[OOC] Sapphire Roses

[Genkai]

You're right. I was not expecting things to go they way they did. I was reading and in the back of my mind, I kept wondering when the slip up would happen, so to speak. But as I kept reading and considering Botan's view on lying and how much fun Kurama's company has been even in the short span of time. So it does make sense, even if it was a spontaneous choice on your part, which I do think is fun to add when neither of us expect it after planning or say, stressful days. So this did bring a nice smile and warmth to my heart, considering how crappy/offensive a family member had been a few days ago. So thank you. :3

I'm really not mad at all, yeah it may feel sudden but these characters are more self-aware than the others we've written as (save for maybe Lin, Tenzin and Kakashi perhaps) and more mature. It gives Botan something to consider. She doesn't like lying to people but to Shiori, it feels even more awful. Botan doesn't know what the future could hold for her and Kurama, she doesn't want to give false hope and make things painful later on. But she does know that she and Kurama have been hitting it off, despite the challenges around them. So it'll be interesting to write the progress of the post and the consideration coming full circle.

There's really nothing I hate though. It was a very good surprise. Job well done!

-hugs-

[SoleAccord]

I'm relieved. Sorry to hear that a family member was being a dick. As you know, you can always hit me up in pm's if you'd like to enter a rant. I'm here. <3

Right now it's a 'Why not make this real?' so Botan doesn't feel any guilt, and there was nothing in Kurama's head that suggested he would regret this choice. It can just be until the investigation is concluded, but as they progress he's not going to want it to come to a close. Their different lifestyles are problematic, but this eventually comes up to Botan--she wants to retire, eventually, and live a life with Kurama and Shiori. And Kurama is mature enough not to resent her if she doesn't look at him as a boyfriend, but rather a good friend. I'm confident it can work. I did make a leap in the heat of the writing. It'll be interesting how they translate 'showing their relationship' rather than just being themselves.

*Hug*

[Genkai]

I got to vent to my friend yesterday which was helpful. Plus venting in person is probably easier but I will hit you up via PM if my fingers feel like unleashing the hell of a thousands suns. :3

They do have to walk a certain tightrope now if they're both willing to give things a serious try once things are over. As you pointed out, it probably won't come to that as they'll probably foster feelings well before it's over. Botan is open to a genuine relationship, though it just never crossed her mind. Considering all the crap that recently happened, she'd want to be careful around Kurama. He's a friend of Yusuke and an alley to Lord Koenma. At the same time, she can relate to his loneliness and wanting to not let life/opportunities slip by while being focused on one thing.

I'm already working on a post now cause yours was just too inspiring to put off another day~

[SoleAccord]

Good, cause I might be coming to you shortly about something that bugs me about partners >.>

With people who have their whole lives ahead of them dropping like flies, Botan could probably see the benefit in taking a risk. There are FAR worse people to be dating--even PRETEND dating--than Kurama. They pretended for a day, suddenly Kurama wants to make it real. Botan did one hell of a job PRETENDING. Being a real girlfriend might add some pressure to her, hm?

Oh stop it. You always do that and I never believe you xD

[Genkai]

Aw what you mean you don't believe me? ^^;

[SoleAccord]

My self-esteem disallows me to believe anyone could be inspired by such mediocrity!

But I opened up the first Harry Potter book and read the first couple of pages today and immediately felt good about myself. J.K. Rowling gets right to the freaking point and I do love that. No dressing crap up for the sake of making something lengthy. What an inspiration dude.

[Genkai]

Oh stop it, your post was great and deep down, I am sure you know it. :/

The first book is probably my favorite out of all of them, maybe with the fifth and third coming in close behind. But yeah, it's fun to return to those books. They have a special charm to them, even if the romance is lacking.

[SoleAccord]

I've never had someone consistently been inspired enough to want to write immediat--... oh, no, wait... I just did last night >.> WHATEVER MAN I'M HARD ON MYSELF :C

Eh if I'm being honest, I was in it for the conflict. I could care less who ended up banging. HOWEVER, I can honestly admit that Ginny bored the hell out of me, and Harry liking her again felt super spontaneous--more spontaneous than my decision with the recent post. Sorry if you like them, and I want to say you don't?

