soon, with nary much detail besides "meet me at sakuragaoka-cho!!" and a plethora of stickers and hearts. Gentaro had half the mind to turn him down, but his fingers had worked faster than his head and he accepted.

He didn't regret his decision, though. In between their frequent conversations, the words to his manuscript flowed more easily since their outing; a spark, of sorts, having been lit after all the impromptu stories they created together and the back-and-forth they shared. Contrary to the voice in the back of his head that wished to see Hifumi for desire’s sake, he justified this rendezvous with the notion that meeting up with him would provide insight and bolster creativity.

Ever the punctual one, Gentaro stopped short when he spotted the familiar head of blond and lime standing near one of the sakura trees. Truly "next time" had arrived sooner than he thought it would -- had arrived when he thought it wouldn't at all -- but seeing Hifumi in person again, somehow he didn't mind. Not wasting a further second, Gentaro hurried on.

"Oh, is my watch running slow? It appears you're here on time, Izanami-san." A teasing lilt to his words, Gentaro tapped at his watch for the show of it. Expecting that perky voice of his to crack back, his lips tugged up as he neared him.

But Gentaro heard it before he saw it.

"Of course, Yumeno-sensei," Hifumi said in that flirtatious inflection of his. Given the tone, Gentaro's eyes wandered down to see him wearing his suit -- prim and proper, rather than haphazardly thrown on to avoid his fears. "I'm not one to keep a dear friend waiting."

Handsome as he was, the hands hidden behind Hifumi's back spoke of something more. Tips of red peeped out from his sides, swaying to the spring breeze. Anticipation and apprehension blending together, Gentaro pushed them down.

"What's this? All dressed up in your suit attire, are you?" Gentaro gave him a look, gesturing up and down at his person. "Don't tell me you've called me to act as your shield."

Hifumi chuckled, the once strident noise now sonorous to his ears. "No, I know better than to call a friend out for something so silly as that. I have other plans for us, actually."

"Ah, that's right. You were quite vague about that, though," Gentaro mused, glancing to the mystery he hid from him. "They don't happen to do with whatever's behind your back, do they?"

A flash of his other self seeping through, Hifumi's eyes widened before he recovered with a smile that made his heart flutter.

"Perceptive as always, Yumeno-sensei~" he said, a tilt to his head and dimples to his cheeks. "One of your charm points, for sure."

"Flattery, Izanami-san?" Try as he might to play it off casually, the butterflies in Gentaro’s stomach flapped their wings so hard that they’d started a hurricane. "Have you mistaken me for one of your so-called kittens, by any chance?"

"Nonsense, my dear Yumeno-sensei~ I could never mistake anyone as special as you are for anyone else.” His suit jacket on, Gentaro had heard him speak such adulations to the women who’d passed them by, but the sincerity in his tone threw Gentaro off. “In fact --" With the flourish of a host, Hifumi revealed what was hidden behind his back. "-- these are for you."

A bouquet of roses, presented like a bottle of champagne to his clients; yellow petals matching the hue of his locks, fading into a deep red at the tips. Had Gentaro’s heart not skipped a beat or two, he might have mulled over the meaning of such colors. Eyeballing it, he counted forty-four rose heads. Forty-four roses no doubt a declaration of affection, each petal peering up at him like the irises watching behind them. Numbly, Gentaro accepted the bouquet into his arms. The cellophane rustling in his hold, the flowers weighed heavily and the thorns jabbed into his chest.

Drawing a blank, Gentaro stumbled over his words. "That is -- This is -- These are quite something..."

"Aren’t they? A lovely bouquet for a man as lovely as you~"

He parted his lips to quip back, but Gentaro’s mind had gone askew with racing thoughts -- of excitement, of dread, of feelings he wasn't sure about -- that nothing came out. From their confrontation in Chuuoku that lead to their rivalry, to the fateful night at Kabukicho that changed everything between them, to now, Hifumi had that effect on him. For better or for worse, Gentaro couldn’t fault him for it.

Not realizing his silence, or maybe ignoring it, Hifumi continued on. "Yumeno-sensei, since we're here, may I tell you something?"

Speechless, he nodded slowly. Hifumi's smile grew bigger, beaming brighter than the sun itself. As blinding as it was, Gentaro could not -- would not -- tear his gaze away. Dangerous the sun might be, but its warmth was addicting and he let its radiance sting.

"I know we haven't spent much time together, Yumeno-sensei, but I believe we've made great strides since our first encounter." His voice a resonant melody, Hifumi took his hand in his. Warm yet suffocating, Hifumi’s touch was the only thing keeping him grounded as his senses ran a tizzy. "The circumstances might've been unfortunate, but I'm glad that the incident in Kabukicho was able to bring us closer. Since then, the moments we've shared have been a dream for me, and I've come to see you in a new light. Or maybe it's better to say that you have become my new light."

Bringing his hand close to his chest, Gentaro's fingers grazed the spot above Hifumi's heart. His pulse at his tips, he found that underneath the cool and calm persona of a host, their heartbeats drummed at the same unsteady pace. Lucent irises locked onto his, Hifumi's gaze boring into him filled with a gentleness he'd never seen before. His touch had grown searing hot, but Gentaro did not pull back.

Laced with ardor, Hifumi said softly, "Yumeno-sensei, I believe I've fallen for you."

Whether his heart stopped beating altogether or it beat so quickly that he no longer felt it, Gentaro couldn't tell. What he did know, however, was that he didn't know what to feel.

Rare was it that Gentaro let anyone into his life. Indeed, he could count those close to him with only a single hand -- a digit for each of them: The elderly couple, his parents that'd taken him in, the ones whom he'd started lying for; Atsushi, his best friend when no one else dared speak to him, the one whom he'd started writing tales for; Dice and Ramuda, his posse through thick and thin, the ones he'd fought through hell and back with.

And then there was Hifumi, his rival turned acquaintance turned God knows what, the one he’d faced with ups and downs. Once, Gentaro had thought of him as a gibbering fool without a care in the world; now, he'd come to learn that there was more to him than that -- figuratively and literally. Despite being a man of two faces, Hifumi was endearing all the same. Blunt and outspoken he might be, and other moments too honeyed and charming, but he always meant well underneath it all; the man, much to his surprise, was supportive to no end. Regardless of if the suit jacket was on or off, Gentaro found a comfort in his presence and their rhythm together flowed effortlessly. Yes, somewhere along the line, the bane of his existence became someone he enjoyed being with. From reckless nuisance to cheerful companion, Hifumi had certainly grown on him within a short season.

But, Gentaro wondered, did the moments they share together warrant anything deeper? Was the time spent talking to him any more than fondness? Was the desire to weave more tales with him any more than attraction? Was the need to get to know him better any more than infatuation? His head spun trying to find the answer.

Unsure of whether it was a truth or a lie, Gentaro said the first thing that came to mind: "I -- I -- I -- I can't return your feelings."

His shine faltering, Hifumi's face fell. "I'm... sorry...?"

Moreso to make sense of his frazzled thoughts, Gentaro replied, "That is to say, I can't take you seriously as it is. You're always saying pretty things with that suit jacket on."

Hifumi squeezed his hand, blistering caress burning him. "I assure you that what I say is the truth."

"Just like everything you tell the women at your club?" His words more callous than intended, there was nothing Gentaro could do about them save for watch as they hit the man before him.

A frown marred Hifumi's face, and it was then and there that Gentaro learned that a frown didn't suit him at all.

"There's no reason I would lie to you about something like this, Yumeno-sensei."

"It would make me feel better if I heard it without the jacket on." Uncertainty spoken after uncertainty, doing little to quell the turmoil in his head.

Hifumi's eyes ran over him as if searching for an untruth, gaze soft yet piercing. To be honest, even Gentaro himself wasn't sure if there was one to be found in the first place.

"...Very well, if that's what you ask of me."

A bitter chill replaced the scorching heat of his touch as he let go of his hand. Dazed, Gentaro stood still as a statue as he watched Hifumi shrug off his jacket. The effects were instantaneous and the bubbly, upbeat man took place of the alluring host.

"Yumenon, please believe me!" Without warning, Hifumi grabbed onto his shoulders and shook him; stunned as he was, Gentaro didn't think to push him away. Up close like this, the fervor in Hifumi's eyes cut through him. "I like you so much it makes me crazy! I like you so much it makes my heart burst! I like you so much that I love you!"

Love. What a loaded word that was. To fall for someone could be written off as a fleeting passion, to be in love was an ardent dedication. To be in love meant to share one's life with another; to be in love meant to bare one’s soul to another; to be in love meant to wholeheartedly give one's self to another. Was he capable of such love -- for Hifumi, of all people? Irony of their relationship, mayhaps Hifumi was right when he'd called him out for being caught up in the past for the future looked daunting.

"I... stand by what I said earlier, Izanami-san," Gentaro said, too heavy on his tongue to be the actual truth. "I can't return your feelings."

