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quote:"When the ship carrying Charles Darwin first made its appearance in the waterways of the islands near Cape Horn, the native people did not show any sign of reaction for quite some time. Based on the description from Darwin's travel journal, the Fuego islanders could literally not see the HMS Beagle. Because the ship was so unimaginably huge to them, they couldn't see it. After a time, several islanders were invited onto the ship, and were able to experience the feel of the hull on their hands, and the wooden deck on their bare feet. Then, having applied information from a different axis of sensation for the first time, the ship became something real to them, it became an existence they could see and feel."  Delta in the Darkness, aka 黒猫の三角 (Black Cat's Triangle) is a mystery tale written by this gentlemanly brown... mammal... whose name is Hiroshi Mori, and gives all his novels English titles because apparently he's a westaboo or something.  So, this is where I would do a whole opening spiel about the book, except it turns out Mori-Sensei summed it up for me in the prologue, so I’ll let him tell it. Prologue 何かが終わった - Something Finished "Needless to say, an end comes to all things in this world. Whether that end comes slightly before people feel it has ended, or slightly after it has been forgotten..." The incident occurred on June 6th, between 8 and 9 in the afternoon. The following day after Horokusa Junpei, Takanashi Nerina, Kaguyama Murasakiko, and Sazaimaru Beniko had spent the night playing mahjong at Horokusa's apartment in Avarice Heights. The victim was strangled in her room. The room's sole door was locked from the inside. The door was on the mansion's second floor, in a position easily visible from the large banquet hall below. On the night in question, many people happened to be present in that hall (Kaguyama Murasakiko and Sazaimaru Beniko being among those). Despite this fact, not a single one of them witnessed anyone other than the victim enter or exit that door. On the opposite side of the room was a large window, but it had also been locked from the inside. Horokusa, the detective, had been keeping watch over that window for the entire time the incident is thought to have taken place, and furthermore, his part-time assistant Takanashi Nerina had also been positioned such that he could see the window easily. They could both confidently assert that they'd seen nobody enter or exit through the window. Even so, behind the window in question, a figure other than the victim was witnessed by Takanashi Nerina. Therefore, there is practically no doubt that an unknown person was in the room, and that naturally, such a person is extremely likely to be the assailant. However, at a glance, this incident was unmistakably unrealistic. Despite having no entrance they should have been able to use, someone had entered the room and killed the victim, plus every possible way they could have left was locked from the inside. That alone would be enough to classify this a bizarre murder case. But in a further surprising development, the method of killing was precisely the same as the deaths of three other women in the past three years. Once per year, following a certain strict rule, they had continued to commit these crimes. Now then, this text is a narrative account of that very incident, from its occurrence to its settlement. There are bound to be sections written based on rumors or guesswork, but you can safely think of this as being mostly in accordance with reality. However, besides that obligatory tidbit of nuance to get general audiences intrigued (like for example, how one mustn't write a travel log without describing the changing autumn leaves), there will be no further illumination as to who is writing this account, as that person (in other words, me) shall be treated as a separate figure, and written about in the third person. Though naturally, it isn't hard to imagine me as one of the main four involved in the case...... The incident was settled after one month, however. This is an account written after practically all of the facts about the case have been explained. In other words, that makes this a fortunate case where the conclusion is more or less prepared in advance. Being able to promise from the start the existence of a realistic conclusion (or at least, a conclusion that the vast majority of readers can be comfortable with), is the greatest factor preventing this plot from proceeding in a truly realistic fashion. That makes this an arrangement in which the reader is protected by that shield of fiction, so you can be fully at peace, selecting only the mysteries that most fascinate you, and enjoying yourself however you please. I don't know who thought up this system, but it sure is convenient. Several days after the culprit who'd caused so much tragedy had been