I think Saiki would really like games like Tomodachi Life, especially the new one, because even with spoilers, your miis still do whatever in the world, and the only thing that determines things that happen in your world are you miis, or you. So I feel like he would enjoy how unpredictable your miis can be, and also that you can create your own characters and have them live their own life with their own little personalities. (Saiki would definitely make his friends too—but nobody is allowed to see his island but himself.)
This also makes me wonder if Saiki would like Nintendogs.
Writing a blurb rn, but does anyone else watch the show they're writing about while writing so that they have examples of the character so that the writing is more in character, or is that just me??
“But you have to promise not to tell anyone,” Kokomi said, leaning over the table and slotting her pink with your own. She had just revealed her crush on some guy named Saiki to you, the aloof and indifferent boy in your grade that you had heard about a few times, as she tended to ramble on about him often, saying that you would be able to finally meet him when you attend your first day at PK academy tomorrow.
You never really did think he was her type, seeing as she liked rich guys and all, but suppose, it did make sense. He ignored her, just as he did everyone, and she saw this as being treated like a regular person instead of the embodiment of a heavenly saint. You had always believed that your best friend of multiple years had a beauty like no other; it was incredibly hard to deny it, and many could agree. If she really were to somehow land her shot with this mysterious Saiki guy, he would be lucky to have her.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” You would say honestly, “who would I tell, anyway?” It wasn’t like you had many friends to tell in the first place.
“That—” She hesitated for a short moment, withdrawing her elegantly thin hand and resting it upon the delicate glass of her strawberry milkshake, the pink liquid matching her simple but cute outfit, “...is fair, I suppose.” She murmured, trailing her finger around the circular rim of the chalice. “But my point stands, Y/N, I can’t have you telling anyone, I haven’t even told Chiyo yet.”
“I already said that I wouldn’t, Kokomi.” You replied gently, taking the final sip from your glass. When you pushed the glass away, the wood of the table gently clattering against the material, you saw the faint pout on her lips. A small sigh escaped your lips, and you gently reached a hand out, placing it atop her own. “Don’t stress yourself too much—I’m sure he’d love to be with a girl like you,” You gave a kind smile, before your eyes flickered to her drink, warming beneath the heat of her gentle touch. “Your milkshake is going to melt if you keep sitting there with that frown on your face.”
Kokomi blinked, looking up to you. “You’re done with yours already?” She asked gently, tilting her head in confusion. “How?”
“Of course,” You replied, “How aren’t you? We’ve been here so long, already.”
“...I guess I’m just not that hungry,” She spoke, wavering for a short moment. She brushed her midnight blue hair back behind her pierced ear where her dangle earring resided, gently brushing against the exquisite slope of her slender neck. “Do you think he likes me back or…is it hopeless?” Her head tilted down slightly as she spoke, avoiding eye contact as her slim shoulders fell.
“Any guy would be lucky to have you,” You said patiently, tone loving as ever. “I’m sure he’ll like you in no time.”
You had promised to always stay by her side no matter what, through thick and thin. Nothing would waver the strong bond between you two, whether it be the Teruhashi fan club, or her berserk, incest-loving older brother.
. . .
After walking Kokomi home, to ensure she made it back safe, you trekked back to your own house a mile or two away. Your shoes alternated between lightly slapping against the pavement, creating a gentle audio in itself. “I could probably use this after inhaling at least a thousand calories,” You muttered to yourself, looking down to your feet and watching your pace, hands fidgeting at your sides.
Soon you passed by a game store that you often visited in search of new entertainment, and halted mid step, staring inside, before looking to the pocket that your wallet laid, nearly empty with only five hundred yen. What could you even get with that? Barely anything.
…But it doesn’t hurt to look, right?
Right. And that’s how you ended up ogling at games you couldn’t afford since they were nearly twenty times the amount of money that you had. As you scanned up and down the aisles with little to no employee interaction, your eyes landed on a specific game. “Some sort of zombie game with a rookie cop guy as the played character? Sounds interesting…”
You smiled as your eyes trailed along the summary on the back, curiosity growing as you considered purchasing it. But would five hundred yen cover that? It wasn’t likely. You searched across the surface of the cartridge holder before you caught sight of a price tag. Awesome, great! Hopefully it wouldn’t be all that expensive…
“Eleven thousand yen?! That’s insane!”
