Faded Lines and Future Signs
A Sauce Project Production
By: Aviantei and Chronic Guardian
}Hybrid::Mixed Feelings x Muse{
[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]
Chapter 10RG: To Realize Future Signs
"You really didn't have to run around like that, though. It's not like I was in trouble or anything."
The WildKat was quiet, save for the sounds of Amber's cooking. As expected, she had offered to make dinner as an apology for her sudden disappearance. Rueban had been long set aside during kitchen duty, but that might have been for the best. As it was, sitting still for while was probably good for him.
"On the contrary," Rueban said, gently tapping his fingers against the table, "you had all but disappeared, dear partner. You can't blame me for wondering where you went."
Even with her back turned, he could still see the pause in Amber's movements. She resumed her cooking soon enough, though, a light exasperated tone to her words. "Honestly," she huffed. "Though I am sorry for running so late. I didn't think I'd end up running around all day."
"I could say the same for my plans." Considering he was just glad that Amber was safe, the throwback didn't have as much bite as it could have. Even though Amber hadn't explained just yet what she had been doing in Udagawa of all places, Rueban was sure she would in time. It had only been a little bit since they had separated from Ayane, after all.
But beyond that, the way Hotaru had run off…
"Alright, what's on your mind?" Being careful to avoid bumping into Mewt, Amber sat plates on the table, each containing pancakes with a customary glob of syrup on them. While Amber had managed to stop drowning the dish in sugar, it was still a bit more than Rueban would have put on himself. The girl sat down across from him, hands quickly moving for her fork. "You're doing that thing where you end up glaring into thin air."
Rueban reset his facial expression. No matter how many times Amber pointed it out, he couldn't seem to make that particular habit go away. Wielding his own fork and knife, Rueban sat upon carving into his own pancakes. "It's about the girl I met…"
"Motaruh?" Amber asked through a mouth full of pancake. Rueban gave her a disapproving look, and his partner swallowed her food before giving a sheepish grin. "Sorry. Anyway, what about her?"
Rueban took his time with his own bite of food before answering. He had eaten plenty of Amber's pancakes since they had become partners, and it seemed like her cooking skills were just going to keep improving. "Well," he said, setting his fork down, "she did refer to me as Yoshiya when we first met. That's strange enough to start."
"Your…uncle, right?" Amber's face scrunched up a bit in remembrance. Rueban nodded.
"Technically my great-uncle, but yes." Amber nodded and tucked back into her pancakes. "I thought she might have been a Reaper, but she was a Player, just like us. Even if she hadn't come from an recent Game, there's no way she would still be a teenager after this much time." Noticing that he had barely touched his food, Rueban attempted to make a second bite, not that the pancakes were likely to give him any insights.
It still tasted good, though.
Amber's free hand toyed with Mewt's paw. Rueban wondered if she even noticed she was doing it. "Okay, so that is weird," she admitted, smearing her pancakes through the forming syrup puddle on her plate. "You don't think he might still be involved with the Game, do you? I mean, he did pass away…"
"That's possible." Of course, with the UG involved, any number of things were possible. "She also reacted whenever Ayane mentioned your family name." Amber frowned slightly, but didn't stop eating. "Considering she didn't recognize you immediately, I'm assuming she knows your uncle. It's not a very common name."
"Hm." Amber paused to take a drink of milk. "I mean, if you really want to ask we can," she said. "If she played the Game, it's not that surprising she'd know him. Do you really think it's that big a deal?"
"On its own? No." Amber was right—Uncle H was directly involved in the Reaper's Game. Not all of them, but plenty of surviving Players probably could recognize the barista. "It's just a strange combination of circumstances, I think."
"Alright, mister smart guy, what does it mean then?"
That, Rueban couldn't answer. Maybe it was because he didn't have all the pieces or maybe he was thinking of things from the wrong angle; either way, inspiration wouldn't hit. A girl who knew both Rueban and his Partner's Uncles… Unless she was lying about being a Reaper instead of Player, which wasn't likely since she had mistaken him for a Reaper at first.
Amber tapped her fork against the edge of her plate, the clatter catching Rueban's attention. "Hello?" she said. "Don't look so grumpy there." Was grumpy really the best word she could use? "Like I said, we can ask Uncle if you like. But I really don't think it's something you can't figure out." She smiled. "You're not gonna let a little challenge beat you, are you?"
