victory_road | 21st [hyperlink only]

[All that's inside the post proper is a hyperlink: My trainer is a Huge Dork and I am too Fabulous for his Body, an AMA with the One and Only Honky Tonk!!!]

[It leads to a livestream on Kazuki's mostly-bare StaryuTube page. It's counting down to a premiere beginning in one hour. There's a little two-frame gif of a Primarina winking in the middle of the placeholder graphic.]

[When that time has elapsed, the livestream begins. Kazuki is sitting in frame, full body, at the perfect angle, and with excellent lighting. It looks like he's at some kind of cafe.]

[Anyone who knows Kazuki will be able to tell immediately that something is wrong. He looks... pristine. Like a glossy ad in a magazine. His clothes are definitely something he would own, but they've been chosen and layered with a meticulous kind of perfection. His hair was pulled back in a small ponytail (again, something Kazuki would do) but his bangs were arranged to look both manicured, and yet somehow effortless. His leg was elegantly jaunted against the other. There was an incredibly complicated frozen coffee drink on the table next to him. And he was wearing sunglasses.]

[Honky Tonk figured it might be weird for people to look this body in the eye and ask questions about it's owner that wasn't there.]

[He waves at the camera with both hands at once, and when he speaks, his voice is an octave higher than usual, and strangely melodic.]

Hiiiiiii everyone~!

[He pulls the sunglasses just enough off of his face to see his eyes for a second, and he turns his face back and forth in an inspecting manner.]

Ugh, his skin! I barely even had to put on foundation. I know he moisturizes, but this is just unfair! I'm totally jealous. This body could pull off anything if he really put in the effort.

[He sits back, and puts the sunglasses back on.]

Anywho, let's not waste time, hmm? I'm sure I've only got so long to enjoy this, and I have a lot I'd like to do before it's over!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, I know it's not a solution, but it may finally get the ball rolling on a couple of things. You don't live with him, you haven't seen how he looks! Four whole years here, and the only company he keeps are his Pokemon and the occasional stray kid that needs a place to stay. The look on his face when he talks about missing his friends is absolutely tragic. I refuse to stand by about it any longer.

[Grant... sighs, scrubbing at his face for a moment.]

...Alright, yes, I'm all for seeing if Kazuki can get out of his shell a little more, but... I don't know, this seems like it might just push him back in when he sees it.

[Like-- listen, he's just saying, he'd be pretty embarrassed if one of his Pokemon pulled this.]

Sweetheart, I don't think there's any further back he can go. After the hullabaloo with the Meganium, and now that Jaskier isn't here to make sure he has a social life anymore, he's practically become a hermit.

He spends his Friday afternoons with the Slowpoke at the well. Just let that sink in for a minute.

Fine, then I'm worried he'll stick in place more firmly where he is.

["Now that Jaskier isn't here". Huh. That's new information to Grant, and... okay, not all that personally upsetting given his own opinion of Jaskier, but evidently he and Kazuki were friends.]

Look, whether or not Kazuki is lonely isn't where I disagree - I can take your word for that. But I really don't think this is the way to change things.

[They were very good friends, and Kazuki is very sad about it, even though Jaskier's antics skirted around harassment from time to time.]

[Tonks loved everything about the man and is heartbroken in his absence.]

Uuuuuuuugh, I'm surrounded by narcs... I haven't even done anything. I'm not about to spill secrets unless somebody asks, and if someone actually cares that much, shouldn't they know?

Kazuki doesn't even have dirty laundry to air! He's as pure as he looks! He just cares too much about "burdening people with his feelings" or "being too much in general" or "does the way I look make people not take me seriously? Is it my hair? Do you think it's my hair?"

[Tonks changes the tone of his voice in a slightly mocking manner when he is obviously quoting Kazuki.]

Okay, see, that - that is what I'm talking about. It's not secrets I'm concerned about, it's that it's bound to be embarrassing to be mocked on the network with his own face.

[Tonks has to pause, because dammit, Grant is probably right. Even though he's still a huge narc!]

Bluuuhhh-- [Tonks pulls his lower eyelids down for a second as he runs his hands down his face in exasperation.] Okay. Fine. You have a point. BUT.

It's SO frustrating to just watch him struggle all the time!!! I care about him, I'm his starter, and probably one of like, 3 living beings he actually opens up to sometimes that haven't up and disappeared on him. But I can only do so much! His problems are so human. They're all up in his silly human head. I don't get it! Nothing I try to do helps!

[Granted, Tonk's ideas of "help" were never anywhere close to actually being helpful, but fuck if he didn't try!]

Maybe if a human knew about the things he says to me, something would change!

[Grant can't help sighing - out of sympathy, this time.]

I do understand being frustrated... and also why he might be reluctant to take steps on this. Just a second.

[He's just gonna... switch to private real quick. If they're really gonna be getting into this, it's probably best that it's not on the public network. Obviously Kazuki could still look over these videos any time, and that would be pretty understandable since it is very much his business - but the whole of Johto and Kanto doesn't need to hear all this.]

If you'd like - and if he's alright with it - I can see how he'd feel about talking to me or another human that might be able to help sometime. But I can't give any guarantee, since the final decision is his.

[Tonks goes along with the privating, mostly because he doesn't know how to undo it, but it works.]

You would??? Oh, please! Maybe if someone else made it their business, he might actually care to talk... That's his thing you know, it's not a problem until it bothers someone else.

I'll try. Remember, no guarantees. [Especially since he wouldn't feel good about trying to guilt Kazuki into talking about his problems, or anything like that.] But - yeah, I would like to help him out if I can. Kazuki is a good guy; he doesn't deserve to just get stuck in his own head all the time.

Oh, thank you Teddy Bear! You're the best! Just a doll! I hope everything works out!

21st [hyperlink only]

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