[Genkai]

You should know by now I hate Ginny. I'm a vocal Harry x Hermione shipper. Ron's development took a diver after the fourth book, and things got even more muddled with him and Ginny, I just skimmed over most of her crap because it was so pointless. But to see the development of the story itself and all the foreshadowing JK did is just amazing. It really was an exceptional book series and I have to admit, I'm curious about the new film coming out.

Btw, with my post, I'm not planning on skipping since I feel it might not flow well. Did you want me to skip though? I just figured them returning back with a more understood dynamic, would be interesting.

[SoleAccord]

I know you hate her. I don't have as much reason to do so because I remember so little about her contribution in the books, but what I can say is that Harry kissing her at random had to be one of the moments where I questioned J.K.'s decision. It might have been a way for her to show that infatuation is spontaneous, but boy did it not translate well for me when I first read it. It did nothing for me. Harry and Ginny shippers probably went nuts.

Ron's development might have tanked because I believe J.K had thought about killing him off multiple times, but don't quote me on that. I'm not really amped about the new film. I'd need to go back to the books to find my love for the series again. It's been too long.

Don't skip. We can extend the dinner a little bit with the new lovers informing Shiori. Or, instead of that, they just drop little hints here and there to allow Shiori to pick up on it herself. Botan's the far more affectionate one out of the two of them, at least in front of others, but this allows you and I to have them adjust themselves to their new roles in each others lives. Not just friends anymore.

Btw, any chance you'll be hitting the pm's tonight, or is it bad?

[Genkai]

I just think she's pointless. She's like Clara or River (I know you won't get my DW ref but oh well, it's there lol) she's a plot device more than a developed person. She served a purpose to me, which was to be a lifeless love interest. I mean at least Cho had some depth and had emotions but Ginny just came off as too perfect in the later books. Like she's excellent at Qudditch suddenly? Gets to snog so many fellas while somehow catching Harry's eye? If only she wasn't so bland...

Oh I already knew JK considered off'ing Ron at least once, maybe twice. I think it could have been a good choice on her part but I also see why she may have changed her mind in the end. Ron is actually more clever than people give him credit for and I do like him in some instances. But I just wish his choices in the last two books were different.

I think with Botan and Kurama, Botan would want to tread a little lightly, at least considering it's their first night together while assuming Shiori knows 'something' is up. So I think small hints would be acceptable. I think Botan has too much on her mind to be overly affectionate, plus she doesn't want to be rude or anything. Sure Botan doesn't mind PDA but she wouldn't be showy about it in front of her bf's mother. Botan is a classy broad, I tell you.

Not sure about the PM tonight, I think I'll be able to hit them up tomorrow afternoon actually, so hopefully that means we may get another post or two in this week/weekend. You know how awful I am with PMs. >___<'

[SoleAccord]

I agree with you; Ginny was the one sister in a family of boys, and served as the damsel of interest in Chamber of Secrets. Beyond that, her purpose was nothing more than a fan of Harry's. I did forget that she was a natural talent at Quidditch, and that Harry was somehow jealous of her getting other boys looking at her. Other than her role as a Dumbledore's Army volunteer, she served almost no other purpose that I can remember, and it HAS been a while. Reminds me of a certain manga that ended with the irrelevant love interest that the main character ignored for who knows how long suddenly being his wife in the epilogue. I think writers just cave; they either think they NEED someone to be the 'love interest and nothing more' from the start, or they ignore someone who they have had more in-text chemistry with throughout the books. It does strike me as odd that Hermione and Harry never gave each other a chance.

Cutting a trio down to two is a heartbreaking thing and not everyone can do that with ease. J.K. succeeded in making the series grow darker with each book, but maybe she didn't need to kill off a frontrunner to do so.

