foolish gold
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This is a private RP between
SeverusX and foolish gold
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The Game of Love
- Thread starter foolish gold
- Start date
This is a private RP between
SeverusX and foolish gold
foolish gold
New Member
The head of the Host Club had refused to cancel club activities entirely for the day, but he had agreed to cut them short in order to hold this little meeting. Akira was the first one there, even before the ringleader of this project, since she'd gone straight to the designated computer lab once classes were over. Well, actually, she'd done one thing first. She'd changed out of the yellow monstrosity that this school liked to call a uniform. She longed for the days when a school uniform meant either sailor fuku or button-downs and blazers. These weird puffy-sleeved high-collared knee-length dresses were uncomfortable as hell. So there she sat in a computer club in the fanciest and most prestigious high school in Japan wearing her favorite pair of discount jeans, an equally cheap tank top and a hand-me-down hoodie, soft and perhaps a little scraggly with use.
Her parents had received a truly exorbitant inheritance just after the previous school year ended. Had it been only money that would be one thing, but no. They had also received a large and very successful business conglomerate, a ton of stocks, a mansion, summer home, winter home...everything her great uncle once removed or something had owned. According to his will, they were his last remaining relatives and had never met him due to some family drama that put a terrible rift between siblings two or three generations back. Leaving everything to her family had been his way of trying to make amends with the ghosts of his past, she supposed. It had all been very shocking, but her parents were level-headed and practical people and after taking some time to calm down they had talked everything out carefully, and included Akira and her younger sister in several of those conversations. So far they had used their sudden wealth to pay off debts, get much better insurance, set aside enough to pay for Akira and Akane's higher education, and purchase a few luxuries that they'd been saving up for.
Such as the shiny, powerful laptop their eldest was now using, along with three different external hard drives. She was in tech heaven.
She had tried to convince them that schools were not actually better the more expensive they were and that a public high school would suit her just fine, but this was the one thing they'd been stubborn about; when it came to education their children would have the absolute best. They also believed that she and Akane should start familiarizing themselves with the upper crust, since they now belonged to it. So far Akira wasn't all that impressed. The curriculum was fine, as were some of her classmates in similar situations to her. But the more time she spent in class 1-C of Ouran Academy the more she started to feel like those who were born and raised rich belonged to another species entirely.
The door opened, interrupting the comfortable silence that had spread between herself and the senpai who'd sought out her skills, and both glanced up to see some of the other girls who had been invited to take part in the project entering. Akira just said "Hi," and turned back to her computer, on which she'd been reading about visual novels and poking around in the coding of one she'd bought specifically to use as an example. The senpai - Yamano, that was her name - stood and greeted them much more enthusiastically.
"Oh, yes, hello! Please come in, come in! The Host Club's activities will be finished soon and we have so much to talk about!"
Her parents had received a truly exorbitant inheritance just after the previous school year ended. Had it been only money that would be one thing, but no. They had also received a large and very successful business conglomerate, a ton of stocks, a mansion, summer home, winter home...everything her great uncle once removed or something had owned. According to his will, they were his last remaining relatives and had never met him due to some family drama that put a terrible rift between siblings two or three generations back. Leaving everything to her family had been his way of trying to make amends with the ghosts of his past, she supposed. It had all been very shocking, but her parents were level-headed and practical people and after taking some time to calm down they had talked everything out carefully, and included Akira and her younger sister in several of those conversations. So far they had used their sudden wealth to pay off debts, get much better insurance, set aside enough to pay for Akira and Akane's higher education, and purchase a few luxuries that they'd been saving up for.
Such as the shiny, powerful laptop their eldest was now using, along with three different external hard drives. She was in tech heaven.
She had tried to convince them that schools were not actually better the more expensive they were and that a public high school would suit her just fine, but this was the one thing they'd been stubborn about; when it came to education their children would have the absolute best. They also believed that she and Akane should start familiarizing themselves with the upper crust, since they now belonged to it. So far Akira wasn't all that impressed. The curriculum was fine, as were some of her classmates in similar situations to her. But the more time she spent in class 1-C of Ouran Academy the more she started to feel like those who were born and raised rich belonged to another species entirely.
The door opened, interrupting the comfortable silence that had spread between herself and the senpai who'd sought out her skills, and both glanced up to see some of the other girls who had been invited to take part in the project entering. Akira just said "Hi," and turned back to her computer, on which she'd been reading about visual novels and poking around in the coding of one she'd bought specifically to use as an example. The senpai - Yamano, that was her name - stood and greeted them much more enthusiastically.
"Oh, yes, hello! Please come in, come in! The Host Club's activities will be finished soon and we have so much to talk about!"
Artificial Sugar
Plus Ultra
Hoizu Iwagata had lived in the same town for practically her whole life. She lived in Tokyo, once, as a baby, but she couldn't remember that. So it didn't count. So, she generally knew everyone, and was cordial, if not friendly, with them. She'd grown up with very reserved parents, old fashioned, and they'd ingrained it into her to be kind, polite, but a little reserved, holding back. The only person she didn't have to hold back with was Mori- her best friend since she could practically crawl. Hoizu liked to keep everyone else at arm's length, but Mori knew everything about her. Which was part of the reason she was working on this Host Club project.
Sighing, Hoizu gathered her things and slipped them into her bag, before making her way to the locker room to change. She absolutely hated the Ouran school uniform, it was hidious and uncomfortable. Changing into a black pleated skirt, navy leggings, a T-shirt from her favorite game, and a navy blue cardigan, Hoizu made her way to the Host Club room, where she was greeted enthusiastically by Yamano-Senpai. Hoizu smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes, and she bowed, taking a seat in an empty chair. Being brought up by old fashioned parents had made her old fashioned in some ways, herself.
Hoizu, like most of the students at Ouran, was wealthy. Well. Her parents were. She'd been brought up in it, but felt disconnected from the rest of the school. Sure, she liked money, and she had nice things, but she just felt that there were more important things out there. She didn't care where she went to school, and she didn't have to have the latest things- her parents just bought them for her. She never argued, but she honestly would have been just as happy in a public school, taking art classes. No one really knew besides Mori, but Hoizu loved art.
Looking over at the other girl in the room, Hoizu tried to remember her name. She hadn't spoken to her and she wasn't great with new people. "Excuse me," She said quietly, speaking to her. "I'm terribly sorry- I don't remember your name." Hoizu sat with her legs crossed, and her arms in her lap, hands folded over each other. She honestly felt bad about not remembering the girls name, though you couldn't tell by looking at her face. She was a master at hiding emotions.
Sighing, Hoizu gathered her things and slipped them into her bag, before making her way to the locker room to change. She absolutely hated the Ouran school uniform, it was hidious and uncomfortable. Changing into a black pleated skirt, navy leggings, a T-shirt from her favorite game, and a navy blue cardigan, Hoizu made her way to the Host Club room, where she was greeted enthusiastically by Yamano-Senpai. Hoizu smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes, and she bowed, taking a seat in an empty chair. Being brought up by old fashioned parents had made her old fashioned in some ways, herself.
