#This is definitely gonna boost my weird guy persona

[chill4234-reblogs]

Ok so I noticed a significant lack of the best persona game Persona 4, so please allow my contributions. (Also, I’m not a major mythology buff, so please forgive me if I get anything wrong.)

Yu

Having Izanagi for a persona has definitely been interesting for Yu. First noticeable change was boosted creativity, Izanagi was basically Japan’s creator, so obviously that creative spirit leaked into Yu.

But of course, can’t have Izanagi without his wife, Izanami. The woman famous for dying, her husband attempting to rescue her from the underworld, and her decaying corpse repaying the favour by trying to kill Izanagi.

Izanagi himself? Pretty brave guy, especially in the face of all the demons Izanami hired to kill him.

Yu, however, is just a teenager, which is a stage of life where your anxiety can get pretty high.

Yu is still the same confident, suave boy we know and love, but Izanagi’s life of fighting demons can put Yu a bit on edge, even when he’s perfectly safe.

Yosuke

Similarly to the phantom thieves, Jiraya was a famous criminal who, in his early life, robbed the poor, but later turned toward stealing from the rich. Yosuke doesn’t really care where all the extra money comes from, it helped him pay for his scooter, after all.

on an unrelated note, someone’s been pickpocketing from Yosuke’s dad a lot, which is weird. At least his dad’s management position pays well enough for the family to be unaffected.

Jiraya was also known to control the weather, which is useful when the whole game is about avoiding the rain.

Chie

There really isn’t much to say on this one, Tomoe was a famous warrior, Chie likes fighting. The only noticeable effects I can think of are an increased number of haircuts due to how long the real Tomoe’s hair was.

Yukiko

Konohana Sakuya is the god of mt. Fuji’s volcano, so at first, everyone around her shrugged it off when Yukiko began radiating this…warm aura? She’s often called the most beautiful girl in her class, so people attracted to her blame it on a crush, while those that aren’t find some other excuse, like Yukiko’s warm personality.

As time goes on, people begin to realise they were dead wrong. Nobody knows what it is or why it happens, but whenever Yukiko approaches, the temperature rises dramatically and Yukiko doesn’t even seem to care. Yukiko even complained the hot springs felt too cold, causing further bewilderment among the innkeepers.

Kanji

Out of nowhere, Kanji suddenly gains crazy leadership skills. He never outright tries to upstage Yu, but every so often Kanji will throw out advanced battle tactics or leader-like tenderness. The investigation team just…stares, like, did that really just come from the team idiot?!

Kanji never notices this change in his behaviour personally, he’s not the leader of anything really, and these strategies just feel natural, but every so often, Take-Milazuchi’s influence slips in, baffling everyone around him.

Rise

Ok while researching for this post, Rise’s persona Himiko definitely interested me the most. Himiko was said to be both a princess and a priestess who worshipped the sun goddess, and while Rise has begun to appreciate clear weather more often, Himiko has another affect on her.

Himiko exists in both Chinese and Japanese mythology, and while her Chinese descriptions are pretty detailed, her Japanese descriptions are rather vague, some sources even use different names for the same character. Rise’s career in music is definitely gonna take a hit because of this, almost like everyone in Japan barely remembers her.

But then there’s China.

Rise did expect her Japanese popularity to dip, but not for her to become massively loved by her overseas neighbours. Even though her songs are in a completely different language, China can’t seem to get enough of it.

Teddie

A rather simple one, Kintoki-Douji (or Kintaro, as he’s actually called) is a figure known for immense strength. The investigation team correlates it to Teddie just being a weirdo, Teddie says it’s because of all the sit-ups he did.

Either way, Teddie can now lift objects so heavy that it scares everyone who witnesses.

Naoto

Naoto’s persona is a deity of hot springs, agriculture, healing, magic, brewing sake and (most fittingly of Naoto) knowledge.

Similarly to Teddie, Naoto now has an increase in strength, albeit mental rather than physical. Naoto is the only member of the investigation team who’s taken notice of the persona’s odd affects on the user, which is partly why they prompted the hospital visit.

Naoto themselves is personally rather baffled by the sudden turn of events, things they had no interest in before are suddenly areas of expertise. The group could just be relaxing at the Amagi Inn when suddenly, Naoto lists off a bunch of facts about hot springs they weren’t even aware of.

It was personally embarrassing when the game’s killer was arrested. Naoto was filing the necessary paperwork, but their report goes deep into the second victim, Naoto going into frankly unneeded detail regarding the victim’s line of work and frequent involvement with Sake. The higher ups were certainly confused as to how some kid could know this much about alcohol, and why Naoto thought this much detail would be useful.

You know what would be fun? If having a Persona leaked into the rest of your life. Well, maybe not for the users, but it would be fun for us.

In Persona 2, Reiji Kido and Kenta Yokouchi are both door-to-door salesmen who work for the same company, but Kenta is successful where Reiji is not. Kenta’s Persona Mara induces greed in customers, while Reiji’s Persona Mot induces fear.

Imagine if we saw that elsewhere. Like, what if having a Persona made you fluent in the language they’d know? (And you didn’t lose it if you got an Ultimate Persona?)

Since all the starting Personas in Persona 3 are Greek, SEES uses Ancient Greek to pass messages during the day. Sometimes at the dorm, they wind up chatting and don’t realize that they switched to Greek; this happens a few times when Ryoji is over.

Ryuji realizes that English class is suddenly a lot easier with Captain Kidd. He understands everything the teacher says! Except his teacher has no idea how to grade his essays, which appear to have been written on Talk Like A Pirate Day.

Not just language things, too. There’s some inconvenient stuff as well.

One fine spring day, Sae asks Makoto why she hasn’t cooked meat in weeks, and Makoto can’t answer. It’s only after she checks the calendar that she realizes that it’s Lent, when meat is traditionally forbidden.

It turns out that Makoto’s been subconsciously following rules laid down by the Church, because of Johanna. She doesn’t get the rules that interfere with her own set of morals, such as anything involving the subjugation of women, nor ones that are unavoidable, such as not wearing mixed fabrics, but she does wind up following the rest. When she goes grocery shopping, she doesn’t think, “I will not cook meat,” she thinks, “fish would be good for dinner.”

Yusuke can’t stand hot baths anymore, because Goemon was executed by being boiled alive. Luckily, he’s not bothered by cold anymore.

Tatsuya and Katsuya wake up at dawn every morning because of Apollo and Helios, which is good for early shifts, but they also tend to start fading after sunset. Maya, on the other hand, now has a seemingly erratic sleep schedule because the moon rises and sets at different times.

Baofu is always late because like Odysseus, something always stalls him. 

Some of the Phantom Thieves, and also Jun and Junpei, keep finding their hands in other peoples’ pockets because their Personas were pickpockets. Or they don’t notice at all and find stuff in their bags that they don’t remember buying. Yusuke finds that he keeps giving money to beggars, but it’s always money that he doesn’t remember stealing, since Goemon gave back to the poor.

But there’s fun stuff, too.

Futaba now knows dark magic. She almost makes a prototype Demon Summoning Program, but gets bored halfway through and stops. It is implied that this was divine intervention; the Nahobino is seem outside her window, sighing in relief.

