#life at least partially ruined by people who are obsessed with a particular cultural understanding of romance

[quickdeaths]

20. what are your muse’s feelings towards the culture of romance and sexuality as it pertains to their identity? (Tsubasa and Shinobu)

Tsubasa aspires to live their life according to that one post that's like "Am I a boy? Am I a girl? Who knows! But everyone finds me hot, and that makes everyone gay" and beyond that, they don't really think about it. For the most part, they don't let things like stereotypes or other people's opinion of culture stick to them. They're secure in who they are, so being hit on by a straight guy who mistakes them for a woman, or a girl balking at their interest, doesn't really affect or bother. They're generous towards people who make mistakes, and if those mistakes are repeated? Wow you must be dumb to keep getting it wrong over and over, sucks to suck!

In some sense, Tsubasa does fit in with some stereotypes - as far as lesbians go, they slot in pretty easily with the stereotype of the person with a more masculine aesthetic who is interested in people with a more feminine aesthetic, who is flirty and forward in a particular way, who takes a more leading position both romantically and sexually, etc. But even then, Tsubasa doesn't put too much stock in it - they're liable to say something like, "Yeah, that is some kind of pattern, huh? Things just work out like that, but it's not really any preference, it's just how things turn out sometimes." They're easygoing and relaxed, and they're not married to any particular role or style, and despite having a "type," they're pretty willing to go outside it if someone catches their eye or their interest.

On a personal level, they might give off a teensy bit of "player" energy, because they are very casually flirty and don't mind hooking up, and that might lead into some stereotypes that they're a bit less fond of. Truthfully, they'd like a chill, sweet relationship (or relationships - of all the muses, they'd be the most willing to consider some kind of non-monogamy if a partner was interested), though. In general, though? The cyber angel lives a vibes-based existence that prioritizes banishing personal stress and negativity whenever possible. Basically, they don't think of themselves, or their identity, as relating to any "culture of romance or sexuality", because they, Cyber Tsubasa, are entirely unique.

Meanwhile Shinobu is in ultimate super prison mega hell. The "culture of romance and sexuality" is just her life and it sucks. She's tall, athletic, "handsome," dresses in fine menswear, has an emotionally-closed-off personality, speaks in a very formal, genderless style, and is seemingly very romantically available. They have the aura of a closed-off otome game character, either the kind that will degrade and belittle you, or the kind that just needs the right person's soft words and gentle touch to completely crack open and reveal something warm and kind inside, all of which has given rise to the "Cold Prince Shinobu-kun" understanding of them as a person. That Shinobu is a woman who isn't especially glad to be spoken about in such a way is basically unknown or unimportant in the eyes of her admirers.

These admirers largely aren't the sort of people Shinobu is interested in. For the most part, they're straight women who have concocted some fantasy in their head, casting themselves as romantic leads in some video game, tv show, or manga, and have decided on Shinobu as their princely love interest. Most of them barely know Shinobu personally, because their interest is less in Shinobu Yaguchi the person and more the persona of this cold-hearted prince archetype character that they've projected onto her. In addition, because they're perceived by these girls fundamentally as a masculine archetype rather than a person, they're subjected to some behavior that isn't appropriate towards anyone, but is sometimes mistaken as 'this is acceptable to do to a man.'

The final detriment to this little fanclub is that it isolates her from other queer people, both physically (given that the honor guard closes in and pushes out people who don't belong there), and emotionally (because Shinobu feels such disdain towards her hangers-on, she takes that to mean that has no interest in or compatibility for any romance at all). Still, they're pretty permissive about the admirers, accepting their confessions and going on dates that they seldom enjoy, and generally being ground down by the experience - secretly interested in some kind of long-term relationship, but pretty bitter about the experience of looking for it.