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Update 14: Foot and Mouth (Silence)  There is some way to get to the school building straight from the auxiliary building, but I'm not keen to find out and possibly get lost, so I go out from the exit that I know works. I stop at the stairs of the auxiliary building, deliberating for a moment between going to the dorms to get my books and stuff and going straight away to the class. The sun stings my eyes, so I head towards the dorms. The halls are quiet as the courtyard was, naturally so since everyone is in class. I knock lightly at the door of 3-3 and push open the door when Mutou calls from the other side.  HISAO: "Sorry I'm late." Fifteen pairs of eyes turn to me.  MUTO: "Good morning, Nakai." Mutou seems to be somewhat confounded by my coming in late, as if I interrupted his flow or something. Judging from the rambling lectures his classes tend to be, that might be the case. I pass him the note the nurse gave me. Mutou takes it with a nod and reads it quickly.  He lifts his eyebrows and gives me a kind of a stern look but doesn't say anything, just nods solemnly again. I shrug and he gestures at me to run along so I naturally do. Katawa Shoujo OST - School Days The class goes on lazily. I think I'm starting to get into the rhythm of the school. I have even stopped worrying about taking notes and being overtly attentive. The first days, I was pretty high-strung in class. Mutou finishes his lecture about electricity early, but continues without a pause about the festival. MUTO: "So, as you know, the festival is on the day after tomorrow. I hope everyone's projects are going to be successful this year. Have a good time, but also come Sunday, please keep the meaning of this festival in your minds..."  MISHA: "Games and fried food!" Everyone bursts out in laughter, and so do I. MUTO: "Yes, thank you Mikado. But what I meant was more the—" The remainder of his sentence is buried beneath the ring of the lunch bells, and everyone starts packing their things. Mutou deliberates for a moment, but since almost nobody seems to pay attention any more, he gives up and sits down. (Silence, Chattering Crowd Sound Effect)  It's crowded in the hallway... or as crowded as hallways in this school probably get. Most of the students seem to be heading down for the cafeteria. Normally, I'd join the flow and grab a lunch myself, but today is different. Today, I've been invited to lunch on the roof. An odd location, but that's where I was told to go. Fortunately, I manage to find shelter from the storm in the lee of the classroom door. Eventually the torrent subsides and I step tentatively out into the hallway. Only to be met by Emi, who comes flouncing down the hallway like a cannonball. Katawa Shoujo OST - Standing Tall (Emi's Theme)   EMI: "Hey! Hi Hisao! Great timing! I have super extra lunch today, as promised! Let's go upstairs!" (Silence) The stairway to the roof is a little dilapidated, but it's clearly been used recently. At the top of the stairs is a door, complete with missing padlock. I wonder who the intrepid individual was that removed the lock? Emi shoves the door open and steps beaming into the sunlight. Suddenly, a tall dark stranger appears out of nowhere, standing imposingly in front of us. Emi flinches back, almost falling back down the stairs.  EMI: "Eeek!"  RIN: "Hello." EMI: "Yipes! You scared me, Rin!" Wait, isn't she... Katawa Shoujo OST - Parity (Rin's Theme)  RIN: "Hello." Noticing that Rin is speaking to me, Emi looks curiously at me. EMI: "You two know each other?" I look confusedly at Emi. HISAO: "She's that friend of yours?" Rin has turned her gaze towards the clouds drifting above the school. RIN: "I didn't know you knew this person, Emi." (Silence) ... The awkward silence lasts only for a few seconds until Emi lets out a tiny giggle, shrugging the coincidence off. EMI: "I invited Hisao for lunch. If you know him, that's just better." RIN: "Oh. Does this mean I don't get food? Or did you invite him for lunch without the lunch?" EMI: "Erm, neither, I have food for three." RIN: "Nice thinking." Katawa Shoujo OST - Air Guitar  They walk to the other end of the roof while I stay at the clock tower for a while, taking in the atmosphere. There is nobody else but us here. I guess the roof is not as popular as it is in other schools. A few rundown benches and tables are scattered around the edges, perhaps in an attempt to make the rooftop look less desolate. The small pebbles covering the roof rattle beneath our feet. I peek through the chain link fence to take a look at the school grounds and beyond. Students are strolling in pairs and groups around the quadrangle and at the cafeteria. A few delivery trucks are driving past the school towards the convenience store nearby. Somewhere a watchdog barks at a passer-by. Somehow, when I look towards the town center the small town feel strikes me very strongly, almost palpably. The hectic lifestyle of big metropolises seems so far away and foreign here; nobody has to run to catch a bus like their life depended on it or get their senses overloaded by the neon lights and traffic jams. I feel surprisingly optimistic about this new life of mine, looking at my new hometown, even if it's going to be mine for only one short year. Finding out about my illness and having to move away from home all came so suddenly I haven't had time to think how I feel about it. When I step out of the shadow of the clock tower to the open I feel warmth touching my back. The sun shines from a perfectly clear cerulean sky. A cool breeze sweeping over the rooftop makes me shiver, but only briefly. The wind carries the scent of trees and flowers, not smog and car exhaust like it used to, just a few weeks ago. Emi settles on a bench with Rin in tow and produces one big and two small lunch boxes from her bag.  EMI: "Come on, Hisao! What are you waiting for?" She is beckoning me to join them, making room on the already small bench. I seat myself on the corner of the bench to take as little space as possible. It's pretty cramped, but somehow all three of us fit on it. HISAO: "Impressive view." Emi suppresses a giggle and places a lunchbox in front of Rin, and hands another lunchbox to me. EMI: "Here you go! Lunch, as promised!" Homemade, no less. I'm impressed. HISAO: "Wow. This looks really good." EMI: "Thanks! I make 'em myself when I can." Conversation dies off as I set about the business of feeding myself. Taking a few bites, I glance up and notice Rin deftly opening the lunch box and popping a forkful of food into her mouth using only her feet. Even though I've seen it before, I can't help but be impressed at her dexterity. It's also a reminder of the sort of place I am in right now. Will I ever get used to sights such as this? I can't decide if getting used to such a thing would be a good thing or a bad thing either.  Does getting used to this place mean that I'm giving up on being a normal person?  Or does it just mean that I'm becoming more understanding about those around me?  I'm distracted from my thoughts by the sight of Emi tearing into her lunch as if it had insulted her ancestors. HISAO: "You seem pretty hungry." Emi looks up, mouth half full, and swallows before nodding. EMI: "My morning run always works up an appetite. Which is great, because then I burn through lunch pretty quickly. Helps me keep my girlish figure." RIN: "What would happen if you'd lose it? Would you become a man?" I very nearly choke on my lunch trying not to laugh. EMI: "It's a figure of speech." RIN: "Does your figure have to run in the mornings too?" HISAO: "Do you always talk like this?"  EMI: "Talk like what?" RIN: "Like what?" I think that answers my question. HISAO: "Er, never mind. So, uh..." I struggle to think of small talk and settle on the obvious question. HISAO: "How'd you two meet?" Rin seems content to let Emi answer this question. EMI: "Someone in the housing department thought that we'd complement each other well, so we were assigned rooms next to one another." HISAO: "Complement each other?" RIN: "Like shoes and a suit." HISAO: "Huh?" Emi giggles at my confusion. EMI: "Put us together and we've got all our limbs, get it?" HISAO: "Ah." EMI: "So I started helping Rin get ready in the mornings, and that was that! I mean, you can't help someone get dressed every morning and not get along." HISAO: "I see." Rin chooses this moment to interject. RIN: "I have trouble with shirts." HISAO: "Right, that seems... fairly obvious." RIN: "Really?" HISAO: "Kind of...?" This isn't helping, but at least Emi seems to find the whole thing funny. That, combined with the fact that Rin is genuinely curious, makes me feel slightly better and yet, confused. HISAO: "I mean, you've got no arms. So uh, putting on a shirt seems like one of those things that would be... difficult." You know what? I'm going to just stop talking now. It'll save me a lot of trouble in the long run. Rin nods in what I suspect is meant to be a sage manner. RIN: "I see." The conversation dies as I turn my attention back to my lunch. It's really quite good. Emi finishes her lunch first and makes a contented noise. EMI: "Ah, that was good." As she busies herself with cleaning up her lunch, Rin speaks up. RIN: "I'm thirsty." EMI: "Oh! I almost forgot about that! Sorry!" With a flourish, she reaches into her bag and removes a trio of juiceboxes. She tosses me one that appears to be cranberry juice, one to Rin that appears to be some kind of strawberry milk (complete with pink color scheme), and keeps a (equally pink) box of some kind of fruit punch for herself. Rin dexterously stabs her straw through the top of her box and begins to drink. I'm once again impressed by how flexible she is, but this time I keep my comment to myself.  