Junpei starts brewing potions as energy drinks and sleep aids, since Hermes Trismegistus is an alchemist.

Jun subconsciously bends time around himself, so he’s never late, never has to wait long, and he always gets his homework and paperwork done much faster. However, he knows that his bosses usually measure work done by time spent, so he’s figured out how to work around that.

One day, the modeling company asks Ann to show off her special talent, and since ‘whip techniques’ gets vetoed, she blurts out that she sings. The manager expects some cute pop music, and is startled when she starts bellowing Italian opera.

[orochiedit-archive]

drop the deeply relatable characters list

welp here we go lol, I looked thru MAL and Letterboxd and VNDB to refresh my memory and made the list:

* Kino (Kino's Journey) * Reki (Haibane Renmei) * Takumi Nichijou (Chaos;Head) * Rintarou Okabe (Steins;Gate) * Rikka Takanashi (Chuunibyou) * Tomoko Kuroki (WataMote) * Kiyoshirou Ushimitsu (Kamisama No Iutoori) * Haru Usami (G-Senjou No Maou) * Noriko Shimabara (Noriko's Dinner Table) * Takao Kasuga (Aku No Hana)   * Rin Tezuka (Katawa Shoujo) * Yuuichi Hasumi (Lily Chou-Chou) * Kaiji (Kaiji) * Tatsuhiro Satou (Welcome To The NHK) * Yuki Sanada (Tsuritama) * Rena Ryuugu (Higurashi) * Nagito Komaeda (Danganronpa) * Dinky Bossetti (Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael) * Hichiman Hikigaya (OreGairu) * Mamiya Takuji (SubaHibi) * Yuki Minakami (SubaHibi) * Shinji Ikari (NGE) :^) * Lain Iwakura (Serial Experiments Lain) :^) * Tanaka (Tanaka-kun Is Listless)

[soprano193]

Not a Couple

Chapter 5

Frankie:

There were benefits to being the first to arrive at the Dirty Robber. Most important, of course, was seat selection. Jane preferred the back table, with room for chairs to be added as more people joined them. Maura was more fond of the booths, their proximity leading to more intimate conversations. That was the last thing Frankie wanted. He was partial to the bar. The bartender was always there when he wanted a refill, the conversation flowed with ease, and he could smell the food being cooked in the kitchen.

Frankie chose a seat right in the middle, and draped his jacket over the seat directly to his left. As his friends arrived, they would save more seats, slowly taking the bar over and intimidating pair and single patrons, relegating them to the tables. Frankie signaled the bartender and rested his head on his hand, allowing the tension to leave his body as he slouched.

"Maura, I Googled it, and I am having one tomorrow morning!" Jane's voice carried with ease, announcing her arrival and piquing Frankie's interest.

The Doctor followed close behind, her honey hair flat from the rain. "Jane, you shouldn't get medical advice from Google. At least wait until your appointment on Monday."

"Don't make me wait until Monday, Maur, I have a headache now." Jane whined, shrugging off her wet jacket to save a seat. She sat at her brother's right, tapping the seat next to her for her friend to sit. "I need the caffeine boost."

This, along with so many other things, explained Jane's mood as of late. They had all been on edge after Frost's death, not sleeping, jumpy, out of sorts. Frankie couldn't imagine how his day would be without his morning cup of joe. "Why aren't you drinking caffeine, Jane?" Frankie asked, pulling his bottle of Busweiser closer to him.

"Can't sleep"

"Restless Leg Syndrome."

They answered in sync, as usual. But Maura's response made Jane whip her head around to face her best friend, her eyebrows pulled together in confusion as she mouthed words Frankie wasn't meant to hear. Maura blinked back at Jane in response, her mouth agape as she searched the detective's face.

"Yes. I haven't been sleeping because my legs won't rest. Maura told me that it might be caffeine, so I stopped drinking it." Jane's eyes searched his face, her face twisted as she tried to make her explanation make sense, but Maura's pained expression behind her told him it wasn't true. His sister turned back to face her best friend, her tone slightly harsh. "But I Googled it, and one cup of coffee should be fine for my legs."

Frankie held back a laugh. "You know, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He played with the condensation on the side of his beer bottle as Jane shot him an apologetic look. Ignoring that, he instead focused his attention on the Doctor. "How are you doing, Maura?"

The Doctor flushed, her hands on the bar clenching and unclenching. "Good. Well, not good. But fine, you know, as fine as I can feel I guess. However fine is supposed to feel, that's how I am."

Jane's head fell to her hands as she listened, her groans audible. "You can just say, 'fine,' Maur, like normal people."

"I know." She took a breath. "I need to use the ladies room." The blonde pushed away from the bar, leaving her small purse on the table. "Excuse me."

As she made her way towards the back of the building, Jane gestured for the bartender. "Can I get a glass of wine for her, please? And just a water for me?" She turned her head towards her brother while the bartender prepared her order. "About how long do you think it will be for you two to start acting like normal human beings?"

"She told you?" His mind flashed back to their shared kiss, the impulsive one in Jane's hallway.

"Of course she told me," Jane pulled her glass toward her as she spoke, "and it wasn't easy to pull it out of her, either. What were you thinking?"

Frankie shrugged, his voice climbing in pitch. "I don't know! That she was pretty, and really smart, and Ma already likes her so we have that going for us! But then it happened and…" He flicked his fingers in the air, letting his shoulders fall, "nothing."

"Did you tell her that?" His sister's eyes were wide, but kind, her face soft with concern.

Korsak's gruff voice on the other side of him made him turn. "Tell her what?"

Taking a deep breath, Frankie looked ahead as he answered both questions. "Yes, I told Maura that the kiss meant nothing, that she was like a sister to me."

"You kissed Maura?" Korsak coughed out laughter as he plopped his wallet on the counter.

"Could everyone drop it? If we don't make it a big deal, things will go back to normal quicker." He held his hands up in surrender as he spoke, Korsak still chuckling next to him.

"God, I hope so." Jane laughed before taking a sip of her water. "Because this awkwardness is painful to watch."

Almost on cue, the Doctor returned to the table. "Who ordered the wine?"

Jane pushed it toward her friend. "I did. You're welcome."

"You're not drinking tonight, Jane?" Korsak asked the question Frankie hadn't, leaning forward so he could see his partner.

Jane's face tightened as she turned to face him. "No. It's my restless legs. That makes me designated driver tonight."

Maura gave out a yelp of excitement. "Does this mean I can have a second glass of wine?"

Jane laughed. "Oh, living dangerously, I see."

"Danger is my middle name." Her voice lowered as she brought her glass to her mouth, taking a sip as she raised her eyebrows seductively.

This made Jane laugh through her nose, a genuine smile on her face. "Yes, Maura Dorthea Danger Isles. It has a great ring to it."

"Dorthea?" Korsak began to chuckle, bringing his beer to his lips, and Frankie couldn't help but follow along.

Maura's voice was difficult to hear over the two of them. "It means, 'God's gift'." She shrugged off the laughter with a sip of her wine, her hand reaching for a menu to read.

