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I was also concerned about the way that scene is written with Shizune removing Hisao's ability to communicate with her (and, therefore, in a way removing his ability to consent); the heart attack context only makes it worse. I don't know that we can blame her for not knowing better, necessarily (especially considering her appalling home life), but it's definitely uncomfortable. drat it, game. You were starting to do better about this sort of thing.Falconier111 posted:After all, prior to meeting them, I'd just experienced a small death. I don't think it's the intent in any way, given the context, but the fact this line shows up in this update made me laugh. In French, le petit mort ("the little death") is a commonly used term for orgasm.
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Oct 29, 2021 19:19
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I would figure it must have come up between the three of them during Student Council at some point, is my assumption.
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Oct 29, 2021 19:22
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Explopyro posted:I don't think it's the intent in any way, given the context, but the fact this line shows up in this update made me laugh. In French, le petit mort ("the little death") is a commonly used term for orgasm. Seems remarkably on the nose.
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Oct 29, 2021 19:24
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Omobono posted:But how can someone think for half a second that somebody born deaf could even learn to talk. They can't know what sounds are the way people with functioning ears can, and that's kinda important for an insanely complex task like forming soundwaves into speech. Helen Keller famously managed it (kind of) with the help of noted oralism advocate Alexander Graham Bell. That success was one of the major reasons behind his support for oralism in general!
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Oct 29, 2021 20:29
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EclecticTastes posted:While I'm at it, we should also talk consent for a moment. Shizune never actually asked Hisao if any of what she was doing was alright with him, nor did she give him an opportunity to tell her to stop. She even prevented him from signing anything of the sort by binding his wrists as her first move. Just because we, the readers, know he was into it, doesn't make that okay. It is incredibly unsafe sex. I definitely got a jolt of anxiety when they started with the tying up of hands. That's cool stuff to do when its not going to then lock out 100% of your communication ability! I'd probably be mad if I was able to go "well I mean, its more fantasy than reality."
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Oct 29, 2021 20:46
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 Interviews with Monster Girls, Episode 4: "Tetsuo Takahashi Wants to Protect" (Pt. 1)   Open on a cloudy day as students walk in the courtyard.   We get a flashback to the girls mocking Yuki last episode.  (This whole section is intercut with shots of someone walking somewhere from the lower leg down, using the tip of an umbrella like a cane.)   She walks into the biology prep room, where Takahashi cheerfully greets her –  – Nope, that’s an illusion, he’s not actually there. The room is dark and empty, and she’s all alone.  She crouches down by the wall outside the room to cry in peace.    Back to the present. I guess they decided to relocate Yuki between episodes, because while she and Takahashi are in the same situation as they were when we left off, she’s now outside of his room instead of in a stairwell. He crouches down to ask her what’s going on, and she starts to tell him about what she overheard. He suggests moving the conversation inside the prep room for privacy’s sake…   … And she blurts out that she blames being her situation on being a demi before her crying intensifies. It’s all he can do to hug her and tell her it isn’t true as she weeps.  As he holds her, he notices that she isn’t crying liquid tears, or at least they don’t stay liquid for long; her tears instead freeze into little ice marbles and hit the floor with a clinking sound. He focuses on comforting her instead of thinking on it further.  Hikari listens to all this from behind a nearby corner.   We cut to later, as Takahashi types his observations into his laptop in the cafeteria. Normally, this kind of gossiping and bullying is a common and minor problem among girls (he says), but her Demi nature makes things a lot more complicated. He doesn’t have enough time to go further, though…  … Because Satou wanders in with a bouquet of flowers she picked for… Some reason. They start to make small talk, but it doesn’t last.   Satou quickly breaks and starts apologizing. She admits she had a low opinion of him and his interest in demis at first, but after seeing how he worked with Hikari and Kyouko, she’s dramatically come around and now feels terrible about how she treated him when they first met. He’s flattered, but tries to deflect, citing the fact that, however much he thought he knew about demis before hand, he was still grievously misinformed and knows it. He’s still committed to helping them, but he’s doing so from a place of humility that places them and their desires, not his perceptions, first. This, by the way, is how you be a good ally. Lots of people who belong to some majority group deeply, genuinely want to help. That’s good. Lots of them start trying to help without doing any research on how to go about it or form organizations they assume leadership of. That’s bad, that’s really bad, because at the end of the day only members of that minority group of the context and connections necessary to figure out what the needs of that community actually are and how to address them. Allies that come in this way have a very nasty habit of centering the conversation on themselves without realizing it. They often skip over less obvious, more difficult, or more personally challenging needs and instead latch onto things they see in their ordinary lives– especially (and notoriously) language, which they often spend a lot of effort shifting to something they favor regardless of what that community would actually like to be called. I’ve seen it firsthand; we aren’t the ones that coined specially or differently abled, after all. Their preconceptions unchecked, these allies can leverage their privilege to suck up time and money that would go to the communities themselves or even force their members out of charitable and activist organizations, patting themselves on the back for their efforts all the while. You end up with organizations that hoodwink themselves: they’re highly personalized and focus on what individuals can do, meaning they rarely leverage collective action and generally end up running awareness initiatives and ad campaigns that have little long-term impact; their lack of familiarity with the people they’re trying to help means they don’t know what to look for when vetting partners, so they sometimes end up tricked into working for conmen or the oppressors themselves; they end up competing with actual community-driven efforts they often drown out by weight of superior connections, better funding, and an easier message to swallow; and worst of all, isolated from their target audience and stewing in their own conviction, some turn into oppressors themselves, spawning organizations like Autism Speaks and the AG Bell Foundation with slick campaigns, powerful connections, and a destructive legacy. And once an ally has gotten lodged in one of these efforts and worked it into their identity, attempts to bring them back around – especially ones that tell them their favorite causes are actually kinda bullshit – can start hitting brick walls. You saw this mindset backfire on white people a lot when Black Lives Matter protests dominated the news cycle recently. Every time a black activist released a video that candidly talked to white progressives about what they thought, you got a massive, often ferocious backlash. Other people have talked about white fragility better than I ever could, but it’s important to note these were people who thought they were helping. In that political climate, many of them incorporated helping as a key part of their identity. Confronting them with the fact that no, actually, they weren’t actually helping made them LIVID. They looked at their efforts framed in isolation from the people they thought they were championing, came face-to-face with the idea that part of their identity is grounded in presumption and arrogance rather than truth, and rejected a challenge. Some were so offended they quit the movement entirely. There’s no good way to bring these people back. Their anger and hurt trumps any morality. And when it comes to the world of disability activism, where huge portions don’t even realize disabled people can speak for themselves, this mindset is particularly ruthless and difficult to undermine. Takahashi, though, represents how you actually do activism as an ally. He is genuinely committed to helping, and not even in a subordinate role. What he is is humble and open, and he not only listens but incorporates what he hears into his actions. He’s proactive, but his actions are considered and sensitive, and when he makes a mistake, he acknowledges it and works to figure out how to improve. The man I work under, the head of the neurodivrsity program where I work, fits this concept to a T; he’s a neurotypical and doesn’t see that as a negative thing, but he regularly consults with me and other neurodivergents to consistently stay on track. He’s come to me multiple times to apologize for something I didn’t think was a huge issue or didn’t notice at all; I talk him through each instance and encourage him to take confidence in the fact that I’ve never once seen him misstep, but he keeps me in mind anyway and isn’t afraid to extend that privilege to other members of the program. Easily the best boss I’ve ever had. And he’s proven extremely effective in large part because of it. People keep approaching him to see how they can copy the initiative in other areas. But anyway, back to Satou.   She proclaims she’s willing to help him, marching towards him and craning over the table to meet his eyes and demonstrate her passion. She is, after all, not just a teacher in charge of helping her students, but a demi as well, devoted to making their lives better.    And then Satou belatedly realizes that over the course of her speech she shoved her tits in his face and gave him a full blast of succubus. Poor guy’s literally shaking trying to keep it together. He accepts, though.  She squeals with joy while he sits in the background trying to recover.  So, it turns out the two girls Yuki overheard actually gossip about everybody. While still possible, Satou doesn’t think they were gossiping about her because she’s a demi.   .jpg) Instead, she thinks the reason Yuki believes that – and why it hit her so hard – is personal. Satou noticed that Yuki tends to avoid contact with others as much as possible and probably doesn’t have anyone to talk to about being a demi. Drawing on her own experience, she hypothesizes that something about her relationship with her demi identity makes her extremely cautious about interacting with others (like Satou is) and prone to misreading their intentions for the worse (like Satou did with Takahashi).  She resolves to take her aside and have a conversation with her about it, since she’s better equipped to empathize with her then he is. He thanks her sincerely, which makes her blush and flail for a bit.  Takahashi hasn’t forgotten the gossipers, though. He thinks they are a problem, yeah, but he isn’t inclined to treat them as such; instead, he expresses his belief that they gossip like that because they feel inferior and don’t want to face the people they badmouth. It’s a lot to expect of high school students – which he admits – but he wants to make them realize they don’t need to resort to this to feel better. He’d like everyone involved in this to come out happier and better people, and Satou agrees. I really like this, in large part because it dovetails my own philosophy. Given how destructive abled people-directed disability activism can be, you might swing in the other direction and want to put the entire movement under disabled control. I’m not actually a fan of that; I think that, just as they aren’t fully equipped to understand our situation, abled allies are better equipped to understand the mindset of the people we’re trying to reach and bring them around. This kind of partnership and division of labor based on shared information is extremely effective, though only as long as both sides genuinely listen to each other and share duties equitably. That isn’t exactly easy to maintain, but it is possible.  