Jasutina ‘Jass’ Hiroshi | F | Bi(HFL) | Ambi/Poly | O+ | Fluff | Sound Gradient | Mentions; Cherry, Gen’ya(Ind), Achlys(Ind), Open.

“If you wanted to know my sexuality, you could have just asked. I'm bisexual and not currently interested in dating anyone. If you actually care about the books, I don't mind lesbian books, but I have not read the ones that you mentioned. And, for the record, even the strongest people sometimes need saving. I think you'll find that the majority of protagonists find themselves in situations that they cannot get out of without the help of another regardless of gender, though I understand your point. If you are looking for under-representation or... misleading or incorrect representation, though, as you seem to be so concerned about, I would actually point you towards the people who identify as genderfluid, trans, intersex, and non-binary. I have rarely seen books on them that paint them in a positive, proper light, have you? I'm not saying you are incorrect in your... complaint, but I also believe there are people who are less privileged still, and, personally, I will always put them ahead of myself. It seems only fair.”

--

Cherry almost seemed hurt, by the idea that Jass only wanted her sexuality. She’d definitely need to clear that up… But how? Oh, duh, with the truth. Though at least now she knew for Achlys too.

--

Jass grinned and spoke, voice sincere despite all odds, “While I definitely don’t mind knowing that about you, I certainly can’t just drop my girl crush on Billie Eilish. Sorry if it seemed like I wasn’t having an actual conversation with you, I tend to just drop flirts with any women I have conversations with. As for the books, I totally agree. In all honesty, I haven’t been able to find, like, any books on them at all. None that are worth remembering, at least. Which sucks! I have friends that would love to read a book that can actually portray them right! And yeah, I guess you’re right about the hero thing- I mean, Hermione has to save everyone all the time, after all.”

--

Jass shrugged. “But I mean, representation for everyone would be nice. Regardless of how much they already have. Even some straight cliches need some more attention. We rarely ever see fantasy where the girl saves the boy under starlight. Come on now, give us that stereotypical kiss!” She snickered softly to herself, grinning.

*~*~*~*

Gen’ya Hikari | AMAB NB | Demi | Ambi | A- | Angst | Inducement | Mentions; Atlas, Open.

Gen’ya waited, for what was certainly a longer time than before, until the note was passed back. For a moment, they’d been certain that Atlas wasn’t going to reply. But he had.

--

‘You don't need to apologize, really. I don't mind at all. And, for the record, I don't think you're vile in the least, your appearance doesn't bother me at all. I mean that genuinely. I actually think you're quite pretty. Sorry if I bothered you, though, I didn't mean to intrude, I was just nervous and wanted to know if anyone else felt something off. Thank you for your help though, and really, if you need something you can ask me. I don't mind.’

--

They stared at the note, eyes caught by the idea that someone could find them pretty. Was it a lie? There wasn’t a real reason to lie to them though. And given that it states that Atlas genuinely wasn’t bothered by them… Maybe he was just being nice? That would make more sense, right? After all, it also said that they had no reason to apologize when they most certainly did. They always had something to apologize for.

--

They risked a glance at Atlas regardless, and found no trace of anything that could point this in the way of simply being nice. Of it being a lie. But it had to be. Right? No one could find them pretty, right? But Gen’ya couldn’t just accuse him of lying, that’d be rude…

--

‘It’s quite alright, you haven’t intruded at all. I’m glad that I could give you help, and I’ll keep that in mind. Though, I assure you, I’m quite fine. The compliment is appreciated, though your own appearance makes mine pale in comparison. I do apologize for my earlier comment if you do not think it to be true though.’

--

There. That should work. And it was all true, as well. Gen’ya passed it back to Atlas, risking a glance at the sandy-haired boy. Truly, everything they wrote was true.

*~*~*~*

Dendritic Tanzer/Apache Graves | M | Pan/Demi | Ambi | AB+/O- | Fluff/Angst | Graceful Grus/Monochrome Apus | Mentions; Each Other, Loreto, Adbrei(Ind), Open.

“Oh, no reason, just saw him in the library today and was curious. I think I've heard his name from somewhere else, but I'm not really sure where. Well, thanks for the help! Anything interesting to talk about? New stories?”

--

Denny could see Loreto’s mind drifting even as he asked, though that had never stopped him before. After all, if he was asking then it just meant he probably wanted some background noise.

