The mother of all RP horror stories, Part XI
Previous Parts: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X
Oh my god, you guys, I am so sorry for the delay. First I needed a little break before I tackled Day 2. Then life got insane and depressing and distracting and seriously, what is my brain. I never really forgot about the intention or need to go back and do the rest of this, but it got pretty buried anyway.
But I think I'm back now and I'll try to keep updates at least semi-regular from here on out.
Text isn't like a verbal conversation. In an IM window, you have a record of everything said right there for constructing your responses. There aren't the same constraints of "only one person can be talking at a time" or "I can only remember this one part of what was just said." There is, consequently, no excuse for this girl's consistent failure to address anything she didn't want to hear, be it my assertions, my protests, my concerns or my requests. It was neither a mistake nor a misunderstanding. It was a deliberate oppression of my voice.
She even slipped up and admitted this much in a backdoor way at the end of the first conversation, when she made it clear she had noticed all my previous issues in asking "What's wrong now?" Noticed, but was ignoring them. All of my thoughts, my feelings, my preferences and my desires were meaningless. She was intentionally trivializing all of the problems I had as me being too picky or too serious-- she was just joking, really!-- or whatever, but never were they valid. She was disregarding my interests and concerns, and she was deliberately, remorselessly, trying to persuade me through any means necessary to do things that went against my character's nature-- and against what I wanted to play.
She refused to listen or to communicate when I voiced problems. She made self-victimizing and critical statements towards me when I didn't let the problem drop: a psychological attack designed to denigrate my reaction because it was so clearly unfair to her. How unreasonable for me to continue to express so much discontent when it was affecting her acommodating and hard-working self so badly. Then suddenly I'd be questioning my own perceptions, seeing myself as the bad guy for not wanting to go somewhere she'd been forcibly steering us all along.
Or she made statements that seemed apologetic and that portrayed her as wildly misunderstood-- only so that she could continue doing exactly what she'd just rationalized. No, I just misunderstood; she meant well. I shouldn't be upset.
And all along her own demands were becoming increasingly unreasonable. No female characters. No straight males. No fandom characters. Your character must be older than 18. Your character must be attracted to mine. Your character must not hold any position of significance or sympathy. My character must be this one. My character only belongs in this setting. My character must be raped. My character must be abducted. More and more she took control of who I was going to play, how I was going to play him, who I was going play him against, and what setting I was going to play him in.
And I could bend and bend and bend, giving her as much as I possibly could, but the moment I refused and put my foot down, it was time for The Pout. Or the Protesting. Or whatever. No matter how much I gave, it was never enough.
The girl, in short, was vicious: a manipulative, emotionally abusive narcissist hellbent on controlling me so that I was the equivalent of her personal writing slave. What I wanted did not matter. What interested me did not matter. Whether I was having fun did not matter. Just as long as I had something keeping me tied to her game-- guilt, self-doubt, resignation, whatever. As long as that something kept me writing the difficult half of her personal fantasy with the Yuna Stu so that she could have all of the self-indulgence and none of the effort.
The final installment of that first day of my dealings with her made this truth clearer than ever. Having expected nothing but a civil and reasonable RP buddy, I was wholly unprepared for her controlling manner and poisoned words. Which brings us now to Day 2.
Unfortunately, over the course of sleep I developed this ridiculous mentality that I'd overreacted and regained a sense of optimism with the player. I’m going to include some IM commentary from a friend this time, because he was good humor through the ordeal. I started moaning at his window about the RP after he’d already gone to bed-- I had to have an outlet somewhere, and he already knew who this person was and what had happened the day before.
In any case, it takes about half an hour for the conversation to become mind-boggling again. After some introductory babble, she first asserts that she's added lots of development to Yuna's character to make him less annoying (wink). She described him too extremely, smut will get redundant if the plot plays out like we'd discussed, she'd planned on making most of that implied-- yeah, right-- let's start Rasu and Yuna off as strangers and have their first few weeks together a settling-in phase... and then a warning.
[redacted]: Yuna is not going to be the most friendly or outgoing person, though, at least initially. ;-) He'll settle down somewhat when he feels more comfy around Rasu though, I'm sure. :-)
You don't say! And here I was expecting Yuna to be the epitome of gracious, pleasant, and sociable. You just painted such an attractive picture of him before I couldn't help it. And after all, that would be the kind of demeanor he'd rather need to have any use at all as, you know, a HOST. Silly me. I forgot Yuna's such a hot piece of hot he's an awesome geisha no matter how putrid his behavior is.
