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#miku said trans rights so i had too
justatinycatgirl · 11 months
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Kyujitsu, Shumijin Doushi De./Hobbyists On Days Off rambles
so uh, yeah, I have april fools unit brainrot and it’s for this specific nightcord ripoff so yeah. almost all my unorganized thoughts half-assedly organized for your convenience
so firstly, the sekai!
their sekai is the Clubroom SEKAI. just a big ass room that looks vaguely like a modified classroom? it has a ton of hobby things like sewing supplies, gaming consoles, baking utensils, etc. things just kinda appear and disappear on a whim depending on what the girls are doing at the time. Minori swears she thought she saw Mizuki’s mannequin where all her idol shit is now
the sekai was created from the member’s mutual feelings of loneliness, and also their newfound community with each other
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this sekai's Miku is basically just Empty SEKAI Miku but like...less sad? ig?? idk, she's just a sweetie pie
idk ab any other VS besides Miku, but yeh--
AND NOW THE MEMBERS!!!
Akiyama Mizuki
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Mizuki is, of course, the leader of this group! they created the chat group and pretty much stoked the fire of this new group of friends. I feel like they'd end up in a similar situation as they are with nightcord when they're absolutely TERRIFIED of the group figuring out they're trans their secret, but ay they're having fun, there's nothing to worry about, right? right??
Hanasato Minori
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guess what! it was actually Minori's idea to start making music! well, kinda. Minori has already given up on trying to be an idol. after so many rejections she just figured it's time to give up...so she did. however, I think at some point the group gets to hear Nene sing for the first time and it sparks something in Minori. Nene's singing oddly reminds her of Haruka, and it inspires her once more, even if just to sing one song. she's still pretty hopeless all things considered, but she's trying!!
Kusanagi Nene
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speaking of Nene! she's pretty much become a psuedo shut-in. ever since Rui has been spending more time with Fantasista SQUAD, Nene's had less and less contact with her one and only true friend, and she's almost lost her passion for singing and theater. oh yeah, and her stage fright is up ten-fold. the group went to a kareoke bar at some point and that was the first time she actually sang in front of everyone, but of course after Minori eggs her on and on, she kind crumples back and is hesitant to actually make anything of her singing. of course she eventually gives in gains some confidence in herself, but AUGH
Mochizuki Honami
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and finally, the saddest of them all...maybe besides Mizuki but still--
I won't say too much on her as I know barely anything ab her besides she's a pushover and a people pleaser, and maybe even that's not entirely right, so take my words with a grain of salt. make ur own version of this au's Honami if u like!! anyway--
Honami has been distant from her childhood friends for so long, and she's completely unwilling to try and reconnect, as she sees Aoharu/friends doing just fine...but that's okay! cuz she has her own new group of besties!
uuhh ig she goes through an arc of getting over being a massive people pleaser too? idk. as I said, I don't know a lot ab her so feel free to add anything that I may have mischaracterized or something
so yeh! there's my thoughts for now! feel free to add ur own thoughts or headcanons!! I wanna see more content of this shuffle group I love them so much
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mor-alternate · 1 month
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College AU
Salieri is a literature student
Salieri doing something he actually likes is way too alien of a concept for me
In real life, Salieri didn’t actually take “proper” music lessons and even refused to go to a music school to learn music directly from Gassmann
Salieri himself said that he only had 3 big passions that followed him throughout his life as a whole: music, literature and sugar (his words, not mine)
He would only have picked this major because he thinks there isn’t much of a future for him in the music industry
He only stays because of Da Ponte, otherwise he probably would have dropped out
He has perfect grades tho
Da Ponte is Salieri’s best friend
Everyone thinks it’s Rosenberg but Salieri finds him rather annoying
He finds Da Ponte annoying too
He finds everyone annoying truth be told
But Da Ponte is his favorite annoying person (prior to meeting Mozart)
They’re roommates so he didn’t get much of a choice in this friendship
Mozart was homeschooled for most of his life
He travelled a lot in his childhood, so it makes sense
Got sick a lot too
His dad never let him rest when sick because Leopold was just an asshole like that
He’s a music student
He goes to the same university as Salieri because in this AU, Salieri never created the “School of Music and Performing Arts” so no MDW
The “Mozarteum University” obviously doesn’t exist either
He skipped a few years technically, but since he passed all the necessary exams he got to enroll
I don’t know much about Austrian education; this isn’t meant to be accurate
Mozart is almost 18
Again, skipped a few years
Child prodigy and stuff
He turns 18 in January, before getting with Salieri
He jokes a lot about Salieri having a crush on him when he was 17 and it making him a predator
Salieri does NOT like those jokes
Salieri just turned 20 before the beginning of the school year
He had to retake a year when he arrived to Austria but he’s a quick learner so he adapted quickly
Didn’t have much of a choice
Sink or swim situation
Still managed to catch up and skip a year somehow
Gassmann is one of Mozart’s teachers
He was a music teacher, it makes sense
He’s one of Mozart’s favorite teachers
One of Salieri’s too, even if he doesn’t have any classes with him
He’s like Salieri’s second dad
They don’t live together solely for plot reasons
Joseph II is the director of the school
No one is actually sure of what his last name is, so everyone just uses his first name
The “II” is a joke on the fact that his mother used to be directress before him
Salieri is trans
This is one of the reasons he was so eager to leave Italy
No one knows except Da Ponte
He’s under T and wearing binders and tape when he can
Somehow nobody questions it when he doesn’t
He thinks Mozart would get him a silly Miku binder if he learned
He’s right
Mozart does learn eventually
Every Salieri kinnie I know is trans
We need more trans Salieri AUs
Da Ponte befriends Mozart on the second trimester
Mozart is quite happy about it, even if he has many “friends”
Most of his “friends” are actually just acquaintances
Da Ponte is the first to learn about his crush on Salieri
And the first to learn about Salieri’s crush on Mozart
Salieri wants nothing to do with Mozart because of his crush
Da Ponte tries to set them up without telling either one he knows the other likes them back but his friends are both incredibly smart except when it comes to feelings
He’s exhausted
Somehow, he’s the last to learn when his friends finally get together
He did NOT take that last fact well
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submalevolentgrace · 2 years
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what do you mean by the baby trans girl sfuff? im trans and dont really pay attention to what other trans people are doing online... but im kind of curious now...
like i said, i'm not sure i can really express it, and i'm sure i'll offend some people and whack the hornet's nest in an attempt... but i've also had people tell me that my perspective has been helpful working themselves out; so here goes.
i don't think i can point to "baby trans girl" stuff directly, pin it down and shine light on it, but can point to all the thematically adjacent stuff and hopefully you can get the vibe of what i mean
think: catgirl, thigh highs and choker, hatsune miku, pink and blue pastel software developer, videogames and synth music, doing a twirly in a miniskirt, bad dragon collection, zero suit samus bodysuit, city wide polycule, collar and leash kink.... basically the intra community stereotype of a freshly cracked egg.
look, i came out properly in about 2008, jumped headfirst into the trans scene/community both irl and online, and i did all that stuff. i've still got the nyancat hoodie as proof! and i know all that stuff is a genuine form of self expression for some people, and i'm not saying any of it is bad at all!
i think people should be and do whatever they like and express themselves however they want to be true to themselves, and i am not at all saying any of the "baby trans girl stuff" is bad or cringe or fake.
but you know what? it's not really representative of the full lifetime trans experience. me and almost every other trans girl / amab genderqueer that i know went through some variation of it, dressing a certain way, acting a certain way, dating twenty people, being Political, doing all the jokes and having all the pink white and blue stickers and the whole lot; we all did it. and after five or ten years it basically never sticks. that's almost never who you really are inside.
maybe for some people that's what they really, deep down want. but for everyone i've known throughout the whole thing, it's been a performance. nobody forces you into it, and you probably don't even notice it while you're doing it. but once you've moved past it (or, more likely, been chewed up and spat out by the Trans Girl Scene Of Theseus because you're too old or the memes have changes and nyancat and miku aren't even relevant anymore)... after you're out of it, it looks absolutely insane and absurd! all these people who you know must have unique inner lives to express, getting rolled up into this mass of baby trans girl where there's only a handful of acceptable aesthetics and personalities you're allowed to have, where you have to fly the pink white and blue flag and make the right jokes, lest you be cast out.
and let me tell you, for the few people i've known that didn't go through this phase, the alienation and sense of isolation is a hundred times worse than for someone like me, who just rolls their eyes at it all a bit now.
i could write a whole essay on speculating what causes it; peer pressure, a thirst to make up for lost time, internalised mysogyny, the feedback loop of craving the praise you get for performing the aesthetic and characrer vs crushing loneliess of nobody at a party talking to you because you're just an average girl 'not putting in the effort'... the fact that the freshly out are always the loudest voices trying to educate people, despite being arguably the lest equipped to teach... many reasons.
as for the effects? well, i lost a solid 5-8 years of my 20's trying to live up to a performance that's unattainable and not even what i really wanted inside; while being more or less unaware that it wasn't what i wanted, because it seemed like the only option... and then a more or less complete collapse of social support in my life when i actively stopped trying.
oh and the local baby trans girl meetup keeps having lice outbreaks tear through their entire membership.
idk, it's late, i've been in bad pain all day, and i'm probably just rambling. if there's something in there that's helpful, yay! if it's confusing gibberish that doesn't match your experiences at all... yay! you avoided the same pitfalls as me and my cohort!
and if you're reading this and getting your hackles up because you feel attacked or like i'm attacking all of trans girl culture or something... idk, maybe like, do some deep introspection. find out how much of it is genuine, how much is just so you fit in. i know enough people that have individually kept one or two of the baby trans girl traits that they're probably all individually genuine for someone. if all of it is genuine for you, then yay for you, it doesn't matter what i think anyway, you do you.
as someone very dear to me has put so succinctly, "the whole point of coming out was to stop pretending, to be honest about myself... not to just start putting on a different performance."
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succubratty · 2 years
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Calling out a pedophile
CW: pedophilia/lolisho mention/tons of bad words.
Seriously, if you have a humiliation kink, this post might be for you? Idk.
This happened a week ago; I apologize in advance for this huge ass post that is non-kink related, but tbh I came here to relax and express my kinks and some other thoughts. There’s always some idiot who wants to give you shit, and this happened to be a very disgusting one.
I’ll put a “read me more” because it is a very long post; if you read the entire thing, I’ll thank you in advance too.
Okay, so this asshole came to my blog and made the following comments on my Miss Kobayashi post/review:
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Ok pedophile… 
First and foremost: 
You're fucking ridiculous! We were like this with my gf reading your comments:
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Second:
Let me say a few words before destroying this twerp: 
A person who gets so upset because I criticized the sexualization of kids in an anime show is a pedo or a pedophile apologist. If you deny this shit, you have a severe problem, and I encourage you to seek medical care, go see a shrink or something; I don't care.
I knew some dumbfuck would give me shit for something like this, but I didn’t think It would be so soon; honestly, the post doesn't even have a month since I wrote it?.
I'm freaking disgusted with your comments. Do you insult and make assumptions in every person's posts about an opinion you don't like? Because that was just my opinion, and you got upset because I called out the pedo culture in anime and manga?
Be thankful that I didn’t touch on the topics of big tits and the objectification of women in the same anime/manga because I also have an opinion towards that, and spoiler alert based on your comments, you’re not going to like it.
You don’t have your age in your bio, so you don’t deserve more attention than these things I’m going to say.
And finally, third:
Let me analyze your two comments piece by piece.
First comment:
“If you hate lolisho/moe culture so much Go to Western Animation!. Wait, you don’t because your fellow neurotics neutered it of much its former charm and creativity.”
What the actual fuck is “lolisho/moe culture!”? You shady motherfucker, a culture that sexualizes little kids? the fact that it is animated or inside a manga doesn't make it less severe, so yeah, if you refer to that as “lolisho/moe culture” I fucking hate it! And it is disgusting how weeb/otaku and western culture had normalized this shit that is seen as “normal” or as a “trope” and that you have to put in your anime to make it work.
Also, as I said in my original post, I blame the sexist and misogynistic Japanese culture too because they let this shit happen over and over; I mean, they banned gay marriage weeks ago. Still, you can marry your Hatsune Miku pillow? (no intention to shame Vocaloid fans here just made an example), but something is not right when nonsense like that happens.
“(...) Go to Western Animation!. Wait, you don’t because your fellow neurotics neutered it of much its former charm and creativity.”
It’s impressive your poor intent of sarcasm, trying to assume that you know me and what kind of animation I consume. I mean, who are my “fellow neurotics”? Me and who “neutered it“ what? In your own words, “Its former charm and creativity”? Can you even elaborate? No, you just dare to leave that shit in the air; you insignificant slag! Like you aren't even able to tell me what is that “charm” and “creativity”?
You talked so much shit in such a small sentence. Still, I assume that the “charm” and “creativity” you refer it has some relation with “lolisho/moe culture.”? Hence “my fellow neurotics” (that I don’t know who they are) “neutered” western animation from their former sexualization of kids? Is that what you are trying to tell me? Ew! You sick bastard.
Second comment:
“And don’t bring your trans status to justify your power-hungry, woke mindset. Your love for ugliness (literal shit and piss) and hatred of cuteness (in this case, lolisho) is your individual problem, trans people can enjoy Moe as much as anyone else.”
Again you’re so freaking pathetic trying to make assumptions like if you knew me, suddenly you, a complete stranger, defined my whole personality based on a post. You better watch out for who you throw hate at because you’re not going to get this free.
“your trans status to justify your power-hungry, woke mindset” 
I’m laughing so hard at this because I receive the same hate from bigots, transphobic and fascist scumbags like you every single day. 
Oh yes! I’m so “power-hungry” that I didn’t even tag the original post with labels from the show, so “power-hungry” that before your two comments, the post only had two likes, give me a break. 
I just wrote my opinion on a matter that disturbs many people who watch anime, and I did it in the best way I can analyze this, which is from a gender studies perspective.
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“Woke mindset”? Sure, why not? If your bigoted ass like to call “woke mindset” a call-out on pedophilia and the sexualization of kids in an anime that is one of many others like that, you think you’re so freaking smart, and you don’t have fucking idea what you’re talking about.
“Your love for ugliness (literal shit and piss)” 
First, you came to my post and blog, trying to kink-shame me? So you realized this is my kink blog, and you get to decide what is ugly and beautiful? Because of my sexual preferences and kinks? No FUCKING way! I will not tolerate your stupid rants on my blog, you miserable cunt. If you ever want to make a serious argument, you better find some original ideas and don’t fucking do this.
 “(...) and hatred of cuteness (in this case, lolisho) is your individual problem, (...)” 
Now lolisho equals cuteness? Are you fucking serious? You make me sick because, in my post, I criticized this exact thing.
Lolicon and shotacon are literal a whole genre dedicated to the sexualization of minors; again, the fact that it is designed in a “moé” style doesn't make it less severe.
I never made a rant on the character design or the “cuteness” aspect (the moé style), but it seems you completely IGNORED the: “sexualization of minors” part.
You focused on the idea that I hate cute stuff because I have these kinks. A bold assumption, I must say, because I love cute stuff; what I don’t love and I do hate is:
THE SEXUALIZATION OF MINORS DISGUISED IN CUTE DESIGNS TO MAKE IT MORE BEARABLE/PASSABLE!.
Did I make this clear?
Or do I have to use more giant capital letters for you to understand?. 
“(...) your individual problem (...)”
Besides being a redundant phrase, do you live with your head stuck inside your ass or something?
PEDOPHILIA, IT'S FUCKING WRONG! YOU DISGUSTING PIECE OF SHIT! 
And the fact that these things are so normalized between some anime and manga consumers is a BIG fucking problem!
If you think this kind of shit doesn’t affect people, maybe you have to start getting out, pop your weeb bubble, and learn some empathy; the only ugly thing here is you and your dumb comments trying to defend the sexualization of minors in an anime show.
“(...) trans people can enjoy Moe as much as anyone else.” 
This last phrase is so fucking funny because you assumed that: 
“As a trans person giving my opinion and criticizing this, I am now a spoken law.” 
Like yeah, sure, champ, now because I gave my opinion on the internet about a Dragon’s Girls show that depicts the sexualization of minors (and that has two likes, no tags, etc., etc.), trans people cannot enjoy this?, because I never said this, what I said and I quote myself:
I'll always be against it; as a trans woman (that often gets seen as a walking fetish), as a transfeminist, as a sex worker making content, and as a professional animator working in this medium, I will always call these things out, and be as consequential as I can.
And yes, animation is my day job, you dim-wit; I know a freaking lot about this industry and how it works; not only it's my day job, I work in politics. I know how pathetic bigoted haters liars like you think; I can fucking destroy the arguments of a bigoted congressman in an IRL situation, and I’m not going to ruin yours?.
Do you think I was born yesterday or something?
So trans ppl can enjoy moé as anyone else? If you refer to moé as a synonym of cuteness and the way character design works in modern manga and anime, of course, they can, you asshole!.
I never said something against that and made an imperative sentence saying such things, so again you’re putting words in my mouth that I never said.
Now, if you refer to “lolisho” stuff, do I have to answer this again?
I didn’t make my point clear already?
Or do you need Windex or some shit to read it more clearly?.
And if you dare to make dumb assumptions about me, my fetishes, and the things I like, you came to the wrong neighborhood, you scumbag!.
I will not tolerate the presence or interaction with people like you on my blog. I erased your comment and blocked you because this issue is not up for debate; not going to allow you to “defend” yourself. I have zero tolerance for losers like you who come here talking shit, and do you think you can get away with it? You’re not outsmarting anyone; even a clown has more dignity. 🤡
So if for some reason you came across to this, and you dear to answer me back, I’m going to delete your puny arguments because you don’t worth the time and effort. Take this post as an example; I was freaking angry with something else, and I just used you as a punching bag; you were a sparring session; you’re nothing.
And this will apply to anyone who dares to do the same.
And I hope this will be my last word on the matter; it is disgusting trying to make an argument with pedos/maps and scumbag like that.
If you are a dear follower/mutual and you read this till the end and agree with most of these things I wrote above, I appreciate it so much.
SuccuBratty
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lovely-showtimes · 1 year
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i had a silly idea to make a little list of my favourite of each proseka card and thought "why not do it?" so here i am! under the cut though, because i figure that this will be very long ^^"
hatsune miku
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miku has a lot of cards, so this was a hard choice, but i eventually chose this one!! it's so pretty!! the stars above being reflected in the water is my favourite part. space/ocean themed cards are usually my favourites, so you'll be seeing a lot of those here :') i also miku's costume, she looks so cozy <33
kagamine rin
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ooooo i love this one. the flowers are so pretty, and rin herself looks adorable!! it's just something about the overall vibe of this card which just feels so calming and warm. also, her costume?? so good!! i wanna wear that dress so badly...
kagamine len
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no way... len reading the trans book...
i don't really have much of a reason for why i like this, i just think it looks neat! i like all the blues and pinks :) i also just really like this set in general!
megurine luka
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WAILING I LOVE THIS SET SO MUCH!! I LOVE MERMAIDS AND I LOVE LUKA!! SHE'S SO PRETTYYY <33 her horns becoming shells is such a cute detail! also i love the whales in the background <33 theyre so cuteeee im sobbing and crying
meiko
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meiko also has a lot of really pretty cards which made this hard to choose, but i settled on this one. and oh my goodness this card is literally so pretty??? the lighting is my favourite thing about it. i love the red lighting, it's so nice to look at... and meiko herself!! so pretty!! i love women so much
kaito
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once again. i absolutely adore this set. i love the glowiness of it and i love how just... overall pretty it is!! this isn't even about kaito, i just love the surrounding area so much... what i wouldn't give to be him in this moment tbh fgshjksl
hoshino ichika
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oh this card is so cute. i love her hairstyle in this card, it looks so... fluffy? i suppose? i'm not sure what the right word is but yeah :D i also love the generally snowy kind of vibe. it looks so cozy and cute :) and i love her outfit too, it looks so cozy! i love it!
tenma saki
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she's so cute!!! i love her!!! i love the little heart shaped fish and the colors of the reef too!!! also, i love saki's summery kinda outfit, and her hairstyle is so cute!!! absolutely adore this card <33
mochizuki honami
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we are immediately back with this set again! this was a hard choice, as honami has a lot of cards i absolutely adore (her colorfes card, her second birthday card & her card from the l/n event that just ended are runner-ups here) but i decided to go with this one! the girlfriends <33
hinomori shiho
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this whole set is super cute honestly... i haven't read a lot of l/n events, but i think i should! especially for this one, i love how all of the trained cards all connect to each other! the vibes are so soft and warm <3 the girlfriends part two
hanasato minori
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minori has a lot of really pretty cards, which made this a really difficult decision, but i decided to go with this one in the end! the sky and the water looks so pretty, and i love minori's wings!! she's so cuuuute <33 i love minori a lot
kiritani haruka
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another character who i had a hard time choosing for!! i think mmj in general have a lot of super pretty cards, so this was a hard choice, but i chose this one. the colors, and the lighting, and haruka herself?? so pretty. so wonderful. i love you haruka
momoi airi
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uuuuuuuu i love this card so much. i love how floaty her hair is, i love all the little bubbles around her, i just love this card!!! its so pretty and blue <3 i love airi sm
hinomori shizuku
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are you beginning to notice a theme with these cards yet? i really like this card, shizuku just looks so pretty!! i love the color blue and also women who are the color blue (shizuku i love you
azusawa kohane
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look at her!!! where will she go? what food does she have? is she going on a date with her gf? (yes, yes she is) again, as i've said before, i love this set. it's so cute and warm, i love it!! i also love her hat, it's so cute! (bonus points to her "midnight making" untrained. so, so eepy...)
shiraishi an
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oh my goodness. an is so pretty. i love her so much. the dress is so long and flowy, the flowers are super cute, and i love her hair sm!! i wish i had this card so badly </3 (but i do have the shizuku from this set, so i'm perfectly alright with that!)
shinonome akito
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augh this card... so soft... vibes are so warm... he looks so peaceful... i just. i love him so much </3 oh to be a pretty boy, sitting at my little table in the garden in the sunlight, admiring my silly little sunflower... sigh...
aoyagi toya
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okay so listen to me. i've never been much of a toya liker (in the way that i would kiss him on the lips. i like toya, just not in that way). and then i saw this card and i almost became one. i am a big advocate for emo boys who are trying to kill me <3
tenma tsukasa
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excuse me for a moment OYEUSYTGHJSHGHSJGSAHJSKSNSHJKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TSUKASAAAAAA I LOVE YOU SO MUCHHHHH OAISUYHJSHGFSGHJSKHGSHJK okay im done i absolutely adore this set, this card specifically. the starry theme? fantastic. the costume? so pretty. the rest of this set? spectacular. this event in general? oh my goodness my joint favourite wxs event (the other one is mermaid admiration, if that wasn't obvious lol). also the untrained for this card??? hello???? tsukasa is breaking my heart actively and i dont appreciate it. im kidding i love him so much (also, fun fact. whenever i type in the link for the proseka wiki, his card gallery is the first thing to come up </3)
otori emu
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i always knew emu played splatoon. she has such roller main vibes <3 in all seriousness though i had a super hard time choosing here. emu has so many pretty cards, i could've easily put most of them here (her pop in my heart!, smile of a dreamer, best summer ever!, operation secret valentine & close game/offline cards are all good contenders i think!) but i chose this one because. the splatoon-ness of it all <3
kusanagi nene
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number #1 mermaid admiration fan (me) i LOVE this card. for the longest time, i thought she had a mermaid tail, fun fact. i wish she did have a mermaid tail in this card, still </3 she deserves to be a cute little mermaid ALSO I LOVE THE UNTRAINED OF THIS SO MUCH!! wxs just chilling out and having fun <3 well, tsukasa isn't, but it's okay
kamishiro rui
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god, i wish that were me. rui, move out of the way, it's my turn to be a pretty mermaid boy and dance with a jellyfish!! btw i need to state it again so you're all aware, but i love mermaid admiration so muc h
yoisaki kanade
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i adore this set, it basically just came out but god do i love it. i adore her cat ear headphones, they're so cute <33 kanade ily
asahina mafuyu
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mafuyu with glasses mafuyu with glasses mafuyu with glasses ma- i love her!! and this set!! it's so soft and cozy <33 i wish i could be her in this card because i'd pass out instantly
shinonome ena
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again!! this set is super pretty!! i love the way the colors pop <33 her expression is so cute too, she is so silly <3 AND I LOVE HER COSTUME TOO!! the blues and blacks... so cuteeeee <333 and also is she drawing mafuyu there?? if so omg... girlfriends so real
akiyama mizuki
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once again. cozy niigo set my beloved. they look so comfy and warm... god i wish that were me they are literally so eepy rn. absolutely obsessed ALSO!! THE KANAMAFU NAIL POLISH AND MIZUENA CANDIES!! theyre in love so real
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citricacidprince · 3 years
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It's the Pines Twins birthday, AND it is also Miku's birthday
I saw an opportunity and I took it
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boydiisaster · 3 years
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hi !! I really liked what you wrote w/ trans mc coming out :DD (im trans myself and reading it made me cry happy tears at 1 am) could I request more trans mc- but after they've come out? Like during their transition or something? Thanks a bunch!! <3
trans MC my beloved
reader: transmasc, male, he/him
tw/cw: dysphoria mention
author's note: yay!!! i'm so glad you liked it- i'm trans, too! i hope you like this, as well- i'm not sure if you wanted a ftm MC or just a trans MC in general, so if you'd like me to rewrite this i'd be more than happy to! i love writing trans MC content, it literally makes my day <3
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lucifer
So romantic with you when you first told him you wanted to transition. Offered to pay all your bills, and unlike Mammon, he can actually afford to.