Somehow I don't think either Emi or Rin are the sorts of people to think twice about the way they work around their particular disabilities. Rin especially so. Indeed, she gives off the impression of being entirely unaware that she's missing any limbs at all. Whether or not that's a conscious decision is another matter. I'm honestly not sure. EMI: "So Hisao, how do you like it up here?" HISAO: "Hmm? It's quite nice, actually. I like high places, for the view. Thanks for inviting me up here. And for the lunch, too." Emi grins a thousand-watt grin, pleased by my response I suppose. EMI: "No problem! Feel free to eat with us next time too, okay? I won't make you a lunch, but you can bring your own up here." HISAO: "No lunch service? I don't know..." Emi looks mock offended. EMI: "Trying to take advantage of my good nature? The nerve!" She giggles. EMI: "Well, if that's your answer, I guess Rin and I will just keep eating lunch all alone..."  I am suddenly assaulted by the most heart-rending puppy-dog eyes I've ever seen as Emi pouts. HISAO: "Kidding! I was kidding! I'd love to eat lunch up here again. Good location, and the company's okay too." Emi frowns a bit at my declaration of “okay” but seems happy enough that I've accepted her invitation. I guess this makes us friends now. Or at least acquaintances. The lunch bell rings, signaling a return downstairs. EMI: "Rin, you didn't finish your lunch again!" RIN: "I wasn't that hungry." EMI: "If you don't eat more, you're going to fade away!" Rin shrugs, as if this is an acceptable risk. HISAO: "Come on, we'd better get going." The three of us head down the stairs together. (Silence) The afternoon class passes. Once again, I find myself without a plan for something to do after school, so I head to the library to return a couple of the books I finished reading. Walking inside, I see that there are about as many students here as there were on Tuesday, all the more evident from the almost total silence enveloping the room. As I drop the books I'd borrowed into the returns slot in the counter, Yuuko suddenly pops up from behind it, quite startled from the banging they make as they hit the trolley next to her. Katawa Shoujo OST – Fripperies HISAO: "Ah, sorry Yuuko. Didn't mean to startle you."   YUUKO: "No, no. That's fine. It happens... a lot. I'm used to it by now. Um, can I help you?" HISAO: "It's okay, I think I know where everything is. Thanks anyway." I suppose I'll grab another book or two while I'm here. There's not much else to do, and after reading so much during my stay in the hospital, it's become a hard habit to break. I wander down to the fiction section towards the back of the library, scanning the bookshelves for anything that catches my eye. As I do, I look over to the corner where Hanako had been the last time I was here, not really expecting anything to come of it. ...surprisingly, though, she's there, absorbed completely in a fairly thick book. I decide against intruding on her like last time and get back to finding reading material. Katawa Shoujo OST – Afternoon After an indiscernible amount of time spent perusing the aisles, I finally decide on a couple of books to get and slide them off the shelf. With a minimum of fuss, I quickly walk over to the counter, check out my books and pop them into my bag as I walk out. By the time I leave the main building, sunset isn't too far away. A small trickle of students remain, but the majority have left; presumably to their homes and dorms.  Feeling utterly drained, I head to my room to read the books I borrowed. There's been enough action and excitement for one day already. The first is “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland”. I know the story, of course, but I've never actually read the original book. It's just as trippy as I remember the story to be, with the wacky characters and nonsense plot. I start thinking of myself as some kind of an Alice too, haplessly tumbling down the rabbit hole into this Cripple Wonderland. …Okay, that's a rather strong expression. Still, the isolated location and the overt way the school accommodates to absolutely everything is unsettling. It is like another world. I wonder why I can't shake the feeling of being an outsider like Alice, despite most everyone being so hospitable and friendly with me. (Silence) Turning another page, my mind starts drifting further away from the book. It's quiet, I can hear my heartbeat thumping against the fabric of my shirt. For some reason, it makes me feel really bad like it has since that time in the forest with Iwanako. Like I was locked in a cage with something nasty and scary. I put the book down for a while and stare at the ceiling, taking my time to shake off the feeling. 200 pages later, I fall asleep. Katawa Shoujo OST - School Days The students roll into class for the Saturday morning session, each and every one of them sporting the tired eyes of people that have worked through the night. With only a day left to prepare, I suppose it's not so surprising. Thankfully, we only have to suffer through classes until the lunch break, and then our time is our own. Mutou lurches into class in a tired stagger. I suppose students aren't the only people here that enjoy their late Friday nights. Without saying a word, he scrawls some page and question numbers on the board and slumps down at his desk. It's completely atypical behavior for him, but it appears that no one in the class is going to call him out on it. Wordlessly, the students shuffle their textbooks into position and get to work. Not wanting to break the trend, I do the same. Fatigue has made the class antisocial; not a peep is heard among the ruffling papers. That can partly be attributed to the two empty seats beside me. For some reason Misha and Shizune aren't present; probably doing council work for the festival. It's very quiet without Misha present. I wonder if she was born as rowdy as she is, or if she is “making up” for Shizune's lack of voice. (Silence) MUTO: "Nakai, can I speak to you for a moment?" I'm so engrossed in thinking about Misha that I don't even notice Mutou approaching my desk." HISAO: "Sure... what's this about?" MUTO: "It's probably better if we speak outside the classroom..." Something about this doesn't sound too good, but I stand up and follow him out into the hallway. Mutou stands in the hallway, scratching his head as he works out what he is trying to say. Not knowing what's going on, I wait silently. MUTO: "I heard from the school's head nurse that you had an incident the other day. Ah. So it's about that. HISAO: "Well, kind of, but it's not anything to be worried about. MUTO: "Yes, yes it is. Anything that can endanger your health is something to be worried about. We try our best here to prepare you for life here. Part of that involves knowing your limits, and how to work around them. It would be remiss of me if I didn't speak up about this." HISAO: "All right, I get it. I'm sorry." Mutou closes his eyes in frustration, and I realize that this probably wasn't the best thing to say."  MUTO: “Something tells me that you're not sorry. Pretend as much as you want, but this isn't a normal school. A lot of people have put in a lot of time, effort, and money to make sure that you, and every other student here, can have the same level of education as your peers. For you to abuse that by throwing out advice, especially medical advice, is plain selfish." I'm not quite sure if this is actually how he feels, or if it is some act that he's practiced many times to guilt-trip students into doing the “right” thing. Either way, it's working. HISAO: "I understand. This is all new to me, and I apologize. I know my limits now, and I'll be sticking to them." Mutou appears to lighten up a little, satisfied that his message has been received. MUTO: "So then, onto my next question; how are you finding your studies? I understand you were laid up for a while. We're not too far ahead, are we?” HISAO: "I don't really think so. I tried to keep up when I was in the hospital, so it hasn't been too hard." Mutou taps his chin and raises an eyebrow as he absorbs this information. Katawa Shoujo OST - School Days MUTO: "Is that so... I suppose there are still students out there that realize the importance of learning..." I wouldn't go that far, I was only trying to keep myself occupied in my little life-support prison. HISAO: "Well, yeah. You've got to keep up with these things, right?" MUTO: "That's exactly it. One wrong move in this world and you're left behind, right?" HISAO: "Er, right. Wouldn't want that to happen." MUTO: "No, no you wouldn't. Every week there's a new scientific discovery. Most of them mean nothing to the layperson, but any one of them could be the key to the Next Big Thing." HISAO: "I'll keep that in mind..." It's obvious that Mutou's Serious Talk is over, and he's gone back to his standard, slightly scatterbrained approach to life. I think, in hindsight, that I prefer him this way. He's slightly more predictable in his unpredictability. MUTO: "Well then, I think that's all I really had to say. Let's get back inside, shall we?" My relief at that suggestion is insurmountable. HISAO: "Sure. You're the boss, right?" Mutou pauses for a moment.  MUTO: "I don't think any of my students have ever said that to me before." For an instant I consider replying to this, but something deep within me tells me to shut my mouth and get back into the classroom. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 17:23 on Aug 28, 2021 |
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Jun 11, 2021 20:55
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Alright, looks like the conversation’s drifted to a stop, so it’s time for another post roundup. Marluxia, clockwork chaos, BurningBeard, Ghost Car, Nidoking, Psycho Lawnmower, you all get the nod this time around, if you like. Side note: after you approve it, it goes up in the second post of the thread under a descriptive title; let me know if you want those changed at any time. Contact me through post, PM, whatever.