--

He grinned regardless, “Okay so, despite how boring it was this weekend, there was one occurrence that is of noteworthy interest. Some of the neighborhood kids got run off the property of ‘Old Man Hector’. Now, usually this is a common event, seen all the time. But this time? Old Man Hector had his gun out and everything, screaming at them and loading it. To be fair, they were destroying his plants. I think one of the kids had even grabbed a stone and thrown it through one of his windows. So his anger is totally justifiable. But man, I’m surprised he didn’t end up actually shooting one of them. Though their parents probably gave them quite the talking to. I don’t think those kids will be going back onto his property anytime soon.”

--

Apache snickered, “Yeah, those kids didn’t know what hit them until the fifth whooping. Their parents definitely weren’t happy, that’s for sure.”

Cherry Hall/F/Bi/Ambi/A+/Angst/Muted Noise/M: Jass, Open

“While I definitely don’t mind knowing that about you, I certainly can’t just drop my girl crush on Billie Eilish. Sorry if it seemed like I wasn’t having an actual conversation with you, I tend to just drop flirts with any women I have conversations with. As for the books, I totally agree. In all honesty, I haven’t been able to find, like, any books on them at all. None that are worth remembering, at least. Which sucks! I have friends that would love to read a book that can actually portray them right! And yeah, I guess you’re right about the hero thing- I mean, Hermione has to save everyone all the time, after all.”

That made Cherry pause. So then, Jass actually did care about the conversation? Or no? What?

The auburn-haired girl blinked her brown eyes, taking a moment to process what had actually been said before regaining composure and watching the other girl with renewed interest. If she was genuinely interested in what Cherry was saying, without an underlying intent, then maybe she was worth listening to.

“But I mean, representation for everyone would be nice. Regardless of how much they already have. Even some straight cliches need some more attention. We rarely ever see fantasy where the girl saves the boy under starlight. Come on now, give us that stereotypical kiss!”

Cherry nodded slowly, thinking. "That's true." She said, agreeing. "I admit, I haven't seen much... heroic romance, if you will, from a feminine character. It's more interesting to me, I think, to see the evolution of women's representation. In many ways, I believe it's evolved well, though it's not nearly to the point that it should be yet. At the same time, however, there are certain pieces of literature that make me think it has devolved, if only slightly." The slightest smile touched Cherry's lips, a look of slight amusement rising in her eyes. "The Scarlet Letter, published in 1850. I mentioned it earlier. It's considered one of the earliest representations of women's independence, a classic, and a masterpiece of American literature. Oddly enough, it was written by a man. Go figure, it's the 1800s. Long story short, the whole thing's about adultery, revolving around the woman Hester Prynne who basically cheated on her husband with a so-called holy priest while he was across the sea, she got pregnant and was found out, forced to wear a scarlet letter on her chest, hence the novels name, her husband came back and started to seek revenge on whoever got his wife pregnant, Hester refused to give up the priest's secret, and her husband's secrets. She didn't leave even though she definitely could have, stuff happened, Hester got over shit and raised her daughter, eventually having to convince the priest to try to run away or something so he didn't die of the guilt of the sin he committed even though he refused to confess. More stuff happened. You reach the end, the priest dies in Hester's arms, the husband drives himself mad and dies, Hester leaves, waits until her daughter is fully grown and independent, then returns to her homeland so she can die there happy. By the end people looked up to her, and, honestly, she was the happiest character in the story at the end, doing great on her own."

Cherry's honey-brown eyes glimmered with a hint of amused sarcasm as she spoke the next words. "Of course, the book got banned two years later for being "pornographic and obscene." I can confirm it is neither, and I believe that wasn't the reason it was banned at all. I mean, honestly, who could bear to see a woman happy without a man controlling her, that's absurd." Sarcasm hung heavy in Cherry's normally cold voice and she sat back in her seat, watching Jass with continued interest. "It never ceases to disturb me how far people will go to gain control."

Loreto Avian/M/AB+/Pansexual/Fluff/Mimic/M: Apache, Dendritic, Open

“Okay so, despite how boring it was this weekend, there was one occurrence that is of noteworthy interest. Some of the neighborhood kids got run off the property of ‘Old Man Hector’. Now, usually this is a common event, seen all the time. But this time? Old Man Hector had his gun out and everything, screaming at them and loading it. To be fair, they were destroying his plants. I think one of the kids had even grabbed a stone and thrown it through one of his windows. So his anger is totally justifiable. But man, I’m surprised he didn’t end up actually shooting one of them. Though their parents probably gave them quite the talking to. I don’t think those kids will be going back onto his property anytime soon.”

“Yeah, those kids didn’t know what hit them until the fifth whooping. Their parents definitely weren’t happy, that’s for sure.”