"What, are you like my sugar daddy now or something?" you joked, poking him in the chest.
"If that's what my boyfriend wants me to be," he replied with a smirk.
(I'd burst into tears if Lucifer ever called me his boyfriend. Gender dysphoria: poof, gone.)
Makes an effort to always call you by your name, even if he doesn't have to.
"Can you go grab MC for me? I need MC right now so we can discuss his current grades."
If you take shots of testosterone, Lucifer will gladly inject them if need be. But if you want to do it by yourself, he's fine with that, too. Just allow him to stand by, in case something goes wrong. He really cares for you, and doesn't want you getting hurt.
mammon
When he first heard you wanted to transition, he was ecstatic. His love language is gift giving, and he wants to buy you everything that you need for your transition.
He was also the first person you told about this, and it really boosted his ego.
"Of course you'd trust the Great Mammon with this! I'm so trust worthy, it's obvious why you chose me-"
"Shut up and kiss me, oh 'Great Mammon.'"
Mammon tries daily to give you masculine compliments. Like, he tries so hard it hurts. You could be putting up groceries or something and he pops up out of seemingly no where to tell you that "You put up those groceries so masculine-like, MC."
He doesn't really understand, but he's got the spirit.
He'd pay for your transition if you'd let him. How, exactly? He doesn't really know, but he'd find a way for you <3
He's definitely like a supportive mother who doesn't really know what to do, but wants to do something to show that she supports you when you come out. You catch him sneaking mini pride flags or those cringey Amazon pride shirts into your room at 3 in the morning.
You wear them, just to make him happy, and his brothers most definitely tease you for it.
leviathan
Another one who doesn't really know what to do. He's had friends online that were trans, sure, but what if he messes something up with you?
(You're not gonna mess anything up, don't worry, Levi)
I want to say that he'd unironically buy you that Miku binder, but Levi has been online for so long that he knows that he probably shouldn't.
... He'd still ask to, though, just for the meme, followed by a swift punch to the arm by his ever-so-loving boyfriend.
"OW!"
"You're such a nerd.... I love you."
Not very off-brand for him, but Levi definitely recommends you anime and manga that have good trans representation.
satan
Satan is trans too, idc what you say. Am I just projecting onto my favorite fictional characters? Probably so, but it's fine.
Remember when I said Mammon buys you cringey trans pride stuff? Yeah, he did that with Satan, too. Satan still has all of the cheesy posters and tee shirts stuffed in the back of his closet, away from where anyone can see.
... When he's alone though, he definitely lounges around in the shirts and laughs to himself.
"We can form an alliance, MC. 'Trans Guys Suffering From Mammon's Stupid Gifts.'"
Much like Levi, Satan recommends you books with good trans rep. He also bakes you cake or anything else you want if you're feeling especially down.
(I headcanon that Satan loves baking okay, shut up-)
If you ever want to go to Pride with him, he'll be a little antsy at first, but buy him a couple of trans pride cat pins and he'll love it.
asmodeus
Two words: shopping spree
Takes you to all the hottest clothing shops to buy you clothes that make your dysphoria better
If you don't experience much dysphoria? Still takes you out shopping, anyways.
Hey! Shopping is fun, okay? >:(
Calls you lots of masculine compliments that give you gender euphoria. "Sir" and "Mister MC" are his favorites, just cus of the way you roll your eyes and giggle at him when he does.
Asmo loves it when his boyfriend smiles, it's the cutest sight in all of three worlds. Minus him, of course.
beelzebub
He's also trans, fuck you.
He's apart of you and Satan's alliance.
More subtle than his brothers: he doesn't do anything extravagant when you tell him you'd like to transition, just nods his head and pulls you in for a bone-crushing hug.
"I have work out routines we can try to build up muscle, if you want?"
"That sounds great, Beel, but please let go, I can't breathe-"
Another one I think would buy you trans stuff he finds online, except way less cringey, like pride pins or flags.
He also buys the two of you pride themed food to eat together <3
belphegor
You were so nervous when you told him, like, to the point you were stumbling over words. When you finally got it out that you'd like to transition, Belphie just blinked at you.
"That's all? Well, okay. What pronouns do you want me to use for you from now on?"
Catches onto everything very easily. He'll sometimes nuzzle his face into the crook of your neck and just mutter masculine praises so quietly you hardly hear him, but you catch a "handsome boy" and "darling boyfriend" here and there.
He'll still call you a dumb fucking loser though, but lovingly, I swear-
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evas-apartment · 3 years
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would love your thoughts on death of the author, separating art from its creater, etc.!
as someone who enjoys critically thinking about what i read & watch, i love the idea that i control the lens thru which i view plots & characters. maybe the author didn't mean to write these two women as potential love interests or create an allegory for transitioning, but i can, thru my own lens, see it in the story. however, i can also understand that when another author creates a "dark skinned evil race" for their story (very common example in fantasy) it is reflecting real world prejudices that harm real people & that needs to become a discussion imo of the author, their purpose in writing, & its broader effect on other media
This might be a long answer, but I got a lot to say here.
Long story short: Depending on the severity of the of offense, it can become impossible to "separate the art from the artist". But frankly, I've never attached such a large part of myself or my personality to a piece of media, or a celebrity such that I find it impossible to detach myself from something that can hurt people.
Thankfully, I was never that into Harry Potter, but the fact that it's author is a TERF amongst a bunch of other bigoted things like being blatantly racist and blatantly antisemitic should be enough for people. It's basically the "I don't know how to tell you you should care about other people". It's largely about having empathy for groups that you aren't a part of. It's about listening to the people who have been affected by a shitty person's shitty behavior/views/attitudes. Being really into something is special, but being so into something that you blindly defend a bad person in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary leads people to believe that you're bad too. And Harry Potter isn't worth that.
I was VERY into Five Nights at Freddy's, but then Scott Cawthon was revealed to donate money to demonstrably bad people, and I felt my love for something just ebb away into indifference, but that's just me. I LOVED Alton Brown until I saw reports that he made a bunch of shitty jokes (which I haven't been able to substantiate beyond two blog posts, but still) and I was able to just....stop interacting with it. I don't really listen to Michael Jackson's music anymore, but I can admit that it's objectively good music. But the love isn't there anymore. And I'm not going to praise a person that AT THE VERY LEAST shared a bed with and gave alcohol to minors. To relate it to my current hyper-fixation, wrestling, I can watch the matches of Chris Benoit, and admit that he is a phenomenal wrestler, and seller, but outside of that, I wouldn't go out of my way to praise the guy, to buy merch of him, which I've seen someone in real life do, or to say something so stupid as to say he should be in the Hall of Fame, like he killed people. That should be enough.
I feel like there is a greater conversation to be had about fandom culture, about how fans consume media, and attach themselves to whatever golden calf they're into that week. But TONS of people have said that, and this response is long enough, so I guess that's a conversation for another day. (Or another ask if you wanna keep hearing me ramble :P)
So, to answer the original ask, Yes. Viewing a piece of media through your own lens can be great. As a trans woman, it materialistically hurts nobody to headcannon someone as trans, and it makes me feel good. Being aware of stereotypes in otherwise beloved media franchises (the Gerudo in tLoZ, Jinx in Pokemon) is something everyone should be aware of, but go beyond that and actually listen as to why these depictions are offensive. Wonder why the original Fire Temple Chanting was offensive in Ocarina of Time and just have the empathy to hear different people out. As for "death of the author", everything is written with intent, whether intentional or not, and people's worldviews, ingrained biases, and privileges will shine make it through a person's work regardless of genre or medium. People's writing has intent, regardless of what people's interpretations of it is. Basically I don't agree with the idea of "death of the author" cause things made by bad people are usually ingrained with their shit views. Separating the art from the artist is a privilege afforded to those willing to listen to us. But when people like JKR not only include horrifically offensive depictions of people like me, get called out for it, then DOUBLE DOWN ON IT, you lose that right. And that's when we call it. And that's when we call it for people that continue to contribute to that.
And just as a little addendum for the end, saying Miku made something popular instead of the actual creator is worthless, and pirating Harry Potter media helps nobody but yourself.
All that being said, I do enjoy asks, and like receiving and answering them. Thanks for this!
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7fckingidiots · 3 years
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Would you be alright with writing some HCs about the brothers and a MC who's a trans guy? Sorry if it's a tall order or too vague, they're a big comfort for me and I'd like to see what ideas you have bcs your headcanons are fantastic ;w;
HELL YEAH DUDE!!!! IM ALSO TRANS!!! AH!!!!! demigirl rights :3 but i also find a huge comfort in the boys and i hc all of them as trans because no one can Stop Me •• but i really hope you enjoy these and remember you’re valid and i care u so much! Also i hope you don’t mind but i kinda made it gender neutral so every trans folk could enjoy!
The Brothers With A Trans MC
Lucifer
He didn’t know until you came out to him honestly. He knew all his other siblings were trans but with all the work Diavolo gave him and adding new students from different realms on top of that he hadn’t really had time to notice any minor changes in you.
He feels guilty about this and immediately makes sure(like everyone else)to ask for your pronouns, name, and how you would like to present yourself from now on.
Fixes your ID cards and your papers with Diavolo right after dinner
God. He’s such a dad and he gets you things that have your new name on them. You wake up to see you have a new pencil case with your name embroidered on it with matching pencils. God.....he’s so weird i love him so much
Asmo does most of your clothing shopping but for formal wear he takes you shopping! He’s not about to buy you some cheap tux or gown ok it’s gonna be over 2000 grim and he’s gonna get you three of them STOP HIM
He’s not the best with verbal affection so he writes down notes that are like “you looked very handsome/pretty today.” or when he first starts writing them they’re like “you’re a boy/girl/kid. i’m proud of you.” Thank u mr morningstar
You want surgery or to start hormones??? He will stop all his work with Diavolo and spend forever looking up things for you, he wants you to be as safe as possible(pls he almost fainted after he realized you’d have to give yourself a shot like everyday dhdhdhjdhd hc that demons/angels don’t have to do hormone therapy i’m so JEALOUS)
Practices saying your pronouns in his study when you first come out. He just wants to make sure you feel as safe as possible in his care(and he remembers how terrible it felt to be misgendered)
Guess what....he loves you no matter what :)
Mammon
You’re blind as hell if you couldn’t see his top scars but I respect it
King DOES slip up on your pronoun change but always immediately corrects himself. Satan has a spray bottle that he sprays Mammon with when he does it. Mammon is NOT amused but the same can’t be said for Belphie.
Gender affirming activities??? Oh yeah like robbing a bank?? That’s pretty gender neutral and trans right?? Yeah!!! Wow such a good supportive brother.
If you want you can wear the formal wear Lucifer bought you to the said bank heist. Boom trans rights
You can practice painting his nails or doing his makeup if you’re too nervous to do it on yourself first!! Dw if it’s bad he also can’t do makeup or paint nails so once you let him return the favor you’re both laughing and Asmo is distraught.
KING at dying hair he will get you whatever you need and if you want an entire different hair cut entirely he’s ON it
Very used to being Loud and Brash but if you need someone to talk to about anything really he always calms down and sits down to listen to whatever you have to say.
Lots of gendered gifts from him. This said for men??? Oh ok adds to cart. Oh pink??? For ladies??? yeah that can go in there too
You’re never gonna believe this.....But he loves you and supports you :)
Levi
He was the first one to come out to you at the house!! He was just so excited! Same hat!!!
Gets literally any video game where you can design the protag/have custom pronouns and will play games like that with you for hours
Would you like a pride flag.....for u.....He has too many.....Please take the trans flag please he has no room....he bought in bulk for a pride event and didn’t consider the consequences of his actions
Miku binder but irl. He will get if for you but unironically.....thanks King. He just likes binders with patterns and i respect IT
Dysphoria?? He gives you his hoodie bc that was his trademark dysphoria hoodie and i GUESS for you he can share............he would give u anything just ask nicely he’s sensitive
Reads any character that matches up with your gender and is like!!!!! That’s you!!!! OMG!!!! You in da IRL
Goes back and edits his tweets if they use your old name or pronouns(also has he/they in his bio. this is for nothing just makes me :D)
If you haven’t chosen your name he’s gonna suggest so many fictional characters. POV levi kin assigns you.
You listen to music together that just has Trans Vibes.....maybe u cry together but there’s no judgment!! It’s just nice :)
God it’s wild but! He loves u and thinks ur great :)
Satan
Enby Satan. That’s all :)
He’s very quite about it, he supports you! He’s just not loud like his brothers
He brings you book about gender studies and LGBTQ history that he thinks would interest you(there some of his favorite books and they’ve made him feel the most comfortable in his gender)
Gives you a name list if you haven’t named yourself yet! He cares about you and wants to make sure you have the right name that suits you
He’s the one that tells you that it’s ok if you’re still figuring it all out, learning about yourself is a very tricky process and if anyone knows that it’s Satan
Any of the brothers would kill anyone who misgendered you but with Satan that shit is ON SIGHT
Asks you how you know and what were the signs that gave it away to you, but only if you’re comfortable telling him!! He just finds everyone’s experience interesting and would like to know yours as well.
Spells for fucking DAYS Satan personally kills body dysphoria the best he can(mainly bc he’s HIGHKEY afraid of you getting surgery he hates knives so much)
Makes your comfort food for you when you’re feeling down about yourself and will read whatever you want to hear outloud to you.
!!!!!! GET THIS !!!!!! He loves YOU :0
Asmo
Fucking excited!!!! This means you two are going to buy so much clothing together and he gets to style you let’s GO
Buys you whatever you want but he will make you try it all on so be CAREFUL what u wish for.....ur gonna be there till the store closes yeah......
Paints your nails with the trans pride flag!! Also does your makeup and gives you tips on how to look more masculine or fem!!
VOICE LESSONS
He will help you lower or raise the pitch of your voice if it KILLS him. It eventually becomes like a mini class after school
Helps with internalized transphobia! Hes dealt with his fair share and knows how awful it can be and he will NOT being having you experience that as well we r practicing Self Care now
Picks apart any one who misgenders you until they’re crying he has NO fucking time for that behavior in this HOUSE
Sometimes self care is eating whatever you want and sitting in the dysphoria hoodies while watching chick flicks with Asmo
He likes dressing you up but he’s always sure to set boundaries so he never puts you into something that makes you feel uncomfortable
ALSO edits his posts and takes down anything that makes you uncomfortable!!
He loves you so much!!!!
Beel
another one to hand you The Dysphoria Hoodie and it’s very large and comfy!
he’ll help you make out a work out routine that will help you get the body you want and it makes him really happy to work out with you :)
he’s gonna hold your hand if you have to take shots and will give you puppy eyes if you don’t let him. He’s just worried!!!! He wants to help
stands behind you whenever you’re nervous about coming out to someone, he will NOT have someone making you feel bad or misgendering you
he’ll see food with trans pride colors and gives it too you, probably doesn’t even know what it is half the time but it made him think of you so he makes sure to get it for you
he doesn’t trip up on any of your new pronouns or name and makes it seem like he never even knew them. dead name???? what’s that??? a type of sauce?????
will let you vent to him whenever needed and will always make you a sundae after you’ve finished. it’s comically huge but it’s tasty and does make you feel a lot better, thanks beel
makes sure you remember to take off your binder if you’ve been wearing it for more than eight hours! and if you’ve been wearing heels to feel more fem he reminds you to take those off too and has a pair of slippers for you in his room that you can wear instead
hey! get this! He loves you so, so much :D
Belphie
you’re trans? ok kid join the club. he doesn’t make a big deal at all
are you still gonna cuddle with him and join him in his quest to make lucifer’s life difficult? yeah? ok then cool what’s ur name 
if he hears someone misgender you he waits till you’ve left the room and just kills whoever did it, dude’s unhinged what did you expect from him honestly
he’s actually really curious about any hormone therapy you’re on and likes listening to you rant about it to him. he likes seeing your face light up and it partly reminds him of lilith
calls your hormones something stupid like “oh dude, your gamer girl juice arrived.” or “hey your little man potion is here.” ...thanks belphie
will NOT let you sleep in a binder or push up bra!!! not healthy!! let ur chest breath guys 
like mammon, he gets you gendered gifts but they’re so fucking weird? you didn’t need a girls version of a collectable hot wheels set???? he got you blue lightning mcqueen sheets?????? those EXIST here????!!!!! when does he even shop......
introduces you to new people like “this is our resident boy/girl/human. they don’t do much but i think they’re cool.”
he really does care about you but he remembers when he came out he just didnt want people to make a big deal about it so he’s just doing what would have made him feel the most comfortable, but you can still see how much love he has for you when you look into his eyes
he loves you, so, so much :)
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thirdhandidiot · 3 years
Text
HELLO LGBTs
DONT YOU THINK ITS TIME FOR A REVOLUTION?
NONE OF THE OBEY ME CHARACTERS ARE CIS BECAUSE I SAID SO, ITS TIME WE START PROJECTING ONTO THEM
•i want to see non binary Satan who couldn’t understand why talking to people was making them angry and started lashing out for seemingly no reason, having to go to Lucifer in a fit of angry tears, desperate for help because it hurts so much, why does it hurt?
•I want to see Beel, who passed so easily, worried his twin would grow to despise him because he never had the same ease transitioning socially, getting called the girly one of the two, always being smaller, weaker next to Beel, and Beel hates it so much, he feels guilty
•I want to see Miku Binder Levi projecting onto fictional characters to avoid thinking about his own problems, wearing baggy clothes and locking himself away, jealous of the other brothers, scared of rejection
•I want gender fluid Asmo, proud of their ability to seemlessly shift between presentations, calling mammon in tears, begging him to come pick her up from this guys house because he’s yelling slurs at asmo, who is sobbing please don’t call me that and they won’t stop
•I want to see the great mammon, who is so confident one day, but the next can’t stand the sight of his body, especially when he shifts and you can see his scars, barley hidden by his jacket, who always feels like his screams are just a little bit too high pitched
•Lucifer, so proud, hurt by memories of before, presenting hyper masc at times, afraid to show any emotions because even though he knows it’s not true, he can’t help but think people will see his as more feminine, and he can’t do that, not again
•I want Belphie, who pretends it doesn’t bother them. ‘Why should I care what some lesser demon thinks of me?’ but is kept awake at night, when everyone else is asleep, no one to help as they spiral in insecurities, their voice echoing in their head, the cruel words twisting, stabbing–
•Lord diavolo, whose parents had been so relieved because ‘that means you can be king– we were so disappointed when you were born female’ and it never sat right with him, even though he’d been lucky enough to transition young
•Maybe even Luke, who only Simeon knows is trans, getting upset when he’s called chihuahua because my voice isn’t that high, is it? But determined to stay closeted and so never being able to tell them why they should stop, and he’s not that small, he’s an average height for boys his age he’s checked, so many times
–But I also want to see sleepovers between the brothers (they agreed it was simpler to keep calling themselves that and that it was better than letting Mammon or Levi pick a new name) where they, just for one night, put aside the bickering and tormenting eachother just to make sure the others are ok, because they all know that they’re struggling in their own ways, and for one night they all sleep in the living room, eating food, watching comfort movies and following whatever self care routine it is that asmo is on currently, everyone gets a face mask, no you can’t opt out lucifer, you’re working too hard again, you’ll get wrinkles and that just won’t do, let us take care of you– and Levi! When was the last time you washed your hair?! That won’t do, come with me, let me do it for you I have these amazing bath salts I just know you’ll love
–I want Diavolo, helping them all transition as quickly and as secretively as possible after he finds out. He wants to be there for them, ever since that night lucifer came out to him, sobbing, pride forgotten because he doesn’t want to be that person anymore. He can’t, he spent too long living that lie for his father, he just wants to be free. Simeon telling him he’s changed and being so proud of him, you look so much more relaxed. Diavolo being so happy to know that lucifer is happier because he struggles to talk about it because Lucifer still believes he‘s wrong or broken in someway, pride too much to overcome, but when it’s just him and diavolo, sometimes he can talk about it, lift a weight off his chest
–I want to see them big eachother up in the way that only siblings can, oi that jacket looks good on ya, can I steal it? I’m gonna get junk food because I deserve it, what do you want? I want them to support eachother on bad days, just silently making them tea when they’ve started into space just a little too long, ruffling their hair on the way out. I want a deal between them to let the others know if something is showing in public, whilst in the house being comfortable enough and trusting eachother enough not to judge because really, they’re all in the same boat here
I can’t be the only one here guys. C’mon. Let make this happen. Tag me. ANYTHING YOU POST I want to see it, I want to see your vent art, I want to hurt with you as you project your troubles, just so that your not alone. @7fckingidiots made a Post Abt the Brothers amd it was my final snapping point, Ive got so many little sketches of Satan, they’ve become my muse for any practice drawings, amd I wanted to say something before but yea, check out their post guys I’ll try Link it. But I mean it, tag me, I want to reblog everything you do, make our own supportive family
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yellowocaballero · 4 years
Text
You And Me (And Your Friend Daisy)
Thanks for pushing me to finish this, Anon! This is a short, fun, and romantic story written in the verse of my other fics Bell, Book, and Candle and No Sin But Ignorance. Takes place some time post the ending of No Sin But Ignorance. That being said, this is probably very comprehensible without knowledge of those fics, so feel free to just view it as a no-apocalypse au. The majority of this was written while writing Feste - more accurately, when I needed a break from the crushing depression of Feste, so that’s why it’s so cheerful. :)
Yes, it’s named after that Garfunkel and Oates song, because that’s the plot. 
The rest of the story is under the cut!
*******************************************
“Are you going to tell me where we are?”
“You have to guess! And no peeking!”
Jon sighed, slouching in his seat. He hated surprise vacations. He hated being forced to leave work and ‘take a break’ because ‘you’re contractually obligated to use your PTO hours’. And he did take vacations, he didn’t know why everybody acted like he didn’t. He and Georgie took Gerry to Blackpool once a year for Spring Break. That was a whole week off. That was enough for anybody. 
But Martin had been pointedly sending him emails about ‘fun couple’s trips’ and ‘romantic getaways’ in an ultra-subtle act of subliminal messaging. Indeed, the three emailed promotional advertisements listing off fun, relaxing, and romantic things to do with your significant other were so subtle that Emma was forced to listen in on the automated JAWS voice reading them out and then call him a ‘fucking idiot’. 
Whatever. It wasn’t as if Gertrude took any vacations, and nobody got on her back for it. Jon was willing to bet that Dekker never sent Gertrude any passive aggressive emails. He would have to ask him later - they got boba together once a month, he was an excellent conversational partner. He was, of course, slightly insane, both for his fervent adherence to the ancient religions and willingness to come within five feet of Gertrude Robinson for personal reasons, but all the best supernatural hunters were. 
“Well, we’ve clearly been driving north for the past eight hours, judging from the angle of the sun,” Jon said, annoyed. The car radio was playing the Archers in a dull drone, which Jon had insisted upon, because he and Daisy never missed an episode. This confused and frightened Martin. A bag rustled, and Jon knew that Martin was fishing around in the plastic convenience store sack for more Jaffa cakes. “Combined with the time, that can only mean that we’re going to Scotland. I don’t have any close friends in Scotland and I’m willing to be you don’t either -”
“Hey!”
“ - so unless you assigned yourself the task of following up on the Scottish Slaughter Statement without me assigning it to you, and deciding to bring me along, I’m guessing that we’re going to stay in a hotel and do...touristy things.”
“Wrong again,” Martin said triumphantly. He liked keeping track of every time Jon was innocently incorrect about something, just to prove it to everyone else. “I mean, yes, we are in Scotland, you’re right about that, but we are not staying in a hotel. We’re staying in the country.”
“Darling, I would love to sit on the Scottish Moors and stare out into the endless, unceasing fog with you in complete silence,” Jon said lovingly, “but I thought you wanted to do something romantic.”