"Of course not," Rueban answered in turn. "It's just a bit difficult. Nothing we can't handle together." Of that, Rueban was certain. And at the end of the day, Hotaru would be leaving Shibuya. The consequences, if there were any, wouldn't be evident for quite some time. "Now what about you, dear? I'm not the only one with something on my mind this evening."
"Ah." Amber scratched the back of her head. "You're right. It's about what happened earlier." Well this was getting brought up earlier than expected. "I think…I need some advice."
"Oh?" It wasn't to say Amber didn't ask for advice, but she tended to be stubborn about how quickly she would reach for it. Either way, Rueban was glad to help if he could. "No need to seem so hesitant. This isn't the first time I've gotten you out of a jam. Still having troubles adjusting to the RG?"
He expected a retort, but Amber didn't give one. She poked at her pancakes for a few moments before taking a deep breath and making eye contact.
"Actually, it's about the Reaper's Game…"
There weren't many places that were free of the holiday rush in Tokyo, but it appeared that Zōshigaya Cemetery was the exception to that rule, which made sense in its own way. Haruto and Hana lead the way, though they glanced back every now and then to make sure their daughter was still following. Messenger bag left behind at home, Hotaru gripped onto her pin pouch in support.
It wasn't the first time she had been here in the past few years, but it still wasn't a nice feeling.
Even in this place, fragments of inspiration urged at her mind. The cemetery, despite its size, was oddly peaceful. The feelings and figments that Hotaru picked up on were smaller, almost like whispers. Unlike Shibuya, it seemed Ikebukuro was only partway inspirational. Hotaru was just glad that she didn't completely feel the urge to scribble down drafts of poetry when she was supposed to be paying her respects.
Haruto had prepared plenty of food for an offering, and Hana began to light incense. Hotaru sat on the left side of her father, mostly watching as the scent of orange blossom drifted into the air. Maybe it was different for her parents, who didn't know the Reaper's Game existed, but Hotaru still felt guilty.
There had been a chance.
There had been a choice.
She hadn't chosen fast enough.
Her parents made small talk, trying to keep a light tone to the situation. Hotaru nodded at appropriate moments, but couldn't bring herself to talk. It was in times like this, with the reminders so near, concrete instead of just feelings, that she was worried she would spill everything, that she would pour out being a Player to her parents. That she had died, too, and she was the only one that had come back.
But she didn't. Hotaru didn't think she could. It seemed like only other Players could understand what had happened. To anyone else, it would just sound like nonsense. What would it do to her parents if Hotaru ended up leaving them, too? It was bad enough that she had left home the second school allowed it.
Enough time passed that the sky started to tint: dark blue, then edges of black. Haruto and Hana started to gather up what could be taken back home with them—dishes, unburned incense—and Hotaru passed over what was closest to her. When her parents stood up, she remained seated. They exchanged a short glance.
"Do you need some time by yourself?" Hana quietly asked.
"Please."
This, too, was the norm. There were too many things that Hotaru couldn't say in front of her parents. While she had never explained the specifics, they did respect it. Giving the usual reminder to not take too long, Haruto and Hana headed back towards the entrance. Hotaru waited until their footsteps had faded before addressing the gravestone in front of her.
"Nee-chan," she said, voice shaking the slightest amount. Not enough to put her on the verge of tears, but enough to betray her nervousness. "It's almost been two years since we went missing. It's…honestly really hard to believe. I still think you would have done more good coming back to life than I have, but we can't really change that, now can we?"
There wasn't much point in talking to the gravestone. She'd have better luck back in Shibuya, to be honest. If she had really wanted to, there were ways to see her sister again. Even now—especially because it was now, and so much time had passed—Hotaru couldn't bring herself to do it. The grave would have to do as a replacement.
"I know I've been gone a long time, and I'm sorry. I'm just scared. There's a whole other world right on top of us, every day. I didn't even come close to understanding it back then, and you would know more about it than I would at this point. I even ran into another Player today, and I couldn't bring myself to talk about it. He looked like Yoshiya-san, too. Isn't that crazy?
"But you don't want to hear about that, huh? Anyway, I never knew there were people who could come back from their Games and thrive. Rueban-san was like that, actually. He talked about his Game like it was something good that had happened to him. I can't…
"I can't consider ours the same way."