Your jaw dropped as you slowly slid it back into place, turning around before your eyes landed on the clearance section. There was definitely something in there, something to distract you from the boredom of being home alone all the time with nothing to do.
A hopeful smile came to your lips as you made your way over, quietly analyzing the shelf with fascination, faint, but still there. “Perhaps I could find something like that other game over there.”
A medium sized hanging sign above some of the games said the word ‘ZOMBIE’ in big, bold letters, graced by a comic sans font—which didn’t fit the environment or the vibe very well, but so it goes.
You had become so distracted by your bewilderment at all the different games in the clearance section—it was almost as if the owners were anxious to sell things quickly, especially zombie and fantasy games—that you hadn’t even noticed the foreign presence that had joined you nearby.
“What the heck is Dwell on Vile?” You blinked slowly, tapping your chin with your finger as you leaned back, tilting your head to the side deep in thought. Did you really want to waste five hundred yen on a trashy game that was just synonyms smashed together to be a non-copyright version of Resident Evil? Not quite. You could spend that on five whole items at a one-hundred-yen store, which would certainly value higher than whatever the hell Dwell on Vile was.
As you quickly turned to leave, you nearly stumbled into a guy, resting at an average height of nearly 5”6, possibly 5”5.5—his hair a bright pink color, with two light pink spherical shapes on top of his head. They looked kind of like mechanical antennas. Maybe he just had an odd sense of style, but then again, his outfit was relatively simple and casual for someone wearing neon green sunglasses. He did look a bit familiar though, oddly so.
Oh well, it didn't matter to you any!
“Oh, I’m sorry.” You said, moving out of his way. He didn’t even spare you a glance—only a brief reaction of an uninterested hum. You glanced back at him, before cringing and looking forward once more.
“Not even an ‘it’s okay!!’?” You thought. “I’d rather get a’whatever, go fuck yourself’ than be ignored…” As you stepped outside of the store, feeling a few raindrops atop your head, you sighed, collecting a few in your hand, watching them slowly descend down your palm, following the gravitational pull to your elbow, before finally plummeting to the ground, following the pattern the rest of the rain drops that fell from the sky did, but from a relatively shorter distance.
You reminded yourself that it was nothing to get mad about, it was just some annoying guy in a video game shop! You would never see him again in your life, and that would be God’s blessing to you. You just hoped that this Saiki guy that Kokomi had a crush on wouldn’t be that kind of reserved and aloof.
"Reserved and an observer?...hm...actually, that does kinda fit you." Y/N said contently, holding their Nintendo Switch 2 delicately in their hands as they laid on Kusuo's bed, while he sat at his desk, comfortable in his chair with his knees to his chest, playing on his 3DS.
He glanced back at his partner, his expression one of mild confusion. "Is that supposed to be an insult?" He asked, turning his gaze to the game console. He couldn't read their thoughts, thanks to the germanium ring rested gently upon their finger, so he wasn't sure what they were thinking at the moment.
"No," Y/N smiled, not taking their eyes off of the screen.
A moment of silence passed between the two, and Kusuo set his 3DS down, making his way to his bed and looking at the screen that Y/N tried to subtly shield. "...Tomodachi life...?" He said in confusion. "Isn't that a DS game?"
"Yeah, but they made a second one." They said, looking up at him finally. "It's not out yet though,"
Kusuo looked at them as if they had just said the stupidest thing on earth, wondering if he was dating an idiot or if he was dating a psycho. "...you're playing it," he said.
"Demo," they said, and he changed his expression of confusion to understanding.
"Hm." He hummed, laying at their side and looking at the screen.
He observed in solace, eyes flickering across the screen, before realizing that the miis on the screen looked awfully familiar. "...wait, is that—"
"No," Y/N scoffed sarcastically, a smile on their lips. "What kind of loser makes their boyfriend in Tomodachi Life? Pft..." They said, before indulging themselves in the content again. "Not me..." They murmured, dragging the mii that was definitely not meant to represent them across the screen and forcing it to meet up with the mii that totally wasn't Kusuo in mii form—not all.
Kusuo shot them a skeptical glance before letting out a hum, looking at the screen once more as his head came to subconsciously lay on their shoulder.
