[X]In a way, their current situation is as much the result of Kurumu's actions as it is of Moka's prior inaction. You confess that you're a bit curious to see how the bluenette's taking this.
[X]Before you attend to this little errand, there's something else you'd like to take care of first.
-[X]You can feel someone's eyes on you, other than Mizore's. You damn sure don't need another stalker, especially when you're surprisingly fond of the one you already have. Confront this person and convince them to leave you be.
[X]Before you attend to this little errand, there's something else you'd like to take care of first.
-[X]You can feel someone's eyes on you, other than Mizore's. You damn sure don't need another stalker, especially when you're surprisingly fond of the one you already have. Confront this person and convince them to leave you be.
Sometimes people get distracted by shinies. What I'm wondering is why so many people are picking an option that Eva told us WILL NOT HAPPEN if we don't pick it. I mean, yes, limited-time content and all that, but this is roughly equivalent to "go look for a fight" because I can guarantee it'll end up that way.
Remember what happened with Terada, how he sidetracked an entire arc? Remember that Bad End that only happened because you guys couldn't resist picking the invisitext option? Do you guys WANT either of those to happen again?
[X]In a way, their current situation is as much the result of Kurumu's actions as it is of Moka's prior inaction. You confess that you're a bit curious to see how the bluenette's taking this.
[X]Before you attend to this little errand, there's something else you'd like to take care of first.
-[X]Hang out at the Mechanics Club for a bit, check up on the gang.
Adhoc vote count started by EvaUnit01 on Aug 26, 2018 at 3:32 PM, finished with 16381 posts and 30 votes.
[X]In a way, their current situation is as much the result of Kurumu's actions as it is of Moka's prior inaction. You confess that you're a bit curious to see how the bluenette's taking this.
[X]Before you attend to this little errand, there's something else you'd like to take care of first.
-[X]You can feel someone's eyes on you, other than Mizore's. You damn sure don't need another stalker, especially when you're surprisingly fond of the one you already have. Confront this person and convince them to leave you be.
[X]Before you attend to this little errand, there's something else you'd like to take care of first.
-[X]Hang out at the Mechanics Club for a bit, check up on the gang.
[X]Before you attend to this little errand, there's something else you'd like to take care of first.
-[x]Go check up on one of your underclassmen.
--[x]Moka
[X]How about instead of having to sit through another distraught underclassman spilling their guts to you, you just skip ahead to the part where you strongly advise her to share her feelings with Moka and Tsukune.
[X]In a way, their current situation is as much the result of Kurumu's actions as it is of Moka's prior inaction. You confess that you're a bit curious to see how the bluenette's taking this.
[X]Before you attend to this little errand, there's something else you'd like to take care of first.
-[X]You can feel someone's eyes on you, other than Mizore's. You damn sure don't need another stalker, especially when you're surprisingly fond of the one you already have. Confront this person and convince them to leave you be.
[x]In a way, their current situation is as much the result of Kurumu's actions as it is of Moka's prior inaction. You confess that you're a bit curious to see how the bluenette's taking this.
[X]Head over to their operating area immediately. The sooner you get this over with, the sooner you can focus on literally anything else.
[X]In a way, their current situation is as much the result of Kurumu's actions as it is of Moka's prior inaction. You confess that you're a bit curious to see how the bluenette's taking this.
[X]Head over to their operating area immediately. The sooner you get this over with, the sooner you can focus on literally anything else.
Might've been the slug guy spying on you for the SPC. Since we aren't doing that plotline, however, it would seem that he still has PTSD from Kurumu using her illusion on him and consequently is currently behaving himself.
I have three important things to get off my chest.
First! I am working on the updates. No, that plural is not a mistake; the current Moka Sidestory update (first of four that you're currently owed) is already over 800 words, and there's still a hell of a lot I'd like to cover in it. Although having said that, it may simply be best to cover the relevant material over multiple posts instead of ending up with a one-off 20k word monstrosity or something.