Sometime later, as Takahashi ruminates on what to do next, he spots Hikari dragging Yuki by, much to her confusion. She’s dead set on something.   It’s the bathroom, where the two girls are still gossiping. Uncharacteristically serious, Hikari instructs Yuki to stay outside while she does in to tell them off.  The gossipers trail off midsentence when they notice Hikari’s now standing by the sinks, glowering at them. They recognize her, at least well enough to know her name and that she’s a vampire.   Hikari starts to call them out. One of them basically goes “it’s adorable that you’re white knighting your little demi friend”…   … And Hikari shuts her down for trying to distract her. Yuki’s a part of it, yeah, but Hikari’s kind of sick of them in general and tells them every time they make fun of somebody else, she’ll hunt them down and call him out on it again. Like, she will literally come find them.  (Outside the bathroom, Takahashi shows up and quietly but firmly discourages Yuki from following Hikari in.)   They go back and forth for a little while. The gossipers ask why she’s singling them and she says she’s going to do it for everybody. They ask her why she’s so opposed to what’s basically a universal activity and she says “everybody’s doing it” is an excuse and doesn’t mitigate any of the harm it does. They ask her whether she knows this will just end up with people gossiping about her, too…   … And she says she knows the two of them will start insulting her behind her back the moment she leaves. They’re visibly taken aback by this, enough that they stop talking while Hikari enthusiastically makes her position clear: she is fully committed to saying exactly what she means whenever possible, even if people judge her for it.  She gets so worked up she starts to cry. Apologizing, she turns to leave. The two stop her, though. While they don’t agree with everything she said, they’re both impressed by how she’s staked out a position like that and confused about why she would.   Turns out? Hikari promised her sister at some point. She runs out of the bathroom, going past an unusually impassive Takahashi.  Yuki takes her turn next, walking up to the two…  … And apologizing, to their shock. She explains her behavior to them, and it’s exactly as Satou said: she’s insecure about being a demi and that insecurity has led her to push people away. She seems genuinely contrite about this.   This has been a very confusing bathroom visit for the gossipers. They walk up to her and basically go “bro, you are not the one at fault in the situation” before everyone involved exchanges apologies.  Hikari’s standing under an umbrella outside, wiping off her tears, when Takahashi swings by and slaps her on the back.  After pointing out that the rains stopped coming down, he grabs her by one of her hair bun things and offers to treat her to something while she complains. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 22:54 on Oct 29, 2021 |
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Oct 29, 2021 22:12
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Explopyro posted:I was also concerned about the way that scene is written with Shizune removing Hisao's ability to communicate with her (and, therefore, in a way removing his ability to consent); the heart attack context only makes it worse. I don't know that we can blame her for not knowing better, necessarily (especially considering her appalling home life), but it's definitely uncomfortable. drat it, game. You were starting to do better about this sort of thing. I don't think it's a coincidence that the importance of communication is routinely emphasized in Shizune's route. She is very, very bad at communicating, in ways other than the obvious. The conversation right before the fade-to-shrimp may well be the first time we've actually seen her actually express her real anxieties and concerns, and she immediately deflects and then gags Hisao rather than let him respond. It's all over the place: look how hard it was for her to invite Hisao to visit her home, or how she had to ask Hisao to "rescue" Hideaki by framing it as a game. She's so caught up in her need to look strong that she can't express any vulnerability. And it rubs off on Hisao. In Hanako's route he was pretty up-front with Lilly about his heart. Here, he hides it. As much as he hangs out with Misha and Shizune, he hasn't really talked about himself very much at all. Frankly it barely feels like they're dating. As much as I hate to admit it, the rear end in a top hat's right: Hisao really hasn't learned anything beyond stupid confidence and persistence, and both of those can be extremely destructive when they become barriers to communication. EDIT: Since that is a fair criticism of my post, I'm not trying to say that the jackass is actually being insightful about his daughter or anything. It's just that the authors put a clever narrative point into his dialogue that I suspect many people would brush past, both because of the person speaking it and because Hisao immediately provides his own interpretation which is entirely focused on his own needs and development rather than his girlfriend's. Which is, of course, a whole other thing. Karia fucked around with this message at 03:17 on Oct 30, 2021 |
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Oct 30, 2021 03:00
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Even if rear end in a top hat isn't wrong doesn't mean he's right. Because guess who taught these very same lessons to his daughter? E: it is a good point that the narrative will address I hope, deadbeat was the worst person to make it Omobono fucked around with this message at 03:06 on Oct 30, 2021 |
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Oct 30, 2021 03:04
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Falconier111 posted:In that political climate, many of them incorporated helping as a key part of their identity. Confronting them with the fact that no, actually, they weren’t actually helping made them LIVID. And then I went and did it again with someone else, because apparently I don't learn me so well. At least the crash and recovery were quicker this time, and we parted amicably. I feel like I have a much better handle on things now, looking to others (Primarily my aging parents because I'm not in a relationship otherwise) for what they need instead of assuming I can make decisions for them.
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Oct 30, 2021 08:48
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Update 75: The Anchor (Act 3, Scene 8) Katawa Shoujo OST ~ Passing of Time .png) (Silence) .png) Our return trip to the school keeps getting delayed in one way or another. Shizune and Misha come back so late that there's no use even leaving and we end up staying another day. The morning after, we miss the train by a single minute and then the next two don't arrive. We miss the fourth train because I wandered off to get a drink in the meantime. Shizune wasn't very happy about that. Katawa Shoujo OST - Raindrops and Puddles By the time I finally get back to my room, I feel so tired, even though I spent most of the ride back sleeping. I can't say it's only because of today; this seems like a familiar symptom of traveling. It's not the first time it's happened. If no one has beaten me to it, I could do a thesis on it, maybe get in a medical journal. “Returning From A Trip Syndrome.” Not very creative. I fall asleep before I can think of a better name. A loud knock on my door wakes me up only a few hours into my nap. I'm annoyed because I had just been in the middle of a dream that I can't remember, having been woken up in the middle of it. But I'm sure it was a good one. I briefly wonder who it could be, but it's not like I get many visitors, so I'm sure it's Kenji. I hope he is just rolling out the welcome wagon and not going to hit me up for money again. If that was the case I'd be almost touched. Not touched enough to fight off the urge to roll over and go back to sleep, though. (Silence) A few hours after that, I wake up again and immediately spot an envelope on the floor. It must be something that came in the mail while I was away. That's Shizune and Misha's department, so I wonder if they dropped by to give it to me, or maybe someone filled in for them in their absence and told Kenji to pass it along... Katawa Shoujo OST - Caged Heart .png) When I pick it up, any remnants of sleepiness in me instantly vanish. Even if the name of the sender wasn't on it, I would have known whom it was from by looking at the envelope itself, realizing why it looked so familiar. By recognizing the delicate handwriting addressing it. It's from Iwanako. At first, I can't believe it, but it wouldn't be too hard for her to track me down if she wanted to. Of course, I hadn't thought that she would want to. She was maybe my girlfriend for all of five seconds. After that, we barely spoke to each other. It would be too easy to put this letter away somewhere and forget about it. A part of me wants to do that. Or throw it away, unread. Why I want to do these things, I don't know. It would be easy to do them. Easier than to read it. .png) Slitting the envelope open with the tip of a pen, I'm surprised by the length of the letter that spills out. .png) Iwanako’s Letter posted:Dear Hisao, The small talk makes me feel nostalgic. It's almost like I'm in the hospital again. Every now and then Iwanako would drop by and give me the gist of what was going on in a class that, even then, I had an inkling that I would never return to. Iwanako’s Letter posted:It's so weird to think we are already seniors, isn't it? Time has really flown past. I wonder where it went. The new first-years seem so young and somehow really innocent. I keep wondering if I was like them in my first year. I've been feeling nostalgic like this for the whole first trimester. What a convenient time for her to rediscover her sincerity. Well, even as I think that, I know she's right. “Distant and disheartened” is a good way to describe it. And maybe I had given up, too. It weighs on my heart when I think back to when I was lying in the hospital, feeling so bitter when she finally stopped showing up. I wasn't surprised, and I had no right to be. How could she not stop coming when it was the only expectation I had of her? She dropped by only for all of six weeks after the incident. If I drifted away from her, it was because I could feel her already moving herself away from me the moment she showed up. Iwanako’s Letter posted:If I could go back to those quiet days in February and March, I'd tell you to not give up on yourself. That's what I would say. Maybe you wouldn't have drifted so far away if I had just said something. I hope you've managed to get back on your feet on your own. It's a strange feeling. I know that I'm never going to hear from her again. If she really wanted to keep in touch, she wouldn't have picked a medium like snail mail to do it through. If she could get my address, then my e-mail or phone number wouldn't have been much more work, had she wanted them. This is only a goodbye. (Silence) I exhale, only just now becoming aware that I had been reading with bated breath. Now who's being distant, Iwanako? But maybe it really is for the best. For her to pick up a pen and write this letter to me, it can only be because she felt guilty about how things ended. That she was hurt by how we floated out of each other's lives makes me feel a sort of wistful happiness. I almost want to thank her, and I only don't because I know she wouldn't want me to reply. There's a knock at my door, then it opens anyway about a millisecond later. I forgot to lock it, stupidly.  