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[fernsensei]

ше більше штук по ден-о

і моє улюблене за всіх найгірших причин

[sonianvmd]

thh characters with a crush on you

warnings: none, maybe some swearing but otherwise nothing major

oH and mentions of murder and death but this is danganronpa so im going to assume u expected as much

a/n: so we kickin this blog off with a bang, writing for LITERALLY THE ENTIRE TRIGGER HAPPY HAVOC CAST LMFAOAOAOAO (excluding hifumi, yasuhiro, and the two despairs doe bc i’ve already made that clear)

also some character’s sections are shorter than others im sorry i just couldnt think of as many bullet points for them *tiktok cry emoji*

edit: I FORGOT CELSESTE FU K SORRY

spoilers under the cut!!

★ 彡 ★ ミ ★ 彡 ★ ミ ★

makoto naegi

when he realizes he likes you, he doesn’t necessarily panic or anything, but he does get nervous

nervous around you, that is

y’all saw how he was with sayaka

if he says anything that might sound intimate then he’ll immediately rephrase it or reassure he didn’t mean anything by it

he really only does have good intentions but his wording just kinda flops sometimes

he appreciates how you listen to him and value what he says

you don't make him feel dumb or inferior compared to a bunch of ultimates with actual talents

he’ll muster up the courage to tell you eventually

let’s hope his luck comes through 😁

byakuya togami

now when THIS man realizes he likes you, he a bitch nigga bout it 😐

he can't believe he fell for a common plebeian such as you

but it was hard not to

the way you preferred to get to the point

the way you were aware of your situation and didn't sugarcoat how you felt about it, although you certainly were nicer with it than him

he's ruthless

anyways

you knew your priorities and spent no time trying to use your resources

he noticed how much you had in common; in you, he saw himself

and we all know how this mf feels about himself 😐

he’ll be quick to defend you in class trials

he won’t realize he’s doing it but he just subconsciously protects you

but just because he doesn't notice it, don't mean the rest of the class brushes past it as well

yeah they on his ass LMFAOO

kyoko kirigiri

kyoko is very good at keeping her composure so she won’t be very obvious

she’ll probably just hang around you more

she’ll also defend you in class trials, calmly

“oh, it couldn’t have been [name]. i remember seeing them in their dorm around the time the murder took place.”

hifumi probably finna say some dumb shit like “aye what was you doin in their dorm doe” but anyways

she finds you respectable

if you have anything to contribute, she’ll let you take the floor

when she tells you, she’s very composed, but also very indirect LMFAO

she’s not too sure on how to express her interest in you but maybe she’ll go about it like “well, [name], now we’ve made it here, would you like to step back into the world with me?” or somethin else along those lines idk

take her hand

pls

toko fukawa

y’all know her whole “master togami” shtick

yeah so 😁😁😁😁

no but fr, toko ofc still has her borderline stalkerish 🧍🏾‍♀️ tendencies

she’ll often find herself staring at you, either in the library or in the morning meetings everyday at breakfast

but she isn’t as straight forward as she is with byakuya

i actually think she’d be mad shy and non confrontational

the whole thing she kept up with him ? yeah, never again

if you approach her first then she’ll be able to get a few words out but for most of the conversation, she’ll just nervously play with her braids

you’ll most likely put two and two together

unless ur a makoto kinnie bc then you’ll have to wait till someone else puts it in place for u but anyways

if you decide to approach her about it, you’ll kinda be backing her into a corner bc she’s just bad at deflecting things lmao

she’ll eventually confess (begrudgingly but hey i mean its better than nothing)

expect much stuttering and a gesture like giving you a small gift

and not to be that writer that uses japanese terms in english writing but toko seems like a tsundere but not really if that makes sense?? so she’d probably shove it in your hands and if you try to say something then she’ll just try to play it off as not a big deal lol

calls u a baka 😍😍

aoi asahina

i know y’all all see how she is with sakura

yeah.

aoi is the kind of person who’d like to spend time with their crush rather than shy away from them

she values you and your friendship very much

bring her donuts

just trust me bring her donuts

she doesn’t really realize she’s into you like that for a while but believe me, she is, the whole time

and yeah i think she’d be nervous to tell you bc that’s just natural but ultimately she’d be cool about it

uh oh looks like we goin for a swim

sakura ogami

similar to kyoko, she’s very calm

despite her big and bad appearance, she really is a sweet girl

she cares for you and your well-being very much

will indeed go on x games mode for you

the way she tells you is very sincere and well spoken

kith her

naow

im sorry this is like the shortest one i couldn’t think of much for her 😔😔

leon kuwata

flirtatious ass mf

and he’s lightskin

so this just cannot go well

y’all know that bit where it’s like the guy yawns and stretches his arms up and then wraps one around your shoulder

yeah that’s literally him LMFAOO

he’s very confident

he was fairly well known with the ladies at his old school so you know he’s rhockin wit it ‼️

but

you feel.. different than usual ??

those girls were just lil flings n dates bc he was nice enough to accept their confessions and it boosted his ego anyway so it was a win win

but you

he was genuinely interested in you since he had saw you the first time

he didn’t just acknowledge your appearance

he learnt about your personality and your hobbies and what you liked and such, and he really cared and wanted to hear you talk about it all

he felt the need to really make an effort to show you how much he respected and had affections for you

he doesn't tell you in a grand way

probably just asks you out to a movie or somethin

he's chillin

mondo owada

you know

for being the biggest, baddest, most respected biker gang leader

or just for being in a biker gang period

mondo’s a huge softie lol

yeah he gets violent but he’s a sweet guy who cares about and is loyal to his friends

so mfs need to be nice to you

or they gettin whooped

when he decides it’s time to tell you how he feels, he thinks over his words and he’s all confident there’s no way you’d reject him but then he sees you in the halls and goes 🧍🏾 LMFAOOO

he’ll push through but it’s like he’ll walk up to you and look away from you because he refuses eye contact and just go

“so y/n, would you wanna.. tch.. come to a drive-in movie with me or somethin’?... dumbass.”

real smooth mondo i think you got em good job

please tease him LMFAOO it’d be so funny

he’d probably yell but you can tell he’s not mad so you just keep going with it

but once you’re done tormenting him, you do agree to the movie, don’t worry 🙏🏾

also mondo would call his s/o doll

that is all

chihiro fujisaki

my fav dude in a dress <3

chihiro would be quite shy, but that’s just how he is tbh so no surprise there

he’s very kind so he’d check up on you often just to see how you are

he cares about you v much

the way he confesses is one that consists of a red face as he offers you a box of candy or something similar

and he’d feel honored that you reciprocate his feelings

he’d be very scared to tell you his secret but once he does, he’s delighted to hear it doesn’t make any difference to you

he doesn’t know how he got so lucky with you

not only because woooo they like me back but also because you like him despite,, well everything about him LMFAOO

sweet lil boy

i’d feel like he’d talk about you to alter ego a lot

and when u meet the program for the first time, he’s like “oh! you must be [name]! master’s told me all about you :)”

sobbing i miss him

kiyotaka ishimaru

okay here’s the thing

if taka were to like someone

i can’t tell whether he’d be more strict because he doesn’t want them to get in trouble (and also so it would hopefully divert any suspicion that he DOES like you since he treats you the same as everyone else, only more)

or if he’d hold back more because he favors them LMFAOO

so imma write a lil bit for both

in the case that he was even stricter:

he’d prefer to be around you because he believes the best way he can make sure you stay out of trouble is to make sure you don’t get into any in the first place

of course it’s impossible to monitor you every second of every day but he does his best to make sure you’re doing well

if he sees you do anything out of line, he’s shutting that shit down IMMEDIATELY

but in the case he let up:

he’d still lecture you but noticeably less than the other students

if your feet were resting on top of a desk, he’d ask you to move them and then leave you alone rather than yell at you and forcibly move them himself

if you notice his behavior towards you in comparison to the other students do not tease him about it he will go as red as his eyes /hj

either way he’s confessing to you with a polite but exaggerated bow while holding out a well thought out letter with both hands

sayaka maizono

she will tell you

idk why but i feel like she’d be straight up lol

she’d make sure she’s sincere

she is the ultimate pop idol and all so she wants to make sure you know that she really does like you and isn’t playing a sick joke on you or anything

ok bc

while i do think she’d tell you

i’d feel like she’d be a little indirect just to see how you feel

like she’d give you a free ticket to one of her upcoming concerts with a kind smile

and naturally, you're like :o

and of course you come to support her

and seeing you smile at her from the crowd and cheer her on was the encouragement she needed to push her to ask you out

for real this time

she asks if you wanna come to a concert with her and ur like “oh yeah i love ur shows!!” bc ur dumb and then she’s like “no i mean.. for another artist” and eventually it hits you that she’s asking you out and ur like “oH YEAH YEAH SURE THAT SOUNDS GREAT YEAH OK” LMFAOO

———

i really hope that this is good LMFAOO this is my first time writing for dr so 😃👍🏾

fun fact i finished toko’s section first and taka’s last 😁😁

and i’d like to thank @mius-imagination @bloodygir n the rest of the discord for helping me figure some of these characters out *simultaneously whips and nae naes*

bye ive been working on this for like weeks this took forever

———

edit: here’s a deleted section bc i kept blanking for this character 😍

[skipps-writes-for-gojo-satoru]

I'm not sure Gojo has ever even shown an interest to any girls.

He calls Utahime weak and teases her by making fun of her, essentially- which she hates. Mei Mei is incredibly strong and beautiful, and Gojo acknowledges her skill but that's it. I also noticed that in the anime (the manga doesn't have honorifics, so please correct me if I'm wrong) but he calls her Mei-san rather than Mei Mei. Therefore, I don't think he ever tried to get much closer to her than the interactions we've seen. When she asks him if he'd comfort her if she cried, he tells her that's she strong- she wouldn't cry. I thought it was interesting that while Mei Mei's question was slightly flirty, Gojo answered so simply, without any teasing.

He calls Shoko by her first name, which is understandable since they spend more time together being in the same grade. He realizes that her ability is rare and useful, but like with Utahime and Mei Mei he doesn't go any further than that. He mostly speaks to her about work related things and doesn't flirt or tease much at all.

Honestly, I think Gojo actually respects his female colleagues and mostly pokes fun at Utahime because she's so uptight and strict. Shoko and Mei Mei are more relaxed and self-assured, and Gojo recognizes their skills and compliments them for it rather than teasing them. I doubt Gojo really thinks Utahime is truly weak more than he just loves riling her up. Other than that, Gojo's pretty respectful.

Also, in the Hidden Inventory arc, Gojo was bombarded with screaming from all the girls excited to see him. Other than pulling his shades down so they could see his face- after they asked him to, btw- he didn't really do much else. He didn't even react much to the teacher giving him her phone number. His only comment was "what a fun school," and it's interesting to see that while lots of girls do appreciate his looks, he acts only mildly amused.

Other than that one model as his wallpaper, we don't really see Gojo flirt or show interest with anyone. He only really teases Utahime to piss her off- I suspect he hates how much she follows the rules like Nanami does, who he teases often as well. He likely just enjoys annoying people so stern because rules just don't sit well with him (especially because of what those "rules" had done to Geto).

It's just a possibility, but he could be one of those guys who's more interested in work than pleasure- I know, he's handsome, but not all handsome people are players and cheaters. I think that's a horrible stigma and a lot of attractive people irl are judged and criticized solely for their looks. People make too many assumptions on someone just based on their genes, and I think it's pretty shallow to think Gojo's a womanizer just because he's attractive. And he knows he's attractive- but when did being confident in yourself make you a philanderer? Gojo has never used his looks manipulatively at all.

It's definitely a possibility that he would be a womanizer, but I'd say it's unlikely based in what we've seen. To sum it all up, Gojo doesn't show interest in anyone. He teases Utahime often, likely for the same reason be teases Nanami- they're too uptight. Shoko and Mei Mei are both incredibly skilled and beautiful sorcerers, and he does acknowledge and compliment them for it, but he doesn't tease or flirt with them. He's respectful, and he works with them as his colleagues. He didn't get distracted by the teen girls fawning over him either, or suddenly get overtly cocky or show off, only sliding his glasses down so they could see his face, and even then he acted only mildly amused. Also, when Miwa asked him for a picture, he didn't even stay and chat with her or anything (I know she's a minor, but if he truly was a womanizer, he would have at least stayed to hear her compliment him or anything to feed his ego) Maybe ask her "Oh, you want a picture with me? The strongest? How cute~" A flirty comment, a joke, something to fuel his own ego, but he doesn't do that. He doesn't act in a way that conveys he openly pursues attention from women. He just takes the picture with her and walks off casually.

Therefore, other than the fact that he's handsome- and I know many people who would assume things about someone based on their attractiveness, which is a terrible stereotype- Gojo doesn't show much interest in flirting at all. He could be the type of guy who works more than plays- and there's plenty of guys who are handsome but aren't super interested in playing around. Being handsome doesn't automatically mean he's the type to sneak around and have affairs here and there. It's completely realistic for a handsome man to be uninterested in any kind of relationships- not all men are sex crazed, and being a tease to his friends doesn't make Gojo a flirt either. Teasing your friends is perfectly normal.

Therefore, Gojo being a 28 year old virgin is totally possible- not everyone's a sex crazed teen who only thinks about what's between their legs, and basing it on what normal Japanese teens do is unfair. Neither Gojo or his lifestyle is exactly normal, and there's definitely barriers when it comes to experiencing normal youth activities for Gojo's generation- especially Gojo's generation. Yuji's generation definitely has more freedom to do fun things because of what Gojo has done to give the youth more freedom- things he hasn't been able to experience himself in his youth, like playing baseball during the exchange event. That was the first time they ever did something different to tradition, and that was only because of Gojo's consideration.

Gojo's youth was filled with blood, exorcising, and choosing between life and death. The deaths Yuji and co. witnessed were what Gojo experienced as well, if not worse. Gojo's task in his youth was to protect the weak, and he found that burdensome. At least, until Geto betrayed them, and Gojo realized the new burden he had to bear in changing the Jujutsu world because of what it had done to his only best friend.

There are definitely more important things in Gojo's mind than just losing his virginity, like saving people and choosing who to save, whether he should kill or not kill.