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Jun 12, 2021 03:28
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E: particularly bizarre doublepost
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Jun 12, 2021 04:54
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Nidoking posted:Never underestimate the educational value of first-hand accounts. I can't tell you how many times I've read just an ordinary story of someone's day and realized that I'd seen a side of the human experience I didn't know existed, even if I was already familiar with the circumstances.  That’s one of the big things about activism: by far, the best way to persuade someone is by forming a personal connection between them and someone affected by an issue. Unfortunately, there’s no real way to personally connect with millions of people, especially if they’re suspicious of you trying to make them change when they don’t want to. That’s what makes KS such an excellent tool, by the way; people swing by to rubberneck at what they think is going to be the gaming equivalent of a car crash, only to get sucked in and start engaging with the game. Still doesn’t guarantee they’ll change but 
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Jun 12, 2021 22:54
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Update 15: Proper Exercise (Silence) A few of the students jump at the sound of the door, rapidly trying to pretend that they are working on the questions on the board. Some don't even bother, their heads slumped on the desk as they nap. Thankfully, it would appear that Mutou does not even notice them. He returns to his desk and retrieves a scientific journal from one of the drawers. I guess I got to him there. The class returns to the near-silence that Mutou and I left it in before our chat. Mixed feelings of tiredness and anticipation buzz around the room. Everyone here is either waiting for a chance to rest or the chance to get their last-minute preparations underway. The clock on the wall slowly ticks the remaining class time away, until finally the bells cry out, ending the torment. Katawa Shoujo OST – Daylight  MUTO: "Before you all leave, I expect the answers for those problems by Monday." The class sighs as one, instantly regretting slacking off, but still acutely aware of the more pressing issues at hand. The classroom empties in a blink as everyone rushes to their last-minute festival preparations. I stay behind and try to quickly finish the questions so I don't have to bother with it over the rest of the weekend, with the festival and all tomorrow. Apart from me, Hanako is the only one left, obviously waiting for Lilly. It's weird that Lilly comes all the way to our classroom to pick her up. I expect that moving around is at least nominally harder for her than it is for Hanako. But it's none of my business, and I naturally don't ask about it from Hanako. Despite the relative proximity of our seats, neither tries to strike up a conversation about that or anything else either, so an oppressive silence falls upon the classroom. Time passes in silence. It's probably just fifteen minutes or so but it feels longer. I turn pages of my notebook. Hanako turns pages of the novel she's reading. My pencil lead splinters against the paper just when I was about to finish a paragraph. The sounds of my irritated sigh and subsequent fumbling around for a sharpener feel like they're breaking the mood in the classroom. Hanako keeps her eyes firmly away from my direction. Before long, Lilly's tall figure appears in the doorway.  LILLY: "Hanako?"  Her name is all it takes to make Hanako jump up from her desk and run to Lilly. They talk quietly for a moment, but it isn't long before Lilly leaves down the hall and Hanako idles back into the classroom, taking her seat once again. I watch Hanako out of the corner of my eye out of sheer curiosity at the idea that the two would be separated. For a couple of minutes, she does nothing but sit with her chin in her hand, staring at the desk dejectedly. The boredom evidently becomes too much for her though, her slender frame reaching into her bag and pulling out a small book. Come to think of it, that isn't the one I saw her reading at the library. She must be quite a fast reader to get through them at this rate.  This scene, Support, is the last one a majority of routes pass through; the only way around it is by locking into Shizune’s route. Between the last line and the next one, the game runs a series of flag checks and sorts the player into one of five paths, each of which lead to either a route or the Bad Ending. No more choices left to make until the end of the act. Emi’s flag overwrites all but one of those paths, so the rest of the process doesn’t really matter now. (Silence) After about ten minutes of restlessly shuffling in her seat and trying to read, Hanako closes her book and leaves too. As should I, since the assignment is all but finished and there is nothing else to do in the classroom. Not that I have anything to do anywhere else either. Katawa Shoujo OST – Afternoon (Crowd Chattering)  The school is a beehive of activity but nobody pays me any heed. I saunter past classrooms filled with students frantically doing this and that, buzzing around like little worker bees. You wouldn't guess the school day is over. It's a bit quieter outside, but not by much. People zip by, left and right, hurrying as quick as they can; busy and energetic. I feel the opposite. The midday sun seems to be draining all the spirit out of my body, making it feel limp all over. Warm, soft air flows inside my shirt, feeling like a cushion. I yawn lazily, thinking about what I'd do. I'll drop off my books at the dorms first, and then... something I haven't decided yet. Maybe Kenji is in his room. On the way to dorms, I spot Emi coming my way, running despite not having those weird running prosthetics on. I wave at her and she skids to a stop.  EMI: "Yo, Hisao!" Spatters of white and green paint adorn her nose and chin respectively, but her smile is wide, as it seems it always is. She leans closer to me, amplifying the feeling she is examining me. EMI: "Whatchadoin'?" HISAO: "Nothing, really. I don't have anything to do for the festival and everyone else seems to be doing something important." EMI: "That's perfect! Then you can help me and Rin!" HISAO: "With the festival preparations? Eeeh, I'm not sure if I would be of much help."  EMI: "That's fine! I'm not much help either!" (Silence) Emi grabs my wrist and starts dragging me back inside the school quite forcefully. Even her walking speed is more like jogging, making me stumble over myself simply trying to keep up. The stairs slow Emi down a little bit. Maybe it's hard to climb with her legs, or maybe she's finally run out of breath. We go all the way back to the third floor and to the seniors' hallway, ending up where I left five minutes ago. I could just as well have stayed here waiting for Emi, had I known. HISAO: "So are you... is Rin working on that mural, still?" EMI: "That's right! She needs all kinds of paints and brushes and stuff, so I went to get them from the art classroom." HISAO: "And you need me to help with that." EMI: "Well... Rin told me you had already helped her so I thought you wouldn't mind." HISAO: "I see." So thanks to Emi's flaky logic, here I am again, collecting stuff from the art classroom for other people. The room is empty apart from ourselves and the lonely specks of dust floating in the air. Emi skips straight away to the back wall, digging out a tiny, crumpled piece of paper from her pocket. While she tries to make sense of the scrawled handwriting, I take a closer look at the materials lying around here. Dozens of paint cans and bottles are arranged on the shelves in a most unorganized fashion. Some look like they have been left there for several decades; relics of previous art club generations. Next to the heavy stacks of neatly piled drawing paper are boxes full of different-sized brushes and unsorted crayons. The smells of paint, turpentine and fresh paper float in the stale air, mixing in my nostrils to form that unmistakable scent of art. Emi studies her notes, comparing them to markings on the various paint cans, and passes them to me as she finds the correct matches. She stretches her neck to look on the topmost shelf, but it's not quite enough. Her eye level stays below the shelf no matter what she does. Emi gives up and just looks up to the shelf longingly, like a child at a toy store, huffing in annoyance.  After a moment of building anger, she starts jumping up and down, apparently trying to speed-read the labels during the fraction of a second she can see them, and catch what she can. Yes, her sprite is jumping here. No, you can’t see it very well. The perils of a visual medium.  It's no surprise that she fails miserably, and almost manages to bring the entire shelf crashing down. Now I see why me lending a hand here would be useful. HISAO: "Come on, let me do that. You can't jump high enough, and I don't want you to hurt yourself trying. Also, I'm like twice your height."  