Jane, on the other hand, was more forceful. "Knock it off, before I tell everyone your middle names." She fixed her gaze on Frankie first, then Korsak, before turning to look at the menu with Maura. Of course, she knew Frankie's, but he had no idea she knew Korsak's, too. Frankie shared a glance with the older officer, Korsak's blue eyes wide as he slowly shook his head from side to side. He swallowed what was left of his laughter with a swig of his beer.

"Maur, stop eating the plants!" His sister's voice cut through the room, drawing his eyes to Maura. She had a mischievous smile on her face, a small green leaf poised between her fingers which were raised to her mouth.

"I'm not eating it this time, just smelling." The Doctor held it out towards Jane. "Smell."

Jane took a moment, her eyes closed, nose scrunched up in disgust, before leaning in to take the bait. As she sniffed, her shoulders and face relaxed, "Minty." She pushed herself back slightly, grabbing the leaf and glancing at the menu in the doctor's other hand. "You know, I wish this place would stop changing so much. Every time I figure out what I like, there's a new menu."

Frankie reached for a menu over by Korsak, his eyes scanning the scratched text in the dark room. "I got this burger the other night when I came with Tommy. Sauteed mushrooms and onions, with some gravy I think. It wasn't bad. Definitely spring for the sweet potato fries. They're the perfect combo of sweet and salty."

"Thanks for the suggestion." Before she could look for the burger, she pulled away from Maura, her voice taking a stern tone as she faced her friend. "Speaking of Tommy! Should I be developing a complex, Dr. Isles?"

Hazel eyes narrowed as Maura tried to figure out where Jane was going. "A complex about what?"

"Why am I the only Rizzoli sibling you haven't kissed?" Korsak practically spat his drink out at his partner's question, and coughed as he choked on his laughter.

For a moment, it seemed as if the question Jane asked had rendered Maura speechless. But she soon began to giggle, her eyes wide as she raked them up and down Jane's body. "Never say never, Detective. Enough of these and you might be next." She punctuated her sentence with a sip of her drink.

Jane reached for the wine, her hand touching Maura's where the stem met the glass. "That's enough for you tonight."

"But you told me I can have two! Jane!" Maura's eyes grew wide as she gently tugged her drink back, the hint of a smile on her pouty face.

"Fine," Jane relented, letting go of the wine glass, "but you better keep your hands to yourself on the ride home."

"No promises."

The words were just out of the doctor's mouth when Jane took the wine glass and pushed it well past Frankie, so it sat in front of her partner. She began waving down the bartender, her arm outstretched as Maura tried to pull it back. "Excuse me, you're gonna have to cut her off."

"Jane!" The two women laughed as the bartender gave them a knowing smile before turning back to his other customers. Frankie had to push himself back from the bar as Jane reached past him to return her friend's beverage. Frankie watched as Jane dropped her shoulder allowing herself to move in closer to Maura while they studied the menu. They fit together like the space was meant to be occupied by them, and them alone.

You and Maura, you don't match. His younger brother had woven his fingers together to illustrate his point, but they had been interrupted before that could finish their conversation. He'd never admit to Tommy that he had been right. Maura was like his sister, the kiss had been weird. They didn't match. She didn't match with Jane, either. Jane's brash demeanor was met with Maura's tact. The tough persona that helped Jane beat him in wrestling matches was complimented by Maura's compassion. Jane's charisma helped break Maura out of her shell. No, they didn't match. But their differences complimented each other perfectly.

"It's too bad Maura's not a guy."

It took Korsak a while to figure out what the younger Rizzoli was talking about. He caught on eventually, watching as the two women had their own conversation unaware of the room around them. "Does that matter?"

Frankie was surprised to see the judgement in the older man's eyes. "Of course not!" It came out louder than he wanted, and he had to check to make sure his sister didn't know they were talking about her. When Jane hadn't flinched, he continued, in hushed tones. "Jane's just only liked guys, you know? If Maura was a guy, they'd be perfect together."

"Or maybe they'd still just be friends. Maybe nothing would be different." The Sergeant looked past Frankie at his partner, and flashed a knowing smile. "But I always thought there was something more between them." He laughed at the amused look Frankie shot him, pausing for a moment to take a sip of his drink. "Frost told me to look at it like a spectrum. His mother dated men exclusively until she met Robin. He said their love blossomed slowly. That's how I think it will go with those two."

Frankie sat for a moment with those words, trying to ignore that feeling of loss. It would have been nice to have these types of conversations with Frost. "So, Frost saw something there too." Korsak nodded in the affirmative. "How late am I to this party?"

The older cop chuckled, shaking his head. "Years."

"You didn't think to fill me in?"

"You would have figured it out. I'll give you credit where credit is due, I always thought you'd be shocked when they told you."

This made Frankie laugh. "I'm not that clueless."

Korsak pointed down the end of the bar, where a young woman with loose red curls turned her head to look away. "That girl has been checking you out all night long."

"She's all the way down there! How do you expect me to notice her?" Frankie stole another peek, the woman's face obscured as she played on her phone.

A raspy voice spoke up from his right. "Are you talking about the girl who's been checking you out? Took you long enough." His sister laughed along with Maura, who was flagging down the bartender. For a moment, Frankie worried she would be upset about his conversation with Korsak, but the fact that she wasn't berating him just proved that she hadn't been paying much attention either. "Frankie wouldn't know romance if it bit him in the ass."

Frankie turned to the older man, taking care to keep his voice low. "Hypocrite much?" Korsak could only laugh, his shoulders heaving as he shook his head.

The bartender finally made his way down towards Maura, white towel grasped in his hand. "We're going to share an order if the sweet potato fries."

"Also, She needs another glass of wine. And send a drink down to the woman who's been checking my brother out."

The bartender smiled as he wrote it all down. "The redhead?"

Frankie threw his hands up in annoyance. "Him too?"

This made everyone at their end of the bar laugh, making Frankie's cheeks flush. Through it all, Jane encouraged him, pushing him off the stool and urging him to go talk to her. "She's cute! Go have fun. Just remember, you owe me."

"Alright, alright." He gathered his jacket and left cash on the bar top for his beer. "Thanks, Janie." As he squeezed her arm before heading toward the redhead waiting for him, he wondered how he could repay his sister. He glanced at Maura. The Doctor was looking at her friend, a soft smile on her lips. Someday, somehow, he would give Jane the nudge she needed.

[argylemnwrites]

Totally, One-Hundred Percent Brand New Information

Pairing: Maxwell & MC friendship; referenced Drake Walker x MC (Riley Liu)

Book: The Royal Romance (TRR Book 2, Chapter 14)

Word Count: ~1800

Rating:  PG

Summary: When Maxwell stumbles upon something he was not meant to see, he’s forced to reevaluate his understanding of Riley and what she wants. Can he make her see that her happiness matters more than House Beaumont’s financial woes?

Author’s Note: Written for Day 12 of the Choices July Challenge (prompt - Revelation).