KENJI: "Sup, man? Why's your door open?" I run to the door faster than is probably medically safe for me to do so I can prevent Kenji from seeing the mountains of pills just a couple feet away from him, blocked from his sight only by the door. Then there's the letter I'm holding. If he asks about it, I don't think I could make up anything convincing. About two feet away from him I realize that his vision is so bad that it was probably never an issue. He didn't even see me about to practically tackle him back through the door frame. Katawa Shoujo OST - Out of the Loop .png) KENJI: "Hey, what the hell, man?"  HISAO: "What are you talking about? Your room has a billion locks on it, yet you just barge right through other people's doors. You didn't even wait a second after knocking before you tried the door, it was like, simultaneous. You were already opening the door while you were knocking on it." KENJI: "See? That's exactly why I have all those locks. It's a cold and uncaring world out there, a gate crasher's world. Now you also understand. I just taught you a valuable lesson, dude. Knowledge is power. Why are you yelling at me? I'm a hero. Look at you... you didn't even lock your door. The average woman could have killed you a billion times already, then replaced you with a female clone indistinguishable from the original. It almost happened to me." Ignoring the latter part, since it's too confusing, it's funny he should say that. He was unable to stop me from tackling him head-on, yet apparently a woman could have killed me a billion times. If this man is a hero, we are all doomed. KENJI: "What's that you've got there?" Somehow, he is able to see the letter still in my hand. With how I've been waving it around, that is no surprise. I fold it back up quickly, but take care not to whip it behind my back or anything else. That would be too suspicious. It seems like I'm jumpier than I'd thought about Iwanako writing to me. HISAO: "I got a letter." KENJI: "Oh, yeah, I put that there. I was sleeping, then I woke up because I heard explosions. I put on my helmet and then peeked outside to see what was going on, but it was just that Student Council woman banging on your door. It was the one without pink hair. She was knocking so loudly that it was obvious she was filled with murderous rage. Rage at you. Then she somehow sensed me behind her, and I tried to escape, but it was too late. She caught me and started pointing at the door." I open my mouth to tell him that she's deaf, but decide not to. For various reasons. KENJI: "I didn't really get it, and she got more and more pissed off, like an old man trying to use a touchscreen phone. She was going to kill me. Kill me and replace me with a woman version of me. But then the sunlight reflected off my glasses and blinded her, saving my life. It was like, behold, optic blast. I don't get how someone with glasses can be hurt by glasses. She uses them too, she should be immune to their death rays... but whatever. She gave me this envelope with your name on it and just left. Clearly, she was out for blood, so I lied and said you were away. I think you were away, right? I've been trying to ask you if you wanted to help me with my homework for a week now, but kept getting no answer. ...Welcome back, man!" HISAO: "Thanks." KENJI: "Yeah, so she gave me this envelope and it had your name on it. I didn't want to hold on to it, because, what if it was a bomb? So I just shoved it under your door when she was gone. I was going to tell you, but you got back before I could. At least it's not a bomb." HISAO: "Gee, thanks. I'm not going to help you out with your math homework, because, what if your math textbook is a bomb?" He looks devastated, and also like he's considering the possibility that it really could be a bomb. I guess it is possible, since no one really uses their math book all that much. I throw the letter on the dresser behind me and turn to leave, swinging the door shut behind me as I do. It collides against the tip of Kenji's shoe and bounces back open, while he hops around for a bit, acting like it hurt way more than it should have. Before I know it, he's already inside my room. I'm powerless to stop him before he scoops up the letter, strangely ignoring the towers of pill bottles surrounding it. HISAO: "Don't just read mail that isn't your own." KENJI: "C'mon, what is it? A love letter from your girlfriend? Did she include any photos? Sexy photos?" (Silence) Reclining against the dresser and paying no mind to the bottles he sends all over the floor by doing so, Kenji quietly reads through Iwanako's letter. The process takes seemingly forever, and with how close he holds it up to his face, makes it look like he's trying to eat it. KENJI: "Who's “Iwanako?”" HISAO: "My ex-girlfriend." Katawa Shoujo OST - Nocturne KENJI: "Ex-girlfriend, huh? This is the breakup letter, then. I thought they were a myth." HISAO: "No. I guess it is, but really, she's been my ex-girlfriend for a while. Anyway, I think I'm already over it." Kenji gives a thumbs up, clearly relieved that I'm not going to take this into an awkward direction, although I almost want to since I told him not to read it. KENJI: "Yeah, that's a good attitude. It's all right, I had a bad breakup, too, but you can't let it get you down. I mean, just look at me." HISAO: "Uhhhh..." KENJI: "But, hey, she wrote you a letter. Maybe she wants to get back together, huh? It says right there, write her back. You should do it. Is she cute?" For a guy who thinks feminists are working to enslave men everywhere, he really is interested in cute girls. HISAO: "I have a girlfriend. Besides, look at the context, she doesn't want me to write back. Just because that's what it says, that isn't what she means." KENJI: "But that's what she wrote. This rock-fish-kid chick totally still wants you. It even says it right there." HISAO: "I read it, I know what it says. I told you, you have to look at the context. She said I drifted away from her, and everything there shows she accepted that. I think the reason she wrote to me is that she just wants to, I guess, part amicably. But we're done, she doesn't want to get back together or whatever you're thinking." As I think about it more, it sounds to me like I'm just trying to make excuses for myself. That's not a good place to be. I'm positive that she doesn't want me to write her back. I can live with that. If I were to write her back and get a less than desirable response, or no response, then I would just be crushed. Perhaps the fear of that is why I'm trying to justify my decision. It could be, but I don't want to think about it. The thought is oddly repulsive. HISAO: "Why is this such a big deal to you, anyway?" KENJI: "Because you should write back to her. She wants you to. I want to see what the response is going to be. drat, it doesn't even have to be a nice letter. That's cool too, but you could write an angry letter and call her out. That's my new attack strategy, I'm just going to call women out. You should try it." HISAO: "Even if she wrote me a letter, you have to understand what that means. Writing someone a letter is different now. It's not something you just do. Not in this kind of situation. You can pick up your phone and call someone across the world in an instant, and talk to them almost like they were there with you. Or send them an email; they'll be notified instantly that they got it and can reply back, just like that. A letter can be a personal thing, but she wanted to keep me at an arm's distance. It's not like I can pop over there and visit her. If I had her number, I could call her, or if I had her mail, I could mail her. If she really wanted to hear back from me, she would have dropped one of those in there." I feel silly for continuously reassuring myself that I'm not fazed by Iwanako writing to me, when it's so obvious that I am. KENJI: "It could be like a gradual thing for her. She might be too shy to call you up. I remember my girlfriend would always send me text messages because she was so shy. It was annoying as hell, man. I didn't really give a poo poo about phones so I didn't have the thing, and it turns out I had to pay for every single one. But I don't like phones so I couldn't even call her back to tell her to cut that out. I did it anyway, though. I called her out. I even used a phone. It was literally the call out." HISAO: "I guess it was." Even if he's right, it means that Iwanako still wants to keep her distance from me. She's “not ready” to chat with me comfortably. Why? Am I some kind of freak? I'm not reassured by her actions anyway, in that case. Maybe I am overthinking it, but I just don't know. Kenji can't think of anything to say to that, and the silence that follows is so awkward and thick that I start to count the seconds until he makes up a reason to leave and excuses himself. KENJI: "I miss her..." HISAO: "Your ex?" KENJI: "Yeah. Even if she was insane, it was nice being with her. My back hurts. If she were still around I could tell her to massage it. I don't know how to use an oven, either. I miss baked food. And we would go bowling in the hallway sometimes. I miss that, too. I had to bowl all by myself during that last festival." HISAO: "You bowl in the hallway? You're going to hit someone." KENJI: "She used to say that all the time..." Kenji sighs nostalgically, clearly not appreciating just how badly someone can get hurt by slipping on a bowling pin. Apparently, neither did his girlfriend, since she bowled with him. What a strange definition of love, but I guess it's something. HISAO: "Maybe you should write her a letter. If she writes back, you can get married." (Silence) KENJI: "Married?! No. No no no. No." HISAO: "Okay, fine. But why not? You clearly like her, even though you hate women." Katawa Shoujo OST - Out of the Loop KENJI: "Feminists! Not women, feminists. There's a difference. There are non-feminist women. drat, your discrimination is incredible. Correlation doesn't equal causation. Even if she is insane and a woman, it doesn't mean she is a feminist insane woman. It's like how the absence of evidence isn't the evidence of absence. If it's true, then by the relative property, the presence of evidence doesn't equal the evidence of presence." HISAO: "Actually, I think it is. And I don't think it's called the relative property." KENJI: "No, shut up, it's mathematics! Are you saying math is wrong?" I think he is wrong. So even Kenji has someone that he likes. I'm tempted to ask why he and his ex broke up, or to dig for more information in general, but I shouldn't. Not only would it be prying, but he might reverse the question back to me. (Silence) This conversation makes me think about Shizune, although the thoughts I'm having are scattered and wispy. Just questions. I wonder if I even had the chance to love Iwanako, and this whole situation with her still stings me, a sour note in the back of my mind. I like Shizune much more. Yet it feels like I am chasing her, even now. I don't mind the chase, but I want to close that distance between us. Iwanako's letter is responsible, but I've also felt this way for a while. I've come closer, but it's not enough. I want to try again, right now. I tell Kenji to get out so I can change, and then head for the student council room. The grounds are mostly deserted today, which is a shame, because it's so nice out. No one answers when I knock. I try to go in anyway, but it's locked. When I pull my hand away from the doorknob, it's covered in dust. It looks like no one's been here since we left. Since I'm already out here and dressed, I might as well get something to eat in town. My wallet is back in my room, though. .png) On the way back there, I stumble across Misha sitting down behind the main building. Her eyes are closed in sleep, and she looks very tranquil. It's always been hard to picture her not constantly bouncing around or hopping on the tips of her toes impatiently. My first instinct is to call out to her and ask her if she has seen Shizune, or if she wants to go to town with me, but now that I've seen her I don't feel like disturbing her. I leave her alone.
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Nov 1, 2021 14:38
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Falconier111 posted:I think he is wrong. So even Kenji has someone that he likes. I'm tempted to ask why he and his ex broke up, or to dig for more information in general, but I shouldn't. Not only would it be prying, but Fixed.
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Nov 1, 2021 15:13
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Holy poo poo, Kenji... drat. He's not a nice person to be around most of the time, but that was an interesting look under the surface.