EMI: "You are not!" She turns around, flaring scorn, flushed cheeks and all. HISAO: "Just kidding, just kidding. Anyway, I'll look up there, okay?" She glares at me one more time, but can't come up with a retort. With a grudging “hmph,” turns her back to me. So I begin scrounging around the top shelf for paint while below, Emi crouches to scavenge what she can from the cupboards. I shake my head a little, after double-checking to ensure she can't see me do so. Emi having a complex about her height was a surprise; I wouldn't have joked about it otherwise. She seems easygoing, but I guess everyone has their weak spots. Only after we have almost all the items collected and spread out on a desk like a treasure hunter's spoils do I realize that it wasn't necessarily the height jab that got her riled up. She might not like to be told that she can't do something. Like jump. But Emi herself seems to have forgotten all about it already. Quick to anger, quick to forgive... she is that type of a person? At least she doesn't seem to have taken anything to heart, as she chatters away happily while we pick up the rest of the items and then make our way back to Rin. I chivalrously carry the bulk of the materials as we make our way towards the dormitories. EMI: "Rin is really stressed about getting her painting done. It's her own fault though; she should've started earlier." HISAO: "Is she going to make it?" EMI: "No idea. It looks good to me, but with Rin, you never know what's going on. I found her this morning lying in front of the dorm in fetal position. She hadn't slept all night. I can't believe that the night nurses hadn't found her. And now she's painting again like crazy." HISAO: "Yeah, I've... noticed that she comes off as kinda... unhinged. So to speak." Emi giggles at that, as well as at my likely too-obvious awkwardness. EMI: "I don't mind it. She's just a little weird sometimes." On that I can agree with her. Unlike me, Emi seems to be cool with Rin's... whatever it is that feels so off about her. Still, they don't feel close like Misha and Shizune do. With them working as a single entity sometimes, it's hard to say where one ends and the other begins. Even though they're so different, just like Emi and Rin are. And Rin is the most different of them all, different from anyone else I've met. HISAO: "Yeah, I guess she's a very... unique person." I return to that word again, as if it encompasses Rin's personality by itself, but really it's just a substitute for a lengthy description of her oddities. Emi giggles as I grasp about for a properly descriptive word.  EMI: "She's just weird. You know, earlier, she just spent half an hour sitting on her box. And stared at her toes." She giggles again in a way that makes me think she doesn't know what's funny about it, it just is. EMI: "All that time." Katawa Shoujo OST – Fripperies  The working area is a mess, but the mural itself has taken over even more of the wall since I last saw it. The disfigured human figures have been mostly colored in tones of red, pink, and orange; weird, imaginary... things populating the spaces between. It looks... nice. I can't think of any word that would describe the work concisely and comprehensively so I settle myself on a nondescript “nice.” But honestly, it seems that the area around the wall becomes untidier at the same rate as the mural progresses. The ground is littered with dozens of paint cans, various art supplies and empty soda bottles. Rin herself is in the center of this chaos, standing there looking very cozy as if she was a natural part of the scene. Her pant legs have been rolled up to her knees, exposing her thin legs which sport a drying spectrum of war paintings, similar to those on Emi's face. Emi sprints to Rin ahead of me and gleefully jumps in front of her. EMI: "I'm back!" RIN: "That was fast. Did you run in the corridors again?" EMI: "Hisao helped me." Emi points victoriously at me. Rin turns around following Emi's finger with her eyes, looking at my general direction. She nods absentmindedly at me. She looks like she hasn't slept since last night: a vacant, glazed stare that's focused slightly off me, and movements like in a slow-motion movie. RIN: "Hello, Hisao. Thank you for the help." HISAO: "Don't mention it." RIN: "I just did." HISAO: "Never mind. Looks like you've made progress. Looking good, as far as I can tell." RIN: "But now you get more bad luck." HISAO: "I know, but I'm willing to take the risk."  RIN: "That's a very nice thing to say. For me, of course. Not for you. This is why artists are always unlucky. They have to constantly look at their unfinished paintings. So artists can't find romance, their favorite TV shows are canceled, or they die young because of an unspecified disease. It's a deep and mysterious law of the universe. Unless they are blind." She considers this for a while, looking like she's going to fall asleep. RIN: "There is a boy. At the art club, you see. Blind boy. So he doesn't. See." HISAO: "You already told me." I glance sideways at Emi and she glances back in a way that tells she has heard this one before too. Neither of us says anything to Rin, though, so she continues her monotone soliloquy like an unfunny stand-up comedian. RIN: "He should become an artist. No bad luck, guaranteed. Don't you think that would be a good idea?" HISAO: "That only blind people should become artists? No, not as such." … RIN: "You might have a point." Abandoning this train of thought, she turns again to consider her work and starts humming a tune that I think I recognize, but can't remember the name of. Emi arranges the supplies we brought and moves a few paint cans around, trying to bring some organization to the scene. RIN: "Emi, I need the Prussian blue paint." EMI: "Which one's Prussian blue..." She is staring helplessly at seven or eight cans, each with a different tone of blue. RIN: "It's the one with Prussian blue paint in it." EMI: "Geez, Rin! You're not helping at all!" I look around as well, even though I don't know what Prussian blue looks like, either. I wonder what blue has to do with Prussia. ...Or what Prussia even is. The name sounds vaguely familiar, but I can't place it. While none of the blues looks more Prussian than the others, the small print on the labels is legible enough to determine that none say anything about the contents being Prussian. HISAO: "There is no Prussian blue here." Emi and Rin’s routes share the last scene, but this next scene is all Emi. EMI: "We need to go get more, then." I open my mouth to say that actually, we're not both needed for such a simple task like finding another pot of Prussian Blue, but Emi's already grabbed my arm and started dragging me off. I wave to Rin, who doesn't seem to have noticed that the two of us are even leaving. Well, she'll notice when she goes for her Prussian Blue and finds out it's still not there. Maybe. (Silence, Crowd Chattering) … Probably not, actually. While I'm busy thinking of how weird Rin is, Emi's been dragging me back to the art classroom. I feel myself starting to run out of breath. HISAO: "What's the rush?" Katawa Shoujo OST - Standing Tall (Emi's Theme) EMI: "Huh?" Emi's giving me an appraising look, as if she's trying to figure something out. HISAO: "It's just that you seem to be in a hurry. I'm not sure I can keep up." Comprehension dawns on her face. EMI: "You're not out of breath, are you?"  There's almost an accusing playfulness to her tone. I'm tempted to deny it, but then I realize that I've been breathing heavy since we stopped. Guess it's kind of obvious. HISAO: "A little. Not everybody can be in shape, you know. Takes all kinds, right?" Emi frowns. It's not a particularly good frown. HISAO: "Er, that is... I should... get in shape?" Not that I hadn't already decided to try for that. After that flutter on the track I figure there's a real need to get in some sort of running habit. I was, after all, feeling pretty good until I had my false alarm. Well, actually I wasn't. But it was... fun? Meanwhile, my comment seems to have helped Emi come to some sort of a decision. (Sudden Silence) EMI: "Well, that's it, then." She gives me a serious look.  EMI: "You're joining me." … HISAO: "I beg your pardon?" EMI: "In the mornings. You and I are now running partners. I've got a routine all planned out. In fact..." She produces a crumpled sheet of paper. EMI: "I've got it right here with me." Katawa Shoujo OST – Hokabi I take the sheet of paper and give it a once-over. Times, dates, and laps, all laid out. A slow increase from just a few laps a day to... My God, does she expect to have me running marathons? And where did she find the time to get this all together? And how long has she been planning this, anyway? HISAO: "You've been planning this?" EMI: "A little. But it's really the nurse's idea! He told me to keep an eye on you to make sure you exercised like he told you to!" A vast conspiracy? Maybe Kenji's on to something here... (  )HISAO: "This seems a bit much for just “keeping an eye on me.” EMI: "Well, to be honest I've been trying to find a running partner in the mornings for a while now." My God, Kenji! If you could only see the scheme unfolding! ( )HISAO: "What do you need a partner for, anyway?" EMI: "It's easier to keep up a workout if you're not the only one doing it. Isn't that obvious? You're less likely to quit if someone else is counting on you to be there, right?" HISAO: "I see. And this won't only keep you running, but it'll make sure that I keep running as well. Meaning that I'll be obeying the nurse..." EMI: "...and I'll be keeping an eye on you just like he asked! You caught on quick, Hisao." HISAO: "And if I refuse?" I have no intention of refusing, of course. But I've got to at least put up a token resistance to such a masterfully executed plan. EMI: "Well, if you refused I'd have to pout. And you'd have to live with being the guy who made Emi Ibarazaki pout. You don't want that on your conscience, do you?" As if to demonstrate, Emi begins pouting.  