Hoizu, like most of the students at Ouran, was wealthy. Well. Her parents were. She'd been brought up in it, but felt disconnected from the rest of the school. Sure, she liked money, and she had nice things, but she just felt that there were more important things out there. She didn't care where she went to school, and she didn't have to have the latest things- her parents just bought them for her. She never argued, but she honestly would have been just as happy in a public school, taking art classes. No one really knew besides Mori, but Hoizu loved art.
Looking over at the other girl in the room, Hoizu tried to remember her name. She hadn't spoken to her and she wasn't great with new people. "Excuse me," She said quietly, speaking to her. "I'm terribly sorry- I don't remember your name." Hoizu sat with her legs crossed, and her arms in her lap, hands folded over each other. She honestly felt bad about not remembering the girls name, though you couldn't tell by looking at her face. She was a master at hiding emotions.
foolish gold
New Member
Akira glanced over at the upperclassman who entered. At least, Akira was pretty sure she was an upperclassman - it was difficult to say, but the girl did look slightly more mature and comfortable than the other first-years in her own class. She decided to roll with the guess and shrugged one shoulder in response. "No worries Senpai. It's not like we know each other and I don't know your name either." She barely knew the names of half her classmates and the only time she'd heard this girl's was when Yamano had rattled it off along with the others involved in the project. "I'm Saehara Akira." Her gaze landed on the new arrival's shirt, a spark of interest in her eyes, but she didn't get the chance to comment on it.
The remaining people involved trickled into the room on Hoizu's heels and introduced themselves as well. All of them were from different classes spread across all three years, and Akira didn't recognize a single one of them. There were two writers, a musician who dabbled in sound design, Hoizu and Akira. "Before we begin, does anyone have anything they'd like to say right away?"
Akira raised a hand and all eyes turned to her. "Yeah...so, for the most part I really don't care what any of you are doing as long as it doesn't make my job harder than it should be. But, the one hard line I'm going to draw is that we're doing this ethically, or we aren't doing it at all." She saw a few looks of confusion and decided to elaborate before anyone could ask what she meant. "That means the members of the Host Club get to see every part of this game and if there's something they don't like we compromise or we can it. We are not going to use their faces and names for anything they don't consent to. We're also not going to include offensive jokes or anything like that. Those are the conditions of my participation."
Yamano and the writers both blinked at her, then Yamano smiled and said "Of course." Akira didn't miss the tightness in the expression and wondered if she'd been planning to sneak in some extra bit of exploitation that she now realized Akira would root out. And there was no hiding any aspect of the game from her; nothing would get into it unless she coded it in. That why she'd bothered to speak up in the first place, because she knew she had the power to veto things if need be and she wanted it to be clear that she would up front. She wasn't the type to go behind someone's back.
-
Morinozuka Takashi shuffled into the computer lab with the rest of the Host Club, bringing up the rear as usual. Between his stature and his near constant silence it was the slot that suited him best, and he was comfortable with it. Haninozuka Mitsukuni was riding on his shoulders, having climbed him at some point during the walk over from the third music room. While his beloved leader and underclassman Tamaki started in on one of his flowery, barely-sensical speeches, Mori glanced around the room at the girls gathered there.
His gaze caught Hoizu's and one corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, a brief mircoexpression that only those who knew him best would catch. He was glad to see her. It would be nice to get to spend time with her, not just hanging out casually like they usually did but working on something together independent of the ridiculously extravagant events their school held. A fresh new activity for the very old and comfortable friends to participate in together sounded fun. Honey voiced some of his thoughts, beaming and waving his stuffed rabbit in the air. "Hoizu-chaaan! You're cute today, too. Let's work hard together, kaaay?" Naturally Hoizu and Honey were familiar with each other as well, both of them being so close to Mori. Honey was fond of her, and appreciated that she could be there for Mori in ways he could not.
The girl who had come to the hosts with the suggestion to do this, Yamano, greeted them warmly and invited them to sit down. Mori realized that Honey would have trouble seeing over the table, so he easily lifted a stack of extra chairs that sat in the corner and set them by the table. Honey hopped on top of them with a smile and Mori said quietly "Mitsukuni, be careful." He then pulled up a chair between the tiny young man and his childhood friend. Tamaki was distracting Yamano from the task at hand by flirting, and Yamano was stumbling over her words trying to form a response. Since it appeared they wouldn't truly be starting right away, Mori turned toward Hoizu and asked quietly, his lips barely moving, "How was your day?"
He knew exactly what volume to speak at so that his words carried precisely as far as he wanted them to, and no further. His conversations with Hoizu were private, and would remain such even when held in what was technically public space. By nature he was stubborn and picky about things like that.
The remaining people involved trickled into the room on Hoizu's heels and introduced themselves as well. All of them were from different classes spread across all three years, and Akira didn't recognize a single one of them. There were two writers, a musician who dabbled in sound design, Hoizu and Akira. "Before we begin, does anyone have anything they'd like to say right away?"
Akira raised a hand and all eyes turned to her. "Yeah...so, for the most part I really don't care what any of you are doing as long as it doesn't make my job harder than it should be. But, the one hard line I'm going to draw is that we're doing this ethically, or we aren't doing it at all." She saw a few looks of confusion and decided to elaborate before anyone could ask what she meant. "That means the members of the Host Club get to see every part of this game and if there's something they don't like we compromise or we can it. We are not going to use their faces and names for anything they don't consent to. We're also not going to include offensive jokes or anything like that. Those are the conditions of my participation."
Yamano and the writers both blinked at her, then Yamano smiled and said "Of course." Akira didn't miss the tightness in the expression and wondered if she'd been planning to sneak in some extra bit of exploitation that she now realized Akira would root out. And there was no hiding any aspect of the game from her; nothing would get into it unless she coded it in. That why she'd bothered to speak up in the first place, because she knew she had the power to veto things if need be and she wanted it to be clear that she would up front. She wasn't the type to go behind someone's back.
-
Morinozuka Takashi shuffled into the computer lab with the rest of the Host Club, bringing up the rear as usual. Between his stature and his near constant silence it was the slot that suited him best, and he was comfortable with it. Haninozuka Mitsukuni was riding on his shoulders, having climbed him at some point during the walk over from the third music room. While his beloved leader and underclassman Tamaki started in on one of his flowery, barely-sensical speeches, Mori glanced around the room at the girls gathered there.
His gaze caught Hoizu's and one corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, a brief mircoexpression that only those who knew him best would catch. He was glad to see her. It would be nice to get to spend time with her, not just hanging out casually like they usually did but working on something together independent of the ridiculously extravagant events their school held. A fresh new activity for the very old and comfortable friends to participate in together sounded fun. Honey voiced some of his thoughts, beaming and waving his stuffed rabbit in the air. "Hoizu-chaaan! You're cute today, too. Let's work hard together, kaaay?" Naturally Hoizu and Honey were familiar with each other as well, both of them being so close to Mori. Honey was fond of her, and appreciated that she could be there for Mori in ways he could not.
The girl who had come to the hosts with the suggestion to do this, Yamano, greeted them warmly and invited them to sit down. Mori realized that Honey would have trouble seeing over the table, so he easily lifted a stack of extra chairs that sat in the corner and set them by the table. Honey hopped on top of them with a smile and Mori said quietly "Mitsukuni, be careful." He then pulled up a chair between the tiny young man and his childhood friend. Tamaki was distracting Yamano from the task at hand by flirting, and Yamano was stumbling over her words trying to form a response. Since it appeared they wouldn't truly be starting right away, Mori turned toward Hoizu and asked quietly, his lips barely moving, "How was your day?"
