OPENING LOG.

[enjoyers]

Characters: Everyone!
Date: August 11th
Rating/Warnings: Nothing as of yet. Mark anything that qualifies a warning in your subject line!
Summary: Arrivals.
You want happiness. A company called RECOVERjoy has offered it to you, so you've signed up with them. Gaining happiness can't hurt, right?

Suddenly you're in a room, an apartment, with three other beds and unfamiliar faces. This is your assigned room, and it's quite crowded. You don't get much of a chance to think as your phone beeps--it's not your phone, maybe you've never had a phone, but there's one in your hand so you check it. It's a smart phone, nothing special about it, but now you've received a text from RECOVERjoy.

Welcome to Joywick! We're so happy to have you!

You've arrived in your assigned room, we hope you like it! Don't worry, you can move out once you've collected enough joypoints. Speaking of, if you'd like to check your balance, there's a special application that tracks it for you right on your phone! Handy, right?

... Did you check? If you did, you'll notice you have no joypoints. But don't despair! We're giving you a special mission. Make three (3) friends and get 200 joypoints! Gee, that's easy! Of course, we can't put a level on something like friendship, so just get to know people. Don't miss out on these easy points! We'll give you more information about joypoints once you're done.

Wishing you happiness,
RECOVERjoy : )

You're in this for 1 million joypoints, aren't you? Might as well get started.

(AFTER THE MISSION HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED OR ONCE 24 HOURS HAVE PASSED)

You receive another text from RECOVERjoy.

Great job on the mission! Or not so great job for those who didn't do it. : (

Well, you probably want more joypoints either way. Here's how! Look for another person. I bet they look fairly happy, right? Why are they happier than you? Because they've got the joypoints you need! The only way to get those joypoints is to steal theirs. How? Take their happiness away. It's easy! Maybe a rumor here, an injury there... but if you want the big points, be creative!
You want to be happy, don't you?

Wishing you happiness,
RECOVERjoy : )

... Not quite what you expected when you signed up. You can't leave, though, you still owe RECOVERjoy 500 joypoints and, well, you came here for a reason.

Comments

Library or Arcade

[protagonisnt]

[ Tsurubami has a nasty habit of sneaking up on people. It's either an unfortunate result of his inability to function like a real person or a direct result of his total loner nature.

Either way, he's decided to take advantage of his sneaking up skills and just roam around the library or the arcade until he finds someone he isn't too intimidated to talk to. Which is basically anyone if you don't look at them. It shouldn't take too long to make three friends this way he thinks to himself because three is a very small number in the grand scheme of things. And then he feels super smart and philosophical for thinking something so deep at this time of the day.

That's when either you walk past. And that's when he shouts out: ]

What's your favourite manga, stranger!?

[ If you look round then you might notice that he isn't making eye contact with you. In fact it looks like he's actively avoiding it. But there's no one else around, so he must be talking to you. ]

/tags into this at the speed of light.

[minus]

( Guess who's noticed that you're in attendance, whether you like it or not, Tsurubami? Yeah, one of your fellow canonmates. He's not the one who's being snuck up on, but he does bear witness to the shout, and takes a moment to gaze after the other teen blankly. For... a....... long......... moment............. )

『It's Tsurubami-kun!

Uh, it is Tsurubami isn't it? Haven't you found the Visine that works for your inhibiting eye-condition yet? How are you ever going to make a friend if you can't be mindful of your manners!』

[protagonisnt]

[ What is with that extended stare? Someone should teach Class -13 proper etiquette, especially when it comes to looking at other people. Tsurubami tuts and makes a big deal out of turning his head to the side. ]

You're the one who should be mindful of their manners, Kumagawa-san. What if I'm here to fix my unfortunate eye condition? You don't ask someone what they wish for when they wish on a shooting star, right? I don't think this game should be treated any differently.

[ And. Now he's looking the other way. Drama queen. ]

And while you're at it, please don't answer my earlier question. I don't think I want to be the guy who threw up on his first day. You understand, right?