“That’s not romantic?” Martin gasped, horrified. “Have you even read Wuthering Heights?”
“You and Gerry are two peas in a goth pod.”
“He’s goth, I’m gothic. There’s a difference. And don’t tell me that you don’t enjoy gothic literature - you’re literally a Byronic hero.”
“Oh, here we go,” Jon sighed, as the car bumped over a speed bump. He hadn’t heard another car for hours now, and he knew that they had to be in the middle of nowhere. The weather had grown colder, more humid, and occasionally he could hear the bleat of cows. It was...calming. 
Then Martin started listing off the very many reasons why Jon was a classical Byronic hero, then Jon had to remind him that none of that stuff had technically happened, then Martin began insisting that it happened in their hearts, then Jon got deeply engrossed into today’s episode of the Archers and felt the need to inform Martin about its illustrious and aged history, which prompted Martin to put on Hatsune Miku when the episode was over and indoctrinate Jon into whatever ‘Vocaloid’ was, and by the time the car transitioned to skittering over bumpy gravel they were both entering a heated discussion about the most superior of the ‘Vocaloids’. 
“ - and she created Minecraft?”
“And she’s trans,” Martin said heatedly. 
“Good for her,” Jon said, just bemused. The car engine quieted, and keys clinked and rustled. “Are we here?”
“Yep! Seven hours later.” Martin sighed and made a quiet, satisfied noise, probably stretching, and Jon didn’t bother to fight his smile. Man was like a cat. “I want to show you around and everything, but honestly that drive was exhausting and I might take a nap first.” He sighed happily. “Peace. Quiet. No coworkers.”
“I’m your coworker,” Jon pointed out, opening the door of the car as Martin did the same. He stepped onto gravel, grinding his trainer a little into it, and breathed in. The air tasted...fresh. Clean. Pure and just a little chilly. It was nice. It perked Jon up, as the wind lightly tousled his curls. He stretched his legs too, cramped from being knitted up in the small car. Martin popped the boot and started loading packages into his arms, and Jon walked over and held his arms out so he could help Martin carry the packages. Martin dropped a picnic basket filled with snacks in his arms, and handed him his own suitcase, as Martin dropped his own suitcase on the ground with a heavy thump. “How does a teenage girl create a video game? That’s very impressive.”
“This week you are my boyfriend,” Martin corrected him, thumping the boot down. “No Emma getting on my case about misfiling the papers. No Michael concern trolling me. No Eric judging me for my taste in tea. No Gertrude terrifying me every second of the day. I am free. I am not going to think about work, or anybody related to work, for a single second. No Entities. No fear demons. No monsters, besides my boyfriend.”
“Thanks,” Jon said wryly. “Aren’t we forgetting someone?”
“Oh, darn it!” Martin opened the back door of the car, and pulled out a carrier. The wire door of the carrier cinched open and Tiresias came bounding out, barking madly and running in little circles around Jon, his tail beating against Jon’s leg. Jon laughed, lifting his burden higher in his arms, and let Martin loop his arm around Jon’s and guide him towards what he had to assume was some kind of building. “C’mere, boy. Good boy! You were so good for the trip! You’re getting a hundred snacks as soon we get inside.”
“Are you going to tell me where we are yet?” Jon asked, exasperated. 
Martin squeezed his arm happily as they walked up an incline, shoes scuffing dirt. “I got permission from Daisy to borrow it. It’s her cabin, just outside of Applecross. It’s really in the middle of nowhere, nobody around for kilometers. Just us and a great deal of cows. It’s really gorgeous, Jon, with such clean air and beautiful hills. I can’t wait to go for walks with you. You’ll get so much time to go through your audiobook collection. And we can snuggle, and I can cook for you, and we can listen to more radio dramas, and we can talk about our future, and you can pet the cows…”
“Sounds wonderful,” Jon said honestly, squeezing Martin’s arm back. They paused, Martin rustling his keys again, and Jon heard the grinding of metal before a door seemed to creak open. “I can’t wait to spend this week with you. I could use a little peace, I think.”
“Gods, me too. You have no idea how stressed I’ve been. It’ll be just you, me, and -”
That’s when Martin screamed, and Tiresias barked excitedly and ran forward, almost bowling Jon over, and a familiar voice broke the quiet of the rustic cabin. 
“Aren’t you a good boy, Tiresias? Aren’t you a good boy?” Daisy Tonner’s grin was audible through her words, but it held a familiar tint of ferociousness. “Hullo, Jon. Blackwood. What are you doing here a week early?”
“Early!” Martin squeaked. “I said we were coming up the first week of September -”
“Really?” Daisy said, voice casual. Seemingly. “Because I have it down in my calendar as the second week. This is my vacation. And I’m not leaving.”
Silence stretched between them. Jon smiled happily towards the sound of Daisy’s voice, placing his burdens at his feet, and soon Daisy walked forward and enveloped him in a bone cracking hug. 
“It’s so good to see you,” Jon said, hugging her tightly back too. “I’m sure we can share the cabin for the week. It’ll be fun, like a sleepover!”
“Oh, I think so too,” Daisy said, her voice tinged in a wolf’s grin. “Don’t you think so, Martin?”
“Good fucking christ,” Martin said. 
****
True to his word, Martin was exhausted enough that he immediately made the bed and collapsed into it. Jon lovingly took off his shoes and socks and Tiresias even, adorably, pulled the comforter up around Martin’s ears. But Martin didn’t sleep: he seemed preoccupied in angrily muttering to himself about how he didn’t get the time wrong, she did, this was all her fault, and it was also completely on purpose, devil woman, everybody was trying to ruin everything - 
“Love, if I ask her to go, she’ll go,” Jon said. 
“No! Ugh!” Martin screamed lowly, muffled, and Jon realized with amusement he was screaming into the pillow. “It’s her house, she’s doing us a favor, I don’t want to be rude! I can’t kick her out of her own home!”
“Are you going to be passive aggressive at her until she leaves?”
Incriminatingly, Martin was silent. 
“She’s more stubborn than you are. If you try to solve this with your usual methods she’ll outlast you.”
“I hate her so much,” Martin groaned. 
“Don’t say that,” Jon said loyally. “She’s really come around to you, you know. She hasn’t threatened to chop your dick off in - oh, two weeks now. That’s a new record.”
Martin groaned again. Jon kissed him on the cheek, turned the light off - “Jon, you just turned the light on.” - turned the light off for real this time, and went into the living room/dining room/kitchen to start putting away all the food they had brought. He bent over his suitcase, withdrawing Tiresias’ harness, and whistled to call him over before snapping the harness on. Tiresias stiffened into what Georgie called ‘Buisness Boy Mode’, and Jon grabbed his handle with one hand as he loaded the groceries into the other. 
“Here, let me help.” Daisy lifted the other load from the floor, leading the both of them into the kitchen and opening the fridge. “I know Georgie’s organizational system.”
Jon just sighed, slowly navigating his way to the fridge to put his own load away. They had clothing to unpack, things to set up, and arrangements to plan, but Jon had the sense that none of it was getting done immediately. 
“What were your plans for this week?”
“I normally go up here to hunt,” Daisy grunted, sliding cans into the cabinet. At Jon’s raised eyebrow, she clarified, “with guns. They’re all locked up in the gun cabinet, as is my ammo and knives. Neither you nor Martin have the keys, but the cabinet is in a closet near the bathroom. That should be locked too.”
“Goodness, Daisy, I’m not an errant toddler. I won’t play with your collection.”
“You’re my errant toddler,” Daisy said loyally, giving him a noogie and making him scowl. “Say it. Say you’re an errant toddler.”
“Goodness, Daisy, leave me be -”
Then she lifted him up, like he was nothing more than a bundle of sticks, and held him in the air as he screamed and kicked his legs, trying to get down. Tiresias, the Traitor, the Serpent, the King of Lies, barked happily. “Let me down! Daisy!”
“Say you’re an errant toddler and I’ll let you down.”
“I shan’t. Daisy, stop -!” But then she started tickling him, which was extremely dangerous, and Jon was forced to cackle out in breathless laughter, “Fine, I’m a toddler, let me down, you crazy woman!”
She tossed him lightly onto the pull-out couch, putting away the rest of the groceries herself, and Jon let Tiresias sit on top of him and lick his face as he could almost audibly hear Martin pouting in the bedroom. 
“This’ll be fun,” Daisy said, shutting the cabinet and rustling some familiar boxes. “Can’t believe Tim paid me fifty quid to do this. I would have done it for free.”
“Do what?”
“Never mind. I have your copy of Life, do you want to play?”
“Sure!” Jon sat up, feeling Daisy sit down next to him and set out the game pieces. Then something occurred to him. “Wait. What are you doing with my copy of Life?”
“Georgie lent it to me.”
“...why did Georgie -”
“I was going to leave it here for when you came up,” Daisy said easily, and Jon nodded in acceptance. “Spin the spinner to see whose turn comes first.”
Jon considered thinking deeper about this, but Daisy wouldn’t lie to him. She was the most trustworthy person he knew. She didn’t have a deceitful bone in her body. He shrugged and reached forward and found the spinner, giving it a good twist before rubbing his thumb over the braille. Something occurred to him. 
“Maybe we can ask Martin if he wants to join -”
“I’m sure he would prefer his rest.”
“Okay!”
This vacation was going to go great. Why had Jon been worried?
****
That night they had a delicious barbecue outside, cooked by Daisy. Martin ate it in angry silence, which was quickly broken by Jon’s frequent nudges and directions for conversation. He wasn’t the most socially adept person at the best of times, but Martin and Daisy were two of his best friends and he knew how to get the both of them talking. He was even able to draw them into a spirited conversation about 19th century literature - Daisy preferred Russian novels, while Martin preferred Gothic romances and Hugo and Jon tended towards nonfiction. Afterwards Daisy grabbed her gun, kissed Jon on the cheek, did something that made Martin squeak in fear, and tramped off to go hunt deer or something. Jon waved her off with a blessing, his sixth sense thrumming with satisfaction for the Sacrifice. 
He spent the night cuddled up with Martin, watching Beauty and the Beast on his laptop. Martin was obsessed with Disney movies in a way that explained a great deal about him, and Beauty and the Beast was his absolute favorite. Jon ran his fingers through his soft and feathery hair as Martin squeezed his hand, and Jon’s heart settled in complete contentment. The audio description voice droned gently about the heartwarming falling in love montages, but Jon wasn’t really paying attention: he just felt safe, and warm, and as if he wanted the moment to last forever. 
Then his mobile rang, a clear automated voice saying “Gerard calling. Gerard calling.”
“Oh, I should get that.” Jon straightened, throwing out a hand on the coffee table where he thought he had put his phone, and Martin pressed it into his hand. He accepted the call quickly, putting it on speaker and holding it up to his ear just like, he was reliably assured, ‘an old man’. “Hello, honey?”
“Jon!” Gerry yelled. “Did you get the cabin okay?”
“Oh, so everyone knew but me,” Jon said, amused. “You’re on speaker, Gerry, so say hello to Mr. Blackwood.”
“Hi Martin! Are you guys having a good time? You have to take me next time, I want to see Daisy’s guns!”
“You will not see Daisy’s guns,” Jon said quickly. 
“Hi Gerry,” Martin said, a smile clear in his somewhat strained voice. “Sure, you and Georgie should come up next time. Make it a party. Why not.”
“Told you she’d do it,” Georgie said, and Jon perked up. “Hullo, love. How’s your romantic getaway going?”
“Oh, it’s lovely,” Jon said, excited. “We’re going to walk down to the town tomorrow, check out some of their antique stores. I’ll let you know if we find any interesting art.”
“I’ve been up to Daisy’s cabin a few times with Melanie, it’s delightful. Great place for her to hunt and for me to practice my carrion photography. It’s always nice just to get away from it all! I hope you haven’t touched any work, Jon.”
“I haven’t,” Jon said loyally. He paused a beat. “Do Statements count? Because I was planning on listening to a few recorded ones as a sort of bedtime story?”
“That’s just self-care,” Georgie assured him. “Treat yourself, queen.”
“Thanks, honey. Make sure Gerry gets his homework done? Do you need any help? I have some time now -”
“I got it,” Georgie said, laughing slightly. “I can still help a fifteen year old with his English. I’ll make sure he brushes his teeth too. Just enjoy yourself.”
“Have a good time, Dad!” Gerry called, the affectionate nickname making Jon smile. “Bring me back a cow!” Slightly more muffled, Jon heard him say to Georgie, “Mum, when Jon goes on a romantic getaway, what do you think they -”
“Night, honey! Night, Martin! Love you!” Georgie called loudly.
Jon laughed, unable to stop himself from waving a little, as if they were there. “Night, you two. Love you too. Stay safe.”
“We will! Bye!”
The line clicked off, and Martin’s arm stretched across Jon’s shoulders squeezed a little tighter. Jon extended a foot and clicked the space bar on the computer, starting up the movie again. 
“You’d make a really good dad,” Martin said, almost to himself. 
Jon settled back against Martin, leaning his head against his shoulder. “I feel like one already, honestly. Obviously, I have far more experience with teenagers than babies, but they can’t be that hard. If I don’t drop them…why?”
Martin coughed a little, abruptly flustered. “No reason! No reason.”
“Do you want kids?”
“Can’t exactly have them biologically,” Martin muttered, before sighing. “Yeah, I’d love to...foster or adopt or something. I’ve had my - differences - with my parents, but I’m still glad they adopted me, you know? I’d like to pass that on. But...better. Much better.”
“Georgie is talking about fostering again once Gerard moves in with Eric,” Jon said quietly. The thought of Gerry moving out, of living full time with Eric again - it just seemed weird. Almost wrong, although it wasn’t - Eric adored Gerry, and he was a competent father. It was just that...well, technically, Gerry had been living with them since the beginning of the universe. On a purely literal level, they really had always had Gerry with them. It would be strange. “As a - recipient of the foster care system myself, I’d like to make a difference too.” He smiled thinly. “We’re very compatible, aren’t we?”
“Would it be...you and Georgie…?”
“I don’t know. Does it matter?”
Martin sighed a little. “Is it dumb that sometimes it feels like you already have a family built in?”
Hm. Jon hadn’t quite thought about it that way. “You know those jokes about me and Georgie being married are just jokes,” Jon said reproachfully. 
Martin moved away a little, leaning forward, slipping his arm from Jon’s shoulder. He abruptly missed the warmth. “But you’re partners. You’re raising a kid. And I know Daisy and Tim think of themselves as your overprotective big siblings, they aren’t even wrong.”
“Many people have siblings? And friends? Some even have kids, I’ve heard.”
“I don’t.” There was really nothing for Jon to say to that, so he didn’t say anything. “I don’t want my entire social circle to just be through you…”
“It won’t be,” Jon said firmly, reaching out a hand and brushing it against Martin’s arm. He squeezed it firmly. “You don’t have to be Lonely anymore, Martin. I won’t let you.”
“Is that a promise?” Martin said, as if he was joking, as if Jon wasn’t certain that he wasn’t. As if he needed the reassurance. 
“How can you be lonely when I’m here?” Jon said, and trailed his hand up along Martin’s arm until he reached his neck and he could cup his face. He rubbed a thumb against his wispy stubble, light and thin. “I’m right here.”
Martin kissed him, and then the movie was quite thoroughly forgotten as Jon necked with his boyfriend on the couch like a teenager. They forgot everything, and for a small period of glorious time Jon forgot everything that he knew, in all of its entirety, and his Eye saw only the here and now. 
Then the door thumped open, the wind blew into the cabin, and heavy footsteps thumped into the room. Something dragged behind the footsteps, something that sounded a bit...wet. 
Martin, who was thoroughly on top of Jon and almost done unbuttoning his shirt, froze. Jon just craned his head, trying to hear the sounds of what was likely a dead deer being pulled in through the entrance way better. 
“Hello Daisy!” Jon said, still pinned down. “How was your hunting?”
“Lucrative. We’re eating venison tomorrow.”
“Great! Need any help getting that put away?”
“No, I’m good.” Tiresias barked happily. “Here, boy, you can have a little. Good boy. I’ll probably skin and clean it outside, I just wanted to get my gloves.”
“Take your time!”
Martin sighed and got off Jon, straightening his own clothing. “Yeah, Daisy, take your time.”
“Oh, am I interrupting something?” Daisy said blithely. “I didn’t mean to.”
“You’re fine,” Jon assured her, fixing his own hair from where it had grown tangled. “Want to finish this movie with us?”
“Sure, let me gut this animal first.”
“Great! Scooch over, Martin.”
“You know,” Martin said, “maybe we want to move to the bedroom?”
“If we stay in the living room I can hook up your laptop to the television and we can watch the movie that way,” Daisy said innocently. 
“That sounds good,” Jon agreed. He patted Martin’s hand. “Is that alright with you?”
Martin sighed. “Yeah. Of course.”
That night, Jon curled up next to Martin on the creaky wooden bed, listening to the flies buzz around them and the crickets hiss their lilting song outdoors. 
His earbuds were still nestled in his ears, the soft hum of his Walkman cutting the quiet night, his own pre-recorded voice reading out a story. Martin sat next to him, and occasionally Jon could hear the soft shift of the pages of a book turning. Every so often Martin would gasp, or make a little noise at some exciting event in his book. 
Jon rolled over, throwing out an arm and pulling Martin in close, resting his head on Martin’s shoulder as he let the earbuds roll gently out of his ears. Martin was soft and warm, the cotton of his t-shirt rubbing up against Jon’s cheek, and Jon let his mind gently bliss out and drift away. 
He thought about the breakfast he wanted to make the next morning, and of the soft beat of Scottish sun on his face. He thought about the creak of cobblestones as jumped-up jalopies rolled over them, and of the shifting and groan of old wood. He thought of the bright, sharp summer smell of the highlands, and the sinking and sticky marshland. 
“We should visit the antique store in town tomorrow,” Jon murmured. “Georgie’s been looking for a new lamp, and I think they should have a nice Rococo one for cheap.”
“Oh? Maybe I can pick something up too.” Martin gently scratched Jon’s scalp, making him bliss out even further. “Nice of you to always loop us in on the best deals, you little shopping catalogue.”
They, of course, had not been to the town yet, and there was no reason for Jon to know of the antique store, or the Rococo lamp. Jon hadn’t even thought about it, the information as available and easy as the layout of the convenience store down the street and a left turn from his childhood council flat. 
Martin’s voice broke the quiet, cutting through the buzz of insects. “You know I love you, right?”
“I know everything,” Jon yawned, snuggling into Martin’s side closer. 
“Not what I meant.” Martin hesitated, almost awkwardly. “You’re a literal mind reader and everything, but I’m not, so…”
“Oh, Martin.” Jon reached a hand up and cupped Martin’s cheek. “I built this world from the bedrock of my love for you.”
“Uh - wow! That’s - it’s kind of weird how you can just say that and have it be true!”
“Our lives are weird,” Jon agreed, brushing his thumb over Martin’s lips, and he carefully leaned his head up to kiss him, and they passed the long silent minutes just like that. 
Several hours later, Jon found himself jerking awake. Martin was snoring beside him, and he couldn’t feel any sun on his face, so Jon figured it was likely still nighttime. He carefully slipped out of bed, reaching out a hand and trailing it along the wall until he managed to leave the bedroom, navigate down the hall, and enter what he was fairly sure was the living room. 
“Jon?” A voice broke the night. Daisy, who had taken the pull-out couch. “You looking for the loo?”
It was only then that Jon realized that he didn’t know why he had gotten up. Tiresias snored loudly in the kitchen, adding a subtle undertone to the noise from outside, and Jon found himself shrugging helplessly. “I don’t think so. Did I wake you up?”
“Nah. Hold tight, I’ll help you to the couch.” Sure enough, after the almost silent footsteps echoed through the main room Jon felt a soft hand on his back, and she led him towards the couch. Jon lightly kicked it, testing its height, and gently lowered himself onto it, the springs of the pull-out bed breaking through the night. “What has you up?”
Jon just shrugged again. The bed creaked beside him, and he felt calloused fingers carding through his hair with gentleness that would have been surprising to most people. 
“Am I a bad boyfriend?” Jon asked, surprising himself. He hadn’t even known he was thinking that. 
“Did Blackwood tell you that you were?” Daisy asked sharply. 
“No! No, not at all.” Jon sighed. “I just...I just have different needs than him.” He could already tell what Daisy was thinking, and he shook his head. “Not about the - the you know what thing. I just...I know how much he loves me. I know what he thinks of me, I know his dedication to me. Sometimes I just assume that he’s - capable, of what I’m capable of. Do I not tell him I love him enough? Am I not affectionate enough?”
“You aren’t as perceptive as you think you are, Jon,” Daisy said, amused. “I think you’ll find that Blackwood has quite a few more secrets than you think he does.” She untangled her fingers from his hair and squeezed his arm. “Blackwood’s insecure. All insecure people want mindreader boyfriends. But you force him to use his words and ask for what he needs, Jon. It’s uncomfortable. But it’s good for him. He needs to learn to speak up for himself.” She hummed slightly. “He reminds me of Basira, a little. She’ll never tell you that you bothered her, and she just lets it pile up and up. But then you go just a little too far, and then she explodes all of that pent up anger and frustration on you. She likes to pretend she’s a real robot, but she’s just as human as the rest of them.”
“I’m so terrified of Basira,” Jon said miserably. “Remember when I dropped a plate and she told me that the reason why my gran didn’t love me was because I was an attention seeking nine year old?”
“She’s so mean. I love her so much.” Daisy patted Jon on the back. “Buck up. I’m working on Blackwood. You focus on enjoying your vacation.”
Jon let himself lean to the side, resting his head on Daisy’s shoulder. “I’m worried that Martin will realize that I’m not capable of expressing romantic affection in a socially typical manner and leave me.”
“God, shut up, whiner.” But the bed creaked and Daisy’s head gently slid out from under his shoulder, and Daisy gently helped Jon to his feet. “I’ll get you back to bed. Bitch about your imaginary relationship problems to me in the morning.”
Translated: I love you, I’ll always be here for you, and goodnight. Jon huffed a quiet laugh. “Aren’t the lights off? How can you see anything?”
When Daisy spoke again, a quiet bass growl echoed underneath her words, and Jon grinned with her. He Knew, like how he Knew that he loved Martin enough to destroy the world, that Daisy’s eyes were flickering yellow in the darkness. “Don’t be fooled by appearances, Jon.”
She helped him back to bed, and when Jon slept through the rest of the night he dreamed of nothing but Martin’s weight on his. 
****
“What a beautiful morning!” Martin said loudly. “The birds are chirping, the Scottish highlands are beautiful, I am here on my romantic vacation away from everybody with only my lovely boyfriend for company - and Daisy Tonner!”
“Glad to be here,” Daisy said affably. 
“This is so much fun!” Martin said, still loudly.
“I think so too!” Jon said enthusiastically.
Tiresias barked. 
After a breakfast pointedly prepared by Martin, they all got dressed and saddled up to go walk into the village. It was a quick walk, only about twenty minutes, and Martin and Daisy enjoyed the scenery as Jon enjoyed the warm grip of Martin’s hand in his and the breeze on his face. 
When the trail began sloping further downhill, and their footsteps began to slide against the incline, Jon pulled what Gerry would have called a ‘pro-gamer move’ and moved his grip up until he was clinging to Martin’s arm. Martin sprayed a hand out, resting it against Jon’s back, and helped him down the trail. 
“Whoah! You alright, honey? Careful of your step!”
“Jesus christ,” Daisy muttered. 
“It’s hardly Jon’s fault -” Martin began heatedly. 
“Yeah, Daisy,” Jon said, delighting in setting them against each other like the cold, uncaring god he was, “check your privilege.”
Then they were off, because despite Daisy was allergic to social consciousness, and Jon whistled a jaunty tune, composed in the 15th century and unknown to all but its lonely shepherd creator, as they navigated their way downwards. 
The village was small, nothing more than two streets with cheerful wooden facades and swing porches set out on the decks with wizened elderly people sipping from bottles of Irn Bru and smoking down cigarettes to the dregs. At least, as narrated by Martin, who seemed to already be mentally writing his small-town murder mystery in the Scottish highlands (Martin’s poetry needed work, but his fiction held a certain massmarket appeal). Knowing Martin, the protaganist would likely be either a grandmother with his own personality, or a thirtysomething gay man who had twelve counts of arson on his record and was running from the cops. 
Wait. Wait, Jon should use his words. Ask instead of look. Display interest in Martin’s inner life - which, granted, seemed to be a waste of time when Jon could just Know and not waste his breath, but Georgie had been coaching him in this. 
“You should give the ex-con narrator a boyfriend,” Jon said supportively. “Maybe bring back the gay bar owner from the last book?”