So, in TRR 3, chapter 1, Bertrand is shocked to discover that MC is in a relationship with Drake. Liam, of course, knows this fact, but Hana and Maxwell also don’t seem phased by this news at all. I’ve always headcanoned that the two of them independently figured out that something was going on between MC and Drake at some point along the way. This is how I imagine Maxwell figuring it all out. Plus, it’s fun to revisit TRR2, which I adore. For those of you who remember in It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment, when Maxwell burst out that he’d known Drake and Riley were together? This is the way he figured it out in that AU as well.

Maxwell licked his fingers as he savored his last bite of his slice of pizza. He knew that he was calling it a bit close with timing, but worst case scenario, Justin would meet Riley at her boutique appointment before the UN party. After listening to Riley practically wax poetic about the joys of New York style pizza since she found out they were headed back to NYC, Maxwell had just been craving a slice of cheese pizza so badly. And working all day with Bastien on Mission Track-Down-Tariq had definitely worked up an appetite. He deserved it; he earned that pizza.

He turned the corner as he headed back toward the hotel. If he hurried, he could freshen up and then catch a taxi to that boutique without being too late. Up ahead, near the waterfront, he spotted two familiar faces in the distance. He nearly yelled out to them, wanting to see what they were up to when he stopped dead in his tracks, taking in the scene ahead of him.

He almost felt like he was watching things in slow motion. He had to be imagining things. But after blinking several times, he still was staring at Riley and Drake, his hand disappearing somewhere in her hair, hers running up and down between his shoulder blades. Oh yeah, and they were kissing each other.

This couldn’t be happening. This was Riley and Drake. Riley and Drake. Riley and Drake. She wasn’t supposed to be making out with him. She was in love with Liam, wasn’t she? Weren’t they working so hard to clear her name so that she could finally be with him? And wouldn’t her hooking up with his best friend make things awkward when she and Liam got back together? Or was Maxwell himself just really out of the loop here? I mean, it’s not like something casual would stop Liam and Riley from being endgame, and his matchmaking skills from finally being recognized. Plus, everyone needed to blow off steam now and then, although this must have been going on for a hot minute, because unless Drake had way better game than his grumpy old man persona would suggest, there was no way that this was their first kiss.

“Yeah, this definitely has been going on for a while,” Maxwell thought to himself as he watched them continue to make out. The real question became why neither of them had told him. Drake he could pretty well understand. That guy was so closed off and secretive. It’s not like Maxwell could really picture him being the type to kiss and tell under any circumstances. But Riley... well he thought they were super duper close. After everything they had been through together, why wouldn’t she have mentioned her fling to him?

As if the couple in the distance had some telepathic connection to his thoughts, they pulled apart just barely, Drake pressing his forehead against Riley’s. That gesture said it all. It was tender and gentle. This wasn’t lust; this was love. And that explained a hell of a lot about why Riley hadn’t talked to him. 

Or rather why she hadn’t tried to talk to him again. Because the little voice in his head that sounded a lot like Bertrand piped up, “Back during the social season, didn’t she tell you she had feelings for someone else? And didn’t you basically ignore that and try to tell her that her feelings were all for Liam?” Had she really been falling for Drake for months now and not told him about it just because of his comments way back then?

So many things made sense now. Drake coming back to their train car at weird hours looking some odd combination of thrilled yet guilty as hell. Riley always gravitating towards Drake when they hung out as a group. Drake tagging along to more things with the whole group in general. Maxwell was usually good at reading people. How could he have missed that two of his closest friends had fallen in love with each other?

Maxwell wondered if anyone knew about Drake and Riley. They were clearly keeping things a secret. He could guess at Drake’s reasoning there. When this all came out, things between him and Liam were gonna be a mess. And knowing Drake, he probably was just rolling along, hoping that somehow this would all shake out without causing too much drama. Either that, or he was convinced that Riley was gonna choose Liam over him in the end anyway. After all, Maxwell knew of at least five women from back in the day who had actively seduced Drake to gain access to Liam, back before Drake started questioning everyone’s motives, or at least back when he wasn’t so aggressive in questioning them.  

But why would Riley keep this quiet? Maybe she was conflicted, torn between Liam and Drake? But even as a passing thought, that didn’t seem quite right. Thinking back over the engagement tour, Riley had often chosen to spend time with him, Hana, and Drake, turning down more and more invitations from Liam as time went on and seeming more reluctant to spend time alone with Liam than she had before. Maxwell had assumed that she was just nervous that they wouldn’t clear her name in time as the wedding got closer, but with this new information, he now had a better explanation. She didn’t want to be alone with Liam. She wanted to spend time with the guy she actually was interested in. It all seemed so clear now, other than the fact that she apparently didn’t want anyone to know she was into Drake.

Or maybe she just didn’t want him to know. After all, he and Bertrand had made it pretty clear that they could use the financial boost that would come from their pick being named queen. Did she really think that he would value some money over her happiness, though? Didn’t she know that he had come to love her like a sister. “Not after the way you responded to the mere suggestion that she might be interested in anyone besides Liam, you imbecile,” his Bertrand head-voice chimed in. Ahh, crap. 

He needed to fix this. If Riley and Drake wanted to be together, then they should be together. The more Maxwell thought about it, the more he liked the idea of them together. Riley seemed to have a way of teasing Drake, getting him to lighten up and enjoy himself now and then without putting him on the defensive. And Drake could match Riley’s snark and sarcasm in a way that Liam never ever could hope to achieve. Maxwell knew what he had to do. He had to talk to Riley and make sure she understood that her happiness was the only thing she should consider in her love life.

Not wanting to run into the two of them as they made their way back to the hotel, Maxwell spun around and flagged down a taxi, deciding he would just meet Riley and Justin at the boutique. But when Riley got there, Justin’s presence made it hard to have a heart to heart with her. Maxwell resigned himself to waiting until the next morning to have this chat. After all, he could bring her breakfast when he woke her up, maybe get her to confide in him again. But later that night, when they were tucked away in at a table in the corner together at the UN party, chatting about clearing her name and finding Tariq, Riley handed him a golden opportunity.

“That’s not… Even if we find Tariq, you never know what’ll happen. So what happens if I don’t become queen? ”

This was it. She was feeling him out again, trying to gauge his reaction now, months after he had shot her down. Her more subtle approach was obvious, edging toward the topic instead of diving straight in like she did when he told her that she was just confused, that she must only be interested in Liam.

“I just want to know that you and Bertrand… and Savannah and little Bartie… will be okay,” she continued, seemingly fascinated with her whiskey sour, clearly avoiding eye contact with him. He had to ease her mind, let her know that she was more than a ticket to House Beaumont financial stability.

“You know me. I’ll breakdance my way to success. Or maybe become a magician! Hmm… or I could be a best-selling author…”

“Maxwell…”

Alright, light-hearted reassurances were not working. She was clearly torn up over this. Time to change tactics.

“Right, uh… As for Bertrand… He’s kinda figuring things out right now, I think. But, Riley… When I invited you to Cordonia… I liked you, but I didn’t know you. I saw how Liam looked at you and thought maybe I could help him and set things right for House Beaumont. I didn’t know things would be this hard.” The rest of his thoughts he left unsaid, “I didn’t know you would fall in love with someone else along the way. I didn’t know you would have to hide your true feelings for the one person who should be your biggest source of comfort while your name was dragged through the mud.”