arrested, right on cue, Takanashi Nerina, Kaguyama Murasakiko, and Sazaimaru Beniko barged into Horokusa Junpei's room at Avarice Heights. Of course, this was for their monthly mahjong meet. By the way, Horokusa's room contained an obedient dog named Nelson. That dog was always sleeping. He had a habit of going for walks with Horokusa in the morning and evening, but other than that, he never left the room at all. A lazy bum who barely gets any exercise. "Aah, poor thing." Having finished lining up her tiles, Sazaimaru Beniko reached a hand towards her feet and patted the sleeping Nelson's head. "Horokusa, you said you're not coming back for two weeks starting tomorrow, right? Then it'd be way better if you let me take him. Compared to here, my place is way bigger, and I've even got a lawn." "Heck yeah, she's right, Nelson," Kaguyama Murasakiko said while lighting a cigarette. She stretched out a leg to touch Nelson's back. "Going with Beniko would be way more fun. Hey you, don't you think he'll be happier with her?" "No objections!" Takanashi Nerina went right along with the joke, downing a beer. "This apartment's no good for a dog." At that time, Nelson's owner stood up and went straight to the bathroom. After washing his hands, he absent-mindedly gazed out the window at the nighttime street. He sneezed. The sneeze felt relatively good. He felt a certain assurance, like "Hey, it's finally over." He had just yawned earlier and felt nothing, so why did this sneeze spur such thoughts, he wondered. This had no relation to the incident. He stretched his back, then went back to his room. Three people's laughter filled the air. "What's this all about?" "Nelson, keep it a secret," Kaguyama Murasakiko said, looking downwards. [Steak's comments] A strange and abrupt prologue. The first half is essentially a back-cover blurb, and the second half is a seemingly-irrelevant scene at the chronological end of the story. So, why did I make this thread, when I have another unfinished novel translation thread? Well, I'm still gonna finish that one, okay!! But I've been enjoying this novel so much that I can no longer resist the urge to share it. This is gonna be a much more casual translation than that one though, since in this case I'm not correcting a lovely official translation, I'm just sharing something fun that y'all may not otherwise have the chance to read. I'll put informative notes like this in italics. I feel the need to keep organized of information in this novel. Until the point when a murder occurs, that'll probably only amount to updating character profiles. We'll see. DRAMATIS PERSONAE People of House Oumei Rokkaku: -Sazaimaru Beniko People of Avarice Heights: -Horokusa Junpei........................detective -Takanashi Nerina -Kaguyama Murasakiko Other people: ??? Mr. Steak fucked around with this message at 21:10 on Nov 11, 2019 |
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Nov 11, 2019 12:04
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Are you... just gonna leave us hanging on The Decagon House Murders, then?
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Nov 11, 2019 14:20
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The_White_Crane posted:Are you... just gonna leave us hanging on The Decagon House Murders, then? No no, I'm writing the end of that right now. Think of this as me getting a jumpstart on my next thread because I'm impatient.
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Nov 11, 2019 19:11
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while I wait on Decagon, I wonder what really good literature I've missed out on reading, simply because they were not translated into English.
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Nov 12, 2019 07:44
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TV Zombie posted:while I wait on Decagon, I wonder what really good literature I've missed out on reading, simply because they were not translated into English. Check out this guy's blog https://theuntranslated.wordpress.com/
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Nov 12, 2019 08:32
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Chapter 1 何も起こらない - Nothing Occurs "If we trace back the course of cause and effect with perfect diligence, we arrive at the instant of the universe's birth. Everything happens from that one point, and to that one point all is connected. That is logic. However, there exists a single being independent of this ordered chain of events. Needless to say, that being is me." 1 Horokusa Junpei frantically began the work of clearing away all the various objects cluttering the top of his sofa. He moved with a practiced speed reminiscent of a hamster digging itself a burrow energetically in the corner of its cage. Newspapers and magazines, direct-mail advertisements, invoices, a box of semi-constructed figurines, a camera, an empty cake box, tissue