Botan is all about class, and respecting the fact Shiori is present is considerate of her. I do hope that Kurama's sudden request doesn't make her think that things had to change between them. He's still going to be Kurama, and he still wants her to be Botan. I want their first official date to be the exact place she mentioned; the Ferris wheel at night, taking her shopping, etc. I think the moment he heard that, Kurama decided that he'd get her there from the perspective of a human, and not a reaper. Kurama does know he jumped the gun. Botan can feel free to acknowledge that to him, too. She CAN say no. This doesn't need to happen just yet. Have her decline or just say she'd like time to think about that. No hard feelings either way.

You're pretty bad about PM's, that's true. But I know you have a lot going on, your family member was a dick, and the construction near your place is probably not helping matters. I want to progress at least a couple replies before your family returns. GoT is a fickle fucker of a roleplay, and it always demands the right environment to write it. I know I couldn't write that material in broad daylight with hustle and bustle going on in the house.

[Genkai]

Maybe if Ginny's sporting talent was hinted at sooner, I would have bought into it. But she just seems so unfulfilled as a character. Like more should have be done but it felt like just a random act, than something that was taking 'years in the making' since I hardly remember her until book six, at best. I know she's sort of around in the fifth book but it's not terribly much. The fact is, Harry could have married someone he met at work years later. why his best friend's little sister? And Harry and Hermione had SO much in common and so much respect for each other, I don't know how she thought Ron would be a reliable long term mate. Maybe dating for a bit, sure but...he's not her kind of husband material IMO. Maybe Ron and Luna...but ehhh. Writers drop the ball, they're not perfect but when so much of the series has/had potential, it's hard not to notice the little things.

I honestly think she will need the night to think it over. We could have her approach the topic when they're at the greenhouse after school. She'll just need to think it over and consider his approach. She wants to be honest and so far, it's been a struggle. But she is alone...and she does enjoy being with Kurama, despite their differences. Giving it a shot doesn't seem like a huge leap off the cliff, so to speak. Of course there's the issue of work and the investigation but she'll give him a considerate 'yes' after school I believe. Which would then, make them being so casual about it at dinner tonight, understandable.

Yeah what my eldest brother said did make me go hide in my room and cry for 15 minutes in the dark...so that was fun. Tomorrow, the fat sexist pigs won't be working, just a nice cute drywall guy but most of the work is in the kitchen/bathrooms so I can probably hide in my room or my parents room. Plus I'd love to get you something to mull over at night since you're a few hours ahead of me. ANd I do have other PMs that need me. But yeah, thanks for understanding. :3

[SoleAccord]

From her inception, I think the only thing that made her special to the story was that she was the first girl who, introduced, immediately had a crush on Harry despite not talking to him once. J.K. made that her identity from the start, and sadly she didn't grow out of it to some people, like us. xD I believe J.K. just wanted Harry and Ron to be actual brothers, even if it was just in-law. I believed that they were practically brothers through all they had faced together, but I suppose it wasn't really 'hitting the point home' and so she had Ginny suddenly be good at things to make up for her lack of actual character development. There was nothing that really made her different from other girls except that puberty must have hit her hard enough for Harry to really notice her as suddenly as he did. I never considered Ron and Luna. Luna's adorable but Ron's just such an ass to women from my memory. And to your last statement, true, fans who also know good writing when they read it are going to look a lot harder than the average reader. At least J.K. figured out later that Harry and Hermione DID have chemistry and that no one was crazy, which I THINK she might have suggested some of her fans were when they didn't happen.

I hear you. Kurama's efforts seem sincere, but I think that he might also realize that night that he had come on too strong. He still knew so little about Botan yet enjoys her company immensely. Not dark like Hiei, or silly as Kuwabara, or vulgar as Yusuke. She's fresh air. The greenhouse would be ideal for them to visit the topic again and drop it for the night. He won't blame Botan at all for that. So dinner will not be a big deal for them other than Shiori making some conversation we don't need to dive into. You don't have to skip just yet, but let's ask ourselves what more can be done to close out the night. Kurama can revisit fighting like we originally planned, as well as mentioning the greenhouse he tends to at least every other day when able. That might be... two more posts between us, only an estimate.