[redacted]: I've fleshed out Yuna's past and the reasons why he's a bit...like a cat dunked in ice water at times. XD If you'd like the details, I can give you a summary, and I also must add that I have done my research on Yuna's...mental state, as well, so I'm going for accuracy. ;-)
Goodie! More double talk:
[redacted]: I think I might've emphasized Yuna's temper a bit too much. He really isn't as bad as he sounds. I don't find it fun to play a character who'd fly off the handle at a moment's notice, or one who's more temperamental than a wet cat.
I'd like a show of hands who here actually believes she did research.
Izumiz Angel: It's ok, I think if you have a background picked out that's the important part. So, just to make sure our facts are right on the beginning, Rasu was a fighter in the gambling rings, got hired on as a bodyguard and is now being introduced to Yuna, whose job it is to host and wait on the boss and his V.I.P. guests, right? Is there a reason that Yuna is getting a bodyguard? Have there been threats or attempts on his safety made before? I would imagine that the boss himself already had some bodyguards.
[redacted]: *nods* Yeah, Yuna's basically the boss-man's decorative accessory, but unlike the others he works with, he's generally not expected to do the "extra" stuff at the gentleman's club--this is due to his slightly unbalanced emotional state regarding those extras, and the fact that the boss-man might just be playing favorites.
As for the bodyguard...I was considering that boss-man might have decided Yuna needed someone to keep an eye on him, maybe because Yuna had a recent-ish fit of temper around the wrong person. Perhaps one of the patrons wasn't made aware that Yuna was not available for the extra services, and tried to have some "fun", which would have triggered Yuna's temper. Depending on the severity of the situation, the tantrum could be fairly mild or rather dramatic. I'd think, if boss-man wanted Yuna to have a bodyguard, that the tantrum would be on the serious side.
Okay... I see a stress on the word “not” up there, as in NOT expected to do the “extra” stuff, meaning whoring himself out, yes? This is emphasized several times actually, between the last chat and this one, and yet somehow it all goes flying out the window once the RP starts.
And... good lord >_< I can’t tell if Rasu is supposed to protect Yuna from the rare patron that the boss-man was too stupid to inform beforehand of Yuna’s specially exempt status, or if he’s supposed to protect Yuna from himself when said tantrum occurs. This is why you’re supposed to flesh out more before starting.
[redacted]: It takes a fairly forceful attempt for Yuna to flip his shit, so to speak.
You apparently define a fairly forceful attempt as “being in Yuna’s company”
Izumiz Angel: Okay... well, is he thinking bodyguard or babysitter? XD I don't think it would be Rasu's job to make sure Yuna doesn't break anything, but, for example, it could be his job to step in and make the guest back off.
[redacted]: *nods* I'm thinking Yuna would have a relatively pissed off fit, but the patron would take the brunt of the blame for being forceful and possibly injuring Yuna because he didn't like being told no or something.
He takes the blame because why? All the others supposedly are expected to dole out without arguing, and no one tells him Yuna’s “speshul” and then it’s his fault when Yuna throws a tantrum? This is getting back to that whole Sue Symptom thing, when the character can do no wrong no matter how outrageous the behavior or how stupid the reasoning.
[redacted]: So the bodyguard would be to keep Yuna safe from others rather than himself. ;-)
[redacted]: Yuna's not very destructive, temper-wise. He mostly just screams and curses, stomping around and maybe slamming doors. He'd only get physical if he needed to defend himself.
The lack of consistency is getting so bad I'm just laughing now. Remember this from the first chat?
[redacted]: After Yuna threw a fit that cost about $10,000 in damages, his owner decided it's pretty much not worth the trouble to force Yuna to do the extras. ;-)
[redacted]: Well, okay, that amount is an exaggeration, but you get the idea. XD
So he’s not really destructive, even though that was the reason he doesn’t have to dish out sexually to the patrons, which is a special exception to the job requirements that means he's in a position of control over his so-called owner: a fearsome gang leader who's enslaved Yuna-- to the detriment of his own bank account-- so he can force him to dress in kimonos and serve tea.