"...Why... why not?" Hifumi’s voice was a whisper, a strange thing to hear from this side of him. Hands dropping to his sides, his bright eyes grew dull. The rose thorns pierced Gentaro's chest.

In spite of that, the uncertain falsehoods continued tumbling through. "This was a strictly professional relationship."

"...What do you mean?"

"If you'll recall, I said I was conducting research on host clubs for my upcoming novel," Gentaro said, as if a half-truth would soften his hits. "Being a host yourself, I thought observing you would make for a good reference."

Standing before him eerily silent, Gentaro also learned that somberness was an image unfitting of Hifumi. A shame he had to learn these lessons personally.

"Oh... okay..." Hifumi's voice cracked towards the end, gaze darting to the ground. "Um, can we still be friends?"

Quietly, Gentaro dealt the last blow. "I don't think it wise to get close with one’s subject matter."

"Ah... I see..."

Neither a peep nor a hum came from Hifumi, his body stiff against the spring breeze. Doing anything to avoid the unease looming over, Gentaro returned the bouquet; the rose thorns unlatching like a knife being pulled out, prickles lingering on his chest. Without protest, Hifumi took them back with languid arms.

"I'm sorry, Izanami-san," Gentaro said, speaking a genuine truth for the first time today.

Hifumi shook his head with an unnatural vigor, plastering on a smile akin to sunlight without the warmth. Had some of the thorns embedded themselves into his body, Gentaro wondered; they stabbed deeper in and twisted about.

"No, it's fine! I mean, I can't force you to feel anything you don't, y'know?" A warble underlain Hifumi’s voice as he spoke, cracks to his cadence. His eyes, as well, glistened like glass. "Besides, that's pretty cool you used me for inspiration!" He stifled a sniffle. "...Was I any good?"

"Yes." The smile Gentaro gave him took all his effort to wear. "You were wonderful."

"I'm... I'm glad then, that I could help you in some way!" A nod, followed by another and another as if to bounce away the tears. Hifumi's grip on the bouquet tightening, a few petals fell to the ground as if losing the will to live. "I had a lot of fun together, anyways!"

A hush fell over, neither of them quite looking at each other. Hifumi, naturally, broke the silence first --  his smile lacking the spirit Gentaro had come to know and his eyes missing the shine that was uniquely his.

"Good luck with your book, Yumenon -- ah... um, Yumeno-sensei!"

Hearing this side of Hifumi addressing him so formally sounded odd -- wrong, really; but as it was, he didn't deserve to be called the nickname that he'd grown fond of. How easy it would be to claim that everything he'd said had been a lie but even now, he was not sure where his lies ended and truths began. To Hifumi and to himself, it wouldn't be fair if he said anything otherwise. Nonetheless, that didn't stop Gentaro's chest from aching as he watched Hifumi's light die out.

"Thank you, Izanami-san," he managed to choke out.

All that they’d said hanging in the air, Gentaro tore his gaze from Hifumi but his sorrowful visage had already been embedded into his mind. Being a writer, he knew that words could harm no matter how gently they were dealt and so there was nothing left to be said -- nothing more that could be said. Giving Hifumi a small bow, he scurried away.

----------------

Door slamming shut behind him, Gentaro pressed his back against it and inhaled sharply. The trip back home lasted far longer than it should have, what with the images of Hifumi's lifeless smile haunting him and the sound of his faux cheer on a loop like a broken record. Had it happened months ago -- weeks, even -- he might've reveled in the scene, basked in pushing his rival to his breaking point; as things were now, though, Gentaro felt nothing but guilt for snuffing out Hifumi’s shine.

Then again, it was better this way; to give a rejection as opposed to an acceptance. He’d rather nip what they had in the bud than lead him on with affections that could fizzle out sooner or later. Eventually, they would both move on and it would be as if their affair never happened; they would go back to being no more than enemies, vitriolic adversaries as things between them should have been -- at least, that was what Gentaro told himself, a rationalization to his faults.

Catching his breath, he finally remembered he'd meant to return Hifumi's belongings when the bag bumped against his leg. He hurried to his room and placed it within the furthest depths of his closet; burying the memories of him deep inside, locking away all that he felt for him, keeping that afternoon’s sorry sight from playing over and over again.

In its place was a mantra: he did not care about Izanami Hifumi, he harbored no romantic feelings for Izanami Hifumi, he was not in love with Izanami Hifumi --

(Perhaps if he lied to himself enough, it would become the truth.)

#hypnosis microphone #hypnosis mic #hypmic #hifugen #genhifu

[derpyflowergarden]

Comfort In Weird Ways

Crossposted on AO3 This was self indulgent nonsense I wrote a long time ago. I mean, I wrote Mondo in a skirt, so why not a bra?

((CUT FOR LENGTH))

It was supposed to be a secret. No one was ever supposed to find out, but of course lady luck had never been on Mondo’s side. He should've known he was going to get caught sooner or later, he'd just been hoping it could've been later than now.

If anyone asked, he could lie and say it was mostly the fault of his classmates or even Fujisaki alone, but he knows deep down he only has himself to blame. He just wishes it hadn't been Ishimaru who found out.

It had started a few weeks prior when some of the class had been hanging out in the cafeteria. Classes were finished and it was the weekend, and the few who were still at the school instead of heading home all hung out together playing games and just enjoying each other’s company. That night it was Mondo, Chihiro, Leon, Asahina, Oogami, Hifumi, Enoshima and Ikusaba. At the moment, a game of truth or dare had been going. So far, Leon had to drink a mixture of coffee and Sprite, Hifumi had admitted that he enjoyed watching My Little Pony (of course he did) and Enoshima had to attempt eating a huge chili pepper that had gotten from the kitchen.

“Now let's see, who shall my victim be?” Enoshima said in a cutesy voice, eyeing her classmates before finally setting her sights on the biker. “Alright Oowada, truth or dare?” Mondo cursed internally. As fun as truth or dare was, Enoshima was known for her crazy dares and pinpointing truth questions. But he'd could totally handle whatever the fashionista threw at him.

“Gimme whatever dare ya got.” And this is what started everything. Enoshima sat back and through for a moment, bringing her finger up to her lips as she pondered what she could make Mondo do, before a sadistic grin spread across her pretty features.

“I know exactly what I'm going to dare you to do! I'll be right back!” With that, the Ultimate Fashionista stood up and ran towards the dormitories. Mondo tried to hold back the shiver that his body was threatening to release.

“Aw man, this should be good.” Leon laughed, and Mondo went to swat at him.

“Should we continue...or do we wait for Junko to come back?” Asahina asked, and the class agreed to continue their game. It had been two more rounds before Junko returned, and she was actually skipping, a bag held in her hands.

“Alright Oowada, here's my dare for you!” Junko said, and she thrust the bag into a confused Mondo’s lap. “I just knew this would come in handy! The company I ordered that from sent me the wrong size, and let me keep it after I sent them a glowing complaint as compensation!” Junko chirped. Mondo opened the bag and looked inside, and immediately after he shut it and his face went scarlet.

“What's in it?”

“Is it a frilly maid outfit?”

“Was it something dirty?”

“Enoshima what the fuck?!” Mondo growled over the chorus of exclamations.

“Your dare is that you have to wear that all day on Monday, and you can't cop out and just stay in your room! Also make sure your shirt is white, I wanna make sure you're wearing it!” Junko grinned, and Mondo cringed as he looked down at the bag in his lap. Suddenly it was gone and Mondo looked up in time to see Leon pull out the articles of clothing (or lack of) from the bag. Some of girls giggled and some gasps were heard, while Leon wolf whistled.

“Damn, this is sexy! Too bad it's getting wasted on Mondo!” Leon laughed and held up the lace lined black bra. It was much too large for Junko’s body, but it looked large enough for Mondo to wear somewhat comfortably. Mondo snatched the bra out of Leon’s hands and flung it back in the bag. “Fuck you Leon! I'll fucking rock this damn bra!” Mondo growled at the red head, glaring daggers until Junko declared that she couldn't wait to see the look on the rest of the classes faces.

Fast forward to that Monday, the day where it actually began. Mondo had woken up extra early in order to prepare himself, hell it had taken him all of Sunday to get ready, but now he stood in front of his mirror, holding the...article...at arms length in front of him. He wasn’t going to lie, but he had originally thought if he were ever going to hold a bra this close to him, it would be taking it of a girl, not putting it on his body. But that idea had also flew out the window when he realized he wasn’t really into girls, but no one needed to know that.

But that was besides the point. Right now, Mondo looked down at the bra once more, thinking maybe he if stared at it long enough maybe it’ll poof itself out of existence. When that hadn’t happened, the biker groaned before slipping the garment on. He had already wasted enough time as it was, and he knew if he didn’t show up for the first class, Enoshima would make him do something worse than this.

