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Realistic or Modern Koibiito Communication - The RP Where you get Democratically Shipped with Someone Else

Ehb

Literal No One
Roleplay Type(s)
This is the Koicomi One Shot Hub Thread!

This is a COMPLETED One-Shot Idea that now exists to allow for a showcase of the work that was done in this short 2ish month project. It is a hybrid group 1x1 romance RP which solely focuses on the final confession sequence. The twist being that the characters paired were decided entirely through voting! The partcipants also had to fully detail out a character who 'particpated' through an entire story and write what they contributed from scratch! In short, lots of work was put in by everyone in this RP, and we invite you to peruse at your leisure!

...and if you feel like it after looking through various things, you can consider putting in votes in the strawpolls listed below!

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The participants of this RP spent the better part of October creating characters for this fictional story in full detail, and voted upon who would end up with who at the end of the story. This RP and the 1 to 1s associated with it, can be considered a multitude of 'what-ifs' of various characters getting 'shipped' together.

At this point, the RP is closed to additional characters.
The 1 to 1s are in progress and have our participants act out the moments leading to their 'confession'. The characters made for this RP are all high quality and fully detailed, and something that I hope you might potentially find yourself getting yourself a little invested into! Below this section are links and synopsises to all the 1 to 1s associated with Koibiito Communication, please feel free to look and follow at your leisure!

For those who end up enjoying any of the tales offered here, at the end of November, Voting will commence to judge how the participating 1 to 1s did. In this stage of voting, everyone on the site is invited to vote!


Strawpoll Public Voting:


RP Theme: Hazakura - Kie Kitano



Story:

This year, our School, Yuzu High, has gone through many things.

The student body is composed of two schools that had closed down the previous year. St. Kisai, an all girl's school, and Teijiro High, an all Boy's school. As you could easily imagine, the combination of a group of boys who had rarely interacted with girls, and vice versa, caused great amounts of friction and discord when the two of them became a part of the same school so suddenly.

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There were misunderstandings between the boys and girls. Misconceptions between the two also ran rampant. At some point, it was not irregular to see the school effectively divided in half by the two genders. An invisible wall had been formed between the two, as the distrust and misgivings they had about each other dissuaded anyone from trying to come to an understanding with one another. Everyone was so very certain that our Yuzu High would ultimately meet the same fate of being closed down as well.

But miraculously, that did not happen.

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A group of boys and girls formed a club in order to to bridge the divides between the boys and girls of the school. In that club, strong and irreplaceable bonds and friendships were born. Together, that club that no one expected to achieve anything, took the school that no one expected anything positive out of, and created a miracle.

The sincere wish for people to be closer.
The honest desire to be understood.

The feelings and sentiments that those students found saved the school.

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Genuine friendships. Warm amiability. As the year drew to a close, the students of that club felt a closeness to each other that they never quite expected. To that same sentiment, they felt a gap of loneliness when it was announced that the club, having served it's purpose to save the school, was to be disbanded.

"Why do people fall in love?" Someone asked without thinking too much.

In hearing this, some of the students gathered there were again presented with the un-explainable, intense, and overbearing feelings that they had for someone who was also present there. The year was coming to an end. Unable to hold their feelings back, and with now the only remaining chance to act upon them before it's too late. The last act of our club, is a selfish one.

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Does that person love me as much as I love them?

I invite you to see for yourself, impartial observer...
The answers that my beloved friends found in their sincere feelings.



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Character Sheets Thread Link


The Ships (1 to 1s)

Volume 1
Daisuke Kobayashi X Maremi Himitsu
"Fleeting Moments"
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Synopsis: It’s been a complicated year for Maremi and Daisuke. They were once the social outcasts; the ones most likely ones to walk away from a conversation. It wasn’t until the merge of their schools, that these two misfits were forced out of their comfort zones and the most unlikely of friendships was forged. What happens when feelings of friendships give rise to something more- and how do these two crazy kids deal with it when they can barely string a sentence together between them?

Stay tuned to find out~!



Volume 2
Nakamura Shirou x Sami Ishioka
"Cinderalla Man"
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Synopsis: Things could not get any worse for the Gender Relations Club's resident Otaku Delinquent and KFC Enthusiast, Shirou Nakamura. A harsh rejection from the girl he'd been trying to impress and the stifling influence from his strict parents have rendered his chances of attending the Club's American-Style Dance next to zero. However, just as he's begun resigning himself to his unjust fate, his thrill-seeking Fairy God-Senpai Sami Ishioka asks him out and offers to sweep him off from under his parents' noses in her magical ramen-freshened scooter! Shirou's magical Dancing Star Night is cut short when the clock strikes midnight and his past catches up to him. How is our Cinderella Man supposed to earn his Happily Ever After now?



Volume 3:
Sai Genjo x Natori Sannomiya
"Words That Must Be Said"
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Synopsis: Sai Genjo started here at the Gender Relations Club, only half interested in the goings on. After being framed for sabotaging the gym equipment, Sai saved the school sports day. Little did he know... he had an admirer (Natori Sannomiya) afterwards. Too awkward to admit her feelings, his only grew as the year went on and she put herself in charge of making sure he ate every day. Now that the dance is coming up, the two are preparing their confessions, unaware of each other's intentions. Whatever they do... they'd better hurry up or they'll miss their chance.



Volume 4:
Shisukiya Yanagi x Mahiru Vaughn
"Forget-Me-Not"
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Synopsis: Disasters come and go like the tides, and Yuzu High has managed to weather the impossible despite all attempts to take it down. Among the friendships forged by the students’ struggles, an unlikely pair emerged between a boy with a reckless tongue and a girl who lost her voice. Further trials and tribulations yet still await, as the two individuals awkwardly plod along an unfamiliar path in hopes of navigating the maze of their feelings. While the two, Shisukiya Yanagi and Mahiru Vaughn, are still unraveling the question of what the other means to them, fate throws them another test in the form of an awkward encounter and poorly thought-out words.

What started as Mahiru hoping to share her hobby with Shisukiya ends with a cold war—one started by an awkwardly-worded suggestion that came off more akin to ridicule. While the two cautiously skirt around each other, dated information and rumors begin to circulate the school. Mahiru and Shisukiya had once believed that there was a good chance that their feelings were mutual, but could the rumors speaking of old flames and a failed confession towards a different member of the Gender Relations Club be true?



Volume 5:
Yun Okamura x Keiko Takahashi
"Life Expectancy"
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Synopsis: Keiko Takahashi, better known by her online VTuber alias "Tako-chan", has suffered a crushing heart attack after realizing she's gone Trending on Twitter! It turns out that the metaphorical smoking gun is held by none other than her concerned friend and fellow Gender Relations Club member, Yun, who'd been desperately looking for a heart transplant donor after finding out Keiko's arrhythmia prognosis has been worsening fast. Determined to save the life of the woman he loves, Yun had started a quest to look for a potential donor on social media, but a group of trolls from the seediest corners of the Internet chose to interfere with his plans by leaking the details of Yun's intentions to Tako-chan's massive fanbase. Now, Keiko awakens in the ICU of Okumura Hospital, with a failing heart and a broken spirit. Her biggest regret? She won't be able to go to her club's American-style dance with the man she loves.