It is the most adorable, heart-wrenching thing I've ever seen. HISAO: "Okay! I'll do it! Just... don't do that! I feel like I just hit a puppy!" EMI: "So it's settled, right? You're going to be my running partner? Follow the workout? And the dietary plan?" HISAO: "Dietary plan?" EMI: "Yeah, the dietary plan! You've got to eat healthy if you're going to get in shape, you know!" I examine the workout routine closely. HISAO: "I don't see a dietary plan on here." EMI: "Oh right! I forgot to give that to you!" Another crumpled sheet of paper is produced and handed over. It's somewhat less detailed. EMI: "I had the nurse help me come up with it."  The amount of dedication that the nurse has to keeping me in good health is pretty overwhelming. I don't know many school nurses who would get one of their students to spy on me, much less help come up with a dietary plan. Then again, I guess I'm not in a normal school. And maybe that's not such a bad thing. Then again, this dietary plan seems to cut out just about everything that'll be offered at the festival tomorrow. Hmm. HISAO: "So when does our running start?" EMI: "After the festival." HISAO: "Right after? What if I've had something to eat there? I could get a stomach ache, you know." EMI: "I meant the day after the festival." HISAO: "I knew that." Wasn't there something we were supposed to be doing? HISAO: "Oh! I guess we should get that paint for Rin, huh?"  EMI: "Oh no! It slipped my mind!" (Silence)  By the time we get the paint and get back to the mural, Rin's already wandered off. Oh well. Emi and I both decide to part ways there, leaving the paint on the ground. Rin'll find it. Whenever she comes back, anyway. Festival's tomorrow. I'm actually a little excited for it. At the same time, the week's left me feeling pretty tired, so I read a little and then go to bed. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 19:47 on Aug 19, 2021 |
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Jun 14, 2021 21:03
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Update 16: Don’t Panic All six of Act 1’s endings route through the following scene before they hit their climax. Unfortunately, the scene includes Kenji. Katawa Shoujo OST – Daylight The next day, I wake up feeling a little lightheaded. It's almost noon already. Sleeping late is fine, since it's a Sunday and there are no classes. Not just a Sunday, though, but the festival as well. From my window I can already see some people at the soba booth slinging noodles onto plates for people with a craving for low-quality food. I throw back a handful of my morning meds and ponder how to spend the day. There will be a few exams in the coming week, but I don't consider those as ominous as others, so I'm not as worried about them as I probably should be. With no urgent obligations regarding education, I should be free to spend the day at the festival as I like. (Silence) Finishing my morning routine, I exit into the hallway, intending to go out and find something to eat. Passing by his door, I decide to see what Kenji's up to today out of impulse. I'm curious if he has any plans, since everyone is doing something. Then again, I can picture him having built a soundproof shelter in his room. Or possibly something like a fort, complete with “No Girls Allowed” sign. ... and with the “Girls” crossed out and “body” crudely scrawled underneath it. Knocking on his door which is luckily devoid of any kind of sign, I hear again the unsettling clicking of at least ten locks being pulled back. The door opens up a crack.   KENJI: "Who is it?" HISAO: "You're supposed to ask that before you open the door." Katawa Shoujo OST - Out of the Loop (Kenji's Theme) KENJI: "Oh, it's you. drat, it's early." HISAO: "It's not really that early." KENJI: "What is it, man?" HISAO: "Nothing, was just gonna ask what you're gonna do today. Half the school is out there already." KENJI: "Out where? Why?" HISAO: "What?"  KENJI: "What what? Is today special? Why are they there? Who are? I can hear them. It's loud... don't tell me... Has the invasion begun? It's going to be loud as hell. drat, and I was going to go out today, but now it's ruined, everything is ruined. This is awful. This sucks. This sucks! What the hell, this really sucks. I can't go anywhere now. There's nowhere to run." Kenji seems nervous. You could even say he's majorly freaking out. KENJI: "I can't believe this. So that's what today was. drat, and I couldn't even prepare for it. I couldn't even brace myself and now it's here and I can't do anything. You should have told me this earlier, dude. I mean, at least, I know, but... I could have known earlier! Imagine what I could have accomplished..." HISAO: "Sorry. I thought you knew. So I guess you're not going to do anything today? The weather is even good. Yesterday was really windy, so I thought today would be cold. It's not, though, so there's no reason to just stay inside. Yeah, you should check the festival out." Kenji groans and covers his face with his hands. KENJI: "Agh, no, no! I can't do it. They'll eat me alive out there, I know it." That has to be a joke, but he said it with such a straight face. Relatively straight. KENJI: "What are you going to do? We should hang out in here, you can help me build my fort. We might still make it if we work together." HISAO: "I wonder... I'm kinda hungry, but I made this deal that I try to take better care of myself. Be healthier, you know. Dunno if I should steer clear of the takoyaki, or head straight in." KENJI: "Deal? Sounds ominous. So what are you getting in return?" HISAO: "Nothing, I guess? It's not that kind of a deal.”  HISAO: “You know Emi, from our year? We kinda agreed to watch each other's backs and..."  KENJI: "Aieeeeeeee!" The shrill scream and the expression of abject terror in Kenji's face chill my blood. It's as if I told a Catholic priest I sold my soul to the devil. KENJI: "Her! You sold your soul to the devil, and didn't get anything in return? What the hell is wrong with you, man? Do you know who you are dealing with? She's a public health danger. Do you know how many people she sends to the hospital monthly with her carefully placed flying tackles? She's one of them! A key player in the vast conspiracy that aims for the complete submission of everything that is manly. I can't believe what I'm hearing. I trusted in your judgment, man. I thought we were brothers. You have to call it off before it's too late. This festival too; it's just one of their ploys." He fingers his scarf nervously, faster and faster like he is trying to start a fire, then slowly begins to calm down once the panic attack finishes running its course. KENJI: "I'm going to have to find some place to hide in, a safe haven. And then knock the lights out of myself so that I don't have to experience this horrible day. I have the perfect thing for that. I must prepare now. Don't go to the festival." HISAO: "Okay." KENJI: "Later, dude." Goodbye, you extremely uncomfortable person. This game frontloads its :kenji: - he shows up from time to time in other routes, but he gets by far the most focus in Act 1. I’ll be circling back here from time to time to show off how things differ at the start of various routes, but I’ll be skipping anything we’ve seen before – and that includes the vast majority of his scenes. Rejoice! (Silence) The door slowly closes with a low creak and I don't know how to feel about what Kenji just said. It's kinda unsettling, and now I start to feel doubtful, myself. Should I bother going? I've got a book I've been meaning to read. Something about an underground postal system that may or may not exist. It's short, too. I could have it finished in a day. But would that be a good way to spend my time? Well, yeah. It definitely would be. But I suppose that it would probably be a better idea to head outside. See the festival. Try to integrate with all the other sideshow acts. Honestly, I should at least make an attempt to keep up the somewhat friendly personality I've had the past week. Maybe get something to eat, my stomach suggests. It's almost lunchtime... I could at least grab something from one of the stalls outside. Katawa Shoujo OST - Air Guitar (Chattering Crowd)  I'm soon outside, surrounded by various students and people who may or may not be their parents. Every so often I catch a glimpse of someone who clearly just came up from town for the promise of a festival. They're easy to spot. The ones who can't stop staring, and behind their eyes you can tell they're thinking “Now, what's wrong with this one?” I almost want to yell at them. But at the same time, can I deny that I've been doing the same thing all week? A wave of something like disgust sweeps over me; guilt for my own narrow-mindedness. … I push the thoughts aside, concentrating on the pangs of hunger that burn my guts like a wildfire. The scent of something fried leads me to the promised land, where I can get some lunch. I'm just getting my order when a loud voice interrupts me.  EMI: "Hey, what the hell are you doing?" HISAO: "Having break— er, lunch." Katawa Shoujo OST - Generic Happy Music EMI: "Breakfast? You mean you just got up?" HISAO: "Er..." Suddenly sleeping all morning feels like a crime. HISAO: "No, I meant lunch... honest." She's not buying it. HISAO: "Brunch?" EMI: "That's not a healthy breakfast at all!" She snatches my food out of my hand and glares at me. What the hell is this girl doing? HISAO: "Hey, that's my breakfast!" EMI: "What happened to it being your lunch?" HISAO: "That's my... whatever, it's my food!"  