Get a grip! His mind screamed at him. It’s just a piece of clothing! What are ya getting so freaked out about?! Yeah, it was just a piece of clothing. No big deal. Mondo struggled a bit as he fumbled trying to reach the clasp on his back (thank God Chihiro was able to show him how to put it on one Saturday, as he almost ripped the garment in half in frustration), but eventually it was strapped on and

Holy shit.

This was weird! What the hell! Why the hell did this feel so...so…

Nice?

No seriously, this wasn’t supposed to feel comfy, it wasn’t supposed to feel cool against his skin and...supportive? It actually fit him, it was kinda snug on the sides but it fit. The only weird issue he had was the fact it cupped out in the front and made his pecs look like actual boobs, but only slightly since the bra stretched more sideways and Chi had taken out the wires. Why did this feel so nice?!

His phone buzzing signaled that he was going to be late(r than usual) and Mondo had threw the rest of his clothes on and headed to class. It was awkward having the feeling of pressure on his shoulders from the straps, but he didn’t mind it all too much. ‘This is gonna be easy!’ Mondo thought, as he strode towards the classroom

It was when he walked inside the room when his peers all locked their eyes onto him that Mondo realized that it was not, in fact, going to be easy.

“Hey, there’s the man of the hour!” Leon called out, and everyone turned to look towards the doorway. Mondo froze, and he felt his face flush slightly, not expecting to get so much attention.

“Kyoudai, you’re 8 minutes la…” Kiyotaka had started to scold him, but trailed off as he looked at him. Mondo saw his eyes zero in on his chest, and he had to keep himself from turning tail and taking the bra off.

“Aw, you actually showed up, and here I was ready to give you such a great punishment.” Enoshima pouted, but she smirked at Mondo’s growing discomfort, watching his face grow darker by the second.

Mondo ground his teeth and quickly stormed over to his desk, sitting down heavily, glaring at the dark spruce wood desk. He refused to acknowledge the giggles and whispers of his classmates. Nope. He was not going to give them the satisfaction. He can do this.

“Mondo...why...er...why are you…” Kiyotaka started, but trailed off, and Mondo fought the urge to bang his head on his desk.

“I dared him to do it on Friday! He has to wear that all day or else I give him a worse punishment!” Junko exclaimed, and a mixture of nods and understanding murmurs spread, and Mondo groaned. Thankfully, the teacher had shown up then, and began the lesson, but not before giving him a funny look. Mondo slipped down in his seat and pretended he was not in class.

It wasn’t until after the humiliation he had gotten during class was over did things look better, and Mondo pretty much was alright during the rest of the day, except for the awkward atmosphere he’d have while with Kiyotaka, although he couldn’t tell if it was because he was wearing a bra or not.

Mondo thought that after that day, that would be the end of it. He dealt with wearing a bra for a day, and he no longer had to think about the lacy black comfy bra he wore.

() () () () ()

“You want me to do what?” Chihiro had asked him in surprise, and Mondo fought the urge to flee.

“I want ya to help me buy another bra.” Mondo repeated. “I know this is fuckin’ weird Chi, but yer the only one I can ask. I mean, I figured you’d be able ta help me cause you’ve bought girly clothes before and I thought “bra’s are girl clothes” and yeah it’s not exactly the same thing but-” Mondo rambled, his voice growing louder and his body starting to shake.

“Mondo!” Chihiro cut him off. Once Mondo was quiet, Chihiro walked over to their computer and began typing something, before gesturing the nervous biker over. Chihiro had pulled up a frilly looking website.

“I use this to order my clothes. I don’t like the pressure I feel when I order clothes in the store, so I order my clothes here. They even have a section for lingerie for men.” Chihiro said, and Mondo felt his jaw drop. Chihiro giggled at his expression. “Don’t look like that. You’re the one who said you wanted another bra. Besides, it’ll be nice knowing there’s someone else who’s like me.” Mondo shook his head, before smiling and ruffling Chihiro’s hair.

So after a week, Mondo had not one, but three new bras. They had a special sale of three for 20$, and considering the normal prices were ridiculous, the pair had jumped on the chance. After the difficulty of getting the correct sizes for Mondo (“Wait there are numbers involved in bra sizes? I thought it was letters?”), they had ordered a white, nude, and gray bra for him.

“All I ask is you tell me how they feel after you wear one for the first time. I’m curious how it goes.” Chihiro had said. “Also, make sure when you wear them, don’t wear white like the first time.”

It had taken another few days until Mondo finally managed to put on one of the new bras. Again, he felt a surge of...something when he put it on, and it actually fit correctly without causing a weird lump in his shirt like the black bra. It wasn’t even noticeable in the mirror! Yet he had still felt some apprehension for when he walked into the classroom, but no one said anything, and he Mondo felt relief wash over him. After that, he was able to get away with wearing a bra about once or twice a week without getting any weird looks or comments from his classmates. Besides Chihiro, everyone was none the wiser.

Until now.

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, and it was one of the weekends that Kiyotaka was staying at the school grounds. So the two of them had decided to go out and get lunch together, have a bro day. It had been crowded around the area, so Mondo had to park farther down from their destination, but that had been no problem to the two, the weather was nice and it gave them a chance to walk off the food. The two had been enjoying their meal, laughing and joking as always, until Kiyotaka noticed that they sky was growing darker.

“Perhaps we should get back, it looks like it will rain soon.” Kiyotaka said, and Mondo agreed. Neither of them had brought an umbrella, and they had taken Mondo’s bike to get here. Kiyotaka was nervous on Mondo’s motorcycle as it was, in the rain it’d be impossible.

They had gotten about a third of the way to where they had parked when it the rain started. It was a total downpour, and the two of them rushed under a bus stop.

“Damn, it really coming down.” Mondo commented once they were safe from the rain. They were on a small side street, and besides an occasional car or rushing passerby getting out of the rain, it was pretty much quiet. “Ya think it’ll let up soon?”

“I hope so, I wouldn’t want to stay here all day.” Kiyotaka had replied, looking up at the sky. Mondo tried not to stare at his friend, but it was kind of hard not to. Kiyotaka’s hair had slicked back from the rain, the lighting from the sky making his face look sharper, more angular, and his shirt was clinging to him, showing off the muscles that were normally hidden. In short, Kiyotaka look extremely attractive, more so than usual. Suddenly, Kiyotaka was looking over at him, and Mondo gave him a sheepish smile. When Kiyotaka didn’t return it, Mondo began to panic.

Shit! He probably noticed him staring. Had he been making a weird face? Did he look creepy? Mondo saw Kiyotaka’s face grow red, and he was sure that Kiyotaka was going to call him out on being a creepy asshole when:

“Mondo...are you wearing what I think you’re wearing?” Kiyotaka asked, and Mondo paused in confusion.

“Huh? What are ya talking about, I’m not wearing anythin-” Mondo looked down at his clothes and

Oh

Oh.

AHHH HE FORGOT HE HAD PUT A BRA ON TODAY! Fuck! He had totally forgotten he put the skin toned one on when he grabbed it while looking for his socks. Now because of the storm, just like his Kyoudai, his clothes had also started clinging to his body, and it had made the bra stand out.

Shit Shit Shit!

“I...it’s uh…” Mondo tried to form an excuse, but he couldn’t think of any. It’s not like he could say it was on a dare, the only believable culprits were at home, and it’s not like he could say it was a lump on his body.

“Mondo, I-” Kiyotaka began, and that was all it took before Mondo began his nervous babble. “Alright look it’s just a bra I didn’t get dared or anything it’s mine I bought it it feels nice and I like how they look and I swear Kiyotaka if you say anything I’ll-”

“Can I see it?”

The pounding rain sounded so distant, and the two boys stared at each other. What?

“...What?” Mondo asked, and Kiyotaka slapped his hand over his mouth. Kiyotaka’s face looked as red as Mondo’s felt.

“I-I didn’t say that! Forget I said that!” Kiyotaka exclaimed, his hands rushing to this motions of his ‘Forget Beam’ before he quickly turned away.

“Hell no, did you just ask if you can see my bra?!” Mondo asked, grabbing Kiyotaka’s shoulder and forcing him back around.

“Ngh! It was a slip, I didn’t mean to ask that.” Kiyotaka said, guilt written across his wet face. “I just...thought it looked good on you the first time you wore one, or what I could see from it. I had been wondering what it looked like without...err…” Mondo was floored. He thought Kiyotaka had felt embarrassed by him that day, not flustered!

“Wait, you ain’t grossed out by this?” Mondo asked, and Kiyotaka shook his head.

“No, of course not! If you wish to wear this, then I will support you! If I were disguisted by this, then how could I face Fujisaki? I have no problem with you wearing a b-bra at all.” Kiyotaka said, and Mondo felt relief wash over him, however it didn’t last long.

“So...you like seeing me in this?”