Izumiz Angel: Okay. Well, how should this start? I feel like we're covered everything we need to in workshopping for now. When it gets closer to the kidnapping we can talk about that more.
[redacted]: *nods* I think we've cleared up most things. :-) Your suggestion to start it at their introduction sounds good. Maybe boss-man could summon Yuna to his office, and Rasu's there waiting or something.
Izumiz Angel: Okay, that sounds good. Did we decide who was playing boss-man, or is he NPC? XD
[redacted]: XD NPC is good.
[redacted]: And I can't think up a name other than "Bob". *coughs* :-[
Izumiz Angel: Hitachi. This is Japan, right?
[redacted]: I have no preference about place. :-) Yuna being Japanese just sort of happened accidentally. XD
SURE IT DID. How the hell does your original character wind up with an accidental ethnicity? Come on, you based this guy off a member of a JAPANESE band and your false concept of a GEISHA.
And yes, for anyone who is making a face at the genericness of "Hitachi," I plead guilty as charged. It was every bit as two-seconds-of-thought as it sounds and I do not feel the least bit guilty about this considering who and what it's for. I just wanted something more apposite than "Bob." When the story is about two Japanese characters in a Japanese-themed club, that's not only culturally offbeat but flat-out unintimidating. Even if this were an AMERICAN club, "Bob" is a construction worker or a janitor, or the well-meaning neighbor who fumbles about and inadvertantly sabotages everything he tries. It's casual, familiar. Ordinary. That's not a name for a chief gangster. "Robert" is more professional but still not what you want. Mr. Last Name-- at least. These choices matter in setting the tone.
...And just how ominous is it that she's so absorbed with Yuna Yuna Yuna that she cannot even be bothered to find a decent name for the person who owns him? ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PEOPLE IN HIS LIFE FOR BETTER OR WORSE. Really? No more effort than "Bob"? Man, even most Suethors are better than this.
[redacted]: Though considering it's a geisha-like theme at a gentleman's club, with male "geisha", I'd think it'd make more sense if it were in Japan, and AU Japan at that, since such a place (with male geisha, i.e. gay club) might be somewhat unusual, though I'm not sure.
NOOO, you think? Look: 90% of the people in the world are heterosexual. Roughly half of the remaining 10% are women. Already you're down to a niche with an audience of about 5% of the population.
Then consider the supposedly obvious fact that gay men? Prefer MEN. Not people who look, dress, think and act like spoiled pre-teen females but happen to have a dick attached.
So: how many of those remaining 5% are into feminized males who also crossdress who also are crossdressing specifically as a GEISHA?
Let's assume you've got this club in a busy and populated city like Tokyo. Tokyo is 12 million people. That means roughly 600,000 gay men. How many have a crossdressing fetish? I'll guess 10% or so. Down to 60,000. How many of those with a crossdressing fetish specifically like geisha crossdressing enough to patron such a club? 15% maybe? That takes us down to 9,000. 9,000 potential patrons. In a city of 12,000,000 people. In other words, .00075% of the population.
Okay, so you may be thinking, "9,000 is small compared to 12 million, but that's still a sizable crowd of potential patrons!" Right: now let's add in the conditions for this club specifically. You should also consider how many are the sort that would be hanging around a club that is actually the HQ for a gangster leader.
Only .1% of the population belongs to the Yakuza, so assuming the statistics are constant amongst this segment of the population, that would be... 9 gay male gangsters with a geisha fetish.
Now I'm going to cheat a little and pull in some knowledge from the yet-to-be-shown log. How many of them are also wealthy enough to pay for using this club that is apparently so posh and classy that its workers live in luxury apartments with complimentary vodka? I'd say no more than the richest 10% of the population, which means... we're no longer even talking about a statistical full person anymore!
And uh... that one person? Is already represented by the club's owner, Yuna's boss.
Oops?
[redacted]: I admit I don't know too much about Japanese culture, but I know the basics about it.
Izumiz Angel: I did some research on this a day or two ago. Geisha used to be all male, but they're strictly female now and I don't believe they were ever designed or expected to provide sexual services.
[redacted]: *blinks* Cool. I knew that kabuki and other theater were all male, with men playing female roles, but I hadn't known it was geisha too. ;-) I seem to remember that while sexual services weren't the main point of geisha like in common brothels, they were trained to please men.