Volume 6:
Uta Fukuzatsu x Raika Hiroshi
"Communication Through Miscommunication"
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Synopsis: Uta Fukuzatsu is that weird kid in school. You know, the one everyone makes jokes about while simultaneously avoiding being around them cause they creep everyone out. Going into the school merge Uta definitely started off with a weird reputation from some of the other more rowdier boys in his school. That he was a little unhinged, who stared at the moon at night. Who only spoke in poem and riddles, speaking things about death and souls. Who ate bugs he found on the ground and who laughed like a creep for ten seconds straight at random intervals. His world is one of the moon, which light barely pierces the darkness, populated by terrors of trauma and loneliness. But if one was to look at the night sky one could find peace, don't you think?

Raika Hiroshi is a weirdo thrill seeker. Bored out of her mind, it's hard to tell if her childish antics are part of a greater ruse or if she simply isn't right in her head. Maybe it is both. While she is a loud, self-centric, and quite a stubborn individual, she can show great care to those that put up with her. While she doesn't mince her words and often refers to herself in third person, Raika is also able to show a great deal of charisma and sway people to her side. She loves to be the centre of attention and have things go her way and absolutely hates it if people can't agree with her. Her world is one of the star, a blazing inferno which lights the sky and everything around it. But inevitably blinding and alienating anything that stares at it for too long.

For us to fully understand how this tale ends after the finale of the Gender Relationship Club. We must first look back at their time in the Club, the story of a Moon and Star falling into each other's orbit. Whose pull ultimately changes the course of both Club Members. Beginning of course, with that first real meeting between two students of fanciful thinking. How little either of them knew then...



Hi! I'm Ehb!
In case you're a returnee, I've provided this handy little space in case you're just checking in! Otherwise if you're checking this out for the first time, feel free to browse through at your leisure. Thank you for visiting!

RP Status:
Greenlit, Currently in Preplanning/Preprep...

What is GM Doing Right Now:
Creating Two Example Characters.

Next Phase:
Creating a CS Thread, Posting Example Characters, Creating a Discord

Hoping to get the Above Done By:
Oct 10th



"Communication is the key to people being able to connect with one another. Without it, people become stuck in their preconceptions, and end up shunning whatever or whomever they're unfamiliar with. So, let us talk. Surely, we can understand each other even more."

Forward

In your rural hometown in Japan, declining school attendance has lead to several schools in the area to close. The last high school in the area left, Yuzu High, is also on the chopping block, destined to be shuttered by this winter due to the same low attendance and falling test scores that have plagued the schools in the area for years. If that school is closed down, you will have to take a long, two hour train ride into the next town just to attend classes and graduate.

Even worse, the two schools that were closed down last year previously were an all-boys school and an all-girls school. The merging of the student bodies of both schools into Yuzu High causes all sorts of friction between the various groups. In an effort to try to solve the situation, a random assortment of students from both sides are put together to make the 'Gender Relations Club', meant to smooth out the problems between the boys and girls, and hopefully save Yuzu High, the last school in the area from closing and being torn down.

The local government, the cooperation wanting to move into town, and even other students who dream of going to school in the big city have all seemed to have accepted the fate of Yuzu High. But, there's something special about this place. This school, this town, and the people that are all around us right now. Joining the 'Gender Relations Club' in order to solve the friction occurring between the former students of the all boys and all girls school, you with your clubmates endeavor to find the special meaning in this place you all call home. Before it's erased in the name of 'progress' forever.

Lucky for you, in this RP It is assumed that everything went well. Everyone settled their differences, got along, had fun, did obligatory Japanese high school year things, and were able to save their school from being shut down. Yuzu High will continue to operate for many more years thanks to the efforts of the cast. That entire story, in Visual Novel terms, is the Common Route, which serves as the backstory that your character is assumed to have participated in.

So now what?

This RP - Koibiito Communication, is the final part of that story. The part were the various students start deciding who the love of their life is and who to confess to - and for this RP this last bit, that last stretch before happily ever after that everyone secretly wishes, is what you and your character will RP out.

There are two major catches though:

1. The Character your Character ends up with in this last part is decided completely by the audience. Ie. you submit yourself to being shipped and are expected to RP it out to the point that they confess/kiss. And it will not go farther than confessing/smooching.

2. You will create two characters, a boy and a girl. You will be writing fully detailed character sheets where you will explain how they did through the entire 'common route' in detail. You will also be completely expected to play whoever your boy/girl gets shipped with sincerely.



So, in spite of that...
Are you ready to sincerely fall in love?

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General Considerations / Suspensions of Disbelief

Two Characters?
In this RP you will create two fully detailed out characters who are detailed to the point that they make references to every act of the 'Common Route' detailed below. You as a player participating in this RP are fully expected to play either one of them depending on what a bunch of strangers decide makes for the most entertaining ship.

What sort of relationships?
Koibiito is Vanilla. All ships are setup as boy/girl.

Will this RP use Discord?
The RP uses Mandatory Discord for Communication. But roleplaying will be done on RPnation using PMs that everyone will be able to look at to their leisure.

Player to Player Conduct?
You are expected to conduct yourself with due consideration to your fellow players. If things get uncomfortable please voice it out. Bad conduct towards other players will not be tolerated.

When I play one of my character does the other exist?
Whenever you play your character, your other character (of a different gender) is assumed to not exist within setting/instance of the story in that 1 to 1. Ex. If you end up in a scene playing your girl character, your boy character never existed in the setting.

When will it start?
Players will have up until the final week of October to get both their characters ok'd. As it is during that final week that ships will be voted and decided upon. Right before November (which happens to be National Writing Month feel free to let that be an excuse) the ships will get announced, and the 1 to 1s will be started in earnest, and it's encouraged to see how much you can pull off in that month.

Do I have to play as both my girl and male characters AT THE SAME TIME when it starts?
You will get shipped just once. If you are open to playing both your guy and girl at the same time, let me know. By default you will only play one of them, and only be involved in one 1v1.

How many people are you looking for?
Ideally an even number of people joining, with Ehb's characters kept as backup for people who lose their partner. Basically anyone who can complete the character sheets to my satisfaction. They will be scary. I feel like this idea is just going to crash and burn but I will try it anyway.


Other Considerations

Anime or Real Faceclaims?
Anime styled faceclaims like in the promotional banner. It is encouraged to credit the artist who drew the picture you used.

What is my Character's General Mindset?
High school is coming to an end. You and the rest of the club were able to save the school and allow for future generations to continue to learn and teach there against all odds. When you began, you had certain pre-conceptions about the students from the school that joined with yours. In the challenging times, you developed feelings for a certain someone. If everyone was able to save Yuzu High, then what harm is making a confession to somone you've fallen completely in love with?

What if My Partner Bails?
'Heartbroken.' Again the hope is that the CS process will be so monstrous that only the most dedicated folk will fully complete it. Ehb or anyone who volunteers to do makeup will start off a 1v1 from the beginning to ensure no one is left heartbroken.

What if my Partner is a Creeper?
It is encouraged to communicate with your partner and set your boundaries. If that does not work inform Ehb and it will be dealt with in a case by case basis. Note that continued behavoir that makes other players uncomfortable will not be tolerated and can result in being removed from participation as the GM's discretion. Again, while this is a Romance RP that it must abide by RPnation rules.