Second! Been watching the Part 4 dub on Toonami, and they freakin' nailed the casting for Josuke. You need to see and hear it for yourselves, it's just great. (and is in fact a major source of inspiration in working on the aforementioned Moka updates)
Third...... <sigh> Yeah, there's actually a third one this time. As I said in the first half of July, a tree fell on my home and basically split it in half. And while the utterly toxic society I live in makes me feel like a worthless parasite just for thinking of asking someone else for help.... the fact of the matter is that me and mine aren't capable of dealing with everything that's going on by ourselves.
A dear friend of mine IRL started up a gofundme page to try and help cover the cost of either a replacement dwelling, or for the materials and help to try and repair this one. If any of you can help out a brother in need, or if you know someone who can, that's wonderful. If you're not able to, well, I understand, and I won't hold it against anyone.
And now I need a nap, and it's back to working on the updates.
I wanted to write some encouraging tripe about how helping others/receiving help from others is the whole point of having a society, but then I realized that won't help you actually find a new house.
Some slightly more practical information: I've heard of some folks around North Carolina who're supposed to be good at this "helping others" thing. Even met one of them. Depending on where you live, that might or might not help you.
I wanted to write some encouraging tripe about how helping others/receiving help from others is the whole point of having a society, but then I realized that won't help you actually find a new house.
Some slightly more practical information: I've heard of some folks around North Carolina who're supposed to be good at this "helping others" thing. Even met one of them. Depending on where you live, that might or might not help you.
After that angry girl walked up to me yesterday morning, thankfully nothing else has happened yet. Even so, as I stare out of my dormitory window into the easily-navigable woods beyond, I just can't shake the feeling that something awful is going to happen.
All of a sudden my stomach rumbles, and I can feel the blood pooling in my cheeks from embarrassment even though no one's here to witness it. I know I've been leaning on Tsukune a little heavily since my other self brutalized that Saizou Komiya... but it's not because I'm a glutton! Seriously, I have orders from the school nurse and everything, I have to drink fresh blood regularly!
...I have to, or my body might fail badly enough that it tears itself apart. And between the momentary power surge from the seal being released and how amazing Tsukune's blood is I'm just... I'm just still trying to figure out how I'm supposed to pace myself. And I feel like most of the other guys in my class -- you know what, make that most of the guys in this entire school, the way the last few days have gone, would feel me up in a heartbeat if I tried to ask them for help.
And that's not even thinking about how embarrassing it would be to even start that conversation in the first place. Like, what, am I expected to just walk up to someone and go 'Hey, so-and-so, I'm a vampire and I'm, like, totally super thirsty. Is it a problem if I suck your blood for a bit?' I can't do that! Even if it weren't humiliating just to think about, the school rules say that I'm not supposed to reveal my species to anyone!
....come to think of it, that Kujo-senpai already knows I'm a vampire too, doesn't he? I guess technically I could ask him for some blood and it wouldn't break any rules, but when he already looks like he's constantly fighting off the urge to rip my head off every time I'm so much as in the same room as him? No way I'm going to try and impose my problems on him like that, not in a million years.
"In any case," I say out loud to break the oppressing silence of my room, "it's not like I can just stay in bed all day when I've got classes!"
Throwing my covers off of me just to force the issue, I bite back a wince when they fly across the room and collide with the opposite wall. Thankfully, as gravity reclaims its hold on the pair of over-sheets, it looks like I didn't throw them hard enough to cause any damage. But it's still a reminder of how much trouble I have holding back my powers.
Eyeing myself in the mirror over my dresser, I can't help but let out a groan of disappointment. "And the day's off to a wonderful start already, isn't it?"
Better grab an extra blood pack as I get ready for the day, just to be safe.
_________________
As I dash out of the girl's dorm complex and onto the path toward the academy proper, a part of me still feels like the uniform's skirt is too short. I mean, sure it's almost halfway to my knees, but isn't that still a lot of skin to be showing so casually? For a moment I can't help but flash back to how I crashed head-first into Tsukune.
...I don't know, maybe I'm just being self-conscious. I've only been wearing this for about a week, I guess I'll get used to it sooner or later. Even if he was decent enough not to stare or take advantage of the moment, I swear he had to have seen more than he should have.