Gojo is the strongest, but he also bears the biggest burden- and that burden is something he chose to bear, and being the strongest is something he chose to be. Because before Geto left, it was "We are the Strongest." Now, Gojo worked tirelessly so that he could say "I am the Strongest."

And that's not something you can do while sleeping around. I think a lot of people fail to recognize just how hard Gojo works for himself and others. They just think, oh he's the strongest, so it should be easy for him. But it's really, really not that simple, is it? Especially when you have to do it on your own, and even then Gojo realizes that his strength alone isn't enough to save people. He can't save everyone by himself- It's not enough for just him to be the Strongest, so he works diligently to build and inspire his students to stand with him.

He's actually a very deep and emotional man who cares about his students and especially, even now, his best friend. Everything he does is for their sake- he sacrifices the normal life he could have lived, like Nanami had done, for their sake. And he fights with the higher ups, takes the brunt of their ire, and laughs it off, acting as if he fine, like a dad pretending he's superman for his kid's sake. But Gojo is burdened, and he's tired, and he hardly sleeps, and he has the most missions- he's the Strongest, which means everyone needs him, and he bears it.

Sorry for ranting again tho. I think I went into two different topics lol oops- 🤔

OUR SAVIOR 🤔 EDUCATING PEOPLE pay attention ya'll another thing I've noticed in the latest episode is that in his phone contacts he actually writes Utahime's name properly like formally no emojis or teasing shit he actually sees them as his colleagues people he can rely on his field of work and yes about the whole thing when he bursted into riko's class man was absolutely clueless just silent as a teacher tries to give him his number. I'm pretty sure as a child Gojo wasn't allowed to attend public schools due him being in danger or putting others in danger so he doesn't know much about public schools or normal people in general since he spends all his time with people from the jujutsu society.

That is definitely true just because someone is good looking that doesnt mean he's some cheap womanizer. I see a lot of people shipping him and Utahime together which is understandable ship who you like but I don't think Gojo as any ulterior motives like wooing Utahime by teasing her he just is plainly teasing ya know like friends do but in this case Utahime hates his guts and he doesnt know. I mean it takes some amount of hate to try to throw hot tea at someone 😂

While certainly I agree Gojo's teen like wasn't the best it was like he literally had a full time job at that age but who's to stay he didn't go messing around one time? I'm sure during his teen days he wanted to experience things he didnt get to to but now could because he lives on his own now. But maybe he didnt at all who knows? Which also raises another question, I wonder if he has any romantic experiences? And this was all before what happened in the hidden inventory arc after that I can see him more becoming invested in his duty and with what happened with geto as well would of definitely had a huge impact on him to try harder even though hes the strongest so that the next generation wouldn't have to experience the things he went through.

It's really sad if you really think about it what hes been through and what he has to shoulder all while keeping the facade that he's okay, I bet there were times he cursed his powers and his life....but he bears with it anyways because everyone is counting on him....

And don't be sorry at all! I am actually really learning alot about Gojo from you. Please continue to tell us your thoughts and feelings. I don't mind at all ❤ and thank you for taking the time to write 💕

[junicai]

Relationship with WAYV

➣ KUN ☾ karia

if it wasn’t for dotae potentially coming to kill him, he would steal aria into wayv

he’s the cool dad? 

they can’t spend a lot of time together because none of their schedules match up, but aria takes every third or so weekend out to come have dinner in the wayv dorms

she’s surprisingly close to the china line, and its a combination of ten dragging her to his dorm for an entire month and them just kinda adopting her when they realized she was a foreigner as well 

yuta can fight them, she’s one of them now

he doesn’t like to baby her a lot, and she really appreciates the break from being the “maknae” so to speak 

however does that stop him from giving her the forehead kithes? no

aria sad? forehead kith

aria mad? forehead kith

aria smad? forehead kith + kuddles (kun cuddles)

he has sent her a passive agressive text when he found out that she wasn’t eating enough again and had almost passed out

but he finished it with a heart so its ok

if she isn’t smiling at all times, someone will die

aria feels like she can trust him with a lot; that no matter what she tells him, he’ll never out her or make fun of her

kun actually took a two-week online course to learn how to make traditional japanese dishes when aria mentioned missing her parents

he originally was going to learn how to make irish dishes, but he changed his mind after seeing what they were

“im not giving my kids boiled cabbage and mashed potatoes what kind of post world war-”

wants to give her a chinese name but hasn’t yet because he hasn’t found the one that fits her right and he wants it to be perfect 

aria teaches him japanese phrases in exchange for him teaching her a little bit of mandarin

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT.

aria saw kun’s back as she entered the practice room, the man standing with three other members in the centre of the floor before the choreographer came in to start their practice. coming up behind him, she wrapped her arms around his waist, peeking her head around from where she was. “hi!” she smiled brightly.

“hi,” ten chuckled, showing her the camera that had just filmed all of that. 

➣ TEN ☾ tenaria

Whipped(TM)

so so gone for her its upsetting actually

yangyang and aria share the position of his baby 

except aria willingly accepts the title while yangyang would rather fling himself from a rooftop

ten’s instagram is half his cats, half miyazu aria

he posts her dancing practice on his story a lot, with a variety of captions ranging from “thats my baby  ♡( ◡‿◡ )” to “yah that’s not right...(눈_눈)”

such an enabler for her bad ideas 

aria wants to go shopping at 4am? ten agrees, now they’re sitting by han river eating ice cream

pls he’s gonna get her in so much trouble one day

when they walk together, ten likes to take her hand and put it in his pocket 

its under the pretense of not wanting her to get lost 

he just wants to hold her hand

yes he has lost her in a shopping mall, and NO it wasn’t his fault

ten always complains that they never have schedules together and he misses his baby 

“we have superm-” “I NEVER SEE YOUUUU (ﾉಥ益ಥ)ﾉ”

if they’re in the same room ten is either watching her out of the corner of his eye, or is actually wrapped around her like a boa constrictor 

hugs n kithes all around

only he is allowed make fun of her mistakes in dancing 

anyone else gets deaded. he will fight for her honor how dare you insult his baby 

sm give these ttwo a dancing duo video pls 

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT. 

the first and only time aria and ten had a duet was during their last concert on superm’s first world tour. during the second half of ten’s solo performance, aria emerged from the left side of the stage, coming to join him in the centre stage. no one had ever seen aria as serious as she was then, both herself and ten becoming completely different people in the moment. midway through, aria spun with her back to ten and leaped backwards into the air - eyes closed - completely trusting ten to be where she needed him to be to catch her. 

➣ WINWIN ☾ winria

a love hate relationship at its finest

they don’t actually hate each other it’s just really funny to pretend that they do (especially because yuta complains that 2 of his favourite people aren’t getting along)

winwin is so savage towards aria but it’s ok she claps back twice as hard

at first, before czennies had seen enough of their dynamic they thought that they actually did hate each other

but that’s not true they just don’t know how to express, affection, without brutally insulting the other with a loving tone

they are, surprisingly, the most stable pairing in 127 - they have a dynamic and rarely stray from that, which is a good comfort for the fans

despite what they might say to each other, they don’t mean any of it - and winwin has been seen several times raising his eyebrows with a questioning look at aria to make sure she wasn’t taking any of his playful jabs to heart

oh god the flexibility

the entirety of nct is terrified of them

the day sm gives them a circus act is the day that kun and taeyong have a heart attack

quietly supportive of each other - catch aria “playing” with a water bottle and not getting up to get it when it conveniently rolls across the floor and into winwin’s leg

he makes sure to save some new chinese sweets whenever the wayv members get packages from their familes, and sneak it into aria’s room before the managers can catch her breaking her diet

not really physically affectionate with each other, which played into czennies idea that they didn’t like each other but aria cleared it up in a vlive

“winwinnie and I, well. we don’t hug a lot because i know he doesn’t like it as much as i might, so i try to show him i care with other things :)”

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT.

winwin and aria going in to each other on knowing brothers, to the point where the mc’s had their eyes popping out of their head and waved about to stop the segment before aria could start attacking winwin’s cooking methods-

nothing is off limits when it comes to them

➣ LUCAS ☾ arihei

besties 

please they’re so cute together - tol child next to tini child she barely comes up to his chest :(

bear hugs

he just swamps her in his arms, and when he doesn’t feel like being bent over he picks her up 

complains that she’s too heavy but then immediately after will throw her around like a softball 

someone tell this man to be careful with her she’s not a barbie doll 

singular braincell energy

don’t get it wrong, they’re both super smart 

so it’s just - being smort together, but then nearly dying because neither of them remembered that you couldn’t eat raw cookie dough when there are eggs in it

she adores how he’s so confident in the things that he does - like convincing the entire nct fandom that he was fluent in english? king behaviour

so aria looks up to him (literally) but also because she wants to have that confidence some day 

lucas says they’re not close and then aria pouts and he takes it all back

nczennies made a 14 minute compilation titled “lucas melting like a popsicle in australia for aria” 

and literally what the title tells you, this man goes :(( when he sees her 

lucas was actually the person to convince her to go ahead with the [redacted] proposal - and reminded her that it was too good an opportunity to pass up just because she felt like she was outgrowing the boys

he’s so proud of her

and she’s so proud of him 

they’re so proud of each other and it makes nczennies want to cry because they never are seen together 

sm stop separating the platonic soulmates first markhyuck and now arihei smh

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT.

during a photoshoot, aria was standing off to the side of the boys, dressed in white suit to contrast the boys’ black ones. the photographer was calling out to her to get her to move closer, but she couldn’t hear him from so far away, and so lucas (who was on the end) just walked over to her, gripped her by the biceps and lifted her vertically and to the left a little bit. 

“luc-LUCAS?”

“you had to move :)”

➣ XIAOJUN ☾ arijun

honestly these two aren’t super close, just because their schedules never matched up until the NCT 2020 promotions

even when aria was dragged to the wayv dorms, xiaojun kept his distance from her because he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable 

even so, when they were filming Make A Wish together, they seemed comfortable enough around each other

there was a mutual agreement to not try fill the silence with awkward small talk, so they sat in silence when left alone together

they’re both shy :( someone needs to get them to talk to each other :(

even so, aria was all supportive smiles and thumbs-up when she saw him getting nervous before their first public stage as the unit 

he was a little intimidated of her at first, but also really curious about how she was holding her own against the other members

not only physically, but her vibes are tiny let the man be concerned ok

his first impression of aria was just: small quiet? she was sitting apart from the other boys in the practice room, and he almost wanted to go over and ask her if she was ok; before she was approached by donghyuck and her face broke into a bright smile 

aria’s first impression of xiaojun was: eyebrows he was really handsome? at first, she thought he was in the wrong room, seeing as the SM modeling auditions were happening in the next room down

any arijun shippers are starved of content im so sorry guys 

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT. 

currently still up for debate between the fandom :(

➣ HENDERY ☾ aridery

ah these two 

you might as well sign a waiver if you decide to do anything with them, because they can and will get you killed 

kun can testify

ten’s the enabler but hendery is the do-er

super giggly around each other, for no reason at all

hendery could pick up and throw a basketball and suddenly aria’s on the floor in literal stitches 

have a secret code 

no seriously

they don’t text in words, they just send various reaction memes and a colourful variety of emojis to convey emotions and scenarios 

it’s become quite a beautiful language actually 

got some nice proverbs in there

they’re like, cousins but the ones you only see at family reunions but get so hype to see them

that energy 

asides from the chaotic, murderous vibes they possess as a duo

hendery knows what it’s like to miss home, to miss your parents, etc etc

and so he tries to make aria feel as home as possible - especially with wayv, because they’re all foreigners who know how she feels 

whenever he gets packages from his parents who have sent things over, he always makes sure to keep some of the small treats/sweets back for aria

1. because he knows she’ll appreciate the thought and she gives good hugs

2. because he knows she’s on a diet constantly and never allowed eat these things when she’s in the dorms with managers around 

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT. 

filming the Resonance “Wish” event, aria was put in a skimpy minimalistic mock-suit to differentiate from the others’ clothes. unfortunately, that left aria with a little too much shoulder and chest on display than she would like, and she was noticeably uncomfortable with her clothes, constantly pulling it up and even going so far as to just hold it with her hands. 

hendery saw this, and knew he was finished filming his segment for the time being, so he pulled off his own jacket and tossed it over to aria, who caught it with a grateful smile. “thank you,” she mouthed to him, tugging the dark blue material over her shoulders.

➣ YANGYANG ☾ ariyang

aria. has 9 days of age on this boy and will never let him forget it

���respect your elders you brat” “9. DAYS.”

european pals 

they feel so cultured when they get asked about europe, and then are kindly reminded by hendery that A. Germany started 2 world wars, and B. Ireland was just a British colony until 100 years ago. 

they both hit him for that

aria teaching him curse words in irish and yangyang teaching her curse words in german? more likely than you’d think 

they met before yangyang’s debut was announced, in a practice room that had let them accidentally overlap their practice times 

instead of working it out between them, they actually just started to alternate their songs - and the other gave them some good, constructive criticism 

most of the time

when they found out they were going to be in 90s Love together, they were so happy 

it was going to be their first official schedule together

all the behind-the-scenes videos are just aria and yangyang being children and then ten coming over and cooing at them 

they love ten, but they will trash talk the man behind his back 

yangyang confessed to her that he sometimes feels nervous when speaking korean, like he’s going to make a big mistake

so she tries her best to teach and correct him where she can, and make him as comfortable as possible 

if you look at any of the 90s Love promotions - aria is always beside yangyang

he bit her ear once

she doesn’t know why and he won’t tell her

but now when she makes fun of him, he threatens to do it again 

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT. 

aria skating onto the rink during filming, and yangyang following her because she promised to teach him how to skate backwards.

“ok just, think like you’re leading with your heels. press your knees in, and push outwards, with you-no no that’s forwards. go backwards yangyang.”

“no no no thats a WALL YANGYANG STOP-” 

[jar-full-of-pixel-hearts]

Sugar Kiss part 4

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 

Space Force Netflix

Fuck Tony Scarapiducci x Reader

Notes: That part was plan for the start of that story, but end up being sadly kind of pretty short but, keep writing it would totally mess the next part, so I hope you will still enjoy it.  

* English is not my first language, I tried really hard to correct myself but, I hope you will excuse me if some mistakes are still there.  