I have no Chemistry with my Partner!
Feel free to use the Discord to brainstorm with the others if you get stuck! A feature to have the audience 'create your scenario' may be considered to help you out!

Do I have to accept my partner's character's confession?
Ultimately, yes. The expectation is that they'll accept their feelings. You're allowed to icly 'reject' them on the first attempt, but the caveat is that you'll have to RP giving them a second chance and ultimately by the end of it realize and accept their feelings. To clarify, feel free to use rejection as a way to 'sort out' feelings, not necessarily to dishearten your partner.

Girl to Girl? Boy to Boy Ships?
No. That simply complicates the voting for a ship process and not everyone coming into a Romance RP may be comfortable with that so the matchups in this one will be Vanilla as Vanilla gets. I can't really stop players from wanting to do stuff elsewhere but anything extracurricular is on your own time and outside of the scope of the RP.

Can I be like related to another player's chara-
NO.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask. Ax exhaustive as this QA was I'm certain I did not cover everything. Please ask for further clarification to begin a discussion!


Koibiito Communication's Release Timeline:

Most of Oct - Character Creation.
A generous amount of time will be given to create your boy and girl character and their sheets will be so monsterous that anyone who completes them is probably going to be dedicated to see things through at that point.

Last Week of October - Character Acceptance Deadline and Voting on Ships.
In the last week, voting for ships will begin and be done through the discord. Make sure you have those sheets OK'd by the GM or you'll either get in the shipping pool at the end or just not make cutoff!

November - Start of the RP
Ships will be announced in November and writing can begin. Each pairing will have a 1 to 1 where they will have the whole month to Roleplay out their romance and ending it with their character's accepting their feelings for one another. Not that while getting the whole thing done in like 2 days is okay, it might be worth not rushing through it, especially for your audience.

End of November - End of the One Shot Event.
Everyone gets to vote on their favorite 1 to 1. For those brave enough, people can discuss/critique the 1v1s presented if the writers are comfortable with it or just generally fangirl/fanboy over them. There is no hard limit to how long you want those 1 to 1s to last, but the goal is to do voting and critiques after the end of November.


Additional Incentive:
Koiibito Communication Shares the Same Universe with a future TBD Ehb RP - 'Sincerely X Inevitably' and your character can be ported into that with guaranteed acceptance if/once it releases.


In Summary:

Koibiito Communication is a Japanese High School Romance RP. Taking place at the end of a story, players create detailed characters who get shipped with other characters in the RP which leads to 1 to 1 conversations where they will role-play out their confessions. This RP which will start in November, challenged players to act out endgame romance (up to saying I love you and a kiss only) sincerely. Their skills in writing romance will be tested and on display for the other players of the RP to enjoy, and it is hoped that players will gain some experience in writing Romance and have entertaining things to read and write for November from participation in this 'One-Shot' RP.

At 4 people showing interest, Ehb will post additional story information. Including the generally detailed 'Common Route' or the backstory-story of the RP before the confessions occur, and other miscellaneous notes.

At 8 people showing interest, Ehb will put together their two characters and fill out their sheets up to expected standard and put up the dreaded 'character sheet'. Confirming that this RP will be put into motion!


Interest Thread Updates!
Additional Information that can be considered as expansions to this post.

1) - The Core Canon of Koibiito Communication
Realistic or Modern - Koibiito Communication - The RP Where you get Democratically Shipped with Someone Else
 
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I don't usually do this, but this time I really feel I have to. While I am not interested in joining, I have to say that this seems like a really interesting idea, and the way it is being structured and laid out is excellently done. Unfortunately I can't really go along with the "you make two characters and other people choose which one you will play" aspect, but I wish everyone who joins this an excellent experience and best of luck!
 
That implies there is a undemocratic version of shipping people together.

A fascist shipping Rp?
Le hm.

Anyway, take this as a token of interest.
 
Sounds very interesting. Word of warning, though, I don't know how my availability will be throughout november.

Would asexual characters be allowed? If they're straight romantically, I don't think it would really change anything. In that same vein, are bisexual characters, in a straight romance, allowed also? I'd be interested regardless, just curious.
 
Alright It's not been a day yet, so let's see OH MY GOSH WE ALREADY HAVE 7 INTERESTS. Thank you so much everyone who has shown interest! I guess with 1 more interest I'll have to start drafting that character sheet. Maybe I should start already...?

I don't usually do this, but this time I really feel I have to. While I am not interested in joining, I have to say that this seems like a really interesting idea, and the way it is being structured and laid out is excellently done. Unfortunately I can't really go along with the "you make two characters and other people choose which one you will play" aspect, but I wish everyone who joins this an excellent experience and best of luck!
Thank you! I had made the consideration to 'just make the character you want' but ultimately decided to go with this rather harsh route of making two characters. Ultimately it is in order to ensure that the people who to make it to getting shipped will be most certainly dedicated to see it through. I will see if I regret that decision!

That implies there is a undemocratic version of shipping people together.

A fascist shipping Rp?
Le hm.

Anyway, take this as a token of interest.
The RP where your Dictator GM ships you as they please. There's a distinct possibility of that happening to the last round of pairs that need to be made, maybe... hopefully not.

Sounds very interesting. Word of warning, though, I don't know how my availability will be throughout november.

Would asexual characters be allowed? If they're straight romantically, I don't think it would really change anything. In that same vein, are bisexual characters, in a straight romance, allowed also? I'd be interested regardless, just curious.
Certainly sure. In the end the most important part is that each of the 1 to 1's are supposed end in a successful confession. The extra baggage will make for entertaining reading, but of course be sure to be in communication with your partner in case that or any extra character baggage gives them difficulty.


Anyways,

As promised, here is the story detail of the Common Route. Please feel free to read through it. After doing so, please do not hesitate to ask in this thread if you want more detail in certain parts. Note, in some cases Ehb may make the decision to keep a certain detail vague to allow for players to play around with it in their 1 to 1s. But, if it is answered, the details will be added under "Core Canon Annendums" which, like the Core Canon are details that remain consistent through all the 1 to 1s.

Without further ado:






"The fact that this dreary dump of a school is going to close down is already decided. Do you really want to challenge this Inevitability with all the problems we already have here?" - Ehb as Her
"It's wrong to just give up on people because you don't understand them. Please, just give it a chance! This school can be saved, and it's worth being saved for damn sure!" - Ehb as Him

The Story of Koibiito Communication - The Common Route

Below is the Common Route of Koibiito Communication (KoiComi for short).

It is purposefully made a bit vague to allow for room for improvisation when writing your 1 to 1's. But in general, it is presented as 'this problem/event arose, and it was solved.' It is expected that you will be able to know this general outline well enough that if your partner does something like 'Y'know remember that time at the sports festival?' you will be able to have a general gist on how you should reply to it, even if you have to make up events that happened in that part of the story. In fact, it is encouraged to make up smaller details of what had happened, that is something for you and your partner to explore. It is hoped that your mind may wander as you create your character and wonder what they did through those events.

So with that said, the 'Common Route' of the RP's backstory is Summed up in these Two Semesters plus the 'Final Act' which is this RP. Together, this is the Core Canon of Koicomi.


