#medias but i really think the eyelashes he has in the manga make him so... i cant even think of the word like sparkly? bright? idk

[liinos]

Rereading the frieren manga made me realize how many little things the anime added... oh production team I love you

[oharascholar]

Why Sanji meeting Yamato has LGBTQ+ readers on edge - Scholar’s Summaries #1

(Image originally posted to Tumblr by user Rumenta)

As the Wano arc in One Piece progresses steadily, the cast of the series expands ever more. Amongst the unique cast of new characters, we meet Kaido’s Son - Yamato, a young man who wishes to be just like the beloved ex-hero of the country, a man named Oden.

Yamato is an exciting character to see for many LGBTQ+ people like myself. He is a man who was assigned female at birth, who has plump lips, long eyelashes, and breasts. This, to many LGBTQ+ readers, and definitely to myself, brings up the idea of masculine people being allowed to exhibit traditionally ‘female’ body parts, and a comforting reminder that you can be a man without paying for gender-affirming surgery or binding your chest. This speaks to me as a transmasc nonbinary person - I, too, was assigned female at birth, refer to myself as a man, and have a traditionally female body in the same way. I do not once think of myself as a woman.

(One Piece Chapter 984, page 17 of 17. First published in Weekly Shonen Jump 2020, issue 31)

My opinion of Yamato thus far, as a transmasc nonbinary person, has been entirely positive - I enjoy seeing a man who is openly referred to as a man in universe (for example, ‘Kaido’s Son’), who has features which are traditionally seen as non-masculine. It is how I feel about my own body - I rarely give a second thought to the fact that I have breasts. They don’t make me any less masculine, and I tend not to dwell on them at all. It makes me feel happy to see a character who I can truly relate to on such a personal level.

Yamato is a positively portrayed character in the series, and is a supporting character to our main protagonist, Luffy. He plays an important role in fighting against the main villain of this arc. He was even shown to be good friends with Portgaz D. Ace, one of the most beloved supporting characters in the series - even giving Ace the much important ‘vivre card’ which played a vital role in the Marineford Arc. Yamato is given plot importance within the story as a whole with this, linking him throughout the story.

(One Piece Chapter 1000, page 9 of 19 first published in Weekly Shonen Jump 2021, issue 5-6)

It is also easy, as a transmasc person, to read heavily into Yamato’s situation with his father. Initially, it seems positive - Kaido refers to Yamato as his son openly. To an outsider, Kaido accepts Yamato’s identity... Then enter the ‘Oden’ issue.

Yamato wishes to be just like Kozuki Oden on all fronts, changing his appearance to try and look just like him. This part of Yamato’s identity has caused contemption in Kaido, with Yamato even recounting that Kaido would beat him over it. Ever since Yamato first wanted to be like Oden, from the age of eight, Kaido has kept him shackled up inside of his residence.

Yamato states that he can’t truly be Oden until he is free of his shackles given to him by his father. To many, this strikes as a direct parallel towards living in a transphobic household.

When Luffy, a character who has represented liberation throughout the series, first tries to remove these shackles, Yamato is instinctively afraid. He explains that the shackles will explode, and that they’ve been on him for twenty years. He also ponders if he is being kept in by a lie - wondering if his father would really let his son be blown up for merely leaving the island.

(One Piece Chapter 985, page 9 of 19. First published in Weekly Shonen Jump 2020, issue 33-34)

No matter how you put it, Yamato is transgender. Though it has not been officially stated as such, it seems to be heavily implied that he is a transgender man, without issue.

Yamato instinctively wants to keep the status quo, one which technically keeps him safe, at the expense of his identity and freedom. The danger, of course, is purely created by his father. This something which many transgender people can resonate with, the idea of staying ‘in the closet’ so as to not cause contemption within your family.

Luffy removes the shackles and throws them away, causing them to explode - this event causes Yamato to become enraged and upset, stating that he no longer thinks of Kaido as his father. This is a powerful moment, the act of breaking the ties with an abusive parent who does not accept his identity.

It is important to be aware of why Elizabeth or Tibany was so offensive, whilst Yamato feels progressive. Transgender women in media are often presented as predatory, as if they were men in dresses who only want to prey on young men, and Elizabeth is a prime example of the worst of this transmysogynistic stereotype. Had this character been on their lonesome, along a multitude of other transgender women with different body types, and had Elizabeth not been predatory, this would be a fine character. Transgender women and transfem people as a whole should not feel guilty to exhibit as much body hair as they like, and to have as deep of a voice as they like, without worry of being mocked or ridicule. 

… Or, without issue, so far.

Sanji appears to be on a direct collision course for one Young Master Yamato, which puts a lot of anxiety into LGBTQ+ readers. Rightfully so, as in the past, Sanji has been used as a vehicle for horrific transphobia in the series, as touched on by the One Piece Podcast in text and in audio. This alone brings up multiple concerns - the most worrying of all is the possibility that Yamato has been a long setup for a particularly horrific transphobic punchline. The author, Eiichiro Oda, has been more than capable of writing transphobia into his series before, such as with the character Elizabeth (or Tibany, as this character is known in the manga), a transgender woman coded character who is a walking offensive stereotype - even acting in a predatory way towards young men. There is definitely a certain validity behind such worries.

But, when the only representation in this part of One Piece is predatory people with deep voices and stubble all over, you can see why this is completely different to Yamato exhibiting breasts and such.

(Chapter 543, page 1 of 20. First published in Weekly Shonen Jump 2009, issue 26 / Chapter 994, page 17 or 17, first published in Weekly Shonen Jump 2020, issue 48)

Another concerning path is that Sanji will see Yamato and fawn all over him - only for him to act horrified and disgusted upon hearing Yamato affirm that he is a man. During the infamous Fishman Island arc, Sanji had a life-saving blood transfusion given to him by two transgender-coded women - this alone was enough for him to start screaming and flipping himself around the bed in horror - a truly upsetting act of transmisogyny that many agree should never have been put in the series at all.

However, our combined worries may be for nothing. Oda has also written nonbinary and transgender characters who have been delightful to witness, and have been much accepted and adored by the LGBTQ+ community as a whole - Characters such as Bentham, a character who can shapeshift and monologues about their gender, or Kiku, a transgender woman in the current arc, who has been portrayed respectfully thus far, being in the series for almost 100 chapters. There is still hope that Oda has changed his ways from his dark Fishman Island Days.

