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[dateme]

[OOC]

Your Name: Dolly
Contact: owlits @ plurk
Are you at least 16 years of age or older?: Yes
Current Characters(s): n/a
Reserve Link: Reserve!

[IC]

Is this a re-app?: No.
Character Name: Morio Inui.
Journal: dateme
Canon: Houkago Edge
Canon Point: Chapter 1, after he decides to blackmail Tobari about his cross-dressing.
Species: Human
Age: 17

History:
Summary:
Tobari’s always loved cute and feminine things. Which sparks his eventual venture into drag. One day, while he was out in public dressed as a high school girl, he bumps into fellow classmate, Inui. It’s annoying to Tobari how amusing Inui finds it, but at least he’s promised not to tell anyone. But with no plans of letting him off for this hobby, Inui proposes something outrageous. He is twisted and unstable, but for some reason, his words are reassuring. A story of a secret love woven with something unnerving.

There's no wiki for this series but since it's short (5 chapters) here is a link to the manga.

Houkago Edge is the story of a 2nd year high school boy named Tobari who has always loved girly things. One day he scrounges up the nerve to dress up as a girl in his sister's old school uniform, whereupon he is promptly recognized by Inui. He snaps a photo on his cellphone before Tobari runs away, and uses it to confront him the next day. Rather than blackmail him right off the bat however Inui takes an immediate interest in Tobari and asks him why he dressed like a girl...after asking him if it's because he's gay or wants to be a girl. Because he's a douchebag with no filters.

A very big douchebag as it turns out because the next day Inui approaches Tobari again & declares that he's changed his mind and he totally should blackmail him! So unless Tobari agrees to go out shopping with him dressed as a girl he'll spread the photo he took of him dressed up so that the whole school will see. Tobari has no choice, and the two meet up the next day in order to buy make-up because Inui did interrupt him while he was trying to do it last time and all. It's not to make amends or anything though--Inui admits it's just for laughs and his own amusement.

He spends a lot of time being an ass (asking Tobari if he'll understand why he dresses in drag if he does it too), but he does have one redeeming moment during their adventure: not only does he help Tobari sign up for a membership card when he freezes up with nerves at the check-out, he actually congratulates Tobari honestly about being able to go out in public like this and make purchases himself since he knows it's a big deal for him, which...culminates in a very weird atmosphere?? But Inui ruins it by saying that they aren't finished yet and next time they're going to get clothes to go with the make-up.

The next several days see Tobari being relentlessly bothered by Inui at school, who just can't leave the poor guy alone. He refuses to delete the photo stating that it's "too cute to suffer a cruel fate like that!" He expresses the opinion that he doesn't see why Tobari should have to hide...not understanding the reasons why Tobari would want to in the first place. They agree to meet the next day to go shopping and once again, Inui actually helps Tobari by suggesting he buy clothes that look good on him rather than what he'd like to wear (since he can't decide on anything beyond "fluffy"). By the end of it Tobari walks out with a bunch of new clothes and surprisingly few dickish comments from Inui! But once again that atmosphere makes an appearance. And this time Inui winds up following an impulse and leans in to kiss Tobari...until he pulls back long enough to tell him he's terrible at make-up.

Tobari whacks him with his shopping bags.

He demands to know whether or not Inui's gay, to which of course Inui answers he doesn't know?? It's awkward and confusing and they both decide to go home for the evening. The next day Inui doesn't show up for school until the very end...with his ex-girlfriend Ricchan in tow because he's gotten it into his head that Tobari must learn how to do make-up, and who better to do that than his ex-girlfriend and current best friend??? So they kidnap Tobari and drag him back to his own house, force him into the girls' uniform, and have Ricchan show him how to do his make-up. Obviously Tobari isn't a big fan of this and thinks that Inui's blown his cover, but Ricchan assures him in confidence that she figured it out on her own and admits that she knows Inui's personality is t e r r i b l e. But he's also really fun to hang around so it didn't make sense to her to not stay friends after they break up.

She compliments Tobari's looks and hair as she finishes, but it winds up to be too much for him. He bails and locks himself in his room. Inui comes to see him once Ricchan leaves and the two wind up fighting over why Tobari likes to dress up, if his anger and inability to accept what he likes and wants to be is part of some sort of perverted role-play. Tobari punches Inui, and at that moment he says he realizes why he just can't leave poor Tobari alone: he thinks he really likes him. And also stuff about getting turned on whenever he sees him and making out with him on the floor because it's a shonen-ai manga and it can't be helped.

It gets hot and heavy until Tobari yells at Inui for wanting to kiss and make out with a guy in drag, but Inui isn't bothered by it at all. He says all he hears "are the whines of a self-denier." Tobari knows it's true and hates that he knows it's true. He has a lot of problems about liking cute things and wanting to dress like a girl because it's supposed to be gross and disgusting but it's who he is. Inui just accepting it like it's normal is hard for him.

They meet the next day at school where a rumor has been going around that Tobari was seen in drag. His friends confront him in class and as Tobari starts to panic, Inui cuts in and tells them he was the one who made Tobari dress up like that, "'coz it was so damn funny." He takes the blame for Tobari and what happened, which of course only makes Tobari feel worse for the misunderstanding. He bolts from school, only to be followed by Inui. They wind up boarding the same bus together after some failed attempts to talk things out about what happened between them.

"People like you...who can be who they wanna be without a fucking care about the world around them... I really like watching people like that. Yesterday, I thought that if I pushed you hard enough...I could see more of that."