Wait what? OTHER PEOPLE? There is only one Lord of the Genkai, and he does not share power! -Rides off on eagle-

If you don't get that reference, that'll suck. xD the pm's are a good mulling device, other than our sporadic texting spree, to give me things to think about. But I don't know what's left to plot in GoT at this time. We just need to advance. Roses on the other hand, we still have some things to work out. The lackey's name, for one. I think I can make a profile for him in the character tab soon.

[Genkai]

I considered Ron and Harry brothers, which is why Harry and Ginny makes even less sense haha. I just wish I knew what Harry saw in her because I've always been at a sincere loss. I get she was enthralled by Ron's stories and how she was likely excited to start school but it came off as creepy. And even in the second book, she wasn't used much, despite being under The Dark Lord's control. But of course Harry had to be her knight in shining armor. I think Luna could help smooth out Ron's edges and he'd probably enjoy her quirks. But I still think the biggest mistake is not putting Harry and Hermione together but I guess that proves, you can be right for each other but not need to be anything more than friends.

Botan doesn't know a whole lot about Kurama either. She's read reports on Yoko of course but as he pointed out, there is Shuichi and she's just starting to get to know him and his mother. But yes I think sticking to the evening right now works for me. I think if we skipped, it might jeopardize the reactions and thoughts and could rush them. So I could lead us towards dinner, we could have a dinner post and then a before bed post where they sort of touch base before skipping?

I'm fairly certain it's Lord of the Rings, my bff would murder me if I didn't at least get that. I hope it's that. >___>'

We try to plot ahead, look ahead but it's hard to then tie it back to what we're currently working on. And I think both of us would like to hammer out (XD) a few posts in a short span of time so the scene can feel cohesive and this scene is important. We already know where we're skipping after their big night of "fun." But yeah for YYH, we only have a few things to flesh out. We still need some outings maybe, to get them talking more.

Btw, the post is coming, just slowly. I don't expect you to wait around for it so if you do need to hit the hay, you totally should. :3 I don't want you losing sleep waiting, is all I mean.

[SoleAccord]

In short: Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Even those we admire.

I believe that works fine, especially after you made the point about rushing, which there's no reason to do just yet. I think Kurama and Shiori can briefly touch on the greenhouse, how it's still an unpopular club, and maybe bringing up getting Botan involved if she was interested. After that, get them to the room, touch up on a little of fighting and how he'll need to make time to prepare her. Botan should also mention her schedule as a reaper. Koenma might be covering for her now so she can get some progress on the investigation, but sooner or later she has to get back to it at least a little bit. Thoughts?

It's Lord of the Rings. Good job~

It's an enjoyable habit but a problematic one, so no doubt by the time the issues between the two are fully hammered out (xP) we'll need to then go over what we want to accomplish in the next starting point. I'm looking forward to the kind gestures. Outings may be hard given their need to be watching the school as closely as possible, but maybe in the coming weekend Kurama could take her out somewhere for lunch and get the conversation rolling. Kurama's aspiration and his complete past can be raised, while he takes interest in her endgame and so forth.

I'm hitting the point tonight where I'm not great at talking about heavy plot details. I'll probably turn in shortly. As usual these days, I'll text you if I get into bed.

[Genkai]

Ya know, I even find Kieko more purposeful than Ginny. >___> And that's hard to admit.

Shiori bringing up the gardening club would be a good thing to do. And her bringing up her reaper duties is a good point I think by now Koenma has had to make adjustments for Botan to get used to Earth life but I suspect her job is going to start pulling her away, she does look after the entire city and probably a bit more than that. I can have her mention ordering a requisition for a special bat on special occasions and to express interest in learning other methods from Kurama, probably combat aside though for now.