[redacted]: I suppose it's my Western assumption that pleasing men included sex. XD
Ephnat: She claims to know the basics about Japan?
Izumiz Angel: Yeah, that made me laugh and stare too
Ephnat: I don't think you or I can make that claim. XD She certainly can't.
Izumiz Angel: She even admits to basing all her "knowledge" off of Western assumption >-o
Ephnat: Mcknowledge.
Izumiz Angel: I'm going based off of what my friend told me and he's a lot more educated in Japanese culture than I am. He said geisha were never about sex. They were hostesses of the highest order, starting young and going through many years of training.
[redacted]: Ooh, cool. :-)
[redacted]: *smacks self* I'm bad for not researching Yuna's employment. :-\ I usually make things AU so I can make it up as I go. O:-)
I have the feeling equal “research” went into his mental state. After all, why stop the AU with setting alone? We’ll have AU natural reactions, too!
[redacted]: XD Feel free to smack me for being lazy. I knew the basics, and that's enough for me to go on usually.
*SMACKS YOU*
That done, NO, you didn’t know the basics. Your definition of "knowing the basics" is knowing they wore kimonos. Which, may I add, are not a strictly feminine item of apparel!
[redacted]: I'm dealing with a random person who doesn't seem to understand the concept of description in posts. *twitch* I'm ever so glad I asked for a sample before even discussing plot.
[redacted]: The lack of using the shift key was a tip off, I must say.
Oh you did not just go there.
Do not even start to complain at me about the inferiority of other RPers!
[redacted]: I find it impossible to write a half-assed post. I always describe stuff to the best of my ability, but I make it relevant. Therefore, I don't have "filler" or unnecessary details, and sometimes my posts are only three sentences, but I at least try for a decent size.
I’ll give you credit for that one: they weren’t half-assed. They were full-blown assed! Let’s again wait and see how you do on descriptions, since you really don’t ever describe anything that has anything to do with a reaction to my character.
Oh, my mistake, I almost missed the part where you said the description had to be relevant. I forgot my character was “filler.”
Part XII
Oh my god, you guys, I am so sorry for the delay. First I needed a little break before I tackled Day 2. Then life got insane and depressing and distracting and seriously, what is my brain. I never really forgot about the intention or need to go back and do the rest of this, but it got pretty buried anyway.
But I think I'm back now and I'll try to keep updates at least semi-regular from here on out.
Text isn't like a verbal conversation. In an IM window, you have a record of everything said right there for constructing your responses. There aren't the same constraints of "only one person can be talking at a time" or "I can only remember this one part of what was just said." There is, consequently, no excuse for this girl's consistent failure to address anything she didn't want to hear, be it my assertions, my protests, my concerns or my requests. It was neither a mistake nor a misunderstanding. It was a deliberate oppression of my voice.
She even slipped up and admitted this much in a backdoor way at the end of the first conversation, when she made it clear she had noticed all my previous issues in asking "What's wrong now?" Noticed, but was ignoring them. All of my thoughts, my feelings, my preferences and my desires were meaningless. She was intentionally trivializing all of the problems I had as me being too picky or too serious-- she was just joking, really!-- or whatever, but never were they valid. She was disregarding my interests and concerns, and she was deliberately, remorselessly, trying to persuade me through any means necessary to do things that went against my character's nature-- and against what I wanted to play.
She refused to listen or to communicate when I voiced problems. She made self-victimizing and critical statements towards me when I didn't let the problem drop: a psychological attack designed to denigrate my reaction because it was so clearly unfair to her. How unreasonable for me to continue to express so much discontent when it was affecting her acommodating and hard-working self so badly. Then suddenly I'd be questioning my own perceptions, seeing myself as the bad guy for not wanting to go somewhere she'd been forcibly steering us all along.
Or she made statements that seemed apologetic and that portrayed her as wildly misunderstood-- only so that she could continue doing exactly what she'd just rationalized. No, I just misunderstood; she meant well. I shouldn't be upset.