She didn't even feel bitter about the way things had ended.
She just felt…sad.
"Still, I hope you're happy, at least. I don't know much about the Reapers, but I'm sure you're doing fine. You were always stronger than I was, and a natural leader to boot! You really deserved to come back more than I did, but… Ah, no, I should be glad for what I have, and glad that you had another chance, too, even if it wasn't the same.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is…stay safe, Nee-chan. I may be too much of a coward to see you—or Yoshiya-san or Hanekoma-san, even. But I do want you to be safe. I'm still too scared to submit my own poetry, but I am still writing. I don't know. Maybe one day, my words will reach you again?"
That was just a false hope. No, it was really a wish. At this point, that was all Hotaru had: inspiration and wishes. At the moment, she felt like she lacked the courage to make anything out of them, but her sister would insist otherwise, push her forward. Nearly two years ago, that tailwind behind Hotaru had sputtered. Even on this windy day in May, Hotaru didn't quite feel like she had much pushing her forward from behind. But she wasn't completely motionless, and that had to count for something.
"Well, I should get going before Mom and Dad freak out," she said. It wasn't possible to keep eye contact with a grave marker, but Hotaru didn't blink. "They're trying their best, and I can't blame them for fussing, but it is a bit annoying." She breathed out a laugh. "But I think I'm just going to try my best to not cause them any more trouble. That's for the best, right?"
She stood. By now, both hands were clutching her pin pouch, the metal inside gently clinking from the pressure. "You stay safe, too, Nee-chan. I'll come talk to you later."
Hotaru turned on her heel and set off on the path after her parents.
In the fading light, the characters forming Tsukiko Chou watched her go.
106 Days Left
[CG's Mood Ruining Notes]
Before we dive into this, let's just take a moment to calm down and appreciate that ending, 'kay?
I mean, seriously, that ending.
...So good.
Anyway, to get back on track, this chapter definitely has more of the "to be continued" epilogue feel. While Ganabara's story is kind of a post-script send off to Hybrid's thematic sentiments(that will make so much more sense once Hybrid is finished), this chapter really looks to the Muse to come while still feeling like an actual, satisfying ending. I mean, I don't know about you, but this chapter was pretty much the first time I got to see someone else writing Ruember. And man, was it adorable. At least 70% of my notes to Avi on that section were thumbs up to say "YES, GOOD. THAT. THAT EXACTLY." See, there's this philosophy I subscribe to that an author should offer readers payback for the generous gift of time they've spent reading the story. This section is totally that payback. Just... seeing Rueban be good, real, post-Game Rueban is satisfying in the same way that seeing post-Game Ayane is. Gah. Such the best.
But then, that scene with Hotaru kind of cements that this is all just a prologue to bigger things. I think this is only fitting with the spirit of this story, which examines individuals in how they deal with time. In Ganabara's sense, time is conquered within the story. He gains closure from finally settling pieces of his past that have gone unconfronted for a long time. He needs to step over the lines he puts up for himself to see the promise his future still has to offer.
For Rueban, this is kind of an examination of how far he's come and how far he'll go. The Game did what it was supposed to for him. And yet, a huge part of that is his connection to Amber, something he may or may not have to deal with in the future. One thing's for sure, this kid's changed. So long as he keeps his eyes on that light for the future though, he'll find a way forward no matter what.
Finally, Hotaru hasn't confronted her past, which represents broken connection (I think?). There are things she used to do that have kind of faded a little and the person she is now isn't quite who she wanted to be in the past. And yet, her present situation keeps pointing back to the Game that happened a year ago. Ironically, her future signs are the faded lines being dusted off and brought to light. Although she may want to forget it, Shibuya isn't finished with this girl.
...But that's all just conjecture. CG isn't actually informed about the details of Muse, so this could all be 100% false for all I know. Take it with a grain of salt and you'll be good.
Anyway, where was I?
Ah, yes, the ending.
I like this ending because of how it ties together this sense of connection with the past and acknowledgment of where we've been while still maintaining a hope for the future. In life, I feel that some of us run into situations and experiences that make us want to close down and give up. We lose, we fail, and as we do we begin to cross out possibilities for the future. Our present becomes the sum of our past. In a way, it seems self-explanatory.