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Nov 1, 2021 18:19
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Update 76: Roadmap (Act 3, Scenes 9-10) Katawa Shoujo OST ~ Passing of Time .png) Katawa Shoujo OST - Stride .png) For the first few days after I was back, I almost forgot that I was in the Student Council. I managed to pick up here and there that the Student Council usually gets swamped with work around the end of the break, but it didn't have to be the case. The few times when I managed to catch Shizune or Misha, they were in too much of a hurry for me to get a chance to ask if they needed help. Anytime they weren't, I'd only be able to get ahold of Misha. Shizune would say something about how there was work, but it was so little that involving either Misha or I would only bore us. After awhile, the idea of having some free time again had started to grow on me, though there were still periods when I felt like I had too much of it. .png) Just when I was getting used to it, though, things changed again. Now I find myself back in the student council room, arguing with Shizune about whether tissue boxes make good ballot boxes or not. HISAO: "I'm telling you, they work just fine, as long as we get the cube-shaped ones, not the rectangular ones. Misha, can you sign that to her? I've kind of got my hands full. ...On second thought, forget it." She is busy cutting out ballot slips, so if she were to make one errant movement she would probably send those scissors flying into someone's head. I drop the box of poster paints I'm carrying onto my little table in the student council room, and cough as a wave of dust hits me in the face. It really has been a while.  SHIZUNE: “[Do you think we should change the size of the ballot slips?]" .png)  MISHA: "What~? But Shicchan, I already cut out so many of them..." SHIZUNE: “[We can make them smaller. It will be more efficient. We just have to shrink the font. More ballots will fit in a single box that way. We'll only need half the amount of paper, then. The format for voting can be changed. It could be more like a real election; then we might be able to get away with buying less boxes. With the money left over, we can get a pizza, or maybe Chinese, or a cake, or three bowls of the new ramen bowl I want to try.]" Shizune excitedly rubs a finger along the frame of her glasses as she ponders more ways to cut even a half-yen of spending off of our budget. Since I think she is the only one who even knows what our budget is, I'm scared to ask just how tiny is it for her to have to do this. HISAO: "What about all the ballot slips Misha already cut out?" SHIZUNE: “[Don't worry, don't worry. I can make them into memo pads and sell them in the school store.]" MISHA: "Shicchan, they don't look very cute, though~..." Shizune seems to disagree. Now they're arguing, but it looks like it consists of nothing more than signing “Yes, they do” and “No, they don't” at each other until they're so tired of it they are just taking turns pointing at each other commandingly. It's strange, partly because it looks kind of ridiculous, but also because I've never seen them disagree. Then again, both of them have looked very stressed these past few days. Shizune has been increasingly absorbed in the idea of student council elections, though they're months away. I imagine this is how politicians act when they realize a regime change is imminent and their era is over. I'm having trouble taking student council matters seriously at all, even now, as I practice my calligraphy on signs that won't go up for weeks, but I can understand why Shizune does. After all, she has been Student Council president for three years. According to her dad, she has wanted the job for even longer. I guess three years is too short a career for her to leave feeling satisfied. HISAO: "Did the last Student Council go through this much trouble to make it a smooth transition for you?" Shizune makes a chagrined face that tells me they weren't very helpful at all. HISAO: "I guess you're doing all this to set a good example, then?" SHIZUNE: "..." MISHA: "That only comes into play if they learn anything from it, Hicchan~! If they don't, I'll be hyper mad~! If they turn out to be the flaky type, I'll definitely be hard on them~." It doesn't sound very threatening when Misha is saying it. HISAO: "So, you've already met them?" SHIZUNE: "..." MISHA: "Ahaha~. Hicchan, there are no candidates yet~!" HISAO: "What? None?" SHIZUNE: “[Not even for Student Council president. That is why I am trying to drum up interest for the position. What do you think?]" She proudly holds up a poster she has been working on herself. It looks very, uh, military. HISAO: "You might be taking this a little too seriously, then." Shizune frowns and plays with her glasses, offended. SHIZUNE: “[Is that weird?]" HISAO: "Yes." She looks oddly happy that I'm disagreeing with her, and I think that if she weren't genuinely focused on what she was doing, she would try to argue with me just because it would be interesting to her. SHIZUNE: “[What's weird about it?]" It looks like she will do that after all. But then, Shizune waves her hand dismissively, like she is trying to catch the words in the air and delete them. Instead, she catapults into insulting her future successors. HISAO: "Well, one thing that's weird is that in my old school the elections would happen in about six months, since, you know, we're graduating in March. It's pretty weird to think about them so early." SHIZUNE: “[It's a little different here.] …” MISHA: "Hicchan, I'll be discouraged if we don't have any replacements when I have to go~! Shicchan says. But~!, it isn't like the school will stop running without a Student Council. It will be harder for them to hand out forms, though~! Hahaha~." .png) Shizune isn't laughing, however. Misha's joke causes her to flinch, as if she were stung. Though Misha didn't mean for it to come out that way, her quip had a callous cruelty to it in the end. SHIZUNE: “[Hmph. I'm trying to get more people to run, but everyone is so lazy. They think they can take it easy just because there are no deadlines yet. Slackers, not taking the early game advantage. “Still” six months away? If they aren't making their move now, they don't deserve a vote!]" MISHA: "Do they really think it's such an easy job that they can do everything at the last minute and just coast into the role~? Insulting~! Really~, really~! They're going to be eaten alive once they have to sit at this tiny desk and see just how much work they have to do~!" SHIZUNE: “[If this were a real election, they would be in deep trouble. I was reading about Japanese campaigning laws the other day. Only the bad ones, for some reason.]" HISAO: "For some reason." For a second, Shizune was “talking” like her father there, and it was coming out of Misha's mouth. Creepy. HISAO: "Well, first off, shadow shogun, you can't really make that call. They'll be elected. Second, it's just a school election. It's not like running for city council, or the Diet. I don't think Japanese campaigning laws apply." Third, although I don't want to say it, I'm nervous that Shizune is so enthusiastic about this, talking of elections and votes. According to her dad, she wasn't even elected herself. Come to think of it, I can't remember Shizune ever saying she was elected, either. Then, did she get this position by being recruited into the Student Council, and having it fall apart until she was the only one left? Somehow, I'd never considered it. I don't know what to think about that, but it wouldn't surprise me. We're only three people strong now. If the circumstances behind her becoming the Student Council president were that sad, I wonder if there will be a vote at all. Interest could just be that low; or nonexistent, really. Then all her energy would be going towards nothing. I slap an exclamation mark on the end of the poster I'm working on. It's a little plain, so I think adding one is okay. Actually, it still might be a little too plain. I make the mark twice as large. HISAO: "I still say you need to slow down. If this stuff isn't going to be relevant for months, maybe you're working a little too hard on it. That's what I think. You're worrying too much." I don't know how to sign the word “relevant.” I try, and only end up flicking a long line of paint where I didn't intend to. There is no way I can fix that. HISAO: "Misha, can you ask her that?" Shizune giggles silently, clenching her teeth so that no sound actually comes out. SHIZUNE: “[Because there is a lot to worry about.]" HISAO: "Like what?" SHIZUNE: “[Like... usually the boxes end up looking very pretty, so people take them. Have to plan for that.]" MISHA: "Wahaha~! We should make them funny-looking this time, then, so no one will take them! How about that, Shicchan~?" HISAO: "We can draw some weird faces on them. Or we can put a little picture of Shizune on each one saying “Stealing is wrong.”" SHIZUNE: “[No. It's not funny! It's not the only problem, either. There is voter turnout, of course... ...And then the worst case scenario would be not having any candidates.]" Although it seems she meant it jokingly, from the way she smiles as she signs it, that isn't how it comes out. Even Misha understands that the possibility is very real, and though she tries to salvage the mood by punctuating Shizune's statement with a laugh, it doesn't work. SHIZUNE: "..." .png) SHIZUNE: “[What is wrong with both of you? I was just making a joke. There actually is some interest this year. If there wasn't, would I be doing all this work? I'm not stupid. When the elections are over, I'll buy everyone dinner. I'm already planning it.]" HISAO: "Even the new Student Council?" SHIZUNE: “[No, they can buy their own celebration dinner. It will only be for the current Student Council. I'll be happy once I'm through having to do these thankless jobs all the time.]" MISHA: "A dinner just for us~? Yay~! It's like a little party, Shicchan~!" (Silence) Though her cheerfulness is obviously forced, I say nothing. For the rest of the period, which fortunately isn't very long, we work in silence. Katawa Shoujo OST - Daylight After classes, I find the student council room locked. It's strange, because Shizune was so busy earlier that I would expect her to continue working after school. It would be what she would normally do. Maybe she listened to my suggestion and decided to take a break. I'm hoping it's that simple. Feeling a little uneasy, I take a brief stroll around the school. It's only half-conscious; I can't remember when I started moving my feet, but I've already covered enough of the campus that I'm starting to feel tired. Not that that means anything, now. Just a short stroll around the school grounds, and I'm already winded. Really pathetic. Before I know it, I'm back in front of the student council office. There's someone else, too, this time. .png) MISHA: "Hi, Hicchan~!" HISAO: "It's locked." Seeing a can of lemonade in her hand, I reflexively start looking for a vending machine nearby. I'm so thirsty. MISHA: "I know that, Hicchan~! Shicchan is somewhere else, I guess~!" HISAO: "Weird." MISHA: "Ahahaha~. We aren't stuck together, Hicchan~." Misha takes a long drink from her lemonade, eventually just tipping it over and pouring the rest into her mouth. I feel like I am being mocked. MISHA: "Do you want one, Hicchan~?" HISAO: "No, it's okay. I can't take someone else's drink, it's rude. Besides, you're making fun of me, aren't you? I just saw you inhale all of that." MISHA: "I have another one in my bag~! I was prepared, see~, see~? I'm just like Shicchan~!" HISAO: "She's a little too prepared. It's good some of that is rubbing off on you, anyway. After what, two years?" MISHA: "Wahaha~!" The way she stares at me as I drink it is a little disconcerting, but I'm too grateful to care much about it. HISAO: "You and Shizune always end up treating me to something. It's starting to embarrass me." MISHA: "Really~, Hicchan? Ahaha~. Buy me lunch sometime, then, okay~? Then~!, we'll be even. Well, it's funny you should say that. I was going to ask you if you wanted to eat in town... Yeah~ yeah~! I'm really hungry today, Hicchan! Thanks!" (Silence) ...Yesterday. I was going to ask her yesterday. Misha cuts me off before I can finish the sentence, and I can't find an opening to correct her as she dashes enthusiastically around me, laughing, her arms flapping excitedly at her sides. Katawa Shoujo OST - Raindrops and Puddles I already have my wallet with me, so I start walking towards town with Misha trailing behind me, playing idly with her hands and loudly wondering to herself where we should go eat. At least, I think so. She could be asking me. HISAO: "Do you have anywhere specific where you want to go?" MISHA: "Hmmm~. I want to go to the teahouse, they have a really big parfait there." HISAO: "I saw you eat a parfait there last time, it looked really big." MISHA: "No no no~! This one is really, really~ big! It's also really expensive~!" HISAO: "Really, really~ expensive?" MISHA: "Hahaha~! A little~..." HISAO: "Jeez. Well, you and Shizune paid for my food a bunch of times, so it's fine." MISHA: "Hicchan, I don't think I ever did that~. Are you sure it wasn't just Shicchan?" HISAO: "Are you really arguing against a free meal? Don't worry about it." We go to the Shanghai, and are seated by a waitress who is surprisingly not Yuuko. Misha is very eager to eat that parfait, because she shouts her order as soon as she walks through the door. When it arrives, I can see that it is both very big and very expensive-looking. .png) MISHA: "Aren't you going to order anything, Hicchan~? If you're hungry, we can share." HISAO: "Nah. I don't like parfaits. I don't like pralin.” MISHA: "You can pick