—-

Space Force @ Spaceforce  1h

@ Moonlightcake I heard that your cake is as much pretty and sweet that the shop owner is that true ? 

|

|

Moonlight Cake @ Moonlightcake30 min

Well, it’s a really flattering rumor. I also heard that the kiss of a spaceman is as sweet as sugar. Did the spacemen hear about their 10% off if they came in store and said boots on the moon ?

After that famous night at the cake shop, you hadn’t been able to see F. Tony as much as you wanted. Like a good person, he had texted you to once again,apologize and informed you of the reason why Naird had interrupted you with so many calls. Apparently, they had to go to a really important meeting in D.C, an assembly even F. Tony had to attend with the Doctor and the General. Use to see him not that often, it didn't bother you, knowing that you could still visit the base and find a way to see him. But, life isn't usually not as planned and even despite your best effort, you end up not being able to see each other for two whole weeks. 

Relaying to text, pictures or videos of funny things of your days. The interaction casually started as he was still in Washington with a selfie with your failed attempt at a caramel souffle ( bake during a way too busy day for making a souffle) with the crying emoji.

Reply by F.Tony with a picture of what looks like a group dresses like in the handmaid’s tale supporting sign commented with “ They came in the wrong day LMAO.” 

“ I didn’t realize how much D.C looks sad now...I couldn't even find a good cinnamon bun here...what do you put in yours to make them so good...Can't wait to come back…” 

“ It’s a secret recipe, even Naird files aren't as secret as mine. But, if you can, I can maybe show you how to make them ? “ 

“ I’m a terrible cook, be aware. I come back tomorrow but I don’t know when I will be free. Naird seems happy but he just tells me about a lot of stuff we have to do. I will give you some news. Can’t wait to see you again.” 

“Can’t wait too” 

But, the twitter flirt, remained one of your favorite interactions with the media manager. Giving you a feeling of stability as your relationship was starting to finally go forward.  

Moonlight Cake @ Moonlightcake 1 min

Hey @ Spaceforce did you know that Japanese have a story about a princess on the moon ?

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Space Force @ Spaceforce  1h

@ Moonlightcake I didn’t know, but for us you're the only princess we want to bring with us on the moon. 

It was also what brought you that sunny afternoon to the space base.

After the success of the promotion for the spacemen who had made your sale totally explose. You had decided to pay your uncle a visit, bringing with you the new sweet and salty combo you had worked so hard on. Informed by him of a visit of a rich woman who tried to sell his clean fuel to the general. You had decided to go in the afternoon, hoping with a chance, surprise F.Tony and convince him to have dinner with you. 

It had, indeed, been a surprise, but not exactly the one you were expecting.  

---

That whole journey had been, to F.Tony, a roller coaster of emotions and bad memories. Joy, disgust, anger, jealousy, fear,pride, relief. So, when the whole disastrous visit came to an end, the tall media specialist had a hard time to minimize his eagerness to see his old rival leaving. 

Still insisting on walking the pretentious media manager to the car, playing their good old game of who’s bigger than who and who will end up working for who. He discovered himself at losing focus of the exchange, replying almost by reflex while his mind was mentally doing silly comparison.   

Even after one year in Colorado, he was still missing his old life in a bigger city. The noise of busy roads,people wearing suits and business clothes everyday, stores and clubs staying open all night, being able to have good sushi at every corner.

 All those things he like so much  and that sneaky woman was remembering him only staying in front of him with his Jimmy choo shoes and her designer dress. But the small town wasn’t that bad either. Most of the people were nice, the food was way cheaper and most important of all, you lived there. You, with your warm smile, cute casual look and most important, the fact that he can totally trust you. 

Replying to her last repartee, sure to win their little battle. He could never have predicted the abrupt way she grabbed his tie and the sudden feeling of lips against his,her tongue invading his mouth. 

Replying at first to the kiss, letting his old attractions for that snake of a woman win, he immediately regains his mind when the soft memory of you starts to dance behind his closed eyes. 

“ FUCK” The tall men swear, breaking the embrace, the feeling of guilt already starting to spread into his body.

“ I think we have a public,” Hannah replied, giving a glance on the side, clearly amused before getting in the car without a goodbye. 

Stepping back, giving at his turn a glance at the building, his blood suddenly froze into his vein. 

“ Oh no...Fuck, Fuck, Fuck “ 

Standing alongside the general and your uncle, wearing the green apple dress he had confessed to you being his favorite, you were looking at him, a shocked expression on your face, the box of Moonlight cake you had so carefully carried, forgotten on the ground.

—

PLEASE don’t forget to support my work by like, comment or reblog !

—

Tag List :  @caitlin-rose28 @skullchik89 @ruefulposts @ssanjuniperoo   @scruffiejelly   @festmenyes @dannydevitostrashbag @humanbeingiguess ​ @qatiee @waffletoast215 @ formedinaway @ shipsandart @ hugedwarflover @peachylemasters @ diamond-doritos @imvibin69 @ benschwartzismyhusband @angloblango @nancbyers   @underthewillowtreerycb @redlipstick66

[floatservices]

wrong numbers/right answers

iwaizumi hajime/reader wc: 3.9k 

When Hajime had started catching feelings for the mystery number, he'd rationalised that it could never be you. Slowly but surely, his mystery texter had been getting him out the slump Iwaizumi had been feeling over his unrequited feelings, and instead of wondering about you, he was wondering when the next mystery number text would come.

But now you're her and she's you and his brain is going to explode. He doesn't have enough brain cells for this.

Curse this stupid, stinking crush.

“You've been on that damn phone for, what, 30 minutes now?” Iwaizumi growls, waving Oikawa's less than impressive test score across said boy’s face. “What are you, texting a new girlfriend?”

“Iwa-chan, I'm flattered you think I have a new girlfriend!” Oikawa’s ecstatic, typing with one hand and snatching away the sheet away with the other. “But no, I'm just trying to have a good time with our favorite classmate,” Oikawa metaphorically dangles you in front of him, and smirks as his friend’s eyes widen. “Oho, I’ve got your attention now, have I?”

Iwaizumi wrinkles his nose, trying to get the test back. “Shut up, shittykawa. If I knew her better, I'd apologize to her because she has to deal with the likes of you.”

The spiker makes a wild lunge for the test paper, because they came to his house to study, not so his disgraceful excuse of a best friend could tease him about a girl, but Oikawa leans just out of reach, his long arms stretching as far as they could.

“You wound me, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa chuckles, shuffling the paper under the cushion he was sitting on. “My test score wasn’t that bad, anyways-“

“You call a 52% a good grade?!”

“Well, it's a pass, isn’t it? I have more important things on my mind, anyways, like beating Ushiwaka, texting my favorite girl in class, don’t you have something to do? Oh, wait! I forgot that you were-”

“Shittykawa," Iwaizumi cuts in, a seething expression on his face, but Oikawa pays no mind. "If you finish that sentence-“

“-Socially awkward! You can’t even talk to her without blushing! But funny how that doesn’t happen when you talk to anyone else like that, hmm, Iwa-chan?”

Hajime gets up and launches himself across the chabudai, tackling Oikawa, a fist raised.

__

It’s 8am when Iwaizumi gets a text.

From: ??? To: You rinrin this is you right!?? buddy???!! pls send me ur jpnese lit hw I NEED HELP otherwise tatsuya-sensei will have me impaled bro my entrails will be sacrificed to whoever the hell Yamada Kai was, helpppp!

There’s a string of different crying emojis after that, which Iwaizumi finds adorable. He doesn’t know who this is, but it’s obvious that the poor guy went to Aoba Johsai. The woman who taught Japanese Literature was famous around the school for being a harsh marker and a harsher teacher style. They’d been studying Yamada’s works so far, and Iwaizumi expects whoever sent it was panicking- it was 8, school started 8:30, and English was their second lesson of the day (or it was for tomorrow, because Classes 3-4 didn’t have Literature today, but Iwaizumi assumes it’s today, otherwise they wouldn’t be this distraught.)

He glances at his watch- he had a few minutes to spare. He fishes his work out his bag, and he thanks God he's used his best handwriting (Tatsuya-sensei had caused quite the scene photocopying his work last time, showing off to the entire Class-2 how “insufferably illegible” his print was,) hoping whoever was behind the screen could read it. He takes a quick picture of it, making sure it’s not blurry and the script is clear before sending it off and hurrying out of his house.

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You [sent: IMG20151219] you’ve got the wrong number but i’m from seijou too. this is the worksheet you mean?

From: Crying Emoji lmao To: You aaa i’m so sorry for sending it to the wrong number!

but yes, it is the right one! thank you so much, i owe you one, mystery man!

Oikawa’s waiting for him outside as always, and Iwaizumi deliberately speeds up so he can walk past. Behind him, Oikawa makes a sort of whine from the back of his throat, quickening his pace to fall in next to him.

“What’s gotten you so cheery?” Oikawa asks, and Iwaizumi realizes he’s been smiling. He replaces it with a scowl, quickly shoving his phone in his pocket so Oikawa can’t get anymore curious.

“It’s no thanks to you.” Iwaizumi quips, and Oikawa pouts.

Iwaizumi only risks a reply when he gets to school, because Oikawa Tooru will never shut up if he sees him texting someone that is so obviously a girl.

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You how do you know it's a guy..? for all you know i could be a girl, you know.

He gets a reply soon after.

From: Crying Emoji lmao To: You well, if you are a girl, i'm sorry!! i didn't mean anything  by it... also i kinda assumed you were a guy because of your handwriting.

He should be offended by that, right? Right. He’s offended by it. He's about to defend himself when his phone buzzes with another message.

From: Crying Emoji lmao To: You SHIT I'M SO SORRY THAT WAS RUDE TO SAY!! I BET YOU WON'T TALK TO ME ANYMORE

IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE IF YOU DO...

He blinks, an ungraciously amused smile making it's way onto his face. He leaves his phone alone for the school day, because his teacher has just walked in. He figured he'd reply to you after school, just before volleyball.

It's kind of a mistake, because he comes back to 12 more messages, each message reading a variant of "I'm sorry," the amount of sincerity in each message growing as the hours passed by. He figures it's time to ease the stranger out her misery, and begins typing his reply.

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You no need to get worked up on it, lmao   you planned on talking to me again?

While waiting, he has enough time to go to the clubroom early and change out of his school uniform to his jersey. He's halfway through fixing one half of his laces when his phone pings.

From: Crying Emoji lmao To: You it's because i thought i owed you one.... but i guess if you don't want to talk it's okay lol

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You i hope it's not me that offended you this time. i do want to talk. you seem... cool?

He hits the send button, rereads it, and recoils. That sounds awkward.

Iwaizumi starts typing more.

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You besides, you don't know me. how are you gonna give back (whatever. i don't know how! you're the  one that wants to owe me.) if you don't even know me?

From: Crying Emoji lmao To: You won't it be funner if it's a mystery?

i guess... we could help each other out! anytime we need hw help we just call each other, like a private help line.

(also, why the question mark? of course i'm cool!)

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You i think that sounded less creepy in your head.  

(sure, you're cool. [heavy sarcasm, if you can't tell.])

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao

is that a no?

(rude!)

Iwaizumi stares at the screen. Well, he didn't really mind. And whoever this was sounded pretty trustworthy, and not a random creep that pretended to be a Seijou student in their free time. His time to deliberate is cut short, because Oikawa slams the clubroom doors open, singing a Christmas carol Iwaizumi didn't recognise, along with Hanamaki and Matsukawa, who were discussing what kind of forfeit Oikawa had to pay today if he didn't set as well as he should; ramen or oden?

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You fuck why not

i'll be looking forward to... being helped out? bye.. i'll talk later.  

my best friend is here and i'm not ready for him to annoy me straight to satan's asscrack.

Iwaizumi whips the phone away from Oikawa's line of vision, only letting him see his asscrack remark. (It backfired, because Oikawa spends all of the time from putting his shoes on to the start of practice whinging.) The boys slowly file out of the clubroom, Kunimi shutting off the lights as the door softly clicks closed.

Iwaizumi's phone lights up in his blazer pocket, a simple "see you later!" on the screen that brightens the whole room up.

___

It's two weeks later when Iwaizumi needs the help he's been promised. He opens up his chat- they'd just been talking last night about Seijou's annual fair, and what they each were going to do.

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You hey english is kicking my ass

can you help a me out please

To: You From Crying Emoji lmao ofc !! what do you need help with

i would let u copy my answers but i feel like you actually have to learn english at some point phone-chan lol

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You the english were on crack when they

made up their language i swear

does the sentence "the star shine brightly" work

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao

LMFAO

weh that's a trick question

"shone" is for no object and "shined" is for when here's no object. so like shone works for 'light' and shined can be for like

a car headlight

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You what the hell

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao ikr english is crazy

you also forgot the "d" at the end lol

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You that one is on me that's simple

but the other thing isn't. aren't the both shining anyway? what's the point in having two. i hate this devil language i swear

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao

if it helps no one really cares and i think

you could get away with either english has a lot of rules and no one follows them sooooo... it's whatever!!

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You

try telling that to fukuoda-sensei i swear that guy has a grudge against me or smthn

To: You

From: Crying Emoji lmao WAHAHAHA i had him last year.... he literally hates fun i don't think i've ever seen him smile

good luck with that phone-chan :P

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You

one last question btw

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao

ooh okay shoot!

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You what's 好きな食べ物は揚げ出し豆腐 in english

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao ...

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You don't tell me you don't know :(

To: You From Crying Emoji lmao phone-chan, if i say i'll make your agedashi tofu for the festival tmrw will you please stop making vague hints  towards it for the rest of the night?

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You :)

To: You From Crying Emoji lmao the things i do for you, phone chan!

___

"Iwa-chan, don't eat too much." Oikawa says, blinking as he tries to process the sheer amount of beancurd his friend is wolfing down.

"Says the person who hogged all the milk bread once." Iwaizumi retorts, rolling his eyes. "This is one plate of tofu, unlike when you once wasted 2000 yen to buy the school's entire daily stock of milk bread so you could eat it." He pauses to finish another cube of his favourite food. "And school milk bread doesn't even taste that great."

"It was cheap, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa tries to defend himself. "Makki, Matssun, help me out here!"

