individuates

Completely - wan~!

[he can barely get out the impersonation before falling back slightly in giggles all over again]

We can do it, we definitely can - we just cannot let him see what we're doing. Either we have to hope he won't come butt in, or try to do everything in here...

[...it's already cramped in here. But they can't risk having everything known until they're ready to reveal it.]

Mmm, okay. Us first.

[diving for a sketchbook - how strange they worried about not being able to afford them, they're everywhere now. Perhaps they should have been a little less zealous about spending their Chroma, but that's not really not his mind right now]

We've got colours, right? Head, back, wings one colour, body another?

[but he's totally sketching a cross between Tamaki and Nishiko, with a blush and slightly crossed legs, like there's something he's trying to hide...]

[But all of these sketchbooks are filled with so many ideas. For as awful as being kidnapped to a strange new world is, it definitely helps their imaginations. Hikaru has drawn up so many ideas with his twin and it's been fun. He's missed this. They've always been creative and for as short as a month can be, it had felt like ages since he last had this kind of creative freedom.

Hikaru glances at what Kaoru's drawing and he laughs.] Look at him! Look at him! It's so fitting. You think we can get him into wearing the tights? We probably could. It wouldn't be too hard, I bet, if we told him about the mascot idea and what they do, you know? Say the tights are a huge part of it or something?

[They haven't been above lying before.]

[at some point, they will sit down, curate these ideas into a collection, produce the collection, and take this place by storm.

Just... right now, using up their materials in an elaborate practical joke seems like the more fun option.]

It is literally Tono's face.

[seriously. But then, perhaps their Tono is quite the chameleon.]

I mean, they are part of it. Part of the costume... [whether or not the offer any protection...? Though Kaoru feels a little badly about that.] We'll try to make them thicker, more like leggings. And we can use that glue gun to put some grip onto the feet.

[but he's switching gears, gesture-sketching out a basic figure, then switching out colours on his chunky commoner pen to start sketching out a kigu.]

Ew. [well that orange is disappointing.] But you get the idea? One colour for the body - raglan sleeve?

[They're never going to seriously hurt Tamaki. It's the whole reason they are making something for him in the first place.

Even though it is a huge joke as well.] Hm. We might want to be careful with the material for the leggings. [It's still summer after all.

God what a ugly orange. Hikaru goes to get some of the colored pencils they got and gets a red one. Just so the lines stand out a bit more.] Yeah, yeah. Do we want both of the bodies to be white? It'd look good together and the colors all contrast well. Hm...[He draws a hood over the head, a little bird face with it.] I don't know if we have enough but...? [The unspoken idea is some kind of decoration for the top. Feathers but not actual feathers.

His eye is much bigger than his budget.]

We could do it with black. If we need to, we can dye the main colour darker to ease the contrast there... [they haven't got tons of materials but they can do that for sure.] White on the body would still be good. Maybe just black to indicate feathers, then? It can be a little bit cartoony...!

[sketching, sketching... the sleeves are effectively a semi-circle added to his figure, just to try to nail down the silhouette, though where they will be seamed is delineated with little lines at the shoulders. It's weird trying to keep to his own bit of the sketch-pad when they so usually have their hands in each other's drawings, sneaking under the other's resting arm to add details.]

I dunno if we'd be able to do, like, a comb on top. It would need to stand, but that might make it too heavy for the hood, and drag. But we could applique eyes and a beak?

[here, look, it's a cartoon bird...]

Realism for these types of things are too weird. [Cartoon bird is a good idea. Hikaru hums, nodding at the drawing. Very rarely do they not like what the other has come up with.] We have plenty of black so using that for lines is good. We should focus on just the two colors. Orange and white and blue and white, yeah? [Being frugal is so hard and really, it's difficult not to go overboard on something like this. Especially when they are so used to being able to just that. Their mom never demonstrated the art of subtlety.]

Ah, for the wings...[He almost just starts drawing where Kaoru is but then their hands almost touch and he remembers. The loudest, most dramatic sigh escapes from him as he reaches to grab another sketchbook.

He draws out the wing, showing where their hands would go.] The wings should be able to cover our hands but it should be easy to get them out too if we need to use our fingers. [He draws a sort of pocket in the wing, big enough for a hand to comfortably fit.] Yeah?

[they've got it. They will be the cutest cartoon birds.]

Yeah! I think there would have to be an extra piece in the palm, then - kind of like a pillow-case?

[they have maids - it's possible they have never had to fit a pillowcase to save their lives. But they can at least know how they work.]