“Maxwell, you couldn’t have.”

“I know, just… What I’m trying to say is that the way things are with House Beaumont… That’s for me and Bertrand to fix, not you. I don’t want you to be unhappy because of us...”

He hoped his message was clear - go be happy with Drake. She looked up from her drink with a small smile. He couldn’t tell if she knew that he knew based on his words, but he hoped she did. She was easily one of his best friends on the planet, and he only wanted the best for her.

“Oh, Maxwell… It… means a lot to hear you say that.”

Alright, she got what he was saying. And as glad as he was that he could clear the air here, he wanted to be one-hundred percent sure she understood he was sorry for the way he reacted back all those months ago.

“I… I never meant to make our problems your problems. If you don’t marry Liam… I’m sure Bertrand will find another way.”

Riley paused for just a moment before she responded, “Thank you, Maxwell… Come on, let’s head back to the party.”

So she clearly wasn’t ready to openly confide in him just yet, but that was okay. As long as she understood that he was here for her, on her side no matter her choice, he could wait until she was ready to tell him everything. And when she did, he promised himself he would show her and Drake all the enthusiasm they deserved.

Tags: @dcbbw @mfackenthal @jovialyouthmusic @iplaydrake @gibbles82 @drakewalkerisreal @riley–walker @thequeenofcronuts @notoriouscs @butindeed @kinda-iconic @choicesjulychallenge

[subzeroiceskater]

Nice.

“I thought you liked girls! Didn’t I see you swooning over Pride and Iris?”

“Netto-kun, I was what, eleven? Twelve?”

Bisexuality? Not that compulsory heteronormativy isn’t a thing but. Well, personally speaking, I’d just like to have it acknowledged and not be the binary of “you’re either straight or gay”.

“His name is Jomon Teruo.”

“Jomon?”

“As in Japan’s Jomon Electric megastore?” Rockman chimed in.

“That’s it. His grandfather is the CEO.”

… Now, on top of that, he was beholden to some snotty rich kid. The spawn of one of the country’s most affluent name-brand families, in fact. They’d probably ride off into the sunset together in a luxury sedan, flocked by enough maids and servants to make Yaito-chan jealous.

I wonder if Teruo was chosen just because he’s canon rich to serve this role. Yeah, I’m just skipping to the parts where he gets mentioned.

“My counsellor recommended I check out Japan Club. That’s where I met Teruo-kun. He was super welcoming, and we planned all sorts of cultural events together to promote awareness.”

That’s actually pretty sweet. Good on you, Teruo.

The geek delivered a chaste kiss to the now-standing Tohru’s cheek, an act which caused Netto discomfort. “C-cancelled. S-so I flew here instead.”

“H-hi there, I-I’m Jomon Teruo.”

“Hikari Netto.” They shook hands, and the seated one noted the latter’s stutter.

So this was the wolf himself. Not what Netto imagined. The freckled hafu wore a baggy newsboy hat, rimless vintage pink sunglasses, long-sleeved shirt with circle of iron filings splaying the front and lightning bolts running up the arms, white slacks, and utility belt. He looked more like a mechanic or a rock and roll delinquent than the grandson of an electronics magnate. The only overt indicator of his wealth was his one obnoxious pierced ear, flaunting a diamond earring.

To be fair, this is probably more canon and in-character than everything I’ve ever done with Terry. BUT this is just straight up pulling from his game appearance from the mentions of “geek” and the stutters. This is just straight up his canon design as well, which, in my opinion, is A Look.

Although, I’m assuming if they’re older in this fic, they’d somehow dressed differently? The author is mixing game canon into the anime one (which I’ve never seen. To be honest, if Terry had ever appeared ONCE I would’ve watched the whole thing a million years ago, lol favoritism).

Although, hafu? Where did that come from? Terry's not said to be half-anything in the text or anywhere else in canon--absolutely nothing wrong if he was but this is the only place that mentions it for some reason?

That’s not really based on any canon thing at all. Is it because he was renamed Terry in English? That won't make sense in the Japanese setting of this fanfic? Like, even Terry could just be a nickname from Teruo. Teri is even still a a Japanese electric term.

N-not at all. L-lemme tell ya, robots are fascinating. A-and you’re apprenticing under Aoki Makoto? S-she’s a legend in the robotics community.”

“You should let Teruo-kun have a look at what you’re working on,” Tohru proposed. “Robotics are his specialty.”

“Q-quit it, Tohru-chan.”

Drat. He was modest too.

Teruo’s actually pretty cool with this? I’m anticipating the heel turn any time now but this is pretty nice. Based Teruo, loving and supporting robotics, female scientist and his fiancé.

Putting together Terry and Copybots is such an obvious thing that I'm mostly glad someone else did that!

A genius who could match pace with Tohru’s intellect, wealthy and reputable, with a sturdy career. Netto had nothing to offer. Teruo was everything he couldn’t be.

Well, yeah, Terry/Teruo’s shown to be good with robotics and have a rich grandpa but, seriously, Netto. This is a little too much, pfft. Although, that is the point of a pining romantic fanfic, I suppose. I’ll be honest, I haven’t read fanfics for a long time. It just feels more like the plot is leading the characters on and slotting them into types instead of letting the IC personalities and motivations arise naturally or speak or whatever.

And now I’ll turn into about myself. Am I any better with my own stuff? Nope! Author did this the same reason I do my own art—coz it amuses ‘em.

“His boyfriend is rotten! A scoundrel! The heavenly bodies foretell it!”

Yep, it’s definitely not me Netto-kun likes. Teruo-kun wouldn’t harm a fly! Tohru relished the garlic in his dumplings.

HERE WE GO 😈

The powwows a directionally inadept Dingo held asking his tomahawk for counsel locating Maha Ichiban’s customers came to mind, and Netto justly grew skeptical.

What? Err… You know what, I’ll just concentrate on the Teruo parts. For my own peace of mind. I don’t want to get legit mad again.

Tohru was entitled to the world. On Teruo’s lanky arm, that attitude represented a concrete, dynastic legacy. If the cost of that felicity was that he himself would fade, amen! Tohru’s contentment justified the tribulation. He could take it. For his beloved, he could learn to suffer the grief.

Yeah, this kind of thing. It feels more like Teruo is just an obstacle for the eventual realization of Netto’s true love. Like any trope, it’s not that’s necessarily bad but this is a little too on the nose and a little too overwrought for me. xD Maybe Netto was too different in the anime but I don’t really hear Lan thinking or talking like this, even as a grown up or in love. It’s just stuff like the author is blatantly going “hurry it up and get together” but at the expense of the story. It’s…well, “fanfic” writing.

I’m not explaining myself very well. This is why I don’t write fanfic myself, lol.

“Based on the evidence, we’ve secured a warrant to take Sparkman’s suspected operator, Jomon Teruo, into custody”

HERE WE FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOO

“Now that you mention it, Teruo did express a dubious interest in our research. Gah! Romeda-san was right!” He smacked himself, realizing the phony psychic’s prediction had come to fruition. “The jerk is shady!”