Martin almost tripped over the gravel. “How did you know I was thinking of - Jon, I told you not to read my mind!”
“Lay off, you know he doesn’t do it on purpose,” Daisy said uninterestedly, growling at what Jon guessed were passerby on the street. 
“Daisy, stop telling me how to talk to my boyfriend -”
“Oh, he’s your boyfriend now, is he?”
“Yes! Yes, he is!”
“Let’s get some ice cream!” Jon said loudly. 
“How did you even know there was an ice cream - fine! Fine, of course!” Martin sighed loudly. “Why not!”
As it turned out, they were right in front of ice cream. Jon loved it when things worked out. 
****
Twenty minutes later, after Martin laboriously reading out all of the entirely too many flavors to Jon, Daisy growling at everybody at the store like an errant dog, fighting with the owner of the store extremely politely about his actual dog existing, and finally taking their ice cream outside to sit at a picnic bench and attack their waffle cones, Jon felt content. 
He indicated this by telling everybody everything he knew about emulsifiers, which were extremely neat and a lot of fun! Because nobody was stopping him talking by saying ‘let’s talk about something else, Jon’ or ‘isn’t that a bit boring, Jon?’ he moved onto the history of waffle cones, safe in his assumption that everybody was as interested in the topic as he was. 
“I love you so much,” Martin said, somewhat dazed, when Jon stopped to draw a breath. “Did you know that this is the second time this has happened?”
That stopped Jon short, when nothing else did. “Really? Has it?”
Martin’s spoon scraped his small paper bowl. “Yep. Uh - for my birthday, I think. Me, Tim, and - and Sasha, and you. You ordered rum raisin. I was thinking...did you actually like rum raisin? Or did you just panic?” He laughed, somewhat self-consciously. “You didn’t remember about it even before the whole apocalypse thing, so no sweat, but…”
“Oh.” Jon realized, for probably the fifth time, that Martin held years and years worth of memories in him, and that Jon had only fragments and impressions. He knew that he had everything important, that everything he needed was within him, but - did he? What if he was missing the key to everything, the key to Martin, and all he needed was to just Look deeper? “That’s - I could remember it, if I wanted.”
“It’s fine, Jon,” Daisy said quietly. “Don’t go giving yourself a migraine.”
“I could,” Jon insisted. “I’d like to remember something like your birthday, Martin. Precious memories, or - or something. Give me a moment, I can send a quick prayer, and -”
“You know,” Martin said, and he squeezed Jon’s hand. “I’d rather make new memories right now. Where we are right now, that’s - that’s the most important place, innit?”
Jon smiled at him, and he knew, in the most mundane of ways, Martin was smiling back. “I like to think so too.”
“Ugh,” Daisy teased, although perhaps to an outsider it may have sounded mean, “get that sappy shit outta my face.”
“You’re just as bad with Basira,” Jon shot back, smiling. “You two are in love -”
“Take that shit back,” Daisy hissed. 
“You want to get married -”
“Who told you!”
Jon tapped the lens of his glasses smugly. “A little Eye told me.”
“Beholding cuck.”
“No, that’s Peter -”
“Martin would know all about Peter, huh?” Daisy sneered, and the pressure on Jon’s hand intensified for a brief second before it withdrew completely, leaving his hand cold and empty.
“Jon, can you give me and Daisy a few minutes of privacy, please?” Martin said pleasantly. 
Jon raised an eyebrow, licking the ice cream dripping down his hand. It was Vast flavor. Tasted like...ozone. “Why?”
“He doesn’t know the area, you can’t send him off alone,” Daisy shot back, strangely smugly. “Come on, Blackwood. Whatever you want to say to me, you can say it in front of him.”
“You know what, fine. Fine!�� Martin thumped the table, making Jon start and Tireasias stiffen. “I have done nothing that warrants this kind of treatment from you. You are disrespecting me, disrespecting my relationship, and you are insulting my fucking intelligence. I appreciate you loaning us your cabin, but if I knew that it would come with strings attached then I would have paid for my own bloody hotel! Why are you doing this!”
“Tim gave me fifty quid,” Daisy said, like the wolf that had caught the canary. “Plus it’s fucking funny.”
“Done what?” Jon asked, confused. 
“I want you out of my vacation, Daisy,” Martin hissed. “If you won’t leave the cabin, then I am booking my own Air BnB and that’s fucking final! I don’t care if I have to - to fight you in the street about it, I can and I will, you don’t want to mess with me -”
“Sure.”
Martin stopped short. Jon licked his ice cream, fascinated by the drama. “What?”
“I said sure,” Daisy enunciated clearly. “I was waiting for you to fucking say it. I told Basira I’d be home by tonight, anyway. Knew you’d snap.”
“I - what! What! What?!”
“You’re a pushover, Blackwood,” Daisy said. “Your coworkers, your friends, everyone - they just walk all over you. It’s fucking stupid. You are the archival assistant who survived the apocalypse with memories and sanity intact. You lasted longer on the position than anyone since Emma Harvey, and you didn’t have to lose your soul to do it. You looked Elias in the face as you burned his Archives down. You’re not a pussy. And I was sick of seeing you act like one. It’s fucking annoying.”
“I hate you so fucking much,” Martin whispered, somewhat in shock. 
“Well, I hate seeing my best friend date a passive aggressive loser, so we’re both unhappy.” Daisy stood up, feet shuffling against the cement, and Jon felt her press a kiss against his forehead. “You two have a nice day out. I’m going to go hunt things, and head back to London. Take care of yourself, Jon. And cut out the PDA, it’s gross.”
Suddenly, violently, with a crushing realization, the entire vacation was recontextualized. 
“I don’t appreciate any of this,” Jon said crossly, scowling in her direction. “Honestly, Daisy, you don’t -”
“Blame Tim. Love you, Jon. Love you, sweet puppy. See you later, Blackwood.”
Jon and Martin sat in silence as the sound of footsteps receded from Jon’s hearing, and the low murmur of the small village set in around them. Martin still seemed to slightly be in shock, his ice cream slowly melting, and Tiresias yawned sleepily in the sun. 
“I hate her so fucking much,” Martin whispered. 
But Jon just smiled, and reached out to brush a thumb over Martin’s close-cropped hair. He leaned in, whispering into Martin’s ear. “Hearing you yell at the scariest woman I know who isn’t Gertrude Robinson was pretty fucking sexy, love.”
“I hate her so - wait, it was? Really?” Martin coughed awkwardly. “Well, she really had it coming, and it’s not a huge deal, and I know she’s your best friend and I should be nice to her, but -”
“ - but she was right,” Jon said firmly. “An arse about making her point, but she was right. I’m working on using my words. You should too. All of the books say communication is key in a relationship. So let’s communicate, alright?” He faltered a little, uncertain if Daisy would want him to say this. “And - and it was obvious, from what she said, that Daisy respects you. It’s a very difficult thing, to win Daisy’s respect. I think she was trying to help us, in her own - unorthodox manner.”
“I hate her so much,” Martin groaned. 
“It was very sexy,” Jon hinted. 
Martin leaned in and kissed Jon lightly, and Jon could feel his smile against his own. “How about we finish our food,” he said quietly, “walk around town for a bit, buy some souvenirs for your family, and then go back to the cabin and snog and cuddle for a very long time? If that’s okay with you?”
“I’d like nothing more,” Jon said. 
And he was right. It was messy, and weird, and painfully uncomfortable.
 It was perfect.
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Wait, you LIKE Valkirye Drive Mermaid?? AND HDN?? But you're so... Not a degenerate??!
Well let me show you this helpful diagram to explain that;
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(Yes I made that in MS paint)
Ecchi actually makes me really uncomfortable because almost always it’s at the expense of women and tied somewhere into misogyny. I almost always just skip past the parts in whatever series I’m watching but even so I usually stick around because I absolutely adore everything else about it. I’ll talk about that at length under the cut ‘cause that’s gonna get long. 
Edit: It’s not letting me use a cut for some reason
Hyperdimensional Neptunia
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I almost feel like I don’t have to explain this but since you’re asking I might as well. This series is actually incredibly good. The writing is amazing a good chunk of the time, the jokes are funny, the characters are amazing, the character DYNAMICS are amazing, and I love this series so goddamn much oh my God. Yeah there’s Ecchi and inappropriate jokes but the Ecchi is easily skippable and the dirty jokes tend to lean more towards the funny side then the gross side which is rare when it comes to those kinds of jokes. There are literally too many things I love about this franchise for me to list them all or even half of them so I’ll have to cut it off here before I start rambling about how UniGear is the purest thing in the world and Peashy must be protected at all costs.
Valkyrie Drive Mermaid
The biggest one that i’m guessing is your biggest concern is Valkyrie Drive Mermaid. Let me preface this with there are a LOT of things I genuinely hate about this series, don’t even get me started on the actual character designs of literally everyone except the cowgirl who have bust’s that are either unnecessarily large, inhumanely large, or are literally always on display. There are a LOT of gross things in this show that I don’t want to discuss but instead I’ll tell you what parts of it that I like and love. 
First off, the actual premise and plot is interesting and genius as hell and would be amazing if they dialed down the explicitness several notches and made the trigger something different. Like, a virus that is almost like magic that turns people into weapons and the infected are kidnapped from their homes and sent to islands to be quarantined, meanwhile they aren’t actually trying to find a cure but instead trying to weaponize it by using and abusing test subjects to the point that when two of them manage to escape one of them is so emotionally closed off she doesn’t act like her true self whatsoever and the other has gone genuinely insane? That’s just a really cool plot right there. 
I also really love Mirei in general in the same way I love characters like 2B; entirely for her character. (And unlike 2B I actually don’t find Mirei that attractive and moreso find her adorable as all hell when she acts like her true self)
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She’s so incredibly traumatized and cold to others but then she is constantly forced to be intimate with someone to keep them safe but then she genuinely starts to love Mamori and her walls slowly come down and you discover that this badass looking girl is actually the biggest shiest softy to ever exist. 
There’s also the whole plot with Akira, and while there are some problematic undertones to it, if you took the concept and twisted it to be more progressive and less closed minded how cool could that turn out? 
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A girl sent to a random island despite her mother’s best efforts who cuts her hair and pretends to be a man so the other girls on the island will follow her because she’s ‘unique’ but then she slowly starts to realize that something about wearing a binder and dressing in princely garments and having others call her ‘Sir’ feels so right and basically what I’m getting at is trans boy Akira AU. Just imagine how much more interesting and cool this would’ve been if Akira had become Trans after a year or two of pretending to be a boy to gain followers on the island and instead of Charlotte (I think that’s her name) tearing Akira’s clothes and revealing ‘Oh my god Akira’s a girl’ instead revealing Akira’s scars from top surgery and that Evil Miku was wrong Akira actually is a boy and don’t you dare invalidate him you blue haired gremlin
Speaking of blue haired gremlin’s, here’s Momoka aka Evil Miku, the literal definition of the ‘Does this look like the face of mercy to you’ meme
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Hoo boy she’s so utterly insane and sadistic and she genuinely scares me to my core. She’s so deeply terrifying when she wants to be it’s kind of amazing. She looks innocent-ish and then you learn JUST HOW MESSED UP she is in the head and it’s terrifying. The scariest part is that she’s what Mirei could’ve been and her entire character excluding the rapey part (because of course she’s rapey this is extreme ecchi remember everything has to be tainted -_- ) is a really good example to me as a writer on how to write a character like this effectively. Plus, uh, if you can make me, a lesbab, scared of a cute girl’; as a writer you’re doing something either very right or very wrong and I’d like to think it’s the former because she’s not scary because she’s an inhuman creature, she’s scary because she’s internally monstrous.
Final points on this series in particular; Mirei and Mamori’s relationship.
Now you may be asking yourself, how the fresh frosted fruity pebbles can a girl as cute as a button
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Have any sort of meaningful relationship with someone who looks like they saw god, took one look at him, wasn’t impressed, then proceeded to challenge god to a knife fight?
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Sure they were forced to be together by necessity, Mamori needed protection from the people after her power and Mirei needed said power and knew how to use it. Mamori is Mirei’s Exter and Mirei is her Liberator, they’re two halves of one whole and complete each other in a literal and practical sense. But when two people are forced to be intimate, an emotional connection is bound to be made, it’s just human nature. But even then there was still a lot of Resistance on Mirei’s side of things, she’s been through so much trauma and her past relationship with Evil Miku over there didn’t help that she doesn’t trust anyone and refuses to let herself ever be vulnerable. She refuses to let herself be herself. But Mamori doesn’t let things stay that way. Slowly but surely Mirei comes out of her shell, she starts to act like who she really is, a bashful dorkasaurus who wants/needs a freaking hug. This is when they realize they complete each other in a much less literal sense as well.
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At the end of the day, no, I wouldn’t recommend this series. It’s got a LOT of bad going on in it to the point of being unwatchable but there’s just enough hints and pieces of something really good here to get my little writer brain wizzin’ away. 
So yeah! No I’m not a pervert or degenerate, I just tend to flat out ignore all Ecchi and pick out all the parts I genuinely enjoy and go ‘This is good.’ I would like both of these series infinitely more if they focused on the good things they have going on moe but sadly I’m not the kind of person these things are marketed to.
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spywitch · 5 years
Text
I know that the way the LGBT community navigates its activism is often through celebration, lightheartedness and positivity and its beautiful and I love how people try to make the best out of a bad situation but like. I feel like sometimes theres kind of a line between “creating light in the darkness” and “making too light of a serious situation” and idk honestly. The “trans rights” meme kind of crosses the line sometimes for me depending on the context.
Like its supposed to be positivity and making people feel included and supported and sometimes its also just a joke because its funny when people are irrationally upset that someone said “Miku is trans” but like. It sort of ends up uncomfortable to me idk... in many contexts it feels less like “trans people talking about something funny that makes them happy” and turns more into “people ‘preforming’ trans allyship who think baiting waves of transphobes and reblogging/retweeting their bullshit to Epically Clapback is the best way to support the trans community.”
Like I’ve felt this way the whole time but I had a recent bad experience and I don’t mean to call out my friends who did it because obviously they didn’t have bad intentions but. God it was dumb lmao. They started using a “trans rights!” bind on tf2 which. Idk if any of yall are Gamers but rn online gaming especially on really unmoderated games like tf2 is fucking awful, you almost can’t have a single match without far right bullshit and slurs everywhere. I immediately knew this was a bad fucking idea and didn’t participate but also didn’t say anything bc Idk didnt want to be a party pooper I guess... what do you know eventually some people start replying horribly transphobic shit, my friends are like “lol transphobes eat shit and die” which only encourages the transphobes more so I got triggered and left and its like. Why? Did you really think you were being helpful by Broadcasting your support of trans people in the midst of incel fascist gamer hell? Do you think being combative and fighting people who already think you’re ridiculous and delusional and that its funny when you’re mad acomplishes anything? Do you think about the extra transphobia you’re needlessly exposing your trans friends to? Like fjfkskfj jesus christ just like. Use your brain.
Its kinda like how cis people will just broadcast the “Haha my pronouns are ____ everyone share your pronouns!” shit or like even just bring up trans people or trans issues in general in “support” of them and its like. You know for US, the actual trans people, its uncomfortable and scary and risky for us to do that? The worst consequences for YOU bringing up trans issues is people disagreeing with you, the worst consequences for us is feeling completely disrespected as human beings or even facing harassment and violence. Like idk man just Think about what you are doing and if its actually making trans people around you feel safe and supported or if its making them hold their breath in anticipation of mockery and harassment.
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gabriel-gabdiel · 3 years
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Keit-AI! Tomoyuki x Seiko Chapter 20: Hook, Line, and Sinker
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The secret behind the issue between Tomoyuki Yamamoto and Aya Fubuki.
The rest of the chapters of my original story based on a plot from 4chan are available here. Enjoy.
First | Previous | Next
For what it was worth, Tomoyuki "Cherry Boy" Yamamoto found a way to return the favor to (Alternate Universe) Seiko "Amazon Queen" Okamoto for her thoughtful birthday gift to him.
The best birthday gift he ever got. A trailer for a film that didn't exist in his universe. Seen only by him within his reality.
The trailer for Akira Kurosawa's "Ran". The legendary director's (unintentional) version of William Shakespeare's "King Lear".
What he was about to send to Seiko was in a sense his "White Day" gift for her "Valentine's Day" chocolate.
A return gift of gratitude. A downloaded video from YouTube Japan.
"Hey, Cherry Boy. What's this?" she texted him back.
"Just open the file," he texted in return.
She then texted, "Boo. I thought it's a round or two from Pacquiao- Mayweather, but it's just another one of your Kurosawa film trailers!"
Huh. Maybe he should've sent her a Pac-May clip. Maybe later. "I'll just send you video highlights of it or even their future rematch when it happens. Maybe even on your birthday."
"There's gonna a rematch?! Sweet!" she cheered, only to ask, "So what did you send me?"
"Send it to him. To me. The other me," he answered. "I swear to you, Tomoyuki will love it. I know I do."
She watched the whole thing. All one minute and thirteen seconds of it.
"Cherry Boy, you're a genius! This is the best birthday gift for Tomoyuki since, you know, he canceled on our proposed movie date and all."
Ah. Of course.
AU Miku ended up giving AU Tomoyuki the cold shoulder because he liked AU Seiko's present more than hers, so to make it up to the Class Rep, his other self nixed his date with the Amazon Queen.
Another love triangle had formed in another dimension.
At least the other Okamoto had a love triangle to speak of. He was definitely still in the "Friend Zone" (sorry, Miku) with the Amazon Queen in his universe, her proposal for a pity date aside.
The Amazon Queen that didn't love him as much as this other" her did.
"Sorry," he texted back, pushing his disturbing thoughts at the back of his mind. "But you know what they say about love and war."
"Fair enough, but what do I tell Cherry Boy when I send this video to him? He'll have questions for sure!"
Nodding to no one in particular, Yamamoto replied, "Tell him it's the long-lost and extremely rare alternate trailer for Kagemusha starring Katsu Shintaro instead of Nakadai Tatsuya."
***
Keit-AI! Tomoyuki x Seiko
An Anime-Inspired Original Story from 4chan's /a/ Board by Abdiel
Original Idea by Hataki.
The mystery behind Aya will finally be revealed.
Disclaimer: This work may reference copyrighted material, the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is believed that this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. All copyrighted material referred to in this work belongs to their respective owners. All rights reserved.
***
Chapter 20: Hook, Line, and Sinker
***
Meanwhile, the Miku Machida in Tomoyuki's universe gave him the opposite of the cold shoulder (A "hot" shoulder? Rubbing shoulders?).
Just like good ol' times, they were again together like white on rice. Talking about Sci-Fi things mixed with cool science facts while walking to class. Again fueling rumors of them being together.
"...Oh, oh, oh! Here's another evidence of the Mandela Effect. Most people remember the Monopoly Man as having no monocle, right? But when you take a look at the box of the board game, he definitely does have a monocle! Spooky, right?" she told him.
Ah, so they were talking about the Mandela Effect again. Misquotes and popular misconceptions mistaken for evidence of parallel worlds and traveling through them.
Except in Tomoyuki's case, the Mandela Effect was all too real.
He patted her head like she was a little kid and smiled at her. "It's very spooky," he said, which made her pout cutely, cross her arms, and turn away from him.
"Don't patronize me!" she said with a harrumph.
Damn, she was so cute when she was annoyed.
Jokingly bullying her was almost worth a taste of the cold shoulder that the (probably jealous) AU Miku was currently giving AU Tomoyuki.
Or maybe he felt like tempting fate for once.
Thankfully, Miku forgot his transgression the next minute, bringing up, "Do you remember how the candy 'KitKat' doesn't have a dash between Kit and Kat? Well, it does! It's actually spelled Kit-Kat"
"Hey, you're right," he said, checking out the nearby snack bar and seeing the Kit-Kat logo having the dash when he remembered otherwise.
She grins. "Amazing, isn't it? I'm telling you, parallel universes exist!"
'You don't have to tell me twice,' he inwardly quipped, taking note that in AU Seiko's universe, it was probably the other way around.
In her universe, KitKat bars probably didn't have dashes and the Monopoly Man most likely didn't have a monocle. Along with other weird things like Michael Jackson, who was brown-skinned, bleaching his skin Caucasian white and having legal issues regarding pedophilia (allegedly).
The old Yamamoto would've been over the moon to have Miku as a best friend, even to the point of fantasizing that they'd somehow end up being more than just friends in the future.
But something changed between them from first year to second year.
That tall, beautiful, athletic, and tomboyish something... or someone... barreled over between them, slinging each of her long arms over their nearest shoulders.
"Hey, Nerds. Still talking about that egghead stuff with the black president guy that's not Obama?"
"It's the Mandela Effect and he's not a president in our universe," reminded Machida. "Here, Mandela died in prison, serving as a symbol of the South African revolution. But so many people wanted him to be president, they all swore he became one. Or maybe it's a memory we had from a different timeline!"
"U-huh. And maybe in a different dimension, Mayweather is a knockout puncher with exciting fights under his belt," the Amazon Queen said, saying the most Seiko thing possible. "I appreciate the man's talent, but boy howdy, am I not looking forward to Mayweather-Pacquiao II."
Tomoyuki then made a mental note to not reveal the actual results of May-Pac to AU Seiko, neglecting to tell her earlier of how initially exciting but ultimately boring the actual fight ended up to be.
The Cherry Boy then averted his gaze from Seiko, the... former object of his affection. The sight of her made his heart ache and long for someone else who was like her but wasn't, making him feel guilty for doing so.
Maybe it was for the best that Okamoto wasn't all that into him after all.
So should he abandon his harebrained scheme to get Seiko and Kazuhito "Yankee" Sugata together, like Megumi Minagata suggested?
Not necessarily.
He'd still do it, but this time expecting a more realistic outcome of either heartbreak or a long-delayed hookup between the childhood sweethearts.
Without unrealistic expectations of the Amazon Queen going for the unlikely third option.
It was the least he could do for the alternate universe counterpart of the girl he loved.
***
Things also went back to normal in Class 2B. Somewhat.
"Hey, New-Half (Trans Woman)," called out Kazuhito (who finally decided to not skip classes) to Seiko.
Okamoto shouted, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A NEW-HALF!?" followed by a smack on his face. "Stupid Furyou-kun!"
Then the rest of the class began hooting and hollering at them for "acting like a married couple" who could help Japan with its population slump.
All talk of a potential pair-up or even love triangle between the Cherry Boy and the Amazon Queen faded once the heartthrob Sugata finally came back with his usual "married couple" shenanigans with Okamoto.
"As if Cherry Boy ever had a chance with the Amazon Queen while the Yankee is around!" was probably their shared sentiment of the situation.
They all just presumed Yamamoto was friendzoned (as usual), although they were hedging their bets that he'd score a pity date or two with their Iincho (Class Rep) at least.
"Please, you two! Stop fighting! Math Class is about to start," pleaded the mousy Class Rep in her usual adorable, bespectacled way that made Tomoyuki fall for her back in first year.
However, rather than scheme on how to get Machida and Sugata closer together to make Okamoto jealous enough to cross her Rubicon and confront her childhood friend about her long dormant feelings with him, the Cherry Boy started doodling and writing something else at the back of a dog-eared, beat-up notebook.
He couldn't stop thinking about Akira Kurosawa's Ran.
He wanted to write more about it. Research about its connection with King Lear even though, according to AU Seiko, it was a coincidental comparison made by western (foreign) media at best.
For the first time in a long while, he felt inspired to go after his passion and hobbies rather than try to appeal to the interests of others in a bid to "belong" in a clique or a long-term relationship with a girl.
For the longest time, he had been trying too hard to fit in with his peers. Only the closest people in his life know about his passion for writing and movies.
Like the glasses-wearing neighborhood girl he ended up being best friends with. Or, lately, both versions of Seiko Okamoto.
When he was under the mistaken belief that the only way he could improve on himself was to get a girlfriend rather than the other way around, he tended to ingratiate himself to whomsoever he attempted to woo.
In the case of his first crush Yukari Goto, he started taking the late train and gave her a hand whenever her klutziness or ditziness got her into trouble.
In the case of Aya Fubuki, he went to dates with her in all sorts of restaurants even to the point of maxing out his allowance and trying to find a job to supplement his dates, only for her to deny the dates ever took place.
In the case of Mana Otonashi, he really should've figured out he was just her plaything all along when she made her own mother tell him to stop calling her. How embarrassing.
In the case of Miku Machida, he got told hard regarding his clinginess and unrealistic expectations as a "Nice Guy". Even after that, their friendship persisted mostly because he absorbed her otaku knowledge like a sponge until he was able to decipher the "foreign language" she spoke whenever they were around each other.