I start to slow down when I'm in sight of the school, and as my wardrobe appears again in my mind's eye, I don't even bother suppressing the grimace of embarrassment and frustration I'm sure must be on my face. But whether he did or not isn't something I can confront Tsukune about, either, so I guess I'll just have to try and forget about it...
I may not know when or how Aqua replaced half of my underwear with the.... articles I found in my bags, but the next time I see her, she'd better have a satisfactory explanation for this treachery! And Kahlua will back me up, I'm sure of it!
"But seriously," I mutter softly, "what could she have been thinking? Aqua knows I'd never wear things like that...."
A pillar of black enters my vision, and with a start I realize that I'm approaching the boys' dorm -- and standing there on the path is that upperclassman, Jotaro Kujo! If I'm being perfectly honest, he still scares the heck out of me. Whenever I see him, his face doesn't show any kind of expression beyond a permanent scowl. He doesn't look like a high school student so much as he does a serial killer.
I mean, sure, it seems like he gets on well enough with Tsukune, and he did come to try and help when Saizou cornered us both the other day, but... but I really should concern myself more with his actions than his appearance, shouldn't I? Being shallow and putting more emphasis on what people are instead of who they are is what caused my trouble with Tsukune before, and I need to start working to overcome that. This is as good a place as any to start, and who knows? Maybe Kujo-senpai is actually a totally sweet guy and his face is just stuck that way?
...
...
...no, I'm pretty sure that's way too much to hope for, but I should still try and make nice with him. "Um... h-hey, senpai."
He turns and glares at me in response, but I don't think he's going to attack me. After a few seconds of awkward and tense - but ultimately peaceful - silence, I try speaking up again. "H-how have classes been treating you?"
Kujo-senpai narrows his eyes at me. When most boys look at me for more than a second or two, if always feels like they're undressing me with their eyes. And as much as that makes me uncomfortable, Kujo-senpai's gaze instead makes me feel.... more like some kind of specimen beneath a microscope. I'm not entirely sure yet if his dispassionate, clinical stare is better or worse than being blatantly ogled. Thankfully, he seems to get tired of making me feel uncomfortable after a moment and finally offers me the tiniest of nods, so slight that I probably would have missed it if I hadn't been waiting so anxiously for any kind of a reaction.
"Fine."
And with that, the two of us promptly return to complete and utter silence, only serving to remind me once again how weird he is. If you only focus on his face, then he looks like he doesn't care about anything in the world. But if you step back and take in the whole of his body language, there's just.... something fierce, something intimidating about him that makes me want to stay very, very far away from him.
"I, um, don't see Tsukune around. Did he already leave for the school building?"
Kujo-senpai's gaze slides back onto me again, and I can't even guess at what he's thinking.
Although.... it could just be my imagination, but doesn't he seem a little less tense all of a sudden? I mean, we're both walking, so it's awkward to tell if his shoulders actually relaxed a little and if his gait really became a bit more casual. Actually, it's not awkward, he's so stoic that you'd have to be a mind-reader to know for sure. But whatever it is, he definitely seems a little less angry than he did a minute ago.
As he turns back to the face the path, he grunts an affirmative in my direction.
...jeez, I'm trying to be nice and have a conversation with him, but he's so standoffish! What did I ever even do to him to earn this kind of attitude?!
....
Oh, right. I lost control over my bike and it ran him over. And actually it hit him in the face, didn't it? Well, I'm pretty sure I apologized for that already, but if he's still holding a grudge, maybe doing it again will help. "I know it's been a while, but I still feel really bad about hitting you with my bike --"
And like a steel trap, he snaps at me! "It's done," he growls. I can practically hear his teeth grinding in anger! "Just shut up and forget about it."
.......seriously, that's all he's going to say?! I can't tell if he's telling me to forget about apologizing because he hates me forever, or if he wants me to forget about the incident because he doesn't care about it!
...but as soon as I take one look at his face again, my anger instantly dissolves into anxiety again; I'm not brave enough to confront him and try to clear it up. So with that in mind, I'm pretty sure we're done talking! Yep, most definitely completely finished talking with him for now! And not only are we done talking, but this seems like a great time for me to run on ahead and give Kujo-senpai his personal space back!