He’s a robotics guy who’s interested in robotics stuff. He seemed perfectly normal when you talked to him. How is that shady.

His vilification of Teruo abruptly gained legitimate weight.

😈 😈 😈 To be clear, I’m not mad or anything. This is actually a lot more fun than I expected it to be. It’s more funny than anything. Like, here’s Teruo being an okay dude who’s being guiltily vilified by Netto…but no, he was right, all along!

“Even though I’m not worthy of your love, even though I’ll never be able to give you the things he can, that doesn’t change the fact that I will protect you, Tohru-kun! No matter what! You may hate me for it, but there’s no avoiding it anymore!”

Teruo’s a shit Netbattler. You’re one of the best. Go beat his ass netbattling or something, Netto.

He located Teruo immersed among the gizmos in his lab. Untidy as a hoarder, blueprints and tools lay disorderly, necessitating Tohru dance around the innumerable hazards to his feet. His grease monkey boyfriend was hunched over a project, welding. Blue embers licked the metal as he mended a garish scar begriming its surface.

Okay, I can’t believe how cool Teruo is in this fic. I mean, he gets to do robotic-labs shit, even if just by implication. What the fuck.

“Yo, Tohru-chan!” Teruo jerked his helmet up.

He was tinkering with a robot. A Copyroid.

No…

“What have you done?”

“My oh my, that Hikari Netto did a number on you, didn’t he?” Teruo patted the Copyroid. “I rewired it. Optimized its destructive capability. Rebooted it without those pesky inhibitors. No safety parameters. I’ve accomplished what Aoki Makoto was afraid to do.”

The loss of the Jomon family successor’s stutter unnerved him. Was it all a ploy?

Like, this is legit cool, man. Teruo’s legit badass. Haha. Based. And he’s giving orders to the neo-WWW? Like, some kind of Dr. Wily analogue? So cool, even if just implication.

Oh, by the way, that’d be welding mask, and not helmet.

“Gramps is holding out on me. Reassessing my status in his will. He dissed robotics and threatened to sever my funding, the geezer! When I caught wind on an Undernet BBS that these lowlife goons were planning to bust out the Professor, I extended my services. In exchange, the Professor lends me his soldiers. It’s a hostile takeover, baby!”

Fuck yeah. I actually love this. This is pretty much his scenario from the game but extended a little more villainously.

“After everything we’ve been through! It was a lie?”

“Never. I do love you. Gonna give you the world, Tohru-chan. Picture it. Us, unlimited coin, and a controlling interest in the organization!”

“You can walk away! I’ll speak to the Net Police! We can hammer out a plea bargain!”

“Aww, how swell of you to defend me. When this is over, you and I are due for a heckuva holiday. Hmm? The Southern Isles?”

And it turns out he genuinely loves Tohru? Like, in his own earnest way? Based.

“You ain’t gonna win! No siree!” Teruo taunted, priggishly unhinged after having been liberated of his tiresome fake speech impediment and goody two-shoes public persona.

The duplicitous jerk! He really was the spoiled rich kid Netto thought!

Okay, but I wanna argue that I don’t think that Teruo (Terry in BN4) was faking—the stutter at least. Terry’s thing is at his heart, a coward. The stutter was him being a scaredy-cat because he was nervous trying to trick Lan and him getting a confidence boost was thinking he’s succeeded. There’s the heel turn I’ve been waiting but the whole way getting here was so fun (and honestly short) so I don’t mind as much.

“Bourgeois slime, I’m gonna enjoy pixelating that disrespectful runt of yours!” Teruo spat.

I was gonna say how weird for him to use bourgeois as insult when he’s the richer one but I just looked it up and this usage is correct: bourgeois relates to the middle-class. Whoops. I also just found out that I’ve been understanding the slang “bougie” wrong all this time. Educational!

Neither Teruo nor Sparkman abided by restraint. Divorced of commitment, they cut loose, exactly as Teruo stipulated, with “extreme prejudice.”

And Teruo completes transformation to vaudeville villain. He’s still fun, though.

Teruo threw caution to the wind. Resorting to cheating, he spammed Extra Codes to push Sparkman to the limit, mashing his PET like his life depended on it. “Take this! And this! And this! Heh heh heh!”

Can it really be called cheating if this was never meant to be a fair legit fight in a contest with rules. Teruo’s just being a poor sport in general. Which is still canon characterization, btw.

“Garbage!” Sparkman was literally falling apart. “You may excel at repairing machines, but you sure stink at Navi operation!”

“Sue me! I’m a robot specialist, not a NetBattler!”

Rockman mocked, “Arguing? Trust between operator and Navi is key!”

“You’re such a hot shot! Why don’t you fix this useless robot body?”

“I oughta sell you for scrap!”

Yeah, this is just from the game. Although, Teruo should be able to do something about the Copyroid body. Okay, you know what, I’ve always want a Full Synchro between them. What’s that? The point of Terry’s story was how he’s so bad at Netbattling and he couldn’t get along with his Navi?

Well, more reason for them to overcome their differences and finally be true battle buddies. Honestly, that’s part of the whole “Terry gets a friend, learns to be less of a terrible shit and gets his life on track” fanfic idea I’ve had since I played his game.

Anyway, he gets arrested. And…hired an assassin to try take Netto out? Lmao, still badass. That’s it for him. I tried looking for that time travel thing but, nothing. I think from context, this is just because this whole story was the time travel thing? Well.

That was more entertaining than I thought it would be. I’d have to wonder why Terry of all people but it may be as simple as he was a rich jerk who never appeared in the anime and so good for a retelling. He was far more important in this story than pretty much anything else I’ve ever seen, outside of my own stupid doodles, hahahaha.

[taeguboi]

BTS MTL to date someone younger

Request: ‘ Hi! I saw that you did a bts mtl to date someone 10 years older, and I thought that maybe you could do something similar, but the opposite? Like mtl to date someone like 5 years younger? Thank you ~’

NOTE: We then had a quick chat about this MTL and agreed that a general date someone younger would be good, so this is more general than the quoted ask... Hopefully this isn’t just reverse order of the MTL to date someone older. 

Now, I don’t want to keep saying ‘as I mentioned before’ to acknowledge that I’ve talked about the said thing in that previous post, so just bear in mind if you see any repetitions, I am aware.

Jimin [up to 3 years younger] - Most Likely

I think Jimin needs a younger partner, and that age might matter to him. If he’s dating you, he wants to look after you and you being younger would be the perfect excuse to do so. He would want to protect you and keep you safe, rather you depend on him than the other way around.

Now, in bed? Dom. Dom. Dom. He wants to get you all worked up and whining under his touch, and he’s going to tire you out so that you don’t want to get out of bed afterwards, so oh nooo, what a shame... we’ll have to just stay cuddled up here....

I would also say that girls typically mature sooner, so someone around 1-3 years younger would be more emotionally compatible with Jimin in particular if his younger partner is female. But with either gender, a younger partner should be able to give him a boost in mood and energy when he needs it. A younger partner could help alleviate his insecurities.