Matsukawa only shrugs, and when prompted by Oikawa to give a 'real' answer, he sides with Iwaizumi, apologizing sheepishly.

"Sorry to admit it Captain," He chuckles, "But I don't really like school food anyways."

Iwaizumi shoots Oikawa a teasing smirk, and Oikawa's just about to say something when Hanamaki pipes up.

"I like it," Makki makes a non-committal gesture, and Oikawa looks happy with that. "I mean, sure, school food isn't that great but I think the milk bread is the only good thing about it."

"Like striking gold in a coalmine!" Oikawa nods his approval, and Iwaizumi just sighs. Looking around, he spots you out of the corner of his eye, looking as good as usual and serving a few parents and students. He knows he can't call you because he'd end up sweating through his blazer, so he asks another classmate instead.

"Okuhara-kun," He calls, waving to a boy in his class. "Do you know who made the tofu?"

The boy shakes his head. "Whoever it was came early to drop it off. It had a note with it though."

This gets Iwaizumi's attention. She'd left something for him? "Oh? What did it say?"

"Uh- this is an exact quote, by the way- 'Phone-chan, don't you dare!'" Okuhara replies, drawing out quotation marks in the air. When Iwaizumi lets out a loud laugh, he takes it for disbelief.

"Is it... really that funny?" He questions, looking bemused.

Hajime grins. "Not really."

____

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You you didn't even drop any hints!

all you gave me was a note that told me to go away

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao i knew you'd go looking, phone-chan! my intuition is as good as ever!

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You unfair. that was like, my best friend's level of unfair.

so unfair that i'm thinking about moving my best friend back to the top of my favourites list :/

That was a bold faced lie. Oikawa had never been on the top of his favourites list: that was reserved solely for Makki.

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao you wound me!

who is this best friend?

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You

not telling lol

you'd know who i was then

To: You

From: Crying Emoji lmao spare hint ma’am?

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You you didn't give me any!

and you're the one who wanted to keep it a secret in the first place :/

...but fine.

he's on the volleyball team

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao oikawa!!??

To: Crying Emoji lmao

From: You ... :( yeah

see i told you!

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao actually, i don't know the vb team that well. oikawa's one of the only guys i know  because he's popular. and loud 

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You oh so i’m not popular?

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao aww phone-chan it’s not like that <3 ur popular in my heart :)

Iwaizumi curses at the blush that follows reading that. He will not allow himself to get flustered over that, it was a joke!

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You gee thanks 

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao besides i still know the third years! i'm just saying i don't know them that well!!

hanamaki, matsukawa and iwaizumi. they're a close friend group, so i expect one of then is you

When he reads his name, he doesn't know whether to deny it completely, or confirm that it's him. Hajime puts his phone down and paces for a bit, wondering if he's fucked up. When he checks his phone again, chewing on his lip, he guffaws at the message they've left.

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao ...judging from how you're not replying, you are.

but since i don't know which one, i'll decide on calling you phone-chan, yeah?

When Iwaizumi met whoever they were, he was gonna give them a lecture of a lifetime about not being a smartass.

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You fine, yeah. i am one of them. but now you owe me a hint too!

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao

well, i suppose i do!

i'm one of the girls in the class that actually has oikawa's number. he half forced me to give it to him, actually, but it's still been fun talking with him.

(not as much as talking with you, phone-chan!)

and i also totally get why he's annoying.

Iwaizumi feels a tiny bit of jealously bubbling up- irrational, because he's only been texting them for about half a month. His friend's statement about liking talking with him more than Oikawa makes him a little pleased, because people didn't usually pick his pretty best friend over him (selfish, yeah, but he's tired of girls asking him to deliver chocolates to the setter and befriending him in hopes of getting closer to Tooru.)

But girls who had his number? Only the ones Oikawa actually had an interest in.

The grand total of the people in his class with the brunet's number was three, because as courteous and as flirtatiously he acts, he accepts and turns down people normally, and doesn't like hurting girls as much as his playboy rep boasts (Iwaizumi's always liked that about him.) The three girls he knew of consisted of Aoi, his ex, Reina, who unbeknownst to Oikawa at the time, swang the other way, and...

You.

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao i know that aoi, reina and (name) has his number...

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao well, one of them is certainly me!

we're both down to three, phone-chan. even ground!

Iwaizumi feels the world cave in on himself, reading the message over and over. Aoi was a nice guy, but he was also the same brand of pompous that Hajime disliked and Oikawa had found cute. They’d ended it horribly, so Hajime was decidedly not looking forward to the possible outcome that it was him, so he casts away the thought before it can solidify in his mind’s eye. Reina didn’t even like guys, so if you were you…

Huh. His mouth’s gone dry suddenly.

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You cool cool

 hey i'm gonna head to bed i gotta emotionally prepare for voluntarily walking into japanese lit class with tatsuya sensei on my ass

sorry to cut it short

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao aw don't worry about it phone-chan <3

good night! and see you tmrw, whether we know it or not!!

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You sleep well

Iwaizumi curses during the 5th hour of trying to sleep. Curse this stupid, stinking crush.

___

He wishes he hadn't asked. He's fine with his favorite crying emoji user knowing who he is, but knowing that it's you sort of struck a pang in his heart that couldn't be undone. He can't concentrate in class, and though he fights it because Oikawa's caught on to this habit, he finds himself staring at you instead of listening to the teacher. The whole situation was annoying!

First he thinks you're cute but he'd chalked it up to never working out because Oikawa had managed to snag your number. Then Oikawa assures him that it's platonic and they only talk about school work which is, to say the least, bullshit, because Oikawa can't actually text without getting distracted. His best friend has a tendency to rant about volleyball or start gossiping when his phone is within reach, and it's why his study sessions happen with Hajime next to him (and even with him, Oikawa still manages to get his grubby hands on his phone.) His best friend was absolutely up to something, and it had been killing Iwaizumi that he didn't know what it was.

And then he'd gotten that cute, fated, statistically impossible text from a wrong number, and fallen into a cute flirting-but-not-really routine. They were kind, sweet, and willing to help him with trivial things like homework and make him his favorite food.

It was easier not really knowing who it was! That was mean to admit, sure, but even when Hajime had started catching feelings for the mystery number, he'd rationalised that it could never be you. Slowly but surely, his mystery texter had been getting him out the slump he had been feeling over his unrequited feelings, and instead of wondering about you, he was wondering when the next mystery number text would come.

But now you're her and she's you and his brain is going to explode. He doesn't have enough brain cells for this.

Hajime sighs, looking away from you and back to his worksheet. Algebra stares back at him with no mercy. "I have no brain cells." He mutters, amending his thoughts. In the seat next to him, Oikawa chuckles lightly.

"You've got enough to stare at her, though." He whispers, and Hajime feels his blood boiling. "I swear, when the bell rings, I'm going to-"

The teacher clears her throat loudly. "Iwaizumi-san, if you could refrain from speaking until I've finished..."

Iwaizumi feels his hot rage flood into his cheeks as embarrassment instead. "Of course, sorry sensei."

You catch his eye as he averts his eyes from the teacher, and you smile encouragingly. Hajime thinks the knot in his forehead gets worse. He feels himself go hotter, somehow, and quickly goes back to looking at his math equations. Oikawa's still fucking smirking.

"Denial, Iwa-chan."

There's something fishy in the way that Oikawa texted the group chat about getting lunch. Firstly, Oikawa liked western food for whatever reason, and whenever he asked to go out, he would picked a pricey French place. The rest of the team would debate for about 8 minutes before usually settling on a cheap soba place near the town centre. He'd claimed it was for a post-midterms celebration, and since the Christmas holidays had started, they might as well go somewhere altogether, as a team.

But Oikawa's suggested this expensive ramen place (which... alright, it's not like Oikawa never eats Japanese. But he doesn't prefer it, and Hajime is paranoid about whatever plan his best friend has hatched) and instead of shouting at him to lower the price, Makki and Mattsun agree immediately. Iwaizumi knows Makki is broke this week, after having to buy a replacement volleyball for the one they popped while roughhousing, so he doesn't understand why he'd agree to blowing 2000 yen on a single bowl of ramen.

The rest of the third years decline or agree. Iwaizumi thinks this is for plausible deniability, to make him think it's all alright. But when Oikawa @'s him in chat to confirm for the coming Thursday, he grudgingly agrees. He's wanted to try that ramen place for a while, anyway, and he's putting too much thought into this. It was just lunch with the team. It's fine.

Then the coming Thursday rolls around, and he's been standing outside the ramen place for 5 minutes and no-one is here and he's going to kill Oikawa-

To: [crying baby noises] From: You oikawa i swear to god where the fuck is everyone. i'm going to aim every spike in practice to you i swear. yahaba would help me

To: You From: [crying baby noises] WAHAHAHA it's okay iwa-chan, someone else you like much better than our sweaty volleyball team is coming ☆⌒(ゝ。∂)

To: [crying baby noises] From: You die in a ditch

To: You From: [crying baby noises] you won't be saying that after ur first date! (☆ω☆)

here's her number, since ur gonna need it!

[CRYING BABY NOISES] HAS SENT YOU A CONTACT

Iwaizumi grumbles the entire time he's punching in the number, intending to tell you that you've been set up and you don't need to bother coming, but his phone shows up with an error that he's already got the number saved. He stares at the notification, blinking once, twice, before the elation sets in and-

"Ah, Iwaizumi?" You call his name, walking quickly towards him and giving him a bashful smile. "Sorry I'm late. I wasn't worried because I thought it was just going to be Oikawa talking my ear off, but he texted me to say... well."

He just says your name, blushing but still grinning. You chuckle, and the little display of happiness pushes him to at least try and say something, "Oikawa gave me your number, but..." Iwaizumi trails off.

"He sent yours too." You explain, pulling your phone out and, at last, he's given proof that you're the mystery number and his grin manages to get wider. The cool winter air bites less than it did before. "But I already had it saved."

"Me too." Hajime says, taking a step closer to you and taking a hand tentatively. Your fingers slip between his, and your cheeks are pink from more than just the cold.

"I had a feeling it was you." You admit, still looking at him the way you do in his dreams. "It's nice to finally meet you properly, Phone-chan."

[toonstarterz]

BECAUSE I’M NOT POPULAR, I’LL READ WATAMOTE: CHAPTER #163

Ah, summer. The season of no school, bright skies, pools, barbeques, and brief teenage romance.

Okay, so it’s not quite summer vacation yet. But nonetheless, the new season gives way for all sorts of fun shenanigans. None of it ever really enters “drama” territory (as dramatic as this series can be, that is), but as Tomoko’s last year of high school nears the halfway point, we discover that there’s still quite a bit we don’t know about our cast of knuckleheads.  

Chapter 163: Because I’m Not Popular, It’s Summer

I think it can be inferred that Tomoko is not a morning person, is she?

I think it can also be inferred that the once-aspiring NEET Tomoko is not a fan of hot weather. Better soak up that Vitamin D, girl.

Parasol Lady Asuka would like to battle!

Are parasols more prominent in Eastern culture? They’re not too terribly common where I’m from, but I imagine that may be a result of Japan having more of an aversion towards anything that would result in darker skin. Though I can also see it as a sort of fashion opportunity as well.

I believe those were umbrellas you used, Tomoko. But semantics aside, It’s pretty neat to see that Tomoko has finally reached that stage in her life where she can recognize her cringy chuunibyou phase. Long live those days of failing miserably at being a cool anime character.

Remember when Tomoko used to slut-shame the girls in her class? I detect a hint of hypocrisy there...

Gyaru!Asuka has already exploded on the imageboards, I guarantee it.

A part of me wonders why Tomoko grouped Kii-chan and Yuri specifically. They don’t have similar personalities or anything, but I see two possible reasons for it. One, Kii-chan and Yuri both got that mild-mannered, “exotic” look going on. But also, it may who Tomoko subconsciously believes she’ll see the most of over the summer.

We’ll, I mean...yeah. They would. It probably doesn’t help that Tomoko, with her lion’s mane, gives the impression of someone too physically active to care much about grooming. But as much as Tomoko derides the possibility of looking like a “sweaty day laborer”, I can’t deny that it’s not a bad look on her.  

The reason for that should be dead obvious by now.

The thing that amuses me is that Tomoko had no basis to start insinuating that Yuri’s a pervert. She just did, and has latched on to the idea ever since. While no doubt annoying for Yuri (even if it’s true), it’s kind of sweet if you see it as Tomoko wanting to have a shared interest with her.

I’m sure that compared to your freckled, “crazy lesbo” best friend, it isn’t. 

It’s funny how Nemo used to give off an air of someone who’s sexually acknowledgeable (at least to me) by virtue of being semi-popular. Now that we know’s she’s relatively pure, Tomoko will never let her live it down.  

Komiyama really is the most two-dimensional character in the series. And you know what?

It works.

In the education industry, we call it the “Perv Curve”.

Komiyama: Self-explanatory.

Hatsushiba: Anatomically-correct BDSM art must have originated from somewhere.

Katou: Yet even more evidence for the almost-openly perverted girl who casually says “vagina”.

Mako: ...wait, what?  

I’m so used to perfect scores being a badge of honor in Japanese media that it through me for a loop to see it suggested as anything else. Perhaps it’s an issue similar to Home Ec in that it’s not seen as educationally significant and only those really invested in the subject would master it. Either way, how lewd. 

Going back to Mako, I am genuinely shocked. Could Yuri’s oh-so-sweet bestie actually have a dirty side? Just when you think you know a gal! Naturally, she has just enough to shame to be embarrassed when its brought up, and I’m not ready to call out Mako as a pervert just yet. At least she has Yoshida to pat her on the back (ironic given the delinquent is now officially the purest one of the Kyoto Group).  

My Pokémon-obsessed mind can only see them as the Haramaku Elite Four, which, given the segment’s title, is highly unoriginal of me.

I’m 97% sure that Kawagoe’s that old geezer teacher we saw during Tomoko’s suspension. We even got that “strict about textbooks” continuity from way back when Tomoko forgot hers. 

All signs point to Minami’s-Faceless-“Friend”-#1 recognizing someone, most likely Yuri, during this little intersection. Curse you, Nico Tanigawa and your wonderful vagueness.