Emi places her hands on her hips and begins lecturing me. Well, she actually puts her hand on her chest and glowers. Sprites can only go so far. EMI: "Did you really forget your dietary plan already? You need to be more conscious of your health, Hisao! What about your heart? HISAO: "My heart's fine the way it is! Mostly." All I get in response is a roll of the eyes. EMI: "I doubt that. You wouldn't be here if that was the case, would you?" The girl's got a point, of course. But I'm not about to concede it. HISAO: "It's not that bad of a heart! Certainly it can handle a little grease now and again!" Yeah, sure. And it handled a little running just fine, too. Emi seems unconvinced. Not surprising, as I haven't even managed to convince myself. EMI: "Maybe, but not if you're sleeping the day away all the time!" (Silence, Crowd Sounds Continue) A devious look suddenly crosses her face. EMI: "Of course, if you'd been following a routine from the beginning you wouldn't be in this situation..." HISAO: "Hey, I've had a pretty eventful week, you know! For example, I almost died! And there was a lot of meeting people, and then I was on a roof for a while..." EMI: "Which is no excuse for slacking off, you know.”  EMI: "A little near death experience is no excuse for skipping basic exercise. Like running in the mornings." She nods, as if something important has just been decided. Katawa Shoujo OST - Standing Tall (Emi's Theme) EMI: "So it's settled, then! You've seen the error of your ways and are willing to adhere to my routine, right? I'll see you bright and early in the morning? We'll be running buddies?” HISAO: "You know, you'd already convinced me yesterday that this was a good idea. You don't need to convince me again." Not that I did a good job of being convinced. She's right about eating healthy, after all. And here I am ordering up something grossly unhealthy. But delicious! There are more important things than deliciousness, aren't there? Like staying alive? If Emi weren't here browbeating me for my poor decisions, I'd probably... Hey, wait a second. A sudden question springs to mind. HISAO: "Hey, why the hell have you taken such an interest in my well-being?" Emi shrugs and grins at me. EMI: "You're the new guy. I figure you don't have any friends yet, right? Besides, I've caused you trouble all week, right? I owe you for not getting angry. And I told the nurse I would, anyway." Uh... huh. Crazy little running girl wants to make me healthy. Well, I suppose there are worse fates. HISAO: "Okay, that sounds... fine. Thanks for your concern. Tomorrow morning, then?" (Silence, Crowd Sounds Continue) I figure that ends the conversation, so I turn to leave. EMI: "Not so fast!" Katawa Shoujo OST – Hokabi I feel a hand on my collar and in a second I've been yanked backwards. HISAO: "Hey, no need to be so rough! What do you want now?" Emi looks almost wounded by my annoyed question.  EMI: "Thought you could use the company." Her eyes narrow. EMI: "Besides, you were just going to try sneaking some more of that fried crap, weren't you?" Well, I wasn't going to, but now that she mentions it that would have been a really good idea. HISAO: "I was not!" Another glare. HISAO: "Okay, maybe I was going to get a little..." The glare continues. HISAO: "Okay, a lot." Jesus, I'm a danger to myself and others, aren't I? I get done agreeing that I need to be healthier, and then immediately start considering the next unhealthy habit that comes my way.  EMI: "I knew it! You can't be trusted.”  EMI: "Now I definitely have to stick with you. This whole situation feels silly. I can only imagine what passersby think of the sight of me being lectured by a tiny girl half my size. Maybe I should just give up for now. HISAO: "Fine, do what you like." I sigh. Might as well make the best of this. HISAO: "What do you want to do?" Emi thinks for a minute. EMI: "Well, I promised Rin I'd stop by her mural... So let's do that! I confess I'm slightly curious as to how her mural turned out myself, so again I consider there are worse fates. I give a nod of assent and find myself almost dragged bodily through the crowd as Emi races to our destination. (Complete Silence)  By the time we reach the dorms, I can feel my heart pounding. My heart shouldn't be pounding after just that. I take a few deep breaths, willing myself to calm down. I'm one of the most normal looking people in the school, but I still have to be here. Sometimes I almost wish I'd lost a hand or something. At least then it'd be obvious that I belong. But instead I don't even look sick. Even now, trying to catch my breath, I just look out of shape. Emi looks back and notices my state of distress. EMI: "You're not going to die on me, are you? Please don't! It'll be all my fault, and I don't want to deal with that kind of guilt. Besides, after the last time I really don't think I need to see that again, especially because the nurse will totally say it's all my fault." HISAO: "N... nah, I'm fine. Guess I need to start running after all." EMI: "And you wanted to keep eating your greasy... whatever it was. See?”  EMI: "It's a good thing I found you, right?" Yes it was. HISAO: "Maybe." Of course I don't add that I wouldn't be in this state if she hadn't dragged me across the festival grounds. Further conversation is interrupted by the sudden appearance of Rin. Katawa Shoujo OST - Air Guitar  RIN: "Oh, it's you. Hello Emi." EMI: "Hey Rin! I brought Hisao along because he was going to give himself a heart attack!" HISAO: "I was not!" My objection goes unnoticed. EMI: "We stopped by to see how the mural turned out!" Rin nods slowly. RIN: "Well, it's right there. You can see it pretty clearly." I find myself wondering how long Rin's been standing here in front of the mural. Has anyone even stopped by to look at it? Are we the first ones? Obviously we're not the first to see it, of course. I mean, it's pretty big. You'd be hard-pressed not to see it. At the same time, I don't think anyone's actually talked to Rin about it. Anyone but us, that is. I feel compelled to say something. HISAO: "It looks pretty good." RIN: "I'm still not happy with how it turned out. But I guess it'll do." She seems almost resigned to it. I'm not sure what she expected as a result, but I guess she didn't quite get there.  We stand in front of the mural, taking it all in. I try my best to concentrate on the composition of the thing.  It's actually fairly interesting. The colors swoop and blend together, dragging me along with them.  There's a dreamlike quality to the whole thing that makes me almost feel sleepy.  I try hunting out some of the colors Emi and I grabbed for her. Try as I might, I can't see any Prussian Blue. Oh well. I'm sure it's in there somewhere. My feet start to hurt, but Rin doesn't seem inclined to move on. Emi speaks up. I only showed about half the mural, by the way. It’s so large that you can expect to finish the text well before you reach the end of the pan even if you read slowly. I would have shown more, but this is where it transitions into unambiguous exposed breasts and I wasn’t interested in futzing around with spoiler tags or edits in Paint. EMI: "Hey Rin, have you eaten?" RIN: "Of course. You can't survive otherwise." EMI: "What about in the past five hours?" RIN: "Maybe. But I'm hungry again, so maybe that means I'm wrong." Emi grins and claps her hands together. EMI: "Good! Come get some food with us!" Rin nods in assent. RIN: "Okay, but we should hurry before they notice I'm gone." Somehow I don't think they'd care. Whoever they are. (Silence, Crowd Chattering)  As we head back to the food stalls, I cast a longing eye over the fried food. No, I'd better not. I'm pretty sure Emi wouldn't let me, anyway. Katawa Shoujo OST – Ease  We find a nice spot on the grass and sit down to eat our purchases. Well, my purchases, anyway. Somehow I've wound up paying for all the food. Surprisingly, my (unfried) food is pretty good. Silence falls as Emi and I eat and Rin stares at... something or other, occasionally eating a bite or two of her food. I finish my meal first, and lay back on the grass. Emi glances up from her food. EMI: "Tired, Hisao?" HISAO: "A little, I guess." EMI: "Well, don't oversleep or anything tomorrow morning.”  EMI: "We start our morning runs, remember?" Actually, they'd slipped my mind. I was actually just enjoying myself. Wandering around the festival with these two has actually been fun. HISAO: "Yeah, I'll set an alarm." EMI: "You'd better be there! I'll get angry if you aren't!" HISAO: "God forbid." RIN: "I don't think God comes into it. Unless there's some kind of freak accident and your alarm clock shorts out. That might be a random act of God." EMI: "Well don't cause any random acts of God, then." A plan forms itself in my mind. It's a plan that makes me feel kind of guilty, but I throw it into execution anyway. Dammit, I've earned a little fried food. And anyway, I'm going to start running tomorrow, right? So the actual routine all starts then, not now. Ergo, the dietary portion starts tomorrow too, ergo I can have something unhealthy today. A sort of final farewell to all the stuff I used to eat with wild abandon before the hospital. HISAO: "Actually, I suppose I should head back to my room. I had some homework to do, and if I'm going to run in the morning I should make it an early night..." Those narrowed eyes again. EMI: "You sure you're not just going to sneak off and buy some of that fried stuff over there?" HISAO: "Nah, I'm too full to bother now." I pat my stomach for emphasis. HISAO: "Besides, you two have cleaned me out anyway." Emi giggles. It's a surprisingly pleasant sound. Another pang of guilt. She's got to know that I'm lying to her, doesn't she? Or is she just that trusting? I feel kind of like a monster. EMI: "All part of my master plan, Hisao. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning then. Thanks for the food! And for keeping us company!" And here I thought she was doing me a favor. Rin nods in agreement. RIN: "I won't say “See you tomorrow” because that would be like predicting the future, and I'm pretty sure I can't do that." HISAO: "... Okay. Bye, you two." (Silence)  I feel oddly glad that I decided to leave my room today. Not a bad way to start my second week here, I suppose. Once I'm sure I'm out of Emi's line of sight, I make a beeline for the food stands and buy some cake. At least it's not fried, right? That's slightly better than what I was planning to do. I still feel a little bad about lying to Emi, though. She really does seem concerned about my health. I'll make it up to her somehow. Better head back to my room. Hey, I do have work to do. My book waits for me, and I flop on to my bed and read through the fireworks display. Eventually all the walking around (or more accurately, running around) catches up with me. I really am out of shape. Emi dragging me out in the morning to run might just be a good thing after all.  It's something to look forward to. END OF ACT 1 Before we hit Act 2, I’ll take some time to go over what we’ve seen so far in a special conclusion/disability corner post. So look forward to that. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 20:37 on Aug 19, 2021 |