Koicomi - First Semester : Boys, Girls, and Gender Relations

1) - Joined the 'Gender Relations' Club
"What do you mean a gender relationship club? That's such a STUPID Club Name! And you're forcing me to join it?!"
Yuzu high was about to close down for a variety of reasons. Low attendance, low scores, and general chaos and friction caused by the students having had come from mostly a boys high school and a girls high school that closed down. In order to try to save the school, the 'Gender Relations Club' is made in order to sort out the problems students have with each other. The random assortment of students become friends as they realize that the conceptions that they had about each other based on their gender and the school they came from were cleared up through simply communicating with one another. The fate of the school this winter will be decided based upon how much of the student body votes to remain in Yuzu High, or opt to transfer to other schools out of town.

2) - The school took part in the Tri-City Sports Festival.
"You girls check it out! We were the best at sports in the area for a reason!"
The 'Gender Relations Club' is tasked by the Principal to help prep the school for a tri-city sports festival where students from the other two high schools the next towns over are invited. The club is able to overcome obstacles to getting the school to work together by clarifying the supposed peep-holes in the girls locker room (the school being old), as well as the supposed sabotage of the sports festival setups by the girls in the school (the equipment being old too). Yuzu High does respectably in most of the events but is able to take the gold when everyone works together in the cavalry battle. For the first time for many students, they begin to feel pride in their own high school.

3) - The Gender Relationship Club makes the decision to not leave the school, allowing it to continue into next year.
"You're right I suppose. I think I've come around a little to wanting to graduate here in my own hometown..."
The Climax of the First Semester Arc.
Looming throughout the first semester is the fact that it has already been arranged for Yuzu High to close by winter and have everyone transferred to the schools in the surrounding towns in spring. That decision was majorly based on the students attending to vote on whether to stay at Yuzu High School or to transfer elsewhere. It had been the 'Gender Relations Club' job to try to convince them to stay, and after foiling a local politician attempting to get the students to leave so he could bulldoze the school to make room for warehouses, Yuzu High is saved from closing immediately after the student body is successfully rallied into deciding to remain at the school. Allowing it to continue into next year.


Koicomi - Second Semester : Schools, Scores, and Saving the School

4) - The school took a school trip to the mystical hot springs and was able to discover the source of the school's curse and woes.
"
You mean, this whole time? But what does shuttering our old schools have to do with them making profit?!"
The local paper publishes smear articles related to the school being cursed and the discord between the students while seeming to advocate to have it torn down. Due to a chance school trip to the hot springs in the mountains above the town, everyone basically discovers that, for years, the developers and corporation trying to bulldoze all the schools created these rumors of curses due to their desire of wanting prime real estate for their warehouses and logistics, which was ultimately the reason that got the original Boys School and the Girls School closed down.

5) - The school's culture festival was a huge success despite attempts to sabotage from people trying to close the school down.
"Just you watch, those city dwellers know not of how to wear a maid outfit with grace and finesse!"
The developers use almost every underhanded tactic in order to destroy support for the school, jeopardizing the school's annual culture festival. The students are able to create a viral campaign and a seemingly insignifigant meme about hosting the national Host/Maid Café Tournament leads to all sorts of people flocking to the school on the days of the festival, leading to the event being a massive success. While Yuzu high has gained popular support, the final hurdle is the fact that the school's test scores need to be brought up to national standard in order to keep it from being closed by the national board of education.

6) - The students are able to rally the school's test scores, letting it be safe to continue operating even after they graduate, saving the school.
"Geh... my head hurts. I don't think I've ever studied this hard in my whole entire life, man!"
In the final arc everyone gets together in order to raise the schools' test scores while struggling with their individual character issues. They are able to pull together, resolve their own problems, and are able to uplift their fellow students to make the school average high enough to save the school. Thanks to their efforts the school has gained popular support of the local community, and even some notoriety beyond the single town. The Gender Relationship club can be proud that they've saved the school, and that it will continue to operate for years to come.


Final Act - (This RP One-Shot) : Koibiito Communication

7) - The Gender Relationship Club is Disbanded

"Everyone, thank you. Very, very much... for making this club and school a big success. I'm speechless."
The primary purpose of the gender relationship club was to ensure that the combination of the former all girl's school and all boy's school could be undertaken, and allow for Yuzu High to not be closed. Because that purpose has been fulfilled, and because most of the club members are graduating, the decision is made to disband the club. As one final tearful hoorah, the club decides to host an American Style Dance. A sudden apprehension comes around everyone when they realize they're supposed find someone to 'dance' with. The now tight knit student body is casual enough that boys and girls are asking each other to that dance just because they want to participate. But some - especially those in the Gender Relationship club, realize that asking someone to that dance sends a clear message to that person - having picked them over all the others.

8) - The Confessions
"I want to feel this way about you tomorrow, and the next day even..."
Days before that dance, is when the players of this RP realize they need to come out with their feelings towards the person they've fallen in love with through the course of the story before their high school days come to an end. Whether it be just to have someone to go to that dance with, or just because they can no longer contain their feelings towards that other person.



Story Themes:
Yes! The RP does have themes that you can put into consideration if that helps you write your character But really, the most important part is to write out an entertaining confession and lead up to a confession for the rest of us to oogle at.

The Primary theme of the RP is 'Communication'.
A lot of the problems between the boys and girls at the start of the story is having bad preconceptions about one another and thus shunning each other out. A lot if it is solved when they started having dialogue with one another. It is through good communication that they were able to clear up many misunderstanding and misconceptions they had about themselves, the school, and each other. Communication was how many of the problems of the Common Arc were solved.

'Love' Means Nothing. Thus 'Love' means anything.
When trying to figure out how your forced ships will work you'll basically have to improvise it. But each character's character sheet will be so monstrous that you can basically have a whole lot to work with. Did their sheet mention that they won the relay? Why not that? Did the sheet mention that they helped clear up a misunderstanding or did something cool or helpful, there be that too! Again, remember to keep a certain level of disbelief, you really have to be in the mindset that it's the end of the story and you went through lots of very meaningful moments with everyone!



Core Canon Addendums:
This section is canon elements that have been clarified at the request of the players. These are given details that should be acknowledged the same way across each 1 to 1 (if they're ever referenced).

N/A
 
CAN WE GET THE CS AND OOC THREAD PLSSSS (JK JK JK JUST KIDDING)
 
Alright! That's 8... 9. 10! Right!
That's an RP Greenlight!

Eldarkon Eldarkon meepster meepster Pilgrim59 Pilgrim59 Karyra Karyra Tau Tau GuglielmoSaffaredi GuglielmoSaffaredi Rithas Rithas ATurei ATurei Stitches and Patchwork Stitches and Patchwork Shoya Shoya

Anyway I'll go ahead an get to work in the background. I'm gonna aim to get the character sheet, and two completed characters out before Saturday about a week from now. Again, while waiting, please be sure to review the 'Considerations to Making Your Character...' below if you feel like brainstorming right away.