Yay, I win! XD

I think them going out for lunch maybe they can even go visit Yusuke and co? You mentioned wanting to bring Kuwabara in, did you still want to do that? In terms of Botan and Kurama monitoring the school, they can only do so much. The lackey will probably target her on Thur or Fri which leaves us the next 5-6 days to have that change gears, in terms of her emotions and how she interacts with Kurama and the others. So it'll be important to make a distinct point of Botan now and then her being influenced by the demon's powers.

And yes, turn in. Hopefully I don't stay up too late, as I always have to get up at 8 in the morning to let the dudes inside. -___-' But I do wanna have something for you when you get up.

[SoleAccord]

Keiko was a positive influence on Yusuke and the only friend he had since he was a child. And no matter how obnoxious he acted or how absent he was, she still cared about him immensely. Keiko did far more for Yusuke than Ginny did Harry as they grew up. No contest.

There's no location suitable enough to train her without arousing suspicion as far as actual combat goes. She'll learn through his teachings and apply it in engagements on small fry similar to the imp she encountered, with Kurama there to bail her out of any trouble she might find herself in. I do know what you mean though. The greenhouse is how she applies her spirit energy to see that she has talent in healing. Ironic for the 'reaper', no doubt.

<3

I'd like them to run into Kuwabara and Shizuru that weekend. Yusuke is still with Genkai at the time--or at least I would like to think he is, since he lost her recently and just wants to make the best of her presence back on Earth--so he'd be absent from town for a while. Since the two know of her true role, they can talk about the case. Kuwabara can express interest in helping them out by keeping his own eyes peeled at the school, since he is the acting 'top dog' until Yusuke returns. I agree with your other points. But to clarify: the day on the rp right now is Tuesday night, since the funeral was on Monday? Correct me if I'm wrong there.

You wrote because you said you were inspired, but if the post was any good then your inspiration won't vanish the next day, and if it does you can reread it. Go ahead and get some rest if you need it. The rp isn't going anywhere, and neither am I. Don't push yourself.

[Genkai]

As annoying as Kieko is and how under-developed she was, she at least brought someone back from the dead. And though she took Yusuke's fight against Toguro a bit hard, I don't blame her. But she is still supportive and not as helpless as Ginny. So yeah. Ginny suxx

We'll have her reveal her spirit healing powers, have her officially agree to be Kurama fake gf, and they can go tackle low rank demons together. We still need one to surprise Botan so Kurama can save the day with his rose whip.

It is still Tue. But at the greenhouse it'll be Wed. I just don't see the demon lackey making his move until the very end of the week and being able to snag some time away from everyone else. That way he can work on her more come Mon onward.

Yep, I've still got my inspiration, just gotta focus it. It's always tough to get the picture in your head down on paper. But I'm also doing some late night laundry and killing spiders. I won't be sleeping anytime soon after finding some fuckers by my bed. :/ I'm almost tempted to burn the whole place down now...nowhere is safe. And I don't have my dad to complain to. -adult sobbing-

EDIT - I finished. I'm tired so I didn't add anything with Shiori but I figured your post would have more ease for that. If you need me to add/subtract, let me know. I'm hoping her logic but uncertainty makes sense, if not I can try to polish it up sometime tomorrow. I'm off to bed, I'll catch ya tomorrow!

[SoleAccord]

Exactly; Ginny was meh, Keiko was meh, but Keiko was less meh than Ginny. Keiko is the ALPHA meh, the character that managed to be meh, but not as meh as others.

Oh you and your fan service~ But I'm sure that, deep down, Botan might have had a fantasy of being saved and protected by someone as handsome and strong as him. Kurama can kick some serious ass, but he can also take some serious punishment in order to keep those he cares about safe. Remember that one dick in the Dark Tournament that threatened his mother? He took a LOOOOT of shit for that.

Okay, that works.

Dude fuck spiders. I had one crawling on my neck when I was sleeping at my old place. HE CHOSE THE WRONG NECK TO CLIMB UP THAT DAY. BAM! In regards to your post, no corrections necessary, but I did notice you tend to start thoughts with a ' but you don't end it with them. Any reason why? Preference? Have I been doing it wrong the entire time? :OOOOO