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Jun 16, 2021 19:20
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I’m considering doing a sort of live-review of Interviews with Monster Girls, an anime that, like KS, is a sympathetic look into the lives of disabled girls in a school setting. However, a) it’s as pure as driven snow, b) it looks at disability through a fictionalized lens, and c) the fact that it deals with disability seems to have completely flown over people’s heads. Would the thread be interested in seeing that?
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Jun 17, 2021 15:42
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Update 17: Act 1 – Hisao and Ableism We just finished Act 1 of 4. Each route shares a largely conventional three act structure over 1 through 4, and like any good first act, Act 1 sets the stage and introduces the important characters. Unlike most first acts, though, it has a thematic role most stories don’t need filled: it breaks down stereotypes. "Disabled We Stand” posted:[P]eople in wheelchairs repeatedly find that, when they have somebody pushing their chair, questions are addressed to their pusher rather than to them… Edwina McCarthy finds that this happens so frequently that it comes as something of a surprise when her presence is actually recognised: “At the greengrocer's the first time we went in they asked me what I wanted. I was a bit taken aback.” (And Derek adds wryly, “Quote. I got told to shut up, they were speaking to the young lady.”) “But in our local supermarket, some of the cashiers would ask Derek. And that's degrading.” Trick question: why would you look at someone in a wheelchair, someone who otherwise looks perfectly ordinary, and talk only to the person pushing them? Go ahead, think of a reason. I’ll wait. Now go back, think about that reason, and tell me: was it that the person pushing the wheelchair was their caretaker? We don’t know jack about this situation. The person in the wheelchair could be asleep, or sick. They might be doing something else or talking to someone else, or they just might not want to talk. So did you guess that whoever was pushing the wheelchair was making decisions for the person in it? I’d bet most people reading this didn’t make that assumption. But I’d lay down good money that many of the people who chose otherwise, consciously or unconsciously, specifically did so to subvert that expectation. They thought of the person in the wheelchair as someone who needed a caretaker first, then substituted another answer when they checked themselves. That assumption was a gut response, even if the reaction to it was also a gut response. It kind of sounds like I’m knocking them for that, and I’m not – that’s a good thing. It’s a good thing because the belief that disability makes everything about you less capable runs so deep it takes active effort to fight it off. It’s so omnipresent that it usually influences people legitimately trying to help, causing everything from talking loudly to deaf people to not offering promotions to disabled people because you think it would stress them out to this particular gem from the same source: "Disabled We Stand” posted:[A] woman had just climbed, on crutches, one of the longest staircases in the New York subway system and was standing at the top, getting her breath back, when some well meaning cavalier materialised out of the crowd, grabbed her up and carried her down to the bottom again. Had he bothered to ask if she needed assistance no problem would have arisen. Not every player will come at KS with those assumptions still in place, but enough will that it needs to take a chisel to them and weaken that belief system enough to let things slip through. I mean, they absolutely could have just skipped this process, but it might fall afoul one of the most infuriating aspects of writing about minority issues: for someone with -isms in place, realistic depictions feel fake. The funny thing about preconceptions (which biases are a type of) is that they’re a lot more universal than people assume: at their heart, they’re tools that speed up cognition and reaction by fitting situations into patterns you already recognize on an instinctive level. If you see a number you don’t recognize calling you out of the blue, chances are you’ll assume they’re a telemarketer and not pick up. It could be anyone, it could be important, but you’re used to unexpected calls being telemarketers so you act on that assumption. They can even be helpful; if you see someone walk towards you in a dark alley reaching for something under their coat, you probably should get out of there. Your preconceptions make sense to you and form a basic part of your personality; they seem logical, even obvious. But biases are preconceptions that are wrong or harmful, and since they feel and work like any other preconception, you can’t tell the difference on the spot. Having your biases challenged can feel like a personal insult, given how deep in our heads biases can run, or it can feel like someone’s trying to put you in danger: if you react to a black person approaching you the same way you would a person in a dark alley, someone saying no, that’s kind of messed up sounds a hell of a lot like they want you to get mugged. And yeah, that’s an extreme example, but people make, say, economic decisions based on biases all the time, and if you tell them no, that’s kind of messed up they might react like you’re trying to scam them and lock down. Breaking down biases is an extremely delicate and difficult process that involves getting past a person’s defenses to avert that reaction. Without that process, you’ll more likely than not find efforts to broaden someone’s horizons just bounce off. And that’s why Act 1 is Hisao Is Ableist Theater. Hisao rolls into Act 1 with his biases still intact and unchallenged, and, importantly, does not immediately change his ways. Here’s a screenshot I cut from the first update for space:  HISAO: “This isn’t an opportunity, don’t call it an opportunity. Don’t call it a goddamn opportunity.” Nobody changes their opinion instantly. It doesn’t matter that Hisao is now disabled; he’s just as ableist as he’s ever been. Even if it’s a step up from staying in the hospital forever, to him, Yamaku is a school for people who are less than him. We see he’s willing to give his new classmates the benefit of the doubt and try to interact with them like normal people (and that’s not always the case), but… The ways he responds to his classmates – awkwardly dancing around topics, averting his eyes from people’s disabilities, wincing when he can’t – that’s all familiar, and obvious, to anyone who’s been on the receiving end. Those responses will make sense to many readers because they’re nearly universal, even to other disabled people; I know I’ve had to catch myself in the past. So the reader starts out in familiar territory. And then they realize how anime the cast is. I’ve seen a couple people in the thread mention that it sticks out, and it’s true; the characters are all exaggerated and slightly unrealistic in a very specific way familiar to weeaboos everywhere. Hell, I could probably slap a -dere derivative on most of them if I was even lamer than I already am. We’re still in familiar territory. But it’s a different familiar territory. It’s one that doesn’t jive well with ableist biases but does jive well with the game’s portrayal of disability. When the average weeb filters through potential anime girlfriends and lands on the tsundere, they probably aren’t expecting her to need an interpreter just to talk to them; if they go for cheerful and/or athletic characters, they probably don’t anticipate their latest waifu using prosthetics so blatant she brings a clearly artificial running sound effect everywhere she goes. And yet nobody seems to agree that that’s weird. Every spotlighted student except Hisao has fully adapted to their disability; they are clearly aware of it and how it affects them, but it doesn’t dominate their lives the way some abled people assume disabilities do. They even display the blunt, blasé sense of humor about their disability that’s actually really common among real disabled people and which often shocks abled people. For someone familiar with disability, there is no cognitive dissonance there. For someone who isn’t, its lack itself causes cognitive dissonance. Just as Hisao gradually realizes his preconceptions are kind of bullshit by interacting with other characters, that friction between expectation and reality gradually breaks down readers’ preconceptions too. Let’s take a look at this process in action: Lilly and Shizune throwing down.  