Feel free to continue to ask questions here or discuss, or even continue to show interest for others just joining in. If this interest starts creeping to page 2 I'll accelerate creation of a Discord for the RP's OOC to allow folks to mingle. Maybe consider thinking about what your favorite romance plot is and how to generalize it to the point that people have to guess where it's from. As that may be cheekily used as price of admission into that discord for people who are intending to attempt filling out those sheets and participating.

Everyone with an inkling of interest is still free to post and whatnot on this interest thread regardless. Thank you all so much.


Considerations to Making Your Character and their role in the Common Route

This is the whole story of the common route? It's sort of vague isn't it?

Yes it's vague on purpose. It lays out problems faced and the fact that they were resolved. This vagueness is to allow for wiggle room when you write your character and when you do your 1 to 1s. Your confessing character has the room to be like: "I was really impressed when you did that thing in the culture festival!"


Wait, does that mean that I have to know EVERYTHING EACH CHARACTER did specifically in the story?

No, you don't have to have each character memorized. Think of it this way: the idea is that in each 1 to 1 you and your partners were sort of like the main characters of the story. So it is totally possible that in one of the 1 to 1's someone's character won first in the relay race. In another 1 to 1, someone else can be the one who won the relay race.


But wait, then what was everyone else's characters doing in me and my partner's version of the story then?

Again, it is generally left vague. Unless you opt for it, the actions of the other players in the common route is more flavor as opposed to having been what directly lead to your romance. For example, your character is a class clown type. They're the love interest in their own 1 to 1 with their partner, but they're generally regarded as the class clown if they get referenced in any other 1 to 1.
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What if I want to have another player's character be involved in my own 1 to 1?

Note that there should be no NTR, as that is not all too vanilla.
But if you want to have a 'friend character' who helps encourage the romance along to help out, you can involve them in your 1 to 1. That is up to you, your partner, and the person you want to involve. You might want to have that extra person because you want that third party to help you along in the romance kind of like that girl-friend or guy-friend who gives good advice. That will be allowed.


Did my character HAVE TO come from the Boys' School or Girls' school before the merge?

Yes. It is mandatory that in the common route they went to their respective genders' school at the start of the Common Route. This is because some players will be tempted to have their two characters just be genderbent versions of that character. THAT IS ALLOWED. But, those two will still have lived rather different lives in that they canonically attended their gender respective school. At their core they may be the same soul, same core values and disposition... But the circumstances that they grow up in will STILL make them two different characters. But again, I'm not saying all characters should just be genderbent versions of each other either. Wite characters who you really feel like you can understand.


Can I make my character a transfer student?

Yes. It is allowed. But they will have to at least been at their gender specific school for at least a single year before the Merge into Yuzu High. The reason for this is that they should have also experienced the trouble of getting the two student bodies to work together in the Common Route as well.


So Just how much are you expecting us to know about the common route? Like what level am I supposed improvise details a story that just exists as a summary?

When creating your character I would say to think of it like this: Your Character sheet is basically not too far off from being an well taken care of fan wikia article entry for a main character of a show that has basically finished. It should feel like it 'was written by someone who watched the whole show and liked and understood it enough to write said wikia article'. It should have a feel of being writing about a completed or at least nearly completed piece of media. That may be tough, I know.


The Character Sheet is too much! Are you actually trying to discourage people from completing it?!
What the GM, Ehb is worried about in this RP is people putting this massive amount of effort, genuinely intending to RP a (Fictional) Romance Ship with their partner, and having that partner dip out on them, or give up after they feel like they can't make up any chemistry. Yes. These sheets are purposefully designed to be as detailed as possible to not only ensure anyone who isn't fully committed will give up before voting for ships begins. Of course the sheets are also heavily detailed so that you partner has plenty of material to work off and so that you yourself have a good grasp of the character you create and play. Remember, this RP assumes your character participated through the entire story, thus, I believe it is reasonable to have an entire story's worth of material written for them in those sheets. In addition, it is hoped that after you complete these sheets, RPing a Shipped Romance and confession with another character it going to be easy in comparison for you.


Ehb! Why are you being so nitpicky on the sheets? How are you going to work with what's likely going to be a small pool of characters with such high standards!?

So I'll say it right now. Despite the interest now, another potential scenario of the rp Crashing and Burning is if there are less than 3 pairs of characters that are accepted before the 'end of October deadline'. Again, I accept that this whole idea can crash and burn, but on this occasion I will hold high standard as I want the pool of potentially shippable characters and players to be as high quality as possible for them. Given that it will already be hard to improvise a sincere (fictional) romance with strangers.


What if there's less than 3 pairs of characters / players accepted by the deadline?

I really just sort of removes the 'Vote for Shipping' aspect. Ehb will ask the remaining accepted players if they wish proceed with the 1 to 1's with the 1-2 people. They can either pair together, or Ehb will use their backup characters and proceed with the 1 to 1's like normal. The Most Active Days in the OOC will likely be when ships are formally voted on. Please be sure to keep a keen eye on the discord via your computer and phone as Ehb will just start going 'Alright Vote on a Ship!' then 'Okay these characters still need to be shipped, vote again!' until everyone is paired.



Here's a fun video to look at after reading all those considerations.

 
I absolutely positively love this! So I am interested.

Though I really gotta see in more detail what you expect of the char-sheet first, you sure make it sound terrifying ominous!
 
Going to wait to see length expectations for the whole character plot synopsis thing, but for now color me interested. Considering we have until the end of October, I'm assuming I'll have more than enough time though.

On another note...are certain hyper-specific tropes like "the student who always comes in second place" allowed?

Edit: Is it also alright if the character initially likes one character but either gets rejected or never makes a move but falls in love with their love interest by the end of the year 🤔
 
Last edited:
On another note...are certain hyper-specific tropes like "the student who always comes in second place" allowed?

Edit: Is it also alright if the character initially likes one character but either gets rejected or never makes a move but falls in love with their love interest by the end of the year 🤔

Student who always gets second place is quite alright. Though in the event we have conflicting characters 'ie. two cahracters who were the most athletic and their sheet says they always got first place' then generally the characters involved in the particular 1 to 1 would take precedence. Though I would encourage to not make characters with blanket 'they did the best at everything' just so there won't be too many conflictions if somone was trying to imagine how the cast played out in the Common Route, but that's just a suggestion. Again, the only thing that is definite across all 1 to 1s is what is laid out in core canon.

Any related love tropes is something that you'll end up discussing with your partner after you are paired. In your Character Sheets you should not directly reference any of the other characters directly by name, this is to allow for you and your paired partner to decide specific pre-romance decisions like: 'do we want to be childhood friends?'. In the specific case of 'your character got rejected by a character that was not your love interest' you simply need to have an okay from that other players' character and iron out details if either of you want to. You can even choose to RP that rejection out if you two are fine with it. And of course, based off of the 'vanilla of vanilla' standards, it should still come off as vanilla.
 
Right everyone! So bad news. Ehb is probably going to need the weekend to finish those two example characters!

Good news is I will go ahead and at least post the character sheet for your consideration, and to allow for the maximum amount of time for people to work on it. Please do not post any sheets in this thread, a dedicated character sheet thread will be made. Ehb will also hold back on making the discord as really the thing that needs to be done is finishing those example sheets!

But! Before you proceed to try to fill it, be sure to read through the section below. It's super important that you do!