But then, there's also the future. In the wise words of Yoda, "forever in motion the future is." It's full of possibilities and do-overs and second chances. We shouldn't take that for granted. The signs of what could happen in the future are empty unless acted upon. It's possible to find forgiveness and move beyond the past, but you've gotta be willing to look for it; and you'll never find your guiding light if you look for it with your eyes closed.
Anyway, I think I've waxed sentimental enough. I suppose I should end with something solid...
As you know, this was a collaborative project between Avi and me. And let me just say that Avi was the responsible half of this partnership who wrote out all her chapters beforehand while I just barely slipped under the wire dodging deadlines by the barest margin. I really have no idea how she put up with that mess, but we somehow made it and I'd like to think we did good. Feeding eachother's creative power and sending notes back and forth to make sure we got eachother's characters right was an absolute blast and I'd love to do it again sometime in the future. There's something really neat about seeing someone else handle the characters and thoughts that you originally came up with. In a way, it's kind of like passing the torch. While I've still got to finish Hybrid, this universe is quickly moving into Avi's territory and I think that's really exciting. Muse may not appear for a while yet, but I'm stoked for when it does. I won't be controlling things then and, to be honest, that's kind of a relief. I get to sit back and take notes as Avi adds in a little to this story just as I've added on to it. Whatever happens, I know that I gotta trust my writing partner, and I'm okay with that.
To whatever the future holds, I look forward to learning from it.
See you in the summer,
-CG
2.28.2017
[Avi's Possibly More Sentimental Than Necessary Notes]
First off, I give you the immortal words of CG:
"Don
't
forget
to post."
Thanks, CG, I didn't.
Also, thanks, CG, for being my writing partner this Story Storm! While I've done two separate [SOSS] entries before, FLaFS definitely couldn't have happened without us working together. Beyond borrowing each other's characters, the feedback I got from CG was critical in making these chapters shine right. Even though I wrote all my parts ahead of time, I feel like I was the more annoying one spamming CG with drafts for comments while he was just trying to get some schoolwork done. Plus he had to deal with the (I'm sure is) nerve-wracking process of writing in a Google Doc while I provided sentence-by-sentence commentary via Skype (this is only a slight exaggeration).
And thanks to anyone that read this story through to the end, whether you be one of the wonderful Sauce Project crew who provided week by week support or someone stumbling across this story in the future. While CG talks about making sure the emotional payoff is right for the reader, I also think there's something very important to the author when someone reads their work, whether they know it or not. If reading this journey made you, the reader, happy in some way, then I feel accomplished.
But, yeah, the ending. I honestly wasn't sure that I pulled it off right. While I did try to wrap up the Ruember half of things, there are still some unanswered questions. In the Hotaru section, I wanted show Hotaru's slight shift in mentality. There are things she is held down by. At this moment, she's hasn't overcome them, but she's starting to think there's more to life post-Game than just enduring the consequences. That being said, I hope the reveals in this chapter were satisfactory. I guess it's time for me to trust my writing partner and believe that I did well.
And, yes, I see that you changed the chapter title, CG. I hope you're happy Hyoxjnn.
[Bonus Character Files]
[Character File: The weary world of Kiryu Yoshiya]
Yoshiya has always been a divisive character. My elder sister, FullMentalPanic, hates Yoshiya while one of my younger sisters, Fahiru, loves him. Part of this is definitely tied up in how Yoshiya treats the world. He's very nonchalant, smooth, controlled. He gives off the impression that he knows what he's doing and he's doing it for a reason.
But what if that's all just an act?
Although Yoshiya is pretty much defined by his total social dominance of Shibuya and its inhabitants (indeed, as the Composer some might even think of him as a demigod with the power to judge himself as "right"), what happens when the dear Kiryu boy runs into a brick wall of higher authority and he can't just step out of bounds to avoid the repercussions?
What happens when Yoshiya is wrong?
Part of tying Hybrid::Mixed Feelings to Muse hinges on this concept. Well, it probably does. Can't say for sure as I'm still very fuzzy on the Muse details. Anyway, in this instance I wanted to do two things. 1: Give Ganabara a reason to venture outside the den and 2: mirror it with a Joshua subplot.