He knew exactly what volume to speak at so that his words carried precisely as far as he wanted them to, and no further. His conversations with Hoizu were private, and would remain such even when held in what was technically public space. By nature he was stubborn and picky about things like that.
Artificial Sugar
Plus Ultra
Hoizu nodded when the girl spoke, glad she hadn't offended her. "I'm Hoizu Iwagata." She told her, seeing the girls eyes wander to her t-shirt. Hoizu wondered if she played video games too. It wasn't exactly something Hoizu hid, but she didn't talk about them often- she just wore the merchandise and hoped someone would approach her. She knew that not many students at Ouran were into such things- the females generally preferred shopping or something else just as girly. Hoizu preferred fun stuff. Shopping was not included in that category.
Before either of them could speak about her t-shirt, though, other people began to arrive.
Hoizu looked up, a little surprised as Akira spoke. What she was saying was something that Hoizu easily agreed with, though. She wouldn't have allowed anything like that into the game, but luckily she hadn't been the one to speak up. However, seeing the look on Yamano's face made her raise an eyebrow and question her. "Yamano, were you planning on putting something.. dirty into the game?" She smirked, crossing her arms, waiting for an answer.
Before she could answer, though, Tamaki had made his way over to her and had begun flirting, making Hoizu feel a bit let down. She'd been hoping for a little confrontation.
And then she spotted Mori and Honey, and she saw Mori's lip twitch just enough for her to catch. A smile, for her. She smiled back, and unlike her usual smile, it reached her eyes. Grinning at Honey when he spoke to her, Hoizu nodded happily. She'd always been fond of Honey, he was just too cute to dislike.
Mori moved a small stack of chairs for Honey to sit on, and then put his own next to Hoizu. She'd noticed Tamaki flirting with the leader of the group, and sighed, crossing her legs and arms at the same time.
Turning her head when Mori spoke, she shrugged. "It was alright. I was excited to get here and work on this, but it appears Tamaki has other plans." She rolled her eyes, but smiled, letting Mori know she wasn't actually angry. "And how was yours?" She asked him, figuring they had plenty of time for conversation.
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Kyoya had been studying some papers as he entered the Host room, and hadn't really paid any attention to the people gathered there. The game was an interesting idea, but as long as they hadn't actually started working on it yet, he had time to focus on his other work. He stood against the wall, looking down at the papers in his hand, writing down a few things, before noticing that someone was speaking. Turning his attention to the girl speaking, he realized he didn't recognize her. Listening in, he let a small smile form on his lips.
So, she didn't want any hidden surprises. Kyoya was a bit amused. He himself enjoyed little surprises, as long as he wasn't pointed out as the one making it a surprise. Not necessarily good surprises, either. He just liked to catch people off guard. He wondered what she thought people would try to slip into the game. Probably something that none of the hosts would agree to, except maybe the twins..
Kyoya wouldn't really care, it was just a game, after all.
Looking around, he spotted the twins over by the wall, speaking amongst themselves. He figured they were probably thinking of something dirty to add into the game that involved them. The girls would go nuts.
Kyoya smirked and returned to his papers, thinking just how much fun he could really have with this, once it all got going.
He might even be able to throw in a few surprises, and no one would know it was him.
Meanwhile, Hikaru was standing against the wall, speaking with Kaoru, doing exactly what Kyoya thought they were. Hikaru was wondering if they could sneak in a scene of themselves, without anyone noticing. It would draw a huge crowd, and he was sure it would gather them more attention in the Host Club as well.
But neither of them knew how to code. Maybe he could speak to the girl who was actually doing the coding, and get her to put it in.
Before either of them could speak about her t-shirt, though, other people began to arrive.
Hoizu looked up, a little surprised as Akira spoke. What she was saying was something that Hoizu easily agreed with, though. She wouldn't have allowed anything like that into the game, but luckily she hadn't been the one to speak up. However, seeing the look on Yamano's face made her raise an eyebrow and question her. "Yamano, were you planning on putting something.. dirty into the game?" She smirked, crossing her arms, waiting for an answer.
Before she could answer, though, Tamaki had made his way over to her and had begun flirting, making Hoizu feel a bit let down. She'd been hoping for a little confrontation.
And then she spotted Mori and Honey, and she saw Mori's lip twitch just enough for her to catch. A smile, for her. She smiled back, and unlike her usual smile, it reached her eyes. Grinning at Honey when he spoke to her, Hoizu nodded happily. She'd always been fond of Honey, he was just too cute to dislike.
Mori moved a small stack of chairs for Honey to sit on, and then put his own next to Hoizu. She'd noticed Tamaki flirting with the leader of the group, and sighed, crossing her legs and arms at the same time.
Turning her head when Mori spoke, she shrugged. "It was alright. I was excited to get here and work on this, but it appears Tamaki has other plans." She rolled her eyes, but smiled, letting Mori know she wasn't actually angry. "And how was yours?" She asked him, figuring they had plenty of time for conversation.
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Kyoya had been studying some papers as he entered the Host room, and hadn't really paid any attention to the people gathered there. The game was an interesting idea, but as long as they hadn't actually started working on it yet, he had time to focus on his other work. He stood against the wall, looking down at the papers in his hand, writing down a few things, before noticing that someone was speaking. Turning his attention to the girl speaking, he realized he didn't recognize her. Listening in, he let a small smile form on his lips.
So, she didn't want any hidden surprises. Kyoya was a bit amused. He himself enjoyed little surprises, as long as he wasn't pointed out as the one making it a surprise. Not necessarily good surprises, either. He just liked to catch people off guard. He wondered what she thought people would try to slip into the game. Probably something that none of the hosts would agree to, except maybe the twins..
Kyoya wouldn't really care, it was just a game, after all.
Looking around, he spotted the twins over by the wall, speaking amongst themselves. He figured they were probably thinking of something dirty to add into the game that involved them. The girls would go nuts.
Kyoya smirked and returned to his papers, thinking just how much fun he could really have with this, once it all got going.
He might even be able to throw in a few surprises, and no one would know it was him.
Meanwhile, Hikaru was standing against the wall, speaking with Kaoru, doing exactly what Kyoya thought they were. Hikaru was wondering if they could sneak in a scene of themselves, without anyone noticing. It would draw a huge crowd, and he was sure it would gather them more attention in the Host Club as well.
But neither of them knew how to code. Maybe he could speak to the girl who was actually doing the coding, and get her to put it in.
foolish gold
New Member
Akira's patience held out for about three minutes before she let out a sigh. Usually she didn't care what other people did as long as she was left in peace, but this affected her too, and she'd had enough. "Suou-senpai." Tamaki immediately turned on her with a flourish and a smile, insisting she call him simply by given name, asking what she needed and calling her a princess. Without batting an eye she said flatly, "Suou-senpai, some of us have other things to do today and you're wasting our time. We should get started."