Also note that Just filling out the Sheet haphazardly Will Not Guarantee Acceptance. Ehb will want a certain level of quality, and goes to great length to explain what that quality is in the sheet. Ehb is ultimately the one who will decide whom makes the final cut. That won't stop me from letting you folks hook up and run your own 1 to 1's elsewhere though. It will just be outside the bounds of this event. But in short, Ehb is basically giving almost 3 weeks to work and refine your sheets. Please draft them as thoughtfully as you can!


Considerations for Creating a Character and the Acceptance Process


What Ehb is Looking for in the Sheets is in general is:

  1. Player showing the Ability to follow basic instructions, as littered through the Character Sheet and these QA like posts.
  2. Ability to take the basic story summary and live through it with your character. The 'Common Route Story' background which summarizes your character's experiences in the main story will be weighed heavily in deciding if your character is accepted.
  3. A bit like the above, the ability to improvise your character's experience in the story, the logic being that if they can improvise themselves into the story they can improvise their romance with a completely random character.
  4. Evidence showing your character can play more than one note. Ie. Being able to get a sense of your character's emotions they experience from the sheet beyond them just being happy or sad.


Can I do two separate posts in the character sheet thread? Or should I keep both my sheets in a single post?
Due to the possibility of the number of sheets that may be worked on, please keep both characters in a single post in the character sheet thread.

It is recommended to use 'tabs' in order to easily see between your two sheets. An example is shown below:

Code:
[Tabs]




[Tab=Boy_Character_Name]


BOY_CHARACTERS_SHEET_HERE


[/Tab]




[Tab=Girl_Character_Name]


GIRL_CHARACTERS_SHEET_HERE


[/Tab]




[/Tabs]

How will I know my character has been accepted?
Final character acceptance will be done in the 3-4 days leading up to the commencement of voting for ships. The way Ehb will do this is very simple. Ehb will go through still-to-be accepted sheets. They will read through them, and if the girl is accepted, your character sheet post will receive a heart emoji ♥️ from Ehb, and if your boy is accepted, you will receive a cookie 🍪emoji. When both characters are accepted you'll get a 🖋️ emoji. You'll need to have that Pen Emoji from Ehb to be eligible to be in the shipping pool for voting.

Okay? Can I ask Ehb to look over my sheets beforehand?
Sure. You can ask Ehb to look over your sheets in the discord at any time before the date. Ehb will look over your sheets, and simply answer yes or no to both boy and girl.

Sure. Then if I need to edit something, will you tell me what I need to change?
No.
Everything that Ehb expects and is looking for is plainly laid out in the sheet.

Yo! What the heck? That's totally unreasonable?!
It is encouraged to talk with the rest of your peers for general peer review if your sheet is not accepted and you have no idea how to further improve it, as you'll have acess to the Discord OOC while making your sheets. To make it clear, YES. It is unreasonable. But the hope is that you'll be able to get into dialogue with the others about your characters and through talking with the others, have a better understanding of what character you are drafting. Ehb is ultimately gate-keeper for quality, and doing the general administrative work of setting up this little experiment, but ultimately you are all RP with one another.

What about YOUR characters? They're gonna get shipped too?
As mentioned previously, Ehb's characters are reserved for general backup. And even then, some players may want to opt to be backups as well. It is hoped that in the end, while they're written to be the examples, and meant for backup, that the sheets Ehb posts up end up being the least impressive of the sheets ultimately posted.

Can I use fancy formatting, like making boxes-in-boxes?
Please do not use fancy formatting for your sheets. This is generally for quality-of-life for Ehb to look through the sheets easier. Confusing formatting may negatively affect acceptance of your sheet.

What happens if I don't get my sheets accepted by the deadline? Am I out of Luck?
Assuming you are in the discord you can set up a 1 to 1 with a player who wants to take the extra burden of running yet another 1 to 1. Note that it will be regarded as extracurricular and not be in line for things such as 'vote for best 1 to 1'. Ehb is generally assuming that people who give up will simply case contact though.

What in the world are you doing all of this for?
It is my wish set up this RP as a way to get some very dedicated writers into a setting of my design and have them improve a romance for me to oogle over for my amusement. If all of this works out, if Ehb can see interesting characters improved through a story/setting of their own design, if at least one or two of the 1 to ones actually make it to completion, if Ehb can happily have interesting content to read for November then all of this will have been very worth it?

Why would I submit myself to this sadistic thing you've set up!? What is the appeal for me and anyone joining!?
You are free to think of it as a challenge in being able to improvise. Improvising your character into an unfamilar-yet-familar setting, improvising an entertaining romance with another character. For you, the player, the enticements is the fact that all Confessions are Guaranteed to be happy endings. Ehb also has set up the standards to be very high in that whatever partner you are set up with is is dedicated to see things through and can will try to work to see your 1 to 1's reach a successful conclusion. The barrier of entry is high, the prestige of being accepted in may also be high, and the guarantee that all players must fall in love with their partner is what I hope shall make the effort you all put in fulfilling in the end. Of course it can also be considered a sort of alternative to doing National Novel Writing Month without doing national novel writing month.

Your standards are too high! This is going to crash and burn spectacularly!
I've already accepted the possibility of that happening, and apologize in advance to the others in the event that happens. Creating an RP with a higher level of standards for perspective characters is something that generally goes against what group RPs try to do. Generally, you want the signup process to be as easy as possible and try to gently caress as many people in with the expectation that people will drop and hopefully a core of dedicated players will emerge.

This One Shot is a distinct practice of another philosophy. Creation of a widely appealing idea but having a high bar of entry with the hope that that same core of dedicated players will emerge in the form of people who get their sheets fully accepted. In this particular case, this benefits this weird 1 to 1 but it's still a group RP dynamic as the GM wants to have each pair be very dedicated, and very able to improvise and get posts out to one another.

Is this setup for signups nothing but a bad idea whose merits are too far unbalanced from the demerits it causes as opposed to the regular way? That's what I'm trying to find out. Sincerely so.



Did you read all of the above?
Still wish to make the attempt?

Then best of luck.
Thank you for your considerations regardless!
Remember you will need to make both a girl and a boy character. You will need to have both of them accepted in order to participate. And also make sure to not post your drafts anywhere else aside from the Character Sheet thread (which will be made after Ehb completes those example characters).

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to address them in this thread in the meantime.

Basic Information
Standard Information in Reguards to Your Character

'Communication' Monologue
The Core Theme of the Common Route is Communication. To that theme, this section is dedicated to your character monologuing on the topic of communication in their current life. If this was an anime, and your character was the main character, this would've been the show's first opening scenes setting up the story. You may want to consider writing this after you have filled out the other sections or do this first and build a character off of it. Either way, it should illuminate your character's mindset at the start of the common route.


Name: (Last, First)
Appearance: (Anime Faceclaims, crediting the original artist would be appreciated)
Speech Color: (BBcode color meant to represent their spoken dialogue.)
Gender: (Male / Female)
Age: (Characters are all Generally School Seniors: 16-18)

Date of Birth: (Day, Month - Year is Omitted)
Blood Type: (Can be random, see Japanese beliefs about bloodtypes)
Height: (in centimeters)
Weight: (in kilos)

Character Voice: (Your Character's Japanese Voice Actor, please provide a clip too.)
Character Theme: (No Lyrics please, BGMs make a good choice! Provide a link please.)