it out~!" HISAO: "You can't just pick out pralin; don't be silly." Even if I could, Misha is mashing her food together to the point where it is no longer possible. It also looks kind of gross. I wonder if that many flavors can even blend together well. Can she really taste anything in that goop? She is acting like it's delicious, anyway. MISHA: "Mm~. Parfaits are the best~, I have sensitive teeth, so ice cream is a no-no~. Cake is too soft, though, and if there is too much icing, I get bored. Parfait is interesting. How many cafés have parfaits here~? I think, ten! I've tried them all, I like this one the best. It has a little flan~!" HISAO: "You sound like you're some kind of dessert expert." MISHA: "Not just dessert~! I want to eat all kinds of delicious things~. Someday, I'll have enough money to buy a two kilogram Matsusaka beef steak~!" HISAO: "That's like over a hundred thousand yen... I guess this kind of decadent food is kind of your hobby then, huh?" .png) A hobby isn't something that should take months to learn about someone. I've been very rude, in retrospect. Also, that is one pricey hobby. MISHA: "I guess so~! ...Decadent~?" HISAO: "Yeah." Misha giggles, raising her hand to her face. It looks like some ice cream accidentally got on her nose. She doesn't notice it. I can't stop noticing it. I wish she would wipe it off. I'm about to tell her about it, but she suddenly says, MISHA: "I don't know what that means." HISAO: "Oh. I guess that's a bad word, anyway. It has implications. Epicurean is better. It means, someone who enjoys eating nice food. That's the adjective, though. So, epicure is the word for it." MISHA: "Wahaha~! Hicchan, you're too wordy." HISAO: "Sorry." MISHA: "Hahaha~. I think that is what Shicchan likes about you." HISAO: "Because I'm wordy? I need to buy some thesauruses, then." MISHA: "Wahaha~! No, not like that, Hicchan~!" I decide to order some coffee after all, but it takes a while to get the waitress to notice, and I think actually getting my coffee will take about as long. The tea shop is filling up. No surprise, as we've already been here for almost an hour while she was chipping at that dessert. I order my coffee to go, but Misha orders one as well, so it seems that we're going to be here longer than I thought. HISAO: "I really wish it was that easy. It's hard to talk to her lately." MISHA: "Shicchan's been busy because of the elections~!" HISAO: "I know we can't have fun all the time. It's just that there's a lot I want to say to her, I think. I always screw up when the time comes, though. And I don't even have the time now. Because of the elections. They're not for a while, though." MISHA: "Hicchan, do you think that Shicchan is avoiding you?" Misha sounds angry. That's to be expected, but I don't feel that way at all. HISAO: "No." MISHA: "Is that so~..." .png) The dreamy way in which she says it makes me think that Misha is disappointed with my answer. In that case, it could be how she feels. I'm uneasy asking such a question, but I trust Misha would answer it honestly. Otherwise, I wouldn't even dream of it. HISAO: "Do you?" MISHA: "No, of course not, Hicchan~! But~! ...It's frustrating, sometimes~. Shicchan has so much energy, and is always trying to make people feel as excited about things as she is~. But it's like Shicchan doesn't know how to handle things when everyone gets really hyped up. Or~! I think that she wants to make sure nothing goes wrong. When I want to help out, Shicchan always pushes me away. It's frustrating. I'm just overthinking it, probably~! Right~?" Misha takes a big gulp from her cup of coffee, then sticks her tongue out. MISHA: "Ow~! Hot~ hot~ hot~... thought it would have cooled down by now~!" HISAO: "Has it really been that long?" I check my watch. It hasn't been very long at all, but looking outside, the sun is already starting to set. HISAO: "Not really. Huh, it got dark out pretty quickly today, though, so I could understand why you might think that." At my words, Misha looks outside and yawns almost immediately. She looks sleepy. That's funny, because... HISAO: "Are you sleepy? You were wide awake like, just two seconds ago." MISHA: "I feel tired when it gets dark, Hicchan~." HISAO: "Just like that? Are you a bird?" MISHA: "Ahahaha~." I pick up my own coffee and have a sip. It's not very hot at all, but very tasty. I down it as quickly as possible, because now I want to get back to my dorm room as well. Misha tries to emulate me, but it's still too hot for her. While I wait for her to finish, I start to wonder what she meant back then about Shizune liking something about me. Suddenly, I'm very curious, but dragging that back up now feels like an unnecessary action. I try to weigh the option again, but am interrupted by Misha slamming her empty cardboard cup down on the table with a loud pop. MISHA: "Done~!" She lets out a short laugh, seeming very pleased with herself. Kind of like a toddler. I wonder if she had that drill-shaped haircut when she was little, too. Or was it something more like her current look? It would make more sense. HISAO: "I guess we should head back then. I can't see the waitress. Try not to fall asleep while I pay for the sundae, okay?" MISHA: "Not a sundae; It's a parfait, Hicchan. Wahaha~." HISAO: "You have ice cream on your nose." Katawa Shoujo OST ~ Passing of Time .png) Katawa Shoujo OST - School Days In class the next afternoon, I'm two problems into a math logic worksheet when a folded up piece of paper hits me in the head. I'm sure I know whom it's from, but I quickly look around the classroom anyway, just in case. .png) No one in this classroom is good at acting casual. I can tell that everyone saw who threw it at me, and looking at the culprit herself it was obviously Shizune. She isn't even trying to be coy about it. The countryside is so different. At my old school I would have no idea who it was right now. Opening up the note, it says: quote:Misha is absent! Help me out today after school! HISAO: "I don't understand what's with the note, why can't you just use sign language?" A large part of how I learned sign language was by copying Misha's style of signing her words as she speaks, so I end up blurting the sentence out loud as I sign it to Shizune. A slight laugh goes around the room. How awkward. HISAO: “[I'll help if I don't have to do a lot.]" SHIZUNE: “[That's silly, obviously if Misha is absent you have to help as much as two people.]" I don't know if that really means anything. After all, Misha was complaining yesterday mostly about how Shizune wouldn't let her help her. I don't do much as-is, either. After pretending to think it over for a bit, I write her a note back telling her I will. I'm actually happy that she asked me, because I've been meaning to talk to her for a while. It's a good opportunity, but I feel I should at least make it look like I'm putting up some resistance to the idea. I go back to my worksheet and immediately get stuck on the third problem. After trying to work around it, I casually toss my own note over to Shizune. It says: quote:Why is Misha absent? And what's the answer to question 3? SHIZUNE: “[She told me that she was sick and her stomach hurt. Misha gets stomachaches a lot, but I wish she'd picked a better time for it this week. Use sign language.]" I'd think she has a stomachache because of the way she sucked down a parfait larger than her head the other day. If she gets them quite often, though, either it's a coincidence or she has a habit of eating things that can put her in debilitating pain. I notice the teacher staring at us disapprovingly. I don't blame him. We're “talking” in class, and with sign language, in quite a visible and distracting way. I try clearing my throat to back out of our conversation, but Shizune doesn't get the hint. Well, obviously. Before I try to get the message across again with my hands, however, I can see Shizune notices what's up, she just doesn't care. SHIZUNE: “[Do you still want to know the answer to question 3? I will tell you, but you have to give me the answer for question 25.]" HISAO: “[Hey, I was just thinking about how a teacher who didn't know sign language could think we were abusing it and using it to cheat, if he were to assume the worst. I can't believe you're actually doing that! And, I'm not up to 25.]" SHIZUNE: “[You wanted to know what the answer to 3 was; you asked first. Hypocrite.]" HISAO: “[You're the Student Council president, you can't cheat.]" I don't have time for this, and I think I'm trying the teacher's patience to the breaking point. I'd like to continue taking potshots at her while working on the math problems in front of me, but it would require at least two extra hands. Shizune is a bit more creative, and gets around this limitation by using long, semi-broken strings of simpler words. I take a couple mental notes in between being dizzied by a couple of particularly long equations. Right before the bell rings, she caps her pen and triumphantly slams it on her desk with an ear-popping crack that makes the whole room jump, quickly forgotten because everyone would rather go to lunch than question its origin. After a couple brief stretches, she gets up and hovers around my left shoulder. (Silence) SHIZUNE: “[Are you still not done? I was going to ask if you wanted me to hand in yours too, while I was up.]" HISAO: “[Someone distracted me. I had to beg the teacher to give me nine minutes between now and the end of passing to finish it. It's not easy to solve this one-handed while having a conversation, by the way.]" He wasn't happy with the request, wanting to get out of here as much as I do. Since I'm only one problem away from finishing, it looks like Shizune doesn't really believe me. Katawa Shoujo OST - Fripperies The second that I'm done handing it in, I find myself being dragged to the student council room. It's eerily and annoyingly clean. I can't find what I was working on yesterday. HISAO: “[Where is everything?]" .png) SHIZUNE: “[I did some cleaning.]" HISAO: “[That doesn't tell me anything. See, it's like you forgot where you even put the stuff you put away. Oh well, If I can't find it, I guess I'll just go home.]" SHIZUNE: “[It's in the drawer right there.]" Shizune sulks as I pull out the posters I was working on, and then shuffle them around a little, since she stacked them by color. It's not that I'm taunting her; I just have my own system, although I doubt she would believe me if I were to tell her. HISAO: “[I like it when things are a little messy. It's more natural. And a time saver. It's all right where I left it, and I don't have to go looking through shelves just to find what I was working on yesterday.]" SHIZUNE: “[Lazy.]" HISAO: “[That's not true. I'm not lazy, you just always go too far.]" I quickly glance at her desk. A memo pad neatly placed at one corner, behind it a small desk calendar with each box filled with notes in a neat, but microscopic handwriting. On the right, three boxes of pens, in blue, black, and red. HISAO: “[Look, you even put the pens back in their original box at the end of each day, all color-coded and everything. I don't think that can even be called being a neat freak.]" SHIZUNE: “[What do you do with them, throw them in a mug on your desk?]" HISAO: “[Hey, I think that's being organized enough.]" SHIZUNE: “[You're so disorganized, you can't even comb your hair down properly.]" HISAO: “[That hurts...]" It's not like I don't try; it just won't stay flat. I pick up a box of pens and quickly pop it open to see if she also puts them in so that they're all facing the same direction. She understands what I'm thinking, and doesn't look very amused. (Crashing Sound Effect) It turns out that the box wasn't closed properly on the bottom, and as soon as I pick it up, they immediately pour out of it like a waterfall. HISAO: “[My fault. I'll get them, don't worry.]" (Silence) I bend down to pick up the pens, forgetting that with her attention focused on them, she couldn't have possibly seen me signing to her. Shizune's head bumps into my chest; not very hard, but it unbalances me enough to make me fall over. I laugh it off, and expect her to do the same. When she stiffens and backs away from me instead, a feeling of dread begins to creep over me. That is a weird reaction. I start to think about why she would have such a strange reaction. It's pretty obvious: she just bumped headfirst into someone with a heart condition. Shizune would know I have one, maybe thanks to the records her student council duties give her access to. Or at the very least, she would know I have something severe enough to need monitoring. So she is treating me like I'm made of glass. For her, it's the natural way to react. I haven't forgotten how she freaked out when Emi knocked into me on my first day here. Why would it be any different for her? I'm sure she is remembering that, right now. I can see it on her face. She looks angry at herself. It would be a good opportunity to bring up that time when she saw my pills. Even though I don't want to drag that back up, it would be a good idea to. It would clear the air. Still, I'm afraid, and end up saying nothing. Partly because as I imagine having to draw her attention from the floor, and then having to sign what kind of a cripple I am to her one gesture at a time, the idea begins to seem more and more depressing. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 02:02 on Nov 5, 2021 |
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Nov 3, 2021 14:10
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That ending seems to contradict the discussion a few updates ago about Shizune not knowing that Hisao has a heart condition. The implication here definitely seems to be that she does, and that she has for a very long time.