Nope. It’s not gonna work. Nuh-uh. Absolutely not. You aren’t going to make me feel sympathetic for Minami.

...

...

drat.

All that speculation has finally paid off cause we now have confirmation that Minami did(does?) in fact backbite Tomoko and Yuri. Thank goodness for Tomoko’s mental health that she never knew. But Minami’s got some nerve teasing Yuri when she’s actively Mako’s friend. Even more disturbing if Mako doesn’t realize it...

Between that tiny smile in the last panel and her wanting to tease, it’s pretty much certain that Minami’s-Faceless-“Friend”-#1 is not a pleasant person.

Birds of the same feather truly do flock together.

Okay, I cracked. Minami’s too adorable (and pitiful) right here.

I find it telling that even Minami’s “friends” know she’s a jerk. But if what goes around comes around, then Minami’s-Faceless-“Friend”-#1 might not realize she’s a jerk, too. Are most terrible people aware of their own terribleness? 

I don’t want to correlate jerkiness with irresponsibility but...here we are.

Man, that’s playing dirty. Suzuki is more than likely not that close to Minami, but any decent person wouldn’t just outright say “no” to a request like that. Of course, playing up her own supposed likeability through other’s basic kindness is Minami’s M.O.     

In manga and anime, that sort of haughtiness from cute, snaggletoothed girls is adorable in that “sigh, there she goes again” way.

In reality, it’s just annoying as shit. 

At first glance, Kayo’s just making an off-handed question, but my nit-picking mind says otherwise. I’m not sure how insistently heterosexual/romantic Japanese culture is towards male-female relationships, but would most teens show interest in a friend’s opposite gendered sibling? If say, Miyazaki had a little brother, would Kayo even ask Ucchi a question like that?

My theory is that Kayo is subtly trying to ascertain Ucchi’s sexuality. If the idea of Ucchi being gay for Tomoko is already planted in her head, then Kayo is using Tomoki as a “male version” for comparison. Ucchi’s already admitted to the Kuroki siblings being physically similar, so supposedly if she feels nothing towards Tomoki, then it’s Tomoko’s “femaleness” that attracts her.

This wouldn’t even be half as funny if Ucchi didn’t have an emoji face.

If only Komiyama could see this now...

Or, you know what? Maybe gender is irrelevant and Ucchi just has an indiscriminate gross fetish. 

Nemo’s ultra-realistic thoughts behind her cheery demeanor are always welcome.

For all those times that Tomoko pokes fun at Nemo for wanting to live out a slice-of-life school anime, she’s not exactly innocent either. More and more we see Tomoko trying to invoke those cliche moments, usually with little fear. It’s a rather far cry from when she’d try to pull anime tropes as a means to an end. Now she tries them out just for the sake of having fun, which is much more endearing.

In this particular trope, however, normally you’d have a guy and girl stuck inside, where they’d ultimately become more attracted to each other through the suspension bridge effect.

Of course, that’s assuming the boy and girl aren’t already together. If they are, then storage rooms are usually used as a hiding place to make out, but that obviously would never hap–

Oh.

FUCK.

If memory serves, this is the same couple who were flirting(?) back in the head patting chapter. A whole lot must of went down since then, eh?

Murphy’s Law.

It’s been quite a long time since we’ve had one of Tomoko’s infamous freakouts. And they say this series lost its roots.

A part of me wants to think that Nemo hears Tomoko but is pretending not to just to screw with her, but I don’t think she’d be that cruel. Even if it would be hilarious.

Just how far is your “it”, Tomoko. Making out? Groping? HANDHOLDING!?

What am I saying–she’s totally thinking sex.

It’s interesting to note that Tomoko just assumes that Yuri and Mako have never had a boyfriend. Sure, it may be implied given we’ve never seen them have this discussion before (that we know of), but it’s still pretty presumptuous on Tomoko’s part. My only reasoning is that Tomoko is trying to ally themselves over supposed “undesirability” like many self-deprecating friends do.

First off, I am not at all surprised given Mako’s personality.

What does surprise me is how totally betrayed Mako sounds. I can only assume that it’s a part of Mako’s past that she’d rather not reveal. While I don’t think Yuri meant any harm bringing it up, that kind of miscommunication goes to show that even though they’re best friends, Yuri and Mako don’t always see eye to eye.

Sounds like dating to me. Or rather, sounds like dating between high schoolers. At the risk of sounding like an old-ass millennial, dating between high schoolers rarely last, despite what shoujo manga suggests. Casual dating is exactly that–casual. They’re attracted to the novelty of dating, but once that initial thrill wears off, cue the breakup. 

Side note, I just realized that Yuri loosens up her tie. I love small details like that.

Perhaps I’m reading too much into it, but Mako seems to be suggesting that girls, on the other hand, aren’t as desperate to get boyfriends. While that isn’t necessarily true, I do see that answer as mostly a convenient excuse for Mako, who may simply just not want to be in a relationship right now.

I can see the “Mako is straight/Mako is lesbian(for Yoshida)” War right now...   

Boy, it’s been a while since Tomoko has contemplated her own popularity, let alone try to be more popular. I guess it goes to show that even though Tomoko is more or less satisfied with her current status, she still sees herself below the bar of what constitutes “popular”. She does perpetuate feminine “purity” as an indicator of her societal value, but I’ll let it be–reality is not so kind, after all. 

One of the more prominent questions that Yuri’s fanboys have is “How come someone as pretty as Yuri isn’t more popular with the boys?”

Well, there you go.

In terms of looks, I never thought Yuri was that unattractive in-universe. She’s in that small niche of “plain and generic, but just cute enough that fans feel they could feasibly ask out a girl like her in real life”. So while it's reasonable to think that at least one person would show interest in her, it's Yuri’s personality that ends up putting them off. She probably isn’t ready to commit to the effort of dating and being someone’s girlfriend. nor does Yuri seem that interested to begin with if her texting habits are anything to go by.

I can’t for the life of me remember the name for it, but I believe that there’s this belief in Japan that says everybody (mostly boys) has that brief period in their life where they’re suddenly attractive and people want to date them. I imagine that Tomoko may actually reach that time in life sooner than she thinks.

PTSD TRIGGERED!! For the readers, I mean.

For real, though. What a comeback. Who would have thought that Kosaka, that guy who was introduced in Chapter FIVE would make his grand return? Normally, making a reappearance this late in the game would feel like an asspull, but it works because he was never meant to drastically affect Tomoko’s growth. He was just the spark, the first hint to show that people could actually befriend her. And for that, we salute you, Umbrella Dude.

It’s been, what? About two years since they last spoke, and he still remembers her? Impressive! Then again, I don’t think you're about to forget the girl who gave you a dogeza.

Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Tell Lies.

These moments where Tomoko is unabashedly a blushing schoolgirl are really precious because she isn’t “perfectly ditzy in that moe sort of way” about it. She gets riled up, sweaty, and unpleasant to watch. Which, ironically, is even more adorable just for how genuine it is.

Yeah, I’m sure the original said “dogeza”, but since there isn’t really a good English equivalent for it, I think “genuflect”...is still an odd choice.

Yuri, who always has her “Tomoko’s BS” meter on high, knows that Tomoko is screwing around when she calls it her “first”. Poor Mako, a now confirmed pervert who still thinks Tomoko is so amazing, thought the girl had popped the guy’s cherry. 

Friendly reminder that eventful summers are not necessarily pleasant summers. Though they could be with the right perspective...

So...Yuri vs. Kii-chan Death Battle when?

The most beautiful part about this ending is that there’s no second-guessing. No “maybe I won’t be lonely” or “I wonder if I’ll be lonely”. Just a very affirmative “I won’t be lonely”. Tomoko fully expects that she’ll be spending time with her friends this summer, and that confidence is more than I ever would’ve expected from Tomoko in previous years.

With summer vacation just over the horizon (don’t want to jump the gun), a medley of both happy, unhappy and delightfully awkward moments are sure to transpire. Just about the only thing Tomoko can plan is the unplanned, and I’ll be sure to get a front-row seat to watch it all.

[electronicau]

Chapter 6

Christine had almost dropped her phone twice now--she was practically sprinting, fumbling around to scroll down her contact list as she tried to reach her train stop as quickly as possible. The metro was only a few blocks away, and she had no idea if there was any phone service down there, but she didn't care.

I have to tell someone, she thought decidedly. Thankfully, she found the name she was looking for, frantically tapping it until the name pulled up - MOM, with a pink heart emoji affixed to the end of her name.

After two rings, it hit Christine that she was probably calling during her mom's graveyard shift at the hospital. Her heart sank a little, but she was so antsy to tell someone, she thought it wouldn't hurt to tell her over voicemail--and sure enough, the familiar voicemail default message played. For a brief moment, she felt like she was home--hearing her mother's warm, calming voice washed a wave of peacefulness over Christine. Then the beep sounded.

"Mom, I-- I'm sorry this is over voicemail, but it's urgent! Wait, no--" Christine threw her palm to her forehead-- "It's nothing bad, I'm sorry, I'm just so excited," she explained, laughing helplessly. The metro station was now in view, so she knew the message had to be short. "Mom, I--I got a gig! I did it," she laughed through her words, giggling half in shock, half in joyous celebration. "I'm going to play a set at a club next Thursday. Call me when you can, and I'll tell you all about it, okay?" Her hands were trembling when she tapped the 'end call' button. Hearing it out loud again made her adrenaline skyrocket--it was real. It wasn't a dream.

The metro ride was very short--her desired destination was only a few stops away. In fact, she barely even remembered the metro ride. She was in a daze, barely registering any of her movements, save for clutching onto her messenger bag as tightly to her body as she could. Meg's lecture to Christine about pickpockets during her first time on the metro made her wary; according to her friend, they could spot a foreigner a mile away.

"Place del Opéra," a cool male voice announced over the PA system, repeating this once more as the windows before Christine flashed the white tiles of the underground stop.

This was Christine's favorite metro stop, she thought absentmindedly to herself. She scurried out of the metro car as soon as the doors had slid open lazily, and clambered up the stairs that led to one of the most marvelous views in the whole city--the Opera house. She remembered the first time Meg had showed her the Place de l'Opéra, because as she climbed up the stairs from the train station, she was rather confused. The first view as she got to the top of the stairs was a busy traffic intersection--they had been spit out, smack-dab in the hustle and bustle of Paris rush hour. There were old, charming façade of buildings all around, but the Opera wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"But, Meg, where's the--?"

Meg had rolled her eyes, literally grabbing Christine by the shoulders and spinning her around on the spot.

And there it was. All of the other buildings that had been in Christine's initial line of sight paled in comparison to this magnificent view. Gleaming, gold statues perched atop the façade made it all the more grand, complete with Apollo raising his mythical lyre above his head for all of Paris to see. Christine stood stock-still, not realizing her mouth was hanging open slightly as she drank in all the magnificently sculpted reliefs and statues all along the columns. Only Meg's shrill cry could interrupt her sense of wonderment.

"Christine, let's go!"

"But Meg--this is-- this is where you go to work every day?" Christine gave a helpless gesture towards the Opera Garnier, but her friend just tossed her white-blond hair, giving a little scoff.

"They call it a façade for a reason, Christine," Meg said pointedly. "There's so much shit that goes on in that building, it would make an old woman swoon. Come on, the crosswalk--!" Christine didn't hear the last of her friend's sentence since her head whipped around to cross the street as she waved a small, lithe arm, motioning Christine to follow her. They were going away from the Opera, Christine thought sadly--

"Wait, aren't you going to take me inside?" Christine could barely hide her disappointment. "Is it--closed or something?"

"I mean, there's no rehearsals or anything happening, so it's quiet. Too boring. Anyway, it's better to go at night, during a performance. Or, if you really want I'll take you when we have an evening dress rehearsal--trust me," Meg had said. "It's so much prettier at night." Still, Christine's heart couldn't help but drop a little, craning her head back to look longingly at the Opera one last time, before she turned to head towards what looked like a popular shopping center. Of course, Meg would be more excited to show her friend the mall rather than a piece of French history, Christine had thought fondly to herself.

Finally, she was about to go in, Christine thought, her chest swelling with excitement. Now that she had emerged from the underground metro station, she pulled out her phone, tapping a couple of times to pull up Meg's number as she waited for the crosswalk signal. She sighed gustily as the dial tone kept on trilling. Of course Meg wouldn't pick up, she thought, chiding her overexcitement. Meg was probably in the middle of a rehearsal--well, it was the afternoon, maybe they'll be on a break soon? Nevertheless, Christine realized that Meg wouldn't have her phone on her. Her outfits for ballet practice were so tiny, there's no reasonable way for her to tote around a large smart phone.

Well, despite her lack of planning, she was already here--she might as well head in to try and find Meg. Besides that, she ached to see the inside of the Opera house. The inside has to be just as wonderful as the outside, doesn't it--?

In a few moments, she was at the foot of the steps leading up to the main entrance. A few people were milling about, presumably sightseers who wanted a tour of the place. After a few moments of her eyes trailing the tourists' path, she realized that no one was actually entering via the front doors of the façade. Instead, people were veering to the left, presumably to a side entrance of some kind. With a sense of resolution, she picked out a small group of Japanese tourists and tailed them. One of them had a guide book of some sort in hand, so they looked like they knew what they were doing.

Two pairs of obelisks pointed out the east entrance, which led to a circular breezeway. Across the way, she saw a large set of doors propped open, and people were trickling in slowly--the majority, if not all of them looked like tourists, with cameras and phones at the ready to snap their first view of the Opera Garnier. Christine's heart rate picked up a little in the anticipation as she slowly filed in with the rest of them. This was it. She had been looking forward to this ever since Meg had told her she was in the Opera's ballet company.

The doors led to a cavernous-looking rotunda. It was nothing but marble and stone, with an eerie glow. Some far-off lights mimicked the flickering glow of candles. Christine's eyes traveled straight up and her jaw dropped a little when she saw the ceiling--never before had she seen such detailed inlay in a ceiling. Combined with the cool, still air, it almost felt like she had travelled back in time. She imagined she was on her way to a matinee performance in the 1880s, emerging from the inside of a horse and buggy, clad in her best evening clothes--

But then, looking back down at the floor, she glanced around somewhat reproachfully at the other bodies in the room. Their cameras, visors, and glowing blue screens had ruined her brief but wonderful reverie. Nevertheless, since she had been lurched back into reality, she elected to wander over to the line beginning to form at the box office. She was about three spots behind the front of the box office, in front of a sweet-looking Japanese couple, and an American family, who could be spotted from miles away with their obnoxiously white trainers. Craning her neck a little, Christine saw at the head of the line a lone elderly man, nodding and pointing at a map of some sort as he spoke softly to the ticket-taker.