Character Background and Personality
Section dedicated to your character's character and their involvement in the story.

Love means nothing, therefore Love Means Anything Monologue
The theme of Koibiito Communication's 1 to 1 confession endings is 'Love Means Anything.' It can be considered a complimentary monologue to the one written at the start. If this was an anime, this monologue would occur at some point in the last episode, either before or after the confession. This monolgoue has the stricter requirement of it must start with 'Love Means Nothing.' and must end with, 'Love Means Nothing. Therefore, Love Means Anything.' Have fun!


Personality (At Start)
This section should detail how your character's personality was at the 'start' of the Common Route. Your character's mindset at this start of the story is likely in relation to the all boys and all girls school merger and the chaos that is causing.

Pre-Story Background
This section details your character's backstory before the start of the common route. It should at least mention how they grew up and should explicitly make an attempt to mention how their time at their original boys/girls school had gone.

Common Route Story Background
This section details what your character did/experienced through the Common Route of Koibiito Communication. This is probably the most important part of your character sheet and can make/break your character being accepted! One should be able to recognize the notes of the original baseline story summary without it sounding like it was simply copied and slightly edited over. Again, THIS SECTION IS MOST LIKELY TO MAKE OR BREAK YOUR CHARACTER BEING ACCEPTED!

Personality (At End)

This is the personality of your character at the end of the Common Route, and the Personality that they wear in the 1 to 1 confessions. The events of the story should've had some effect on a character, and while it doesn't meant they had to have change drastically over the course of the story, it still should've meant something to them.

Club
This should be the name of the club that your character spent their time in during the duration of the whole story. Though your character can be a part of two clubs if they want.

Likes:
At least 4. In all the sections below you may bullet point them but they should have a sentence or two detailing them out a little more too.

Dislikes:
At Least 4

Hobbies:
At least 3

Dreams/Life Goals:
At least 2

Most Embarrassing Moment
Your Character's Most Embarrassing Moment, whether from before the story or during the common route. Everyone in the club is close enough to know what that moment is.

Insecurities
At least 3 -Things your character doubts about themselves or doubts in general. This section might be useful to your partner in trying to forge a romance in that they may be able to soothe those insecurities.



Example Characters
(Diligently Working on them! Will post Make CS Thread when all is fully setup!)




  • Basic Information

    'Be Careful Not to Say Something You'll Regret'.
    "That's an old saying my mom loved to hammer in to my head. What does it mean? Well, i probably means to just take care to not sound like some idiot by speaking every little thought that comes out of your brain. You see, there's a merit in just staying silent. Other people have a lot of things to say. In those other things that people say, you can garner valuable information. How they feel, how they think, what they want, what they don't want. Using that information, you can definitely formulate the best response. If you can't then keep on listening, surely something good will come to mind. All I want, is a fun, easy life. Nothing more, nothing less. And I don't have to regret being a fool in order to have it."

    Misoto, Ruger

    RP Ruger.jpg
    Artist: original character by fukahire (ruinon)
    Speech Color: FFE4B5
    Gender: Male
    Age: 17

    Date of Birth: 11th, February
    Blood Type: B
    Height: 158 cm
    Weight: 63.5 kg

    Character Voice: Tobio Kageyama

    Character Theme: Dear Sunshine


    Character Background and Personality

    "'Love Means Nothing.'
    It wouldn't be weird if hearing that, the first person that comes to mind is my sister, right? Of course it will, but don't worry, let me explain: A long time ago, when I was just a kid, my older sister offered me her old guitar for my birthday. It was a cruddy hand-me down, she'd just gotten a new one using money from her part time job at the Burger Lord, back home where I came from. It being a hand me down, of course I refused it. It felt like I was being cheated out, with her dumping her old junk off on my and being able to call it a present. That day, I stormed out of the house and went to hang out with my friends like I always did. Me shoving her old guitar back into her arms, and slamming the kitchen door behind me was unfortunately, the last memory of her I have. Cause I never saw her alive again after that. Maybe if, at the time, I could've appreciated that that first guitar was actually special to her, since it was something she'd saved up small paltry allowances for to buy it. Maybe if I understood that she wanted to teach me how to play the guitar so we could do something as siblings for once. Maybe if I wasn't such a prick that day.. But in the end, I chose to believe that she hated me, even though it's only now I'm realizing I was the only one fooling myself into thinking that this whole time. And, now I have to live with that, forever. I don't want to ever make that same mistake again. So, In the end Love means Nothing, therefore Love Means Anything."



    Personality (At Start)
    A listless young man trying to figure out his place in the world, or rather specifically high school. Ruger tends to come off a a bit more gentle - even a little meek compared to the regular boy coming from the all Boy's School. A whole lot of people have various expectations about him, especially since he comes from America, but he's just a tad bit more reserved that someone you'd expect to come from there. In fact, he gets sort of pushed around a little bit rather easily. He generally dislikes talking about himself, and tends to be rather good at steering conversations in other directions, preferring to hear what others have to say. He's a good listener, but sometimes it feels like he just wants to 'be there' and keep the status quo going. Nonetheless, there are times that, when he gets passionate about something, a different, more boisterous, more emotional sort of person comes out, much to his embarrassment.


    Pre-Story Background
    Ruger Misoto was born from a Japanese Father and an American Mother. His father emigrated to the states during the 80s and wound up in a very rural farm area of the American Midwest where everyone in town knew each other. He was apparently 'an accident' and his mother named him after her favorite shotgun. He had just one other sibling, his older sister, whom he was generally apathetic towards. His sister on the other hand was always getting up in his business. Telling on him, dragging him home after dark, and other small nuances that, while she did them out of genuine concern, he found himself inconvenienced by. His older sister was generally considered smarter and more talented than him - especially since she was really good at playing the guitar. Ruger was generally average in all aspects and just had to tag along with the other boys in order to feel like he was anything of worth. On one occasion, she offered to teach him how to play guitar, even going as far to gift him her old one. He refused.

    One day, his sister was involved in a horrible accident that took her life. This shook the young man in a very profound way. It was only after she was gone that he realized just how petty his dislike of her was. He picked up that old guitar that she gifted him, sat alone in a room with the old learning sheets she'd set aside in a special folder for him, and he began to try to learn. He had no talent with the instrument at all. But he continued, and still continues to, try to learn. Maybe out of guilt for what had happened, or maybe trying to make up for the time he lost with his sibling by playing that same old guitar.

    Family circumstances lead to Ruger being shipped to Japan to live for several years. Since his mother talked Japanese to him throughout his childhood, he was able to have a very basic grasp of it. In his middle school years, he made a point to try to fit in with the other kids despite the language barrier until he could at least communicate with regular Japanese people and students around his age.

    Into high school, he enrolled at an All Boys school, mostly because it was within walking distance. Ruger was starting to feel like things were once again becoming 'normal' for him as he began to be able to talk with his fellow classmates with enough fluency to be able to express himself. His world is suddenly shook when it's announced that the all boys school is merging with the town's all girl's school at Yuzu High...