In the most hopeful outcome, this meeting will serve as a character growth point - Sanji has matured as a character, and is ready to treat transgender people as human beings. This outcome seems tantalisingly possible to me, especially since characters will openly reffer to Yamato as male without issue.

(One Piece Chapter 979, page 14 of 17. First Published in Weekly Shonen Jump 2020, issue 23.)

Another hopeful outcome is that Sanji will simply not address it - but it certainly seems intentional that Oda has sent Sanji specifically towards Yamato, and I am certain that there is a reason. But, notably, Sanji had a meeting with Kiku in a similar vein, and nothing of note happened in that interaction.

I myself dearly hope that the day will not come where I look at this article and think, ‘This has aged horribly.’. I have a lot of faith in Eiichiro Oda to do the right thing - especially since almost 10 years has passed since his last major act of transphobia and transmisogyny. Surely, in today’s climate, and with the progressive nature of One Piece as a whole, he has learnt and is ready to write the LGBTQ+ characters that are respectful and progressive as a whole, without falling back on poor-taste punchlines.

As for now, only time will tell the true nature of Eiichiro Oda in 2021. Or, as many of us like to put it … "Who knows with this guy?!"

-

The Ohara Scholar / Róisí “Puppy” Law, 17th April 2021

[yoon-kooks]

Witch Hazel- Pt.2

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Genre: FanficWriter!Jungkook, Idol!Reader, College!AU, Angst, Fluff

Summary: There are two students in your art class with a secret: you and the quiet Jeon Jungkook. You’re a problematic idol singer, infamous for your ice cold reputation and perpetual resting bitch face; he’s the artist and author behind the viral comic series based on a certain ice queen idol. After a blowup of destructive rumors, lost motivation and inevitable solitude, you stumble upon Jungkook’s comic and find a new and unexpected light.

Word Count: 3.6k

Parts: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // ?

A/N: yikes i haven’t updated this in super long aaaaaaaaa also happy birthday to the nuttiest kid in all the land, jeon jungkook :-) 

“Hey have you read Witch Hazel yet?”

“Of course I have… Who hasn’t?”

“True, it really went viral after Snow made that tweet, huh.”

“I can’t believe how much power that bitch has…”

“Yeah but that jk.seagull boy is super talented regardless.”

“It’s just a shame he wastes his talent on Snow of all people.”

“Right? Like, can you imagine if he wrote something about Park Jimin?? It’d be even more popular than Witch Hazel will ever b-”

The gossip dissipates as you walk into the art room, as if your classmates know you’re the idol they’ve been shit talking. But of course, that isn’t the case. It’s simply your chilling aura that halts any conversation for a brief moment.

You set your guitar case down and take your usual seat at the same table as the only two people who don’t seem to mind your presence.

“Y/N, did you hear? Jungkook became an overnight sensation,” Taehyung whispers to you as he points at the black mass that’s slumped over the table.

“Are you trying to tell me he’s the one who wrote the infamous Witch Hazel?” you yawn, unamused. But out of curiosity you look over to the boy who’s all bundled up under his hood with his head resting against the table, trying to catch up on as much sleep as possible before class begins. There’s no way he could write a fanfic comic about you.

“What? No! No, no, no, no,” Taehyung laughs and pulls out his phone to show you the same tabloid you’d seen the other day—the one that claimed Snow and Jimin were secretly dating. He points to the ominous hooded figure in the background of the photos. “Someone pointed him out in the midst of the whole Snow-Jimin chaos and now he’s a Twitter meme.”

“What kind of meme…?” You only ask because Jungkook does give off major meme vibes. Maybe it’s the way he pairs his round Harry Potter glasses and baggy hoodie with the tiny silver gauges in his ear and the ripped jeans that hug his thighs. He’s like some weeby hipster fusion, and you aren’t quite sure how to feel about that.

You don’t know what you were actually expecting, but it does feel a little shitty when you find out the meme in question features Jungkook as a shocked grim reaper who accidentally kills Snow’s career. Suddenly, you remember why you had chosen to stay away from social media.

“Funny, right?” Taehyung pats his sleeping friend’s broad back to wake him up. “But what’s even funnier is the fact that the cold-hearted Y/N reads fanfic, too??” Jungkook’s head pops up and tilts when he spots you sitting at their table. Oh no. The weeb thinks you’re one of them.

“I don't really read fanfic, okay? It’s just that Witch Hazel happened to be all over the internet, so I was curious.” You wave your hands in defense, praying they don’t get the wrong idea.

“Did you like it?” It’s literally the first fucking time you recall Jungkook ever speaking to you. His voice is much softer towards you than when he chatters with Taehyung, and there’s a genuine curiosity and innocence in his eyes.

“It was fine.” It’s not like you can just say no to those big doe eyes. “I just can’t believe there are people out there who really see Snow as their muse…” And what a relief it is to know.

Jungkook nods, although it seems like he’d say more if he wasn’t so shy. You watch as he pulls out two pages from his sketchbook, one with a realistic sketch of Taehyung’s face, and the other a comic version of a nerdy Jungkook.

“Thanks, friend.” Taehyung slides the beautiful portrait of himself over to the desk space in front of him and angles it towards you. “Stunning, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, too bad you didn't draw it yourself, you snake,” you shake your head. Despite all the hardwork Jungkook put into the portrait, you can’t help but feel bothered by the fact that his friend almost fucked him over with their little deal.

“Aww, don’t be so bitter, Y/N. I’m sure Jungkook would be willing to draw you too if you gave him something in return~” Taehyung winks at you, and as much as you’d love to tell him off, you can’t.

“Shut up, Tae-”

“I don't need his help,” you cut Jungkook off, pulling out your own self-portrait. Somehow it looks a lot uglier now than when you had first finished it. But whatever. At least it’s your own work, your own art. “I don’t need anyone’s help.”

Both Taehyung and Jungkook stare at your art, not really knowing what to say. The more you look at it yourself, the more you see that it doesn’t resemble you.

“Hey it kind of looks like Sn-”

“Alright everyone, it’s time for class to begin.” You’re thankful that your professor cut Taehyung off before his loud mouth said too much. You can’t believe your idiot self accidentally drew your portrait as a glammed-up Snow with her beautiful blue eyes rather than as a bland college kid Y/N with no shits to give. “Let’s start by taking a look at all of our self-portraits.”

