wip

natsume was a shy child and a crybaby, but grew with severe social anxiety after never quite adjusting to the constant moves. he copes by hiding under his hair, with a face mask, and — after hitting his growth spurt much sooner than his peers — hunching over and trying to appear as small as possible. he has a hard time controlling his expressions, which makes him seem like he’s glaring constantly. he fumbles over his words when speaking, so chooses to stay silent most of the time instead. due to sensory issues, he struggles to wear his uniforms properly. this all, unfortunately, has given him a reputation as a delinquent, and others tend to judge him before getting to know him.

natsume definitely keeps things to himself and isn’t much of an open book, but he really likes the company of others. it doesn’t take much to earn natsume’s friendship, but it can be difficult to get past his anxiety. he’s very sensitive, but incredibly loyal to people he cares about, to the point of impulsive defensiveness (or fighting...in case of befriending yuushin).

picking a club for him was really difficult, but music fit the most. i think natsume is most like himself when he’s alone and playing music, able to channel his thoughts and feelings through it instead of words. it’s really in his element! he probably has the worst stage fright though lol hopefully he can learn to overcome it and pursue something he truly enjoys...?

i imagine hikaru is someone natsume instantly finds himself comfortable with, since they just ‘click’ even after years apart. hikaru is probably his ‘safe’ person, someone natsume trails after and hides behind, even clinging to the back of his shirt if he gets too anxious. he feels more comfortable with his other childhood friends too, but hikaru is the person that really reached past natsume’s bubble first.

i can’t decide who he’ll romance! i’ll end up doing all the boy’s routes, but yuushin will probably be first. i actually don’t like love triangles despite being such a staple in manga, but i hope to explore poly relationships in fanworks in the future! ...if i can make myself draw or write lol [insert meme of ‘do not separate them’ with natsume and all the boys] route vibes:  natsume and yuushin: what can i say except for that i’m a sucker for ‘bad boy x sad shy boy’. if it stays in game that you can help yuushin out when fighting, his route will really bring out another side of natsume — that side being the Impulsive Fighting for yuushin’s honor if he ever hears someone threatening him. but natsume will also do his best to take care of him, even if the help isn’t accepted. praying for those soft moments for these two!! natsume and hikaru: this is where he loses all of his braincells. with the others, when he gets a crush he understands pretty much right away (hopeless romantic). but with hikaru, it takes him forever to realize he’s not just feeling ‘oh, this is my best friend, i missed him.’ from what i know about hikaru...he will not help that either LOL natsume and aleksei: he is NOT immune to aleksei’s charms, but doesn’t think he’s being serious. natsume’s self esteem issues have him struggle to believe anyone, let alone aleksei, would be interested in him. he’s just lucky his mask hides his blush. natsume and yosuke: i feel like these two are somewhat similar in ways that could either make them understand each other better...or make them butt heads completely. probably a lot of miscommunication and patience...but natsume cares for him a lot, so they’ll get there in the end!! thoughts from others, to keep with the mc trend: “He’s a bit...overwhelming, don’t you think? I don’t know what it is about him, but he just has this aura that makes you want to look away...”

“Did you know he has heterochromia? I saw after he fell asleep at his desk and woke back up when I walked in... I didn’t mean to look!! But, it sort of gives him his own charm, you know? He’s a bit cat-like.”

“I don’t think Hayashi is a bad guy, he can’t be if he’s hanging around Takeuchi, but...you don’t think he’s bullying him, do you? He’s always around him, just sorta lingering. He never makes small talk, just nods when Takeuchi tries to include him. Maybe he owes him money?”