"What, you trying to pick a fight here or something?"

"What I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay? I went too far. I think this might be the first time I ever sincerely apologized to someone! Oh, and by the way... I was telling the truth when I said I really liked you."

Ultimately Inui winds up asking Tobari what he should do to make him fall for him, and invites Tobari to see a movie with him dressed as a girl. Tobari refuses but because it's shonen-ai he has to change his mind and go later anyway. SO HE DOES and Inui is his usual douche-y self (he pretends to see someone from school at the same movie theater to freak Tobari out), but...in the end Tobari voices all his concerns and insecurities, and Inui tells him that he doesn't care whether he's dressed as a girl or not: he likes him for who he is (he thinks) and he decides to show it by hugging poor Tobari all over the place in public. Tobari then acknowledges that while Inui always forced his hand, the reason he went along with everything was also because he could be more honest with himself around him.

The next day Inui meets Tobari at the school gates and the pair walk side by side with one another, discussing where they should go with one another next.

Personality:

Right off the bat, Inui is not a Nice Person. He's selfish and egocentric, blunt about what he thinks regardless of how it will affect those around him, and only does stuff that's "fun" to him--good or bad. The whole reason he decides to blackmail Tobari in the first place is because he finds him interesting and wants to solve the mystery of his desire to cross-dress. He preys on Tobari's insecurity and lack of confidence while dressed as a girl to force him into extra outings with him: when Tobari floundered with the clerk over a membership Inui came to his rescue...only to use the instance as an excuse to "come along" just in case it happened again the next time he went out as a girl. He doesn't care that it makes Tobari uncomfortable or miserable because it's fun for him--and that's all that matters.

When Inui blackmails Tobari into shopping with him he acknowledges that he ruined his initial outing to buy make-up and suggests they go out and buy some to do it over--"though it's really just for laughs." He's upfront in telling Tobari that the glasses he wears as part of his disguise don't do anything for him, that he sucks at make-up (after kissing him), and even goes as far as to ask Tobari if he dresses in drag as well, will he "get it?" Inui doesn't mince his words because he literally doesn't care (or think) to. he isn't used to worry about anyone's feelings but his own. So understandably he has practically no friends aside from Ricchan.

He started bothering Tobari in class because it was fun, and when his enjoyment of their outings culminated in a romantic atmosphere he went right ahead and kissed Tobari because he wanted to; not because he was thinking about Tobari's feelings at all. While they're out on a "date" he comments on how cute the other girls around them are. As Riichan herself has said, "(Inui) is pretty rotten on the inside. He just wasn't a good boyfriend... But as a friend, he just makes everything so fun. So even after we broke up, it didn't make much sense not to be friends."

Because it's important to also note that while he's not Good, Inui is not a Bad Person either. He doesn't set out to deliberately make people miserable! Sure he does wind up blackmailing Tobari about his cross-dressing, but it isn't his first go-to reaction. And he doesn't do it because he wants to make Tobari miserable or bully him either. Inui just wants to see more of the strange anomaly Tobari appears as to him: someone different, who does something strange for reasons he doesn't quite understand. Of course it's all still for his own selfish amusement (and later one-sided affection), but he doesn't use this information for "evil" or anything. Because he is given the chance to! Tobari's classmates eventually find out about his cross-dressing when rumors being to spread, and even though Inui could have just let it come out that Tobari did it because he enjoys it, he instead interrupts and says that he's the one who forced him to do it in order to protect Tobari.

When they go shopping together Inui helps pick out clothes that look good on Tobari and doesn't mock him; rather, he actually earnestly congratulates him on his hard work because he can tell it isn't easy for him. Yeah sure he enjoyed the heck out of it too and he likes using his leverage over Tobari to spend more time watching him for fun, but he does earnestly help him out. He arranges for Ricchan to help with Tobari's make-up and to get him a membership card at the cosmetics store. No matter how non-standard Tobari's hobby is he never actually says anything bad about it, even when Tobari himself calls it disgusting and perverted Inui actually makes arguments for why it shouldn't be a big deal (as obtuse as he is about the actual reason Tobari's concerned).

As his feelings for Tobari develop to a point where he genuinely likes him ("I think"), Inui does try to make amends--not because he wants to be a better person or change who he is, but because he wants Tobari to like him. After Tobari punches him and he defends his cross-dressing by taking the blame, Inui acknowledges that they're technically fighting and he should try to fix things; it would be selfish to just leave Tobari alone with their feelings and circumstances left unresolved. He acknowledges that he's not a good guy (both when he talks about blackmailing Tobari and when they're at the bus stop together) and admits that he likes watching people and provoked Tobari just for his own amusement. But he also admits he went too far, and apologizes: "I think this might be the first time I sincerely apologized to someone!"

His attraction to Tobari (as a person, not as a boy or girl) is what drives him to try and prove it by being both openly affectionate and slightly less...of an asshole. Because he is still very much an asshole. After confessing to Tobari Inui still freaks him out by making him think their classmates have followed them to a movie just for laughs. But he also sticks with him regardless of what their classmates think, and remains unashamed of their relationship through to the end. Because as rotten as he is inside, Inui is always honest about himself and isn't ashamed of the person he's grown up to be. If anything, he likes to pester and bother people until they're just as honest about themselves as he is.

Powers & Abilities: Inui has the powers of being a prick and douchebag and a terrible person in general!! If you date him you will regret it. This is totally a power okay, I swear.

Misc: n/a

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