You watch as your classmates take out their drawings, some better than others, but none quite as terrible as your own. You suppose you shouldn’t feel bad, considering you didn’t enter a school of the arts with the intentions of becoming an artist with paints and a sketchbook like most of your drawing class did. You entered school with the intentions of becoming an artist with your guitar and notebook. And the only reason why you made the decision to include this unrelated class on your schedule was to escape your failures as the musician you wished to be.

“Taehyung, since you love to talk, why don’t you start us off by introducing your piece? And then we’ll just go around the classroom one-by-one.” Your professor gestures to Jungkook’s drawing of Taehyung’s face. Great. The last thing you want to do is show off your ugly Snow portrait to an entire room of people you don’t really feel close to. If any of them find out you’re an idol, you’ll have to quit school. That was the agreement you made with Seokjin after he encouraged you to give school a chance.

“Well, I’d like to think my portrait is pretty straightforward. My approach was to be as realistic as possible while accentuating my most defining features such as my long eyelashes and beauty marks. And I did this by…” Taehyung goes on and on in such detail about the portrait that he didn’t even draw. It’s actually quite impressive. You envy his ability to speak with such confidence and charisma in a way that makes everyone believe his shitty art skills could produce something so beautiful. He knows how to make everyone his friend.

“Can you believe Taehyung’s that talented at drawing despite being a photography major?” You hear two girls whispering amongst themselves. “He’s incredible.”

Next is Jungkook. You snicker a bit at his drawing because it’s not exactly what you’d expect from the art genius of the class. While he had made Taehyung’s portrait super realistic, his own portrait looks like a bespectacled nerd that came straight out of a manga. Weeb. The thing that stands out most is his big nose. But you find it kind of cute.

“I just drew myself in comic form because that’s what I was most comfortable with,” he says, staring down at his sketch. You can tell he kind of trolled by overemphasizing with some dynamic lines for a more dramatic effect on his meme face.

“Amazing job as always, Jungkook,” your professor gives the boy a thumbs up in approval and elaborates further on the refined techniques he incorporated into the assignment. Jungkook only nods in response to the nice feedback. You appreciate how humble he is despite the professional level of his art. In the corner of your eye, however, you swear you see the same pair of Taehyung fangirls roll their eyes.

Finally it’s your turn. It’s unfortunate that you have to show your shitty artwork right after Jungkook’s two masterpieces, but it could be worse. After all, this wouldn’t be the first time your artistic ability has been criticized and compared with others. As an idol, you deal with that all the time.

“My self-portrait doesn’t look like me because it’s like a mask that superheroes wear to conceal their identities. So people don’t know what’s really hiding beneath the surface.” You don’t mean to darken the mood, but that’s the best way to put it without explicitly saying you have another identity as Snow. No one in your class makes a comment, but you suppose that’s expected. They wouldn't understand.

“And the blue eyes?” You wish your professor wouldn’t prompt you with more questions. Why couldn't she just say you did a good job and move on like she did with everyone else? You feel singled-out.

“I think they’re prettier than my real eyes.” You don’t want to tell everyone you’re a cold-hearted ice queen, but you aren’t completely lying either. Back when you first entered Polar Entertainment, you remember thinking it’d be cute to wear those icy blue contacts for your audition. And you suppose it paid off because you were told you were beautiful with a beautiful voice, perfectly suited to be an idol. But an idol was never what you wanted to be. Beauty wasn’t what you wanted to be remembered by, but that seems to be the only thing people ever praise Snow for.

“So your portrait is more of a reflection of who you’d like to be?” Wrong. Absolutely wrong.

“Yeah,” you say, in hopes that your professor will move on to pestering the next person. Thankfully, she does.

After wasting the majority of class on showcasing everyone’s artwork, your professor announces that there’s a “phase two” in the portrait unit. The new assignment is basically to draw yourself again, “but with the interpretation and direction from two of your classmates.” Your professor also notes that this group project requires a lot of work and interaction outside of class, and that you should get to know your groupmates really well in order to succeed in this assignment. Fantastic. You hate group projects.

You remember the horror stories from high school of being that one kid who couldn’t find a group, or having incompetent groupmates who let you down. You’d much prefer to do the work all on your own. Especially when you know your class has some pretty incompetent students of its own, namely Kim Taehyung. You’d hate to be stuck with that guy.

“Psst, Jungkook, Y/N. Wanna be in a group together?” No, you do not want to be in a group with Taehyung. However, you’re in no position to turn down his offer. Because you’re sure everyone else in your class wouldn’t appreciate having you on their team. That's just the way things are.

“Sure,” you say. Jungkook nods after you. Perhaps working with Jungkook will outweigh being dragged down by a slacker like Taehyung.

“Great, should we hangout after class today? Today’s like the one time I don’t have a date planned.” Taehyung flips through the filled calendar on his phone before handing his phone over for you to give him your number. After doing so, you check your own phone for a text from the boy with his number, but instead you find a message from your boss.

2:46PM monster lady👹 “Snow-- Seokjin informed me that you’ve requested to take time off from work. In light of this and the current situation regarding Park Jimin, please drop by my office today so we can have an open discussion about the best option for you moving forward.”

“I can’t, I have somewhere to go after class. Sorry guys.” You only feel bad because you’re the one holding them back.

“Where do you have to go? Is it a date?” Taehyung asks. Why does this guy only ever think about dates?

“No…” you answer, praying he’ll stop being so nosy.

“Then what-”

“Actually, I’m busy today too,” Jungkook adds before the other boy can say anything else. “I have to do a bunch of drawings for my animation class.”

“Excuses, excuses,” Taehyung shakes his head at you and Jungkook, as if he’s the responsible one in the group. “How did I get stuck with the two most antisocial people in the class?”

“You’re the one who asked us,” is what you want to say, but Jungkook says it for you.

“Fine, fine,” the other boy gives in because he knows he’ll fail the class without his buddy. “I’ll go get laid tonight, I guess.”

You nod, packing your things into bag and picking up your guitar. Before you leave, you realize you forgot something.

“Can I get your number too?” You point your guitar case in Jungkook’s direction. Flustered, he feels around his entire hoodie for his phone, only to remember it’s in the ass pocket of those tight jeans. He looks a bit hesitant about swapping phones with you, and you think it’s probably because he’s never gotten a girl’s number before.

But of course, it’s actually because he’s embarrassed by his lockscreen, a bright photo of Snow with a soft yellow sundress and her guitar. You remember you’d been excited for that photoshoot because you didn’t have to do any of the usual pin-up modeling that your company loves to milk out of you. But it’ll forever leave a bitter taste in your mouth because of the guitar. It was merely a prop, and nothing more.