“Yes!...er...yes, it's very...appealing?” Kiyotaka glanced away again, and Mondo had an idea. There was a chance he’d say no, but he had to risk it...

“Taka, if ya really want, I’ll let ya see it when we get back…” Mondo began, and Kiyotaka perked up and looked over at Mondo once more. “...only if ya answer me one thing.” Kiyotaka nodded, and Mondo took a deep breath before asking:

“Would you wanna go out with me sometime?”

“...Aren’t we already out together?”

“...I meant more like a date…”

“Oh!”

More rain, and a siren was heard in the distance.

“Yes.” Mondo felt his eyes widen.

“Y-ya mean it?” Kiyotaka laughed lightly, going to take the hand on his shoulder and lacing their fingers together.

“Yes, Mondo, I would be more than happy to go on a date with you!” Kiyotaka said, and Mondo smiled before pulling Kiyotaka into a hug.

“Besides, I think it’d be better if only your boyfriend got to see your undergarments, yes?” Kiyotaka asked confidently, and Mondo stiffened, before burying his face into Kiyotaka’s shoulder. Leave it to Taka to make things extra embarrassing, but it was worth it.

#ishimondo #Kiyotaka Ishimaru #mondo oowada #chihiro fujisaki #junko enoshima #My DerpyFlowerFics #danganronpa #I updated some things so it should read a little better #but I had to do this quickly

[doktorpeace]

P5 Update after the break I’m very very far into the game so there will be heavy spoilers, just read through later if you aren’t at least in Mid November:

I guess first I’ll give an overview of my progress and general playstyle before moving onto thoughts about characters, social links, and the story. It’s currently 11/14 in game, so I’ll be delving into Sae’s dungeon soon. Like I mentioned before I’ve maxed 4/5 social stats, everything except Kindness which is at rank 4. Including the Confidants which will max out on their own eventually but have not yet (Fool, Magician, Judgement and I’m going to assume Justice) I’ve completed 13 social links with Haru’s (Rank 7), The Twin Wardens’ (Rank 8), Iwai’s (Rank 7), and Futaba’s (Rank 2) pretty likely to finish before the game is over. The only one I’m concerned for is Futaba’s since I’ve shamefully raised hers so little. Thus far I’ve completed every Palace in just one visit a piece, discounting any story forced segments like the first couple visits to Kamoshida and Madarame’s Palaces. I’ve really liked this game’s schedule tbh. Overall while I feel some of the story segments take up too much time, specifically during October, I don’t mind so much because I’ve gotten a lot done on a near completely blind first playthrough, and there’s still more I can do. While initially I was worried that social stats took too long to level up I feel it successfully threads the needle between 3′s “They’ll cap without effort” and 4′s “Fuck you for trying” approach for first time runs. They take effort and dedication, but like I said I’ve maxed nearly all of them. I also like how different confidant relationships will help improve your social stats as well, it’s a great secondary incentive to max certain ones and to stick with them. On top of that, there are more major barriers that require certain social stats and while some feel a little arbitrary (maxed charm for Makoto past rank 5) it makes sense to incentivize players to spend time on them as well. Another improvement to Confidants I enjoy over previous social links is how they all give a variety of skills. I know I focused on Hifumi’s and Kawakami’s way more than I might have otherwise just because their skills are so good and varied. Hifumi’s in particular add a lot of tactical depth. On the opposite end though, I know I ended up putting Ohya and Chihaya on the backburner because their skills weren’t that useful, though I certainly got a lot of use out of Chihaya’s social stat booster readings. Honestly, I just wish I had taken the time to max Sojiro’s. I like him a lot but he’s only at rank 3 because I spent the time I could have spent with him in the early game on my social stats. *sad trombone* For transparency, I’ve completed: Makoto’s, Yusuke’s, Ann’s, Ryuji’s, Takemi’s, Kawakami’s, Hifumi’s, Mishima’s, and Yoshida’s, and then another 3-4 will max automatically. I’ve enjoyed them all thoroughly, Yoshida’s in particular is one of my favorite non-party member Social Links in the entire franchise. I also like how Akira’s dialogue with women is much more respectful and natural than Yu’s or Minato’s was. He gets a lot more dialogue that doesn’t have sexual tension and feels like what an actual person would say, which leads to great character relationships and dynamics between him and characters like Ann, Makoto, and Hifumi even if you elect not to date them. In some cases I’d even say that his relationship dynamic is stronger if you do not date them, particularly with Futaba and Ann. (please don’t kill me avaterem if you’re reading this) This isn’t to say that electing to date one of them is bad or lesser per se, I just feel like there was a great dynamic between him and Ann as Just Friends which honestly I didn’t feel was there between Minato and Yukari or Yu and Rise, for instance.  Combat wise this game’s been a little on the easy side but I’ve enjoyed it a lot. I’ll definitely play new game+ through on hard or maybe even higher, we’ll see. All the party members fill unique niches and the greater variety of skills this game has helps keep them all fresh. Nobody overlaps unlike with 3 and 4 so that’s great. The Palace Bosses have all had really great fights, though I feel visually Kamoshida’s was still the most impressive because it was very out there comparatively. Still, they all fit thematically with who you’re fighting and they’ve all been very fun. Ever since she joined Makoto has been on the team and I just swap around the two members who aren’t Akira or Makoto. Generally it’s been a good move because she’s an extremely well balanced tank with good spread damage and support skills. The Palaces themselves have also been very enjoyable, they’ve each taken at least a somewhat different approach to design and I like that so far. Kamoshida’s has a good number of mandatory stops to keep you from getting worn out, and otherwise goes fairly easy since it’s the tutorial level basically. Madarame’s requires a mandatory stop to do stuff in real life which was neat and otherwise its level design was super cool and well realized thematically. Kaneshiro’s is a gauntlet through, it’s super long and fairly tough for its time in the story but there’s nothing stopping you except your own pacing and skill from actually just completing it in one go. Its level of difficulty is consistent throughout with no real spikes anywhere, it’s also the dungeon I had the most trouble keeping a low alertness rating in because it has a lot of unique mechanics. Futaba’s Palace is similar, though its difficulty is very spike-y. The dungeon itself isn’t too long, but the enemy mobs are generally speaking a good bit higher level than you are and many of them are only weak to PSI skills, which only Joker can have, or are weak to nothing at all. It’s the only dungeon that I made heavy use of just running away from encounters in. Most recently was Okumura’s Palace which is honestly one of my favorites. Its a great puzzle-dungeon that’s incredibly front loaded with challenge. If you can’t figure out that the worker drones are weak to fire then you’re in for an extremely bad time. On top of that several of the normal enemies in the first area are immune to regular attacks and guns, then it makes you fight a lot of unforgiving sub bosses up front but rewards you with an area where all the enemies are weak to physical attacks and guns. Then Haru really comes into play in spite of being a bit weaker than the others by virtue of lacking baton pass, the nearer you get to the end the more enemy types are weak to PSI and Gun skills, which Haru will just chew through. Overall it’s really well designed, but definitely much easier than 3 and 4. I’ve only had one game over happen and it was to a very unfortunate string of criticals. On a side note: Mementos is a nice bone throw to people who liked Tartarus a lot, though because of how it works it’s never challenging. I don’t have a lot to say on it, but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s gonna be the true final dungeon we do where we fight god or whatever because this is a Persona game so I know we’re gonna fight a god at some point, probably after the story mostly ends and we time skip to March. The story’s been very good so far. I was wondering when we’d get into the meat of it and oh boy October really delivered. There’s been this tension about the whole game because like, the first thing you learn is that you fucked up and got caught. You’re recounting what all happened to the prosecutor who’s in charge of your case. It’s flowed well and while a couple of the early segments, like within the first hour mostly, were somewhat stilted I’ve felt that way about every atlus product I’ve ever played. It’s just their weakpoint in storytelling as a company. This game does a great job not leaving things hanging, basically everything I’ve wondered about has been addressed in some way, even down to “Jeez Ryuji and Morgana are being really hostile towards each other” becomes an actual plot point and I like that a lot. Which btw Morgana running away called me the fuck out because like yeah, I’d totally benched him more or less in favor of the human party members since Yusuke joined. Since then I know I’ve been using him more not because I felt bad but because it made me appreciate having him more. I’ll do a full write up on the story once I’m totally done, all I really have to say right now is I haven’t trusted Akechi one fucking iota all game and that hasn’t changed now.  He’s a good character, but he’s sus as fuck and I’m waiting to fight him as a boss later. If he ends up just being an actually good boy and not betraying us I’ll eat my hat. But I’m dead fucking certain that he’s Future Prime Minister Shido’s darknet hitman who goes and assassinates people for him using the Metaverse. I’ve already caught Akechi in a lie, he said he only received his persona a month ago but that’s BULLSHIT because he could understand what Morgana was saying all the way back in May. He’s known about and been able to access the Metaverse for a long time. The only thing I’ve really not had addressed yet is why exactly was Akira accepted at this school? Kobayakawa mentioned it was because of ‘outside influence’ at the start of the game and that still hasn’t been addressed. The Phantom Thieves are great. Easily my favorite player group of the three people actually care about between SEES, The Investigation Team, and now these guys. They have a great set of dynamics and relationships, and you get a ton more interparty interaction and dialogue thanks to the text chat logs. They’ve all been great and it’s neat seeing the nuances of their relationships both as a group and individually. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean I like either other group less now, but after P4 neatly sorted the investigation team into sets of two all game it’s refreshing to see them all interact with each other directly and often. They’re all interesting and good characters. Morgana’s improved a lot. I already liked him better than Teddie, but after the Okumura arc of the story he’s improved a lot. I like him a good bit, but I’ll still wait to talk about him in full until the story’s over. Ryuji’s still great. He’s the ‘your first and best friend’ of the game. Compared one to one I probably don’t like him as much as Junpei but he’s real close. Obviously he blows Yosuke out of the water because he’s actually a good and enjoyable character. Ryuji’s dates are also really great, he’s just an earnest, good, vulgar boy trying his best. His hot headed-ness has actually been a detriment for the group a couple of times, which is good because him shouting about being Phantom Thieves in public and being overly combative toward Morgana (for understandable enough reasons) SHOULD come up. Still, he shows great growth and humility over the course of the story, particularly when he apologizes to Morgana and after he gets angry during a meeting and scares Haru and Futaba by punching some furniture he tells Akira that it made him feel shitty and he’s going to apologize to them individually. He’s great, I love him, and he’s strong in combat to boot. Ann is still the explosive, great, multifaceted character she was and I like her even more now that I’ve finished her Confidant relationship. She’s a very good character and honestly the driving force behind a lot of P5′s feminist messages. She’s a great character who can be silly, friendly, and serious all at the same time and it doesn’t feel like she’s whipping around from one personality to another, she’s just really well realized. One of my favorite things about her is that she’s allowed to be angry, she’s allowed to be pissed off and shout and rage against society in the same way as Ryuji. She’s never as loud as him, but it’s still great. As a party member she’s a little weaker than the others, mostly because he gun fucking sucks lol. That said she has a great mix of offense and utility, I just wish her speed were a bit higher. Yusuke’s even better now that I’ve taken him on like, 4 dates and finished his Confidant relationship. Like, putting aside that he’s obviously gay for a moment there is way more erotic and romantic tension between him and Akira than there is between Akira and most other characters. His dialogue, the way they interact, Akira’s response options and what motions he makes around him, it’s all very homoerotic and it makes me even more confused as to why he’s not romanceable. He has more date locations you can take him on than several of the romance options, just make him a full romance please Atlus. Aside from that, I love his character, he’s great. As a character he’s also great representation for people on the autism spectrum, imo. This game never outright says “Yusuke is autistic” but it’s extremely obvious he’s intended to be on the spectrum given some of his dialogue, behavior, and the particular use of the word ‘eccentric’ and ‘eccentricities’ in regards to him and only him. Japanese games don’t like saying shit like that outright but it’s totally clear if you just pay attention. His Confidant Relationship is also one of my favorites in the game. You get a great look at his life circumstances, some of his philosophical beliefs, and you get to see this great maturity come about as he takes it all in and turns it into his art. I think it was really meaningful that his final art piece for that competition was just him going back to the canvas he started on and making something more out of it. He’s a well rounded character and is also one of my favorite combat party members because he’s so fucking strong. His damage output is absurd to be frank and his followup attack is one of my favorites, he just instantly kills whatever enemy has the most health on the field. It’s great. Makoto’s a total babe tbh... She’s got the punk biker aesthetic when you’re in the metaverse, her weapons of choice are her fists and revolvers, she does the whole ‘Pretend we’re dating and whoops we just don’t stop’ thing. She’s a little socially awkward but not totally, she’s the boss friend and voice of reason, though she isn’t beyond jokes and she’s just great. I’m weak, she’s powerful, I love this character. It also helps that she’s clearly the secondary protagonist of the game in the same way that Mitsuru and Naoto were before her, so she gets a lot of nice extra focus in the story. Not so much as to detract from the others, but her being Sae’s sister naturally makes her interactions with her sister the main way we see Sae characterized. I’ve got a lot to say about her but I can’t really get it into words right now. I’ll talk about her more later cause some drama’s gonna go down I’m sure of it. Futaba’s the character I was most worried about going in, but I’ve been happily proven wrong. I was worried she’d just be your NEET Japanese Gamer Waifu and she’s absolutely not. I mean, she is literally a NEET Japanese Gamer Girl, but the story doesn’t sexualize her nor does it make her the ‘obvious’ romance like how Yukari and Rise were in 3 and 4. She’s a character with paranoid schizophrenia for christsake and they manage to not only handle that well, but they kept the integrity of her character all throughout it and make her own effort the reason she improves, not the phantom thieves magically fixing her. I’m still not over it. I haven’t done much of her confidant relationship, but I do really like what I’ve seen of her. She’s driven and works hard, but she’s got her limits and is trying hard to broaden her horizons. She’s very comedic as well in the text logs but in a way that makes sense for someone her age and background. Her relationship with the others is a little stilted, but it doesn’t feel awkward, it makes sense because really she only interacts to any major degree with Akira, Yusuke, and Morgana. And finally we have Haru! I love her, she’s so fucking cute and such a sweet character. It’s kind of funny how she’s almost the same as Mitsuru but is so different. They’re both 1%ers who are the sole daughters and heirs to a conglomerate, are set up for an aranaged marriage they do not want, and whose dads die suddenly. Plus they’re both Empress Arcana. Yet the major difference is Mitsuru’s dad was supportive and she was prepared to inherit her company, where Haru has neither of those things. She was a passenger to her dad’s corrupt will and suddenly has all of this thrust upon her. I think it’s neat how similar they are in concept yet they’re totally different. I haven’t completed her confidant relationship yet but so far I like how down to earth it is. She just needs someone she can trust and talk with about her life issues. It’s cute seeing her go out and try different hobbies of her own choice just to get away from it all and to see what comes of it. Oh, I just realized, but also like Mitsuru she copes with her situation by burying herself in more work, though with Haru it’s with getting more hobbies to do where Mitsuru just takes on more corporate responsibilities. I hope this ends well for her. Honestly I wish she joined us sooner, I get the feeling she won’t be around for enough time to get the focus she deserves. Also, and this is just me, but I feel people saying ‘This game’s gay representation is shit just like Atlus always is’ really aren’t giving the game its dues. Yes, those two NPCs are bad and solely negative inclusions that just randomly throw in two (admittedly very short) scenes with a couple of predatory gay guys. But to only highlight them and ignore characters like Lala Escargot being well handled and shown to be nothing but a good person, Yusuke being pretty gay, and even the main character explicitly and without joking being able to show attraction to men multiple times is just unfair. The game’s gay representation isn’t perfect, but it’s certainly a lot better than Persona 3 or 4′s initial releases. Though Persona 3′s cast ended up being very queer with later content if you just compare the initial releases of each game Persona 5 blows the others out of the water by means of actually having positive queer representation. All in all, it’s still amazing, 10/10, my game of the year without question. I love it.