Just before I start to pick up speed, though, I suddenly remember my manners. Even if Kujo-senpai's apparently human... if he's really related to JoJo the Vampire Killer, he could probably easily rip me apart with his bare hands if I offend him. ...I hope he wouldn't do that, since he hasn't attacked me over the bike thing yet, but I don't think there's such a thing as 'too careful' in this place called Youkai Academy.
And being polite doesn't hurt me anyway.
"Well in any case, senpai, I'm going on ahead. It was nice talking to you!"
...okay, so that was a total lie, and maybe smiling at him as I waved and ran off was sooo much harder than it should've been with almost anyone else, but at least I managed to do it! I had a conversation with Kujo-senpai - sort of - by myself, and I survived it intact! I can totally manage functional relationships with non-family people my own age, it's just a matter of taking one step at a time!
__________________
When I get to the school, I immediately realize that something's different. The other girls are treating me more-or-less as normal - kind of an even mix of admiration and jealousy, and I still don't know what everyone's making such a fuss about - but a lot of boys that have normally been whispering about me just within earshot, or gawking at me when they think I can't see them, are suddenly acting as if I don't even exist.
I mean, I didn't like all the attention I was getting before, so on the one hand a break's kind of nice... but isn't this way too sudden?! Something's going on, and I have a sinking feeling that I'm not going to like it.
As I make my way to class, I keep feeling isolated. Like suddenly a wall's been built around me overnight to trap me, and it's so high that I can't even see over the top of it. Much less try to climb out.
Wherever Tsukune's been all morning, he finally makes it into class a little before the bell. I wave and call out to him, both because I'm happy to finally see him and because I'm kind of hoping he either knows what's going on with everyone else, or will at least try to put my mind at ease a little. "Good morning, Tsukune! I missed you on the path to school!"
But... he doesn't even acknowledge me. He doesn't react to my words, and as he scans the room for his seat, his eyes slide right over me, as if I don't even exist. No. Nonononononononono no, why is this happening?! He was my only friend just yesterday, why is he suddenly ignoring me?!
He takes his seat behind me without so much as a word or a glance in my direction, and even when I turn around to face him, he just stares right past me. He stood up to Saizou for me! Isn't that supposed to mean he cares about me?! Then why's he ignoring me?! Why is this happening?!
Maybe... maybe he just had a really bad night and couldn't get to sleep, and he's too tired to socialize right now. I mean, if so many people walk in their sleep, then it's not really that big of a stretch that someone could get dressed in their sleep too, right? Please let that be it. I'm sure that's the explanation. It's the only thing that makes sense! At least, it's nice to pretend that, when I probably made some horrible mistake again without even realizing it.
If I give him the class period to try and rest a bit, I'm sure he'll wake up and be able to talk to me a bit later, and then things will start going back to normal.
Probably...
Maybe...
Hopefully....
As I think about Tsukune's vacant, glassy stare sliding off of my back without a care, I sink down into my seat.
I... I don't know what I'm supposed to do about any of this. I feel so.... helpless.
If she was like that before meeting her dead mother and losing the "Love of her life" to her best friend then we need to nanoha-style friendship that mindspace ASAP
I may not know when or how Aqua replaced half of my underwear with the.... articles I found in my bags, but the next time I see her, she'd better have a satisfactory explanation for this treachery! And Kahlua will back me up, I'm sure of it!
"But seriously," I mutter softly, "what could she have been thinking? Aquaknows I'd never wear things like that...."
Yeah, we need a way to get Moka invested in her own worth. The problem is, in genuinely unsure of what hobbies she enjoys or what have you. We kinda need to find something to reinforce her own value as a person and rooting it in her relationships seems liable to heighten her own insecurities.
Not sure if this will address your concerns or not, but... I'm guessing, this is around the start of Kurumu arc? I must have skipped a few Moka-stories, because I was kinda waiting for her reaction to the "JoJo is my grandpa" reveal. Oh, well, there's still that Summer Vacation bit.