You don’t say anything as you input your number into his phone, but you’ll never understand his infatuation with an idol as one-dimensional as Snow. Especially when he hasn’t even met her.

-

As you walk down the halls of your company’s building, you try not to get your hopes up. Sure, your boss might’ve sent you a friendly little text about having an “open discussion” with you, but you know she probably already has her mind made up on whatever’ll be best for herself and her company.

Knock. “Come in,” an authoritative voice calls out from the other side of the door. A middle-aged lady with round reading glasses and an edgy A-line bob sits at her desk, hands clasped together, when you step into her office. Yang Sooyoung, CEO of Polar Entertainment, the woman you’ve despised for the majority of your idol career, gestures for you to take the seat in front of her. “How are you today, Snow?”

“Good,” you lie. She doesn’t really give a shit about your well-being anyway, so why bother humoring her.

“That’s good,” she nods. “Were you busy earlier?” You know she’s only asking you this because she’s ticked off that you didn’t come sooner.

“I was just running some errands on my day off.” She isn’t aware that you attend school, and you’d like to keep it that way.

“Oh, I see. But please do try to make this your priority, just as we make you ours.”

“Of course.”

“That being said, we believe it’s best for you to apologize for the recent incident with Park Jimin. After we release a statement, you’ll be able to enjoy your time away from idol work, free of stress.”

“What exactly do you want me to apologize for?” You try your best not to come off sounding too annoyed, but you were never good at acting. Or being fake.

“For being too friendly with the boy, and as a result, causing a misunderstanding.” For being too friendly with a boy? All you recall doing was talking to Jimin for five minutes max.

“I need to apologize for that?”

“Yes,” she nods, completely serious. “I know you shouldn’t have to apologize, but it’s the most efficient way of handling the situation. I spoke to a representative from Bloom Entertainment, and they’ve already dealt with Jimin’s side.”

“I’ll clarify what happened in order to clear up any misunderstanding,” you say. “But I’m still not going to say sorry when I did nothing wrong.”

Your boss raises her pointy eyebrows and shakes her head. “Snow, for the sake of damage control, please just apologize. It doesn’t matter if it’s genuine or not. We just need to handle things professionally here.”

It doesn’t matter if you’re genuine. Just hearing those words infuriates you. “I can’t pretend like I’m obligated to apologize all the time just because I’m an idol with flaws. I don’t owe society anything.”

“But you do owe me and my company something, don’t you think? Who gave you the opportunity to become an idol in the first place? Me. So if you can’t suck it up and apologize to preserve my company’s reputation, then don’t call yourself an idol.”

What you want to do is quit and let your shitty boss rot with her company. The only reason her company has prospered is because of you—not the other way around. Ever since becoming an idol, you’ve felt more dead than alive. Snow, the fabricated idol, may be prospering. But Y/N, the actual girl behind Snow’s mask, is fading.

At the same time, you know you can’t quit. Not for the sake of the company, nor for the sake of money and fame, but for the sake of becoming someone’s hero, anyone’s hero. If you could achieve that goal through other means, you would. But at this rate, being the idol you hate is all you can do to make people happy. At least for now.

So you make your apology and let PR handle the rest. In exchange, you’re given a maximum of half a year to get your shit together before your contract expires.

-

That night, you lay sprawled out on your bed in your pink penguin pajamas. Rather than filling your mind with the toxicity you’ve been dealing with for the past few days, you try to let it go for now. Despite the frustrating talk you had with your boss, reality is sinking in that you have a nice long break ahead. You can’t remember the last time you’ve felt so relieved. Free.

You even made a promise to yourself that you’d steer far, far away from anything Snow or idol-related for the next few weeks. And there are only two exceptions you’ll make.

The first exception is your manager. As your one and only friend, you do rely on Seokjin more than you’d like to admit. Because not only does he keep you from doing irrational things as an idol, he also keeps you company on your days off from work and school. The two of you get along quite well, and he’s the only person you can be yourself around. He’s like your life boat—without him, you surely would’ve sunk long ago.

The second exception is Witch Hazel. And as soon as you curl up into your bed, you go to the jk.seagull blog, now bookmarked on your phone’s browser. He has several short posts added to his blog since the last time you checked.

“asdfghjkl;;;;”

“sHE!!!”

“i cant believe snow saw witch hazel?? and even tweeted about it??”

“guys this makes me so happy :((((”

“brb crying”

“ok im back but holy fuck wow”

“anyway thank you guys so much for showing this comic a lot of love and support :(((”

“ill try my best to make pt.2 even better! i might be a little busy with art school, but please anticipate another update soon!”

He’s an art student like you. He’s enthusiastic about sharing his art with others, like the way you feel when releasing a new album. He’s genuinely grateful for the support from his audience, like the way you feel at the end of every concert. But he does it all behind a mask, just like you.

Just as you’re about to close your browser and text Seokjin about spending the night, a new post pops up on jk.seagull’s blog.

“lmao heres a sneak peek of pt.2 that no one asked for~”

Beneath the caption is a sketch of little Snow trying to make friends with a bunny boy character, but she fails because she’s too much of a stubborn tsundere. You assume this new bunny character must be a fellow superhero of some sort, a possible ally or maybe even a romantic interest. Either way, you find it both cute and hilarious. Snow could never have a romantic interest in real life, but you suppose it’s nice to dream. At the same time, you laugh because it’s true that you struggle with being too stubborn and closed off to make friends. Somehow, this jk.seagull guy knows you too well.

With that, you close your browser and open the messaging app on your phone. But rather than texting Seokjin like you had originally planned, you start a new chat.

9:37PM Y/N “Taehyung, Jungkook, let’s meet up tomorrow morning if you guys are free to work on the project”

9:38PM Y/N “💃💃💃”

You aren’t sure why you felt the need to include a stream of dancing girl emojis, but maybe it’s the least you can do in an effort to be more friendly.

9:40PM Taehyung “Yeah I’m not free lol”

9:40PM Jungkook “im free💃💃💃”

You’re so distracted by the fact that Jungkook reciprocated the same dancing girl emojis that you skim right over Taehyung’s message.

9:41PM Y/N “Good. Let’s meet at the mall tomorrow at 10?”