Every now and then, Christine couldn't resist feeling her eyes float upward to the ceiling as she waited. Beyond the main rotunda, two sets of large marble staircases flanked either side of a sloping ceiling--the bright light beyond the stairs led her to guess that Christine was just below the main lobby. Upon realizing this, her heart leaped. She wanted to drink in every square inch of this beautiful, gargantuan piece of architecture and art; she wanted to explore every single room of the Opera, at least, every room she was allowed to go in. Perhaps Meg could take her to places that the public couldn't even see--!

Mama would flip out if she saw this, Christine mused, letting a tiny smile erupt on her lips. Without even hesitating to think about the fact that she was becoming the very person she had spited earlier, Christine pulled out her phone and snapped a photo of the rotunda ceiling. With the deft fingers of someone who had become particularly adept at keeping up with social media for the past ten years, she tapped only a few times to post the photo. The description read: "Just visiting @meggiry at work in a 150 year old building. NO BIG DEAL." After two more taps, the picture was there for all her followers to see. She knew her mother would see it as soon as she got off her shift. After she checks her voicemail, hopefully.

It suddenly dawned on her: Perhaps she could just take a tour of the Opera while she waited for Meg-- all on her own. This building has seen so much history, so much so that it had become a piece of history itself. There were no buildings where Christine lived as half as old as this one--that was part of the reason she liked Paris so much. So many buildings stood for so many years--through famine, through wars, and through generations of revolutions. That fact, combined with the engineering and artistic brilliance of whoever designed this building--Christine was mesmerized. If she could, she'd wish to know every single detail of the Opera. But, alas--Meg would hardly be the best tour guide for that. Meg seemed so disillusioned with this place, but for Christine, it was so--magical. Halfheartedly, Christine decided: The tour would have to wait for another time. She had to tell Meg about her gig, she thought, snapping back into the present day, momentarily forgoing the thought of the past gilded ages. She didn't want to see anyone as badly Meg at this very instant. Well, with the obvious exception of her mother, of course--

"Miss? Can I help you? Pardon--" Christine began to register the sound of the man behind the plexiglass, whose high-pitched voice sounded rather annoyed. She was standing several feet away from the window, and everyone had suddenly left. Goodness, she had been daydreaming for longer than she thought.

"I'm sorry, yes!" She scrambled up to the window, apologizing this time in French. "I'm sorry, I'm not even sure I'm in the right place. You see, I'm not looking for a tour or tickets--not just yet, anyway. My roommate is a dancer in the company and--and I need to see her." Her smooth French accent faltered a little when the young man frowned a little. "Do you think you can help me? It’s--it's urgent." I mean, I'm not lying. It is urgent, she reassured herself.

"Well, normally I would give you a visitor's pass and have someone take you to her, but unfortunately, the corps are in a closed rehearsal right now. No visitors." The man momentarily took pity on Christine--even she could feel her face fall as she sighed with an air of resignation-- because he offered up some words of comfort: "I think they're supposed to wrap soon, but you never know with them. They've been at it since very early in the morning, you see. Perhaps you'd like a tour while you wait?"

Christine cocked her head to the side a little, her gaze briefly flickering over to the staircases in her periphery. "I mean--I'd be lying if I said I didn't," she said earnestly, smiling in spite of herself.

"Of course! Here, just let me check if there are any times left for the next English tour--" he quickly excused himself, walking over to the adjacent, empty box. Christine could hear him muttering faintly about new tour times since the busy season had recently concluded. As she waited, her gaze began to wander yet again, and after a few moments, her eyes landed on a small, nondescript sign that had been taped up on the bottom left corner of the window. It took her about half a second longer than she would have liked to comprehend it--she wasn't quite yet used to reading in French-- but it read, "Demander l'aide." Help wanted.

The man came back with a couple of brochures opened up, but before he could even start his spiel, Christine spoke up. "What positions are you hiring for?"

"Ah, er--my job, actually." He jerked a thumb back at the adjacent box office he had just returned from. "The girl who was working next to me moved to the south of France so, you know--" he made a face, and Christine nodded politely, pretending like she knew exactly what he was referring to.

"I'm pretty good at French, but my English is better, so maybe--maybe I could give tours, too. You know, if you need any extra help beyond the box office," Christine offered helpfully.

"Hang on-- are you authorized to work in the EU?" He raised his eyebrow reproachfully. "We can't just hire any American off the street, you know."

"Er--actually, yes. I have EU nationality from--from my dad. He--he's Swedish." Christine suddenly grew very quiet, looking down at her feet. But the young man didn't even notice.

"Oh! In that case--" He pawed around a drawer underneath his desk, producing a blank notepad and pen. "Here, write down your contact information. We'll call you to talk about the position, okay?"

"Wow, er--thank you-- does that--does that mean I'm hired?" She asked hopefully as she leaned to scribble down her name and mobile.

"No, not yet, anyway. We have to make sure all your papers are in order, and my boss needs to meet you to make sure that you're not a basket case, so--if you can manage those two things, you'll basically have the job," he said, waving his hand reassuringly. He looked down his nose to see what Christine was writing. "Christine. That's a nice name. I'm Alexander."

"Hi Alexander. Nice to meet you. Hopefully I'll be seeing more of you--not just to beg you to take me to the ballet rehearsals," she chuckled sheepishly. He only nodded in response, tapping a few keys on his computer. A printer started whirring loudly, and a piece of paper spat out on his left side.

"So--the next tour's in 15 minutes. Caroline's leading the tour. You'll like her, she's so sweet." He ripped out a single ticket from the printer's slot, opening the bottom partition door to slide it underneath the plexiglass. Christine suddenly opened her bag to try and fish out some Euro, but Alexander shooed her away. "Get out of here, you're to sweet to pay. It's okay, really."

"Oh-- wow, really? You're too kind." She flashed her best winning smile before her browed furrowed the tiniest bit. "You're--you're sure it's alright? You won't get in trouble?"

Alexander shook his head, waving her off once more. "Seriously. It's fine. But--" Christine had started to sling her bag across her shoulder, but then she saw him with his hand held up, as if to stop her, she froze like a deer in the headlights. He suddenly grew very serious. "I must ask you one thing.

"Your roommate--in the ballet. That's Meg Giry, isn't it?"

"Oh, yes! But--how did you know?"

"There was talk that she had an American roommate. It hadn't occurred to me until now that it could have been you they were talking about. Now, for my question." She didn't know it, but Christine had briefly stopped breathing. "Tell me--is she really bi? Bisexual?"

"Oh--Meg?" Christine felt a twinge of relief. Truthfully, she didn't know what she expected him to ask "Yes, I--I think so." The more she thought about it, the more angry she was the he asked that answer. What did it matter, anyway?

"Good, that's enough payment for me." he said as his chest swelled with confidence, and he slid the tickets underneath the partition. "It's settled. I'll ask her out tomorrow."

It wasn't until Christine yanked the tour passes out of his hand when she smiled serenely and replied with a cool, steely tone: "She's got a girlfriend, but best of luck, all the same."

____________________________

"She's Morgon?" Erik repeated, this time with an air of anger about the question. "Isak, how did you not know?"

"Erik, I've told you, I haven't listened to her demos yet. I had no idea she--" he stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening a little.

"What?" Erik's pointed tone had not wavered. He raked his eyes over Isak, who had begun to pat around his lapels and pockets, scrambling to find something. "Did you leave your wallet back there?"

Isak shook his head, silently ending his brief treasure hunt, for he had produced from an inner jacket pocket a small, shiny silver USB drive. It had a blue, see-through cap, covering the metallic square that would be inserted into the USB port. It was the one Christine had passed over to him just minutes ago. He held it out toward's Erik, who quickly snatched it up. Isak spoke hollowly: "Is that the same kind of drive Thomas had that night? The one you took?"

Erik nodded. Of course it was. This confirmed their suspicions, and Erik's mind began to reel.

"But… I still don't understand. She never told you she went by another name. On her demo that she gave to Thomas--there wasn't any indication as to--that she was even--"

Isak raised an eyebrow, marveling silently as Erik trailed off once more. Erik hardly ever lost his train of thought, let alone stuttered. "Are you insinuating she should have emphasized that she was not, in fact, of the male gender?"

Erik's eyes narrowed in response. Even though it was slight, he could detect an air of satisfaction in Isak's words. "No, I am not. I never said that, did I?"

"Well, no," Isak allowed, "but think about it, Erik. It's actually quite brilliant, don't you think?"

"What? That she pretended to be someone she's not?"

Isak shrugged. "Now you're the one putting words into my mouth, Erik. It gives her a blank slate, don't you see? When Thomas--or anyone, including yourself--sits down to listen to this, it's just about the music. Especially if this were to be sitting randomly in a pile of demos--there are no biases, not presuppositions. It's just--music. Good fucking music," he said a little helplessly, running his hands through his hair. Neither of them could still quite believe everything they heard the other night--it all belonged to Christine. "Not only did she put together this mix--she deliberately packaged this very anonymously. It's calculated. It's smart. At the very least, she knows what the industry is like when it comes to female artists." He looked up at Erik, throwing a meaningful gaze. This time, Erik could not deflect it. He collapsed a little in his chair. Even though he had his sunglasses and baseball cap on, he as obviously feeling rather sheepish. Isak was not far off at all--no, in fact, he was dead on.

Erik heaved a sigh, letting Isak win this one. "I'll be honest, I assumed that Morgon--or Christine, whoever-- when I listened to that mix, I assumed it was the work of a man."

"There we are." Isak couldn't help but savor this moment, feeling a silly rush of victory. Can one feel victorious about sexism?

"But… yes, I suppose she was smart to do this," Erik allowed. Isak had to lean forward to hear him, trying unsuccessfully to make eye contact with Erik despite his metallic shades. "I just… I don't know. I don't really think in terms of gender," he tried to protest helplessly.

"Of course you don't think about these things, Erik. Bless your heart, it's one of the few tortures you haven't had to endure," Isak said rather sardonically.

"I'm sorry, Isak. Really. I--I didn't know." This time, Erik really did sound contrite. Isak understood: Erik never hated women, but neither did he particularly want to ever associate himself with them. He fell somewhere outside the realm of most straight men and their feelings for the opposite sex: Isak knew Erik was attracted to women, but never the idea of actually being with a woman. Not because he didn't want to be, but because… things would get too messy, Isak thought as his eyes trailed along the almost-invisible seam of Erik's artificial hair line that peeked out from his cap. Erik would never want to reveal who he really was, least of all someone infinitely more beautiful than he. But nonetheless, Isak responded in a similarly earnest tone.

"Look, Erik--you have to understand. Just because she's a girl--a young woman--she's probably had to deal with so much stereotyping and assumptions for her entire life. Especially as a musician. Most girls who look like her--they want to be on camera in scantily clad clothes, writhing around while lip-syncing some repetitive, auto-tuned song. So I imagine most studio executives, when they see her face, put her into that category automatically. Regardless of how talented she is. Just because she's a girl-- a pretty girl--doesn't mean she's not to be respected and taken seriously."

Erik was silent for a moment, digesting Isak's words. But--how did Isak even know all of this? He's not a woman--

"Isak, you've thought about this quite extensively, haven't you? Why?"

"Isadora."

Immediately, Erik understood, and bowed his head a little, letting the brim of his cap shield himself from Isak for a moment. Once again, Isak's word trumped Erik's. Being continually bested by his old friend was becoming exhausting, he thought to himself absentmindedly.

"I'm sorry, Isak," he whispered. His words hung in the air for quite some time, growing stale, so instead, he chose to stop being defensive, even if for just a moment. "For what it's worth… you would have made… no. You are a great father." He looked Isak dead in the eye this time. He peered over his sunglasses, throwing Isak an apologetic look.

"Thanks, Erik. Really." Isak smiled, but his eyes were far away. He wasn't really looking at his friend. He was picturing his daughter.

"Well… I guess we'd better plan to go down to the Cavern next week. Thursday?" Erik replied, echoing Christine's words.

"Thursday. Erik-- tell me, how exactly do you plan on watching her play at your station without having a coronary? She'll probably be using your deck, maybe even some equipment of yours." Isak raised his eyebrow, raising his formerly sullen tone to something more cheerful and joking. "What if she ruins your Juno?"

"Don't even joke about that," Erik said hollowly. His precious analog synth was nestled among all the digital hardware--it was nondescript, with its simple design--but it was unstoppable. "That thing is priceless, it's programmed perfectly to the way I want--maybe I'd better take it out, now that you mention it," he said, more to himself than Isak.

"But, I mean--if she does break it, it's okay. She's pretty enough to get away with it," Isak countered back, eyes twinkling playfully. He couldn't help but let his smile show this time, with the slight crow's feet around his eyes giving his age away. "I mean--you do think she's pretty, no?"

"What? I never said that." Erik was making a point to stare down at his lap as he said this. His hands suddenly turned clammy, but he tried to stay still, not giving himself away. He failed miserably.

"Yeah, well, you have a terrible poker face," Isak said, not even bothering to hide his laughter.

________________________

The tour guide's voice was so small and thin, Christine had to strain to make out her spiel in French--or perhaps it only seemed that way because of how high the ceiling of this room was, combined with the fact that she was at the very rear of the tour group. When they first walked into the Grand Foyer, Christine almost dropped her bag on the floor--her entire body went slack, and she just--stood there for almost an entire minute. Everywhere she looked, there was something to occupy her mind with: chandeliers, gold-casted sculptures and friezes on top of the rows of columns that lined the room on either side, the murals that criss-crossed the ceiling--! Just as down below in the rotunda, she was taken completely by surprise. She had seen pictures on the internet, yes, but never had she expected it to be this magnificent and--huge. Everything in the pictures made it look rather average--they were only a few inches large on her laptop screen, and she thus severely underestimated the sheer grandeur. Even the candlesticks towered above her head. At the opposite end of the oblong-shaped foyer, there was the biggest, most opulently decorated fireplace she had ever seen. Ever so slowly she began to trudge towards the fireplace--she didn't want to reach it. Not just yet, anyway. Everyone else in the tour group had slowed down, too--as ridiculous and over-the-top as this room was, it was something wonderful to think about. What have these walls seen? How many stories did it hold? What sounds have bounced off these walls? Christine vaguely wondered if people would steal away in this room if they ever became restless sitting in their stalls during a performance.