#P5 #P5 Spoilers

[askthedespairkids]

Never A Real Victory

*LONG POST CUTS OFF TO SAVE YOUR DASHBOARDS THE STRESS OF THE LENGTH - PLEASE CLICK THE READ MORE*

*Atop the roof after everyone gathered*

Ah. Here they come! *points up to the helicopters with the Future Foundation logo on the side*

*Sides the door of one open as they land* Hey, assholes, guess who got put on as your rescue leader? Good to see none of you decided to bite the dust yet.

Good to see you too Fuyuhiko.....

Weird to think, huh? Finally getting out of this shithole in one piece.....

I....I’m so happy, I could cry!

You already look like you’re about to......

Alright guys, no point in wasting any more time, right?!

Heh, you’re right. Let’s- *The sounds of another helicopter becomes audible*

Huh.....? We didn’t bring any other helicopters.....?

Sly: Then what’s that up there...? *Points towards the helicopter nearing towards them, eventually landing on the building adjacent to them* .....another organisation, maybe?

Shin: I highly doubt that.....

*Climbs out of the helicopter and lands on the other rooftop* Well well, just look who we have before us! 'Tis the one and only menaces to the Despair Movement!

Junko...? What the hell are you doing here?!

Oh, nothing much. Just wanted to chat. Pick up a few things, you know? Normal business.

(I knew things couldn't go our way for long) Well, it's been a while hasn't it? You and your ilk have certainly been...busy.

Oh, tell me about it. We've been all over the place. *Looks at Shin* Though I see you're trying to weaken us a little. Not that the 79-B class are actually all that useful. They just provide some fun support. Also heard about what happened in Tokyo with Ibuki, that was certainly something.