A/N: next time on dragon ball z, y/n and jungkook will legit interact, i swear💋

[roc-thoughtblog]

IDORU READTHROUGH CHAPTER 1-21 RECAP

Transhumanist rockstar Johnny Silverhand announces his engagement to virtual idol Hatsune Miku, and everyone is upset. A fired data analyst and a teenage Silverhand stan are both sent to Japan to find out why he's gone crazy. Or has he?

I'm joking but that kind of is the story. It's great.

I haven't picked this book up in at least half a year so I can barely remember where I was at (this is more a reflection of myself than of the book). I need this recap for myself, too.

For my previous post on thoughts on the genre, click here.

CONTENTS:

Personal Context

Story So Far

General Thoughts

Predictions

PERSONAL CONTEXT: When I visited Adelaide in 2019, I found a fairly large second-hand bookstore called O'Connell's Bookshop, which I believe is family-owned. It is super cool, one of those bookstores where the shelves are overflowing and you could probably find somebody's great-grandparents' childhood diary if you looked hard enough. Also, they have a dog! And the dog's name is my name! I'm a bookstore dog! Ahem. I will never not be excited about that. Please visit if you're in Adelaide and say hi to my canine counterpart.

Anyway, I was perusing and randomly spotted a book called Idoru, and my first thought was, "huh this seems like a romanisation of idol in japanese, is this just an old book about japanese idols?" And then I saw William Gibson's name attached to the book called Idoru, and my second thought was "wait, that William Gibson? What has that William Gibson got to do with japanese idols?"

Dumb question, really. The influence of east-asia in general on the development of the cyberpunk genre is huge, so the convergence shouldn't have been surprising. Also, the book's from 1996, so it's relatively recent; I had pigeonholed Gibson to the 80s because I didn't know better, and wondered whether virtual idols were even a thing then.

Either way, the novelty of an intersection between William Gibson and Hatsune Miku was more than compelling enough for me to buy the heck outta that book, and I've been enjoying it.

STORY SO FAR: Idoru separately follows two protagonists, former data analyst Colin Laney and teenage music fan Chia McKenzie. Both have been sent to Tokyo to figure out what's going on with an old-school rockstar named Lo/Rez, and why he's become engaged to virtual idol Rei Toei.

Colin has just been fired from his job at SlitScan, some kind of pop celebrity dirt-digging company. When his metadata analysis revealed that a teen celebrity was about to commit suicide (after it helped drive her to that point to begin with), he tried to intervene. He failed, a scandal ensued, and he was fired for trying to whistleblow to a media-company-dirt-digging-company. He was dropped when they found out he was once a test subject of a questionable experimental drug, compromising the legitimacy of his story.

Out of job, he's sent to Tokyo to get picked up by Lo/Rez's loyal bodyguard, Keith Blackwell. Blackwell wants to know if his boss has gone off the deep end, and suspects foul play, manipulation or tech-mediated brainwashing. He wants Laney to figure out who's behind it. All Laney can figure out so far, however, is that Lo/Rez leaves astonishingly little metadata to analyse, but has been lying about his activities to Blackwell. Also, Laney's old boss Kathy Torrance wants to blackmail him for dirt on Lo/Rez.

Meanwhile, Chia's VR Lo/Rez fanclub is upset that Lo/Rez has made a marriage announcement, to a virtual idol of all things. The rich one in their group uses her father's credit card to sponsor Chia to go to Tokyo and meet with the fanclub's Tokyo chapter to find out what's up.

On the flight over, Chia unknowingly falls in with some kind of smuggler, Maryalice, who uses her as a patsy to smuggle something into Japan. She takes Chia to her boyfriend's place, where Maryalice and her boyfriend start having a violent argument over Chia's involvement. Chia takes the chance to flee, but unknowingly still has the mysterious smuggled item in her bag.

She meets the Tokyo chapter's representative Mitsuko, who says that nothing is wrong, but Chia is unconvinced. Mitsuko's brother Masahiko takes Chia out to help her investigate, but both their friends warn them they are being stalked by a dangerous unknown group, and the credit card Chia is using is being tracked.

GENERAL THOUGHTS:

Each character in Idoru is described by Gibson with great vividness. They're also colourful to the extent that I feel like I'm experiencing the literary equivalent of the silhouette test for character identity. The descriptions are conveyed with great efficiency. At no point is the story stopping to exposit to you how a character appears, you figure out their appearance alongside their actions and personality as the scene progresses. In that sense, appearance, personality and actions are fused such that the character feels incredibly whole. It's very cool, I wanna emulate that. Also, they'd make great prompts for character design illustration exercises.

Having said that, I feel like this is another story where the supporting cast seem more interesting than the protagonists. Laney is alright; he seems to only be a creased suit-shirt, but at least he's a creased suit-shirt with a backstory. Chia suffers a little though; I can't even remember what she looks like and there wasn't terribly much going on in her life.

I really like Blackwell. Partly for Australian bias, but partly because I think he exemplifies this approach to character writing the best. His image is incredibly solid and unique among the case, he's dripping with personality, and it all works in harmony with every little action we see him take to bring his character to life. He makes a great study for close reading.

There's a very simple and predictable prose structure to the story so far; one chapter of Laney followed by one chapter of Chia, repeat. I'm not really sure how well it works; on the one hand it's nice to know exactly what's coming next, but on the other I feel like it's affecting the pacing a bit in some places. It's hard to end a chapter of Laney thinking, "I want to know what's next," and having to enter a chapter of Chia starting something entirely different.

Sometimes the writing is just unintentionally funny because I live 24 years into the future and japanese culture is now fairly mainstream. "Kelsey drew her nymph-self up with elvin dignity, batting manga-doe eyelashes in disbelief," while referring to a VR anime avatar, just makes me crack up. At the same time, props to Gibson for calling out VRchat anime avvies in 1996.

I'm not sure what's with cyberpunk and automatically taking place in an alternate world history - actually it suddenly made sense to me when I was typing; it's partly alternate to me because I live in the future, and it's partly that their setting is shaped by more extreme fictional, governments, corporations and man-made disasters. Having said, some changes still seem casually random and just thrown in to make the whole world feel different. Australia seems to have had a civil war that created a southern identity, Russia seems to be... fully controlled by the kombinat? Native American countries build laptops. Lots of strange details dotted through the setting.

PREDICTIONS: None, I'm halfway through the book but I still have no idea what's really going on or what's about to happen. Lo/Rez hasn't shown up yet outside of recordings, and people rarely even mention the idol.