The idea was that Josh would still be reevaluating his approach to the Reapers Game since the events of TWEWY. Because TWEWY (and later, Hybrid) kind of confirm that he doesn't always know what's best, he's trying to find a way back to being right. Part of that is looking outside himself. If he was wrong as Composer of Shibuya, that means there has to be something bigger than his authority, something bigger than just his world. Here, it's expressed as the will of Shibuya. Due to the changes from the previous big games, Josh is falling out of sync with his city. In order to reverse that, Josh needs to learn to listen again and harmonize with the flow that he once directed. In a very Confucian "mandate of heaven" sense, he needs to renew his commitment to his people to renew his right to rule.
He needs to appreciate the beauty he once saw.
Part of that is definitely wrapped up in Amber. However, because Hybrid isn't finished yet, I'm just gonna….
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Josh's offer to Amber is the creation of a new position: the Artist. Amber was actually conceived with this purpose in mind. She would be the ultimate partner, the advocate of the Players. While the Reapers were created to refine Players through outside pressure, the Artist acts as the anti-Reaper and helps build Players up.
However, as part of the terms in contract with the Patron, Amber cannot be forced into the position. In order to use Amber in the capacity, Josh has to respect her freewill. Another part of the same contract made Josh agree to not approach Amber with the offer until now so that she could get established and enjoy the world she fought to save. Part of Amber's purpose here is that she's coded to connect to those around her. She needs time to live that out a little and forge the connections her being thrives on.
Now that the time is right, Josh is trying to get Amber to become the Artist and make his music come alive. An artist compliments a composer just as she conflicts with him. It will never be the same song once she makes it her own. But that's part of the beauty of it all, right?
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Aaaannnyway, suffice to Josh had to take his own journey of learning to love the world outside his walls again, and in order to do that he needed to admit he was wrong and learn to grow again.
Because Koizumi responded to his thoughts with something along the lines of "Of course you can change, dear," he struck up a game with her to prove it. Koizumi, who has grown quite adept at her position by this point, took the opportunity to get Ganabara some fresh air and make the whole UG just a little bit happier while she was at it.
And that's the whole story.
[Character File: Pokoni bounces back]
Pokoni is kind of like that boomerang joke where you throw something out there to see how far it'll go and then it comes right back around to smack you in the face. This kid was kind of a matter of convenience in Hybrid, meant to play the part of the socially blind tween with a hero complex, but he's kind of grown on me since. In many ways, he plays by his own rules regardless of what others try to decide, so I suppose it's only fitting.
Pokoni earned enough points for a resurrection basically through sheer willpower in the adversity faced as he pushed his partner further and further towards their goals. I never really decided on entry fees for him or Getotsu, although there were many ideas thrown out. At one point, Pokoni thought of Rueban as his rolemodel and thus committed a copy-cat crime when Rue died. While I haven't decided on many details, I have decided that that is way too dark and is not the way this went down.
In one sense, Pokoni's entry fee is irrelevant. Because a Player's entry fee is what they value most, a misguided Player could get off pretty light. For example, Pokoni prides himself on being very courteous. That does not mean he is very courteous, but it does mean his limited manners could apply for his entry fee.
In post-Game life, I figure Pokoni is slightly more chill than during Hybrid. He's still a hyper ball of who-knows-what, but he's at least a little better at connecting with others. Although he doesn't see Getotsu so often these days, he's begun a friendship with Ayane, Rue, and Amber similar to Neku's little winner circle at the end of TWEWY.
Oh, and Beat is totally Pokoni's hero.
[Character File: A family for Ganabara]
Believe it or not, this wasn't just to make Ganabara more loveable. I mean, yes it is a good opportunity to display his soft underbelly, but Ganabara is a dogmatic. He's bound by duty. And even though I could probably get away with plain 'ol fashioned company loyalty, my western self was like "He's probably most loyal to his family". On the upside, it makes for a nice heartfelt contrast to his current position in life.
Ganabara's wife was crafted specifically for this position. The age gap was partially to pronounce Ganabara's old school style. Basically, everything about Hiromi was meant to confirm Ganabara's antiquated tastes and give him a bastion from this future world of change and nonsense. If Hiromi didn't like it, then he could justify it to himself. He would have a dogmatic tie towards the ways of the past.
While Hiromi is Ganabara's link to the past, his daughter is his link to the future. Ultimately, he gives up his family for her sake and, after he chooses to remain in the UG, he severs connection with her in the hopes that doing so will allow her to bring Hiromi into the future. I won't say too much more though. Especially since you've heard it already. ;)
[Character File: The hidden motivations of Yukimura Jun]
So Yukimura was another frame character meant to contrast with Ganabara. He's someone who could not change and thus gave up. In that sense, he kind of represents an option Ganabara could have taken and may take in the future.