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Nov 3, 2021 17:45
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Falconier111 posted:Update 76: Roadmap (Act 3, Scenes 9-10) Missing closing brackets in these instances.
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Nov 3, 2021 18:25
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Nidoking posted:That ending seems to contradict the discussion a few updates ago about Shizune not knowing that Hisao has a heart condition. The implication here definitely seems to be that she does, and that she has for a very long time. Falconier111 posted:Shizune would know I have [an heart condition], maybe thanks to the records her student council duties give her access to. Or at the very least, she would know I have something severe enough to need monitoring. He didn't tell her, he's simply assuming (and thus probably making an rear end of him and her)
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Nov 3, 2021 19:01
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Well, I did say "seems", "implication", and then "seems" again if pedantry is really the goal here. But it still feels like a lot of attention in the narrative, including referencing earlier events to support it, if the end result is just going to be revealing that it's not true. There has to be a point where the unreliability of the narrator stops being a feature and just becomes a barrier to following the story.
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Nov 3, 2021 20:05
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Nidoking posted:Well, I did say "seems", "implication", and then "seems" again if pedantry is really the goal here. But it still feels like a lot of attention in the narrative, including referencing earlier events to support it, if the end result is just going to be revealing that it's not true. There has to be a point where the unreliability of the narrator stops being a feature and just becomes a barrier to following the story. I'm spoiling this even though I think it was mentioned already because I'm not sure, but isn't there a potential scene in the first part where Shizune and Misha can barge into Hisao's room? I seem to recall him being upset they could see all his medications then; that could certainly explain things if this route was written assuming that scene happened. Though really, we've had enough discussions about privacy violations at this school that it's not THAT much of a shock she could know.
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Nov 3, 2021 23:02
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It's not even privacy I'm concerned about at the moment. It's that a few updates ago, well after all the scenes that are being pointed out as evidence that she likely knows about the heart condition (by the game, no less - we're not even speculating), she tied him down without asking and proceeded to perform sex acts while giving him no way to refuse or even indicate that he might be having a problem, and about the most anyone said in her defense was "Well, there's no evidence that she knows he has a heart condition, so from her perspective, it's not probable that this will kill him." Even that is being heavily suggested to be untrue now. The difference between this route, in terms of writing style, morals, character decisions, and other factors I could probably name if I had the patience, and the other routes we've seen, reminds me of stories I wrote in elementary and middle school compared to college and later. How long of a gap WAS there between this route and the rest of the game, rounded to the nearest degree program?
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Nov 3, 2021 23:49
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Yeah I think the writing and storytelling in this is lesser than the others in general, but I still like Shizune
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Nov 4, 2021 02:01
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I'm trying to like Shizune, but the best I can do is sympathize. Every other route, we've had something romantic, or at least cute about the couple. Here, barely anything has changed since Act 1.
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Nov 4, 2021 17:03
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At the start of the route I thought that Shizune got off on being an rear end to other people, and I still do, but I appreciate that there's more to her than just that.
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Nov 4, 2021 18:21
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My guess is that Shizune stiffened on physical contact, not because of any heart condition, not… because of her dad. D:
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Nov 4, 2021 19:25
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https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2021-11-04/director-masaaki-yuasa-wants-inu-oh-to-be-a-positive-story-about-disability/.179180 This film sounds interesting tbh.
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Nov 4, 2021 21:34
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Violet_Sky posted:https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2021-11-04/director-masaaki-yuasa-wants-inu-oh-to-be-a-positive-story-about-disability/.179180 Oh poo poo. Yuasa is incredibly skilled, him and Lanthimos are neck and neck for my favorite living director, and everything he makes tends to be really exciting and interesting so I can only imagine this will be great.
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Nov 4, 2021 22:45
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This route got off to a quick start but has kind of been flailing around. There's not even conflict, just a sort of flatness. I guess Hisao will get annoyed with Shizune not wanting to display vulnerability? Retreading the Emi route but at least it would be something. Misha seems to be building up to having a few scenes, though. The trivial approach would be a love triangle, so that's my guess for how that plays out. Edit: VV good catch, fixed. Decoy Badger fucked around with this message at 02:35 on Nov 5, 2021 |
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Nov 5, 2021 01:08
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Decoy Badger posted:This route got off to a quick start but has kind of been flailing around. There's not even conflict, just a sort of flatness. I guess Hisao will get annoyed with Shizune not wanting to display vulnerability? Retreading the Rin route but at least it would be something. You meant Emi, I think.
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Nov 5, 2021 01:18
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Space Kablooey posted:Missing closing brackets in these instances. Thanks as always. Though fwiw, could you add ellipsis breaks or something to mark that lines are in different areas? Because I ended up tabbing back and forth to figure out if I’d managed to misplace lines  .Tulip posted:Oh poo poo. Yuasa is incredibly skilled, him and Lanthimos are neck and neck for my favorite living director, and everything he makes tends to be really exciting and interesting so I can only imagine this will be great. Color me cautiously optimistic. I’m not familiar with his work, but from what I see he’s pretty well positioned to understand things. But he also seems to be neither disabled nor have experience talking about disability, and historically those factors haven’t always played out well. We’re still salting the earth where Music once stood.
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Nov 5, 2021 02:38
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Falconier111 posted:Thanks as always. Though fwiw, could you add ellipsis breaks or something to mark that lines are in different areas? Because I ended up tabbing back and forth to figure out if I’d managed to misplace lines Will do.
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Nov 5, 2021 02:51
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Falconier111 posted:Color me cautiously optimistic. I’m not familiar with his work, but from what I see he’s pretty well positioned to understand things. But he also seems to be neither disabled nor have experience talking about disability, and historically those factors haven’t always played out well. We’re still salting the earth where Music once stood. I get what you're saying and agree with you, but by that logic you can also put Katawa Shoujo in this category as well. I mean, the game written by non-disabled people (IIRC) has a slur in the title.
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Nov 5, 2021 04:18
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Yeah, hence the "cautiously optimistic" part. It's less ill-omened than most Hollywood approaches to disability, that's for sure. I guess I'm just used to not getting my hopes up  .
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Nov 5, 2021 14:30
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Update 77: Dewey Decimated (Act 3, Scenes 10-11) (Silence) Taking a seat, I decide to just try and finish up these posters to get my mind off of it. There are some that I don't remember making. From the wall-to-wall text and ultra-neat handwriting, I can tell Shizune must have done these. That means that the remainder must have been done by Misha. They are a lot more visual, with cute little stylized pictures of us on them. I don't know how I feel about being used as a mascot character, but I'm not really thrilled by it. Katawa Shoujo OST - Afternoon Some time passes; long enough for the sun to start setting. I hear Shizune putting down her pen and cracking her knuckles methodically, one at a time. It's so loud in the silence of the room that I look up, wondering if she is trying to get my attention. .png) Although it wasn't what she intended, when she notices me looking at her, Shizune begins to sign without skipping a beat. SHIZUNE: “[Let's take a break.]" HISAO: “[I'm surprised you would say that.]" SHIZUNE: “[It's okay. I'm almost done, anyway. And I'm hungry. Aren't you?]" HISAO: “[A little.]" SHIZUNE: “[I'm really hungry.]" HISAO: “[We could order something.]" SHIZUNE: “[I was thinking of you. I already have something to eat.]" HISAO: “[Where?]" She produces a cinnamon bun from under her desk, raising it to head level slowly, like a magician levitating a rock. SHIZUNE: “[But! There is only one. Not enough for both of us.]" Ah, how dramatic. I can tell what this means. A feeling of déjà vu briefly washes over me. HISAO: “[We could just split it.]" SHIZUNE: “[That's. No. Fun. So boring. Let's play shogi for it.]" She already has the board out. That desk must have everything in it. HISAO: “[Not chess?]" SHIZUNE: “[Chess has boring promotions, this is better.]" HISAO: “[I don't know about that. Well, I'm actually pretty decent at shogi, so this is fine.]" SHIZUNE: “[Is that so? Okay, we can make it a little more interesting, then. Each move has to be completed in thirty seconds. You can add a rule, too.]" HISAO: “[No thanks, anything I could add would only hurt me more than it would help. A thirty-second time limit is already too tight for me. You're making me regret thinking it was all right to brag a little.]" After Shizune wins the right to go first in a quick coin toss, she immediately starts playing with the aim of promoting all of her pieces as soon as possible. It seems like a very basic playstyle, and I can't help thinking it might be a trap of some sort. It's not, though. The draw of this game to Shizune appears to be the fact that she can upgrade her pieces, and steal mine. She's very good at it, but it makes her predictable. I end up doing a little better than I'd expected to. The 30-second time limit is pretty painful, though. The game ends in a draw. At this point, I think you're supposed to either go for a rematch or tally the pieces for points. Shizune doesn't want to go again in the interest of time, but winning on points clearly doesn't satisfy her. (Silence) She sits there, shifting a silver general from one edge to the other as she contemplates which of those two options she'll go for. It takes so long that I think she has forgotten about the bet. Eventually, she stops fiddling with the shogi piece and puts it down. .png) SHIZUNE: “[Is Misha angry at me?]" Katawa Shoujo OST - Stride That really came out of nowhere. Shizune's frankness is disorienting, because with her, any kind of candor is a sign of total seriousness. There is no playful smile on her face, instead it's her usual stoic mask of concentration, ready to try and see if I'm about to tell her the truth. I'm upset that she thinks that I would tell her anything else, but I also know now that they have probably fought recently, out of my sight, and it makes me feel warm to know that they both care about each other so much. HISAO: “[No. I strongly doubt it. Did you know that she thinks you're angry at her?]" Shizune nods slowly and uncomfortably. SHIZUNE: “[Yes.]" HISAO: “[She was more roundabout with the question than you. Kind of surprising, because I thought that you were the one who liked playing games.]" SHIZUNE: “[Not all the time.]" … HISAO: “[Are you two having some kind of fight?]" SHIZUNE: “[No.]" She is very quick to deny it, and not happy with the thought. I feel like I've stepped on a landmine. SHIZUNE: “[Sorry. Actually, yes. Just a tiny one. I know that she has no interest in the Student Council. She only joined because of me. I'm still grateful. I'm so happy she's my friend. But I don't understand what she is upset about this time.]" HISAO: “[Why don't you just ask her?]" SHIZUNE: “[She won't tell me. I'll figure it out by myself, instead. I was sure that I was very perceptive, even if I can't hear. That was dumb. I know better now. It is probably something that is my fault.]" (Silence) Shizune doesn't elaborate further on what it could have been. I'm sure that it is because she does not fully understand the situation herself. It's odd to think that Shizune, usually so sure of everything, could be scared by a little argument with a friend. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. They're a lot closer to each other than normal friends, and Shizune is pretty isolated from other people, in a way. The fact that she is deaf is no small part of it. But I get the feeling that she uses Misha as a buffer between other people of her own will, not just because it's been forced onto her. She can communicate well enough with her little pad. She just hates it. After such a long time of talking through another person, I guess you start to lose touch. It seems unavoidable. It isn't such a far-out idea to think that she isn't that great with people. I return to working, kind of wanting to eat that cinnamon bun more as time drags on, but when I count the shogi pieces still left out on Shizune's table, I can tell at a glance she would win. I'm also too hungry to concentrate if we were to have a rematch. Motivated by my desire to wrap up and eat something, I put the finishing touches on the last of the posters. HISAO: “[Done. I think this many is enough. Too many can be a bad thing.]" Katawa Shoujo OST - The Student Council (Shizune’s Theme) SHIZUNE: “[Okay.]" HISAO: “[That's it? Just “okay?”]" SHIZUNE: "...? [… I'll probably do some myself, after I'm done picking what voting format to go with.]" HISAO: “[Arrgghh. Too many posters is bad, too. Haven't you ever heard of oversaturation? I really think you're trying too hard.]" Tenting her fingers, Shizune looks like she could almost admit it. SHIZUNE: “[Maybe.]" HISAO: “[It's what Misha thinks, too.]" I watch as her fingers continue uneasily twining around and pulling at each other in a miniature tug-of-war. HISAO: “[I don't mind, but I asked around in a couple classes today and interest is low. It's like you said. So...]" SHIZUNE: “[Does that make it wrong?]" HISAO: “[No. But... it does make it kind of pointless.]" SHIZUNE: “[It's not.]" Yeah, but to who? I doubt even Shizune truly believes that. SHIZUNE: “[I'm not doing all this work just for my own ego.]" HISAO: “[That isn't what I mean.]" The first chance to be alone with her in days, and I have already really cocked it up. Still, she doesn't actually look angry. It's more like she's frustrated that she can't express herself clearly enough. Since she's an expert in sign language, I wouldn't think that would be the case. I wonder what advantage being able to speak would offer her, and if she has ever thought about it. .png) SHIZUNE: “[It's another project of mine. Just like the festivals. I'm going to do it, because it's my job. It's just that a student council election isn't as fun as a festival, so no one cares.]" She briefly touches her fingertips together, as if to say “but, maybe...” There is some truth to it, but Shizune doesn't want to say anything that could be boiled down into something so glib. SHIZUNE: “[But I don't care. I want to get people riled up, but it isn't about me. I don't want to be involved at all.]" HISAO: “[What do you mean? You go to like, every single festival.]" Shizune waves her hand in mock indignation. SHIZUNE: “[Well... I have to have fun, too. But you know, it's not the same thing.]" Her spirits seem to have improved, if she can manage to crack a joke. SHIZUNE: “[I don't want anyone to make a point of me being involved. It's a hassle. I don't want that responsibility. Things are becoming too complicated now as-is. The more I try to hype up the elections, the more involved I have to be. No one wants to play their hand yet, and it doesn't feel like my time is over, even though it should.]" Crossing her arms and leaning back, she grinds her teeth together in frustration. SHIZUNE: “[They're all so lazy; it's impossible to get them to do anything. Anywhere else, the elections would be an exciting event. It's illogical, why does everyone have to be so different? If only there was some way to punish them... ...Like chaining the school to their desks. Voting is mandatory. If you don't vote, you get whipped.]" Terrifying. I wonder how hypocritical it would be if I were to stay in bed on election day. With the flu. And a cold. And strep throat. And a sprained ankle. HISAO: “[You should put yourself on one of these. Not as punishment. Don't misunderstand.]" I hold up one of Misha's posters. HISAO: “[Like this. It's kind of a neat idea. Misha was on to something. It's a lot cuter than just text. I'd think you would like it. Having cute mascots would drum up some excitement.]" SHIZUNE: “[Maybe if it's just Misha.]” HISAO: “[Why not me? Someone told me that this school has slightly more girls than boys... you have to cater to that demographic, too.]" Shizune giggles, audibly this time. I'm surprised, and when she sees my face, so is she. Her face flushes pink, embarrassed to have let out a sound. Which is really confusing, to say the least. HISAO: “[Why don't you put yourself on it?]" She just waves my question away. SHIZUNE: “[It's troublesome.]" HISAO: “[What do you mean, troublesome? Everyone knows that you're in the Student Council.]" My stomach growls, making me realize that I'm hungrier than I'd thought. Shizune uses the moment to deflect my question by changing the subject. SHIZUNE: “[Is something wrong?]" HISAO: “[No. My stomach growled.]" SHIZUNE: “[I see.]" She looks at the forgotten pastry on her desk then frowns, finding it inadequate for two people. SHIZUNE: “[Let's go to the Shanghai, if you are that hungry. It might be a little busy this late, but Yuuko is working there today. We will definitely get a table.]" There is something worryingly underhanded in that smile. HISAO: “[I'll pass. I've already been there twice this week, back to back.]" Shizune pouts, leaning back against her desk and scrunching up her posture in protest. HISAO: “[What?]" SHIZUNE: “[I'm disappointed you said no.]" HISAO: “[Well, I can't agree with you on everything.]" SHIZUNE: “[You don't give your opinion often enough, anyway. It would be easiest for me if it was like that, but not very interesting, right? There are some decisions you should disagree with me on, then. You have a duty to.]" HISAO: “[How am I supposed to know which is which?]" SHIZUNE: “[It's easy.]" HISAO: “[No, it's not. Sometimes it's hard for me to tell whether you're joking or serious.]" Although, since she communicates entirely in sign language, that would seem pretty obvious. I wouldn't say that that's all there is to it, though. (Silence) I remember when I had my heart attack, Iwanako wouldn't stop talking, at first. Eventually, I wished that she would just shut up. Or I would have, if I hadn't been happy to have any kind of company at all. Gradually, I stopped being so grateful. When we talked, I felt like it was nothing more than ritualized exchanges of politeness. Iwanako tried extremely hard to obfuscate how she felt, which was that I was hopeless. In the end, her outer behavior matched her inner feelings. For that reason, I was able to accept it when one day she stopped showing up. I was no longer surprised by the time it happened. Even though she considered herself a master at hiding her feelings, I was not surprised. I've heard that games like shogi and chess can tell you a lot about a person. I wish I knew what Shizune thought they said about me. It could be that I'm a little more like Iwanako than I'd like to think, if I can only tie with Shizune by retreating. I suggest that we should order out. Katawa Shoujo OST ~ Passing of Time .png) (Silence) The next day, I walk up to my usual vending machine at lunch only to find that it's out of my favorite drink. Secreted so far away from most of the classrooms, between a storeroom and the library, it's like no one knew about it. I'd expected a vending machine so close to the library to be booming with customers, but then again, the library is empty most of the time, and anyone who goes there is only doing it to look for stuff to pad a paper with. No one stays there longer than they absolutely have to. For the past month, it's been working out in my favor, but the trade-off with a vending machine no one knows about is that it's never restocked. Settling for a can of orange soda, I decide on drinking it here instead of waiting until I get to the cafeteria, when the library door opens next to me. .png)  YUUKO: "Ah... I've been looking for you!" Katawa Shoujo OST - Fripperies Yuuko seems to be acting a lot more assertive than usual today, although it isn't enough to keep her from going back to mumbling immediately afterwards. YUUKO: "R-return your books, please. I mean... the library's books. The books you checked out are really overdue. Some of them are on waiting lists..." HISAO: "Oops. I forgot. I keep checking out new ones, and forget the return the old ones." YUUKO: "That happens to me all the time at the university library, it's so embarrassing." HISAO: "Do they send someone to try and get you to bring them back?" YUUKO: "No... The university library is bigger, they don't notice if I happen to borrow something longer than normal. It's convenient, because their policy on keeping the books too long is... really strict, stricter than here..." I like how despite what she said, Yuuko has no problem with borrowing books for longer than she is supposed to anyway. It makes her being so on top of my own lateness a little hypocritical. It takes a thief, I guess. Catching on to the meaning of her words around the same time I do, Yuuko clams up and starts backpedaling furiously. YUUKO: "...Um... ah... That's different... from this situation! It's totally different..." Yuuko stares at her nails for a second as if she really wants to bite them, but is too self-conscious to do so. YUUKO: "For instance, how long it's been... You checked out some of these books months ago, Hisao. Sorry... It's just that, other people want to read them, too. If you're a slow reader, that's okay, though..." HISAO: "No, it's a total screw-up on my part. To be honest, I haven't even read some of them. I shouldn't keep taking out books when I have a backlog." YUUKO: "That's not good..." HISAO: "Yeah, it really isn't..." Now I'm starting to copy her habit of trailing off quietly. Her awkwardness is very contagious, for some reason. That said, I'm surprised. Yuuko seems almost normal today, although every now and then, her waitress-y nervous tics keep popping back up. Come to think of it, she didn't act this way when I first met her. She was a little clumsy and neurotic, but it wasn't anywhere near this severe until Shizune, Misha, and I ran into her at the Shanghai. It could be that Yuuko has a complex about having kids from the school seeing her waitressing. I guess it was a little odd for her to pick the closest café to the school to work in, then. In that case, maybe the place having so few customers could be considered a lucky break. HISAO: "Well, I get it. I'll return them right after school." YUUKO: "As soon as possible, please. Um... wait, can I ask you for one more thing?" HISAO: "Sure, what is it?" YUUKO: "I... I have to go for a while, but I can't just leave the library empty... Sorry, but can I ask you to watch it while I'm gone? Just for a little bit, I'll be right back as soon as possible! You're in the Student Council, so I'm sure if you did it, it would be okay." HISAO: "All right, I'll do it, don't worry ab—" YUUKO: "Thank you!" Yuuko quickly slides forward as if she's so grateful she is about to give me a hug, but she stops two centimeters into it, which ultimately just makes the gesture look extremely confusing. I'm also surprised that she can control her momentum so well, since she seems kind of clumsy. (Silence) Before I can say as much as “You're welcome,” she is already dashing off with the urgency of someone late to an appointment. That could be the case, but I wouldn't feel safe assuming so. It's Yuuko, and she seems like the kind of person