Yeah, that was definitely something. You know, Ibuki mentioned you guys dug up some old projects of mine, most of which even I couldn't get to work properly

Seems you were just missing the necessary secondary talents that would make them work properly. Can't do everything when Geneticist is your only field you got going for you. Monaca's really been working at the fatal wound one though, she's loving it now that she's gotten the hang of it.

Really now? Well, I'd put an end to that area of development. You might not like the consequences of that ability. I mean, having broken arm bones fuse together at the wrong angle is just one of the nasty outcomes.

I know that. However, like I said, Monaca's gotten the hang of it...it's still hard to get it perfect. But...she managed a few...isn't that right?

*The door behind Junko opens and four figures step out onto the roof*

Th...that's....!

...........

Then we didn't just imagine that.

....

Shall we do rollcall?! I think we fuckin’ need it! Up first we have the truest of fakest! The demon of the underworld, not of the Gundam variety, but of the gambling variety! Here she is in the flesh, once again! Motherfuckin’ Ultimate Gambler, Celestia Ludenberg!

.....Mr Nakamura. Kyouko. Good to see you both once again.

Up next! He's the sacrificial lamb that I predicted well into the future, but his talent is just too good to let it go to waste! Here we are, the Ultimate Mechanic, Kazuichi Souda.

.............

Nothing? Alright then. Up next, a truly unsurprising one considering his powers of bullshit. The 77th class' own lucky student, Nagito Komaeda!

Well...? I guess I really am lucky if I was the first to be reanimated perfectly. What are the odds?

And out final contender. A girl nobody would have ever guessed would make an appearance like this. The girl was a bona fide bitch, just like yours truly, but all she wanted was to stay with her brother...everyone, let me introduce Natsumi Kuzuryuu

Heh...

You...did it....you...you actually did it. Not only did you trample all over human society, but now you've trampled all over nature as well.

I know, right? I'm impressed with myself.

What the fuck...what the FUCK did you do to my sister?!

Oh, give it a rest, Fuyuhiko. This girl's given me the talent I've been wanting so I can match you. I don't care if it makes me a despair or not. I'm on your level now, if not higher.

It's not worth it. Listen to me, all of you, it's not worth it. Talent isn't worth anything. N-Nagito, what about you? I thought were against despair! You said yourself you wanted to kill Junko!

Of course...however, I figured if I joined despair and was then defeated...I could become a real stepping stone for hope, don't you think...?

Celes, I know you're better than this...they shot you, for crying out loud!

I knew what my fate would ultimately be, and I knew about the project they were developing. So, I took the gamble and bet my life. I won, naturally.

Kazuichi? What about you? Even when you had the chance, you couldn't kill Sonia. You said that you wanted her and Gundham to both survive.

 Y...yeah, I do...but I know there's never gonna be a real place for me there...

Wh-what does that mean?!

Come on...there's...nothing for in this world anymore. I know you like Sonia anyways. I'm always just gonna be the background guy. At least here I can have a purpose, even if its a negative one.

It doesn't have to be like that. You can have your own life. All of you can! There's so much more you can do. The depairs may have brought you back, but they have nothing else to offer you. I can help you all, I promise.

Help us...? If that were the case, where was Future Foundation when we all died, huh?

Maro, Hifumi, Sakura, Hiyoko, they couldn't be revived....

I'm sorry...I wanted to save you all. I swear I did.

And now apologies. How pathetic.

Sh...shut up...!

You're lucky that neither Monaca or I killed you on the spot when we lured you. You're nothing but a mere toy to be tossed away, now silence yourself and let those with a meaning in life speak.

What the hell did you just say to him?!

Hey, man, calm down!

Everyone, please. Listen here. Junpei has been a tremendous help for us. He may be a bit of dumbass, but he's making a conscious effort to improve. He made the smart choice and turned away from this bullshit ideology. Which is more than can be said for you, Ms. Ludenberg. You can call me a pathetic, low-class fuck-up because it's entirely accurate. But don't you dare slanderize anyone here.

I can slanderize all I want. There's nothing to stop me from speaking my mind. I mean with members like a baby-faced gangster-

You...

To the literal embodiment of the homosexual agenda-

...!

To the runt that thinks he can supernatural abilities

You fiend...

I apologise, but it's hard to not make comments.

Wow...yikes.

I could make a comment about you, but I'm not going to stoop to your 4th grade level of trolling. Instead, I'm just going to ask if there was a point to this meeting.

Just to let you know I'm expanding a little. Of course, there's still others you haven't met, but these guys needed to see you now, just so you now what you're up against.

The look of despair on some of these faces...it's hard to watch...but I know they'll probably end with the most hopeful expressions imaginable! I hope I get to see them!

I couldn't give two shits either way, really.

Who...who even are you...? You aren't Natsumi....

You...y-you killed Sakura! Without mercy! Why the hell would I want to look at any of you?! Just get out of here already!

Hina, please. They're just trying to rile you up. Listen, if you really think this is gonna change anything, you're solely mistaken. If you think that showing us some pale imitations of people we lost along the way is going to deter us, you're wrong.  Even if I feel despair, it's not gonna stop me. *Briefly glances over at Mikan* We all feel the same way. You despairs are a dead end. There's no future awaiting of any of you. But that's fine; I'll save you anyway, along with everyone else.

Pale imitations...? Nah, just repaired originals. We should thank you though. It was your work that made this a reality.

But, I've gotten what I came here for. So, if you'll excuse us *The five all get into their helicopter* We'll meet each other again soon, Nakamura-senpai! Promises! *The helicopter takes off*

*watches them fly off* They might look like them and talk like them, but you know what your friends were really like. Those four were caricatures. She made them to piss us off. Nothing more.

No matter you say, that was Kazuichi. A despair version, but Kazuichi nonetheless.

Natsumi....

N-now what are we supposed to do...? We can't have just one freakin' victory, can we?!

.............

Ka-chan...

LISTEN! This is exactly the reason she stopped by. She's trying to make us thing she brought them back, but that's impossible.

I couldn't do it, and there's no way she could do it either. It's impossible to bring back the dead...no matter how much I wish I could. I know how much you wish they were back, but there's no proof what she's say is remotely true.  They could all just have been clones. Whatever the case, we can deal with it when we get back to base. Let's just get out of this rotten shit hole of a city.

Y...you're right... Let's head back. Looks like we've got a lot to report... *they all start getting on the helicopters*

....do you really believe they're clones?

I know what clones are like. They're born without knowledge, so it has to be transmitted into their minds. Yasuke worked with them, so they probably have brain-computer interfaces. Yes...that's it. That has to be it...

Kyoji, listen to yourself... I won't say anything to the others, but you know Junko wouldn't lie about this.

......what I think doesn't matter. Let's just get back to base, okay? We can figure things out from there. But listen...they weren't lying about getting their technology from me. It was an old idea. So, whatever they really were, I...understand you blame me for this. Whatever this is.

I don't blame you, you never could have known it would come to this... But you're right. Let's just get back to HQ for now...

Yeah. We can figure this out, guys. We can still win. I know it.

*the two get on the helicopter* (Junko...just what the hell is your end plan for this...?)

#The Captured Arc #Byakuya Togami #Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu #Kiyotaka Ishimaru #Takemichi Yukimaru #Komaru Naegi #Toko Fukawa #Aoi Asahina #Sly #Junko Enoshima #Kyouko Kirigiri #Mukuro Ikusaba #Junpei Yokozawa #Orochi Kamisaka #Gundam Tanaka #Mondo Oowada #Kyoji Nakamura #Makoto Naegi #DR #Natsumi Kuzuryuu #Nagito Komaeda #Kazuichi Souda #Celestia Ludenberg

[missblanchette]

Rumor Has It [6/10]

Series: Hypnosis Mic

Characters: Izanami Hifumi/Yumeno Gentaro; Minor Jinguji Jakurai/Kannonzaka Doppo

Rating: T

Summary: Thousands of hearts broke that day. With tears shed and cries resounding to the heavens, each grief-stricken woman wondered how this could possibly happen. In the year 20XX of the H. Era, Matenrou’s MC GIGOLO and Fling Posse’s MC Phantom were officially in a relationship.

Except they weren’t, actually.

Notes: The first part kiiinda reads like a chat fic LMAO I tried to make the images as small as possible while still being readable, but there’s a link to the high res of the chats if you click on the day of the week!

Words: 3,470 + a looot of text messages lol

ko-fi // Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | You can read this on AO3! Thank you for reading~! Hope you guys enjoy~! ( ﾟ▽ﾟ)/

Ch. 6: Head Over Heels

tuesday

wednesday

thursday

friday

saturday

"Er, Hifumi? A little help here?" Doppo said, juggling two bowls of curry udon in his hands.