And all along her own demands were becoming increasingly unreasonable. No female characters. No straight males. No fandom characters. Your character must be older than 18. Your character must be attracted to mine. Your character must not hold any position of significance or sympathy. My character must be this one. My character only belongs in this setting. My character must be raped. My character must be abducted. More and more she took control of who I was going to play, how I was going to play him, who I was going play him against, and what setting I was going to play him in.
And I could bend and bend and bend, giving her as much as I possibly could, but the moment I refused and put my foot down, it was time for The Pout. Or the Protesting. Or whatever. No matter how much I gave, it was never enough.
The girl, in short, was vicious: a manipulative, emotionally abusive narcissist hellbent on controlling me so that I was the equivalent of her personal writing slave. What I wanted did not matter. What interested me did not matter. Whether I was having fun did not matter. Just as long as I had something keeping me tied to her game-- guilt, self-doubt, resignation, whatever. As long as that something kept me writing the difficult half of her personal fantasy with the Yuna Stu so that she could have all of the self-indulgence and none of the effort.
The final installment of that first day of my dealings with her made this truth clearer than ever. Having expected nothing but a civil and reasonable RP buddy, I was wholly unprepared for her controlling manner and poisoned words. Which brings us now to Day 2.
Unfortunately, over the course of sleep I developed this ridiculous mentality that I'd overreacted and regained a sense of optimism with the player. I’m going to include some IM commentary from a friend this time, because he was good humor through the ordeal. I started moaning at his window about the RP after he’d already gone to bed-- I had to have an outlet somewhere, and he already knew who this person was and what had happened the day before.
In any case, it takes about half an hour for the conversation to become mind-boggling again. After some introductory babble, she first asserts that she's added lots of development to Yuna's character to make him less annoying (wink). She described him too extremely, smut will get redundant if the plot plays out like we'd discussed, she'd planned on making most of that implied-- yeah, right-- let's start Rasu and Yuna off as strangers and have their first few weeks together a settling-in phase... and then a warning.
[redacted]: Yuna is not going to be the most friendly or outgoing person, though, at least initially. ;-) He'll settle down somewhat when he feels more comfy around Rasu though, I'm sure. :-)
You don't say! And here I was expecting Yuna to be the epitome of gracious, pleasant, and sociable. You just painted such an attractive picture of him before I couldn't help it. And after all, that would be the kind of demeanor he'd rather need to have any use at all as, you know, a HOST. Silly me. I forgot Yuna's such a hot piece of hot he's an awesome geisha no matter how putrid his behavior is.
[redacted]: I've fleshed out Yuna's past and the reasons why he's a bit...like a cat dunked in ice water at times. XD If you'd like the details, I can give you a summary, and I also must add that I have done my research on Yuna's...mental state, as well, so I'm going for accuracy. ;-)
Goodie! More double talk:
[redacted]: I think I might've emphasized Yuna's temper a bit too much. He really isn't as bad as he sounds. I don't find it fun to play a character who'd fly off the handle at a moment's notice, or one who's more temperamental than a wet cat.
I'd like a show of hands who here actually believes she did research.
Izumiz Angel: It's ok, I think if you have a background picked out that's the important part. So, just to make sure our facts are right on the beginning, Rasu was a fighter in the gambling rings, got hired on as a bodyguard and is now being introduced to Yuna, whose job it is to host and wait on the boss and his V.I.P. guests, right? Is there a reason that Yuna is getting a bodyguard? Have there been threats or attempts on his safety made before? I would imagine that the boss himself already had some bodyguards.
[redacted]: *nods* Yeah, Yuna's basically the boss-man's decorative accessory, but unlike the others he works with, he's generally not expected to do the "extra" stuff at the gentleman's club--this is due to his slightly unbalanced emotional state regarding those extras, and the fact that the boss-man might just be playing favorites.
As for the bodyguard...I was considering that boss-man might have decided Yuna needed someone to keep an eye on him, maybe because Yuna had a recent-ish fit of temper around the wrong person. Perhaps one of the patrons wasn't made aware that Yuna was not available for the extra services, and tried to have some "fun", which would have triggered Yuna's temper. Depending on the severity of the situation, the tantrum could be fairly mild or rather dramatic. I'd think, if boss-man wanted Yuna to have a bodyguard, that the tantrum would be on the serious side.
Okay... I see a stress on the word “not” up there, as in NOT expected to do the “extra” stuff, meaning whoring himself out, yes? This is emphasized several times actually, between the last chat and this one, and yet somehow it all goes flying out the window once the RP starts.