to treat everything that way. Now that I'm in the library, I feel a bit silly. I don't really know what I'm supposed to do. Should I sit down like I normally would and read? It probably would do, but wouldn't meet Yuuko's high standards. Maybe I should sit at the librarian's desk, and give anyone who comes in a stern and analytical glare. I use Shizune's as a starting point, and practice it a couple times in the mirrored surface of a pen. I think it looks pretty good. Frustratingly, no one comes in, so I give up on the idea quickly, and decide to just go looking for Hanako instead. It's deserted. I think I see someone, but the second I blink, whoever it is is gone. As soon as I return to Yuuko's desk and crack open an interesting-looking book, a familiar person swings in front of me like a falling pendulum. Katawa Shoujo OST - Out of the Loop .png) KENJI: "Yo, librarian, I've been looking for you for like, ten minutes. What?! It's you? Man, you must really get around, or the Student Council makes you get around. Those bitches! How could they? Slave drivers!" He must be exaggerating, because it took me thirty seconds just to do a slow walk around the whole place. The thought is overridden by my surprise to see him. HISAO: "Where did you come from? What are you doing here?" KENJI: "What, can't a guy go to the library now? I can't even go to the library without some young buck like you giving me the third degree over it. I see some girl coming in here all the time, but no one ever asks her what she's doing here. Is it because she reads and I don't?" He must be talking about Hanako. Although I suppose they both avoid people, I want to tell him that reading is what you usually do in a library. So if he's not reading, whatever he's doing is bound to make him look way more suspicious than her. In the end, though, I'm too surprised by him practically appearing out of thin air. HISAO: "That— that doesn't tell me what you are doing here." KENJI: "I'm here because of you." His response makes me feel confused. Maybe I fell asleep and this is all just some weird dream, and this Kenji isn't real, but really my subconscious. Is he going to start giving me deep but vaguely-worded advice now? KENJI: "Because of you, I got chased out of my dorm by feminists. Now, I wander this library, like a soldier without a country, or a ghost. I should haunt you, for ruining things for me." It's a shame, it would have been an interesting dream, but it seems like this is the real deal. KENJI: "Yeah, you had to start working with women, and that brought them to my door. You remember that? You should, since you were there. After that day, I knew they were on to me. I should have trusted my instincts, but I was young and stupid." HISAO: "That wasn't even a week ago." KENJI: "Then, my dad called and said one of my letters hadn't been delivered. The post office couldn't have lost it, so it must have been intercepted. Information warfare! That's when I knew my secret hideout was compromised. Now I'm on the run, like a fugitive. It's code red." HISAO: "Dorm rooms aren't secret, they put your name and number on a board right in the doorway." KENJI: "I know, I saw that. They're diabolical. Why not just put up a big Wild West wanted poster, if they're gonna be like that?! “Wanted: Dead or Alive!” Probably alive, so they can clone me or turn me into a grasshopper." Jumping without warning into the empty chair opposite me, Kenji takes out a cigarette and starts spinning it between his fingers. I've never seen him smoking before, so it must be for effect. KENJI: "I can't even live where I want to any more. This is where it all begins. The tactical brilliance... I mean, once they're in your home, it's over, like termites. If the feminist plan for dominance STARTS there, where the gently caress can we go? The only question is how they could take a page out of the termite playbook when women are naturally repelled by wood." HISAO: "“You can never go home again.” Is that how the saying goes?" KENJI: "Man, I don't know about never. I was just there. I don't know anywhere else I can shower and get new clothes. And eat, and use the bathroom. And watch TV. I have to keep watching the news, to keep informed." For someone ousted from his dorm room and living on the run, he sure has no qualms about going back there several times a day for long periods of time. But by now he's slowly turned away from me and is talking to a revolving display of murder mysteries. There's really no point in interrupting him, I guess. I finish off my soda and throw the can into the basket near the door. It hits the rim, but goes in anyway. I silently pump my fist. Kenji quickly gets up and starts to head towards the door. I wasn't really paying attention; I hope I didn't fist pump at an inappropriate moment. HISAO: "Where are you going?" KENJI: "You kept sucking down that juice." HISAO: "So? It wasn't even juice, it was soda. And it's gone now. And what do you mean, “sucking it down?” I had two sips." KENJI: "Yeah, right, you had like fifty million sips." HISAO: "That's not even possible." KENJI: "Maybe for you; I go beyond the impossible all the time. Okay, whatever, now I'm thirsty too. I'm going to get my own juice, I'll be right back."  His sprite fades out and in. He does come almost right back, so quickly that I suspect he knows about my secret vending machine. KENJI: "I got you one, too. Hope you like grape juice. We're even for the pizza, now." HISAO: "Thanks." I want to tell him that I lent him nearly ten times the cost of a can of grape juice, but that might make me seem petty. Unopposed, Kenji sits down and starts furiously drinking juice like a man with a vendetta against grapes. KENJI: "You know, it's a lucky break for me that I managed to run into you here, man. I kinda need you to do me a favor." Although it's cynical, I wonder if him getting me juice was so he could ask me for this favor. If so, it's very transparent, and poorly timed. I doubt Kenji would think about something so deeply, though. Just asking for things straight out is more his style. KENJI: "I need you to recommend me some books." HISAO: "But I thought you didn't read." KENJI: "How did you know?" HISAO: "You told me. You said you think people discriminate against you because you don't read." KENJI: "Well, they do. And I do read, I read audio books, because that's the way of the future. I have to read a book a month for Literary Studies, though, and I found out that the school doesn't really accept such classics as “Advanced Cryptography.” If I don't read a bunch of books, they're gonna fail me. I can't fail Literary Studies... that would make me illiterate. That would mean my mom was right. My mom can't be right. I'll just have to study literacy as much as possible." HISAO: "What about doing some extra credit?" KENJI: "No thanks. It's bad enough I'm gonna have to carry around these stupid things now." He picks up a dictionary, flips through it, and places it on the murder mystery rack behind him. KENJI: "I can't believe this is actually the medium that our ancestors used to look at porn." I spit my drink all over the book I'm still holding, damaging it beyond any hope of repair. I quickly check the back and see its suggested retail price is 7900 yen. I think I might have a heart attack. KENJI: "Wow, destroyed. Shouldn't have done that, though, they take vandalism super seriously here. You're gonna get caned." He chortles, amused, before taking an extremely long, loud sip from his can of juice. HISAO: "It's not vandalism, I didn't do it on purpose. You made me do it, with your words. And what do you mean caned? I don't want to be caned." KENJI: "Wait, chill out, I didn't mean they actually cane you, they just make you pay for it, and really, really yell at you. It's like they were going to bite my rear end off. Still not that big a deal." HISAO: "I don't care if it's figurative, I don't want to get caned, or get my rear end bitten off, or any kind of punishment, you... you dumbass. What am I going to do? I'm the only person in here. That she knows of, anyway. I can't even throw the book in the trash. It will be found. Then she'll know." KENJI: "drat, dude, stop being so weird." HISAO: "How is it weird to not want to be fined?" KENJI: "Man, stop flipping out, man." HISAO: "I'm not flipping out, I'm trying to save money." KENJI: "So cheap." (Sudden Silence) I'm about to strangle him when I hear Misha's “wahaha” coming up the hallway. Apparently, Kenji hears it too, and uses the opportunity to quickly vanish behind the autobiography section. Like the wind. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 19:39 on Nov 5, 2021 |
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Nov 5, 2021 14:32
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There's a missing bracket where Shizune is saying that she knows Misha is angry with her. The line goes like this: quote:Shizune nods slowly and uncomfortably. Also, did we ever get any confirmed clarification as to why Shizune hates communicating using her notepad so much? I can understand her preference for using sign language over a notepad in general, but I don't recall any direct statement on her notepad. Maybe it's because I have a preference for written medium myself, but wouldn't it be more effective for Shizune to write out her thoughts and opinions instead of using Misha to translate? We've already seen how Misha can unintentionally distort the meaning of Shizune's words, as well as Hisao attempting to salvage the conversation between Shizune and Lilly earlier too. For those out there who have more personal experience with those who are hard of hearing or part of the Deaf community, (hope I'm using that term correctly, please correct me if I'm not), is using a notepad or a computer to type things out disliked so much? Or is this something unique to Shizune in this sense?
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Nov 5, 2021 16:10
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I wouldn't be surprised if it's lingering frustration over having to use it to communicate with her family.
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Nov 5, 2021 16:31
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Falconier111 posted:Update 77: Dewey Decimated (Act 3, Scenes 10-11) Missing closing brackets here. quote:HISAO: “[Arrgghh. Too many posters is bad, too. Haven't you ever heard of oversaturation? I really think you're trying too hard.]" Missing Hisao's portrait here. quote:KENJI: [...] If I don't read a bunch of books, they're gonna fail me. I can't fail Literary Studies... that would make me illiterate. That would mean my mom was right. My mom can't be right. [...] Bit of a yikes here. D:
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Nov 5, 2021 18:32
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Space Kablooey posted:Bit of a yikes here. D: I think Shizune's route is the most sympathetic to Kenji and there's a hint of a backstory there that might make him less cringe-worthy, but the game plays him just for laughs and we never learn much. Having issues with his mother would sort of help explain his animosity towards women, though we've already seen he was able to engage in a relationship for some time.
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Nov 5, 2021 18:45
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To be clear, to me it's more like a femtoliter of sympathy for Kenji. He has already completely poisoned this well, and well before he started dropping some certain chosen words in this update towards the girls in the Student Council.
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Nov 5, 2021 19:09
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omg Kenji is insufferable, I can't stand him
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Nov 5, 2021 21:02
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SimplyUnknown1 posted:There's a missing bracket where Shizune is saying that she knows Misha is angry with her. The line goes like this:  There’s no good way to rig up my script to insert end brackets properly; it may not even be possible in VBA from what the forums say. I have to add them by hand, which is a literal pain, and even then it’s not perfect  Also, this is by far the most civil the thread’s been while discussing Kenji. Let’s see if we can keep it going for now!
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Nov 6, 2021 00:58
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Between Jigoro, Kenji, and even Shizune (YOU ARE DATING, TRY TO ACT LIKE YOU'RE AT LEAST SLIGHTLY AFFECTIONATE TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER), I'm skimming a lot of text in the playthrough. Seriously, the other routes wre enough to keep me up late playing and even bring warmth to my cold dead heart, but this is just...a chore.
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Nov 6, 2021 01:13
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