The After Party
The citizens of Flower Bud Village, along with the guest stars were partying it up in an anonymous hall. Practically everyone as overjoyed as "Katie Defense Force" finally reached post-production.
Katie gave a victorious laughter as she held a cup of sparkling grape juice in the air. "This is GREAT! After being casted as an overzealous lunatic in Chicken's previous fanfiction, I'm finally the main heroine! My name's even in the title and everything!" she cheered. "And the best part of all is that I'm a super heroine that beats people up... but for Justice, this time! I don't see a lot of fanfiction putting me as the heroine lately, especially one where I deliver physical punishment for the greater good!"
"Y'know... this actually might've been one of the Chicken's most entertaining short stories yet. Although, I'm a bit sore that I never made an appearance." Jack huffed. "Still, it was great to see you in the story, Lyla! You gave a great performance, as usual!"
His pink-haired wife brimmed with joy. "Why, thank you Darling! I was actually quite surprised to be given a role in the first place! But my career has started getting interesting as of late. Random fic writers have placed me as some sort of Pie-loving lunatic, or a conniving gold digger using Louis. They were...weird at best, but it was fun being the crazy for some reason. But seriously, getting to watch the Super Hero battle from up close was such an old-school thrill! And it was interesting challenge tapping into my darker side for "Love Advice". It was a unique experience, but at least I wasn't some over-the-top villain!"
"Unlike me!" Rick grinned, still wearing his black flared cape for some reason. "But who cares? I've heard the fangirls love bad boys lately! And my role as super villain in this Fanfic will most certainly guarantee my raise to fandom! I looked like a total badass crushing the Katie Defense Force single-handedly! And I chicken tank was colored gold! Who can beat that!"
"HEY!" Karen shouted. "You know very well that victory was scripted! If it were a real fight, I could've taken you on with two hands behind my back, blindfolded, AND intoxicated!" she bragged.
Jack nodded. "It's true. As her childhood friend, I've seen her at work with Drunken Master Kung Fu. Don't underestimate Karen, especially when she's drunk!" he warned.
Rick shrugged. "Either way, a lot of fic writers have portrayed you as... well, an arrogant and unpleasant woman." he said with deep regret. "Still... if there are that many Karen-haters out there, they might instantly become my fangirls upon reading such a crushing defeat!" he bragged. "OW!"
Jack, Karen, and a third individual smacked Rick's head at the same time.
"That doesn't excuse you for being cocky, too..." Jack reprimanded.
"Yeah! And that electricity-thingy actually hurt! You know very well we do our own stunts!" Karen complained.
"I can't believe how immature you're acting after all the pain you've put me through!" a third voice chimed in.
"Wait a minute... who's that third voice?" Rick asked as he rubbed his head. He slowly turned his head to found an undeniable face.
"P-Popuri?"
"Of course!" the pink-haired chicken lover answered. "You kept trying to convince the writer to leave me out of the fic! You said I'd become some nutty prima donna! That my whiny nature would ruin everything! Can't you just accept the fact that I've grown up?" she complained.
"The way you are now isn't helping much." Rick grinned.
"Oh, lay off her, already!" An ominous voice called out.
The entire cast gasped in all as they turned to see a laid-back young man with a commanding presence. He had short black hair, ruby eyes, and fairly tan skin. He wore a big crimson trench coat over a black flaming t-shirt and black pants with white and red velcro shoes. Most notable of all is his magnificent black wings and the flaming red spear he held in his left hand.
"Geez, I can't believe you still assume the worst of your sister, even after she gets married in the game." the stranger scoffed.
Jack blinked in astonishment. "Hey, wait! You're... you're the head honcho, aren't you?" he exclaimed.
"Yup!" the stranger chirped. "Believe it or not, I am Grim Angel Yuki, Controller of Fates, Lover of Chickens, and the Successor of Ledah, the Solitary Angel."
The entire cast, except for Rothe, blinked.
"What's a Grim Angel?" they asked in unison.
"Forget that!" Yuki groaned. "Anyway, what's up with all this continual dissing of Popuri's personality, anyway? I think there are plenty of redeeming qualities about her! She always took really good care of the chickens in a motherly fashion! The dishes she can make nver disappoint, especially the chocolate cake she makes in Valentine's Day! Plus, I'm really amazed how much she matures when someone actually chooses to marry her instead of giving her up to Kai! Sure, that whole "I used to like handsome guys" speech ticked me off before you actually propose to her, but when she starts being the wife, she shows this entirely new level of concern and compassion for her family that blows me away!" he ranted.