She caught her reflection in the mirror as her gaze momentarily traveled downward--she looked ridiculous in this setting. With her modern clothes against this massive Baroque backdrop, she felt almost--embarrassed? It was silly, she knew, but--suddenly she longed to have her hair piled up onto her head, with a wonderful silk gown that would have made the most exquisite sound if its train slid against the paneling of the wood floor as she walked. She looked upon her reflection as she would if she were someone that was alive at the time of the grand opening--1875, maybe? The women would probably gawk at her, revolted--clad in her scuffed trainers and black parka likely would make her stick out like a sore thumb--women didn't even wear pants back then--did they--?

Suddenly, two very odd things happened at once: Christine heard the odd ambient sounds of the tourists had suddenly turned into a collective murmur, and felt the sensation of someone tugging very hard on the side of her jacket. Then, a hissing sound:

"Christine!

After rounding on the spot, everything made sense, albeit rather slowly for Christine since her mind had been miles away: the tugging and the calling of her name came from none other than her dear roommate, Meg. The murmuring--well, it started to fade away, but then Christine saw in her peripheral a few camera flashes going off in their direction.

Meg had to physically drag Christine out of the room, not because she wanted to stay, but she was trying to figure out why they had suddenly become the center of attention. "Were they taking pictures of us? I don't--"

"Honestly, Christine, you'd leave your head somewhere if it wasn't screwed on to your shoulders," Meg huffed at her, veering to the left--nearing the outskirts of where the general public was allowed. "Do you not see what I'm wearing?" She violently gestures at her costume--and it clicked. She was in a proper ballet outfit, and among the tourists' muted streetwear and dark jackets, she had stuck out like a sore thumb when she entered the Grand Foyer. She was wearing a powder-pink leotard and an oversized white crepe tutu skirt. It was shaped like a bell, flowing wonderfully as Meg walked--or, rather, hurried--along with Christine. The stark colors of her outfit were lovely, but woefully they were interrupted by a set of stocky, warm-looking fur-lined boots, and a tiny shrug that covered her otherwise bare arms. She couldn't blame Meg, she imagined that she was awfully cold in this huge, drafty building--at least, not when she was leaping about, or--whatever it was she did when she came to rehearse with the corps.

She only saw the back of Meg's head as they traveled down the hallway, but Christine thought she could see a glimmer of bright-colored glitter on the side of her face when she turned to look behind to ensure her friend was still following. She have makeup on? But Meg never said anything about a dress rehearsal-- and besides, if Christine's memory served correctly, dress rehearsals typically happened in the evening for the ballet.

They arrived at an elevator, and Meg jammed the 'up' button before rounding to face Christine. Her face was, in fact, covered with glitter--actually, blush with glitter on top. She looked like a doll--a very angry doll. Beads of sweat were beginning to form on her face, and her tiny chest was heaving a little. She was so much shorter than Christine, so even though she wanted to tower over her American roommate, she had to tilt her chin up to properly berate her from her height. "I tried to call you back, Christine, why the hell didn't you pick up? If my captain sees any pictures surface online, she's going to kill me--" Even though she obviously had more to say, she broke eye contact with Christine, peering over her shoulder. Before Christine could follow her line of sight, they heard the elevator chime gently. Meg darted inside, and yanked Christine in. "Hurry!" she hissed, jamming yet another button on the inside repeatedly.

"What? It's not a big deal--" but as Christine turned around to follow where Meg had been looking earlier-- a small cluster of people had their smart phones out, and the sounds of a camera shutter echoed slightly down the hall. Even more odd--most of the people taking pictures looked--Korean? Chinese?

"Meg, really, I'm so sorry about all this, but-- hang on. Can you please clue me in on what's going on? Are you really this, like, huge celebrity somewhere abroad and you've just never told me--?"

Meg had elected to hide behind her friend, saying nothing for a moment, and was successful in blocking the paparazzi's view until the elevator door finally slid shut. Hopping back out from Christine's back, she sighed gustily. "I don't think they got that many good pictures, thank goodness you're taller than me--"

"Meg," Christine was about to ask her question again, when--

"Okay, okay, just--you have to swear that you won't tell anyone. Swear. Do you swear?"

Christine's expression became gleeful. "I was right," she breathed silently. "You're, like, the Misty Copeland of France, aren't you?"

Meg rolled her eyes. "Christine, I love you, but you're being really thick right now," she said with an air of exasperation. "Just shut up and let me finish. But before I say anything--I'm serious, Christine. You can't tell anyone what I’m about to tell you."

Christine nodded. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I promise. And I'll shut up until you say I'm allowed to talk again. Promise."

"Okay, so, this all happened very last minute. The corps had been rehearsing a tentative routine but they never confirmed with us a date or time. So, finally, the captain gets the call last night. She told us we had to be here at 5am this morning, she wouldn't say why until we got here, because we all had to sign this really strict nondisclosure agreement. Then, as soon as we get here--" Meg crossed herself silently, "Forgive me, Father--for I am about to sin-- There was a camera crew! Lights, cameras--everything! And--!"

Meg had said all of this very fast, but was suddenly interrupted by the elevator chime once again. As the doors began to slide open, she quickly fell silent, and stared with eyes as big as saucers at what laid beyond the elevator threshold.

Christine had been standing with her back to the elevator doors, so without much forethought to what Meg could possibly be staring at, said very loudly: "What is it now, Meg?" as she rounded on the spot.

A very large, lean, and decidedly masculine torso covered in starched black cotton was the first thing that met Christine's gaze. She jumped back a little, not only surprised to find that someone was so close to the elevator door, but that that someone was literally towering over her and her friend. Her eyes darted up to the head attached to the torso, and her wandering stare met a dark, gleaming pair of eyes. She actually started back a little, not just startled, but--rather amazed at their glamor: The eyes were framed with dramatic black kohl, smoked out around his lower and upper lids, making him look even more mysterious. But his pale, milky skin nearly neutralized his look, giving him a softer, more tender look. It was strange how someone could look so mysterious and so angelic all at once. Christine had the sudden urge to reach up and touch his cheek, because his complexion was absolutely flawless. Absentmindedly, she thought of a documentary she watched some time ago about the inner workings of the Korean pop music industry, and how he was a spitting image of them--he was certainly pretty enough, that was for sure.

Meg suddenly said something in a foreign language, her tone high pitched and strained. Was it Korean? Before Christine could throw Meg a questioning look, Christine once again felt the sensation of a small yet able hand clutching her upper arm and wheeling her to the immediate right, down a hallway that led to a set of double doors. Christine guessed that Meg had previously apologized for disturbing him, because now, Meg was utterly silent. Christine got the idea that she should follow suit, at the very least, until their were out of earshot of the mysterious young man--she began to scurry after her friend, doing everything in her power not to make eye contact with this beautiful young man as she sped away.

"Wait!" a deep voice that came from the elevator, and Meg froze on the spot, right in the middle of the hallway. Christine didn't register until after a step or two that the voice came from the Korean dark angel. "You--you were in rehearsal today, weren't you? But--who is this?"

Meg waited a beat too long to turn around. Christine threw a strained look at her, but her poor friend seemed almost paralyzed. This was so out of character for Meg--normally, she was so outgoing and bubbly. Was she--afraid? Maybe she was going to get in trouble?

They had either two options: run or try to talk their way out of it. Standing here wasn't going to help anything. The silence hanging in the air was driving Christine mad. Without being able to stand it a second longer, she turned around and broke free from Meg's now limp hands.

"I'm actually Meg's roommate," she offered, realizing her voice was half of an octave higher than usual, and louder than she had expected. "I'm Christine." Suddenly unaware of her body's actions, she found herself at arm's length away from the man, sticking out her hand as a friendly offering. He darted his dark, hypnotizing eyes down at her outstretched hand. This time, it was his turn to hesitate too long--it was almost as if he had never seen a handshake before. But before Christine could say anything, though, his eyes lit up, suddenly understanding. He quickly took her hand--his long, sinewy, pale forearm was accentuated because his shirt sleeves were rolled up. Christine stared dumbly, marveling at how much he looked like he was carved from cool, tough marble, but when he grasped her hand, his hand was warm, matching the inviting tone of his voice.

"Hello, I'm Sehun," he said. She looked up, and his eyes suddenly had a twinkle--he was being genuine. Because of Meg's skittish behavior, not to mention his initially intimidating demeanor, she had anticipated the man--Sehun--to be somewhat cold and--maybe even rude. But not so, much to her relief. After registering his tone, Christine also noticed his accent--it was a relatively even blend of Korean and American, so it was hard to tell what country he truly hailed from.

"Christine--" her heart literally fluttered, and she flushed a slight pink when she heard him say her name. Why was she acting like a middle school girl all of a sudden? "Ah, yes, and Meg. I had forgotten her name, I am sorry--there were so many of you in rehearsal, it was hard to remember everyone's name." His gaze shifted up to Meg as he called after her. Christine turned around a little so that she could see Meg, while still keeping Sehun in her periphery. Sure enough, Meg was still rooted to the spot, but she looked noticeably more relaxed--if only a little. Her neck and décolletage was splotchy and red, a deep blush slowly creeping up to her face. Did I look that stupid when he said my name? Christine suddenly worried to herself.

Since Meg still did not seem physically capable of uttering a coherent sentence, Sehun offered her a polite compliment. "You dance beautifully, Meg--really well done. I understand why your--" he paused to search for the word-- "captain asked for you to be closest to the camera--you really shine when you're dancing."

Christine's brow furrowed slightly. Camera? She tried desperately to recall what Meg had been telling her about prior to encountering Sehun…. But Meg obviously knew what he was talking about. She went from embarrassed to surprised, and finally managed to sputter out a few words: "Th--thank you," Meg said in English with her heavy French accent. For such a small girl, her voice was a wonderful, lush alto tone, and it showed especially when she spoke in English. "That's really--really, too kind of you. You're--you're an excellent dancer, too--" she trailed off, mumbling a little in French since she seemed too taken aback to remember any more English vocabulary.

Sehun just chuckled a little, his smile making his dark eyes sparkle a little more as they crinkled around the edges. Even though that smile wasn't meant for her, Christine's stomach did somersaults in response. It took Christine a conscious amount of effort to tear away her stare from him--she would never admit why, but deep in the pit of her stomach, she knew. "Thank you very much," he said in response, bowing his head a little. A tuft of jet black hair fell across his temple and threatened to graze across his forehead. He turned to Christine and she felt her breath catch.

"But I'm not really a dancer. I mean-- not like you, Meg. I'm not a classical dancer at all." At first, Sehun as struggling, but the more he talked, the more he fell back into a more comfortable cadence of English. He must have picked up on this, too: "Sorry if my English sounds weird, I--I haven't spoken English for awhile. I've been abroad for so long!" He exclaimed in surprise, as if he just now came to the realization.

"Oh, it's fine," both Christine and Meg said at the same time--though Christine found herself saying it much more hastily. Perhaps it was because of her fluency, but Meg's English seemed significantly more sluggish compared to hers. No, it wasn't that. It wasn't that at all, she thought. It had to do with the fact that Christine's heart was racing, her eyes were dilated, and her palms has been clammy ever since she shook hands with him…

"But--why do you say that?" Meg questioned. Christine's eyebrows shot up--Meg's curiosity had overcome what she thought was crippling intimidation and fear--enough to where she could finally resemble her old, chatty self. "But that's ridiculous. I just saw you in there--your breakdancing and everything! You're wonderful!"

"Wait. Breakdancing?" Christine echoed instinctively. Sehun looked at her blankly, but then--a small hint of surprise flashed across his face. Was it surprise? Disbelief--?

Suddenly, a shout from down the hall erupted from a doorway. A young man with fire engine red hair poked his head out from the suspected door. He smiled in their direction, calling Sehun--perhaps to come in? That's all they heard, though, because his head disappeared in a flash, and snapped the door shut.

"Oh, er--" Meg fidgeted a little. "You know, Sehun, we'd better go, I'm really sorry to have, ah, bothered you, we were just--"

"Oh, no, please don't leave!" Even though Christine had already begun to follow Meg, she stopped in her tracks--as if she had been blinded by his white, gleaming smile he flashed. "Please, just--I'll be right back, I promise," he insisted, starting to back away towards the opposite end of the hallway. "Don't move!"

In a flash, Sehun was gone, his black form disappearing throught the door that his friend had just appeared from.

"Okay, Meg, what the fuck is going on," Christine muttered under her breath, turning on her heel to stare down at Meg. "Quick, hurry, before he comes back."

Meg switched to French so that she could oblige her friend to the best of her ability. "Okay, he's like-- a big deal in Korea. I'm not over-exaggerating. If anything, I'm… under-exaggerating. He's in one of those bands… those Korean boy bands. They're massive in Korea. Think like… Backstreet Boys. But bigger. That guy, with the red hair--he's another member. They're shooting a music video, here on location… and the entire corps are performing with them in one of the scenes. Only, it's super secret, and no one can know this. That's…I mean, yeah that's basically it." Meg said somewhat simply, looking taken aback at how quickly she was able to get it all out.

"But you can't tell anyone, Christine. I'm serious. I'm already breaking contract by telling you all this. Don't even tell your mom. Okay?"

Christine just nodded, pretending to lock her mouth with an imaginary key. "Um…sorry, but--why did he ask us to stay here?"

Meg's face suddenly fell, quickly going from anticipation to despair. "Oh no," she moaned quietly. "Oh no. What if he's going to get us in trouble? What if he gets their manager--or worse," she said in a strained tone, "the dance captain?"

"Honestly, Meg, I--don't think he would," Christine said, staring after Sehun dreamily. "He seemed far too nice to do that."