And... good lord >_< I can’t tell if Rasu is supposed to protect Yuna from the rare patron that the boss-man was too stupid to inform beforehand of Yuna’s specially exempt status, or if he’s supposed to protect Yuna from himself when said tantrum occurs. This is why you’re supposed to flesh out more before starting.
[redacted]: It takes a fairly forceful attempt for Yuna to flip his shit, so to speak.
You apparently define a fairly forceful attempt as “being in Yuna’s company”
Izumiz Angel: Okay... well, is he thinking bodyguard or babysitter? XD I don't think it would be Rasu's job to make sure Yuna doesn't break anything, but, for example, it could be his job to step in and make the guest back off.
[redacted]: *nods* I'm thinking Yuna would have a relatively pissed off fit, but the patron would take the brunt of the blame for being forceful and possibly injuring Yuna because he didn't like being told no or something.
He takes the blame because why? All the others supposedly are expected to dole out without arguing, and no one tells him Yuna’s “speshul” and then it’s his fault when Yuna throws a tantrum? This is getting back to that whole Sue Symptom thing, when the character can do no wrong no matter how outrageous the behavior or how stupid the reasoning.
[redacted]: So the bodyguard would be to keep Yuna safe from others rather than himself. ;-)
[redacted]: Yuna's not very destructive, temper-wise. He mostly just screams and curses, stomping around and maybe slamming doors. He'd only get physical if he needed to defend himself.
The lack of consistency is getting so bad I'm just laughing now. Remember this from the first chat?
[redacted]: After Yuna threw a fit that cost about $10,000 in damages, his owner decided it's pretty much not worth the trouble to force Yuna to do the extras. ;-)
[redacted]: Well, okay, that amount is an exaggeration, but you get the idea. XD
So he’s not really destructive, even though that was the reason he doesn’t have to dish out sexually to the patrons, which is a special exception to the job requirements that means he's in a position of control over his so-called owner: a fearsome gang leader who's enslaved Yuna-- to the detriment of his own bank account-- so he can force him to dress in kimonos and serve tea.
Izumiz Angel: Okay. Well, how should this start? I feel like we're covered everything we need to in workshopping for now. When it gets closer to the kidnapping we can talk about that more.
[redacted]: *nods* I think we've cleared up most things. :-) Your suggestion to start it at their introduction sounds good. Maybe boss-man could summon Yuna to his office, and Rasu's there waiting or something.
Izumiz Angel: Okay, that sounds good. Did we decide who was playing boss-man, or is he NPC? XD
[redacted]: XD NPC is good.
[redacted]: And I can't think up a name other than "Bob". *coughs* :-[
Izumiz Angel: Hitachi. This is Japan, right?
[redacted]: I have no preference about place. :-) Yuna being Japanese just sort of happened accidentally. XD
SURE IT DID. How the hell does your original character wind up with an accidental ethnicity? Come on, you based this guy off a member of a JAPANESE band and your false concept of a GEISHA.
And yes, for anyone who is making a face at the genericness of "Hitachi," I plead guilty as charged. It was every bit as two-seconds-of-thought as it sounds and I do not feel the least bit guilty about this considering who and what it's for. I just wanted something more apposite than "Bob." When the story is about two Japanese characters in a Japanese-themed club, that's not only culturally offbeat but flat-out unintimidating. Even if this were an AMERICAN club, "Bob" is a construction worker or a janitor, or the well-meaning neighbor who fumbles about and inadvertantly sabotages everything he tries. It's casual, familiar. Ordinary. That's not a name for a chief gangster. "Robert" is more professional but still not what you want. Mr. Last Name-- at least. These choices matter in setting the tone.
...And just how ominous is it that she's so absorbed with Yuna Yuna Yuna that she cannot even be bothered to find a decent name for the person who owns him? ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PEOPLE IN HIS LIFE FOR BETTER OR WORSE. Really? No more effort than "Bob"? Man, even most Suethors are better than this.
[redacted]: Though considering it's a geisha-like theme at a gentleman's club, with male "geisha", I'd think it'd make more sense if it were in Japan, and AU Japan at that, since such a place (with male geisha, i.e. gay club) might be somewhat unusual, though I'm not sure.
