third time's the charm

[odenson]

who: The NEETs, Chibita, anyone who was invited or wants to stumble across the party
what: A Belated Bday party for the NEETS
when: Afternoon-Evening, Dec 10th
where: On the beach in one of those convenient cabins mentioned in the mingle log
warnings: none insofar. Probably drunken shenanigans, bad karaoke and possibly feels? We'll see.

So once upon a time (that time being, specifically, on the TDM about a month and a half ago,) Ichimatsu mentioned to Chibita that he'd missed his own birthday. Naturally, Chibita suggested that they have a belated party to make up for it. Now, he's making good on that idea. It just so happens that the festival and the Beach Cabins offered above happen to be a rather good opportunity. So he's managed to snag one of them this morning, and claimed it for the party later.

Said cabin is now moderately decorated. There's a couple simple happy birthday banners up, as well as a couple non-helium balloons scattered on the floor. Chibita's set up a bit of food and drink in the kitchen for people to come in and nosh on. The table has been taken over by an array of finger foods, mostly. Chips, dips, veggies, bacon-wrapped-dates, shrimp chips, gyoza, salted chicken wings, and various yakitori. Oh, and, of course, oden. Because if Chibita's preparing the party, there is absolutely going to be oden.

There is, also, a cake. Said cake is homemade and looks quite similar to the one in this photo. But don't worry: that stick of oden is made of fondant and moulding sugar. The cake has also been safely tucked away in the fridge for safekeeping.

Aside from things to eat, there's also plenty to drink. Nothing really too 'hard liquor'-ish, though. Beer, wine and cider, mostly, as well as mulled wine on the stove, because it's cold and that's a great drink for the holidays. And plenty of soda and other non-alcoholic entities, for those abstaining or too young.

Additionally, there's several different board games in the shared living space for people to play with. Scrabble, Taboo, Pictionary, and even mahjong, to name a few. So have a go at those. There is, unfortunately, a TV screen that's been hooked up to a Karaoke machine. So that is also an option, to be used for good or for evil. There's plenty of space to lounge and mingle to your fancy, both inside and out. There's a fire in the fire place, as well as a bonefire outside, supplied with the necessary ingredients for s'mores.

So, uh...help yourself? Maybe you know any of these guys and were invited. Maybe you just stumbled across the party on the beach and decided to join in. The post is your metaphorical Belated Birthday Oyster.

Comments

[glitterpants]

It isn't your type of scene? Ah.. it isn't my type of scene to be sitting off over here, eating a chicken wing with my brother! I should be out there.. mingling.. blessing all of the Karamatsu boys and girls with my presence! But instead.. I want to be next to you instead.

Instead, I want to make sure that you are enjoying yourself.
_{[ wow what a horn-tootin' asshole we got here. But.. at least he means it. ]}

We might have had strife in the past, as all brothers do, but I think.. we've actually grown up a little, Ichimatsu.
_{[ You know you guys have when Karamatsu of all people notices this. ]}

[ichimyatsu]

[He gnaws at one of his chicken wings, kissing his teeth to suck a piece of caught meat from between two of them.]

...finding dead bodies in atriums probably does that to a pair of guys, yeah.

[glitterpants]

_{[ Dude, c'mon. Why do you keep bringing this up? ]}
Ah.. well yes. I.. I'm happy that we are closer, though. I only wish it would have happened earlier.. and through another way.

[ichimyatsu]

[He dwells, and it's a weird gross terrible thing. It's what he does, remember, he's the miserable one.]

...yeah.

[He frowns and then holds up a loose fist, aiming to bump his into Karamatsu's.] I'd say I guess I owe you an apology, but even if I was definitely shittier than necessary most of it you brought upon yourself. [No he didn't.]

[glitterpants]

_{[ Karamatsu looks at the fist that is ready for some knuckles and his smile eases back on his face. Forget the bro fist, Karamatsu is going in for an embrace.. the best that he can with them both having food on their plate. ]}

It doesn't matter! Think nothing of it, my brother. You can be as shitty to me as you like as long as we are friends!
_{[ UH.. what kind of sentence is that? ]}

I WAS SO SURE I HAD TAGGED THIS...

[ichimyatsu]

[Oh God why hugging. Why unsolicited hugging. Why. He makes a startled snort of a sound and bristles, getting his arms between them and putting his palms flat on Karamatsu's chest. He doesn't quite push him, but there's resistance.]

Okay-- okay, we're friends, fine, stop suffocating me.

[glitterpants]

_{[ WE'RE FRIENDS. HE SAID IT. KARAMATSU HEARD IT. Truly, it is a remarkable day to be remembered. He does as Ichimatsu asks, though, and releases him. ]}

We should do something together sometime.. something as.. friends!
_{[ he's just gonna keep using that word, I'm sorry. ]}

what the heck i'm sorry i stopped tagging for a week apparently??

[nyahilistic]

[If he didn't think Karamatsu might hug him again in retaliation, he would consider informing him that he only agreed they're friends to get him to let go and shut up. Or, at least, that's what he wants everyone to believe.]

[He makes a face, expression scrunched and incredulous.]

What the fuck do you mean, "as friends", you make it sound like we're a broken-up couple!

[glitterpants]

Ichimatsu...
_{[ He thinks for a moment. A broken up couple? Of course not, but there's some unspoken tension between them both. It's jealousy, and neither of them want to talk about what they're jealous of. Oddly enough, Karamatsu is well aware of it. ]}

B-but, that's correct! There are portions of our relationship that is broken. Do you not think that?