Finally, in the case of his universe's Seiko Okamoto, he tried using AU Seiko's sports knowledge to better relate with her, only for it to backfire since this was info from a parallel world and not their world.
No one wonder people treated him like a doormat with no true friends to speak of. He really was a try-hard poser, wasn't he?
He made up for his lack of personality by attempting to incorporate the interests and quirks of others so that they'd like him better. Whether he was making friends or wooing girlfriends.
It was only with AU Seiko that he felt he could be himself and showcase the cinemaphile nut and wannabe writer he really was. No other woman made him feel comfortable in his skin like she did.
***
As the Cherry Boy put in the finishing touches to the outline of his new personal passion project (researching about what happened to his universe's Ran and writing his own version of the unfinished work with what little info he'd gotten from AU Seiko so far), he found a letter in his bag.
Curious. Who even gave out letters in this day and age of cellphones, email, and chatrooms?
Although it would've been charming if he and AU Okamoto were communicating through transdimensional mailboxes rather than transdimensional keitai (mobile phones). Just like in the South Korean film "Il Mare" (also known as "Siworae") or its Hollywood remake, "The Lake House".
He opened the envelope and then was greeted with the smell of a long-forgotten flowery scent.
He read its contents. The more he read, the more his heart sank to the pit of his stomach. Probably drowning in stomach acid to boot.
Oh shit. Not this again.
Tomoyuki hastily stuffed the letter in his bag, unwilling to humiliate himself in front of Class 2B by cluelessly reading the letter in front of them.
His traumatic experience with Yukari Goto and her mistaken love text to him that was meant for Kazuhito Sugata was still fresh in his mind. Even after all this time.
Speaking of which, Goto's best friend Aya Fubuki was the one who sent him the letter.
The same type of letters she used to slip into his bag or shoe locker when they were freshmen.
The letters she denied giving to him when he confronted her about the dates she swore they never had.
Yeah, he was still kind of sore about that.
What was going on? What was she trying to do?
Miku noticed him and the letter he hid. She was about to ask him about it, but he gave her a begging look to keep things to herself.
Thankfully, his best friend took the hint and turned her attention back to her notebook full of her own doujinshi (self-published fan comics) ideas.
Had she called attention to the letter so that the likes of Matsuda were to read it to the class, the Cherry Boy would've gotten a repeat of the embarrassment he suffered with Yukari that led to him getting his infamous moniker.
He could just imagine the jaw-jacking his classmates would give him right now.
'Oooh! Is that a love letter? Did Cherry Boy get a love letter from the Class 2C Iincho? MASAKA (IMPOSSIBLE)!'
'Hey, hey! Is our own cute li'l Cherry Boy forming his own harem just like his idol, Sugata?'
'Don't be absurd. That's Fubuki from Class 2C. The same girl who publicly called him out on spreading false rumors of them dating. There's no way she'd date that liar's ass now!'
'What is with him and all the class reps he keeps going after? Does he have an iincho fetish or something? He even tried stalking our dear Seito Kaicho (Student Body President) through harassing phone calls!'
'He's such a desperate loser I bet the letter is telling him to leave Fubuki alone!'
Naturally, the last one to speak would've been Matsuda. Still the asshole as always, but he was an asshole with a point.
He sighed. He should let sleeping dogs lie. Leave the mercurial (and probably bipolar) Aya to her own devices. However, maybe she sent him the "love" letter to apologize for her forgetting about the dates they had.
...Yeah right. As if that would ever happen. She at best tolerated him and as little as a few days ago, she hated his guts.
Still, he was curious as to why Fubuki would send him such a letter. Knowing what he knew about her now (as if it was the first time he'd ever met her), it seemed... out of character for her to do this.
Wouldn't she confront him rather than send him a letter? Then again, she couldn't even muster the courage to send Kazuhito himself a love letter, so how much less him?
But Tomoyuki wasn't Sugata though. She'd have no reason to be embarrassed about him. She made it abundantly clear she never had any feelings for him.
'Oh, and I'm supposed to believe that some desperate jerk I barely interacted with who spread rumors that I'm dating him is telling me that Sugata-kun is dating Miku-chan, his latest girlfriend prospect, out of the kindness of his heart? Reeeally now?' was the sentiment she had when Tomoyuki first told him about the Yankee and the Class 2B Rep.
She trusted him as far as she could throw him. They made up eventually when he took a bullet for her, but they at best had a tenuous "acquaintanceship" that could break at the slightest hint of betrayal.
She didn't trust him. She acted like she barely knew him, despite all their dates that she would not acknowledge ever existed.
In fact, Yamamoto was starting to believe that Aya really didn't date him, making him doubt that the dates he had with her were real.
It almost reminded him of his initial situation with AU Seiko, with her calling and confessing her love for him while the real Seiko (correctly) claimed she herself never called him.
What if they—Tomoyuki and Fubuki—were both right? What if he had dates with an alternate universe version of the Class 2C Iincho while the in-universe Aya got the blowback from their rumored budding relationship?
What if he was dating the AU version of Aya all along?
Hell, he should be writing about this plot twist instead of making a script treatment of Ran, to be honest.
Inwardly, he waved the suggestion off, rationalizing that the parallel worlds thing didn't work that way. His heart skipped a beat at the prospect of dating AU Okamoto in the flesh, though.
He'd love it if he could actually figure out how the AU thing really worked.
Nevertheless, his curiosity got the better of him as he decided to meet up on the indicated time and place on the letter after school.
Appearances aside, this was obviously no love letter situation like with Sugata. It wasn't as if Aya was off to confess her love to him or anything.
***
After class, in a meeting place only Tomoyuki and Aya knew about (the Peninsula Bar where they once had Mongolian Barbecue)...
"...I apologize for lying about our dates to our classmates. I was so embarrassed that they found out that I threw you under the bus. If you would be so kind, would you go out with me again?"
That was just about the last thing Yamamoto expected Fubuki to tell him.
But she really did it. She really told him that. The absolute madwoman.
While bowing in apology, no less.
What was going on? Was she high? Was this what Miku meant by tsundere? An insane girl who had the most extreme mood swings possible? 'Bitches be crazy!'
"Wait, wait, wait. Let me get things straight. You intentionally lied to everyone about our dates and now you're asking for another date? And aren't you after Sugata instead of me?" he asked.
"Sugata already rejected me. That ship has sailed." Aya brushed her hair to the side and looked away from Tomoyuki's gaze before bowing her head and looking up at his face with doe eyes. "A-Are you mad at me?"
Unbelievable. It was like he was talking to another person altogether.
Didn't she cheer him on when it came to wooing Seiko and whatnot? What happened to that Aya? Did she forget or was she testing his resolve somehow?
Maybe that AU Aya theory of his wasn't so far off after all. Or maybe it was more of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde kind of scenario.
Was this really the same Aya that AU Seiko described as "earnest"?
Tomoyuki paced around, took a deep breath, and exhaled. He'd handle this like an adult.
"Yeah, I'm upset. But I also realize if you're ashamed to even admit that we dated, then maybe you're not all that into me after all. You did me a favor. You helped me stop acting so desperate for love all this time."
Aya tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows. "W-What do you mean, Yamamoto-kun? Won't you forgive me at all? Can't we make things work out?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at him.
It was his turn to bow back to Fubuki, remembering how she cheered him on, telling him to go big or go home with wooing Seiko Okamoto.
To no longer be so clingy and halfhearted with his pursuit of girl crushes like in the cases of Yukari, herself, Mana, and Miku. To no longer serve as any girl's doormat.
If she were testing him and his resolve, then this was his answer.
"I accept your apology, Fubuki. But I have to apologize myself. I'm in love with someone else."
He had to be completely honest. Like AU Seiko said, Aya was an earnest kind of girl who responded to actions instead of words and empty promises.
***
He didn't know what to expect after "rejecting" Aya's proposal to date again.
A shrug and a pat on the back on the back would be nice.
He didn't really think she'd take it so badly. After all, she survived Sugata's rejection fine.
Also, he knew she didn't really love him all that much and she had a bigger crush on the Yankee than she ever did him.
So why the heck was she crying?
"H-Hey, calm down!" Tomoyuki said, only to flinch when Aya looked at him with fire from her red eyes. Ah, now this was more like the Class 2C Iincho he knew and "loved" (or rather, tolerated).
She didn't heed his request though, covering her face with her hands and sobbing from behind them.
Well, this was definitely a first for Yamamoto.
Usually, he was the one who felt like crying, being dumped repeatedly by all his pretty not-girlfriends (because according to Matsuda, his standards were unrealistically high for a nondescript guy).
"...W-Was it Seiko? Your class rep? The one that you confessed your love to and I recorded?" she sobbed.
That was weird phrasing. "My class rep Miku friendzoned me a long time ago. Also, didn't you play that recording on Seiko's behalf?"
"Oh right. The recording. That's what I meant. Seiko. The Amazon Queen."
She blinked her tears back and did an inquisitive head-tilt on the Cherry Boy.
"You're in love with the Amazon Queen? You don't have a chance. She's joined to the hip with your Yankee classmate!"
"Sh-Shut up," he said, crossing his arms and turning away. His heart not as indignant as he let on.
Speak of the (she-)devil, Tomoyuki turned his head in time to meet the eyes of Seiko, drinking water across the table away from them.
Eh?
She had the "clever disguise" of wearing shades and a baseball cap indoors. She looked more suspicious than if she didn't have the disguise.
The Amazon Queen then choked on her glass of water and turned away, hiding her face with the menu.
...Wait. What?
***
To stop Aya from crying any further, Tomoyuki appeased her by buying her a late lunch (or was it an early dinner?) that afternoon at the restaurant with what extra cash he made from his part-time job at a convenience store.
He then excused himself to go to the bathroom, eyeing Seiko all the while from behind Aya's back.
To his relief, the Amazon Queen took the hint and soon followed after him rather than wait for him to confront her at her table.
She was quick on the uptake.
"...What are you doing here?" he asked at the hallway leading to the doors to the restrooms.
"I should ask you the same question!" she ping-ponged his question back at him.
"...Aya gave me a letter in my bag, telling me to come here and stuff," he said, his eyes darting away at the taller girl. "What about you?"
"Miku-chin gave me a letter addressed to me, telling me to come here."
"Machida told you about this... meeting?" he asked before wincing at the look Seiko gave him over his own weird phrasing.
"No, the letter is from... Aya, apparently. But Miku got it from her."
"That's... weird. Did Machida read it too?"
"I dunno, Cherry Boy. She just gave it to me because it had my name on it."
"What's the letter doing with her?" Tomoyuki asked. "Did Fubuki want Machida to know about the meeting too? What did the letter say?"
"The letter told me to meet y'all here. I couldn't understand the directions, so I just moseyed along and followed you all the way to this restaurant instead."
"So you stalked me?" Tomoyuki teased Seiko, forgetting for a minute who he was talking to. Her voice reminding him of... someone else from another world.
"'AS IF', YOU IDIOT! Don't flatter yourself!"
Forgetting for a minute who she was talking to as well, the Amazon Queen gut-punched the Cherry Boy as though he were Kazuhito Sugata instead.
"Whoops. Sorry. My hand slipped."
The two stared at each other for a minute then laughed.
Afterwards, Tomoyuki ended up with a coughing fit and Seiko had to slap his back several times to help him recover.
"T-Thanks."
"S'alright. But seriously though, why are you on a date with Aya-chin?"
"Wait, when did this turn into a date? She asked me to come here to tell me something!"
"But you're feeding her right now and she just asked you out." She pointed to her ear. "I overheard."
Yamamoto crossed his arms and smirked. "Ha! Finally, I got a witness. Told'ya we dated! See what I have put up with last year? It was her word against mine that we dated!"
"You really dated?" Seiko couldn't help but repeat. "Oh yeah. That's right. You got a horrible rep because Aya-chin told everyone you were spreading bad rumors about her."
"RIGHT? You just saw Fubuki confess to me and you still don't believe it!" he ranted.
Biting her lip, Okamoto looked at him then at Aya from across the table, eating by herself.
"I dunno, Cherry Boy. She must've had a reason for doing this. Otherwise, this is quite unlike her." She appended, "B-But don't misunderstand! I didn't believe you were spreading lies about her either! Why else would I be friends with you? I just think this is all a big misunderstanding."
He'd normally storm off at this point, having people believe Fubuki over him, but this time around he was inclined to agree.
Unless her tsundere inclinations bordered on being clinically bipolar, the Aya who played his confession to Seiko via cellphone voice recorder was not the same Fubuki whom he suspected gave Okamoto and Machida the heads up on their non-date to ruin their perception of him.
Then, to Tomoyuki's surprise, the Amazon Queen suggested, "Y'know what? Why don't you go on a date with her today anyway?"
"WHAT? Are you crazy? I told her I already have my eyes for someone else!"
Yamamoto looked Seiko in the eyes as he said this, which made both of them look away from each other, blushing afterwards.
Seiko cleared her throat. "No, no. It's not a date-date. Just a fake date to see what Aya-chin is up to."
"A-Are you serious?" asked Tomoyuki. He didn't like where this was going.
***
By the time he returned to their table, Aya had the strangest, hugest (smuggest) grin on her face.
Did she know that Seiko was there, watching them? 'What are you planning, Fubuki?' thought Tomoyuki.
He didn't want to keep up a facade just to ruin Seiko's positive impression of one of Machida's friends, but Fubuki ended up cutting him off the pass.
"Hey, hey! After we're done eating, let's go to the arcades like we used to," she told him, and his plan of coming clean ended then and there, the words of protest dying in his throat.
And long story short, they ended up at a nearby arcade, with Okamoto following them close behind.
What was even going on anymore?
'...Eeeeh.'
Under the watchful gaze of Seiko, Tomoyuki ended up doing what he always did in arcades: Play a fighting game and die at the third stage.
"Dammit," Yamamoto said after the CPU King hit another 10-hit combo on his Eddie Gordo from Tekken insert-sequel-number-here.
So much for Eddie working against even experienced players with just button mashing. The computer A.I. couldn't care less.
Same thing happened with an old Street Fighter III: Third Strike arcade cabinet at the back. Got knocked out fighting Sean with Akuma. He then popped a blister on his left middle finger from jiggling the joystick while mashing buttons all the while.
The only fighting game he could probably beat was Karate Do on the Famicom, and that game sucked. Or Yie Ar Kung Fu. Which also sucked.
By the way, those were games in old cartridges that he got as hand- me-downs from his cousins along with an old Family Computer.
He expected Aya to fare worse than him, only for his ego to take an even worse beating than the characters he played in Tekken and Street Fighter.
Aya had a crowd form behind her as she crushed every challenger she faced off against in Tekken with just one quarter.
Well damn. Who knew that the studious Class Rep of Class 2C was an avid gamer?
Meanwhile, on her part, Seiko decided to bide her time with Dance Dance Revolution. Followed by foozball against a grade schooler. Followed by attempting to wreck the mechanical punch pad on the Sonic Blast Man (a game that measured punching power) cabinet.
Huh. He could've sworn he heard that Taito recalled all cabinets of the punching game due to the injuries it caused or something. Or maybe that was just him misremembering/getting false memories care of the Mandela Effect.
Or maybe it was even possible that in AU Seiko's universe, the game was recalled even though in his own universe, it wasn't. 'Who knows?'
A bead of sweat dripped on Tomoyuki's forehead as Okamoto wandered to a nearby billiards hall just beside the arcade, seemingly forgetting herself and why she went to the arcade in the first place.
'S-Seiko-chan...'
Speaking of people forgetting themselves, Aya stopped her winning streak short, handed her character off to some kid in the crowd to let him play, and grabbed hold of Yamamoto's arm.
Tomoyuki gulped, distracted by the smoothness of the 2C Iincho's skin and the softness of her... chest. "Um, welcome back?"
"Hey, hey! Cherry... I mean, Yamamoto-kun!" she corrected herself, her finger circling around the Cherry Boy's chest. "Can you win me a prize at the claw machine? Pretty please?"
"Er... I-I'll try," Yamamoto said, knowing that he'd fail. Still wondering what Aya's "deal" was.
As he predicted, he was terrible at the claw machine game. Unable to pick up one stuffed bunny or even a Doraemon. It'd be cheaper to buy the doll at a gift shop rather than pick it up through crane.
In the background, Aya cheered him on.
He had doubts in regards to the sincerity of her cheering in light of her betrayal of him, but it sure harkened back to their own dates where she'd do the same thing.
So he kept buying quarters. And trying. And failing. But he had a girl cheering him on, so he didn't mind losing so much.
"You can do it, Yamamoto-kun! Just like ol' times!" Aya told him.
'Ol' times...?' he thought.
From there, the Cherry Boy blinked and remembered how one of their first dates had played out like this.
With him attempting and never getting a doll and Aya (currently the Student Council VP but was once the Student Council Treasurer) laughing at him all the while.
"Oh, for the love of Kami-sama! LET ME, CHERRY BOY!" huffed a reddened, cap-wearing, and shades-sporting Seiko before taking the crane controls and picking up the Doraemon doll herself.
"...." Tomoyuki exclaimed. Silently.
The Amazon Queen handed the doll to Aya, only to realize too late what she'd done. "Er..."
Fubuki bowed at Seiko and said, "Thanks for the help, but I want my date to get me a dolly. Not you, Mister."
"...M-Mister!?" said the tall Amazon Queen with a sneer, her hand cocked back as if to slap the Class 2C Iincho.
"Uh, of course! Coming right up, Fubuki!" said Tomoyuki, who inserted another token only to waste it again by losing immediately. "Dammit."
Unable to help herself, the "disguised" Seiko got a hold of Yamamoto's hands and instructed him how to play the crane game.
"Now listen carefully, Cherry Boy. First, pick your target carefully. You've already played enough to get a feel of the claw, right?"
She then touched his hand, the softness of which surprised him, as she told him, "Try maneuvering the prize into a better position. This machine gives you enough time to position the claw, so take your time."
Tomoyuki gulped as the taller girl got too close to him. The smell of shampoo on her hair and the softness of her hands distracting him. Electrifying him.
Making him long for the softness of another her. A more "untouchable" version of her. From more than just far away.
Aya, on her part, put her hands on her waist and tapped her foot at the pair, sighing and clearing her throat loudly.
But they couldn't hear her. At all. As though they were trapped in another world. Their own universe. With no parallel universe versions of themselves to worry about.
"THERE! Right there, Cherry Boy!" said the Amazon Queen with her heaving chest cushioning Yamamoto's back like a chair's backrest. "Take it! Take it now! It's all yours, baby! Take 'em all!"
They soon formed a crowd of their own, with the guys and the girls blushing at the whole exchange.
Thanks to Seiko's teachings, Tomoyuki got to snag a whole bunch of plush toys in one go. He was about to deliver them en masse unto the slot when he noticed all the eyes on him and how suggestive the Amazon Queen looked with the way she helped wriggle his... joystick.
"AAAH!"
"Hey! Watch out! EEEEK! WATCH IT! KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF!"
There was a crisp slap followed by profuse apologies.
Yamamoto's hand slipped right into Seiko's chest in true harem protagonist fashion, which led to a reflexive, "BAKA FURYOU-KUN (STUPID YANKEE)!" and predictable violence from the Amazon Queen.
"I'm sorry! It's an accident! AN ACCIDENT! OWIE!"
"Ah! Cherry Boy! Sorry! Did I hit you too hard?"  
From there, the whole bunch of the stuff toys fell back into the bin rather than out the claw machine's slot.
All except one: An ugly-cute cartoon snail doll that had its tag snagged by the tip of the claw at the last second.
Tomoyuki's reddened face (due to Seiko's handprint on his cheek) turned pale blue in realization. He screwed up in the middle of showing off!
'...Eh? Wait a minute, why was I showing off anyway? And in front of Fubuki, of all people!'
Speaking of Fubuki, she took the snail doll he'd gotten for her, frowning in a way that made it look like she'd just tasted something sour. Or maybe bittersweet.
"...Thank you," she told him.
"Uh, no problem," he answered, scratching his cheek.
He then caught Aya giving the flustered Amazon Queen a quick glance before she gave him a quick peck on the same cheek he just scratched.
Not knowing what else to do, Tomoyuki turned and faced Seiko, who had a slack-jawed expression on her face.
And in the Cherry Boy's heart of hearts, he found himself hoping that it was jealousy that was written all over Okamoto's face.
Even though earlier, her fit of violence was something she did while remembering her real crush and childhood friend, Kazuhito Sugata.
With the cherubic smile of a fallen angel, Aya then whispered to Tomoyuki, "Come with me. I have one last thing I want to do before we end our date," before holding his hand and leading him out of the arcade... to a chorus of cheers by everyone who witnessed the exchange there.
Stupidly, his mind in a haze like the Cherry Boy that he was after being kissed by a girl, he followed right after Fubuki like a lost dog.
He couldn't stop glancing back at the Amazon Queen though, who had slumped down on the floor with the Doraemon doll in her hand, her cap dropping, revealing her (sexy) disheveled hair.
***
Before Tomoyuki realized what was happening, he found himself in front of a hotel.
A love hotel.
From there, his memory became a blur. A whooshing motion blur from a high-speed roller coaster ride.
He could barely make out any details of what was going on, his body going on autopilot.
This wasn't really happening, wasn't it?
Then they were at the front desk of a hotel.
He then found himself paying for a room on that hotel.
With a girl beside him. A cute girl. A beautiful vision of... beauty with hair as long as the day and black as the night. And legs that went on forever.
Granted, she was a girl with an obnoxious personality (or set of personalities), but she was still pretty. And a girl.
What was he talking about again?
Soon, they ended up on an elevator. Then they went to their room with the number indicated on the room keys.
Was this some sort of elaborate prank by Matsuda again? Damn, that bigheaded jock just wouldn't leave him alone, would he?
Wow, the room looked nice. He'd been in hotel rooms before, but only when he and his parents ended up vacationing on some beach resort or had to take short flights to Hokkaido.
Besides, those were airport or resort hotels. Not love hotels.
Did he mention he was staying in a hotel room with a pretty girl? That was a big "first" for him.
After being turned down flat by several girls, he was now about to... Oh baby.
He gulped, his throat suddenly feeling quite dry.
Realizing the implications of the situation, he sat down on the bed and thought things through.
Could it be? Was he finally about to graduate from being a Cherry Boy to a real man?
Wait, why was he with a pretty girl in a hotel room anyway? That was quite unlike him, the Virgin King of Class 2B.
Tomoyuki Yamamoto ending up in a love hotel sounded like a setup to a joke just short of a punch line.
Oh right, he was on a date with Aya. But why though? Why would any girl date him?
Hey, he wasn't that bad with girls. Sure, in his first year alone, he got rejected by not one, not two, not three, but four girls. All of whom belonged in the so-called Sugata Harem in one way or another.
He was a beggar who was a chooser, after all.
But he improved in the end, didn't he? He made friends with Miku Machida, made amends with both Aya Fubuki and Yukari Goto, and even Student Body President Mana Otonashi had started talking to him again.
He wasn't as awkward around women as he was last year. He graduated from the "Nice Guy" mode of thinking with the help of his best friend Miku.
So it was perfectly fine for him to end up in bed with a girl who originally rejected him, right?
He regrouped. He improved. He evolved. So he... deserved this. Right?
Hell, he even had the audacity to try and woo Sugata's childhood friend and the girl whom he was closest with in his harem, Seiko Okamoto.
He wanted the Amazon Queen so bad that, by fate, serendipity, or coincidence, he ended up with the phone number of her AU self.
That was how he was able to learn all about her. Warts and all. From another her from another universe.
Wait.
What the hell was he doing with Aya Fubuki if he was in love with Seiko Okamoto?
"...."
Oh no. Oh nooo. Oh nononono. Oh Kami-sama, what did he just do? Stupid, stupid, stupid!
His hands gripping his hair almost to the point of pulling them out by their roots, Tomoyuki paced around the nice hotel room. That he paid for.
What kind of a thirsty pervert was he?!
He then remembered the last thing Aya told him before he had his epiphany.
"You stay right there. I'm just going to take a shower."
'AAAAAAHHHHH!' he screamed internally, finally noticing the sound of the running water inside the hotel bathroom.
He could've stopped this at any time. He could've said no. But he didn't, and he'd gone past the threshold of refusal.
The point of no return, perhaps?
Wait, he could leave a note and say he had something to do. Uh, like his part-time job or something.
Maybe flaking out on her wasn't the best-laid plans (of mice and men), but... but... he had no other choice!
Also, why was she suddenly enamored over him after all these months she hated him enough to lie about them dating? Was this how tsundere acted? Seemed kind of psychotic to him!
The worst part was that, even if nothing happened to them in the hotel, the fact that he went in a hotel in the first place with her would probably be enough to ruin his chances with Seiko forever!