"...miis can fall in love, right?" He asked.
"Yeah," Y/N replied, messing around with some stuff, fingers moving across the controls as Kusuo observed.
A Guide to Writing Saiki Kusuo in a Relationship as an Aro/Ace Coded Character
First, yes! It's possible!
Starting Point
Saiki's canonical defining trait is that he wants to be left alone; not because he hates people, but because connection and emotional exposure cost him something. Deep down, he's afraid of hurting people.
He is already aro/ace-coded: he is not interested in romance or sex, he finds the concept of love confusing rather than compelling, and his deepest attachments are expressed through protective, self-sacrificial action rather than words or touch.
The Spectrum Matters Here
Aromantic and asexual are umbrella terms. Consider where your Saiki sits before you write a single scene. You don't need to label it in the fic, but you should know.
A fully aro Saiki in a QPR (queerplatonic relationship) reads very differently from a demi Saiki who develops something romantic/sexual after bonding with someone.
There's so much more than this, here's some resources:
See Identities on the Aromantic Spectrum
See Identities on the Asexual Spectrum
The Relationship Exists on His Terms
Saiki doesn't pursue. He tolerates, then allows, then quietly chooses. A relationship with him looks less like courtship and more like someone being gradually un-excluded from his personal space. He will not confess. He will not ask, but he stops pretending he doesn't care.
He'd stopped trying to lose them after the third time. Whether that counted as choosing them, he hadn't decided.
Love Through Action, not Words
Saiki's affection is expressed in what he does, never what he says. He memorizes schedules so he can intercept problems before they happen. He uses his powers on someone's behalf and tells them it was a coincidence. He shows up. These are his "I care about you."
Choosing to sit near someone even when he could sit alone.
Deflecting a bad situation before his partner notices.
Remembering small details (he'd learn everything without saying a word) and quietly adjusting the world around them.
Physical Intimacy
Asexual doesn't mean touch-averse, though Saiki specifically has reasons to be (his superstrength).
Write with his physical comfort in mind. He'd likely never kiss on the lips as a greeting. And there are ways around that. Kissing anywhere but the lips can also be very intimate.
What He Gets from the Relationship
He needs to realize he doesn't have to be alone. A relationship isn't about romance or passion for him; it's about having someone who knows him, doesn't demand he perform "normalcy".
Avoid:
Having him suddenly "realize" he loves them in a rush of feeling
A partner "fixing" his disinterest in romance
Writing his aro/ace traits as coldness or damage
Grand confessions or jealousy
Sex/romance as a catalyst for his character growth
Sexual descriptions in HIS pov
Treating a QPR as lesser than a "real" relationship
Try:
Slow, quiet moments of acknowledgment
His partner learning to read his non-verbal language
Actual communication replacing assumed romance
His internal monologue being introspective, not tortured
The relationship having its own shape, not fitting a template
Describe him being flustered for being accepted the way he is
When something surprises him, he files it, examines it from a distance, and usually concludes it is "not worth addressing." His internal monologue around the relationship should feel the same.
Feelings, in the conventional sense, seemed like a tremendous waste of energy. Whatever this is, the specific irritation of missing their voice at lunch, as opposed to the general irritation of everything.
His voice is not cold. It is precise. There is a difference. He notices things with care; he simply doesn't emote about them.
Types of Attraction
Explore the other attractions. Saiki actually shows aesthetic attraction canonically. He has (nonsexually) said things like Teruhashi is pretty, Rifuta is cute, and commented on some men being handsome. He, for his own reasons, like average looking people.
What makes a QPR distinct (if you go this route, aro/ace)
A queerplatonic relationship sits outside the romantic/friendship binary. It has the commitment of a romantic partnership without necessarily including romantic attraction, platonic. For Saiki, he might, after enough time, be unable to imagine his life without a specific person in it even if he doesn't want them that way.
QPRs often require more explicit conversation than romantic relationships because there's no script. His partner can't assume that a relationship means X. They have to talk terms. The negotiation looks different for each relationship. Cohabitating and not being alone could be the goal. Or going on "dates" without making it into something; best friends go out together, it's like that.