His face fell, crestfallen at her bluntness. Without a word he slunk off to a corner to sulk and Akira turned her gaze on the writers. She didn't so much as spare the blonde a second glance, moving right along to business. "The first thing I need to know is whether this will just be a visual novel or if there will be stat-raising elements involved. We could also include some simple mini-games, but we don't want it getting too cluttered and distract from the writing and visuals." She hadn't played any dating games herself and wasn't that fond of visual novels, but it didn't take a genius to understand where the appeal lay and she'd done some research besides. If possible she wanted to do something a little new and innovative with the game, but she wouldn't have room to toy with that idea without knowing exactly the framework she'd be working within.
"I think stat-raising would be best. That way it feels more rewarding when you catch one of the love interests!" Yamano declared, and one of the writers silently nodded her agreement. "I was also considering the possibility of multiple paths to take with each character - and, perhaps, some paths that cross and activate love triangle scenarios!" After a beat she shot Akira another tense little smile and added "If the club members agree to it, of course." Akira felt the older girl's eyes on her but she didn't bother meeting her gaze. She had no desire or intention to get into some kind of prolonged conflict over this. Surely there were more important things to focus on.
-
Their musician, who was looking over some sheet music and chewing on the end of a pen, suddenly piped up. Like Akira she was more focused on the task before her than eye contact. "I was thinking it would be cool for each route to have a slightly different sound themes. Not just music; giving each character a unique musical motif is the basics of the basics. But I was thinking of changing other things based on your route too, like using piano notes for the little menu chimes in Tamaki-san's route and other sounds for the other guys."
"That's a neat idea, but if we get ahead of ourselves now it'll take forever to get everything in order. Let's keep a list of ideas like that that we can sort out later," said Yamano, her smile much more natural now. "A lot of that sort of thing is bound to come up while we're brainstorming, so why doesn't everyone keep notes of their ideas and I'll keep them in order for later?" Those who felt inclined to do so got pen and paper prepared to do so, but Mor didn't bother. He was really only there to confirm or deny his consent to whatever they cooked up to put into the game. The process didn't matter much to him, but he did think it would be interesting to watch. He wasn't really a creative person himself; he was much more in tune with the physical world than that of ideas and concepts and how to bring them to life. But he'd always been impressed with people like Hoizu, and even Tamaki, who could envision beautiful things and then make them real. That said...
"Hoizu," he murmured carefully under the steady stream of chatter. He could see the conversation was about to pick up steam, and he wanted to check in about his concerns before something relevant to her part in it all came up. "You're usually so shy about showing others your art. Are you sure you want to do this? No one pressured you into it, right?" If anyone had dared, he wouldn't hesitate to pull them aside and tell them to stop. No one should have to do something they didn't want to, especially Hoizu. She was a kind person, but her sense of obligation to social protocol got in her way sometimes.
It worried him, but he wasn't very good at expressing it. This was all he could do; ask if she was okay and try to think of something to do about it if she wasn't. He couldn't ignore the possibility that someone he cared for was uncomfortable and needed help. That strong, protective instinct was part of what had earned him his designation as the 'wild type' within the club. That's just who he was.
-
"Weeeell," Kaoru drawled with a smirk, leaning in close to his brother to keep their conversation from carrying to the rest of the group. "If we're going to slip something past the programmer we'll need outside help, won't we? Unless you've managed to somehow hide your awesome hacking skills from me all this time," he joked with a chuckle. As if something like that could happen; the twins knew everything about each other, and did everything together. It was no skin off their nose if others fetishized that intimacy; they trusted each other too much and respected others too little to care. And anyway it did on occasion provide them with some entertainment, so whatever.
That distance they put between themselves and others also meant that when they felt like focusing on those around them, they could be almost frighteningly observant. "Did you see that little smirk Kyoya-senpai had on his face, just for a split second? Creepyyyy!" He soon noticed something else, though, that was even more interesting than the four-eyes being his usual soulless self. Hey, is Mori-senpai talking to that girl next to him?" He could barely make out the big guy's lips moving slightly, but he wasn't looking at Honey, or even the least bit angled toward him. He hadn't known Mori was familiar with anyone at school other than the club members. Maybe she was another cousin or something? But no, if she were a Morinozuka she'd be guarding a Haninozuka, and if she were a Haninozuka she'd have a Morinozuka guarding her. She was someone else entirely then, though Kaoru didn't truly care enough to do more than speculate.
He was about to suggest another possibility to Hikaru when one of the writers, a second-year student named Chiba...something, mentioned them. "It makes the most sense to start with the story and decide on the technical stuff once we have that down. I agree with Yamano-san that we should allow some routes to cross over and create a love triangle. Obviously the twins would be an exception since they'd have one route for the both of-"
"Why?"
The girl with the computer interrupted with a question that nearly knocked the air from his lungs. He hadn't been surprised by the assertion that the default for the twins was one route, and in fact had actually agreed. A stranger suddenly asking why as though there were another clear option made him somehow uncomfortable.
"Just because they look the same, that doesn't mean they're not individual people." Before she could be interrupted back she added, "And I realize they appeal to their fans by playing up their relationship but I'd think it would be exciting to have a chance to get to know them one-on-one too, especially in a way that doesn't require any separation between them in real life." The girl glanced around her and shrugged, the motion striking Kaoru as horribly casual, as if she hadn't just suggested pulling them away from each other-
Kaoru stopped and took a step back, the way he'd only recently learned how to. He was starting to get anxious about the idea of being apart from Hikaru just in writing. He'd had concerns for some time about the codependence between them, not because he wanted to separate himself from his beloved twin but because he'd been slowly coming to terms with one simple fact. If they continued behaving the way they always had for the rest of their lives, Hikaru would never be happy. That was unacceptable to Kaoru, but he'd had no idea how to go about fixing it, where to even begin - and he didn't feel ready. But now, because of how strongly this simple, harmless little suggestion had affected him, it was beginning to sink in. If this was how bad it had gotten now, then what were they going to do in the future? He didn't feel ready, but now he realized that maybe he never would. And maybe he should be looking for ways to start this terrifying, excruciating process anyway. When it came down to it, if he could get Hikaru to go along with it then...maybe this whole stupid game thing was actually the perfect opportunity to start figuring out what to do in a way that felt just a little safer.
The girl with the laptop was saying that it didn't matter to her either way, it was just a thought. That ultimately it should be up to the twins. Kaoru swallowed, took a deep breath, and before Hikaru could respond said "We'll get back to you on that." He ignored the surprised and intrigued stares of Tamaki and Honey. If he thought too hard about them - about any of it - he might chicken out. He couldn't afford to do that before at least giving it a real shot. He just hoped that Hikaru wouldn't fight him too hard on it...and that he'd forgive him for entertaining these thoughts in the first place.
His face fell, crestfallen at her bluntness. Without a word he slunk off to a corner to sulk and Akira turned her gaze on the writers. She didn't so much as spare the blonde a second glance, moving right along to business. "The first thing I need to know is whether this will just be a visual novel or if there will be stat-raising elements involved. We could also include some simple mini-games, but we don't want it getting too cluttered and distract from the writing and visuals." She hadn't played any dating games herself and wasn't that fond of visual novels, but it didn't take a genius to understand where the appeal lay and she'd done some research besides. If possible she wanted to do something a little new and innovative with the game, but she wouldn't have room to toy with that idea without knowing exactly the framework she'd be working within.