Yukimura's limited backstory, however, is a tale of envy and manipulation. When Yukimura's first partner got resurrected for having more points, Yukimura reasoned that all he needed to do to win the next game was be the highest scoring Player. With this in mind, he chose a partner who he knew would not outscore him and played other pacts, such as Bito Daisuke, to do the dirty work while still making sure to contribute intel and effort into the mission to earn peripheral points and keep his numbers up. When the week ended with only two surviving pacts, Yukimura thought he'd won.
Unfortunately, the rules of relativity did not apply. Even though Yukimura was technically the highest scoring Player, he didn't break the Composer's decided threshold. Broken by the absolute standard, Yukimura chose erasure over playing another round of a Game he couldn't win his way.
[Character File: The last days of Musagi]
Musagi was one of those characters who basically saw the rise and fall of a whole UG regime that we didn't even know about. Also, surprise surprise, she's yet another frame character for Ganabara here!
Musagi was ethnically Japanese, but she respected Koreans for their resilience. Although she had trouble updating, she held a great appreciation for the variation in the world around her and lived life with calculating eyes wide open. Although she could not foresee the lengths the new Composer would go to in reforming the UG, she understood that he had the Producer's mark on him and saw that as reason enough to help during his first Game.
This incident illustrates Musagi's odd balance of calculation and faith. In most situations Musagi preferred to stick to the calculations. She never stepped outside of the lines except for when she defied the Composer at the end of Ganabara's Game and got herself erased. That time showed a different side of Musagi. Under the years of relentless service and self-preserving distance, Musagi still retained a deep sense of honor, something gained from an old colleague. In the end, she chose to have faith that the honorable would bring justice to the world and processed Ganabara as a favor to Reiko Rikamizu, the Producer at the time.
[Hyoxjnn's Requested Character File: Himura Tonbo]
Nothing like a character file request to make you flesh out that random background character you made up for the sake of framing. Considering I did this to CG in regards to Kaori, I guess I can't really complain much.
As previously mentioned, Tonbo is a second-year high school student in the sciences track, participates in the cheer club, and is aiming to be a physical therapist in the future. Old news, I know. Being the "dragonfly" in this scenario, she's full of spunk and energy. In other words, she's kind of all over the place and is more than likely to be doing at least three things at a time. Whether or not she's successful is another story.
While I never settled on an exact location, Tonbo isn't from Tokyo. Thus, if she ever made her way there, it would have to be on a visit or trip of some sort. I get the feeling she's probably lived in a more country area growing up. As such, she's accustomed to keeping herself entertained.
The name "Tonbo" was originally going to be given to another Muse character, but I misremembered it when I was settling their official name. As such, I repurposed it here to bring the dragonfly back into the equation. And that's…honestly all I have for Tonbo right now. Sorry to disappoint if this wasn't what you had in mind.
[Hyoxjnn's Requested Character File: Tsukiko Family Dynamics]
Okay, the Tsukiko family. Throughout the course of this fic, both Haruto and Hana went through a lot of character development behind the scenes as Avi slowly started to bring various threads together (some of them thanks to jokes). In any event, here's what I can tell you without digging too far into Muse reveals:
Tsukiko Haruto (The Patriarch): As FLaFS establishes, Haruto is the cook of the family. He also manages most of the housekeeping. He, much like his wife, is currently overprotective of Hotaru due to the loss of Chou. He tends to associate this loss with the disappearance of his own sister when he was younger, though she did come back (and lives a happy married life now). Haruto is trying his best to be supportive without restricting Hotaru, and he encouraged her to attend her school once she started to look into it.
Tsukiko Hana (The Matriarch): As FLaFS doesn't establish, Hana is the manager of finances in the family. She's got a pretty good handle on numbers, plus keeps a calm head in the face of a crisis. In the early days of their relationship, she kept Haruto from panicking over every little mishap they encountered. This level head was developed from a young age at the loss of her father. Growing up, Hana's mother tended to encourage sticking to tradition over following trends of the times. As such, Hana has shaped her own parenting style to allow her children to discover the world and their interests for themselves.