If I had to guess, Chia and Laney's stories seeming to still have nothing to do with each other suggests that whatever connects them has already been revealed. I'd take that to be Chia's accidentally smuggled contraband then, or whatever group is stalking her, though I have no idea what that is yet.

[lobfcanti]

MBGLNB: ❓! (矢川)

Fri 09/15/2017 | 15:25 (JST) - ? ! (Yagawa Aoi)

I got 4 times the comments than I expected on last week’s blog.

Now your answers in return

Q: Where would you go in a drive?

A: To see the ocean? Maybe? To Tokyo or Enoshima bay? I’m not sure but, once I’m there- all I’d want to do is eat Ice cream~

Q: What Fall foods do you like?

A: Sweet Potato, Squash, Mackerel

Q: How do you protect yourself from sunburn? A: Bring a parasol! I always thought those girls that would carry white parasols long ago were cute so when I go to school- I too carry a white parasol, with sore arms too!

Q: What is you recently thought about buying?

A: This Etude House lip tint! The packaging is a shark and it’s name is “Shark bar”. It was too cute, I had to buy the pack.

[Photo of Etude House - Dear Darling Tint collection “Shark Bar”]

Q: I want to come to a live in Fukuoka! [A MBG live]

A: I want go, I want to go! But the interest in Fukuoka is still pretty low so please keep trying!

Q: Why are you such an angel?

A: My mom and dads are probably gods.

Q: Preferred Hairstyle?

A: For girls- Short blonde hair and Bob cut black hair.

For Men - something like Micchi’s (Mitsuhiro Oikawa) recent one- if I can meet someone like that <3

Q: What is your best impression?

A: I can make my face look like Nyan-chu! [A star puppet character from the NHK children’s show of the same name]

Ah, a Hello Kitty trend!

Yosajii (A MBG roadie) ’s Watabe Atsurou impression lol I can see it now.

Q: What’s your favorite food as of late

A: I loooove Vegetable Life 100’s Soymilk Banana smoothie- but that’s a drink huh

Q: Are you the type to look after what gets use in the media for your interviews?

A: I never get to see the stuff, but I want to! I’m interested on how the quality of the pictures turn out and how things get edited when from the the conversation before publishing the interview!

Q: Do you cook for yourself? [I wanna know too lol]

A: On days I’m free I do! Recently I made salt boiled shirataki.

This is a tofu burger, Okura Ohitashi with an egg soup. It may not looks so good- but it tasted so.

[Picture of her Tofu burger, Ohitashi, egg soup dish. Next to the tofu is the  Ohitashi, soy sauce boiled greens]

Q: What is snack weakness?

A: Any type of convenient store ice

[They seem pretty bomb in japan, The amount of 7/11 icee and ice cream flavors are deep. There is tons of them]

Q: What’s your favorite town in Osaka?

A: For leisure- Umeda, The town and that my grandmother’s home is close by. (I won’t go into further detail for privacy sake). I don’t want to disturb the peace at home lol

Q: What song do you like to listen to after work? [I guess they mean what do you like to listen to to wind down]

A: (Seiko Matsuda’s) Komugiiro no Mermaid (Cocoa Mermaid) for one! It’s always a slow night after work so I enjoy listing to Seiko’s Ryuusei Night (Shooting Star Night) on the way home!

Q: Why won’t you give up on short hair?

A: I look like a delicious nigiri recipe, no? lol

I even got a bad rep amongst the members so I think I’m being childishly defiant to their comments! I think! Perhaps! But I’m growing a little tired of the bob cut too, what to do…?

Q: What would you do with a 3 day weekend?

A: I’d take a trip back home!

Q: What Sanrio character would you recommend for a guy?

A: Badtz-maru! Pochacco’s cool too but Badtz-maru and I have the same birthday (April 1st) so I prefer him! Also he has tons of black merchandise which I think is fitting for guys.

Q: What song would you like for MBG to cover?

A: I want us to try Harada Tomoyo’s Ame no Planetarium (Rainy Planetarium)! I’d love to see how Sakurai’s arrangement works out, I think it will sound cool so I want to give it a shot!

Q: What habits or gestures do you like to pay attention to in men?

A: They way they turn the steering wheel while driving! I can’t explain why! But that one for sure!

Q: What Pink eyeshadow do you recommend?

A: Fasio’s PK-8, but it’s a pretty old product and they might not sell it anymore. I got it from my mom a long time ago and use it all the time.

Q: Which song do you wish you can re-record?

A: “remove”! I think the “Keshiki wasureteku~” part can be sung a little more smoothly now.

Q: What do you do to relax?

A: Recently I’ve been taking bubble baths to relax.

Q: What’s Koshoji to you?

A: My super fun dog, my pet dog

Q: What new things have you tried lately?

A: I thought I’d pick up taking walks as a pastime, but I never walk up in the morning, it is too hot in the afternoon, and it’s too scary at night- so I haven’t started yet…but I will try.

Q: What make up sets would you recommend?

A: Kailijumei’s flower lip has is such a nice color, doesn’t run out fast and looks cute so I recommend that! There has been a awful lot of questions about what I’ve been using, surprised I only mentioned this now.

Q: How have you grown since last summer?

A: I started doing simple weight training so I don’t get so exhausted by the end of lives now. I had 0 endurance before- but now it’s about a 5!

Q: This summer, what has been your favorite Seiko (Matsuda) song?

A: This summer, it has been Akai kutsu no Ballerina (Red shoes Ballerina) and Eien no motto hate made (Till the very end of Eternity) all summer long!

Q: When you were a kid, what type towel side you use during hot weather?

A: Hello Kitty of course! But I had to feel like it that day.

Q: What is the most expensive thing you’ve brought recently?

A: For my mom’s birthday- I got her a n expensive necklace! But I never get stuff like this from people lol.

Q: Favorite recent highlight?

A: Our ZeppDiverCity 4th One Man has sold out! A huge accomplishment! I can’t think of anything else better this year!

Q: Do you have Idol friends?

A: I went out to eat with Nozomi Manaka (formerly of petit pas!)

I’ll see you again soon!

Q: Favorite Dog breed?

A: White Pomeranian with ball like groomed fur are my favorite! Chiwawas are my 2nd fav!

Q: Do you look into how do wotagei?

A: It’s a little tiresome too, but it’s interesting! I guess :/

The flailing glow sticks part- I want to try that!

Q: Skincare regimine?