Listening at the back, the chicken farmer girl blushed upon hearing these words. "Wow... I never heard anyone speak with such fervor about me before... does he actually think of me as a woman?"
"Also..." Yuki continued. "WHY MUST PEOPLE PICK ON POOR LITTLE POPURI ON HER CHICKEN FETTISH? IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH LIKING CHICKENS? I HAPPEN TO LIKE CHICKENS AS WELL! ANYBODY WANT TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THAT?" he shouted.
With everyone noticing the flaming spear in his hand, no one bothered to say anything. Jack simply replied with a sigh of disbelief.
"Okay, good!" Yuki grinned. "Now, where was I? Oh, right! This is a party celebrating the completion of the Katie Defense Force, right? I guess I better start helping myself!"
The black-winged angel then took a bottle of strawberry soda and immediately chugged away.
Not too far away, Ellen was enjoying her regular dose of fan mail while reflecting over her career.
"Wow! This has just been an awesome year for me so far! I've been an amateur psychologist, an announcer and spokesperson for the Harvest Chef competition, and even a damsel in distress! Magical Melody has really brought me back in the spotlight from obscurity! I wonder what else my adoring fanfic writers have in store for me?" she thought in sheer delight.
At the dance floor, Doctor Alex was able to enjoy the privileges of a pimp with Gina and Dia.
"Even if that writer had a rather... questionable mindset, at least the cast had a little fun with "The Doctor Is In". Although, I'm not really sure I could attract that many women solely on my personal and my so-called "handsome" appearance. Still, it was a welcoming staring role for me, and I'm glad to see more Alex-based fanfiction out there. It's startling to know how much potential story there is within me, but for someone actually hooking me up with Dia in the end... that's pretty new. Now I'm starting to wonder why there isn't more of Me X Dia fics out there, instead of my patient being the constant antagonist. Oh well... being cast as my lovely nurse's love interest always has an advantage..." Alex thought to himself.
Gina herself had a pretty big grin on her face. "Getting to see Alex as a Secret Agent was hot! I mean, by appearance alone he's only one step away from looking the part! Just give him a tuxedo and a silenced pistol and he could give a certain well-known spy a run for his money!" she thought in excitement. She then turned her attention to her dear friend. "But being able to co-star with Dia as always fun, as well. Half the time, she would be the abusive wench while I was the helpless heroine stuck under her thumb, but then there are those rare moments where we finally get to act as friends and partners. It took a lot of work learning the fighting styles for our spy fanfic, but it really paid off it in the end! Too bad it had such a low turnout, but at least it paved the way for more co-staring opportunities! But in all seriousness, having the opportunity to sow the Arch-Diva costume was really fun! Dia looked so adorable!"
"After being the bad guy so many times, it was fun to be the heroine for a change. I've been an angsty heroine tortured by numerous inner struggles now, and I even got the chance to be an action heroine twice! I was... really nervous having to fulfill these new roles after my frequent type-casting, but it I felt it ended up being a welcome change of pace. I think I'm even starting to learn a few things about myself." Dia thought with a mixture of relief and anxiety.
Suddenly, Rothe and Ray approached the Head Writer with varied expressions on their face.
"Hey, Grim Angel guy!" Ray said as he yanked Yuki's trench coat. "Why do you put me in stories where I'm paired up with women? It's hard enough dealing with them in my off time, and now you're practically forcing me to put up with them!" he complained with red cheeks.
Yuki formed a wide smirk. "I'm just amused by your natural reaction to them. The improvising in the situations are so amazing, the stories practically write themselves!" he exclaimed. "Besides, the ladies really enjoy the adorable point's of people's personalities! You'll be swarming with ladies before you know it!"
Ray panicked at the thought. "Lady... fans?" he uttered in a squeaky voice. "WHY DO PEOPLE LIKE TO TORTURE ME?" he cried.
"Just be thankful people are actually making you the focus in their fics! I've only seen a bunch where you're just the supporting character! I'm surprised that not so many people want to develop a lovable hobo like you!" Yuki remarked.
The poor fisherman crawled up into a ball at the corner of the room and cried his eyes out. "Why must I suffer so...?" he uttered to myself.
"Well, I have to admit that superhero fic was a lot of fun! I'm just surprised I got to be part of the team!" Rothe said in delight.