[minus]

( Proper etiquette, proper schmetiquette. If there's one person who never got the memo about things such as "minding your p's and q's", or "this is called 'personal space'" -- it's this one. After the initial outburst from the pair of them [and what a sight that must have been], the Minus scoots right over to bridge the gap between himself and his peer. )

『Wishes don't come true, Tsurubami-kun. So, what does it matter - whether I ask what lengths you're going to go to in order to obtain "true happiness" or not?』

( careful he might start weaving back and forth just to be obnoxious and try to meet your eyes man )

『Eh?! How cruel! And I was just thinking I'd become friends with you.』

[protagonisnt]

[ Please don't invade Tsurubami's personal space. It's only fun if he's the one doing it. If it happens to him then he is allowed to get offended. By which I mean he takes a single step back to create just a little gap between you both. ]

Aren't we already friends, Kumagawa-san? Aside from your infamous taste in manga, I can't think of a single reason to dislike you.

[ Technically untrue. Kumagawa is made of reasons to be disliked. But since you helped out with the Jet Black Wedding Feast back home, he figures a little white lie won't hurt. ]

[minus]

( Yeah, but Kumagawa's rude and enjoys making you uncomfortable, 'Bami. Are you uncomfortable yet? Maybe he ought to inch a little closer, like he's about to pretend you're a tree to climb up. With hair like that, you'd make a fantastic arboreal feature! )

『Are we really? That's real nice of a guy like you to say - I think I might be sick! If we're friends, then that means we're one step closer to the mission objective. I'm going to use you shamelessly this round, but I suppose you already knew that.

Friends have each other's back, through thick and thin!』

( YEAH THEY TOTALLY DO!!!! even when it's time to put a knife in it hay homie

He's not going to be real chatty about the Jet Black Wedding Feast though. )

[protagonisnt]

[ Inching closer and closer to Bami will eventually turn this thread into an unfortunate and one sided game of tag. Anyone nearby will think these two are freaks and will want nothing to do with them for the rest of their lives. So please control yourself, Kumagawa. It's too early for non-Minus kids to cause a scene. ]

Ah, you're saying such awful things with a big smile on your face. It's like we've known each other since middle school. Thanks. You've really made me feel welcomed into the group, even if Heat and Meda-nee aren't here.

[minus]

( It's not just the thread that may become terrible [if it hasn't suffered already], it's the entire game that may! It might not be able to handle the crushing weight of these two canonmates, and who can tell where the plot [if there is any] will go! Why, they'd need Anshin'in and any one of her numerous abilities to keep an eye on all the potential. )

『I'm sure neither of them miss us at all. It's not like either of us are main characters, and thus essential to the plot.

We're just there for support and comic relief. What a downer.』

[protagonisnt]

As a dark hero, I don't mind being missed and I'm already as close to the main character position as I'm comfortable with. But don't be so hard on yourself. Even though you're the kind of character who wouldn't make it into the first season of the anime, I think there's enough potential for a spin-off chapter at the very least. They'll notice you're not around when things start going too well.

[ See? Being the most Minus guy around does have its plus points! You know, unlike Mr Style User here. He has no chance at an anime appearance or a 4-koma of his own, let alone a whole spin-off chapter that ties in with the actual plot. People will only notice he's not around when they stop playing stupidly long and complicated games of shiratori. ]

[sockswithsandals]

[Yotsuya has a habit of skulking around pretending he isn't there, what a... coincidence... no.

He does have a habit of amassing collections of newspaper clippings and old periodicals and books about ghosts and storybooks about dead things and some manga about pigeons (Hoboful Boyfriend), which! Is why he is in the library, to brush up on what Local Weirdness happens in this town.

It's very important. He has his nose shoved in a magazine when he hears the shout, and grimaces briefly before dog-earing his page (heathen) and lowering the magazine to look around.

There is only one person around, and he doesn't look much like the Hoboful Boyfriend type of guy. He frowns as he looks back at his magazine, but he will spare a comment:]

You probably haven't heard of it.

[protagonisnt]

[ Wait. Did this loser hobo guy just-- No.

There's no way those words actually left his mouth, is there? Not the six word long hipster creed. No way! But he did. The tag is right there. Read it and weep, Lonely Birthday.

Bami takes a second to look totally offended, not that Yotsuya will even see, and then takes a little while longer to pick a good leaning spot. Yeah, this shelf of neatly stacked books should do the trick. The calm intake of breath signals what is sure to be a wonderful first impression all round. ]

Last time I checked, it was still considered rude to assume someone hasn't heard of something before you know them. But don't worry. You haven't offended me and you don't need to keep your favourite series hidden away. You know, even if you think you're the only person who cares about it then you still couldn't be more wrong. What about the mangaka? Or the inkers and assistants and editor who depend on the series to survive in this harsh modern world where everything costs money? What about the book store where you buy each volume, huh? Think before you speak, unless you're fine with hurting the entire industry.