Meg raised an eyebrow. "Are you--? Wait, no, I could care less if you want to fuck him or not. That makes you, and like, every other straight girl in the corps. Even the boys want to fuck him. No, listen, Christine-- why are you here?"

Christine gasped. She had completely forgotten! "Meg, oh my God, Meg." She took her friend by her tiny pink-sleeved shoulders.

"I got booked. I'm playing a gig. Next week."

"Shut up. Shut up."

Suddenly, sounds of glee erupted from both of them, and they jumped up and down slightly. Christine had always done silly things like this with Meg over phone and video cams, but this time--it was so special, for more reasons than one. She savored it, feeling Meg's loose tendrils of hair that had fallen out of her bun brush against Christine's cheek, and her crinkly tulle skirt brush against her leg. Meg was rooting for her, and she was just as happy and joyous as if she had booked the gig for herself.

"Where? Where is it?"

"Oh, the Cavern. You went with me--remember Thomas? That guy who bought us a drink after I gave him my demo?"

"Wait, not the guy who was totally into you? Gross. I didn't really like him." Meg wrinkled her nose a little.

"No, it's not like that, I swear. He listened to my stuff. He loved it. And--I'm playing next Thursday!"

"Sorry, what's next Thursday?"

They both nearly jumped out of their skins. Sehun had come up behind them while they were in their own little world. He still had a somewhat blank look on his face, but he was feeding off their positive energy, smiling as he spoke. "What's going on?"

"Oh! Er--well, I'm going to DJ at a club next week," Christine offered. "It's not a big deal, it's just--"

"Uh, no, it's a huge deal!" Meg insisted. "Sehun, Christine's a musician, and a DJ, and a producer--she's amazing. You should come by if you're still going to be in town next week. Thursday at the Cavern."

"Oh, that's wonderful, Christine, congratulations," Sehun offered, and Christine laughed a little, graciously thanking him as she tried to ignore the butterflies flying about rampantly in her chest. "That's really cool, I'm sure you're very talented."

This time, Christine really laughed, this time at herself. "I don't know about that--I mean, I wouldn't take my word for it. Maybe you'd better come by and decide for yourself." Did I just try to flirt with a Korean celebrity? What the hell, Christine?

"Oh! I'd love to, only--I'm not sure what my schedule's like at the moment. But if I am free that evening, I'll try to come by--The Cavern on Thursday, you said?"

Christine nodded eagerly, but then stopped herself: "Wait, but--where did you run off to?"

"Oh, I was just heading out for the day--my manager has to call a car for me when I leave."

"Well, we're going to grab something to eat, so--" Christine's voice trailed off, lilting a little. She had done this a million times before, but not with someone nearly this handsome--or this famous, come to think of it. She waited for a beat, and sure enough, he got it. Hook, line, and sinker.

"Oh, that sounds awesome, I'm starved. Can I come, too?"

Christine whipped her head around, throwing a triumphant look at Meg, who looked--unimpressed, to say the least.

"Let me just--get my things first," Meg muttered, shuffling away. "Oh, and Sorelli's coming too," Meg insisted, calling behind her. It wasn't a question, Christine thought as Meg threw an exasperated look at her boy-crazy American friend. Christine didn't care. She was in utter bliss.

[toonstarterz]

BECAUSE I’M NOT POPULAR, I’LL READ WATAMOTE: CHAPTER #162

Tanabata has come around once again to offer a generation of high schoolers some false hope in order to distract them from the cruel reality that is life. At least, that’s what the old Tomoko might’ve thought. While the world ultimately didn’t hand everything to her on a silver platter, Tomoko’s half-hearted hope did actually manifest into something she holds dear. The question now remains...

What does she strive for now?          

Chapter 162: Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Make A Wish

“I wish that Watamote would get a 2nd season!”

Ahem...moving on.

Nothing like a little friendly brooding to start the day.

In a weird, ironic way, Yuri seems to empathize with Tomoko over mutual apathy. The one constant they share is that they both like to take the path of least resistance in life. While Yuri may be a little off the mark at times, having that unspoken bond is a great point to start from.

So we knew Nemo recognized that Tomoko was a former loner, but Yuri, too? Then again, it’s been hinted at before that Tomoko is kind of an open book and that the people around Tomoko are more perceptive of her than she’d like to believe. So yeah, Yuri knew Tomoko barely had friends before she met her (a fact that likely fuels her codependency tendencies). But like any good friend, Yuri stuck around despite that history.

Still can’t get over her casually calling her Yuri-chan.

For a hardcore introvert like Yuri, doing something for the sake of being social with no practical purpose seems illogical. It makes total sense that traditions like Tanabata aren’t really her cup of tea. Just how much Yuri is aware of that is still kind of fuzzy, but no less endearing, 

Reiterating a joke I made in the previous chapter, but Tomoko really ought to take a crash course in psychological projection.

Taking a stab at Yuri’s desires, now...I’d say it would be to have someone who really understands her. Or for Minami to lose her fang. Either or.

Wow, I wouldn’t have figured that Ucchi was the type to write in all caps.

I always wondered if the sugar-sweet and dragged-out way that moe anime girls yell “Senpaaai!” was actually grating by real-life Japanese standards. Looks like I was right.

Now those school fan clubs for the ridiculously attractive girl/guy that you sometimes see in manga are starting to feel pretty legit right now. 

“Pfft, basic bitches,” thought Tomoko. 

Smooth like butter.

You know, I think that Tomoko being unable to come up with something is a solid indication that she’s relatively satisfied with her life right now. Sure, she has career goals and whatnot, but she no longer feels troubled by material desires or short-term gratification. Like Yuri, it may be that Tomoko has more intangible, emotional desires that aren’t easy to put into words. But also like Yuri, Tomoko may have recently already gained that.

Occasionally–just occasionally–a few earnestly pure-of-heart moments from a cute manga girl is all you really need.

...Especially when it’s immediately offset by Tomoko being Tomoko.

Ohhhh, boy. That last comment by Tomoko is opening up all sorts of questions regarding her sexuality. I’ve mentioned before that Tomoko may be dealing with some sort of gender dysphoria and I think that’s becoming more apparent than ever. For one, her totally normal-not-at-all-creepy desire to NTR her kouhai assumes that only a guy could do that to Hirasawa. It also implies that Tomoko would only acknowledge liking girls if she identified as male. Not once did Tomoko consider that she, as a female, could NTR another female. All in all, there’s a bit of internalized homophobia, repressed sexuality, etc. at play here, and it’s going to take a bit of soul-searching for Tomoko to sort it all out.

Once every thousand years, we get some actual chibi art out of this series.

Bless you, Nico Tanigawa.

The best part of this Hirasawa-vision is that Tomoko is drawn exactly the same, just with lighter tones. Hirasawa’s not blind, just optimistic, which makes her heroine-worship so much more earnest.

Normally, super innocent girls like Hirasawa who get overly excited on trivial things tend to rub me the wrong way, mostly because I have a hard time thinking young girls are that simple-minded. But there’s something about Hirasawa that feels genuine. It may be because her excitement feels like its deriving from a sense of loneliness. Like an overreaction from latching onto any lure of female friendship. 

It’s also just cute.

Tomoko...I’m pretty sure that’s your confirmation bias talking right there.

We don’t even need to see anything above the waist, but you can tell exactly who this is based on context alone...

I was wondering how Ucchi actually manages to do that Darth Vader thing with her mouth...

...then I remembered how her face looks and it makes perfectly no sense.

Guys, I...I think Ucchi finally broke.

Actually, Miyazaki, it may not be phrased as a wish, but it definitely is a wish...

I really enjoy the little bits of characterization in everyone’s wishes. For Yuri and Tomoko, like the BFFs they are, they have the same, most basic wish since they don’t really have any other burning desires. It’s also short and sweet, and without any fluff, as they would normally be if speaking out loud. And lastly, Yuri doesn’t leave her last name, as if she doesn’t want to attach herself onto her wish that far. 

Katou, on the other hand, is all giddy and sweet, using words like “hope” and “together” when effectively making the same wish. She uses “we” without naming anyone, making it an all-inclusive wish. Just what you’d expect from the class mom.

Tomoko’s habit of “lying on reflex” actually makes a great deal of sense. She’s the type who has trouble expressing her vulnerabilities, and lying is a standard defense mechanism, just like Yuri’s noncommital attitude, Nemo’s passive aggression, and whatever Katou most certainly has.  

Oh, Yuri, you precious bean. I know jokes aren’t your forte, but your emotional responses–or lack thereof–makes for a great punchline.

Did ya’ll notice how Tomoko’s second wish is exactly what Imae wished for last year? Tomoko may not always make the best decisions when comes to carrying the torch of The Great Megumi Imae, but you can’t deny that she’s making a concerted effort.

Guess Tomoko isn’t the only one with enough nerve to turn a Tanabata wish into a dirty joke...

Damn, we all knew that Fuuka was getting an unhealthy fixation over Katou and Tomoko’s “secret” relationship, but never to the point where it was affecting her studies, and by extension, her after-high school prospects. It hints that the series may be taking this misunderstanding into a direction that’s not entirely played for gags. It’s a risky move because such a development could easily come across as contrived if taken seriously, but if they keep it character-driven a la Ucchi, it could make for some really engaging moments. 

C’mon, Fuuka. How did you think people were going to take that?

Of all of the people who’ve been “corrupted” by Tomoko, Fuuka may be taking the most damage out of all of them. Poor thing.   

Let’s see here...

Sometimes I worry about Itou’s sense of self when she always identifies herself by her relationships with others.

Yo, Komiyama doesn’t even bother mentioning the Lottes by name because “Who else of any importance could it possibly be?”. Never lose faith, Komi.

Sweet, naïve Mike. She (and her boyfriend who’s somehow still kicking) is set up to be this series’ greatest tragedy.

This is Tomoko Kuroki, everyone. The girl who can’t see the raging emoji-faced horndog right in front of her, but will misconstrue a single misunderstanding as a pervert. Selective perception, ain’t it?

Well, it is a great opportunity to anonymously judge people’s inner desires, so Tomoko’s probably right.

Here we go again...

Nice to see that Nemo has practical, but optimistic expectations for her goal. She knows that she’s in her prime and is ready to hit the ground running. 

The thing about Yoshida’s wish is that it implies that she knows she’ll be faced with resistance. Still, I gotta respect her individuality.

Okada’s wish feels like a cry for help if you look at it another way. That’s probably not the case, though. Probably.

That’s the beauty of it all, Tomoko. In the end, you really didn’t do anything. At least, not directly. What you did was make yourself into an example for Nemo to follow. One of Tomoko’s greatest attributes is that she’s unapologetically herself, which is how she eventually got noticed–and in Nemo’s case, admired–in the first place.   

Quakey legs + short people problems = cute Tomoko. 

Aw man, what I wouldn’t give for this to be a running gag. That in all those chapters where Tomoko was all alone, there was actually somebody she knows now that was in the scene, too. It (sort of) first happened with the dick-pics-in-class chapter and the three-legged race guy, after all. Poor Tomoko has all this baggage that can be used against her now.

For those with shitty memory like me...

“I want to lose my virginity in a year so I don’t lose track of my bigger goals.”

Of course, she’d forget about the part that actually mattered.

Well, you know, Tomoko, they do say that every joke/lie has a kernel of truth.

I noticed that a lot of (comedy) manga seems to like elevating the value of losing(or saving) one’s virginity to absurd levels, at least in the inexperienced minds of its teenaged male characters. Tomoko herself has perpetuated this notion in the past. But even so, the “in-universe” outside of Tomoko’s mind never really aggrandizes sex, and I find that it to be a very refreshing change that shows how, in reality, as Nemo suggests, losing your virginity isn’t really that big of a damn deal.  

Good ol’ Tomoko logic at its finest.

Nemo looks...surprisingly serious about that. Normally that kind of talk would catch her off guard a little, but she had no hesitation with that retort. I think that’s solid evidence that Nemo has done more research into the nature of the voice acting industry, especially after Tomoko unintentionally trolled her with that eroge. 

This could lead to even more intellectual (if not openly sexual) conversations between Tomoko and Nemo that go beyond their usual bantering. That’d be pretty lit. 

Well, if Tomoko is a direct reflection of the author, then she probably thinks light novels are mostly for loser otaku trying to live their perverted fantasies through self-insert literature (at least, what I gathered from Write Sisters).

Well, I’m be damned if that isn’t blatant foreshadowing for where Tomoko’s future is headed.

Even though I saw it coming a mile away, it still gives me the warm fuzzies.

As fantastic as it would be for Tomoko to be an accomplished light novelist with Nemo voicing a character in her anime adaptation, I feel like that level of success would be a little out of reach for this series’ approach to realism. 

If I were to look into the future, I’d say that Tomoko would write a light novel that’d be successful just enough to be greenlit for an ultimately mediocre anime adaptation. And Nemo, being a rookie, would either be not cast at all, or be given a bit part for a background character.

Of course, that’s all speculation. As Nemo says, the freedom to dream is the one thing we can count on. And if there’s one thing the mangaka has learned from doing this series, it’s that being realistic doesn’t mean you can’t have a happy ending. 

I guess being considerate/decent to complete strangers is still locked out of Tomoko’s comfort zone. 

I think we found a member of Rena’s family.

Man, the more we get these tidbits of Imae’s legacy affecting the school (and Tomoko), the more nostalgic I get for her. I sincerely hope we get to see her at least one last time before the series is over.

And in tried-and-true Watamote fashion, we get a little bit of Tomoko’s wisdom to end off another thought-provoking chapter.

In retrospect, there wasn’t a whole lot of “action” in this chapter that could be built upon later. It was mostly a series of gags sprinkled with some nice conversation (at least until Nemo’s part). One of the core themes that Nico Tanigawa seems to be playing with is, “Now that Tomoko has come this far, where does she go from here?” And the answer is...

They don’t know. 

Legitimately, I don’t think the mangakas know exactly what Tomoko’s endgame will be. Sure, they have some strong ideas in terms of school and career, but nothing definitive. As s result, I think playing with the gags and jokes a bit more is their way of “stirring the pot” and seeing what comes out. All of Watamote’s greatest developments did originate from comedy, after all. The first Tanabata chapter is a prime example of this, and I have no reason to think that the stars of the second Tanabata chapter won’t shine over Tomoko once again.