A: Usually lotion and serum, occasionally when I get back from campaigning- if I feel my skin is dry, I’ll use a face mask. I use a spray bottle for the lotion since I don’t only apply to my face, I can put it on all over easily this way. I just brought it recently (should have got it sooner).

Q: Favorite Animal?

A: I have some tropical fish, so Fish. With the exception of bugs- I like most animals.

Q: The most sacred thing in life?

A: Fun, cute, beautiful things? Right?

This question is hard lol

Q: Your most memorable live?

A: This is such a refreshing comment! My most memorable live has to still be our recent Akasaka Blitz one man. But since we been constantly improving, Our Zepp show in December might become the most memorable! I worry like if someone get way too excited- what should I do? I worry about not knowing what to do! (This isn’t like with mixes or calls or anything like that, this is in regards to the heckling sort) But whether people quietly watch, or get hyped up for us, that is all fine! I too have had times where thing go great and I’m excessively happy! I know the feel!

[Might presumptuous, but this what I think she was trying to express with what little she actually said lol]

Q: What call out to you, which way makes you the happiest?

A: When I’m called Aoi-chan! But when I googled myself, I saw Yagawa so Yagawa Aoi-chan so now that became kind of cute when people use my full name when they tweet to me.

Q: How do you apply your make up?

A: I have pretty standard way off applying but because I’m such a pride person I don’t tell people how lol. Because my eyes are pretty narrow, I’ve gotten pretty good at doing my eyelashes and extending the area around my eyes. After I read the “To be placed into the hall of fame” Manga, Cardcaptor Sakura. I’m reading the Clear card issue too!

[Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear card is the new arc that started July 2016, it continues the series right from where it originally ended 16 yrs ago.]

Q: Your favorite word?

A: 忍耐/にんたい/Nintai [perservance]

Q: What music have you been listening to lately?

A: Hayashibara Megumi’s discography. The other I went with Koshoji and First Summer Uika to karaoke and love how cool Uika sounded singing her song and I came to like the original too!

Q: Something you want to do in the Fall?

A: For Fall clothes I want to hurry and buy some hot pink knitted stuff! lol Ocean blue and Pink I can’t really choice between, but if I really want to play helplessly innocent. I want to with pink. It’s still kind of warm so I can’t wear it yet, hurry up and cool down!!

So! If you don’t get a reply from me on twitter, it be because I addressed your question in this blog! That’s for the questions about me for now!

I’ll see you at ZeppDiverCity on Dec. 28th?

———— You can buy their recent single “412″ at:

Physical

Amazon

Digital

ototoy

[existentialstatesofmind]

Opening Up

Clare: had suspected she should avoid reading adult manga so she was glad she asked and Kota confirmed her suspicions. It would save her a lot of embarrassment. “Not for me.” She agreed. “I don’t know what all they show in porn either. I have seen True Blood...they show butts and breasts. Alli and I get the giggles even though we fast forward.” She said honestly. Clare worried about getting caught watching the vampire show too but she never watched it at home. “I have a lot to learn about cooking. Sushi sounds harder to make...and I don’t like fish. I’ll make it, just don’t expect me to eat it.” Clare looked at him. “I know there’s not actually an auction. That was the only similar thing we do here that I could think of.” She rolled her eyes playfully. “You better not fall for that trick. If whatever girl you get paired up with wants a real kiss make it as gross as possible. The boys need to skirt around the rules too. Unless they get a pairing they like. Seriously though if she’s nice and you don’t want to hurt her feelings, I’m fine with a quick peck.” She reassured him again. Clare wasn’t going to get bent out of shape over a game unless it got taken too far. The image of K.C and Jenna flirting with each other right in front of her was burned into her memory forever. “I need to participate too to capture the true spirit of the Host club for the Daily.” Clare teased, grinning at Kota. “You enjoy me putting my foot in my mouth.” She mock gasped. “That’s okay if they aren’t going for realism. Besides there are some things you can’t do anything about. I mean have you seen Alli’s long thick eyelashes?” Clare laughed. She was a little jealous of them. “Yeah, good point. The kids who actually attend the school will have to do the ‘heavy lifting’. My dad explained the currency to me. A dollar equals over 111 Japanese yen. Thank god for computers to tell me what change to give.” She smiled at Kota when he said he’d follow her. “If I got pregnant, I guess we’d find a way to make it work with college. Emi will be in elementary school so only the baby would need daycare. I’d get to have a journalism career. Hopefully there won’t be a baby until we decide we want one though.” She nodded. “You have a lot of options and so do I. I know I want to go to Columbia but there’s exchange student programs there too.” Clare could go back to Japan or spend a year in another country. “Of course I expect us to visit each other if we go to different colleges. Jimmy Fallon? Really? He wants you to come on the show?” Clare asked a small note of skepticism in her voice. “I took Emi being part of the package into consideration before I said yes to dating you. The only hesitation I’ve ever had was my parents. Nothing on my end. You’re both worth it.” Clare chuckled about Canada paying the bill. “Our baby would have dual citizenship. That’s pretty cool.” She kissed Kota, only stopping to say. “Yes, if we can talk about it we might be ready for more. If we can’t, we’re definitely not ready yet.” Clare kissed him again. “Noo. No I’m going! Alli will have to settle for a t-shirt. I wouldn’t miss the mystery concert for the world. Too many what ifs for the rest of my life especially if I like them. I’d die. Also no else at Degrassi has ever had backstage passes to anything, probably.” Clare shook her head. “Obviously I think he’s charming so I can understand people, even famous ones, liking him and inviting him to things. What is bizarre to me is how does Kota meet them in the first place? You know yourself, it’s hard to get those kind of opportunities.” Melanie was a famous singer now. However, it took time for her to be recognized. Before she went on The Voice she was just a normal teenager like them. “How are you able to talk to them in the first place? Long enough for them to realize you’re a designer?” Celebrities usually had body guards to keep fans away. “Sure, I’m ready for lunch. Um how does this work? Does Melanie usually put on a disguise and go wherever she wants or are there certain restaurants you can ask for a private room at? Or do you order take out?” She asked curiously looking back forth between Kota and Melanie.