NOOO, you think? Look: 90% of the people in the world are heterosexual. Roughly half of the remaining 10% are women. Already you're down to a niche with an audience of about 5% of the population.
Then consider the supposedly obvious fact that gay men? Prefer MEN. Not people who look, dress, think and act like spoiled pre-teen females but happen to have a dick attached.
So: how many of those remaining 5% are into feminized males who also crossdress who also are crossdressing specifically as a GEISHA?
Let's assume you've got this club in a busy and populated city like Tokyo. Tokyo is 12 million people. That means roughly 600,000 gay men. How many have a crossdressing fetish? I'll guess 10% or so. Down to 60,000. How many of those with a crossdressing fetish specifically like geisha crossdressing enough to patron such a club? 15% maybe? That takes us down to 9,000. 9,000 potential patrons. In a city of 12,000,000 people. In other words, .00075% of the population.
Okay, so you may be thinking, "9,000 is small compared to 12 million, but that's still a sizable crowd of potential patrons!" Right: now let's add in the conditions for this club specifically. You should also consider how many are the sort that would be hanging around a club that is actually the HQ for a gangster leader.
Only .1% of the population belongs to the Yakuza, so assuming the statistics are constant amongst this segment of the population, that would be... 9 gay male gangsters with a geisha fetish.
Now I'm going to cheat a little and pull in some knowledge from the yet-to-be-shown log. How many of them are also wealthy enough to pay for using this club that is apparently so posh and classy that its workers live in luxury apartments with complimentary vodka? I'd say no more than the richest 10% of the population, which means... we're no longer even talking about a statistical full person anymore!
And uh... that one person? Is already represented by the club's owner, Yuna's boss.
Oops?
[redacted]: I admit I don't know too much about Japanese culture, but I know the basics about it.
Izumiz Angel: I did some research on this a day or two ago. Geisha used to be all male, but they're strictly female now and I don't believe they were ever designed or expected to provide sexual services.
[redacted]: *blinks* Cool. I knew that kabuki and other theater were all male, with men playing female roles, but I hadn't known it was geisha too. ;-) I seem to remember that while sexual services weren't the main point of geisha like in common brothels, they were trained to please men.
[redacted]: I suppose it's my Western assumption that pleasing men included sex. XD
Ephnat: She claims to know the basics about Japan?
Izumiz Angel: Yeah, that made me laugh and stare too
Ephnat: I don't think you or I can make that claim. XD She certainly can't.
Izumiz Angel: She even admits to basing all her "knowledge" off of Western assumption >-o
Ephnat: Mcknowledge.
Izumiz Angel: I'm going based off of what my friend told me and he's a lot more educated in Japanese culture than I am. He said geisha were never about sex. They were hostesses of the highest order, starting young and going through many years of training.
[redacted]: Ooh, cool. :-)
[redacted]: *smacks self* I'm bad for not researching Yuna's employment. :-\ I usually make things AU so I can make it up as I go. O:-)
I have the feeling equal “research” went into his mental state. After all, why stop the AU with setting alone? We’ll have AU natural reactions, too!
[redacted]: XD Feel free to smack me for being lazy. I knew the basics, and that's enough for me to go on usually.
*SMACKS YOU*
That done, NO, you didn’t know the basics. Your definition of "knowing the basics" is knowing they wore kimonos. Which, may I add, are not a strictly feminine item of apparel!
[redacted]: I'm dealing with a random person who doesn't seem to understand the concept of description in posts. *twitch* I'm ever so glad I asked for a sample before even discussing plot.
[redacted]: The lack of using the shift key was a tip off, I must say.
Oh you did not just go there.
Do not even start to complain at me about the inferiority of other RPers!
[redacted]: I find it impossible to write a half-assed post. I always describe stuff to the best of my ability, but I make it relevant. Therefore, I don't have "filler" or unnecessary details, and sometimes my posts are only three sentences, but I at least try for a decent size.
I’ll give you credit for that one: they weren’t half-assed. They were full-blown assed! Let’s again wait and see how you do on descriptions, since you really don’t ever describe anything that has anything to do with a reaction to my character.
Oh, my mistake, I almost missed the part where you said the description had to be relevant. I forgot my character was “filler.”
Part XII