"I think stat-raising would be best. That way it feels more rewarding when you catch one of the love interests!" Yamano declared, and one of the writers silently nodded her agreement. "I was also considering the possibility of multiple paths to take with each character - and, perhaps, some paths that cross and activate love triangle scenarios!" After a beat she shot Akira another tense little smile and added "If the club members agree to it, of course." Akira felt the older girl's eyes on her but she didn't bother meeting her gaze. She had no desire or intention to get into some kind of prolonged conflict over this. Surely there were more important things to focus on.
-
Their musician, who was looking over some sheet music and chewing on the end of a pen, suddenly piped up. Like Akira she was more focused on the task before her than eye contact. "I was thinking it would be cool for each route to have a slightly different sound themes. Not just music; giving each character a unique musical motif is the basics of the basics. But I was thinking of changing other things based on your route too, like using piano notes for the little menu chimes in Tamaki-san's route and other sounds for the other guys."
"That's a neat idea, but if we get ahead of ourselves now it'll take forever to get everything in order. Let's keep a list of ideas like that that we can sort out later," said Yamano, her smile much more natural now. "A lot of that sort of thing is bound to come up while we're brainstorming, so why doesn't everyone keep notes of their ideas and I'll keep them in order for later?" Those who felt inclined to do so got pen and paper prepared to do so, but Mor didn't bother. He was really only there to confirm or deny his consent to whatever they cooked up to put into the game. The process didn't matter much to him, but he did think it would be interesting to watch. He wasn't really a creative person himself; he was much more in tune with the physical world than that of ideas and concepts and how to bring them to life. But he'd always been impressed with people like Hoizu, and even Tamaki, who could envision beautiful things and then make them real. That said...
"Hoizu," he murmured carefully under the steady stream of chatter. He could see the conversation was about to pick up steam, and he wanted to check in about his concerns before something relevant to her part in it all came up. "You're usually so shy about showing others your art. Are you sure you want to do this? No one pressured you into it, right?" If anyone had dared, he wouldn't hesitate to pull them aside and tell them to stop. No one should have to do something they didn't want to, especially Hoizu. She was a kind person, but her sense of obligation to social protocol got in her way sometimes.
It worried him, but he wasn't very good at expressing it. This was all he could do; ask if she was okay and try to think of something to do about it if she wasn't. He couldn't ignore the possibility that someone he cared for was uncomfortable and needed help. That strong, protective instinct was part of what had earned him his designation as the 'wild type' within the club. That's just who he was.
-
"Weeeell," Kaoru drawled with a smirk, leaning in close to his brother to keep their conversation from carrying to the rest of the group. "If we're going to slip something past the programmer we'll need outside help, won't we? Unless you've managed to somehow hide your awesome hacking skills from me all this time," he joked with a chuckle. As if something like that could happen; the twins knew everything about each other, and did everything together. It was no skin off their nose if others fetishized that intimacy; they trusted each other too much and respected others too little to care. And anyway it did on occasion provide them with some entertainment, so whatever.
That distance they put between themselves and others also meant that when they felt like focusing on those around them, they could be almost frighteningly observant. "Did you see that little smirk Kyoya-senpai had on his face, just for a split second? Creepyyyy!" He soon noticed something else, though, that was even more interesting than the four-eyes being his usual soulless self. Hey, is Mori-senpai talking to that girl next to him?" He could barely make out the big guy's lips moving slightly, but he wasn't looking at Honey, or even the least bit angled toward him. He hadn't known Mori was familiar with anyone at school other than the club members. Maybe she was another cousin or something? But no, if she were a Morinozuka she'd be guarding a Haninozuka, and if she were a Haninozuka she'd have a Morinozuka guarding her. She was someone else entirely then, though Kaoru didn't truly care enough to do more than speculate.
He was about to suggest another possibility to Hikaru when one of the writers, a second-year student named Chiba...something, mentioned them. "It makes the most sense to start with the story and decide on the technical stuff once we have that down. I agree with Yamano-san that we should allow some routes to cross over and create a love triangle. Obviously the twins would be an exception since they'd have one route for the both of-"
"Why?"
The girl with the computer interrupted with a question that nearly knocked the air from his lungs. He hadn't been surprised by the assertion that the default for the twins was one route, and in fact had actually agreed. A stranger suddenly asking why as though there were another clear option made him somehow uncomfortable.
"Just because they look the same, that doesn't mean they're not individual people." Before she could be interrupted back she added, "And I realize they appeal to their fans by playing up their relationship but I'd think it would be exciting to have a chance to get to know them one-on-one too, especially in a way that doesn't require any separation between them in real life." The girl glanced around her and shrugged, the motion striking Kaoru as horribly casual, as if she hadn't just suggested pulling them away from each other-
Kaoru stopped and took a step back, the way he'd only recently learned how to. He was starting to get anxious about the idea of being apart from Hikaru just in writing. He'd had concerns for some time about the codependence between them, not because he wanted to separate himself from his beloved twin but because he'd been slowly coming to terms with one simple fact. If they continued behaving the way they always had for the rest of their lives, Hikaru would never be happy. That was unacceptable to Kaoru, but he'd had no idea how to go about fixing it, where to even begin - and he didn't feel ready. But now, because of how strongly this simple, harmless little suggestion had affected him, it was beginning to sink in. If this was how bad it had gotten now, then what were they going to do in the future? He didn't feel ready, but now he realized that maybe he never would. And maybe he should be looking for ways to start this terrifying, excruciating process anyway. When it came down to it, if he could get Hikaru to go along with it then...maybe this whole stupid game thing was actually the perfect opportunity to start figuring out what to do in a way that felt just a little safer.
The girl with the laptop was saying that it didn't matter to her either way, it was just a thought. That ultimately it should be up to the twins. Kaoru swallowed, took a deep breath, and before Hikaru could respond said "We'll get back to you on that." He ignored the surprised and intrigued stares of Tamaki and Honey. If he thought too hard about them - about any of it - he might chicken out. He couldn't afford to do that before at least giving it a real shot. He just hoped that Hikaru wouldn't fight him too hard on it...and that he'd forgive him for entertaining these thoughts in the first place.
Artificial Sugar
Plus Ultra
Hoizu almost felt bad for Tamaki, but honestly, Akira was right. He often wasted time, and Hoizu felt the same way as Akira. She didn't like people wasting her time, either, but she didn't want to draw attention to herself. She didn't really like attention on her unless it had to be, like in class or in her clubs- which she only joined to make her parents happy, anyway. If she could, she would have dropped all her clubs and just gone home to do some art. But unfortunately her parents insisted.
When Yamano said she liked stat raising the best, Hoizu nodded, agreeing that it was really quite fun. A love triangle sounded fun, too, but a little complicated. Hoizu just hoped that her art would do the Host Club justice.
Hoizu took out a pen and her little notebook that she kept on her for moments like this. Writing down "stat raising" and the music idea, Hoizu tapped her pen against the paper for a moment before realizing what she was doing. Stopping herself instantly, she sighed, and turned to Yamano, raising her hand before speaking."How many CG scenes will we be doing? I'm assuming we want a few for each route, and definitely for any kissing scenes... I'm just wondering if maybe four per route works?" Hoizu asked, trying to calculate how many images she would need to draw. "Also- is there going to be a character customization screen? If so, that will make it pretty hard to draw a kissing scene, because each character would look a different way.... But I'm sure people would be really happy if they could customize themselves."