[ He shifts a little. That shelf was digging into his back and he couldn't make the sweeping dramatic hand gestures he longed to make with an annoying pain distracting him. ]

Don't think it makes you a good fan either. It doesn't. There's no way. A real fan would brag about their favourite series until it becomes popular, and then they'd hate it. Especially if no one has ever heard of it! Isn't that the ultimate goal of obscure manga fans? I've been reading since the first chapter or I liked the one shot better because the heroine was cuter or Remember when this manga was good? are much better opinions to have, because even if a new fan does pick up the series when it's popular, they will never be able to usurp your position as the Alpha and the Omega of whatever your favourite manga happens to be.

[ Worth noting: he did stupid voices for those fake quotes. ]

So just tell me what it is. Unless it's Bleach, or something. Because then I'm just going to laugh.

[sockswithsandals]

[Does anyone actually read Bleach?

Now, Yotsuya is content to just fade this kid out of his peripheral and ignore him. It's really, really easy to let a talkative schoolkid drone out into a dull buzzing. He's well versed in the art, especially when he has reading to do, like right now.

But for some reason, this buzzing won't stop. It is the dull buzzing that never ended. It's like there's a thousand irate bees hovering somewhere near him, just talking about manga.

Somewhere in the middle of the speech he stops reading and turns his head to stare. He forgets to fold down his page, this time, and just stares, torn between being annoyed and awestruck.

It just keeps going. Indeed, it keeps going as he tears himself away from his magazine rack and just walks over there and looms a bit closer than necessary, rolling up the magazine in his hands in case he needs... to.....

oh good it stopped.

He lowers his arm, which was not about to smack this kid with a rolled magazine at all. What a strange suggestion, Odd Inference.]

Never do that again.

[hm] ...It's about pigeons.

[protagonisnt]

[ Since Tsurubami is currently without his dumb abilities, it's unlikely he even saw that attack coming. He probably just thinks this hobo was stretching or trying to swat a fly. It helps that there's no possible reason anyone would want to hit someone just for proving them wrong, and also that he is pretty much staring at the ceiling.

He just sort of keeps quiet for a couple seconds longer than he needs to. That'll show this jerk.

First he has to work out what Yotsuya never wants him to do again - be more direct, man - and then he has to process the whole pigeon manga thing. Because he doesn't think SQ runs a manga about pigeons and now he's not so sure if this beautiful friendship is going to work out. ]

Be more specific. What's the plot, who is the artist, which magazine does it run in?

[sockswithsandals]

[That attack, as if being swatted with a magazine is a brazen violation of Manga Lad's right to safety.

Keeping quiet is precisely what he wanted, good job kiddo.

Yotsuya thinks about the intimate details of Nameless Pigeon Manga. This is what he knows: it's a manga, there are some cute cartoon birds in it, and like most of his supplies, he found the volume or two he has somewhere in a middle school, abandoned by its true owner.

That is to say, he has no idea about any of these details that aren't "cartoon birds." He is not even a manga person... what's his favorite schoolkid murder news report, now that's a question. He taps the rolled magazine against his chin, deep in thought.]

I don't know. Guess.

[protagonisnt]

[ Life is a battle manga and everything is an attack. Don't think you get a free pass to oppress other people with your stupid magazine batons just because your manga ran for 18 chapters and died a death without even trying for a genre shift. Even SWOT tried for a genre shift.

Since this guy doesn't even know anything about his favourite manga - or because he's being an obtuse jerk!!! - Bami decides to drop the subject altogether. And then he makes a mental note to come back later and scour the entire library until he finds this pigeon manga for himself. ]

You're not much of a manga reader, huh? That's fine. I'm sure you've got other qualities that'll make this friendship work.

[ Likely Error. ]

[sockswithsandals]

[Hey, hey, at least no one got on any supernatural death trains in those 18 chapters. Just, you know, as an example of something that could make or (definitely, without doubt) break a manga.