[nyahilistic]

You're only asking me this because you know I've had beer,

[He hefts the half-ingested bottle from where it had been sitting to the side while he focused on his chicken wings, takes a swig, and grumbles.]

Honestly all six of us are fucking broken in the head. You don't have to treat our broken like it's special.

[glitterpants]

It is, though.
_{[ He's persistent. ]}

I think I am more similar to you than I am with anyone else in this family.
_{[ not so clueless anymore, huh? ]}

[nyahilistic]

[What. Why. No??? He visibly recoils from the statement, leaning away and hunching his shoulders, ducking his neck into them like a turtle. It takes him several false starts to make any words happen, and even then:]

Wh-- no? No, we--. No.

[He looks at his knees, alarmed and uncomfortable, and shakes his head slowly.] You're not like me.

[glitterpants]

No? Do you not see it, Ichimatsu? We are... desperate! Ah, we are also.. big losers! And virgins! And we both could not find a job back home!

_{[ omg that's ALL OF Y'ALL. WHAT SHITTY EXAMPLES ARE THESE? ]}

[nyahilistic]

[He deflates in place, reminding his startled heartbeat that Karamatsu is a simple man, and probably not quite capable of actual deep thinking. He sags into his knees.]

We've all always been like that, before here and that shitty spaceship.

[glitterpants]

How about this?
_{[ He waits, it's kind of suspenseful and annoying. He heaves out a sigh, hanging his head and closing his eyes, but a smile is still stretched across his face. ]}

We are both... jealous of something all of the time!
_{[ OH... ]}

[nyahilistic]

[He makes a rather distinct disgruntled snort of a sound, dropping his head back into the wall behind him with a solid thunk.]

...Karamatsu, come sit your ass against this damn wall with me.

[He is about to give you some words, son, prepare yourself.]

[glitterpants]

_{[ He has no idea what is coming to him. Usually, he doesn't. This ought to be good.
He does as he is told and sits down next to Ichimatsu, honestly pleased that he can have this heart to heart with his younger brother. ]}

Please. Tell me what is on your black heart, my mysterious brother!

[nyahilistic]

[He takes a good swig of his beer, and then offers the bottle to Karamatsu. Truthfully, he doesn't even like alcohol much, but it was there and it seemed like the thing to do. Doesn't mean he wants to finish the bottle, hence offering it to his sibling. It's only about half-full.]

[Whether he takes the bottle or not, Ichimatsu's eyes are closed and he's quiet for a long handful of seconds, mulling over what he's aiming to say before he says it.]

I think... maybe, you're not far off base with saying we're similar. We're brothers, sure, but I... We're fake. We're both really, really fake.

[glitterpants]

Fake?
_{[ Fake.
Karamatsu huffs some laughter, fingertips splaying over his own chest. ]}

Hah! Well, maybe you are. Everyone knows that about you.. you're not very dark at all! You're actually very kind, you realize...
Nobody is fooled!

_{[ Roast him, Ichi. ]}

[nyahilistic]

[For a second there, he thought you were gonna own up to it. When it's just the same bullshit as usual, he scowls, setting the beer bottle down roughly and shoving away from the wall to stand up. He wobbles for a moment, so the whole thing is a little less dramatic and forceful than he probably intended, but he turns back to him and points, glaring down his nose at him.]

That is exactly what I'm fucking talking about. You're always pretending to be something you're not. Does it not occur to you that that's why I don't want to deal with you? I already hate myself so fucking much, I don't need to put up with another impostor who won't fucking be honest with himself or anyone else.

[glitterpants]

<sub>[ Oh...
oh.

Well, Karamatsu should have expected something like this when he started being honest with Ichimatsu. That little smirk is wiped off of Karamatsu's face completely, eyebrows lifting and a curl of his lips makes him frown. Ichimatsu is implying he would prefer Karamatsu as his true honest self: a coward, a crybaby, a loser who knows he is worthless, a person who cannot achieve his dreams, a failure, somebody who is sad all the time and not fun to be around, somebody who is constantly angry.

His posture sags slightly. ]</sub>

I'm sorry.. but.. nothing about who I really am is good or desirable.
_{[ He avoids eye contact, startled by his own honest words that come out of his mouth. ]}

[nyahilistic]

Then why would I ask for it?

[He drops into a crouch, jabbing a pointed finger into Karamatsu's shoulder.]

We're all shitty and gross, what I'm saying is when you aren't pretending to be this boastful self-important asshole preaching to his Karamatsu Girls that don't exist, you're actually okay. When you aren't purposely speaking like your voice is lower, like you're some macho man with the fashion of a Western biker.

[Almost every time he mentions a specific facet of Karamatsu's put-upon personality, he jabs his finger into his shoulder again.]

[glitterpants]

I don't know.. maybe because you have poor taste in a lot of things.
_{[ SLOWLY... TURNING AWAY TO NOT LOOK AT ICHIMATSU... ]}

.. I don't like it when I don't pretend. The feeling that I feel.. it's overwhelming.. almost as if I am sinking and cannot swim. There is.. so much anger, Ichimatsu. I don't know how to get rid of it.

[nyahilistic]

[He scrunches his face.] Did you, of all people, just tell me I have bad taste.

[He huffs a sigh and shrugs, moving away to sit with his knees to his chest again, folding his arms around them and not looking at him. They were at something of a standstill, here.] ...you could try punching me from time to time, instead of letting me constantly be a little shit, but that's just my opinion.

[glitterpants]

_{[ And then, in shock: ]}

I would never punch you from time to time! Oi, there may be some things I fake about.. but I would not cause you unnecessary harm!