paper, and finally, having entirely disregarded the command to "get down", the still sleeping Nelson, were all removed from the sofa. "What is that, exactly?" Odawara Shizue asked in a shrill voice. "A dog," Horokusa answered, cradling Nelson. "I know that much," she responded with a pout. "Oh, could it be..." Horokusa said. "Was I not supposed to have pets in the apartment?" "No, there isn't any rule like that. As long as the other residents don't complain, I have no problem with it. No, I don't hate dogs.... What I had meant to ask was, just, is that also, well, something you use for your job...? I was only wondering, that's all." "Ah, no, he's not useful at all. Well, let's see. I could probably use him as a paperweight, but I've never done so. To tell the truth he's way heavier than he looks. Too heavy, in fact." He walked all the way to the corner of the room and dropped Nelson. With only a reproachful glance up at Horokusa, Nelson reentered his usual sleep mode. Nelson, the always sleeping dog. "Oh, please make yourself at home, Miss, take a seat. I must apologize for the mess..." Odawara Shizue sat herself on the sofa cushions, which had just now been made visible. Then, she surveyed the floor, ceiling, windows, and floor, one after the other, gaze drifting with a stern expression, as if sure to find something she hated, if only she could snuff it out. "Do you perform your work from here?" "Yes, I do." As Horokusa sat in his own chair, he spread his arms. It was a gesture without any particular meaning. "But having the customer visit me directly is... hmm... yeah, I'd say it happens about three times a year." In truth, it had only happened twice in the three years since he'd started his business. Making such spur of the moment exaggerations was a regular occurrence in his line of work, but after the fact, Horokusa always ended up wishing he'd said the exaggerated figure with more conviction. "How is that possible?" "Oh, well basically, it's way more common for people to consult me by phone." "You are a detective, right?" "Yeah..." Horokusa nodded with a consciously sincere expression. "That's correct. But, well, to be honest, sometimes even I forget what my job is supposed to be. Lately, I've mostly been the town's handyman." Though saying that, he didn't provide convenience on the level of a true handyman. On the contrary, the very act of coming here to request a job was plenty inconvenient on its own. "As a detective, what sort of work do you do? Um, for example, investigating cases of adultery, and such? Ah, you must have taken secret photos as evidence before?" Odawara Shizue took a quick glance at the camera Horokusa had just a moment ago moved to his desk. It was a piece of equipment he’d purchased from a sale hosted by his university when they were disposing of old property. As a retro style single-lens reflex, it naturally didn’t even have an auto-focus function, and as for its value, it was about the same as Nelson, only useful for its weight. The only difference was, this one had in fact been turned into a paperweight. “Um, so what do you need?” Horokusa asked, steepling his hands and leaning forward in his chair. “You have a flyer out front saying you offer in-home tutoring services, I believe?” “Ah... Yes.” Horokusa gave a big nod, while thinking to himself... What, that's it? “Er, for your daughter? Or is it for your son?” “My son.” “I see. Well I can introduce you to an ace student from a top-class school any time you like.” “Could I ask for that to be as soon as possible?” “Of course.” “Um...” Odawara Shizue smiled unnaturally. “Actually, the situation is a bit complicated. Private tutoring services generally involve the teacher visiting the student’s house, but, well, due to circumstances, rather than that arrangement, I think I would prefer the opposite, to have my son visit here for his lessons.” “I see.... Er, so in other words, you want out-of-home tutoring." Horokusa laughed at that, but Shizue did not. "No, that won't be a problem. I don't mind, but... why?" "Right," she replied with a grim expression. "To tell the truth, I want to keep this matter a secret from my husband. I don’t want him to know our son is using a private tutor...” “Again though... Why?” “Horokusa, do you know what my husband does for a living?” “Oh, no I don’t, unfortunately.” Horokusa tilted his head curiously. Odawara Shizue was the landlord of the very place the two of them were talking, that is to say, the apartment complex Horokusa rented from, Avarice Heights. Horokusa visited the bank every month to pay his rent by wire transfer, and the name of the recipient was always Odawara Shizue. Therefore, her name had long been familiar to him. But, of course, he had never spoken to her face to face like this. Immediately neighboring Avarice Heights was a mansion occupying a huge plot of land, by the name of House Oumei Rokkaku. As