Loreto hummed softly, amusement in his eyes as his mind redirected itself to focus on Tic's words.

"Kids will be kids." He stated, chuckling softly. "And kids can be idiots. Especially, it seems, when it comes to other people's things. It seems like your 'Old Man Hector' is, in fact, a grumpy old man, however. In a child's mind, an angry old guy waving a piece of metal and screaming like a lunatic can be highly amusing and more motivation to come back again, no?" Ret smirked. "I'd say there are other ways of discipline, though, you're most likely correct, Apache, I'm sure their parents were not happy in the slightest. Hopefully, that was enough to discourage them for later, hm?"

Atlas Blackwell/B-/M/Ace Panromantic/Ambi-Poly/Angst/Memory Freezeframe/M: Gen'ya, Open

‘It’s quite alright, you haven’t intruded at all. I’m glad that I could give you help, and I’ll keep that in mind. Though, I assure you, I’m quite fine. The compliment is appreciated, though your own appearance makes mine pale in comparison. I do apologize for my earlier comment if you do not think it to be true though.’

Atlas couldn't help but blush slightly when reading the compliment. No one had ever said anything of the sort to him before, in fact, Atlas was pretty sure the best compliment he'd ever gotten was that he looked 'normal.' Well, he didn't count the compliments from Loreto. Loreto was just... Loreto, so he didn't count.

It took Atlas a moment to think of a good response to the things written. Gen'ya was still apologizing. Understandable, but not ideal. He repressed a sigh as he pondered what to say. What words could possibly assure the person next to him that his words were sincere and that they didn't need to apologize?

And then it happened. Atlas thought something he never thought he would. And he hated it.

'What would Loreto say?'

Damn, the guy really was rubbing off on him. That was hardly ideal, especially since Atlas tended to get attached to people that rubbed off on him, and people that he got attached to got hurt.

Fucking consistent, smart, lovable dumbass. Why couldn't he just stay away like everyone else?!

It worked though, evidently, Loreto was kind and consistent enough that Atlas picked up on a few things that may or may not have made him feel better on an especially bad day. Not that he'd ever admit it.

'I'm glad for that and thank you for the kind words, however, I don't believe they are fully accurate, as you don't acknowledge you're own beauty.'

More hesitation. It wasn't a lie, far from it, it was the truth, but was it too far? No, probably not. Gen'ya obviously needed to hear it, though Atlas doubted they'd actually believe it. He knew well that once you'd convinced yourself something was true, there wasn't much that could alter that idea. Especially if it was a negative one.

'And you really don't have to apologize, I don't mind at all. I know I'm a stranger, and I definitely don't expect you to trust me immediately, that's okay, but, rally, it's okay to not be okay. I'm not either, honestly. You can always ask me if you need something, I know it's not much, but I'll listen.'

And though the words were completely genuine, they were indeed almost copy and pasted from Loreto's mouth. The first things he's said to Atlas. Atlas himself, after all, was far too awkward to be able to come up with such perfect wording.

Of course, Loreto had yet to make Atlas talk, but still, he'd done something most couldn't. He's made Atlas feel secure again. Not completely safe, never completely safe, but secure, and he'd made Atlas feel okay enough to come back.

And Atlas absolutely despised himself for it, but it didn't change the truth. It didn't change that Loreto was still the one person Atlas came to see every day even without speaking. And though it hurt, it was also somehow bittersweet.

If Atlas could be that for someone else... Well, he could never truly be good enough for that, but if he tried and someone at least felt okay around him, that would be... good. Very good.

Jasutina ‘Jass’ Hiroshi | F | Bi(HFL) | Ambi/Poly | O+ | Fluff | Sound Gradient | Mentions; Cherry, Gen’ya(Ind), Open.

“That's true. I admit, I haven't seen much... heroic romance, if you will, from a feminine character. It's more interesting to me, I think, to see the evolution of women's representation. In many ways, I believe it's evolved well, though it's not nearly to the point that it should be yet. At the same time, however, there are certain pieces of literature that make me think it has devolved, if only slightly.”

--

Jass grinned, easily taking in the fact that Cherry was at least sort of smiling now. Take that, cold tones! No one could ever be straight faced with her for long! The record was held by Gen’ya, actually. For a total of an hour and a half to two hours after the first sentence. She didn’t remember the exact amount of time it took, but definitely somewhere in that time frame. Maybe a bit longer. They were crazy good at keeping stoic if given the chance, though they hadn’t really been cold cold. Just monotone, polite, and straight faced.