But Yotsuya doesn't even think life is manga, so that's not important. He might have shoved that pigeon manga in his complimentary suitcase (read: dilapidated briefcase), but that's for precious friends' eyes only.

What other qualities... is that a prompt for him to talk about himself? People keep wanting him to do that, it's terrible. He decides to actually do something about this guy's inability to turn his head the right way, instead, and sort of. looms. into his line of sight, just a little.]

Plenty. Do you? I might have met my friendship quota without your help.

[he just hasn't checked, so w/e about that other message, no clue]

[protagonisnt]

[ Enigma jokes already. I'm not sure if my heart can take a game full of this.

Also being loomed at is much more intimidating when the person doing it is actual tall instead of awkwardly way shorter than they should be. Interesting. Not interesting to make this whole thing less uncomfortable. But interesting. ]

Could you back off? I'm uncomfortable, and I don't even know your name.

[ He puts a hand on your chest shoulder whatever he can touch without looking and gives you a really super gentle push backwards.

The message is clear: step off playa. ]

[noisy]

[ wow they're in a library, you rude, loud person.

alas, Joshua's ruder still. ] I'm a bit partial to Sailor Kepler.

[ . . . ]

Is that a neck condition, or is there something stuck between my teeth?

[protagonisnt]

[ The library is a perfectly acceptable place for shouting when you have a voice as nice as Tsurubami does. ]

How would I know? You should brush your teeth after every meal instead of asking strangers to check them for bits of food.

[ And he nods, feeling so generous for having shared this useful piece of information. ]

I've never heard of Sailor Kepler. Are you just trying to avoid a direct Sailor Moon reference, or is that actually a thing?

[noisy]

For a guy who's blatantly avoiding eye contact, you certainly know a lot about common courtesies.

But how nice of you to care after my dental hygiene, regardless.

[ good. you are generous and you should feel generous, Tsurubami. ]

Unfortunately I'm not from the right dimension to make such blatant references without getting a slap on the wrist. But do carry on! Don't stop on my account.

[protagonisnt]

Don't be surprised. Despite my natural eccentricities, I know a lot about a lot. I'm an adult, after all.

[ #Half truths and the hipsters who tell them. ]

Ah, and please don't worry. I'm not going to jam a reference into everything I say. Can you imagine how forced that would sound? Perhaps a character from a gag manga could get away with it, but I'm just a normal man trying to get by.

[ He shakes his head for emphasis, and then he sticks out his hand for a handshake. ]

Tsurubami Kamome. What's your name?

[noisy]

Oh, I hardly doubt it. I bet you can tie your own shoes and everything.

[ where the hell are your black framed glasses, kamotan

but alright. he'll deal with the social maxims and reach out to give Tsurubami a firm handshake. even if the guy's still doing his utmost best to skirt around direct eye-contact. ]

Well, just-a-normal-man-trying-to-get-by Tsurubami Kamome, it's nice to make your acquaintance.

I'm Yoshiya Kiryu. Just an average fellow with way too much time on his hands.

[protagonisnt]

[ Hipster glasses are way too mainstream. Bami's minty green hair covers half his face with shadows. That's much cooler. ]

Hello there, average fellow Yoshiya Kiryu. From now on I'm counting you as one of my three friends. Let's try to get along, okay?

[ And boy does he sound excited about it. He must be so excited that he swung back around to bored expression and even more bored voice. Oh, and he holds up three fingers, he wiggles them even, just in case you don't quite follow what he's talking about.

Isn't he super considerate? ]

So so so. Tell me - am I your first friend here, or am I late to the party?

[noisy]

[ like a minty-fresh raccoon dog.

Joshua is similarly enthused, picking a book off from one of the shelves in front of him to start leafing through it.

clearly the two of them are the most polite -- the dapperest of gentlemen. ]

"Party" would be needlessly flattering, I'm afraid. Here I was under the impression that friendship was invite-only, and yet all it takes is a name in an imaginary guest book to get inside.

Did you at least bring snacks?

[protagonisnt]

Guest books are for museums, funerals, places like that. Friendship is less formal, I believe. But I didn't bring anything to eat. Are you supposed to bring snacks to a party you weren't invited to but are attending anyway?

[ It's not as if he'll run out and buy snacks or anything, but this question is probably more than half genuine. Because you could count the number of parties Tsurubami has been to on one hand, and that was just a bonus page. ]