He was just about to write his note when he heard knocking on the door. Did Aya order room service? He had no money left for that!
Anyway, fingers crossed, he hoped against hope that Okamoto would believe him when he said that he followed Aya by accident into a love hotel and he had no intention of sleeping with her. Kinda.
And so understandably, he fell to the floor butt-first in surprise when he saw that it was Seiko who was on the other side of the door. Like an actor from Vaudeville doing a slapstick standup (or sit-down) routine.
"I-It's not what it looks like. I can explain..." he started, feeling like an unfaithful husband caught red-handed in a hotel room with his mistress by his wife. Even though he had no reason to think that way.
To his surprise, an unusually quiet Okamoto asked him, "So did you two do it already? Did she pop your cherry, Cherry Boy?"
Well now. Nice to see she was blunt like usual.
She then slapped her forehead and mumbled what sounded like curses to herself before apologizing and saying, "Look, it's none of my business. I don't even know what I'm doing here. I'm sorry for bothering you two lovebirds. I'm also sorry for doubting you when you said that you and Aya-chin used to date. Goes to show what I know, right?"
The contrite Amazon Queen bowed at Tomoyuki and started to leave when, by instinct, the Cherry Boy grabbed hold of her arm and said, "Wait. Don't leave. I'm... I'm actually glad you came."
To his surprise, that actually worked. Seiko stayed.
She walked back to the doorway as he noticed for the first time her cap that hid her head full of hair that was usually tied in a ponytail.
She looked positively tomboyish. Heart-achingly so.
"I... I just happened to follow Fubuki back to this hotel," was the explanation he came up with in short notice.
Goddamn, that sounded so stupid. Even though it was true.
He also wanted to say he thought it was a prank, but that sounded even more like a lie than what he just said, even though it was also true.
Why was he being so stupid anyway? It was because he was thinking with his dick! That was why! He followed a girl to a hotel room without question like the naive virgin that he was.
"U-huh. Completely by accident, huh?" Seiko couldn't help but smirk.
"I don't know what I was thinking!" Or so he said, although he knew exactly what he was thinking, and so did Okamoto. "But I haven't slept with Fubuki. At all. Nor do I have any intention to do so."
"Well, why not? This is your big chance, Cherry Boy," Seiko brought up his nickname for emphasis.
"B-Because, like I told her, I'm already in love with someone," he said, his eyes never leaving hers. Unafraid of the implications behind his words.
"So you went to a hotel room with her and paid for it?" was the retort that he waited for Seiko to shoot back at him, but she never said it.
Instead, she stared back him and nodded. "You'd break Miku-chin's heart if you went through with this."
Ugh. Not this again. "No, I'm not in love with Machida! I'm in love with...!"
He then slammed the door in front of the Amazon Queen's face by reflex when he heard the bathroom door open.
AHHH! Stupid, stupid, stupid!
And out came Aya, her skin glowing, her long hair sopping wet, her naked body wrapped in nothing but a towel. A rather short towel, at that.
He ended up with his back against the door, his eyes staring at everything else but Fubuki.
He had never seen a cleaner hotel full of fresh sheets, nicely decorated walls, a flat-screen television set, a refrigerator full of overpriced drinks, and a nice view of the city.
The bed cushion was soft, the pillows were pure stuffing as well, and even the nearby lamp was nice. It... tied up the whole room.
Nothing too fancy, but not bad. It was worth whatever it was that he paid for it. Maybe.
"I'm done with my shower," Fubuki stated the obvious, cat-smiling and batting her half-lidded eyes at the Cherry Boy, her normal personality pretty much doing a one-eighty.
"W-We shouldn't do this," Tomoyuki said, pulling at his collar.
"Do what?" teased the coy Aya, which seemed rather unbecoming of the normally straight-laced Class Rep of Class 2C. "Don't get cold feet on me right now, Yamamoto-kun."
"I-I told you, I'm already in love with someone else!"
"Which is why you followed me all the way to a love hotel and paid for it?" came the retort Yamamoto was waiting for all this time. Fubuki then started playing with her towel. "Maybe I can change your mind...?"
"NOOOOO!"
Not only Yamamoto, but Okamoto screamed that word.
As Aya was about to take off her towel, Tomoyuki attempted to grab it with the intention of putting it back on her.
The door behind him opened, and out (or rather, in) stumbled the Amazon Queen. Right onto the Cherry Boy. Who ended up stumbling himself and accidentally ripping the towel off of Aya's body.
Then, to the chagrin of the pair, they ended up falling on the edge of the bed, making a mess of it, the pillows and bed sheet flying and ending up on the floor along with them.
"EEEEK!" screeched Seiko, grabbing hold of the damp towel in order to cover Tomoyuki's eyes with it. "Don't look, you pervert!" was what the tomboy said even though Aya was the one volunteering to take it off.
"...L-Look, I'm sorry if I led you on! I'm sorry if I came here without thinking! But I mean it when I say I'm in love with someone else!" cried Yamamoto while Okamoto kept pulling the towel over his face and cranking his neck at an odd angle. "OW! Stop that, Amazon Queen!"
However, Seiko suddenly stopped moving, which resulted in the towel slipping from the Cherry Boy's eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut, but his curiosity got the better of him, leading him to take a peek.
There stood Aya in all her naked glory. Or she would've had she not been wearing spats (spandex shorts) to cover up her nether regions. She was still topless though.
And yet something seemed missing from this picture. Fubuki's chest was as flat as a board.
Well, that wasn't unusual. Many Japanese girls were flat as boards themselves. Maybe Fubuki wore padded bras?
But then Tomoyuki's eyes went south of the border and saw something else of note.
A noticeable bulge on Aya's spandex shorts.
What?
No. No way.
Maybe her... (ahem) hair down there was unusually thick. Like an untrimmed hedge. Or even a forest. So that would explain the bump or bulge. Right?
'I mean, it can't possibly be... Nah. Of course not.'
Yamamoto then realized that Seiko was looking at the same thing as he was when he glanced back at her.
He saw eyes of wonder, confusion, and terror. She then asked the Cherry Boy, "Is that a bulge in her...?"
And then Aya began laughing. Or rather, cackling. Like an evil overlord about to go on a monologue.
"I would've preferred that you end up in a compromising position with me, but I guess this will have to do, Yamamoto-kun."
"...W-What?" stuttered Yamamoto, not knowing what was going on.
Thusly the two remained stock-still on the bed as the topless, flat- chested, and... spandex-bulging Fubuki retrieved her cellphone from her purse.
That proved to be a mistake.
And so Aya ended up with a digital photo of a disheveled Seiko sitting atop a damp-faced Tomoyuki beside a messy hotel bed that she took with her cellphone camera.
"A-Aya-chin, w-what's going on?" asked the Amazon Queen in a shaky voice.
"Oh, you haven't figured it out yet?" Aya took off her damp wig, revealing the short dry hair underneath it. "I'm not Aya. I'm her brother, Fubuki Akira."
***
Both Seiko and Tomoyuki stayed in the hotel lobby for a bit, staring blankly into the distance, before they both bid their farewells to each other.
Seiko was the first to leave. Tomoyuki told her to go ahead because needed another minute. Or hour.
He called in sick at his part-time work. He knew he couldn't make it there on time. Nor did he feel like working.
After buying a drink and snack from a vending machine, he went back to the empty hotel room (since it was already paid for) to gather his thoughts. Aya... no, Akira... was long gone by then.
Damn. Wasn't that something?
That was the last thing he expected her... him... to say. It seemed like something out of a movie.
Like Dustin Hoffman's character in "Tootsie". Or Ming-Na Wen's character in "Mulan". Or Jaye Davidson's character in "The Crying Game". Or Hillary Swank's character in "Boys Don't Cry".
Hell, that revelation in the end was very Tootsie-ish in its execution.
On that note, he really felt like crying right then and there.
Akira Fubuki, the younger brother of Aya that, Yamamoto realized, was about the same height and build as her, had admitted to "catfishing" the Cherry Boy when he was in first year high school.
Akira didn't like how, as he put it, Tomoyuki was "stalking" and "bothering" his big sister, so he pulled a prank on him to teach him a lesson.
Which, in retrospect, made a lot of sense.
The rumors. The anger Aya had when Yamamoto kept insisting that they had dated and she was lying about them not dating. The way Aya's personality was completely different from the "Aya" he dated.
Even the fact that Miku received the letter addressed to Seiko could also be explained away by Akira mistaking Seiko for Miku after overhearing the name from his sister.
Everything now had a... not-so-simple explanation. But an explanation nonetheless.
To reiterate, Akira Fubuki pretended to be his sister Aya in order to "catfish" Tomoyuki Yamamoto.
Tomoyuki kept repeating that statement inwardly but he still couldn't wrap his mind around it.  Seriously, what the hell?
The funny thing was that both the girl Fubuki and Tomoyuki ended up telling the truth after all.
'So let me get things straight,' thought the Cherry Boy while staring at the TV but not really watching the game show that was on.
Akira specifically put on his sister's clothes to impersonate her and go onto dates with Tomoyuki in her stead. This led to the misunderstanding later on that led to a falling out between Yamamoto and the Elder Fubuki.
Or maybe it wasn't a falling out, because technically, Tomoyuki never really met the real Aya until later on. He'd been dating her brother instead under false pretenses.
Akira also took a photo of him and the Amazon Queen in a rather compromising position in order to... what? Make them, or rather make Tomoyuki, suffer further by having blackmail material on him and the Seiko?
Man, Akira really must hate him go through all that trouble to catfish Yamamoto.
...Right?
Granted, his dedication to pranks aside, it was still embarrassing for Akira to go into drag and pretend to be a girl just to embarrass the Cherry Boy with his big reveal in the hotel.
They must've gone through so many dates. They were so many, in fact, that Yamamoto lost count. He had enough dates with Aya (actually Akira) to presume that they were now boyfriend and girlfriend.
But why did he do it? What the hell did the Cherry Boy do to deserve Akira's wrath and his methodical revenge plot in the first place?
Now that was the million-yen question.
The Friend Zone King couldn't quite buy Akira's excuse that his crossdressing was all for the sake of protecting his sister from him.
Why didn't Akira just allow Aya to reject Tomoyuki outright? Why go through all this trouble?
Come to think of it, didn't Akira already get what he wanted out of Yamamoto last year? The crossdresser ended up making his sister hate the Cherry Boy's guts by impersonating her and going on false dates with him.
What prompted the male Fubuki to bother Tomoyuki again after all this time?
And then it hit the Yamamoto. Of course.
Tomoyuki recently made up with Aya (sort of) when he prevented her from making that ill-timed love confession to Kazuhito Sugata.
Her jealous li'l brother with a siscon (Sister Complex) must've arranged this little revelation at the hotel to destroy the mended fences between Yamamoto and the female Fubuki.
But that backfired and Akira ended up taking the blackmail photograph of Yamamoto and Okamoto as a consolation prize.
Regardless, the twerp got him. He got him hook, line, and sinker.
***
Although Tomoyuki didn't feel like going back to school that Friday, he still went.
Might as well. He wasn't going to solve this mystery staring slack- jawed at his room's ceiling, feeling sorry for himself.
Seiko herself couldn't even look him in the eye that morning, but he didn't let the fact hurt his feelings or anything. He completely understood.
That night they had at the hotel was awkward for everyone involved.
The long weekend that would've let him sort his thoughts and feelings out aside, he had several important things to do that day.
Like apologize to Akira's sister, Aya.
'First thing's first.' He went straight to the entrance of Class-2C, waited for (the real) Aya Fubuki (and her "sidekick" Yukari Goto) to arrive, and bowed down to Aya in apology.
Oh boy, did he get the wrong impression of her. She really wasn't at fault at all for the dating rumors spread about him and her.
Neither was Tomoyuki, but at least now he knew the truth. They were both right about the situation in certain points of view.
The ever-cynical Aya pulled Tomoyuki aside and asked, "Did something happen? What's up with you?"
"I just wanted to apologize," Tomoyuki said, shrugging and avoiding her gaze. "I know I've been doing that a lot lately so it might sound shallow coming from me, but... I really am sorry."
Fubuki then crossed her arms and prodded, "...And?"
Yamamoto cleared his throat. "I was wondering if you know the classroom number of your brother, Akira."
The Class 2C Rep held herself, her arms folded tightly around her chest and wrinkled her nose at the Cherry Boy. "Why?"
"I just want to talk to him, okay?" he said, not knowing (or willing) to broach the subject of catfishing and crossdressing with Akira's big sister.
"But you've never even met..." Aya's eyes widened. "Oh no."
Shit. Did she realize the truth? Did Yamamoto let the cat out of the bag? Would Akira in turn send that compromising photo of him and Seiko to the whole school? Or to Sugata?
Fubuki then unfolded her arms, sighed, and said, "Look, I'll talk to my li'l bro. If he threatened you in any way after seeing that we've mended fences, then I have to apologize on his behalf. He's very protective of me. Please understand."
"I-It's nothing like that, I just want to talk to him!" Tomoyuki protested with a sigh (of relief) of his own before a little birdie in the form of Yukari blabbed, "Well, if that's the case, then Akira-kun belongs to Section 1A."
"...YUKARI-CHAN!" screeched Aya before pulling at the ditzy blonde's twin tails hard.
"OWIE! I'm sowie, Aya-chan!" cried the ditz, reasoning, "But Cherry-kun only wanted to talk to your bro! What's the harm in that?"
"Class 1A, huh?" said the Cherry Boy, scratching his chin. "Right. I guess I'll go talk to him then. Thanks, Goto!"
"Waaait, what for? What did he say to you?" insisted Aya, who began to look more like the Aya of old with her frown and glare.
Tomoyuki raised his arms in surrender and backpedaled. "Nothing bad! I promise! I just want to clear the air with Fubuki Akira! It's not like we're going to end up in a fist fight or something...!'
Serendipitously, Yamamoto ended up literally bumping into his classmate, the Judo Club President and one of the Four Kings of Class 2B, Kanemoto.
Yep. Matsuda's friend Kanemoto. Or Matsuda #2. Or the bishonen (pretty boy) version of Matsuda. That Kanemoto.
"...Fubuki Akira? You're looking for Fubuki Akira? Hahaha! Cherry Boy, are you off to have a rematch with him?" Kanemoto asked, overhearing their conversation.
Yamamoto would've just cowered away from one of his regular bullies had he not taken a double-take at what the Judo Club President said. "Uh, rematch? W-What are you talking about Kanemoto?"
The sneering jock nudged Yamamoto's side. "Aw, come on. Don't be coy. You two got in a slap fight over me back in junior high. You wanted first dibs over yours truly and Fubuki Akira was your love rival."
Tomoyuki stuttered, "W-What the heck are you...?" before he felt a chill in his spine.
"Yamamoto-kun! You're going to have a fist fight over my li'l brother!?"
"AH! Aya-chan! I mean, Fubuki! Of course, I'm not! Don't believe Kanemoto's lies...!" so he said, but a feeling of déjà vu hit him.
And so the puzzle pieces in his mind began to fit. He remembered who Akira was.
This wasn't the first time they met, and he wasn't referring to their fake dates.
***
By some miracle, Tomoyuki Yamamoto got away from Akira Fubuki's protective sister in one piece.
Yamamoto guessed that his wimpy demeanor in the face of Kanemoto's "outlandish" accusations let him off the hook.
For the first time, Aya gave Tomoyuki the benefit of the doubt. She probably reasoned, "Why would the bullied Cherry Boy ever start a fist fight with my li'l bro?"
Ironically, the one time she trusted him was the one time she shouldn't have.
Kanemoto was right. Yamamoto did fight the younger Fubuki brother. And it was over the infamous jock.
No, not because they wanted to win Kanemoto's heart (or at least, as far as Yamamoto was concerned, that wasn't the case).
This stain in Tomoyuki's past was part of the reason why he believed that he completely deserved most of the bullying done to him all this time.
***
To Be Continued...
It's a trap! The trap arc is almost over with. What else is in store for Yamamoto and his Non-Harem? Stay "tuned"!
Farewell, Abdiel
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alightinthelantern · 4 years
Text
Because the decade is ending I’ve been revisiting old interests and past fandoms from when I was a teen, and boy is it a trip down Memory Lane.
Listening to old Vocaloid songs from when I was in high school back in 2010, when I was 15 and new to internet culture, and it was one of the first Japanese culture I ever discovered. Apparently Vocaloids are still a thing? I knew Miku was still popular bc I’d seen stuff in the past year featuring her, but apparently the other Vocaloid characters are too, and there’ve been a whole bunch of new ones introduced in the past decade? I remember when the whole Daughter of Evil saga was being created. I remember all the alt characters people created by taking the main vocaloids and pitch-altering their voice banks. The Vocaloid community was fresh and thriving back then. That was back when Gender-Bending was a staple of fandom culture, and making male “versions” of female characters and vice versa was hugely popular. This was when “Caramelldansen” and “Ievan Polkka” weren’t Classic Memes, this was when they were new, and all the rage.
I remember the Gamecube days, back in the 2000s, and watching my stepbrothers battle my sisters interchangeably on it or the old Nintento 64 they had, in Mario Kart, or Mortal Kombat, or the original Smash Brothers (I, who had terrible hand-eye coordination, wasn’t fit for playing, but was more content to passively enjoy anyway). I remember when the Wii was first introduced (my mother didn’t believe in video games for a long time, and only bought a console for the family about four years later). I remember the GameBoy, I remember the release of the first XBox. I remember the online dress-up doll games. I remember when the Lego Star Wars video game was first released, and being an avid fanatic of those famous bricks as a kid enjoyed watching my siblings play that probably more than than anything else.
I remember how huge the cosplay scene was in the early 2010s, for all kinds of shows. I remember reading Emma: A Victorian Romance by Kaoru Mori with glee as a teen, siting in a bean bag chair in the Teen Area of my local library, because they had a dedicated manga section and had the entire print run. That was back before Borders was bought out by Barnes & Noble and ceased to be, and I’d often sit in the second-floor manga section of my local Borders and read the volumes that caught my eye for a half-hour or more, and the store clerks didn’t care because it was a different world then, a different culture, and I was always a polite, well-behaved kid anyway who always physically respected the books. Apparently the anime adaptation of Mori’s Emma from years ago finally got an English dub in the past year? I’m going to have to track it down and give it a watch.
I remember loving the Romeo x Juliet anime as a teen, that crazy and brilliantly original high-fantasy reimagining of the classic play. I loved that the English dub script was mostly in Elizabethan-era English. I remember Ouran Host Club and Baccano! too, and the first of those being one of the funniest things I’d ever seen in my life at the time. Same with The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. I remember liking Fruits Basket back in 1010, and only realizing years later how fucked up it actually was. I remember Baccano! and Nabari No Ou. I also remember some other shows whose names don’t bear repeating. I remember downloading their OSTs off dedicated websites that no longer exist. I still have these soundtracks in my iTunes library. I remember when burning playlists onto CDs was popular; they finally became obsolete and passé sometime in my high school years, after the rise of mp3 players and programs like iTunes crystallized the superiority of the .mp3, and then people would laugh when I mentioned my own burned CD collection.
I remember when Over the Garden Wall first came out, in 2014, and how groundbreaking it was at the time in terms of what an animated show could be, visually and plot-wise. That show still has a small bud dedicated fandom it seems. I remember the character ask-blogs that were so popular from 2014--16 on tumblr, both ones with drawn replies and ones with live cosplay photos or gifs. God, the ask-blog community was so huge at the time. That might have been the height of tumblr’s popularity, the mid-2010s. I remember DeviantART and the thriving fanart community it had before tumblr took over in the early 2010s. I remember all OCs people were making, and the ask-accounts before ask-blogs were a thing. I remember the roleplay groups. I remember all the fucked-up things people were into back then because the Scene Phase had come but not yet entirely gone, and because teens were emo little shits in general. I remember when anime pairings were written as “[name] x [name]” in full before people started mashing names together around 2014, I remember when words like y*oi and y*ri were the norm. Oh how times have changed. (And thank god they’ve changed)
I remember when the Twilight movies were being made and my high school health teacher put the first movie on in class one day and had the class point out different ways in with the romance was toxic and unhealthy. It’s mind-boggling that in 2019, after The Discourse had come, burned, raged, and gone, that people are still stupid enough to like those films. Even back then I was smart enough to see them for the creepy, badly-written dreck that they were. I remember when The Hunger Games was published (I never read it). I remember the first Hunger Games Movie coming out and the controversy surrounding Jennifer Lawrence being cast as the lead. I remember coming into school one day to find two of my teachers casually debating it (I never saw the movies, and didn’t particularly care about that conversation).
I remember watching an independent showing of Studio Ghibli’s From Up on Poppy Hill in 2015 at a local indie theater, and the audience roaring with laughter when one of the boys at the old club house asked “How can we make archaeology cool again?!” and another replying “We can’t!”, and then a woman in the audience said out loud “Archaeology is cool!”
I remember the birth, life and death of Vine, and despite The Discourse raging on tumblr at the time, the humor on that app was still largely Mainstream and often racist.
I remember Teen Wolf, and Glee, Sherlock and Supernatural and Doctor Who. I remember the emergence of “Superwholock” and the sheer insufferableness of the fandom before they eventually, blessedly died out. I remember the disappearance of shows like J*njou R*omantica and the rise of shows like Free! and Yuri on Ice!!!, Modern “woke” animes that still featured vapid, cliché-driven writing, with Modern “woke” audiences that were puerile-minded and cliché-hungry as ever, the same y*oi fangirls as those that had existed in the early 2010s, only now the shows had done away with the nasty R*pe-As-Romance and replaced it with cringey, ham-fisted pretenses of Realistic Psychology or Social Conscience. And I realized that anime fans my age weren’t worth their salt, and by that time I was too old for anime anyway so I finally dropped it. New animes have come and gone, new live action shows have come and gone, and all the same terrible fandom drama that has burned year after year regardless of show still burns. Same shit, different sewer.
I remember how different online culture was for teens a decade ago. I remember how different real life was for teens a decade ago. Everything has changed so much in the past decade. Teens were children when I was teen. Now, ten years later, teens are like miniature adults, thinking and speaking maturely, socially and politically conscious, wise beyond their years. Racism is acknowledged for the evil it is, and bigoted trolls are no longer socially accepted. When I was a teen, been an edgelord was in, and kids like me who were unusually conscientious were labeled Babies and Oversensitive whenever something didn’t sit right and we voiced objections. Anons telling people to kill themselves was routine. People were violent and ruthless online, and the culture was truly reminiscent of The Lord of The Flies, a cutthroat free-for-all among girls and boys of all ages.
But not anymore: as people keep saying these days, being an Asshole is Out, being Kind is In. Shit like H*zbin H*tel, that would’ve been immensely popular ten years ago, is acknowledged for the violent, vile crap it is. And the language around sexuality and gender has changed so drastically, and has opened up so much. There was no trans content a decade ago in fandom, and Gender-bending, when done to explore the social ramifications of a character as the “opposite gender” (because nothing outside the gender binary existed as far as fandom was then concerned), and not just for titillation, was always cisgendered and done by way of Alternate Universes.
I had a miserable experience as a teen, and I wish that I could have experienced this kind of environment in my formative years rather than the one I did. But although I never did, I am so happy for the teens of today, that they are able to experience this kind of social openness, that they can experience this kind of unity and conscientiousness that exists in a way it never did before. That, even with as bleak and awful as the world is, they are fighting to make it better for themselves. Because it really was them that changed it.
Because, as much as Millennials like to pretend otherwise, we didn’t make the internet culture what it is today, We were edgy shitlord brats who loved laughably bad media, whether it was edgy and featured protagonists who murdered for fun, or maudlin and featured Mary Sue protagonists. We had flame wars over who was “uke or seme” for characters that weren’t even gay. We were nasty piss-stains, and even the teens like me who were better than the rest still had our awful moments. I’ve done and said things as a teen that I’m ashamed of, and no amount of nostalgia can change the fact that fandom and the media it consumed was objectively awful a decade ago. And though “Fandom Moms” and other nasty, disgusting, overgrown-children may be a proud bastion and defenders of the Old Ways, reminiscing about their LiveJournal Days and telling themselves their age is somehow indicative of wisdom rather than how creepy and pathetic they really are, their days are numbered, and I can’t wait to see their +30yo asses slowly die out in the face of progress.
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gabriel-gabdiel · 4 years
Text
【Draft】 Keit-AI! Tomoyuki x Seiko Chapter 20: Hook, Line, and Sinker
Tomoyuki just got catfished?!
For what it was worth, Tomoyuki "Cherry Boy" Yamamoto found a way to return the favor to (Alternate Universe) Seiko "Amazon Queen" Okamoto for her thoughtful birthday gift to him.