Yamano looked at Hoizu for a moment before smiling. "I think four CG scenes, and then I like the idea of customizing your character, but we'll keep the options to a low number, so you don't have to draw a ton!"
A few of the other girls nodded, writing down a few things. Hoizu added the numbers in her head- the base numbers, since she didn't know exactly how many she'd be doing yet, and wrote the number down.
As the conversation went on to something else unrelated to Hoizu's part, Mori spoke to her again. Turning to him, she scooted closer, so that neither of them would have to speak loudly. Looking at him after he asked his question, Hoizu smiled. "No, no one pressured me into it. I really want to do this! It's a little embarrassing to use my art, but I want to draw the club. Especially you~ I'm totally gonna buy this game and take your romance route." She laughed quietly, totally joking about taking his route. But she was going to buy the game. Otome games were kinda her weakness.
----
Kyoya didn't bother speaking out about anything that the girls decided on. He didn't really have an opinion on anything, he was just there to watch and cause some drama, honestly. He wanted to slip in a few naughty scenes, but he'd have to find someone to help him get them in there, and then he'd also have to ask the artist to draw them... But neither the girl who was doing the coding or the girl was doing the drawings seemed to want to put in anything that the whole club wasn't okay with.
That was fine. He would just lie and tell them he'd discussed it with the club, and that they'd all said yes. Smiling to himself, he looked over to see Mori speaking to the artist. Squinting, Kyoya was sure that he was actually talking. He didn't even know that Mori knew the girl, much less spoke to anyone besides Honey.
He might have to speak with her and stir something up. Obviously she was important to Mori if he was talking to her. A sly smile spread across Kyoya's face as he watched them, before he turned his attention to the coding girl. He'd have to speak to her as soon as everyone got to work.
--
Hikaru shook his head, knowing that Kaoru already knew he didn't have hacking skills. They knew everything about each other, and they were basically always around each other. If Hikaru had learned how to hack into things, Kaoru would know how, too. It was just the way things were for them.
Turning to look at Kyoya, Hikaru shook his head, disappointed that he hadn't seen him smirk. His smiles were beyond creepy, and were pretty much always linked to some plot he had going through his mind. Generally never a good thing, either.
Shifting his eyes to Mori, Hikaru watched him for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, he is! Wow, wonder who she is.." Hikaru muttered, before his attention was on a girl who had mentioned he and his brother.
Personally, Hikaru liked the idea of two separate routes for himself and Kaoru. They were different people, even if they didn't act like it. But then again... He really didn't want to be separated from Kaoru, even in a game. He was glad when his brother told the crowd that they'd think about it. It would probably be a no, though.
Turning to Kaoru, Hikaru took his hand and held it to his chest. "We can't possibly be separated! Not even in writing!" Before turning to look at him with tears in his eyes. A few girls nearby squealed and blushed, watching their little show.
Yamano cleared her throat and gave the girls glances before getting everyone back on track.
"So, anyone else have any suggestions, or shall we start?" She asked, smiling and clapping her hands happily.
When Yamano said she liked stat raising the best, Hoizu nodded, agreeing that it was really quite fun. A love triangle sounded fun, too, but a little complicated. Hoizu just hoped that her art would do the Host Club justice.
Hoizu took out a pen and her little notebook that she kept on her for moments like this. Writing down "stat raising" and the music idea, Hoizu tapped her pen against the paper for a moment before realizing what she was doing. Stopping herself instantly, she sighed, and turned to Yamano, raising her hand before speaking."How many CG scenes will we be doing? I'm assuming we want a few for each route, and definitely for any kissing scenes... I'm just wondering if maybe four per route works?" Hoizu asked, trying to calculate how many images she would need to draw. "Also- is there going to be a character customization screen? If so, that will make it pretty hard to draw a kissing scene, because each character would look a different way.... But I'm sure people would be really happy if they could customize themselves."
Yamano looked at Hoizu for a moment before smiling. "I think four CG scenes, and then I like the idea of customizing your character, but we'll keep the options to a low number, so you don't have to draw a ton!"
A few of the other girls nodded, writing down a few things. Hoizu added the numbers in her head- the base numbers, since she didn't know exactly how many she'd be doing yet, and wrote the number down.
As the conversation went on to something else unrelated to Hoizu's part, Mori spoke to her again. Turning to him, she scooted closer, so that neither of them would have to speak loudly. Looking at him after he asked his question, Hoizu smiled. "No, no one pressured me into it. I really want to do this! It's a little embarrassing to use my art, but I want to draw the club. Especially you~ I'm totally gonna buy this game and take your romance route." She laughed quietly, totally joking about taking his route. But she was going to buy the game. Otome games were kinda her weakness.
----
Kyoya didn't bother speaking out about anything that the girls decided on. He didn't really have an opinion on anything, he was just there to watch and cause some drama, honestly. He wanted to slip in a few naughty scenes, but he'd have to find someone to help him get them in there, and then he'd also have to ask the artist to draw them... But neither the girl who was doing the coding or the girl was doing the drawings seemed to want to put in anything that the whole club wasn't okay with.
That was fine. He would just lie and tell them he'd discussed it with the club, and that they'd all said yes. Smiling to himself, he looked over to see Mori speaking to the artist. Squinting, Kyoya was sure that he was actually talking. He didn't even know that Mori knew the girl, much less spoke to anyone besides Honey.
He might have to speak with her and stir something up. Obviously she was important to Mori if he was talking to her. A sly smile spread across Kyoya's face as he watched them, before he turned his attention to the coding girl. He'd have to speak to her as soon as everyone got to work.
--
Hikaru shook his head, knowing that Kaoru already knew he didn't have hacking skills. They knew everything about each other, and they were basically always around each other. If Hikaru had learned how to hack into things, Kaoru would know how, too. It was just the way things were for them.
Turning to look at Kyoya, Hikaru shook his head, disappointed that he hadn't seen him smirk. His smiles were beyond creepy, and were pretty much always linked to some plot he had going through his mind. Generally never a good thing, either.
Shifting his eyes to Mori, Hikaru watched him for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, he is! Wow, wonder who she is.." Hikaru muttered, before his attention was on a girl who had mentioned he and his brother.
Personally, Hikaru liked the idea of two separate routes for himself and Kaoru. They were different people, even if they didn't act like it. But then again... He really didn't want to be separated from Kaoru, even in a game. He was glad when his brother told the crowd that they'd think about it. It would probably be a no, though.
Turning to Kaoru, Hikaru took his hand and held it to his chest. "We can't possibly be separated! Not even in writing!" Before turning to look at him with tears in his eyes. A few girls nearby squealed and blushed, watching their little show.
Yamano cleared her throat and gave the girls glances before getting everyone back on track.
"So, anyone else have any suggestions, or shall we start?" She asked, smiling and clapping her hands happily.
foolish gold
New Member
"Customization is doable," were the next words out of Akira's mouth. "And you wouldn't necessarily have to redraw the scene for every combination. I'd suggest having a base picture where the protagonist is featureless, then drawing the custom options and making the background transparent so they can be layered over the base picture."
Yamano raised her eyebrows, looking a little surprised. "You can do that?"