Tsukiko Chou (The Deceased): Chou is a character that's tricky to talk about without giving too many Muse spoilers. Most of what I can say can be surmised through the information I gave in this final chapter. I can try anyway, though. Chou and Hotaru were incredibly close throughout their childhood. Two years prior to Muse (one year prior to TWEWY), they both entered the Reaper's Game. As it was: Hotaru came back; Chou didn't. Whether or not she's still floating around in the UG is a mystery.
Tsukiko Ho—wait, this is wrong. What I meant to say is:
[Final Character File: Exploring Hotaru]
Speaking of characters that I can't talk too much about without spoiling Muse. Still, I intended for this character file and X requested it, so I gotta do my best. Here we go!
As mentioned, Hotaru is a character that has been around since the 2011-2012-ish era, the same area in which I played TWEWY the first time. She was always intended to know Yoshiya, and she was always intended to play the Game twice. The details of what a Muse Game is have otherwise been fleshed out a lot since I started talking with the Sauce Project crew and saw their different interpretations of TWEWY. But that's not what we're here for.
One of the more interesting aspects about Hotaru is that I originally had her politeness cranked up to eleven. As in, she was way more likely to fold in social pressure situations. While not a poor choice, I found it more interesting to have her mostly polite but still have the little things she gets worked up about. Mainly: poetry. Secondly: she can keep her convictions, such as when she doesn't indulge all of Rueban's questions at Outback.
As for her initial Game, this will be covered in Muse. However, I can say the following things: Hotaru's first Game is a regular seven day Week; no repeats or Week chains like Neku gets caught in; the Composer directly involves himself in small pieces; Hotaru (along with a few other Players) encounters Yoshiya and learns his identity; and this is intentional on his part. That is all.
(Shuffles through list of X's requests for this Character File) You do enjoy making this "No Spoilers" thing difficult don't you…?
Out of the Players that survived Hotaru's first Reaper's Game, she is the only one with sufficient Points to return to life. A few other Players opted to replay the Game, but Hotaru isn't aware if they were successful or not. All she absolutely knows is that Chou didn't return. Hotaru prefers to think her sister chose to remain in the UG instead of thinking of the other options.
All that remains is…Entry Fee. Since you didn't specify, X, the Entry Fee for Hotaru's first Game is her "family harmony." Even though she won her Game and the Fee was returned, the rift left by Chou's absence was another matter entirely. Somethings can't be given a miracle fix, huh?
[BonusFile: Tsukiko Hotaru Battle Quotes Collection (Two Game Variety Mix)]
And while not requested, I figured I could provide these to parallel X's own oncoming bonuses!
· "K-keep an eye out, okay?" –Engaging an Enemy
· "Okay… I gotta pull my weight, too!" –Engaging an Enemy
· "I can't…just be a burden again…" –Engaging an Enemy, Low HP
· "Now!" –Attacking
· "Made you look!" –Sneak Attack
· "That's the idea!" –Combo Finisher
· "Brilliant!" –Combo Finisher
· "Yikes!" –Dodge
· "Not this time!" –Dodge
· "Alright, let's keep it flowing!" –Catching the Puck
· "Whoa…We made this together?" –Catching a x5 Puck
· "Ahhhh… That stings!" –Knocked Down
· "I'll cover you!" –Partner is Knocked Down
· "Ugh… I promised I wouldn't drag you down…" –SOS
· "Don't give up on me! Almost there!" –Partner SOS
· "Ah…couldn't make it…" –Defeated
· "H-hey! You can't just leave again…!" –Partner Defeated
· "Phew…One less worry to have." –Victory
· "Let's keep it up!" –Victory
· "Maybe we should revise our strategy." –Low-HP Victory
· "Maybe I'm fit for this after all?" –Star Rank Victory
· "I knew it. I'm not trustworthy at all." –E-Rank Victory
That being said, FLaFS was a great opportunity to work on Hotaru in action before diving into Muse. While I'm still trying to sort out my other projects (as mentioned), I do look forward to clearing out that mess and starting fresh with Muse to complete Hotaru's journey. Even if that day is still some time in the future, I hope that you'll join me when that day comes. (Until then, you can check out what the heck I'm up to on Twitter as Plot_K_Bunny.)
From me and Hotaru, please look forward to it!
-Aviantei
03.04.2017