"Gimme o~ne sec, Doppo-chin," singsonged Hifumi as he snapped pictures of the food. Three weeks wasn't that long in retrospect, but it felt like three decades since he was able to cook anything saucier than omurice. Sure, he couldn't do it all on his own, but with some (read: a lot of) direction, Doppo could whip something up. At the very least, it actually looked like udon and not a glob of goo like that time Doppo heated up cup noodles.

"What are you doing?"

"Sending pics to Yumenon." Hifumi hummed as he scrolled through his camera roll, unsure of which ones to send. They all looked good so he sent every single one. "I told him we were cooking, so I wanted to show him what a great job you did. Oh, I should show Doc, too!"

Hands too busy to hide his face, Doppo looked away. "It's not that great..."

"Of course it is!" Texts sent, Hifumi pocketed his phone and grabbed a bowl from Doppo. Skipping over to the dining room, the savory scent of the broth wafted throughout. "Ooh, smells yummy~"

"I just did what you told me to." Putting down the rest of the food, Doppo busied himself with setting up the table.

"And you're the one who did the actual cooking. It looks great, so be proud of yourself!"

Flopping into his seat, Doppo sighed. "Well, it doesn't matter if it doesn't taste great."

"Aw, c'mon, it's not like you burnt anything this time," Hifumi said, shoving him playfully. "I'm sure it's, like, edible."

Doppo grunted ("Whatever you say" in Dopponese), but he eyed the food nonetheless. Smiling, Hifumi plopped into his seat and clapped his hands together.

"Let's eat, then?"

Doppo followed suit. "Let's eat."

Not wasting a second, Hifumi grabbed his chopsticks and slurped up some udon. The richness of the curry and the mild sweetness hitting his tongue, his eyes widened and he melted into the flavor.

"Oh my God, Doppo-chin, this is good!"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Doppo looked down at his bowl. He hadn't touched his food yet. "You mean that?"

"Why wouldn't I? Like, okay, maybe the noodles are a little too soft and maybe it's kinda salty, but It’s so savory and rich! I gotta let Doc know!"

"You don't have to, it's not that big of a deal --"

"It totally is, it's your first not-crappy meal! Doc's gonna be so impressed~" Faster than Doppo could blink, Hifumi shot Matenrou's group chat with nothing but stickers and cheers for his food. He gasped then, seeing the next name on his contacts. "I'll let Yumenon know, too."

"Yumeno-san, huh..." Brow creasing, Doppo took a bite of his food. "You've been talking to him a lot recently."

All his focus on LINE, Hifumi nodded. "Yeah! He's pretty fun to talk to, actually."

"That's nice..." Trailing off, Doppo tapped his chopsticks against the edge of his bowl in a steady rhythm. "Hey, Jinguji-san and I are planning on going out tomorrow, and we wanted to know if you wanted to come? I know it's tiring staying home all day."

Hifumi's head snapped up. "Boy, do I! Where are we going? Fishing?"

"No fishing for you yet --" Hifumi pouted, to which Doppo huffed out a laugh. "-- but we're going out for lunch."

"Ooh, where? Can we get Italian?"

"Italian sounds good.”

"Yay! How 'bout after? Are we doing anything?"

"We didn't have anything in mind, but we can do something if you want to."

"Why don't we go to Sakuragaoka-cho Street?"

"Sakuragaoka-cho...?" The tapping quickened. "Isn't that in Shibuya?"

"Yep."

"I don't know, Hifumi..."

"Awww, c'mon, Doppo-chin." He took Doppo's hand from across the table and bounced it up and down, putting an end to the tapping. "I think you'll like it there. It's like really pretty and quiet and there's tons of cafes along the street, so you can relax a little! Doc, too."

Lips pursing, Doppo gave him a once over. If he had anything to say, he didn't and welp, that was Doppo for you. Instead, he sighed that sigh of his -- the light, relenting one rather than the heavy, exasperated one. Small as it was, he smiled.

----------------

"We'll see," he said, his grip on Hifumi's hand tightening.

The next morning, Hifumi woke up bright and early for the day that awaited him; his excitement made more palpable when he saw he had a text from Gentaro.

Heart leaping, Hifumi replied immediately.

Though he was far from impatient, never had waiting for a text felt so long. Tick, tick, tick, the seconds ticked by and --

His shoulders sagged, lips curling down as he read Gentaro's message. But as he began typing a reply, his phone pinged.

Perking up, he grinned.

With that, Hifumi hopped out of bed. Today was already looking to be good, but now it had to be great -- no, amazing! He was going to have fun for two, after all.

----------------

It was a once in a blue moon occasion that he was able to hang out with Doppo, let alone him and Jakurai at once. A shame this time was because of his medical leave, but. Whatever. The reason wasn't important. As promised, Doppo and Jakurai took him out for Italian -- the real, fancy kind, much to his delight. What wasn't so delightful, though, was how they paid for his food despite his protests. No matter! He'd just have to get back at them by cooking a super yummy meal the next time they were all able to get together.

Again, he lost two-against-one when deciding what to do after lunch -- or more like Jakurai suggested somewhere else and Doppo went "Anywhere is fine with me, but..." which pretty much meant "Yeah, let's go with Jinguji-san's idea" -- but he couldn't deny that Shinjuku Gyoen was a nice place. What really mattered to him, anyways, was that he was there with Doppo and Jakurai. With an arm linked with each of theirs, even he could appreciate the calm and quiet of the park. How couldn't he, when Doppo’s blood vessels weren’t on the verge of popping for once and Jakurai, too, wasn't tense with stress. Speaking of which...

A grin growing on his face, Hifumi dropped his hands to grab onto Doppo's and Jakurai's. He swung their hands about in an arc once, twice, three times before hopping back from his place in the middle and clasping their hands together.

Pausing, Doppo narrowed his eyes at him. The blush coloring his cheeks didn't help him much, though.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing~"

"Hifumi." Despite his glare, Doppo hadn't let go of Jakurai's hand.

"What?" he said, waving him off. "You guys are a couple, so you gotta act like one!"

Doppo heaved a sigh, the exasperated one. "My coworkers already ask me enough about you and Yumeno-san, I don't need them hounding me about Jinguji-san either."

"Actually, Doppo-kun --" Jakurai cut in before Hifumi could speak again. Holding Doppo's hand to his chest, a light pink dusted his cheeks in spite of the calm expression he wore. "-- there aren't too many people out here, so perhaps it wouldn't hurt to indulge in Hifumi-kun for now?"

Stuttering, Doppo's face reddened. "W-Well, I guess not..."

More than happy to play cupid, Hifumi wrapped his arms around them and pushed them forward with a laugh. They chattered on about life and the like as they continued strolling through the park, Hifumi more than eager to listen to Doppo's and Jakurai's work stories since home wasn't exactly the most exciting place. All the while, the wind swept by and sent the sakura petals flying in their direction.

"Maybe we should make you a flower crown, Doc." Hifumi giggled, picking off the petals that'd gotten caught in Jakurai's hair. From his palms, the breeze carried the petals away and they drifted into the sky; counting them off one by one, the scene reminded him of another outing that took place a while ago. "Y'know, this is kinda like when I went out with Yumenon the other day!"

"'Yumenon'?" Jakurai asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah, he means Yumeno-san."

"Yeppers! I dropped by Shibuya last week and ran into him."

Jakurai let out a low hum. "I wasn’t aware you two were that close."

"Yeah, we started talking lots after the the whole stabbing incident. Look, see." Pulling out his phone, he opened up his LINE chat with Gentaro and shoved it into Jakurai's face. "Hey, we should take a selfie! Let him know what we're up to."

"Perhaps later, Hifumi-kun." Jakurai's lips tugged up, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. He took a cursory glance at the screen before gently nudging Hifumi's hand away. "While I'm glad you're making friends, I advise you to be cautious around Yumeno-kun."

Hifumi’s steps slowed down, his brows furrowing. "What? Why?"

"Yumeno-kun is a member of Fling Posse, yes?" Blue irises clouding over, Jakurai brought their stroll to a stop. "Then certainly he has agreed to Amemura-kun's terms and Amemura-kun is... not the most trustworthy person out there."

Hifumi pouted. "Aw, Dr. Jakurai..."

"It's weird, though, isn't it?" Doppo piped up. Biting his lip, his gaze shifted from the ground to Hifumi. "That he came to our apartment when he shouldn't have known where we lived? And didn't you say he called you before this whole thing happened? That seems kind of suspicious to me..."

Pout turned frown, Hifumi started shaking Doppo's arm. "I mean... yeah, but...!"

Jakurai placed a hand on Hifumi’s shoulder, calming him down a bit.

"I do not wish to jump to conclusions, but Doppo-kun has a point. All of this seems rather sudden, so I think it would be wise to keep your guard up."

"You guys make it sound like he's some kinda bad guy..."

"Maybe he's not as good as he seems," Doppo said, barely audible.