the mansion's design blended both western and eastern styles, it apparently had a great cultural value as well as monetary. Odawara Shizue was the only daughter of that mansion's current owner and head of the Odawara family, Odawara Nagaharu. Her age was likely in the early forties, or at the very least 10 years his elder, Horokusa thought based on the woman's appearance in front of him. He forgot where he'd heard this exactly, but he'd known that Odawara Shizue had a high-school age daughter and a middle-school age son. However, as for the Odawara son-in-law, that is, Shizue's husband, besides the fact that he'd married into the family Horokusa knew nothing at all. What does he do, Horokusa wondered. Though Shizue's explanation was sparse on details, Horokusa was able to grasp the general situation based on their brief exchange. Odawara Shizue was the manager of a preparatory school, at which her husband was employed as a math teacher. The Odawara family head, Shizue's father Odawara Nagaharu, was a well-known mathematician, and just recently retired from a position as professor in the esteemed N University science department. That much Horokusa had known earlier from rumors. So basically, that Nagaharu's son-in-law just happened to be a math teacher himself. Except he's only at a small private school, and whats more the school managed by his wife. It would be difficult to call him a successful mathematician. Shizue's husband, Odawara Masaya, had been teaching math to his highschool daughter and middleschool son. But the children hate it. The son in particular. As for the reasoning behind the hate, Shizue didn't know. Horokusa didn't inquire on that point further, but he figured, in this kind of situation, it'd be much stranger if the children were enthusiastic about it. Anyway, the son had asked his mother directly if she could get him a private tutor. For the sake of her beloved son, and knowing her husband's personality, she couldn't tell him about it. It seemed Odawara Masaya was a very prideful and stubborn man. That was why she wanted to hire a private tutor in secret, and have her son come here. The specifics were vague, but that was the gist of the situation. More than enough information to take on a job. And digging further wouldn't yield anything useful anyway. Apparently, Shizue had happened to see one of his scattered posters on a telephone pole by the front of Avarice Heights. The apartment complex that she herself owned. She'd immediately headed inside, and upon reaching his second floor door was shocked to see a sign reading "Horokusa Detective Agency". According to Shizue. Similar to House Oumei Rokkaku, Avarice Heights was also an antique two-story wooden building, but in terms of cultural value it was nowhere near the same. It consisted of at least twenty 2DK rooms all crammed together into the space. It was set up in a central hallway style, with apartments lining the east and west sides. The hallway had such a unique vibe, you could even joke that the darkness and gloom was in line with certain niche tastes. The place was so deteriorated that it was just a matter of time until they tear it down, but it was in a really good spot close to the station, and the rent was extremely cheap, so there were generally never vacancies. The tenants were all either unmarried singles, or students. Horokusa had just been getting home from the cafe. "I had no idea there was a detective agency in my own apartment complex," the aging woman standing at his door had said. It was Sunday, 10am. For Horokusa, who had been up all night playing mahjong, that was still early morning. Perhaps from smoking too much, his throat hurt. Finally, Shizue's explanation ended. "Um, seriously, make sure you keep this a secret..." Shizue reinforced, looking Horokusa in the eye. It's not really that serious, he thought. It's only a private tutor for your child. Of course, on the surface Horokusa agreed to the job with an expression of complete sincerity. Horokusa had seen many cases of women around her age who form values that are... shall we say, unique and full of originality (though often limited in scope), and proceed to work tooth and nail to protect those values. That's why, no matter how trivial a problem in the woman's vicinity may be, it is necessary to treat the matter with a level of urgency rivaling that of a global affair of historical magnitude worthy of calling for an international assembly. For any public-facing job, indeed for all business, that is a natural behavior. Odawara Shizue was petite and quite pretty. The only heiress of a distinguished family, and on top of that, a businesswoman in her own right. But for some reason she couldn't seem to calm down, as if uncomfortable with Horokusa's room, or else, she felt sitting on the sofa was uncomfortable, but whichever it was, he could sense a feeling from her of being out-of-place. Perhaps