So the hand goes into pocket at the end, and there's a partial cuff, so the rest of the sleeve covers it...?

[setting down his sketchbook and sitting back, tidying up his blanket and tapping his pen against his chin]

...what about Zuko?

Yeah, yeah! That works. [They at least know that pillow cases go on their pillows. Some things you know.

But when he's asked about Zuko, he hums. Hikaru is very apathetic towards him. The problem is they're too alike in the worst ways and really, maybe they have been able to apologize for their first fight but that only got Zuko into Hikaru's apathy level. But at least that was better than outright disliking him which was never a place you wanted to be with a Hitachiin.

But the problem is that this leaves Hikaru uninspired.] A dragon or something? Unless that makes him get mad about them being extinct but not really in his world or something. [What else was there to do?] Unless we made it look super cartoonish? Like...

[He sketches out a quick design. ]

What do you think?

Sure! [Kaoru has ideas?] Simple is easier, yeah - probably good that it's got a white belly like ours. Maybe we make sure it's unmistakably a dragon, though-- hang on...

[Trying to draw on Hikaru's pad while he's holding it is gonna be difficult, though, so he just takes it, closing his fingers around the top in warning before switching it out with his own. Now he can use the red in his pen - and if he works really hard he can get it to run two colours at once! The strange things that commoners come up with!]

It needs those long, noodle-y whiskers, and maybe a beard - all self-respecting dragons should have a beard. Though it might end up a bit moustachey...

[A few quick strokes here and there and there are little details incorporated into Hikaru's sketch to make the dragon a little bit more eastern. Horns too, he needs to have...

Hmm. He stills a moment, then shifts himself a bit more firmly cross-legged in front of his twin]

...you want me to take this on?

Edited (Icon!) 2020-09-01 16:01 (UTC)

It's funnier-looking if it looks more Western, though. They're so ugly. [But the level of apathy he has really does shine on through and he shrugs, letting Kaoru have it. They both know what it's like when you simply have no interest in doing something. Apathy can be as big an enemy as boredom.

But if it doesn't have a dumb face then he's going to have words, Kaoru.]

Give me your sketchbook. I wanna go over Tono's a bit because you know, I bet we can get him to keep wearing this thing. When this storm is over, we could make him take on being a mascot in a more permanent sense. So that means figuring out the feet...

[Now Hikaru wants to go in for the long haul because imagine if they could keep it going.]

Yeah, true, they do make them fat - what even is that about...

[sliding his sketchbook into Hikaru's hands - say no more. Of course he'll be able to rely on Hikaru to help him troubleshoot practicalities but he's never going to force his twin into designing something he has no spark for.

Additions to the muzzle, then - the promised beard (if they can get the material for it it will be just long enough to hang in Zuko's face - same with the whiskers) and a dopey, sticking-out tongue. Also crossed eyes, because why not, but he'll throw out-]

Googly eyes?

[before leaning over to help Hikaru out]

Mmm, we'd need to cover shoes. It would be one thing if it were just boot covers but if they have to attach the actual legging...

[that's a lot more stress to the adhesive. A more complex solution may be required...]

We can always figure out something else later - he won't be going out right away, and if he does, he's only idiocy to blame. [tapping his initial illustration] He'd have to be bare-legged until his pants are dry.

[It's to poor Zuko's misfortune that Hikaru grins.] Yes. We got some, right? [Obviously that prank just never gets old and is a classic. It was definitely worth the money to get them.]

[As for the rest...] We'll have to explain to them what's going on and I don't think even Tono would want to go out in this. [This is one of the worst storms Hikaru has seen and something about it is obviously not right. Space storms are apparently very serious.]

I'm mostly just brainstorming for later. Until it gets cold anyway...if it gets cold here? [Space was supposed to be cold but this place was so weird. Maybe it stayed like this all the time? But if it does get cold then they can't milk this mascot for all its worth. It isn't built for warmth.

He draws on some cartoony shoes.] Might be a bit too cartoon-ish.

We might have to break out the big ones.

[because every prankster needs a full array of googly eyes in different sizes. Kaoru's thinking of the ones they have the size of jam jar lids...]

Yeah, there's no reason we can't add shoes - like, white cartoon sneakers? [Hikaru's already there and he nods approvingly] Yeah yeah, just like those, something like... comedic tension between the modern and traditional ideas, y'know?

You think it'll snow here like real winter? That would be kinda fun...

A worthy cause. If we had the materials, it would be kind of funny if we could just make one that's entirely those eyes. [But the googly eyes are vital and they can't just waste them!