    Common Route Story Background
    The merging of the two schools was very inconvenient. There were all sorts of strange rules being set up between the boys and the girls. They were sitting on opposite sides of the classroom. Both sides generally refused to use the same set of stairs so even sets of stairs became segregated. With the school announced to be closing after winter break, Ruger felt like trying to change anything was meaningless. One day though, a stray basketball that flew past a female student lead to the girls trying to get the school's outside basketball courts to getting shut down. Annoyed at this, this culminated in Ruger losing his temper and yelling at the girl trying to get this done and causing her to cry. This lead to him nearly getting suspended. Guilty at what he had done, he was told to join the 'Gender Relationship Club' in order to not be expelled, and in order to try to solve the problems being caused by the merging of the schools.

    One of the first things that the club had to do was set up for the sports festival. It was generally an uphill battle, as the boys and the girls generally didn't want to work together in any of the events that required them to work together. Ruger and some of his fellow students had to have several heart-to-hearts with some of their fellow classmates about the value of sportsmanship and giving it your all. This almost fell apart when a lot of the equipment was vandalized prior during the leadup to the event. The boys immediately blamed the girls, but Ruger, wanting to not repeat what he had done previously vocally vouched that they should find what had really happened rather than going to the easiest answer. Working together, they found that it was ultimate a single person dissatisfied with the merging of the schools that had tried to sabotage the event. Without that problem being resolved, it was likely Yuzu High would not have done as well as it did during the competition.

    In the lead-up to winter, where the fate of the school would be decided based on whether students opted to stay in the school or to transfer, Ruger and his club-mates went on a week long campaign trying to get students convinced to stay. Seeing the boy who made that one girl cry making such a big 180 in wanting to save the school moved many students, and ultimately the school was not closed after that winter.

    After winter break, the school went on a vacation to the nearby town's hot springs resort. One of the students were alleging that whoever was responsible for the smear articles in the paper trying to get Yuzu High shut down was going to be at that resort while they stayed there. Ultimately, thanks to Ruger being able to understand English, the students snooping around were able to discover the truth behind their original schools closing. Someone wanted to tear down the school lots in the town and make them into warehouses for a logistics hub.

    With that knowledge in hand, Ruger again used his knowledge of English to help promote Yuzu High's culture festival. It was thanks to his English knowledge that various foreign ravel bloggers flocked to make a stop at the small town, and a most peculiar twist of fate the random idea of making it a 'Maid Cafe and Host Club Tournament' made it wildly successful beyond what the students were expecting. Ruger began to really feel like he was making a difference in what he was doing.

    Despite the success of the culture festival, in the end, it was the schools' test scores at the end of this year that would decide the fate of the school. Ruger generally struggled with topics on Japanese History and Japanese in general, as did some of the boys in general. Luckily, the other girls, including the girl he had made cry all the way in the beginning, helped him through. Ruger in-turn helped a good amount with people struggling in English.

    In the end, they did it. The average test scores at the school reached a level that put them on the top 15 schools in the nation. The school was saved. The club had fulfilled it's purpose. As a last event for the club, they sought to run a school wide American-Style Dance. Ruger helped setting up this American Dance not so much by telling them how an actual American dance was supposed go, but rather in ordering genuine red party cups from the states, which he still can't understand why everyone is so fixated on.

    At the end, Ruger feels accomplished. He felt like the experience made him closer to his sister in being able to understand what it's like in trying to take responsibility for something, and trying to help other people. He came to appreciate that it's not always okay to just go with the flow and suppress the feeling in your heart that something is wrong just to not cause conflict. He still isn't any better at playing a guitar, but he finally felt like it was okay for him to lock it up and move on.


    Personality (At End)
    Calm and relaxed, but feeling a bit more free. The events of the story made Ruger step out of his comfort zone several times over in order to try to save the school. He often tried to bridge the gap between the boys and girls in trying to talk out their problems in order to smooth out the problems that came from the boys and girls being weary of one another. In the end, everyone was able to break that first boundary and everyone worked together to get things done. But, Ruger was always on board with wanting to to save the school and have everyone get along. It was commented that he likely would've been class president if it wasn't for him graduating this year. He charmingly known for being collected and calm but also passionate about whatever he sets his heart to.


    Likes
    Soda
    - He really likes soda. Whenever the others buy a single can, he buys two of them. Might be affecting his figure just a little bit...

    Hanging out after school - Ruger is often roving around with the other boys in the shopping district in town. Just to be a part of a group.

    American Television - Still can't get into the television airing in Japan nowadays. He still yearns for the shows playing at home. Luckily, in the age of streaming services that isn't too hard. He is caught at a loss when the boys are talking about the latest shows airing in Japan.

    Hiking and going on Walks - While Ruger is generally known for hanging out with the other boys, some have caught him sitting around outside soaking up the atmosphere. He's actually daring enough to go walk in the forests around outside. Apparently he did such things a lot when he was in America.


    Dislikes
    People Arguing
    - Gets irked a bit when seeing people going at one another. Tends to jump in without thinking just to get them to calm down and not yell, even if has nothing to do with him.

    Noodles - Has a bad habit of wanting to eat noodles right away and a tongue that is sensitive to hot food. More often than not has burned his tongue and plastered broth on his shirt a number of times at this point.

    Hamburgers - In his old town the only place of note to eat at without having a friend drive you was a local burger place. Got tired of burgers from eating there so often.

    People discovering his guitar hobby - It's embarrassing to say that he's been practicing for so long and yet is still not any good at it, and then needing to try to explain around why. Too awkward.


    Hobbies
    Learning Guitar - He dosen't want to call it a hobby, but he's spent so much time trying to play the thing at this point is might as well be a hobby now.

    Basketball - He's not on the team, but he like playing with the other boys to pass the time. He likes the teamwork involved.

    Cooking - He got so tired of the same food he was eating at home that learning how to cook a couple different dishes ended up being necessary. He has this weird habit of putting salsa on a lot of things, though. Strangely good at italian foods even though he's already grown bored of making stuff like like lasagna and spaghetti.


    Dreams/Life Goals
    Go Back Home
    - Ruger feels like he ultimately wants to go back home to the US someday. He generally believes that his roots back home will always make him want to come back.

    Find Himself - Feels like he's spent too much time just being a body in a crowd. Feeling like his feelings are just parroting the things that other people say. He want to find his own voice, his own sentiments to call his own.


    Club: Gender Relations Club


    Most Embarrassing Moment
    Briefs Boy - Got his pants pulled down on him in Elementary and the Name 'Briefs Boy' has Haunted him ever since. It was supposed be buried when he moved to Japan, but He accidentally let it slip during a truth or dare session with the other club-mates.


    Insecurities
    Thot Slayer
    - He gained the nickname of 'Thot Slayer' after he made one of the girls cry. There was a brief period he was rather accepting of the new moniker but after the events of the story he just wants that and all his other nicknames to be forgotten.

    Not Masculine Enough - Sometimes questions if he's manly enough to be called a guy. Finds himself personally lacking and that he needs to do more manly things like start lifting weights instead of playing an acoustic guitar.

    Hurting Girls, His Sister - The memory of him not accepting his sister's guitar and offer to teach him how to play it has followed him for years. He feels like any relationship with a girl will end with him hurting them just like he did to his sibling.


 
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