she didn't have much experience spending a lot of time in such a small, dirty space, Horokusa thought. That fancy-looking attire (which was all top-class brands) were probably her daily clothes. Or otherwise, she must have specifically changed into nice clothes before coming here. The distance from the front gate of her house, Oumei Rokkaku, to Avarice Heights was no more than 50 meters. It could very much be the case that these are the clothes she wears for an everyday walk. Horokusa was amazed. For normal people (that is to say, the average people Horokusa knew), this was a woman's fashion sense limited to hotel parties commemorating someone's ten year anniversary, or a classical music concert you splurge on once a year. "I completely understand," Horokusa said with a gentle nod. "Um, truth is, I've got a friend here in the room next to mine. A second-year student in the medical department at N University, and currently searching for a job, luckily enough. If it's alright with you, could we use that room instead? Your son will come around and I'll keep watch over his studies, how does that sound?" "Your neighbor... who is it?" "Takanashi." "Takanashi? Was there a resident with that name...?" "It's written with the characters for little bird playing." "Aah, yes..." Odawara Shizue nodded. "That must be... oh yes, Renmu?" "Not Renmu either, it's pronounced Nerina." Horokusa nodded sympathetically. "The name's weird, but the person's just as weird. I swear you won't be disappointed though..." "Right, well N University is a great school, so I believe it." "You have my one hundred percent guarantee," Horokusa said with a smile, all the while thinking that such a guarantee really doesn't guarantee anything. Next time:Nerina! And my other favorite! Much of what I love about this novel is how smoothly the scenes flow, and now natural the characters feel. I hope I can get that across lol. Horokusa is a fun character because the novel doesn't explicitly tell you how good of a detective you should expect Horokusa to be, it lets it be ambiguous right now whether he's sort of a hack, or if he's legit. Another thing is that every sentence feels... well, if not essential then at least entertaining to read, like the myriad very strange analogies we'll be encountering. But yeah, I love the feeling that I'm reading something well-crafted, and the confidence in the writing here makes my mouth water. I'm also completely ruining some amazing writing here, which is just par for the course hahaha. I'll try my best to get those long rambling sentences in order. DRAMATIS PERSONAE People of House Oumei Rokkaku: -Odawara Masaya......................math teacher -Odawara Shizue........................prep school manager -Odawara Nagaharu...................mathematician -Sazaimaru Beniko People of Avarice Heights: -Horokusa Junpei........................detective -Takanashi Nerina -Kaguyama Murasakiko Other people: ???
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Nov 16, 2019 00:03
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Avarice Heights is an amazing place name and I don't think you're doing a terrible job at all. I'm looking forward to seeing how this develops.
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Nov 17, 2019 04:42
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Okay, so in the beginning of this section, Nerina's gender is supposed to be ambiguous, but since it's very difficult to write around that in English without sounding really contrived... I'm just spoiling it and writing it with masculine pronouns. Sorry but I'm too lazy to think of a better way. 2 Takanashi Nerina got out of bed that morning at eight, went for a jog, then did some light calisthenics at the park. Every day he would come here, and every day he would encounter Negoro Kichiei. Today was no exception. Negoro was an assistant instructor at the Shaolin martial-arts dojo that Nerina attended. The two of them chatted for quite a bit, then Nerina left and trotted back to his apartment. He made miso soup for breakfast. After that was done, he put on a little blush, did his lipstick, changed into a skirt, and headed out. Just as he was standing in the hallway and locking his door, he happened to notice an older woman exiting Horokusa Junpei's apartment directly to the right. "Oh my, um..." The woman stared at Nerina in surprise. "You must be... a friend of Takanashi's?" "No, I'm Takanashi," Nerina answered bluntly. "Oh... Ah, then you're his sister?" The woman smiled and nodded." "No..." Nerina shook his head. Their voices had apparently been overheard, as Horokusa was now opening the door and poking his head out. "Hey there, Takanashi," Horokusa said with slightly more pomp than usual. "So um, this is Miss Odawara. Recognize it? She's our landlord." "Oh, is that so..." Nerina said, lowering his head in a small bow. "Good day, Miss. Oh, actually, I