J-Hope [up to 4 years younger] - Likely

J-Hope needs the energy of someone around his age or younger in the mind and in the body. He needs someone that will mature over time with him at a similar pace, yet be the older more experienced one that can tell you about and teach you new things.

Speaking of new things, he’d definitely want to teach you a thing or two in the bedroom. Hopefully his partner is up for trying new things and having new experiences, and through this, he can lead the way.

He wants to be the reason his partner gets asked all the questions about dating ‘that cool [older] guy’. As his younger other half, you might even encourage him to become braver about certain things since he’ll want to keep up that manly appearance for you.

V [up to 4 years younger] - Likely

Boy, look at that melanin glow *heart eyes*

Equally likely to J-Hope in my eyes, V would adore a younger partner. A lot of the time, I feel his band members have to look after him, but I think he’s perfectly capable of looking after himself and someone else, so it’d be the ideal opportunity to apply these skills.

The chemistry in bed would be almost immediately there with a younger person. I think V probably would like to work that sinful mouth on you to get you all worked up, and somehow, it’s cuter with a younger person as they whine under his skillful touch.

They’d be his everything that’s cute; favourite to cuddle (what teddy bears? what band members?); favourite smile; favourite pout when you’re sulking... Cute as a button to him!

Jin [up to 3 years younger] - Likely

Jin is used to looking after his younger band members, so it would be no trouble at all for him to look after a younger partner when they might need it. I also feel like Jin is one of the more traditional members of the group, so he would have his eye out for someone younger or the same age, as I get the impression that this is more ‘the norm’.

With a younger partner, under the sheets, I think dominant Jin mode would be engaged. The sex would usually be quite vanilla, but if he’s feeling extra daring, he would ease the partner into his idea, teaching them well..

Similarly to J-Hope, I think he would like to be the cool older guy that make you flustered with his look and cool persona, and I think he would be more assured that he is a good enough partner because he’s had a few extra years on his hands to get it right.

Suga [up to 3 years younger, maybe 4] - Quite Likely

Yes, I put Suga at the top for the dating someone older mtl, but I think he has the biggest span of potential romantic interests, so someone younger could suit him just as well as someone older [hence why he’s not at the bottom of this mtl].

Whilst someone older might understand him more on an emotional level, I think an argument or two could be what keeps him grounded and back to reality, especially when he’s working too hard and their partner might feel he’s not making enough time for them.

On the other hand, I think he would secretly like it if he’s sat at his desk trying to work and his partner starts doing little things to tease him until he can’t take it any more and has to do something about his arousal -- it’s the best excuse to be able to take a break, right?

Rap Monster [about 1 year younger, maybe up to 2 years younger] - Less Likely

Bringing it back! My all time favourite gif of Rap Mon 

I feel like Rap Monster would be better suited to someone his own age or a little bit older since I reckon he has a more mature state of mind that means he would be comfortable with someone nearer his age... plus his IQ is like wooaahh and I used to think he was older than he is [like before I knew the facts, I thought he might have been the eldest / second eldest].

Of course, this doesn’t mean he would put off the idea of dating someone younger than himself or younger than the age range I’ve stated above, but in my mind, he probably has more of an eye for older/similar age people. The reason I put only a year younger is because I think the best match for Rap Mon would probably be a 94 liner like himself.

On the other hand, a younger person could bring out that supposed daddy kink [‘stay sinful, baby’] and it all goes back to that idea of wanting to look after their partner if that partner is younger. He’ll look after you through foreplay, he’ll look after you during [if you weren’t too naughty for him in the foreplay, that is,] and then Joon will pound you into the bed until you’re a whimpering mess even after the deed is done [lmao deed what is wrong with me] because it means he can look after his little tired one afterwards.

He would be such husband material though for someone younger. Similarly to V, I think everything a younger partner does would just be the cutest thing to him, and he’d always be acting like a dork, trying to get on your level, even though he knows deep down, he ain’t gonna get there, ever.

Jungkook [about 1 year younger] - Least Likely

Not only do I think Jungkook prefers an older person, someone too much younger would just be... weird. Like over here [England,] just a year younger is 18, so I think you see where I’m going with that one. Maybe as he gets older, there might be more people out there more suited to him that are younger, but for now, he definitely seems to like noonas :P [and hyungs maybe? *is totally not reading a jikook fanfic as I write, I promise*]

In the meantime, I think one of Jungkook’s sexual preferences could be just someone older, because somehow it’s a turn on [again, yes it’s a thing lmao]. I think there would be quite shy sex, if that’s a thing, with a younger person because he’d probably feel just as flustered as they might do [you might say that age doesn’t decide you confidence, but in the bedroom, I beg to differ; none of us were as confident in bed as we would have like to have been or as we thought we’d be when we were 17-18]. 

Perhaps I just think an older person would be what Jungkook needs as a first relationship? Someone that can settle him into the whole concept and can, I guess, teach him a few things... but then again, a person a year younger might also be able to do this, who knows?

[acoolguyscoollife]

Chapter 31: One Reason Why

Seth

It had finally happened. After all this time, I’d seen Tabitha in front of a whiteboard. Etchings and scribbles made in marker pen covered the entire surface, some words in foreign languages that I couldn’t understand, other space filled with glyphs, runes, and whatever else you would call some really weird drawings that are used for language. Her hair was slightly unkempt again, not unlike she’d been when we met her at the start of all this, but every time she turned around to look at us, her eyes were wild, mind solely focused on the one issue that had not only been plaguing her, but all of us, since it had become prevalent.

“Okay, so nobody has any ideas? You’re just gonna leave me working this out myself?” Tabitha asked, shaking me from my almost-dozed state as I had watched her work. Giving a quick glance around, everyone else had been in the same state of uncertainty and near-asleep-ness as I had. Aki had her head resting against Amy’s shoulder, and while I couldn’t see the catgirl’s eyes, I was pretty sure they would have been almost closed. Amy herself was chewing on the end of a pencil, which can’t have tasted good, as it was one of those ones with an eraser on the end of it. And Eddie, that voice that seemed to enjoy sharing my body, had gone quiet for the first time since he’d started to speak to me.

“I mean, we have ideas, but… don’t you think this is stuff we shouldn’t be working on? He’s kind of our friend, after all. If he didn’t want to tell us, and neither did Rose, isn’t it kind of dickish to do all this?” Amy replied, the end of the pencil now out of her mouth and tapping against the knuckles of her other hand, no rhythm or reason behind it. While I agreed with the fundamental points of what she was saying, the curiosity of what exactly it was that had caused the two of them to split up was burning as furiously as it had been the first time CG had told me about it all those years ago. It was a mystery neither of us had been able to solve, and now more than ever, working it out may have helped him.

“On the contrary, if we can narrow down the fault that Rose sees in CG, maybe he can get rid of it and win her back.” Tabitha said, grinning like a madman. The looks on our faces must’ve given off that she had said the wrong thing, since she rubbed at her eyes for a minute before rephrasing. “He’s our friend. Even if he doesn’t get back together with her, knowing something that people dislike about him is important to him.” While it was a little better, it was still painfully obvious that Tabitha’s main focus had shifted from finding Uchen to solving this mystery using whatever science-y methods she could.

