Work Text:
Hagakure has a list of rules she tries to follow, and a heavily intertwined list of realizations.
Number one, wear a lot of clothes. Always. And some kind of long sleeves if at all possible, no matter how warm it is. Unless you’re wearing gloves or long sleeves, people will have no idea where you’re gesturing, and you’re going to be gesturing a lot. Plus it kind of reassures people a little, to see a fuller outline.
Number two, well, gesture a lot. People won’t be able to read your face for cues, so you’re going to have to make it up in other ways. Re number one, make sure you’re wearing enough clothes that this is effective.
Number three, kind of an offshoot of number two (maybe?), but be expressive. Throw your arms everywhere. Move around. When you talk, shove emotion into your voice and let it spill over the edges, excitement, happiness, anger, anything. This is the only channel you have to communicate it, and people won’t notice otherwise. This is not their fault.
Number four, talk. Always talk, about whatever it is that pops into your head. Be the one to start conversations, because a lot of people find it difficult to approach someone they can’t read, and if you’re quiet, people will forget you’re there. This is not their fault either.
Number five, first meetings are to be handled delicately. People are going to try to stare at your collar, at varying points on where they think your head should be, or just attempt to never face you entirely over the course of the conversation to avoid it. Head this off quickly and tell them right away to watch your arms because you’ll be gesturing a lot anyway, or your shirt. Many people’s social skills will collapse once they can’t see who they’re talking to, so be prepared to talk a lot to fill the silence; as well, make sure you’re as loud, as expressive, as readable as possible, because if you don’t prove right away that having a conversation with you is still fairly easy and enjoyable, they won’t want to talk to you again and will start avoiding you.
Number six, if you don’t make an especial effort, you’ll come off as cold. People can’t tell what you’re thinking and feeling by looking at you, and people get uncomfortable easily at what they don’t know. They’ll get nervous that they’re committing any number of social missteps, and however nice a sentiment that is they’ll still start avoiding you (which is, you know, bad. Still not really their fault, but it’s difficult).
Number seven, never offer people handshakes. They can’t find your hand.
Number eight, because of the whole people getting uncomfortable at what they don’t know thing, if you’re angry at someone it’s very effective to just stop talking and cross your arms. After a few seconds of this they’ll get nervous and start to panic about how angry you actually are. Very useful.
Number nine, don’t get discouraged. Just because there are a lot of awkward conversations and awkward people out there doesn’t mean there aren’t good friends. You can’t control what people see when they look at you but you can talk as loud as you please. There are incredible people out there and they are worth finding.
Number ten. Your Quirk is invisibility, but you are not and don’t deserve to be invisible. Remember that.