--

“The Scarlet Letter, published in 1850. I mentioned it earlier. It's considered one of the earliest representations of women's independence, a classic, and a masterpiece of American literature. Oddly enough, it was written by a man. Go figure, it's the 1800s. Long story short, the whole thing's about adultery, revolving around the woman Hester Prynne who basically cheated on her husband with a so-called holy priest while he was across the sea, she got pregnant and was found out, forced to wear a scarlet letter on her chest, hence the novels name, her husband came back and started to seek revenge on whoever got his wife pregnant, Hester refused to give up the priest's secret, and her husband's secrets. She didn't leave even though she definitely could have, stuff happened, Hester got over shit and raised her daughter, eventually having to convince the priest to try to run away or something so he didn't die of the guilt of the sin he committed even though he refused to confess. More stuff happened. You reach the end, the priest dies in Hester's arms, the husband drives himself mad and dies, Hester leaves, waits until her daughter is fully grown and independent, then returns to her homeland so she can die there happy. By the end people looked up to her, and, honestly, she was the happiest character in the story at the end, doing great on her own. Of course, the book got banned two years later for being "pornographic and obscene." I can confirm it is neither, and I believe that wasn't the reason it was banned at all. I mean, honestly, who could bear to see a woman happy without a man controlling her, that's absurd. It never ceases to disturb me how far people will go to gain control.”

--

Jass let out a half laugh, nodding. “Yeah, people just suck. You get lucky sometimes and meet someone better than most though. I like to think the few hidden gems make up for the rest. Besides, if you get a group of them then you’re always in good company.”

*~*~*~*

Gen’ya Hikari | AMAB NB | Demi | Ambi | A- | Angst | Inducement | Mentions; Atlas, Open.

‘I'm glad for that and thank you for the kind words, however, I don't believe they are fully accurate, as you don't acknowledge your own beauty. And you really don't have to apologize, I don't mind at all. I know I'm a stranger, and I definitely don't expect you to trust me immediately, that's okay, but, really, it's okay to not be okay. I'm not either, honestly. You can always ask me if you need something, I know it's not much, but I'll listen.’

--

Gen’ya paused, staring at the note for a moment. That… Wasn’t what they expected. At all. They were, for one, for Atlas to have no problem in accepting the compliment. They weren’t hard to beat when it came to appearance. Or anything, truly.

--

Secondly though, and this actually seemed more strange to them, Atlas was consistently telling them not to apologize. Even though they had plenty to say sorry for. More than plenty, really. So the idea that he was trying to convince them of both- That they had nothing to apologize for and that their appearance wasn’t terrible? Gen’ya doubted that he didn’t have any ulterior motive behind it.

--

So, they scanned through the note again. But they couldn’t find anything. Besides, even if they could, accusing someone of such things wasn't of their nature. Gen’ya didn’t see the point in it. But then what could they say? Without being rude but still making it obvious that they were perhaps simply mistaken?

--

‘I’m quite alright, but thank you for the offer of listening. Though I’m sure I wouldn’t be as good at it as you, I offer the same. As you did state that you’re not all that fine. As for the compliment, I’m well aware that perhaps I cannot judge completely accurately but objectively you do make my appearance pale when compared. Thank you for the words though, and apologies if you do not think what I say is true.’

--

There. That should work. Hopefully. Gen’ya hesitated for a moment longer, reading over it, and then passed it over to Atlas.

*~*~*~*

Dendritic Tanzer/Apache Graves | M | Pan/Demi | Ambi | AB+/O- | Fluff/Angst | Graceful Grus/Monochrome Apus | Mentions; Each Other, Loreto, Adbrei(Ind), Open.

“Kids will be kids. And kids can be idiots. Especially, it seems, when it comes to other people's things. It seems like your 'Old Man Hector' is, in fact, a grumpy old man, however. In a child's mind, an angry old guy waving a piece of metal and screaming like a lunatic can be highly amusing and more motivation to come back again, no? I'd say there are other ways of discipline, though, you're most likely correct, Apache, I'm sure their parents were not happy in the slightest. Hopefully, that was enough to discourage them for later, hm?”

–

Tic grinned and nodded, “Yeah, let’s hope. Honestly, the kids in our neighborhood can be pretty dumb though. So, I wouldn’t count on them having learned their lesson. What about you though, Ret? Any cool stories from you?”

--

Apache leaned back in his chair, letting the two most talkative people he knew do the, well, talking. He was fine with just listening, truth be told. It was easier, most of the time. No way to spill secrets that he didn’t want spilled if he didn’t speak.