Except now he's thinking they need to stock up and definitely make Tamaki's room entirely googly eyes. It's very necessary. But that's for other days. Maybe Zuko but Hikaru isn't entirely sure how Zuko may react. It could be funny or not. He has to get to know him better before that.

He nods along to Kaoru's ideas and draws up some ideas for the shoes but also how to attach them. Just some small plans to get the ideas out there and make him think more.]

I don't know. I mean, space is supposed to be cold? So maybe? It could be fun unless we have to make a repeat of this again? Like the snow makes it hurt to touch each other? Then we can't ever leave this apartment and then what do we do then? [This might be classic Hitachiin dramatics but the fear seems very real and possible?

He goes back to their bird ones and works on figuring out the placement for the buttons when he struggles to remember if they have the right ones? Ugh, there is velcro...then he remembers the zippers and changes it.]

And I guess we have these to keep us safe even if this happens again. [But it hasn't even been an hour since they discovered this and Hikaru already misses touching Kaoru and it feels like it's been much longer than since last night they were able to touch.]

We'll totally do it another time. At the very least we should make one at some point with eyes on the backside.

[...they don't have to be high fashion ideas all the time. Leaning over to have a look at Hikaru's, nodding his encouragement as he switches out the buttons]

Mmm, good idea - I like the buttons, but a zipper is definitely the way to go. We'd have to finish the buttonholes individually and that'll take time when there's four of us. Or-- three of us.

[since Tamaki will probably won't need buttons.

The pitch of Hikaru's voice was troubling just then, though. In absence of a more physical means of getting his attention Kaoru reaches out, putting his hand down in the middle of the page to get his brother to look at him a moment.]

If it snows I don't think it will be like this. It's definitely rained here before, right? So it can't be like this all the time...

We should put angry eyebrows on the eyes on the ass. [That's just hilarious and there's a time and place for high fashion. It just isn't today and not until they have the money for it.

Buttons are cuter but a zipper is just more practical. They had gotten that big bulk bag of zippers too, hadn't they? If the colors aren't too clashing (or at least a similar shade...!!), an orange zipper for Kaoru's, a blue one for him, and a red one for Zuko...]

Kaoru overthinks but Hikaru isn't above his own overthinking. Or reacting. How many times did he watch those dumb science-fiction movies and his mind went away with him? Too often. Kaoru is always there to reign him in. Just like he is for his twin. This is what they're here for.

He smiles and nods.] Yeah, you're right. If people are acting like this is odd then it isn't normal so...[But then he has an idea.] Ah...but if it did happen again, maybe we could market these? I mean, even if we can all touch in the winter if it does get cold? [It's banking on the idea that it will get cold but it's still something to consider.] People eat up this kind of cute stuff. We already have ours to model off? But hmm, if we offer too much customization then we'd really have our hands full...

Yes.

[raising an index finger - that habitual gesture of when things have come together just so - though he catches himself and draws his hand back properly.]

Well, then we see how long these ones take us, and how many we could reasonably turn around in a given period - however many slots per week. Customisation could be to a reasonable extent, like, we could have a basic menu of the design and closures and switching out colours is free, but any bigger changes costs extra.

[however that even works with Chroma.]

Of course the beauty of it is that they're usually a one-size design. But it would need the right material too, I guess - something cosy for winter.

Edited (Of course closing my HTML is also important...) 2020-09-02 23:12 (UTC)

[Maybe they can't touch fingers but Hikaru still puts his index finger up. Simply for the fact of letting Kaoru know he was thinking it, too. That he wanted to do it, too.]

Fleece is so cheap but hand-sewing would get annoying real quick with it if it's too thick. But hopefully we'll have machines? [If they don't have sewing machines in a couple of months then Hikaru might lose it. Especially if they're going to be sewing for customers and that means spending hours working on these things. There's a time and place for hand-sewing and this just isn't it.]

Good thinking, though! We can come up with some basic animals. Cat, dog, bird, bunny? Basic animals that most people know and like. If people want more than that then they have to pay us more.

[Their ideas are going away with them. They need to remember what they're here for and Hikaru looks down to start sketching out more ideas when he sees the birds.] Hm. To-do list.

We can get machines.

[just as soon as they can touch again, but Kaoru at least says it confidently enough! Hikaru's entirely correct, though, using machines will cut the turnaround time even more. It's just common sense.]

They can be like menus, or categories - sort of a Shou-Chiku-Bai sort of thing.