"Nope!" Hifumi slapped his hands over his ears. "Don't wanna hear it!"

"Hifumi --"

"You guys are taking this waaay too seriously."

Taking a step back, Hifumi met Doppo's gaze, then Jakurai's. He'd seen those wary looks in their eyes before -- too many times to count from Doppo, always there to keep him from jumping headfirst into things; from Jakurai, whenever his past got brought up, regardless of how many reassurances he gave. Usually he could appreciate their levelheadedness, but accusing a friend was different than getting into trouble. Especially when they didn't know him like he did.

"There's no way Yumenon's a bad guy... Like, have you read his books? Or even seen the work he puts into them?" He continued, his hands clenching at his sides and his nails digging into his skin. A book filled with notes and dreams came to mind, fantastical stories woven about people passing by; the look on Gentaro’s face as he covered every detail and spun each tale one of pure joy. "He puts so much care and effort into what he does! And the stories themselves, there's so much emotion in them. There's a lonely kinda feel to them, but there's always a happy ending -- like, there's always hope no matter what!"

He paused, trying to make sense of Doppo and Jakurai's reactions. Nothing, except for silence and stares. They listened -- they always listened -- but he needed them to understand as well.

"When you write something like that, I can't believe someone like him could be bad..." Softly, Hifumi said, "I don't wanna believe someone like him could be bad."

Far and few between was it that his voice dipped so quietly, but he’d dropped to a whisper once he'd finished. Unfurling his fingers, he hadn't realized how hard he'd been clenching his hands until the cuts left behind began to sting. His words hanging in the air, the only thing keeping the silence from falling over was the pounding of his heart in his ears.

For better or for worse, Jakurai was always a pillar of calmness and now was no exception; his eyes holding no hint of either acceptance or rejection. Meanwhile, Doppo looked to Jakurai hesitantly -- a sign that he had an answer but was unsure of himself. Jakurai met his gaze and after a moment, they shared a nod.

Jakurai's lips tugged up first, the smile lifting a weight off Hifumi’s chest. "If that's what you believe, Hifumi-kun, then I will have to put my faith in your judgement."

"I guess, but..." Doppo glanced around before looking back at him, worry etched onto his face. "If he does anything to you, you have to tell us, okay?"

"'Course, Doppo-chin." He beamed, taking Doppo's hand and squeezing it. "But like I said, you don't gotta worry about a thing; Yumenon's a good guy through and through!"

Doppo's frown deepened. "If you say so..."

"Hey, now, no frowning! We're out here for fun, aren't we?" he said and tugged the corners of Doppo's lips up. Mood brightening, he spotted a food cart over to the side of the park. "Look, they're selling takoyaki. C'mon!"

Grabbing Jakurai’s hand, Hifumi ran off with the two of them stumbling behind.

"Hifumi, your injury!"

----------------

As all fun days did, their outing ended much too soon, but he and Jakurai of all people knew that Doppo's social battery only lasted so long. With the sun steadily setting, they parted ways with Jakurai at the train station. Though they invited him to stay over for the night, he couldn't since he had work in the morning. Disappointing as it was, Hifumi didn’t dwell on it and focused on dragging Doppo up to their apartment.

Not bothering to change out of his clothes yet, Doppo crashed face first into the couch. Laughter bubbling up, Hifumi jumped in beside him and Doppo scooched over to make room. Their arms tangled together, Doppo let out a deep sigh -- the last of his energy leaving with that breath. The quiet allowing him to mull over everything that happened today, Hifumi remembered Gentaro's texts from this morning and gasped. Squirming about, he patted his pockets.

"What are you getting all antsy for?" came Doppo's muffled voice.

"I gotta tell Yumenon about our day," he said, pulling out his phone. "I invited him to come, but he said he couldn't so he told me to have fun for him."

Doppo snorted. "Honestly, the way you talk about him makes it sound like you're in love with him."

Finger hovering above Gentaro's name, Hifumi froze.

Love was a funny thing. He loved fishing and he loved cooking, but he also loved Doppo and he loved Jakurai. While he loved all of them equally, they weren't exactly the same kind of love. That was to say, there was a lot to love in the world, and he had a lot to give! Try as he might, though, striking up relationships of any kind wasn't exactly his strong suit. Doppo said it was because he didn't watch what he said, but he always thought it better to say things how they were.

And maybe, yeah, that was where everything went wrong when he first met Gentaro. His clothes were weird and he wasn't afraid to point that out, but Hifumi learned to love that part of him -- just like he learned to love all the other things about him. Subdued as he was, his clothes helped him stand out and made him unique. Sometimes he said one thing and did another, but he knew his heart was always in the right place; he could see it in the way he put his all into his work and treated his posse. Most of all, he found it easy to be around him. Their back-and-forth became natural with their bad blood behind them, something he never realized was missing his whole life. From the pretentious writer to the whimsical storyteller, he'd come to care for him and all that he did.

But even if he could love Gentaro, to be in love seemed a grander thought. For all the love he had and gave, Hifumi had never felt that spark or that flutter of the heart; none of the fireworks nor the giddy excitement. At least, not until Gentaro came along. Not until he’d shared his worlds with him, not until he’d seen the smile on his face as he created stories with passion, not until he’d heard his airy laughter that tinkled in his ears.

Hifumi loved Gentaro. And perhaps, he was in love with him, too.

"You're right," Hifumi said softly.

Picking up his head, Doppo let out a flat "What."

"You're right, Doppo-chin." He shook him, voice growing louder. "I'm in love with Yumenon!"

"No, what, I was -- I was just joking." Doppo grabbed his hand, stopping the shaking. "You've only known him for like a week or two, you can't possibly be in love with him!"

"Well... I wanna be in love with him," he said, because if he wasn't in love with him now, then surely one day he would be. Quality over quantity they said, and so time was but a small factor if the moments they shared meant anything. "I wanna go on dates with him, and hold hands with him, and be with him!"

"You already do that stuff with me and Jinguji-san, what makes him any different?"

"This!" Hifumi pointed to his heart. "I love you and Dr. Jakurai, but... Yumenon makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside."

Doppo squinted. "Do you hear yourself?"

"Loud and clear. I wanna be in love with Yumenon!"

"He's our rival."

"The battle season's over, so it doesn't matter, right?"

"You barely know him."

"Then I'll get to know him better."

"You've seen what's happened already --" Doppo jabbed a finger towards Hifumi’s abdomen. "-- the backlash is going to get worse."

"So what? People can do whatever they wanna do."

"You're... really serious about this, aren't you?"

"Sure am!" Hifumi said with no hesitation. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Cautious eyes running over him, Doppo fell silent. A million thoughts ran through Hifumi's mind, anything and everything to convince him about Gentaro, but he knew Doppo needed quiet to think. All he could do now was clutch onto Doppo's hands as he waited for his response.

"If he makes you happy then..." He took a deep breath, another beat passing. "I guess it's fine."

Breaking into a grin, Hifumi cheered and threw his arms around Doppo. He squeezed him as tightly as he could, rocking him back and forth.

"He does, he makes me really happy! I think you'll like him a lot, too, Doppo-chin!" Before Doppo could reply, he gasped and pulled back from the hug. Unlocking his phone, he continued on, "I should let him know how I feel right now! It'll be really fun, we can like go on double dates and --"

"Wait, wait, wait, slow down there." Doppo held him back. "You're going to confess to him through text ? He won't take you seriously like that."

Lips puckering, Hifumi tilted his head. "Really? Then what should I do?"

Doppo's mouth hung open as if to speak, but he stared blankly at him.

"Sorry, I don't really know..." Face scrunching up, his tongue poked out in thought. "Take him out or something? Do something meaningful, I guess."

"Meaningful, meaningful, meaningful..." He mulled over the suggestion, bobbing his head slowly. Doppo had a point, now that he thought about it; their short time together meant they didn't have as many moments with each other -- even less were those that were actually good. Still, one memory in particular stood out: an impromptu day out filled with flowers and fantasies.

"Oh, I know! I'll take him out and get him roses and make it super duper romantic~"

"That... sounds nice, yeah." Doppo nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Good luck, Hifumi. I hope it works out."

He patted his shoulder and flashed a V-sign. "No need to hope, it'll work out for sure! Just you see, Doppo-chin."

Heart flying over the moon, Hifumi turned his attention to his phone screen. Gentaro's name stared back at him, and he grew giddy with all the things he wanted to say to him: “You’re so pretty!” and “You’re amazing!!” and “I love you!!!” among other things right at the tip of his fingers. It took everything in him to keep all of it to himself, but he knew they could say everything they wanted to say once he confessed. The perfect plan in mind, Hifumi wasted no time opening up his chat with Gentaro.

#hypnosis microphone #hypnosis mic #hypmic #hifugen #genhifu #uploading everything 5 years later ups #did tumblr get rid of the line breaks or smth since last i posted bc wtf