The best birthday gift he ever got. A trailer for a film that didn't exist in his universe. Seen only by him within his reality.
The trailer for Akira Kurosawa's "Ran". The legendary director's (unintentional) version of William Shakespeare's "King Lear".
What he was about to send to Seiko was in a sense his "White Day" gift for her "Valentine's Day" chocolate.
A return gift of gratitude. A downloaded video from YouTube Japan.
"Hey, Cherry Boy. What's this?" she texted him back.
"Just open the file," he texted in return.
She then texted, "Boo. I thought it's a round or two from Pacquiao- Mayweather, but it's just another one of your Kurosawa film trailers!"
Huh. Maybe he should've sent her a Pac-May clip. Maybe later. "I'll just send you video highlights of it or even their future rematch when it happens. Maybe even on your birthday."
"There's gonna a rematch?! Sweet!" she cheered, only to ask, "So what did you send me?"
"Send it to him. To me. The other me," he answered. "I swear to you, Tomoyuki will love it. I know I do."
She watched the whole thing. All one minute and thirteen seconds of it.
"Cherry Boy, you're a genius! This is the best birthday gift for Tomoyuki since, you know, he canceled on our proposed movie date and all."
Ah. Of course.
AU Miku ended up giving AU Tomoyuki the cold shoulder because he liked AU Seiko's present more than hers, so to make it up to the Class Rep, his other self nixed his date with the Amazon Queen.
Another love triangle had formed in another dimension.
At least the other Okamoto had a love triangle to speak of. He was definitely still in the "Friend Zone" (sorry, Miku) with the Amazon Queen in his universe, her proposal for a pity date aside.
The Amazon Queen that didn't love him as much as this other" her did.
"Sorry," he texted back, pushing his disturbing thoughts at the back of his mind. "But you know what they say about love and war."
"Fair enough, but what do I tell Cherry Boy when I send this video to him? He'll have questions for sure!"
Nodding to no one in particular, Yamamoto replied, "Tell him it's the long-lost and extremely rare alternate trailer for Kagemusha starring Katsu Shintaro instead of Nakadai Tatsuya."
***
Keit-AI! Tomoyuki x Seiko
An Anime-Inspired Original Story from 4chan's /a/ Board by Abdiel
Original Idea by Hataki.
The mystery behind Aya will finally be revealed.
Disclaimer: This work may reference copyrighted material, the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is believed that this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. All copyrighted material referred to in this work belongs to their respective owners. All rights reserved.
***
Chapter 20: Hook, Line, and Sinker
***
Meanwhile, the Miku Machida in Tomoyuki's universe gave him the opposite of the cold shoulder (A "hot" shoulder? Rubbing shoulders?).
Just like good ol' times, they were again together like white on rice. Talking about Sci-Fi things mixed with cool science facts while walking to class. Again fueling rumors of them being together.
"...Oh, oh, oh! Here's another evidence of the Mandela Effect. Most people remember the Monopoly Man as having no monocle, right? But when you take a look at the box of the board game, he definitely does have a monocle! Spooky, right?" she told him.
Ah, so they were talking about the Mandela Effect again. Misquotes and popular misconceptions mistaken for evidence of parallel worlds and traveling through them.
Except in Tomoyuki's case, the Mandela Effect was all too real.
He patted her head like she was a little kid and smiled at her. "It's very spooky," he said, which made her pout cutely, cross her arms, and turn away from him.
"Don't patronize me!" she said with a harrumph.
Damn, she was so cute when she was annoyed.
Jokingly bullying her was almost worth a taste of the cold shoulder that the (probably jealous) AU Miku was currently giving AU Tomoyuki.
Or maybe he felt like tempting fate for once.
Thankfully, Miku forgot his transgression the next minute, bringing up, "Do you remember how the candy 'KitKat' doesn't have a dash between Kit and Kat? Well, it does! It's actually spelled Kit-Kat"
"Hey, you're right," he said, checking out the nearby snack bar and seeing the Kit-Kat logo having the dash when he remembered otherwise.
She grins. "Amazing, isn't it? I'm telling you, parallel universes exist!"
'You don't have to tell me twice,' he inwardly quipped, taking note that in AU Seiko's universe, it was probably the other way around.
In her universe, KitKat bars probably didn't have dashes and the Monopoly Man most likely didn't have a monocle. Along with other weird things like Michael Jackson, who was brown-skinned, bleaching his skin Caucasian white and having legal issues regarding pedophilia (allegedly).
The old Yamamoto would've been over the moon to have Miku as a best friend, even to the point of fantasizing that they'd somehow end up being more than just friends in the future.
But something changed between them from first year to second year.
That tall, beautiful, athletic, and tomboyish something... or someone... barreled over between them, slinging each of her long arms over their nearest shoulders.
"Hey, Nerds. Still talking about that egghead stuff with the black president guy that's not Obama?"
"It's the Mandela Effect and he's not a president in our universe," reminded Machida. "Here, Mandela died in prison, serving as a symbol of the South African revolution. But so many people wanted him to be president, they all swore he became one. Or maybe it's a memory we had from a different timeline!"
"U-huh. And maybe in a different dimension, Mayweather is a knockout puncher with exciting fights under his belt," the Amazon Queen said, saying the most Seiko thing possible. "I appreciate the man's talent, but boy howdy, am I not looking forward to Mayweather-Pacquiao II."
Tomoyuki then made a mental note to not reveal the actual results of May-Pac to AU Seiko, neglecting to tell her earlier of how initially exciting but ultimately boring the actual fight ended up to be.
The Cherry Boy then averted his gaze from Seiko, the... former object of his affection. The sight of her made his heart ache and long for someone else who was like her but wasn't, making him feel guilty for doing so.
Maybe it was for the best that Okamoto wasn't all that into him after all.
So should he abandon his harebrained scheme to get Seiko and Kazuhito "Yankee" Sugata together, like Megumi Minagata suggested?
Not necessarily.
He'd still do it, but this time expecting a more realistic outcome of either heartbreak or a long-delayed hookup between the childhood sweethearts.
Without unrealistic expectations of the Amazon Queen going for the unlikely third option.
It was the least he could do for the alternate universe counterpart of the girl he loved.
***
Things also went back to normal in Class 2B. Somewhat.
"Hey, New-Half (Trans Woman)," called out Kazuhito (who finally decided to not skip classes) to Seiko.
Okamoto shouted, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A NEW-HALF!?" followed by a smack on his face. "Stupid Furyou-kun!"
Then the rest of the class began hooting and hollering at them for "acting like a married couple" who could help Japan with its population slump.
All talk of a potential pair-up or even love triangle between the Cherry Boy and the Amazon Queen faded once the heartthrob Sugata finally came back with his usual "married couple" shenanigans with Okamoto.
"As if Cherry Boy ever had a chance with the Amazon Queen while the Yankee is around!" was probably their shared sentiment of the situation.
They all just presumed Yamamoto was friendzoned (as usual), although they were hedging their bets that he'd score a pity date or two with their Iincho (Class Rep) at least.
"Please, you two! Stop fighting! Math Class is about to start," pleaded the mousy Class Rep in her usual adorable, bespectacled way that made Tomoyuki fall for her back in first year.
However, rather than scheme on how to get Machida and Sugata closer together to make Okamoto jealous enough to cross her Rubicon and confront her childhood friend about her long dormant feelings with him, the Cherry Boy started doodling and writing something else at the back of a dog-eared, beat-up notebook.
He couldn't stop thinking about Akira Kurosawa's Ran.
He wanted to write more about it. Research about its connection with King Lear even though, according to AU Seiko, it was a coincidental comparison made by western (foreign) media at best.
For the first time in a long while, he felt inspired to go after his passion and hobbies rather than try to appeal to the interests of others in a bid to "belong" in a clique or a long-term relationship with a girl.
For the longest time, he had been trying too hard to fit in with his peers. Only the closest people in his life know about his passion for writing and movies.
Like the glasses-wearing neighborhood girl he ended up being best friends with. Or, lately, both versions of Seiko Okamoto.
When he was under the mistaken belief that the only way he could improve on himself was to get a girlfriend rather than the other way around, he tended to ingratiate himself to whomsoever he attempted to woo.
In the case of his first crush Yukari Goto, he started taking the late train and gave her a hand whenever her klutziness or ditziness got her into trouble.
In the case of Aya Fubuki, he went to dates with her in all sorts of restaurants even to the point of maxing out his allowance and trying to find a job to supplement his dates, only for her to deny the dates ever took place.
In the case of Mana Otonashi, he really should've figured out he was just her plaything all along when she made her own mother tell him to stop calling her. How embarrassing.
In the case of Miku Machida, he got told hard regarding his clinginess and unrealistic expectations as a "Nice Guy". Even after that, their friendship persisted mostly because he absorbed her otaku knowledge like a sponge until he was able to decipher the "foreign language" she spoke whenever they were around each other.
Finally, in the case of his universe's Seiko Okamoto, he tried using AU Seiko's sports knowledge to better relate with her, only for it to backfire since this was info from a parallel world and not their world.
No one wonder people treated him like a doormat with no true friends to speak of. He really was a try-hard poser, wasn't he?
He made up for his lack of personality by attempting to incorporate the interests and quirks of others so that they'd like him better. Whether he was making friends or wooing girlfriends.
It was only with AU Seiko that he felt he could be himself and showcase the cinemaphile nut and wannabe writer he really was. No other woman made him feel comfortable in his skin like she did.
***
As the Cherry Boy put in the finishing touches to the outline of his new personal passion project (researching about what happened to his universe's Ran and writing his own version of the unfinished work with what little info he'd gotten from AU Seiko so far), he found a letter in his bag.
Curious. Who even gave out letters in this day and age of cellphones, email, and chatrooms?
Although it would've been charming if he and AU Okamoto were communicating through transdimensional mailboxes rather than transdimensional keitai (mobile phones). Just like in the South Korean film "Il Mare" (also known as "Siworae") or its Hollywood remake, "The Lake House".
He opened the envelope and then was greeted with the smell of a long-forgotten flowery scent.
He read its contents. The more he read, the more his heart sank to the pit of his stomach. Probably drowning in stomach acid to boot.
Oh shit. Not this again.
Tomoyuki hastily stuffed the letter in his bag, unwilling to humiliate himself in front of Class 2B by cluelessly reading the letter in front of them.
His traumatic experience with Yukari Goto and her mistaken love text to him that was meant for Kazuhito Sugata was still fresh in his mind. Even after all this time.
Speaking of which, Goto's best friend Aya Fubuki was the one who sent him the letter.
The same type of letters she used to slip into his bag or shoe locker when they were freshmen.
The letters she denied giving to him when he confronted her about the dates she swore they never had.
Yeah, he was still kind of sore about that.
What was going on? What was she trying to do?
Miku noticed him and the letter he hid. She was about to ask him about it, but he gave her a begging look to keep things to herself.
Thankfully, his best friend took the hint and turned her attention back to her notebook full of her own doujinshi (self-published fan comics) ideas.
Had she called attention to the letter so that the likes of Matsuda were to read it to the class, the Cherry Boy would've gotten a repeat of the embarrassment he suffered with Yukari that led to him getting his infamous moniker.
He could just imagine the jaw-jacking his classmates would give him right now.
'Oooh! Is that a love letter? Did Cherry Boy get a love letter from the Class 2C Iincho? MASAKA (IMPOSSIBLE)!'
'Hey, hey! Is our own cute li'l Cherry Boy forming his own harem just like his idol, Sugata?'
'Don't be absurd. That's Fubuki from Class 2C. The same girl who publicly called him out on spreading false rumors of them dating. There's no way she'd date that liar's ass now!'
'What is with him and all the class reps he keeps going after? Does he have an iincho fetish or something? He even tried stalking our dear Seito Kaicho (Student Body President) through harassing phone calls!'
'He's such a desperate loser I bet the letter is telling him to leave Fubuki alone!'
Naturally, the last one to speak would've been Matsuda. Still the asshole as always, but he was an asshole with a point.
He sighed. He should let sleeping dogs lie. Leave the mercurial (and probably bipolar) Aya to her own devices. However, maybe she sent him the "love" letter to apologize for her forgetting about the dates they had.
...Yeah right. As if that would ever happen. She at best tolerated him and as little as a few days ago, she hated his guts.
Still, he was curious as to why Fubuki would send him such a letter. Knowing what he knew about her now (as if it was the first time he'd ever met her), it seemed... out of character for her to do this.
Wouldn't she confront him rather than send him a letter? Then again, she couldn't even muster the courage to send Kazuhito himself a love letter, so how much less him?
But Tomoyuki wasn't Sugata though. She'd have no reason to be embarrassed about him. She made it abundantly clear she never had any feelings for him.
'Oh, and I'm supposed to believe that some desperate jerk I barely interacted with who spread rumors that I'm dating him is telling me that Sugata-kun is dating Miku-chan, his latest girlfriend prospect, out of the kindness of his heart? Reeeally now?' was the sentiment she had when Tomoyuki first told him about the Yankee and the Class 2B Rep.
She trusted him as far as she could throw him. They made up eventually when he took a bullet for her, but they at best had a tenuous "acquaintanceship" that could break at the slightest hint of betrayal.
She didn't trust him. She acted like she barely knew him, despite all their dates that she would not acknowledge ever existed.
In fact, Yamamoto was starting to believe that Aya really didn't date him, making him doubt that the dates he had with her were real.
It almost reminded him of his initial situation with AU Seiko, with her calling and confessing her love for him while the real Seiko (correctly) claimed she herself never called him.
What if they—Tomoyuki and Fubuki—were both right? What if he had dates with an alternate universe version of the Class 2C Iincho while the in-universe Aya got the blowback from their rumored budding relationship?
What if he was dating the AU version of Aya all along?
Hell, he should be writing about this plot twist instead of making a script treatment of Ran, to be honest.
Inwardly, he waved the suggestion off, rationalizing that the parallel worlds thing didn't work that way. His heart skipped a beat at the prospect of dating AU Okamoto in the flesh, though.
He'd love it if he could actually figure out how the AU thing really worked.
Nevertheless, his curiosity got the better of him as he decided to meet up on the indicated time and place on the letter after school.
Appearances aside, this was obviously no love letter situation like with Sugata. It wasn't as if Aya was off to confess her love to him or anything.
***
After class, in a meeting place only Tomoyuki and Aya knew about (the Peninsula Bar where they once had Mongolian Barbecue)...
"...I apologize for lying about our dates to our classmates. I was so embarrassed that they found out that I threw you under the bus. If you would be so kind, would you go out with me again?"
That was just about the last thing Yamamoto expected Fubuki to tell him.
But she really did it. She really told him that. The absolute madwoman.
While bowing in apology, no less.
What was going on? Was she high? Was this what Miku meant by tsundere? An insane girl who had the most extreme mood swings possible? 'Bitches be crazy!'
"Wait, wait, wait. Let me get things straight. You intentionally lied to everyone about our dates and now you're asking for another date? And aren't you after Sugata instead of me?" he asked.
"Sugata already rejected me. That ship has sailed." Aya brushed her hair to the side and looked away from Tomoyuki's gaze before bowing her head and looking up at his face with doe eyes. "A-Are you mad at me?"
Unbelievable. It was like he was talking to another person altogether.
Didn't she cheer him on when it came to wooing Seiko and whatnot? What happened to that Aya? Did she forget or was she testing his resolve somehow?
Maybe that AU Aya theory of his wasn't so far off after all. Or maybe it was more of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde kind of scenario.
Was this really the same Aya that AU Seiko described as "earnest"?
Tomoyuki paced around, took a deep breath, and exhaled. He'd handle this like an adult.
"Yeah, I'm upset. But I also realize if you're ashamed to even admit that we dated, then maybe you're not all that into me after all. You did me a favor. You helped me stop acting so desperate for love all this time."
Aya tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows. "W-What do you mean, Yamamoto-kun? Won't you forgive me at all? Can't we make things work out?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at him.
It was his turn to bow back to Fubuki, remembering how she cheered him on, telling him to go big or go home with wooing Seiko Okamoto.
To no longer be so clingy and halfhearted with his pursuit of girl crushes like in the cases of Yukari, herself, Mana, and Miku. To no longer serve as any girl's doormat.
If she were testing him and his resolve, then this was his answer.
"I accept your apology, Fubuki. But I have to apologize myself. I'm in love with someone else."
He had to be completely honest. Like AU Seiko said, Aya was an earnest kind of girl who responded to actions instead of words and empty promises.
***
He didn't know what to expect after "rejecting" Aya's proposal to date again.
A shrug and a pat on the back on the back would be nice.
He didn't really think she'd take it so badly. After all, she survived Sugata's rejection fine.
Also, he knew she didn't really love him all that much and she had a bigger crush on the Yankee than she ever did him.
So why the heck was she crying?
"H-Hey, calm down!" Tomoyuki said, only to flinch when Aya looked at him with fire from her red eyes. Ah, now this was more like the Class 2C Iincho he knew and "loved" (or rather, tolerated).
She didn't heed his request though, covering her face with her hands and sobbing from behind them.
Well, this was definitely a first for Yamamoto.
Usually, he was the one who felt like crying, being dumped repeatedly by all his pretty not-girlfriends (because according to Matsuda, his standards were unrealistically high for a nondescript guy).
"...W-Was it Seiko? Your class rep? The one that you confessed your love to and I recorded?" she sobbed.
That was weird phrasing. "My class rep Miku friendzoned me a long time ago. Also, didn't you play that recording on Seiko's behalf?"
"Oh right. The recording. That's what I meant. Seiko. The Amazon Queen."
She blinked her tears back and did an inquisitive head-tilt on the Cherry Boy.
"You're in love with the Amazon Queen? You don't have a chance. She's joined to the hip with your Yankee classmate!"
"Sh-Shut up," he said, crossing his arms and turning away. His heart not as indignant as he let on.
Speak of the (she-)devil, Tomoyuki turned his head in time to meet the eyes of Seiko, drinking water across the table away from them.
Eh?
She had the "clever disguise" of wearing shades and a baseball cap indoors. She looked more suspicious than if she didn't have the disguise.
The Amazon Queen then choked on her glass of water and turned away, hiding her face with the menu.
...Wait. What?
***
To stop Aya from crying any further, Tomoyuki appeased her by buying her a late lunch (or was it an early dinner?) that afternoon at the restaurant with what extra cash he made from his part-time job at a convenience store.
He then excused himself to go to the bathroom, eyeing Seiko all the while from behind Aya's back.
To his relief, the Amazon Queen took the hint and soon followed after him rather than wait for him to confront her at her table.
She was quick on the uptake.
"...What are you doing here?" he asked at the hallway leading to the doors to the restrooms.
"I should ask you the same question!" she ping-ponged his question back at him.
"...Aya gave me a letter in my bag, telling me to come here and stuff," he said, his eyes darting away at the taller girl. "What about you?"
"Miku-chin gave me a letter addressed to me, telling me to come here."
"Machida told you about this... meeting?" he asked before wincing at the look Seiko gave him over his own weird phrasing.
"No, the letter is from... Aya, apparently. But Miku got it from her."
"That's... weird. Did Machida read it too?"
"I dunno, Cherry Boy. She just gave it to me because it had my name on it."
"What's the letter doing with her?" Tomoyuki asked. "Did Fubuki want Machida to know about the meeting too? What did the letter say?"
"The letter told me to meet y'all here. I couldn't understand the directions, so I just moseyed along and followed you all the way to this restaurant instead."
"So you stalked me?" Tomoyuki teased Seiko, forgetting for a minute who he was talking to. Her voice reminding him of... someone else from another world.
"'AS IF', YOU IDIOT! Don't flatter yourself!"
Forgetting for a minute who she was talking to as well, the Amazon Queen gut-punched the Cherry Boy as though he were Kazuhito Sugata instead.
"Whoops. Sorry. My hand slipped."
The two stared at each other for a minute then laughed.
Afterwards, Tomoyuki ended up with a coughing fit and Seiko had to slap his back several times to help him recover.
"T-Thanks."
"S'alright. But seriously though, why are you on a date with Aya-chin?"
"Wait, when did this turn into a date? She asked me to come here to tell me something!"
"But you're feeding her right now and she just asked you out." She pointed to her ear. "I overheard."
Yamamoto crossed his arms and smirked. "Ha! Finally, I got a witness. Told'ya we dated! See what I have put up with last year? It was her word against mine that we dated!"
"You really dated?" Seiko couldn't help but repeat. "Oh yeah. That's right. You got a horrible rep because Aya-chin told everyone you were spreading bad rumors about her."
"RIGHT? You just saw Fubuki confess to me and you still don't believe it!" he ranted.
Biting her lip, Okamoto looked at him then at Aya from across the table, eating by herself.
"I dunno, Cherry Boy. She must've had a reason for doing this. Otherwise, this is quite unlike her." She appended, "B-But don't misunderstand! I didn't believe you were spreading lies about her either! Why else would I be friends with you? I just think this is all a big misunderstanding."
He'd normally storm off at this point, having people believe Fubuki over him, but this time around he was inclined to agree.
Unless her tsundere inclinations bordered on being clinically bipolar, the Aya who played his confession to Seiko via cellphone voice recorder was not the same Fubuki whom he suspected gave Okamoto and Machida the heads up on their non-date to ruin their perception of him.
Then, to Tomoyuki's surprise, the Amazon Queen suggested, "Y'know what? Why don't you go on a date with her today anyway?"
"WHAT? Are you crazy? I told her I already have my eyes for someone else!"
Yamamoto looked Seiko in the eyes as he said this, which made both of them look away from each other, blushing afterwards.
Seiko cleared her throat. "No, no. It's not a date-date. Just a fake date to see what Aya-chin is up to."
"A-Are you serious?" asked Tomoyuki. He didn't like where this was going.
***
By the time he returned to their table, Aya had the strangest, hugest (smuggest) grin on her face.
Did she know that Seiko was there, watching them? 'What are you planning, Fubuki?' thought Tomoyuki.
He didn't want to keep up a facade just to ruin Seiko's positive impression of one of Machida's friends, but Fubuki ended up cutting him off the pass.
"Hey, hey! After we're done eating, let's go to the arcades like we used to," she told him, and his plan of coming clean ended then and there, the words of protest dying in his throat.
And long story short, they ended up at a nearby arcade, with Okamoto following them close behind.
What was even going on anymore?
'...Eeeeh.'
Under the watchful gaze of Seiko, Tomoyuki ended up doing what he always did in arcades: Play a fighting game and die at the third stage.
"Dammit," Yamamoto said after the CPU King hit another 10-hit combo on his Eddie Gordo from Tekken insert-sequel-number-here.
So much for Eddie working against even experienced players with just button mashing. The computer A.I. couldn't care less.
Same thing happened with an old Street Fighter III: Third Strike arcade cabinet at the back. Got knocked out fighting Sean with Akuma. He then popped a blister on his left middle finger from jiggling the joystick while mashing buttons all the while.
The only fighting game he could probably beat was Karate Do on the Famicom, and that game sucked. Or Yie Ar Kung Fu. Which also sucked.
By the way, those were games in old cartridges that he got as hand- me-downs from his cousins along with an old Family Computer.
He expected Aya to fare worse than him, only for his ego to take an even worse beating than the characters he played in Tekken and Street Fighter.
Aya had a crowd form behind her as she crushed every challenger she faced off against in Tekken with just one quarter.
Well damn. Who knew that the studious Class Rep of Class 2C was an avid gamer?
Meanwhile, on her part, Seiko decided to bide her time with Dance Dance Revolution. Followed by foozball against a grade schooler. Followed by attempting to wreck the mechanical punch pad on the Sonic Blast Man (a game that measured punching power) cabinet.
Huh. He could've sworn he heard that Taito recalled all cabinets of the punching game due to the injuries it caused or something. Or maybe that was just him misremembering/getting false memories care of the Mandela Effect.
Or maybe it was even possible that in AU Seiko's universe, the game was recalled even though in his own universe, it wasn't. 'Who knows?'
A bead of sweat dripped on Tomoyuki's forehead as Okamoto wandered to a nearby billiards hall just beside the arcade, seemingly forgetting herself and why she went to the arcade in the first place.
'S-Seiko-chan...'
Speaking of people forgetting themselves, Aya stopped her winning streak short, handed her character off to some kid in the crowd to let him play, and grabbed hold of Yamamoto's arm.
Tomoyuki gulped, distracted by the smoothness of the 2C Iincho's skin and the softness of her... chest. "Um, welcome back?"
"Hey, hey! Cherry... I mean, Yamamoto-kun!" she corrected herself, her finger circling around the Cherry Boy's chest. "Can you win me a prize at the claw machine? Pretty please?"
"Er... I-I'll try," Yamamoto said, knowing that he'd fail. Still wondering what Aya's "deal" was.