just ran into Mister Negoro a little while ago." "Mister Negoro?" Odawara Shizue tilted her head and frowned in thought. "Yeah, Mister Negoro Kichiei who lives on the same property as you." "Ah, I see. You were referring to Kichiei. Yes, I see..." Odawara Shizue smiled demurely and nodded. However, she was apparently still distracted, as she continued to stare fixedly at Nerina's face with wide eyes. Eventually, she turned to face Horokusa with a look that said, please help. "I said he was a weird person, didn't I?" Horokusa said with a sardonic grin. "What do you think? How about entrusting the tutoring to this guy?" Odawara Shizue turned once again to stare intensely back at Nerina, as if evaluating him. "Why exactly are you wearing that?" Shizue asked. "Who, me?" Nerina responded, raising his chin approximately one centimeter's height. "Yes, I mean, um, that outfit..." "That's a question I've heard so many times now I've lost count." Nerina gave a single slight shrug and answered calmly. "Because of that, I've taken it upon myself to think long and hard about it, but after everything, I still haven't found an answer. And so in times like this I always respond with with a certain question. Why exactly are you wearing that?" "Me?" Shizue spoke up in an exaggeratedly shrill voice, eyelids flapping with the speed of a bees wings. "My outfit? Why, is there something strange about it?" "No, nothing strange at all," Nerina said with a grin. "But still, do you have a reason for wearing it?" "A reason?" "Yes." "A reason...? Well I don't..." "So now, do you find anything strange about my outfit?" "No, um, it's quite... well, how do I say this, yes, it's lovely. Quite charming, really...." Odawara Shizue smiled awkwardly. "Erm, I... to be completely honest, I think it suits you very well. But, um, you... are a boy, correct? For a boy to be wearing makeup and a skirt like that, naturally, it's a bit difficult for those of my generation to easily understand." "Yes, of course I know that. Even in our same generation it's fundamentally the same. Except, everyone who knows me is already used to it, and everyone who doesn't know me just assumes I'm a girl, right? So it's pretty much not a problem, and no one feels uncomfortable. I've never ran into any trouble because of it, so it's perfectly fine for me too. Even in public, I'm not causing a nuisance or tricking anybody. Right?" "Yes, well, that is true, I suppose..." Shizue murmured, as she ran her eyes thoroughly up and down Nerina's body. "Hmmm, now that you say it, yes, I can see how that is possible." "Miss Odawara, what do you say?" Horokusa asked from behind in a quiet voice. "Is Takanashi... not right for the position?" "No," Odawara shook her head once. Then she once again stared at Nerina. "Um, I need a private tutor for my son. You are in the medical program at N University, yes?" "Kya! Is this a job?" Nerina put both hands together in front of his face. "Uwah! Hooray! I'm so happy!" "Er, though, in front of my son... please, would you stop with this? Um... my one condition is that you don't wear woman's clothing." "Ah, but of course!" Nerina nodded enthusiastically. "That's a super easy requirement. I'll do absolutely anything for money, after all. Oh... whoops, I said too much." "Please don't tell me anything weird," Odawara Shizue said, frowning. "Hm? What's weird?" There were several seconds of silence, before Shizue gave one final remark to Nerina with a glare. "Anyway, I'm relying on you. In a short while, I shall bring my son to introduce you," she said, then walked down the hallway towards the stairs. Until the creaking of her footsteps had completely descended the stairwell, Nerina was silent. "Er, but.... I thought Miss Odawara ran a prep school though." "Yeah, apparently she does," Horokusa affirmed. "I don't really know the exact situation, but basically, she wants to keep this a secret from her husband at all costs, so she's hiring a private tutor. Also instead of you going to her house to teach, her son's going to come here instead." "By here, you mean my room?" "Yeah, you get it," Horokusa said, nodding. "Your room's leagues cleaner than mine, right?" "That's an understatement," Nerina agreed resolutely. "Oh, wait, but that's actually way terrible! The whole appeal of being a private tutor is getting home-cooked meals and little snack cakes from the family, right? I'm not gonna get any of that if the location is different... Aah, my life sucks. I so hope he brings a cake for me every time." "You know, if you claim it as a necessary expense, the cake is free." This isn't the end of section 2, but I've been having a super unproductive week and just want to post something. Also this conversation is really good and Nerina is the best character.
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Nov 21, 2019 23:41
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