“Where is CG, anyway? I’ve not seen him since the stairwell…” Aki said, looking around the room as best as she could without moving from Amy’s shoulder.

“He’s on the roof.” I said casually, before realising what the implications of my words were. “Getting some air.” I added, and the shock on everyone else’s faces quickly disappeared.

“Okay, we’re getting nowhere with this casual conversation.” Tabitha said, bringing all the attention back to her. “What do we know about Rose, and what do we know about CG?” It was a question posed to the rest of the group, but silence hung in the air as both Amy and I wondered if the other was going to be the first one to speak.

“Well let’s see. CG…” Amy tapped her mouth with the pencil, and I had to admit, it was doing wonders at making her look like a legitimate scientist instead of someone hypothesising over what amounted to not much in the grand scheme of things. “He likes anime, and he likes sword-fighting.”

“He liked Rose.” I added, almost a mumble from between my fingers.

“Had his whole cool persona he held up sorta shattered by showing emotion.” Amy pointed to me with the pencil after I had finished speaking, so I felt I had to continue.

“While I honestly didn’t know much about Rose, apparently she’d had a crush on him for years before she said anything.” I remembered when CG had first told me about Rose, and how excited he had been. It must have been a real confidence boost.

“All this just says that Rose definitely likes him more than just a friend, but for some reason can’t be with him, which we already knew.” Tabitha sighed, clearing off the whiteboard as she talked. “Anyone know any more intimate details about the two? Does CG have a crooked penis?” I coughed loudly on my spit.

“Jesus, that took a turn.” I said, between deep, rasping breaths.

“With Rose, I’m not sure that would have mattered. She had a habit of not really caring about the negatives. Like a negative magnet.” Amy had sat up straight now, so Aki was no longer leaning against her, instead just lounging slightly in her chair, disappointed.

“That’s a pretty positive outlook to have.” Tabitha said, doodling on the whiteboard.

“I’d make a joke about their relationship being charged, but we’re kind of already pushing it with the magnet jokes.” I said, cracking a small smile for the first time since we had found out about CG.

“Freakin’ magnets, how do they work?” Aki said, joining in on the fun with a joke that she shouldn’t have even known, even as she managed to butcher the actual quote at the same time. It seemed to be the final tipping point for us, setting everyone off into gigglefits of laughter. I knew CG was going to be okay, he had before after all. Why worry so much about something that would ultimately not matter? Even if we had all come to that same conclusion that it didn’t matter that much, it definitely started to matter again when CG walked into the room.

Cool Guy

Now, I’m not the smartest guy in the world, but when you see a whiteboard with your name on it, next to a doodle of a flower that conveniently shares the same name as your ex-girlfriend, it doesn’t take much effort to figure out what’s going on. Nonetheless, I decided to give them an out, hoping their answer would be clever enough that the situation would give me a little bit of a chuckle.

“What’s going on in here?” I asked, glancing between everyone. The laughter had died down very quickly as I’d entered, and I could tell from the expressions that they felt bad. I stood awkwardly in the doorway for a few moments, waiting for any of them to give me an answer, before someone finally spoke up.

“Surprise birthday party planning?” Seth said, holding his hands up as he did so. I almost felt bad for how bad the lie was, but I didn’t have to, since the cringe that crossed his face after he had said it gave away how much he hated saying it.

“We were trying to work out why Rose left.” Tabitha admitted, only confirming what I had assumed. I didn’t blame them, as much as I disliked having the reminder. I would have stayed on the roof longer, but it had gotten too cold up there.

“I know it’s not you guys, she liked you a lot.” I said, wheeling a chair over and sitting on it so the back of it was in front of me. The rest of the group seemed shocked at me speaking, but surely they must have known that I was trying to work it out too. “Plus, it was the same issue as it was years ago. We have to figure out what stayed consistent in my life from back then to now.”

“Sorry, can we just address what you’re doing with that chair?” Seth said, but nobody listened as Tabitha began to write on the board.

“The clothing style? Shades? Personality?” Aki offered, with Tabitha scribing every possibility as it was said. “Do you wear a cologne?” I shook my head at the last one.

“My scent is all-natural Cool Guy.” I replied, blasting a fingergun at her. “That, and I just bathe.” I added, which only served to remind me that it had been a very long time since I’d been home. I missed showering in my own shower, where I’d finally found the perfect temperature.

“I think we can rule out personality. Rose’s personality definitely mirrored CG’s, even if it was a little less… intense.” Tabitha said, turning to look at me as she paused.

“The clothes are a definite yes for her. She made me wear them the first time we ever did…” I let everyone else finish the sentence in their head, and when they had, Tabitha slowly crossed off the clothes as an option. “As for my sunglasses, she was the first person I took them off for outside of my family, so I think she didn’t mind them.” It definitely felt like we were just guessing, but then, we didn’t have much to go off.

“So, it’s not the way you’re dressed.” Amy said in a monotone voice. “And it’s not us, so it’s something you wouldn’t think to bring up.” Everyone fell silent as we tried to think of what I wouldn’t bring up, or even know about.

“I’ve got it!” Aki almost-yelled, startling me slightly, but bringing all attention to her. “The reason is…” The pause for effect was killing me, but I knew hurrying her would get us nowhere. “…completely pointless.” She finished, getting a groan from everyone else in the room. “Oh, come on, think about it. What are we gonna solve talking about this stuff? If it’s a fundamental part of him and he chooses to change it for her, are we really gonna be happy to let him do that?” While I definitely wanted Rose back, I had to admit, she had a point. Would I even wanna change a huge part of myself for her?

“If it’s what makes him happy…” Seth said, but he was clearly unconvinced.

“I just think all we’re doing here is dwelling on the past instead of focusing on asking the real, important questions in the present.” Aki said, spinning in her chair to face me. “How are you doing?” She asked, and I tried to come up with an answer that was funny, to break the tension. Nothing came. I then decided to go for a false happiness, to try and act tough. Nothing came then either. The words didn’t feel right, almost like an act.

“I don’t know.” I finally responded, and with that, the words started to pour. “It was only one day, after all, but it still stings. Especially seeing you four and how happy you all are with each other. I just feel kind of shitty for not being happy to be with you guys.” Aki wheeled over, putting her hand on my shoulder as she reached me.

“Dude, just let us know if we can do something to help.” Seth had walked over to my other side, and I had a feeling this was going to be another group hug situation. “Eddie offers to come inside your body because he has a habit of making people happier.” He added, and I smiled slightly.

“There’s a joke I could make there.” I said, which caused him to chuckle a little. Shaking myself off slightly, I stood up, walking over to the whiteboard and erasing the flower. Even though I knew it was corny, I instead began to doodle the rest of the group, making sure to include every detail I could for each of them. Amy and Aki holding hands, Seth holding a gun, and Tabitha holding onto her sanity while she deals with us. Finally finishing with myself, I took a step back, planting myself firmly in the middle of the group that had formed behind me. Smiling, I awaited their praise.

“Where’s my tail?”

“Why am I holding a sex toy?”

“Why is my head so big?”

Everyone’s a critic.