Akira shrugged one shoulder. "Sure. All I have to do is write in switches that activate each option the player wants to use in each scene. I can also allow the player to change the way the character looks, and even add something in settings so they can choose whether doing so alters CGs they've already gotten when they view them in the gallery."
"Do that!" When she looked up Yamano's eyes were alight with excitement. "Definitely do that. It would really set us apart from other otome games! And it means less work for you anyway, right?" The question was directed at the artist. Akira nodded and made a note to herself on her computer to set up different layers for the CGs in advance to make it easier to put everything in place down the line.
A few more little suggestions were thrown around and written down and then they got back around to story. The writers talked about how they thought it would be boring to have the plot be something as plain as 'girl meets club member outside club, girl and club member get to know each other and date, the end'. They first suggested making the setting to make it more exciting, like a different era or a sword-and-sorcery world. Yamano shot it down, saying that fans might be put off by something less realistic, and that they should stick closer to home to start with. Akira added that she would be fine with making multiple games if everyone else was up for it.
Then she turned in her seat to address the club member who wore glasses - and whose name she had completely forgotten. "You're the one who said the profit would be worth the time it would take. Would you approve more games if this one sells as well as you expect?" Yeah, the only thing she remembered about him was that he'd been the one talking finances. Of course none of the girls actually doing the work were getting paid; most of them were involved because they loved the host club and were excited to be involved in creating merchandise. They considered getting to actually work with the hosts a huge bonus, so everyone was happy and no one demanded anything in return, to her knowledge.
-
Mori continued observing silently, occasionally glancing up to check that Honey - who, on his stack of chairs, was actually a bit higher than him - was in no immediate danger of falling. He didn't understand a lot of what was being said, since he was unfamiliar with video games in general. Really, the only modern technology he got much use out of was his phone, and he only used that to make calls and send texts. He rarely even took pictures. He saw all the people closest to him every day anyway, so he had no need to preserve his memories in such a way, and he was grateful for that.
When Hoizu got the opportunity she answered him, and the near-imperceptible tension in his shoulders immediately relaxed. She had volunteered. She seemed excited, too. That was good; it was nice to see her interested and lively, especially about something that she'd been timid about for a long time. "You're good. They'll like it." It was a flat statement, all blunt force as usual. But his mouth had flickered into that tiny, short-lived smile again, the one he only shared with those he truly considered friends.
The Hoizu mentioned buying the game and playing his route. He understood that she meant it as a joke - at least the latter part - and gave a quiet hum of faint amusement. Then he said, without really thinking about it, "Don't play the other routes. I'll get jealous." He didn't think about half the things he said before they came out of his mouth, so even something like this wasn't as shocking as it may seem to those who didn't know him well. And upon taking a brief moment to reflect, he found that the return joke did hold a nugget of truth. He hadn't really spent a lot of time contemplating it, but there was a part of him that recognized Hoizu would probably fall in love with someone eventually, and when she did he would, in a sense, lose her.
It wasn't any more complicated than a child being jealous when their best friend played with someone else instead of them, but it was there. He would keep it to himself though, since he didn't want to trouble her.
-
Kaoru fell into the act seamlessly, his eyes also tearing up on cue. He leaned in and wrapped one arm around Hikaru's waist, gazing dolefully into his twin's eyes. "Hikaru...I feel the same way! Whether it's writing, song or sculpture, I never want to be apart from you. That's just too cruel!" As usual he played up having the more feminine and submissive role between the two of them. Which always struck him as funny, considering he was the only one Hikaru really listened to and on the astronomically rare occasions that the brothers disagreed and couldn't compromise, Kaoru had an easier time putting his foot down. Hikaru grumbled about it, but with enough reasoning Kaoru could convince him of almost anything.
He eyed their audience out of the corner of his eye to find that most of the girls were into their little display, but the one with the computer - who had just said something to Kyoya - and the girl Mori apparently knew didn't seem that interested. Well, that was fine. The devilish twins weren't everyone's type, and four out of six wasn't bad. In any case it had served its purpose, cementing in the minds of the people surrounding them that they were a package deal, completely inseparable. That was not what Kaoru wanted right now, but he couldn't afford to cause an uproar among their fans by failing to play along.
Still, what he was about to do might render that effort moot anyway. Once the girls had been brought back to their task and Hikaru dropped his hand, Kaoru went back to leaning on him more casually and whispering in his ear. This time, however, it was something he most definitely wouldn't want to hear. "Hikaru...I think we should try doing separate routes after all." He then tried to head off the possible shock that would cause his twin by adding "I think it would be interesting to see what they come up with, and anyway that's three times the opportunity to slip in something extra, right?"
Yamano raised her eyebrows, looking a little surprised. "You can do that?"
Akira shrugged one shoulder. "Sure. All I have to do is write in switches that activate each option the player wants to use in each scene. I can also allow the player to change the way the character looks, and even add something in settings so they can choose whether doing so alters CGs they've already gotten when they view them in the gallery."
"Do that!" When she looked up Yamano's eyes were alight with excitement. "Definitely do that. It would really set us apart from other otome games! And it means less work for you anyway, right?" The question was directed at the artist. Akira nodded and made a note to herself on her computer to set up different layers for the CGs in advance to make it easier to put everything in place down the line.
A few more little suggestions were thrown around and written down and then they got back around to story. The writers talked about how they thought it would be boring to have the plot be something as plain as 'girl meets club member outside club, girl and club member get to know each other and date, the end'. They first suggested making the setting to make it more exciting, like a different era or a sword-and-sorcery world. Yamano shot it down, saying that fans might be put off by something less realistic, and that they should stick closer to home to start with. Akira added that she would be fine with making multiple games if everyone else was up for it.
Then she turned in her seat to address the club member who wore glasses - and whose name she had completely forgotten. "You're the one who said the profit would be worth the time it would take. Would you approve more games if this one sells as well as you expect?" Yeah, the only thing she remembered about him was that he'd been the one talking finances. Of course none of the girls actually doing the work were getting paid; most of them were involved because they loved the host club and were excited to be involved in creating merchandise. They considered getting to actually work with the hosts a huge bonus, so everyone was happy and no one demanded anything in return, to her knowledge.
-
Mori continued observing silently, occasionally glancing up to check that Honey - who, on his stack of chairs, was actually a bit higher than him - was in no immediate danger of falling. He didn't understand a lot of what was being said, since he was unfamiliar with video games in general. Really, the only modern technology he got much use out of was his phone, and he only used that to make calls and send texts. He rarely even took pictures. He saw all the people closest to him every day anyway, so he had no need to preserve his memories in such a way, and he was grateful for that.
When Hoizu got the opportunity she answered him, and the near-imperceptible tension in his shoulders immediately relaxed. She had volunteered. She seemed excited, too. That was good; it was nice to see her interested and lively, especially about something that she'd been timid about for a long time. "You're good. They'll like it." It was a flat statement, all blunt force as usual. But his mouth had flickered into that tiny, short-lived smile again, the one he only shared with those he truly considered friends.