The partner's characterization is just as important as Saiki's. They need to:
Not need him to perform romance in order to feel loved
Understand that his care is real even when it's quiet
Have their own needs and communicate them; he can listen, even if he doesn't always respond as expected
Not "fix" him, but grow alongside him
The best personalities for this kind of fic are ones who are themselves a little unusual; someone who finds conventional romance overhyped, who values stability and presence over declaration, or who simply fell into caring about him before they understood how he works.
If you don't want to go the QPR route, my recommendation is the demi route because it works really well for slow-burn stories. The gray route can be interesting depending on what the condition is. But please understand, QPRs are just as interactively rich; just look at his friendship with Aiura, it's beautiful. Also, you guys are sleeping on Mera; Saiki has a good relationship with her because they are somewhat the same and she doesn't want anything from him.
Hopefully this was helpful. Anything I should add?
Edited to include types of attraction. May at some point add links to my own fics as examples.
A day meant for love, whether it be with friends, family, or young couples in love! Commonly, it was known as the last option, and typically Valentine's Day was just an excuse for partners to pamper each other extra one day a year.
If you were single, Valentine's Day wasn't very fun, simply because it was a reminder of how you were yet to find love within the sea of people in the world. Rodrick knew the feeling well, maybe a bit too well. But the girls totally wanted him! So why didn't he receive any Valentines?
Well, that changed this year. He had a Valentine. Y/N.
He's been hooked since the moment he met them. He was really smart—in his eyes—but around them, he just...went stupid. It's as if he didn't know English all of a sudden, by the way he was babbling and juggling his words frantically. If he hadn't known better, he would've thought he just ran a marathon by the way he got all sweaty and out of breath around them, or maybe he'd just finished an intense workout from the way his heart sped up a hundred beats a minute.
Well, fast forward to the present time...they're dating! Somehow. Rodrick still wasn't sure how he had pulled someone like them into his embrace, and, for some reason, it didn't take much work. Just a large amount of confidence. Because of them dating and all that, Valentine's Day was mandatory!
So now he's in the mall, looking for what to buy them. Maybe...candy, flowers, and a bear! Chicks like that, right?...but, this was Y/N, though! He needed something bigger, something better.
And that's when he discovered a huge GameStop outlet store. This was like the glory hole for gifts for them. A whole bunch of nerdy shit! Luckily for him, he had a lot of money saved up from the allowance given by his parents.
As he gazed around like a man who had just stepped through the pearly gates, his eyes landed upon a large wall with collectible shit on it. Funko Pops, posters, action figures, vinyl figures, all that nerdy crap.
So he grabbed the things he knew that they would like, and he prayed to God above that he was getting this whole 'boyfriend' thing right.
When he arrived at their house, he walked up onto the stairs leading to the front door. He'd dressed up for the occasion, in his own way, of course. His typical skinny jeans—that weren't incredibly tight because....that's ugly—and his usual shoes, but he did wear a button down with the top three buttons undone because he felt like he was being choked when fully buttoned, and he did also try his best to put on a tie! Even if it looked like a knotted shoelace, he still tried.
Oh, and he washed his hair. Thoroughly! And yes, he put on cologne as well, instead of just hoping for the best with some spray-on deodorant on the sides of his neck.
He cleared his throat nervously before raising a hand. He hit his knuckles against the center of the door, hoping that the rapping of his fist would be heard by Y/N.
When the door opened a few moments later, he saw them standing there in all their nerdy glory. A Superman printed tee and pajama pants, glasses resting upon the bridge of their nose. "Oh!" They said, noticing him. "I..." They looked at his face, then looked at what was in his hands, and their eyes widened. "Ohmygoshohmygosh!!!" They squealed in excitement, quickly pulling him inside.
The two spent their day in Y/N's room, some sort of anime playing on the TV while they sat at their desk, quietly building the LEGO replication of the Millennium Falcon, reading through the instructions while they sat criss-cross, occasionally reaching over to eat some of their favorite candies that he had bought for them.
They had no idea just how much money he spent on that Lego set, but no price mattered because no amount of expensive Star Wars Lego sets would compare to the look of excitement in their eyes and the smile on their face when they saw him, and the gift too.
Although he was getting a bit bored. He had other plans on his agenda later on, though (insert freaky sonic gif 🥹), so all is well.