As he predicted, he was terrible at the claw machine game. Unable to pick up one stuffed bunny or even a Doraemon. It'd be cheaper to buy the doll at a gift shop rather than pick it up through crane.
In the background, Aya cheered him on.
He had doubts in regards to the sincerity of her cheering in light of her betrayal of him, but it sure harkened back to their own dates where she'd do the same thing.
So he kept buying quarters. And trying. And failing. But he had a girl cheering him on, so he didn't mind losing so much.
"You can do it, Yamamoto-kun! Just like ol' times!" Aya told him.
'Ol' times...?' he thought.
From there, the Cherry Boy blinked and remembered how one of their first dates had played out like this.
With him attempting and never getting a doll and Aya (currently the Student Council VP but was once the Student Council Treasurer) laughing at him all the while.
"Oh, for the love of Kami-sama! LET ME, CHERRY BOY!" huffed a reddened, cap-wearing, and shades-sporting Seiko before taking the crane controls and picking up the Doraemon doll herself.
"...." Tomoyuki exclaimed. Silently.
The Amazon Queen handed the doll to Aya, only to realize too late what she'd done. "Er..."
Fubuki bowed at Seiko and said, "Thanks for the help, but I want my date to get me a dolly. Not you, Mister."
"...M-Mister!?" said the tall Amazon Queen with a sneer, her hand cocked back as if to slap the Class 2C Iincho.
"Uh, of course! Coming right up, Fubuki!" said Tomoyuki, who inserted another token only to waste it again by losing immediately. "Dammit."
Unable to help herself, the "disguised" Seiko got a hold of Yamamoto's hands and instructed him how to play the crane game.
"Now listen carefully, Cherry Boy. First, pick your target carefully. You've already played enough to get a feel of the claw, right?"
She then touched his hand, the softness of which surprised him, as she told him, "Try maneuvering the prize into a better position. This machine gives you enough time to position the claw, so take your time."
Tomoyuki gulped as the taller girl got too close to him. The smell of shampoo on her hair and the softness of her hands distracting him. Electrifying him.
Making him long for the softness of another her. A more "untouchable" version of her. From more than just far away.
Aya, on her part, put her hands on her waist and tapped her foot at the pair, sighing and clearing her throat loudly.
But they couldn't hear her. At all. As though they were trapped in another world. Their own universe. With no parallel universe versions of themselves to worry about.
"THERE! Right there, Cherry Boy!" said the Amazon Queen with her heaving chest cushioning Yamamoto's back like a chair's backrest. "Take it! Take it now! It's all yours, baby! Take 'em all!"
They soon formed a crowd of their own, with the guys and the girls blushing at the whole exchange.
Thanks to Seiko's teachings, Tomoyuki got to snag a whole bunch of plush toys in one go. He was about to deliver them en masse unto the slot when he noticed all the eyes on him and how suggestive the Amazon Queen looked with the way she helped wriggle his... joystick.
"AAAH!"
"Hey! Watch out! EEEEK! WATCH IT! KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF!"
There was a crisp slap followed by profuse apologies.
Yamamoto's hand slipped right into Seiko's chest in true harem protagonist fashion, which led to a reflexive, "BAKA FURYOU-KUN (STUPID YANKEE)!" and predictable violence from the Amazon Queen.
"I'm sorry! It's an accident! AN ACCIDENT! OWIE!"
"Ah! Cherry Boy! Sorry! Did I hit you too hard?"  
From there, the whole bunch of the stuff toys fell back into the bin rather than out the claw machine's slot.
All except one: An ugly-cute cartoon snail doll that had its tag snagged by the tip of the claw at the last second.
Tomoyuki's reddened face (due to Seiko's handprint on his cheek) turned pale blue in realization. He screwed up in the middle of showing off!
'...Eh? Wait a minute, why was I showing off anyway? And in front of Fubuki, of all people!'
Speaking of Fubuki, she took the snail doll he'd gotten for her, frowning in a way that made it look like she'd just tasted something sour. Or maybe bittersweet.
"...Thank you," she told him.
"Uh, no problem," he answered, scratching his cheek.
He then caught Aya giving the flustered Amazon Queen a quick glance before she gave him a quick peck on the same cheek he just scratched.
Not knowing what else to do, Tomoyuki turned and faced Seiko, who had a slack-jawed expression on her face.
And in the Cherry Boy's heart of hearts, he found himself hoping that it was jealousy that was written all over Okamoto's face.
Even though earlier, her fit of violence was something she did while remembering her real crush and childhood friend, Kazuhito Sugata.
With the cherubic smile of a fallen angel, Aya then whispered to Tomoyuki, "Come with me. I have one last thing I want to do before we end our date," before holding his hand and leading him out of the arcade... to a chorus of cheers by everyone who witnessed the exchange there.
Stupidly, his mind in a haze like the Cherry Boy that he was after being kissed by a girl, he followed right after Fubuki like a lost dog.
He couldn't stop glancing back at the Amazon Queen though, who had slumped down on the floor with the Doraemon doll in her hand, her cap dropping, revealing her (sexy) disheveled hair.
***
Before Tomoyuki realized what was happening, he found himself in front of a hotel.
A love hotel.
From there, his memory became a blur. A whooshing motion blur from a high-speed roller coaster ride.
He could barely make out any details of what was going on, his body going on autopilot.
This wasn't really happening, wasn't it?
Then they were at the front desk of a hotel.
He then found himself paying for a room on that hotel.
With a girl beside him. A cute girl. A beautiful vision of... beauty with hair as long as the day and black as the night. And legs that went on forever.
Granted, she was a girl with an obnoxious personality (or set of personalities), but she was still pretty. And a girl.
What was he talking about again?
Soon, they ended up on an elevator. Then they went to their room with the number indicated on the room keys.
Was this some sort of elaborate prank by Matsuda again? Damn, that bigheaded jock just wouldn't leave him alone, would he?
Wow, the room looked nice. He'd been in hotel rooms before, but only when he and his parents ended up vacationing on some beach resort or had to take short flights to Hokkaido.
Besides, those were airport or resort hotels. Not love hotels.
Did he mention he was staying in a hotel room with a pretty girl? That was a big "first" for him.
After being turned down flat by several girls, he was now about to... Oh baby.
He gulped, his throat suddenly feeling quite dry.
Realizing the implications of the situation, he sat down on the bed and thought things through.
Could it be? Was he finally about to graduate from being a Cherry Boy to a real man?
Wait, why was he with a pretty girl in a hotel room anyway? That was quite unlike him, the Virgin King of Class 2B.
Tomoyuki Yamamoto ending up in a love hotel sounded like a setup to a joke just short of a punch line.
Oh right, he was on a date with Aya. But why though? Why would any girl date him?
Hey, he wasn't that bad with girls. Sure, in his first year alone, he got rejected by not one, not two, not three, but four girls. All of whom belonged in the so-called Sugata Harem in one way or another.
He was a beggar who was a chooser, after all.
But he improved in the end, didn't he? He made friends with Miku Machida, made amends with both Aya Fubuki and Yukari Goto, and even Student Body President Mana Otonashi had started talking to him again.
He wasn't as awkward around women as he was last year. He graduated from the "Nice Guy" mode of thinking with the help of his best friend Miku.
So it was perfectly fine for him to end up in bed with a girl who originally rejected him, right?
He regrouped. He improved. He evolved. So he... deserved this. Right?
Hell, he even had the audacity to try and woo Sugata's childhood friend and the girl whom he was closest with in his harem, Seiko Okamoto.
He wanted the Amazon Queen so bad that, by fate, serendipity, or coincidence, he ended up with the phone number of her AU self.
That was how he was able to learn all about her. Warts and all. From another her from another universe.
Wait.
What the hell was he doing with Aya Fubuki if he was in love with Seiko Okamoto?
"...."
Oh no. Oh nooo. Oh nononono. Oh Kami-sama, what did he just do? Stupid, stupid, stupid!
His hands gripping his hair almost to the point of pulling them out by their roots, Tomoyuki paced around the nice hotel room. That he paid for.
What kind of a thirsty pervert was he?!
He then remembered the last thing Aya told him before he had his epiphany.
"You stay right there. I'm just going to take a shower."
'AAAAAAHHHHH!' he screamed internally, finally noticing the sound of the running water inside the hotel bathroom.
He could've stopped this at any time. He could've said no. But he didn't, and he'd gone past the threshold of refusal.
The point of no return, perhaps?
Wait, he could leave a note and say he had something to do. Uh, like his part-time job or something.
Maybe flaking out on her wasn't the best-laid plans (of mice and men), but... but... he had no other choice!
Also, why was she suddenly enamored over him after all these months she hated him enough to lie about them dating? Was this how tsundere acted? Seemed kind of psychotic to him!
The worst part was that, even if nothing happened to them in the hotel, the fact that he went in a hotel in the first place with her would probably be enough to ruin his chances with Seiko forever!
He was just about to write his note when he heard knocking on the door. Did Aya order room service? He had no money left for that!
Anyway, fingers crossed, he hoped against hope that Okamoto would believe him when he said that he followed Aya by accident into a love hotel and he had no intention of sleeping with her. Kinda.
And so understandably, he fell to the floor butt-first in surprise when he saw that it was Seiko who was on the other side of the door. Like an actor from Vaudeville doing a slapstick standup (or sit-down) routine.
"I-It's not what it looks like. I can explain..." he started, feeling like an unfaithful husband caught red-handed in a hotel room with his mistress by his wife. Even though he had no reason to think that way.
To his surprise, an unusually quiet Okamoto asked him, "So did you two do it already? Did she pop your cherry, Cherry Boy?"
Well now. Nice to see she was blunt like usual.
She then slapped her forehead and mumbled what sounded like curses to herself before apologizing and saying, "Look, it's none of my business. I don't even know what I'm doing here. I'm sorry for bothering you two lovebirds. I'm also sorry for doubting you when you said that you and Aya-chin used to date. Goes to show what I know, right?"
The contrite Amazon Queen bowed at Tomoyuki and started to leave when, by instinct, the Cherry Boy grabbed hold of her arm and said, "Wait. Don't leave. I'm... I'm actually glad you came."
To his surprise, that actually worked. Seiko stayed.
She walked back to the doorway as he noticed for the first time her cap that hid her head full of hair that was usually tied in a ponytail.
She looked positively tomboyish. Heart-achingly so.
"I... I just happened to follow Fubuki back to this hotel," was the explanation he came up with in short notice.
Goddamn, that sounded so stupid. Even though it was true.
He also wanted to say he thought it was a prank, but that sounded even more like a lie than what he just said, even though it was also true.
Why was he being so stupid anyway? It was because he was thinking with his dick! That was why! He followed a girl to a hotel room without question like the naive virgin that he was.
"U-huh. Completely by accident, huh?" Seiko couldn't help but smirk.
"I don't know what I was thinking!" Or so he said, although he knew exactly what he was thinking, and so did Okamoto. "But I haven't slept with Fubuki. At all. Nor do I have any intention to do so."
"Well, why not? This is your big chance, Cherry Boy," Seiko brought up his nickname for emphasis.
"B-Because, like I told her, I'm already in love with someone," he said, his eyes never leaving hers. Unafraid of the implications behind his words.
"So you went to a hotel room with her and paid for it?" was the retort that he waited for Seiko to shoot back at him, but she never said it.
Instead, she stared back him and nodded. "You'd break Miku-chin's heart if you went through with this."
Ugh. Not this again. "No, I'm not in love with Machida! I'm in love with...!"
He then slammed the door in front of the Amazon Queen's face by reflex when he heard the bathroom door open.
AHHH! Stupid, stupid, stupid!
And out came Aya, her skin glowing, her long hair sopping wet, her naked body wrapped in nothing but a towel. A rather short towel, at that.
He ended up with his back against the door, his eyes staring at everything else but Fubuki.
He had never seen a cleaner hotel full of fresh sheets, nicely decorated walls, a flat-screen television set, a refrigerator full of overpriced drinks, and a nice view of the city.
The bed cushion was soft, the pillows were pure stuffing as well, and even the nearby lamp was nice. It... tied up the whole room.
Nothing too fancy, but not bad. It was worth whatever it was that he paid for it. Maybe.
"I'm done with my shower," Fubuki stated the obvious, cat-smiling and batting her half-lidded eyes at the Cherry Boy, her normal personality pretty much doing a one-eighty.
"W-We shouldn't do this," Tomoyuki said, pulling at his collar.
"Do what?" teased the coy Aya, which seemed rather unbecoming of the normally straight-laced Class Rep of Class 2C. "Don't get cold feet on me right now, Yamamoto-kun."
"I-I told you, I'm already in love with someone else!"
"Which is why you followed me all the way to a love hotel and paid for it?" came the retort Yamamoto was waiting for all this time. Fubuki then started playing with her towel. "Maybe I can change your mind...?"
"NOOOOO!"
Not only Yamamoto, but Okamoto screamed that word.
As Aya was about to take off her towel, Tomoyuki attempted to grab it with the intention of putting it back on her.
The door behind him opened, and out (or rather, in) stumbled the Amazon Queen. Right onto the Cherry Boy. Who ended up stumbling himself and accidentally ripping the towel off of Aya's body.
Then, to the chagrin of the pair, they ended up falling on the edge of the bed, making a mess of it, the pillows and bed sheet flying and ending up on the floor along with them.
"EEEEK!" screeched Seiko, grabbing hold of the damp towel in order to cover Tomoyuki's eyes with it. "Don't look, you pervert!" was what the tomboy said even though Aya was the one volunteering to take it off.
"...L-Look, I'm sorry if I led you on! I'm sorry if I came here without thinking! But I mean it when I say I'm in love with someone else!" cried Yamamoto while Okamoto kept pulling the towel over his face and cranking his neck at an odd angle. "OW! Stop that, Amazon Queen!"
However, Seiko suddenly stopped moving, which resulted in the towel slipping from the Cherry Boy's eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut, but his curiosity got the better of him, leading him to take a peek.
There stood Aya in all her naked glory. Or she would've had she not been wearing spats (spandex shorts) to cover up her nether regions. She was still topless though.
And yet something seemed missing from this picture. Fubuki's chest was as flat as a board.
Well, that wasn't unusual. Many Japanese girls were flat as boards themselves. Maybe Fubuki wore padded bras?
But then Tomoyuki's eyes went south of the border and saw something else of note.
A noticeable bulge on Aya's spandex shorts.
What?
No. No way.
Maybe her... (ahem) hair down there was unusually thick. Like an untrimmed hedge. Or even a forest. So that would explain the bump or bulge. Right?
'I mean, it can't possibly be... Nah. Of course not.'
Yamamoto then realized that Seiko was looking at the same thing as he was when he glanced back at her.
He saw eyes of wonder, confusion, and terror. She then asked the Cherry Boy, "Is that a bulge in her...?"
And then Aya began laughing. Or rather, cackling. Like an evil overlord about to go on a monologue.
"I would've preferred that you end up in a compromising position with me, but I guess this will have to do, Yamamoto-kun."
"...W-What?" stuttered Yamamoto, not knowing what was going on.
Thusly the two remained stock-still on the bed as the topless, flat- chested, and... spandex-bulging Fubuki retrieved her cellphone from her purse.
That proved to be a mistake.
And so Aya ended up with a digital photo of a disheveled Seiko sitting atop a damp-faced Tomoyuki beside a messy hotel bed that she took with her cellphone camera.
"A-Aya-chin, w-what's going on?" asked the Amazon Queen in a shaky voice.
"Oh, you haven't figured it out yet?" Aya took off her damp wig, revealing the short dry hair underneath it. "I'm not Aya. I'm her brother, Fubuki Akira."
***
Both Seiko and Tomoyuki stayed in the hotel lobby for a bit, staring blankly into the distance, before they both bid their farewells to each other.
Seiko was the first to leave. Tomoyuki told her to go ahead because needed another minute. Or hour.
He called in sick at his part-time work. He knew he couldn't make it there on time. Nor did he feel like working.
After buying a drink and snack from a vending machine, he went back to the empty hotel room (since it was already paid for) to gather his thoughts. Aya... no, Akira... was long gone by then.
Damn. Wasn't that something?
That was the last thing he expected her... him... to say. It seemed like something out of a movie.
Like Dustin Hoffman's character in "Tootsie". Or Ming-Na Wen's character in "Mulan". Or Jaye Davidson's character in "The Crying Game". Or Hillary Swank's character in "Boys Don't Cry".
Hell, that revelation in the end was very Tootsie-ish in its execution.
On that note, he really felt like crying right then and there.
Akira Fubuki, the younger brother of Aya that, Yamamoto realized, was about the same height and build as her, had admitted to "catfishing" the Cherry Boy when he was in first year high school.
Akira didn't like how, as he put it, Tomoyuki was "stalking" and "bothering" his big sister, so he pulled a prank on him to teach him a lesson.
Which, in retrospect, made a lot of sense.
The rumors. The anger Aya had when Yamamoto kept insisting that they had dated and she was lying about them not dating. The way Aya's personality was completely different from the "Aya" he dated.
Even the fact that Miku received the letter addressed to Seiko could also be explained away by Akira mistaking Seiko for Miku after overhearing the name from his sister.
Everything now had a... not-so-simple explanation. But an explanation nonetheless.
To reiterate, Akira Fubuki pretended to be his sister Aya in order to "catfish" Tomoyuki Yamamoto.
Tomoyuki kept repeating that statement inwardly but he still couldn't wrap his mind around it.  Seriously, what the hell?
The funny thing was that both the girl Fubuki and Tomoyuki ended up telling the truth after all.
'So let me get things straight,' thought the Cherry Boy while staring at the TV but not really watching the game show that was on.
Akira specifically put on his sister's clothes to impersonate her and go onto dates with Tomoyuki in her stead. This led to the misunderstanding later on that led to a falling out between Yamamoto and the Elder Fubuki.
Or maybe it wasn't a falling out, because technically, Tomoyuki never really met the real Aya until later on. He'd been dating her brother instead under false pretenses.
Akira also took a photo of him and the Amazon Queen in a rather compromising position in order to... what? Make them, or rather make Tomoyuki, suffer further by having blackmail material on him and the Seiko?
Man, Akira really must hate him go through all that trouble to catfish Yamamoto.
...Right?
Granted, his dedication to pranks aside, it was still embarrassing for Akira to go into drag and pretend to be a girl just to embarrass the Cherry Boy with his big reveal in the hotel.
They must've gone through so many dates. They were so many, in fact, that Yamamoto lost count. He had enough dates with Aya (actually Akira) to presume that they were now boyfriend and girlfriend.
But why did he do it? What the hell did the Cherry Boy do to deserve Akira's wrath and his methodical revenge plot in the first place?
Now that was the million-yen question.
The Friend Zone King couldn't quite buy Akira's excuse that his crossdressing was all for the sake of protecting his sister from him.
Why didn't Akira just allow Aya to reject Tomoyuki outright? Why go through all this trouble?
Come to think of it, didn't Akira already get what he wanted out of Yamamoto last year? The crossdresser ended up making his sister hate the Cherry Boy's guts by impersonating her and going on false dates with him.
What prompted the male Fubuki to bother Tomoyuki again after all this time?
And then it hit the Yamamoto. Of course.
Tomoyuki recently made up with Aya (sort of) when he prevented her from making that ill-timed love confession to Kazuhito Sugata.
Her jealous li'l brother with a siscon (Sister Complex) must've arranged this little revelation at the hotel to destroy the mended fences between Yamamoto and the female Fubuki.
But that backfired and Akira ended up taking the blackmail photograph of Yamamoto and Okamoto as a consolation prize.
Regardless, the twerp got him. He got him hook, line, and sinker.
***
Although Tomoyuki didn't feel like going back to school that Friday, he still went.
Might as well. He wasn't going to solve this mystery staring slack- jawed at his room's ceiling, feeling sorry for himself.
Seiko herself couldn't even look him in the eye that morning, but he didn't let the fact hurt his feelings or anything. He completely understood.
That night they had at the hotel was awkward for everyone involved.
The long weekend that would've let him sort his thoughts and feelings out aside, he had several important things to do that day.
Like apologize to Akira's sister, Aya.
'First thing's first.' He went straight to the entrance of Class-2C, waited for (the real) Aya Fubuki (and her "sidekick" Yukari Goto) to arrive, and bowed down to Aya in apology.
Oh boy, did he get the wrong impression of her. She really wasn't at fault at all for the dating rumors spread about him and her.
Neither was Tomoyuki, but at least now he knew the truth. They were both right about the situation in certain points of view.
The ever-cynical Aya pulled Tomoyuki aside and asked, "Did something happen? What's up with you?"
"I just wanted to apologize," Tomoyuki said, shrugging and avoiding her gaze. "I know I've been doing that a lot lately so it might sound shallow coming from me, but... I really am sorry."
Fubuki then crossed her arms and prodded, "...And?"
Yamamoto cleared his throat. "I was wondering if you know the classroom number of your brother, Akira."
The Class 2C Rep held herself, her arms folded tightly around her chest and wrinkled her nose at the Cherry Boy. "Why?"
"I just want to talk to him, okay?" he said, not knowing (or willing) to broach the subject of catfishing and crossdressing with Akira's big sister.
"But you've never even met..." Aya's eyes widened. "Oh no."
Shit. Did she realize the truth? Did Yamamoto let the cat out of the bag? Would Akira in turn send that compromising photo of him and Seiko to the whole school? Or to Sugata?
Fubuki then unfolded her arms, sighed, and said, "Look, I'll talk to my li'l bro. If he threatened you in any way after seeing that we've mended fences, then I have to apologize on his behalf. He's very protective of me. Please understand."
"I-It's nothing like that, I just want to talk to him!" Tomoyuki protested with a sigh (of relief) of his own before a little birdie in the form of Yukari blabbed, "Well, if that's the case, then Akira-kun belongs to Section 1A."
"...YUKARI-CHAN!" screeched Aya before pulling at the ditzy blonde's twin tails hard.
"OWIE! I'm sowie, Aya-chan!" cried the ditz, reasoning, "But Cherry-kun only wanted to talk to your bro! What's the harm in that?"
"Class 1A, huh?" said the Cherry Boy, scratching his chin. "Right. I guess I'll go talk to him then. Thanks, Goto!"
"Waaait, what for? What did he say to you?" insisted Aya, who began to look more like the Aya of old with her frown and glare.
Tomoyuki raised his arms in surrender and backpedaled. "Nothing bad! I promise! I just want to clear the air with Fubuki Akira! It's not like we're going to end up in a fist fight or something...!'
Serendipitously, Yamamoto ended up literally bumping into his classmate, the Judo Club President and one of the Four Kings of Class 2B, Kanemoto.
Yep. Matsuda's friend Kanemoto. Or Matsuda #2. Or the bishonen (pretty boy) version of Matsuda. That Kanemoto.
"...Fubuki Akira? You're looking for Fubuki Akira? Hahaha! Cherry Boy, are you off to have a rematch with him?" Kanemoto asked, overhearing their conversation.
Yamamoto would've just cowered away from one of his regular bullies had he not taken a double-take at what the Judo Club President said. "Uh, rematch? W-What are you talking about Kanemoto?"
The sneering jock nudged Yamamoto's side. "Aw, come on. Don't be coy. You two got in a slap fight over me back in junior high. You wanted first dibs over yours truly and Fubuki Akira was your love rival."
Tomoyuki stuttered, "W-What the heck are you...?" before he felt a chill in his spine.
"Yamamoto-kun! You're going to have a fist fight over my li'l brother!?"
"AH! Aya-chan! I mean, Fubuki! Of course, I'm not! Don't believe Kanemoto's lies...!" so he said, but a feeling of déjà vu hit him.
And so the puzzle pieces in his mind began to fit. He remembered who Akira was.
This wasn't the first time they met, and he wasn't referring to their fake dates.
***
By some miracle, Tomoyuki Yamamoto got away from Akira Fubuki's protective sister in one piece.
Yamamoto guessed that his wimpy demeanor in the face of Kanemoto's "outlandish" accusations let him off the hook.
For the first time, Aya gave Tomoyuki the benefit of the doubt. She probably reasoned, "Why would the bullied Cherry Boy ever start a fist fight with my li'l bro?"
Ironically, the one time she trusted him was the one time she shouldn't have.
Kanemoto was right. Yamamoto did fight the younger Fubuki brother. And it was over the infamous jock.
No, not because they wanted to win Kanemoto's heart (or at least, as far as Yamamoto was concerned, that wasn't the case).
This stain in Tomoyuki's past was part of the reason why he believed that he completely deserved most of the bullying done to him all this time.
***
To Be Continued...
It's a trap! The trap arc is almost over with. What else is in store for Yamamoto and his Non-Harem? Stay "tuned"!
Farewell, Abdiel
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