[and he's sketching out a list of categories]

Like, of course you can have a basic cat, that's fine, but you can also have, like, a leopard or a lion. You could have a horse but you could also have a zebra - it would cost more if we couldn't find the print, though, we'd have to effectively make our own fabric but you get the idea. Like-- evolving a Monstermon or something.

Of course, some will automatically come in at a higher level. A unicorn is just a higher level horse, but we can't really base a dragon off something we could use for something else...

Nice, nice! We could have special edition items and that's where dragons and unicorns come in. We could add something else on because only two special items seems weird. Hmm...Phoenix? [He hums and taps a finger on the sketchpad, writing out different creatures. Some get crossed out because he isn't entirely sure if people would know them.] We can do some research for these.

[Poll people on animals and such. It could work for them.] I did see zebra print here which means this place has zebras? I don't get this place. But then again, I get the weird hyena features so that means this place must also have hyena. What's with this weird ecosystem? [He's still trying to make sense of what is going on here but that's something that will plague his mind forever.

Back on topic!] We should do research on the animals we offer, too. Like watch, nobody will know what a lion is and then nobody will want it.

Nononono here's the thing. The dragon we made was a special edition for our good housemate Zuko. [not 'friend' - Hikaru doesn't seem so sure.] We can get photos - we're modelling, obviously - but it's so exclusive we don't keep it in stock - it has to be made on request.

And that's a good argument for keeping out bases basic as well - things we can turn out and customise easily. We don't have to make a bunch of lions and be stuck with them - instead of sinking capital into what might end up as dead stock, we can have a bunch of cats that we can change up when this customer wants a housecat, or that one wants a panther. Heh.

[Listen to them. Kyouya-senpai would be proud.]

And it also means we're not chained to specific animal types, if people have weird animals like Zuko and his horse-chickens or whatever.

[One day Hikaru is going to get past apathy but at least it's not outright dislike. A blessing for the whole house.

He's nodding along with Kaoru's ideas. It's a good idea to just have a basic outline of each kind of outfit. Something other than a basic has to be made special and obviously charged more. He lists out the basic animals they had been talking about but then pauses when he hears about Zuko's animals.]

Wait, what? Horse-chicken? What the hell is that? [But he's laughing as he asks. How do you have a bird and an equine be a crossbreed? Is that what happened? Did they decide to breed these two horribly different animals together? Which should be impossible but Hikaru has quickly stopped considering things impossible here.]

No, wait wait-- it was ostrich-horses and Komodo chickens. But still - how does it work? [for sure it's a matter of compatibility] Either way, I feel sorry for the birds, they definitely got the sore end of the deal.

But yeah, we have basics we can embellish - we can make them bespoke. Oh, oh! [leaning over, tapping Hikaru's sketchbook to point out a category they missed] What about rodents? Guinea Pigs - capybaras, Hikaru!

[The image of an ostrich and a horse mating is something Hikaru never thought he would imagine and now wishes he never had. The sore end of the deal indeed. Unless the females had been the other animals? But still disturbing nonetheless!!!

He gets excited at the idea of capybaras.] Yes! And those are so easy! Hamsters are super easy too! And people really like them lately. Well, they did back home. We could market it!

[This was supposed to be about protection for them currently but their minds got away from them. As was the usual.] Oh! Monkeys! People love monkeys! Tanuki? Kangaroo? The little baby at the front! [THE POSSIBILITIES.]

[it's not the greatest mental image. All the more reason that Zuko's strange animals are simply bizarre, to Hikaru and Kaoru's mind.]

Kangaroo!!! [yes yes yes] But a baby in the pocket costs extra!

[but he loves all of these ideas, Hikaru]

Not that we'll make the baby kangaroo, - we'd buy one, but so can they. Now I think about it, will hamsters and capybaras be so different once they're turned into kigus...?

[it's an important question, definitely, for sure. Tapping his pen against his chin in thought.]

I think we have enough animals. Once we see how those take off we can try other things - there's a ton of under-the-sea stuff we could do, they would be super colourful but will need piecing. And then... I dunno.

[Vegetables?]

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They have definitely pulled the "Googly-Eyes-On-Everything" prank at least once...

The house staff has woken up to everything being covered in googly eyes

"Fix it before the mistress gets home!" ...somehow they always manage to forget a couple.

They make their parents room the worst literally the night before they come home

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I'm thinking of a different screencap but this will do X'D

i made this one real quick to be like THIS ONE?

That and another one X'D they do it a few times, though...!

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