--

Apache’s arms itched at the thought, but he ignored it with the ease he ignored everything and everyone with. Things were fine, right now. As long as his thoughts were kept at bay, things were fine. Listening helped with that, sometimes. He hoped it’d work long enough to actually get through the day, for once. He didn’t really expect it though, he wasn’t that lucky. Honestly, he probably had the worst luck. Maybe, and probably.

Cherry Hall/F/Bi/Ambi/A+/Angst/Muted Noise/M: Jass, Open

“Yeah, people just suck. You get lucky sometimes and meet someone better than most though. I like to think the few hidden gems make up for the rest. Besides, if you get a group of them then you’re always in good company.”

Cherry nodded slightly, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers subconsciously as she thought. "True." She agreed, humming softly. "Though finding those people is the hardest part, yes? Many people are gems at first glance, but that doesn't mean they are truly. Manipulation is unfortunately very common, and smiles are often false. It's not often that you know someone from one or two conversations, sometimes not even from thousands." A sad look entered the girl's eyes, and her guard rose again, though still not as much as initially.

"Some people change, and others are simply cruel. In a world like this, I'm honestly surprised, and, admittedly, jealous, of those who have such innocence as to believe that everything is always fine and everyone is good." Cherry sighed. "It's hard to surround yourself with good people when you can't let yourself trust them for long enough to see that they are actually good, and, unfortunately, trusting is harder than letting people in. Especially when you've been broken before."

Loreto Avian/M/AB+/Pansexual/Fluff/Mimic/M: Apache, Dendritic, Open

“Yeah, let’s hope. Honestly, the kids in our neighborhood can be pretty dumb though. So, I wouldn’t count on them having learned their lesson. What about you though, Ret? Any cool stories from you?”

Loreto hummed at the question, thinking. "Well, my life isn't terribly interesting." He replied, a small smile touching his lips. "The weekend was pretty quiet, I just helped my dad around the shop. I guess I do have something though."

Ret took a breath, rethinking the story to make sure he had the correct details. He was never one to disappoint when asked about a story. "So, this happened about a week ago, and, honestly, I completely forgot about it until now. There's this little grocery store a few blocks down from my house, my family shops there a lot. For the most part, it's not super busy because it's more of just a local convenience store than a big business, but I guess there was a group staying in town last week because there was just a big group of high-school or college kids that came in when I was picking up some stuff for my mom." Loreto smiled a little at the memory. "I was just grabbing some chips or something when someone taps my shoulder. It was this big, macho dude that was like 6'7" and could totally just completely destroy the whole shop in a matter of seconds if he wanted, but he was really fidgety and nervous when he looked at me, so I figured he probably just needed help or something. I asked what he needed and, I swear, he turned into a total flushed mess! I mean, like, he was the color of a tomato. He was kinda cute, not gonna lie, but I was really confused because I'd never seen him before. Well, he just fidgeted and asked if I could help him talk to one of the girls in his group. Dude, I wish I was kidding. He walked up to a total stranger and asked for love advice."

Ret was grinning now, highly amused. "I guess that's a compliment to me, but, damn, a stranger? Really? Well, I just patted him on the shoulder and told him to just go tell her how he felt and be himself, don't know how it worked out, because I just left after that, but I kind of wish I had stayed to see it play out now." He shook his head. "And I really thought he was hitting on me for a sec."

Atlas Blackwell/B-/M/Ace Panromantic/Ambi-Poly/Angst/Memory Freezeframe/M: Gen'ya, Open

‘I’m quite alright, but thank you for the offer of listening. Though I’m sure I wouldn’t be as good at it as you, I offer the same. As you did state that you’re not all that fine. As for the compliment, I’m well aware that perhaps I cannot judge completely accurately but objectively you do make my appearance pale when compared. Thank you for the words though, and apologies if you do not think what I say is true.’

Atlas read through the note, a small, fond smile actually tugging on the corner of his lips. It only lasted for a half-second, but it was there.

Gen'ya was stubborn it seemed, when it came to self-image, not unlike Atlas himself. And yet, they refused to acknowledge any of it out loud for fear of hurting others.

'I appreciate it. Truly. You're kind. I do hope you know you won't bother me at all if you ever need anything, in this class or otherwise. I have first lunch, and I'm usually in the library before or after school. You can talk to me or just pass a note. I don't mind either way. I'm sorry, I don't think I introduced myself, my name is Atlas. You're Gen'ya, right?'

Taking in a soft breath, Atlas reached over and lightly set the paper back on Gen'ya's desk, watching the other for a moment longer this time, eyes softer than usual. He hoped Gen'ya knew he was sincere.