The Hoizu mentioned buying the game and playing his route. He understood that she meant it as a joke - at least the latter part - and gave a quiet hum of faint amusement. Then he said, without really thinking about it, "Don't play the other routes. I'll get jealous." He didn't think about half the things he said before they came out of his mouth, so even something like this wasn't as shocking as it may seem to those who didn't know him well. And upon taking a brief moment to reflect, he found that the return joke did hold a nugget of truth. He hadn't really spent a lot of time contemplating it, but there was a part of him that recognized Hoizu would probably fall in love with someone eventually, and when she did he would, in a sense, lose her.
It wasn't any more complicated than a child being jealous when their best friend played with someone else instead of them, but it was there. He would keep it to himself though, since he didn't want to trouble her.
-
Kaoru fell into the act seamlessly, his eyes also tearing up on cue. He leaned in and wrapped one arm around Hikaru's waist, gazing dolefully into his twin's eyes. "Hikaru...I feel the same way! Whether it's writing, song or sculpture, I never want to be apart from you. That's just too cruel!" As usual he played up having the more feminine and submissive role between the two of them. Which always struck him as funny, considering he was the only one Hikaru really listened to and on the astronomically rare occasions that the brothers disagreed and couldn't compromise, Kaoru had an easier time putting his foot down. Hikaru grumbled about it, but with enough reasoning Kaoru could convince him of almost anything.
He eyed their audience out of the corner of his eye to find that most of the girls were into their little display, but the one with the computer - who had just said something to Kyoya - and the girl Mori apparently knew didn't seem that interested. Well, that was fine. The devilish twins weren't everyone's type, and four out of six wasn't bad. In any case it had served its purpose, cementing in the minds of the people surrounding them that they were a package deal, completely inseparable. That was not what Kaoru wanted right now, but he couldn't afford to cause an uproar among their fans by failing to play along.
Still, what he was about to do might render that effort moot anyway. Once the girls had been brought back to their task and Hikaru dropped his hand, Kaoru went back to leaning on him more casually and whispering in his ear. This time, however, it was something he most definitely wouldn't want to hear. "Hikaru...I think we should try doing separate routes after all." He then tried to head off the possible shock that would cause his twin by adding "I think it would be interesting to see what they come up with, and anyway that's three times the opportunity to slip in something extra, right?"
Artificial Sugar
Plus Ultra
Hoizu nodded as Akira spoke, glad she'd thought of that. Hoizu enjoyed technology, but she knew nothing about coding. It would take the weight off her shoulders if she didn't have to draw every single character creation, though. She felt a little better knowing that it could be slightly easier. When Yamano questioned her, Hoizu shrugged. "Sure." She said quietly, looking down at her hands. Yamano had already moved on, though.
Hoizu listened as other members discussed possible fantasy elements and other things that didn't really interest her. She just needed to know what they chose to do the art in the proper style. Fantasy was fun, but she didn't think the snobs at Ouran would go for it. Maybe something historical. That would be interesting to work on. Hoizu loved drawing fashion from different eras.
And then the coder- Akira- was speaking again, saying she could make multiple games if everyone was up for it. Hoizu figured she'd be fine with it, as long as they weren't rushed. She couldn't accept putting bad art into a game.
--
"Really? You think so?" Hoizu asked Mori, when he said her art was good. She felt that a compliment from Mori was worth more than a hundred from anyone else. He was very blunt with his compliments, and they were rare. It felt good to hear it. Especially because she was so nervous about her art. Turning to him when he spoke again, Hoizu laughed quietly, smiling at him.
"I won't. I promise." She patted his hand gently, acting totally serious when she spoke up again. "You're the only one for me, you know that."
Their little conversation was kept quiet, and Hoizu was glad no one else cold hear them. Otherwise, they'd probably think she and Mori were a couple or something. Not that she thought it was crazy, but she didn't want to put him in an embarrassing position.
--
Kyoya looked up when the girl who was doing the coding spoke. "Yes. More games would be a good thing. It would bring in more money, and maybe more fans as well. Plus, we could make a few games with different genres, opening ourselves to a wider audience." He smirked, wondering what they could get away with. He figured a few more games would help them out- especially if they sold them beyond just Ouran.
He didn't know if they would sell beyond the school, but if they did, maybe they could gather a bigger fanbase, and even allow other students from the other private schools in town to visit them. It could turn into a lot of money, if things were done correctly. But Kyoya needed to be careful, and keep that to himself for now.
--
Hikaru frowned when the girls were brought back to attention. He'd tried, but they seemed to want to get to work on their game. He didn't mind, after all, the game would have a route for them, and he was sure plenty of the girls would love to try theirs out. As the girls went back to their own things, he and Kaoru went back to a more casual stance, not really listening to what was going on.
Hearing what Kaoru said next though made Hikaru turn to his brother, open mouthed, totally shocked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing! They were never separated. Hikaru crossed his arms and listened as Kaoru spoke again, and he sighed, looking away for a moment, thinking.
"Fine. I guess it sounds okay." He replied, feeling a little hurt that his brother wanted separate routes.
It sounded like a good plan, the way Kaoru said it, but it still stung a little.
Hoizu listened as other members discussed possible fantasy elements and other things that didn't really interest her. She just needed to know what they chose to do the art in the proper style. Fantasy was fun, but she didn't think the snobs at Ouran would go for it. Maybe something historical. That would be interesting to work on. Hoizu loved drawing fashion from different eras.
And then the coder- Akira- was speaking again, saying she could make multiple games if everyone was up for it. Hoizu figured she'd be fine with it, as long as they weren't rushed. She couldn't accept putting bad art into a game.
--
"Really? You think so?" Hoizu asked Mori, when he said her art was good. She felt that a compliment from Mori was worth more than a hundred from anyone else. He was very blunt with his compliments, and they were rare. It felt good to hear it. Especially because she was so nervous about her art. Turning to him when he spoke again, Hoizu laughed quietly, smiling at him.
"I won't. I promise." She patted his hand gently, acting totally serious when she spoke up again. "You're the only one for me, you know that."
Their little conversation was kept quiet, and Hoizu was glad no one else cold hear them. Otherwise, they'd probably think she and Mori were a couple or something. Not that she thought it was crazy, but she didn't want to put him in an embarrassing position.
--
Kyoya looked up when the girl who was doing the coding spoke. "Yes. More games would be a good thing. It would bring in more money, and maybe more fans as well. Plus, we could make a few games with different genres, opening ourselves to a wider audience." He smirked, wondering what they could get away with. He figured a few more games would help them out- especially if they sold them beyond just Ouran.
He didn't know if they would sell beyond the school, but if they did, maybe they could gather a bigger fanbase, and even allow other students from the other private schools in town to visit them. It could turn into a lot of money, if things were done correctly. But Kyoya needed to be careful, and keep that to himself for now.
--
Hikaru frowned when the girls were brought back to attention. He'd tried, but they seemed to want to get to work on their game. He didn't mind, after all, the game would have a route for them, and he was sure plenty of the girls would love to try theirs out. As the girls went back to their own things, he and Kaoru went back to a more casual stance, not really listening to what was going on.
Hearing what Kaoru said next though made Hikaru turn to his brother, open mouthed, totally shocked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing! They were never separated. Hikaru crossed his arms and listened as Kaoru spoke again, and he sighed, looking away for a moment, thinking.
"Fine. I guess it sounds okay." He replied, feeling a little hurt that his brother wanted separate routes.
It sounded like a good plan, the way Kaoru said it, but it still stung a little.
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