Kota: listened to Clare and chuckled a bit when she mentioned True Bloods. "I've seen American Pie with Dom and my mom. She sat us both down while our brothers were at a sleep over and pressed play. Honestly, I still don't know how I felt watching that with my mom and twin. The whole movie was about sex, when someone says 'One time at band camp...' or anything referring to a time at band camp and you know they've never been they're referring to American Pie. In the movie the Naked Mile you seen the girls fully naked. I've also seen Skins UK which shows a few guys naked and just breasts and both guys and girl's buts. They also showed them having sex, not full blown, but the movements and sounds." he shrugged. "I've also seen some porn, seems overrated to me." he looked over at her when she mentioned her distaste for fish. "Not all sushi has fish, some have imitation crab. And I'm taking someone who doesn't like fish to Japan." he laughed a bit. "That limits the food you can eat. Japanese eat a lot of fish, I'm guessing you won't eat seaweed either?" He asked curiously. "You'll probably learn how to cook fish if you go to someone's house. It's a staple in Japan along with stuff I won't eat. We'll also probably have weekends without Emi, she's already making plans." he added and listened as she mentioned the event he may be partaking in. "I wouldn't kiss them. Some girls see kissing on the same level as sex. I don't want to give anyone that idea, besides I see kissing other girls that aren't you as cheating. I wouldn't do it unless I absolutely had to such as a play." he stated and laced their fingers together. "If you really want to be part of it, I can see if you can be a waitress. I mean it's for Kendo so the guys know English." he shrugged and laugh a bit. "I think it's cute." he smiled and rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. "I have seen her long eyelashes. If your dad explained the currency to you, you're not allowed to try to do the math when we go clothes shopping. Also you may not want to go grocery shopping with us. They sell turtles dead wrapped up and ready to be eaten also alive and they sell mystery meat, if you ask what it is they just tell you the animal, they get it cut it up, and mix it together organs and all." he added. "I hope we don't have one until we agree either." he nodded. "That's true and we have summer off regardless. Japan is only 14 hours ahead of us and yea he's asked a few times." he smiled. He was happy that Clare took her into the package before they started dating although he wasn't aware of how long she'd be in his life. "I'm happy your only hesitation was your parents, but I mean if they forbid us to date we can hide it from them." he shrugged. "I agree about our future baby having duel citizenship, it is pretty cool." he said against her lips and looked at her when she stopped. "I agree." he whispered against her lips. A soft chuckle fell from his lips when Clare mentioned a T-shirt for Alli. "I don't really know if that's possible. Normally we go get a bite to eat after or go have fun. I mean we can try to sneak while she's getting her disguise on..." he shrugged. Kota looked at Mel when Clare mentioned the people Kota met and the opportunities he's had. "It's different for designers especially for famous ones like Kota. Murder Bunny is bigger in America than it is here. America is more about Fashion, TV, and finally music. I'm slowly getting into fashion, my perfume came out as did my lipstick line. Kota came up with Murder Bunny and when it released in America with it's own cell phone cases and shirts, it took off. I met him when I went to a fashion show I knew he was going to be at, other's met him at a different fashion show. Jimmy Fallon wears Murder Bunny, a lot of famous people like the line as well. The media in America is wondering if Kota being a sixteen year-old can keep up with the fashion demand in all three countries and he seems to be doing a great job. He's pretty high up there in the fashion world." she explained to Clare. "He gets to meet the actors, singers, and models I don't. In order for me to meet some of the people Kota has I have to be as big as Fallout Boy and Taylor Swift." Mel explained and looked at Kota. "Also Adam is mad at you for rejecting his call. Apparently Behati wants to talk to you about swim suits and Behati said 'tell Kota to teach me how to put on the clothes properly.' It would be nice if you explained." she said. "I'll answer both of your questions and Clare, there's a reason I didn't tell you this yet. I met most of the celebrities at the Victoria's Secret Fashion show when I got a call saying that the Murder Bunny lingerie line was working. It's exclusive to Victoria's Secret shops so I agreed. I got a call from Jimmy Fallon asking to do an interview, but I had school. After that I got a few more calls to do interviews, but school had to come first then the show. The girls didn't really put their bras on right, the people Victoria hired to dress the models told me to just stick my hand in their bras to help. I told Cara how to fix it, in turn she took her bra off in front of me, handed it to me, then told me to put it on her. It was extremely awkward to say the least. I told her to put it on herself, put her hand in her bra, and that's when she put my hand in her bra and said to fix them. That's what Behati wants me to teach her. I will not be touching her breasts." he explained. "What's the proper way to put on a bra?" Melanie asked him. "Put your arms in the straps, bend forwards allowing them to fall perfectly in the cups as you fasten the back, stand up straight and that's it. Don't push up the bottom or pull it down, it won't give much comfort, also a wire bra isn't healthy for your circulation and doesn't support tissue growth, wireless is better for your health." he informed Mel. "I normally clip my bra around my stomach, turn the front towards me and then put the straps on." she said looking at him. "Your bra is on wrong. If you fix it like I told you, it'll feel better." he said and motioned to a room she can change in if she wanted to. "Talking to them long enough is easy. After the online store opened in America I opened an actual store with my grandpa's help. He cut the ribbon since I couldn't be there due to school, then I got a call to do a fashion show. Celebrities attended such as Rihanna and she approached me after the show asking me to make her a custom outfit. We sat down for a few hours and designed it together, then she told her friends and word got out to them. I even designed a giant MB bow with Sia which she wore and sent me a thank you picture." he said reaching for the picture of her smiling as her hair hid her eyes as usual, her hand pointing to the giant bow head band. "She sent a thank you letter with it." he said handing it to Clare. The letter reading 'Thank you so much for bow, it was worth the cost and chatting with you. Best wishes and stay in touch xox Sia.' "I have a few things like that from various people." he added and knocked on the door to the room Melanie was in. "Clare's ready to eat." he said loudly. "In America, I put on a disguise. Normally a big billed hat, dark glasses, and just dress like myself. I still get recognized once in a while, but normally they only want a picture or an autograph. Mel is putting on her disguise now." he said honestly as the door opened and Mel walked out wearing a wig with long black hair, a plain blue skirt with a Nirvana band tee on and black Chuck Taylors with her normal ruffle socks. "Don't you need your disguise?" she asked. "No, I'm not that famous here. We hold hockey higher than fashion, music is above fashion here." he said honestly as he held Clare's hand and lead them out. When they got to the car Kota opened the passenger door to his car for Clare and the back door for Mel, then shut them and got in on his side and started to drive. "Where are we eating?" he asked looking at the girls. "Clare?" Mel asked and Kota looked at her. "The mall or ---" he trailed off.