"Why not? Your humanoid form was just too cute to resist from making you part of the KDF!" Yuki grinned. "And I thought the outfit you wore in Riviera was perfect for a super hero costume! I even added the Fire Emblem Ein uses for the Blazing Rose attack!"
"Yeah, that was awesome." Rothe grinned. "But why are you running around with Lorelei?" she asked, pointing at his red spear. "Isn't that supposed to be Ledah's?"
Yuki gave Rothe a blank stare. "Ledah's dead in your original world. You should know, you saw it yourself. So I get to be his successor and unleash the "Lost Seraph" overdrive as I please. The best part is that I didn't have to sacrifice anything to have this nifty spear like everybody else has to!" he exclaimed.
"You suck! I lost my wings to have this humanoid form!" Rothe cried. "At least people won't think I'm a cat anymore." she continued in relief.
"That's nice and everything, but I think the majority of Harvest Moon fans have no idea what we're talking about right now. And they're the ones reading this conversation..." Yuki answered.
"Good point..." Rothe answered. "Anyway, this whole setup of putting me in the Harvest Moon Universe as the new farmer has been a hoot! Everyone's just been great to me, and we've been having all sorts of fun with this crossover! I hope you can keep it up, and, just maybe I could have another staring role someday?"
"We'll see... Yuki grinned.
"Speaking of reprising roles... how about I make a few cameo returns as a villainous badass?" Rick requested. "Come on! I could always return to disturb the relative peace of Flower Bud Village! I could even try to start up a revolt in Mineral Town! Or how about joining that Mafia farmer you cast to cause havoc in Forget-Me-Not Valley? I could always use another credit of villainy in my name! I just know the ladies are eating it up!"
Yuki gave the caped avenger a threatening glare. "Don't push your luck, pal. The only reason I enjoy your company is because we both happen to share an appreciation of chickens. I was reluctant to make your weapon a giant chicken tank at first, but I felt it would be most appropriate for your case. For now, I suggest you enjoy your image as a bad boy as long as you can..."
The intimidated Rick backed off with a nervous laughter. "R-right... you're the boss!" he whimpered.
"Geez.. he's starting to sound like Dan." Yuki thought in annoyance.
In a bathroom not too far away, the prolific Mayor Theodore held his own personal theatre performance. He seemed really passionate in classic plays.
"To be, Or not to be! That is the Question!" the Mayor proclaimed while holding his top hat like a skull. Surprisingly, his voice and gestures were of professional quality.
He then placed his trusty black hat atop his head and sighed. "Alas, an experienced actor who appreciates the traditional works is stuck in the role of a mere clown. Will there ever be a time when the world will recognize the true talents of Theodore Rosswell VIII?" he spoke in a dramatic voice.
Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door.
"Father? Is that you? You've been in the restroom for a while now, but I don't understand what's been going on in there." A female's voice called out.
"Maria, leave me be! Your father the Mayor is too busy sulking over the glory days of the theatre!" he called back.
"Really?" Maria answered. "Well, that's a shame. I guess you'll just have to miss out on the Baked Yams that Ellen, Gwen, Gina, and Lyla made for the party!"
Upon hearing this, Mayor Theodore leapt up in exciting. "Baked Yams? Why... Baked Yams are my favorite! There's no way I'd miss out on free Baked Yams!" he cried with joy. He then forced his way through the door to join everybody else in their jubilation.
Standing in a shadow corner by his lonesome self was the brooding Jamie, who really wasn't much of a party person.
"Hmm... I don't know why I wasn't in this fic, but whatever. It seems the author has plenty of future plans for me. I just didn't expect to receive all this treatment by making me the misunderstood nice guy. What amazes me even more is my potential fan base, but I'm not exactly sure how many prefer me over my identical female counterpart."
After pausing his soliloquy, Jamie took a swig of high-quality sake before muttering various complaints about all the "androgynous" comments scattered throughout a few fanfiction. Amazingly, he's still quite sober.
"Still, he must have a lot of plans for this love rectangle he set up. I mean, Maria X Ray X Jill X Me is pretty big, and it's got plenty of history behind it. But I doubt he's going to end it in one tragic meltdown... I can tell that black-winged kook isn't that type of person."
He then recalled a few angst-filled moments written by the author.
"Then again, he's made poor Jill depressed a few times, and I just know I'm not going to say anything to her soon. But, there's still some hope left for her, I guess..."
With that said, Jamie chugged the rest of his cup of sake and went immediately for a punch bowl filled of the rice-based alcoholic drink.