Even If I'm An Extra, Notice Me Senpai! (More Members Welcome)

[Danchou Tsubomi]

(Here there be story posts...)

 

[Danchou Tsubomi]

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(occasionally I'll doodle stuff for the roleplay, but it's going to be pretty sketchy)
​

Extra-chan stretched as she took another glance outside the screen, making sure that no one was going to come back and point her out. With this idea of becoming an important character, she needed a plan. Her memory went back to the various things Saburo, the chief animator, would say about his favorite series and how his favorite characters were the insignificant yet interesting characters.

​

There was this one show he liked that, while it's more anime-like than actually anime, had a character given a higher status and was part of an elite team. The character was supposed to be a background character, just like herself, but was popular due to her being bullied by an annoying team.


Oh, and Saburo gushed about her really cute rabbit ears. The show was named after a certain gemstone, though one of the letters had been replaced with a W. Extra-chan shrugged, and considered her options.


How should she make herself more noticeable to fanbase?


A: Animal ears. It worked well for that girl in the gemstone show, so why wouldn't it work for her? Being as she's in an animation program, she can just draw the ears on herself. Though, it might stick out considering the setting, but it should be fine.


B: Go to the bully characters of the show and act like a victim character when they introduce the main character's rivals. The audience might hate how rude the characters would be, though they might feel bad for you despite being a minor character.


C: Learn more about the character Saburo likes and copy her mannerisms. The series he loves so much is pretty popular and the bunny girl is awfully popular, as well. She might not have much screentime, but everyone seems to love her.

 

[Danchou Tsubomi]

Extra-chan practiced a few times with the bully characters so that she knew what lines to say and when to say them. She hit play over and over again until she was certain she could pretend she was one of the extras in that scene and not an extra in a different one. While going through the scene, Extra-chan noticed how little free-will the other characters had. They weren't really self-aware like she was, though at times they had their own choices. Hitting play would make them stop what they're doing and instantly follow the script. However, Extra-chan’s actions affected how they replied. With this in mind, she waited for the show makers to return.

[Time Skip]

​

The chief animator and writer returned. Both of them watched the live episode on a dusty, old desktop. Eventually, they got to the part with the rivals. Tsuki’s narration came as the screen went from black to various colors. That was her sign to act. Not like she could miss it: she had heard the same line twenty times.


“Oh, it's these morons. They're always upsetting people for no reason.”


She entered the scene.


The bullies were a group of three, all with dyed hair, piercings, and the overall look of delinquents. The leader tilted his head upwards like they were in a Shaft anime.

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(I tried my best lol)
​

Extra-chan briefly wondered how healthy it was to bend your neck so much, but continued onward.


"Listen, you hand us your money and you don't get beaten up. Simple, ain't it?" Extra-chan forgot the leader's name already, but he was talking to her and various other minor characters.


"I...I don't have much," Extra-chan made up. "Please just leave me alone..."


The leader chuckled, his expression turning more sinister. "I see. Explains your clothes. But anyways, I don't care how well you're doing. I care about how well I'm doing. And I think...I'm going to be doing much better if I had more coins in my pocket." He snapped his fingers and did an even more unhealthy head tilt. "So, anyways, pay up."

Tears formed in Extra-chan's eyes. "I-I can't..."

​

[We rolled 3: Partial Success]



​

It seemed she did a decent enough job of making Kenji and Saburo react. When the episode goes public later, it should have the same effect on the audience. Although Extra-chan's still not that interesting yet. we're getting there. Slowly. But we're getting there.


"Jeez, what a jerk. I know there's always that jerk character in anime but...what a jerk," Saburo said.


Kenji tilted his head. "I don't...really recall writing those lines for that extra..."


Extra-chan tensed from the words of Kenji and Saburo, though it just looked like she was acting stressed from the bully leader and not from them.


"These three bugging you?


Turning her head, Extra-chan saw Tsuki. "U-um...well..." She was blushing right now, though considering she's literally pink already, it wasn't really different from how she looked.


"I can deal with them."


Extra-chan considered her options.


A: Let Tsuki deal with them. It can make him look cool, which would make the fanbase more interested in the series and his magical abilities are pretty well-designed. People interested in beautiful anime would get a good impression of the show as well as the fans who enjoy action.


B: Deal with them yourself. Though you just cried in front of them and acted very intimidated, it would be unexpected for the viewers and almost comedic. It'd bring more attention to yourself, especially from the anime worker trio, but you want the audience to notice you. And also senpai.


C: Say nothing and just look very upset. Tsuki might end up comforting you and it can show his rare emotional side. Also, attention from senpai-er, anyways, it can make the audience respect Tsuki more. A likable protagonist is always a good thing.


Another thought came to her mind. After the whole scene is over and she's able to, she needs to get something to make her more unique. All the extras look practically same. It'd have to be clothing or an item of interest, for if a totally designed character with one line shows up, it'd be noticed too soon by the show creators and they'd do something about it.


Extra-chan considered her appearance options.


A: Beanie


B: Headphones


C: Oversized sweatshirt


D: Glasses


E: Other?

 

[Danchou Tsubomi]

"...no, I'll handle it myself," Extra-chan said, lifting her head up and wiping her tears off with her sleeve. "After all, if I keep letting other people deal with my problems, I'll never be able to solve them."


"Oh, really? You were just crying. I don't think you can handle fighting." The leader and his friends snickered.


Extra-chan lowered her head briefly, before shaking her head and frowning.


"I can handle these guys with..." She charged towards Tsuki's rivals, swinging her fist and hoping it would hit.

[We rolled 5 - Epic Success]

​

It did. Hard.


"...One punch." The leader spun in circles as he cartoonily blasted into space and a shine appeared in the sky. Her fist was on fire, then slowly smoked. "...so...do you guys still want to bother me? I just realized how sick I am with how you treat me and others, so I'm not feeling too kind right now." She leered at the cowering members of the rival's group, moving her fist closer.


"L-let's get out of here!" The duo ran off and Tsuki tilted his head. The leader was falling back to earth, flaming up and then crashing into the rest of his group.


"Huh. That was unexpected," Tsuki said, sounding like it was a normal occurrence. "But thanks for dealing with them. They should be leaving these guys alone now." Tsuki motioned at the group of extras near Extra-chan, who looked grateful. "Anyways, I-"


Saburo clicked pause and Extra-chan stumbled, then stood still. Kenji stared at him. "That...scene played out way too differently," Kenji said. "You and the other animators changed it and even had the voice actors do the lines."


Beads of sweat formed on Saburo. "I-I'm sorry, but I didn't do-"


Kenji smiled. "That scene was awesome and you did pretty well with the animation. Keep up the good work, but tell more when you do stuff like this."


Saburo nodded slowly, sighing a sigh of relief. "Y-yeah. Let's get some snacks and then we can keep looking at the episode." And they did exactly that. As usual, Saburo carelessly left his computer on and didn't close anything.


Oh, and she should probably get those glasses before they come back. Extra-chan touched the animation program's UI and drew a pair of glasses hurriedly, and went back to her spot as Saburo and Kenji returned. Saburo hit play.


"Anyways, I wanted to ask who you were. I'm Tsukishima Makoto. And you are?"

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​

This was her chance to finally go by a name. It was too bad he didn't know her and she knew him. "Huh? Oh, I'm..."


Extra-chan considered her naming options.


A: Ai





B: Hikari





C: Sakura





D: Other? If you do choose another name, please choose a regular Japanese one.