Most readers will immediately notice this scene features a blind girl facing off against a deaf girl. Many readers will also leap to the conclusion that their disabilities play a role in that rivalry. They kind of don’t, though. Shizune’s deafness is why Misha needs to be there to translate, and as the thread noted Lilly’s blindness is probably why she had to foist off filling out her forms on someone in her class (sidenote: her class includes people who have impaired eyesight like Kenji, so they can probably fill out those forms for her). But the dialogue makes it abundantly clear their clash has more to do with their conflicting personalities than anything else. Shizune is aggressive, harsh, and blunt, while Lilly’s comportment and passive-aggression reflect the ojou cliché her character’s clearly based on (forgive me, Father, for I have linked to TVTropes). For readers expecting their theoretically conflicting disabilities to dominate the scene, the fact that they barely come up puts them offkilter; for those expecting them to shape the conflict, they find that their expressions, stances, and dialogue play a much bigger role than their disabilities, which only come up in a utilitarian fashion. No judgment is offered by either one unless you interpret some of Shizune’s insults through that lens, and even then, they probably have more to do with her being a dick than judging Lilly’s disability. The process of breaking down biases is a gradual one: so far we’ve covered somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000 words in the updates, and that’s about half the length of an average novel in one part of Act 1 alone. But this and other scenes like it are designed to overwhelm bias with sheer weight of experience. Eventually that friction wears biases down so far the reader’s mind starts to change. I want to draw attention to part of another scene: Falconier111 posted:
The presentation was pretty clunky and I probably could have portrayed it better, but I wanted to draw attention to this moment as one of the most important in the LP so far. Hisao’s been immersed in this environment for the better part of a week now. He’s spent time with half a dozen different people who have wildly divergent personalities but all feel little to no angst over their disabilities. Hell, earlier in this scene Emi’s like “they put me and Rin together so we could add up our limbs  ”. He has this revelation, something kind of profound, in completely mundane circumstances next to Emi as she horfs down her food. This is the point where that cognitive friction finally wears Hisao down enough to open his mind. Earlier, his continual denial of his condition backfires during his run and nearly gives him a heart attack, forcing the Nurse and Mutou to spend time beating it into his head that he can’t avoid it anymore. Then, while he’s still recovering from that psychologically, he sits down with Emi and Rin, two very different people with very different personalities enjoying each other’s company and who cast his choices in stark relief: he can either deny his condition and have heart attacks, or accept it like they have and spend time with two people you can date. The choice is pretty obvious and drives the point home. It also complements a bit of quiet brilliance that I’m not sure the devs intended, though I really hope they did. You know how Emi’s route is both the easiest to stumble into and overwrites most other routes? Almost every first-time player not dedicated enough to beeline it for another character or using a guide will probably stumble into her route, get chewed out, and run into this scene. This lesson, the contrast between those two options, will be one of the first things the game drills into their head. Even if they realize they got Emi’s route and go back and restart the game, they’ve already been through those scenes and hopefully absorbed that point – and that will change the way they perceive the game and the characters.Of course, not everybody will get the hint. If you don’t absorb the lessons the game is trying to teach you, you’ll get the Bad Ending for Act 1. Every route, by the way, has at least a Good and Bad Ending, and sometimes a mediocre Neutral Ending. I will only ever cover the Good Endings because a) we are dealing with an insane amount of text already, I’m not adding like 40,000 more words at least to that count b) I need to leave SOMETHING for people to discover when they play the game themselves and c) I deal enough with disability-related unsolvable issues at work, I’m not piling more of that on myself unless I have to. However, each route will end with an analysis, and during that analysis I’ll talk about the Bad/Neutral Endings and what they mean in abstract. Once I finish a route, you can freely discuss all of its endings or any content in the route I skipped over or missed. Don’t even bother with spoiler tags; I’ll be dissecting them in the analysis anyway, so there’s no sense in hiding things. The only place this doesn’t apply is parts of Act 1 I haven’t been through or described. I recommend playing the game on your own so you can actually read those endings, but if you don’t care to or can’t for whatever reason, I’ll cover what happens and what it means. Like so! If you manage to isolate yourself, insult others, or refuse to commit to any course of action, you’ll end up spending the school festival with Kenji on the roof of the school building, getting drunk with him at his “manly picnic”. You sink into nihilism, lose your balance, and fall off, dying. Yeah, I think this is the only way you can die in the game with one possible exception, but we’ll see when we get there. I hear a lot of players actually struggle with this, getting the Bad Ending by picking the options they’d take if they were in those situations. Fighting that impulse is the point. Well, mostly. I mean, let’s be honest, most of the people playing this game are awkward nerds who struggle to socialize anyway, so they may end up shoehorned into the manly picnic even if they otherwise wouldn’t make such obviously terrible decisions. The devs didn’t quite stick the landing on that one. What they were shooting for was Hisao combating his isolation. He was thrown into a situation different from anything he’d experienced before, even though parts of it were familiar. He could have kept his distance easily enough. But thematically, that parallels him denying his disability and disability in general, which is exactly what the game is trying to combat. Engaging with his new condition is equated to engaging with the people in his new school, and failing to reach out to them means failing to come to terms with his heart condition. And let’s be blunt, not doing so will kill him. Even if he didn’t die at the manly picnic, if he ignores his disability, eventually he’ll stumble into a situation his heart can’t cope with sooner rather than later. He might do that anyway even if he DOES start working with it, but denial will shorten his life. Refusing to accept responsibility for himself as he currently is, the sort of thing the first part of this post touched on, will backfire. That’s the message this part of the game is shooting for: you cannot ignore or dismiss disability. It doesn’t have to dominate your life, and in fact with some adjustment it won’t, but refusing to come to terms with it will only lead to tears. And that reflects on the player; in order to avoid the Bad Ending, they have to engage with the message of acceptance the game keeps bringing up. If I had to pin down that message, I’d put it like this: you cannot approach disabilities from an ableist perspective, dehumanizing those who have them or denying its presence; you have to approach them realistically, as things that really do affect people but do not determine who they are or how they live outside of how those disabilities directly affect them. That’s a deep, nuanced perspective that even a decade later many activist groups have failed to grasp. The dominant agenda among most groups in the disability activism field, as it has been since before this game was released, mixes evoking pity with trying to prove our value to wider society. While that’s better than, like, eugenics, it’s quietly dehumanizing in its own way: instead of assuming that our lives have value because we are living human beings, it implies the most important thing about us is how we contribute to society and makes us objects of pity, worth less than fully functional humans because we have to prove our right to exist. That puts KS ahead of the game by an almost shocking margin. That is why I care about this game on a philosophical level. That’s why I said all the way back in the OP that it was one of the best representations of disability ever released to a wider audience. It takes an evenhanded, sensitive approach to our lives that very little else ever does, and I’ll never stop being grateful for that. Of course, I also care about this game for its characters, which… Brings up a thorny topic. See, there’s a long-running debate in the community about the presumed sexlessness of disability, where abled people view disabled people as either so unattractive/dysfunctional that entering a relationship with them is a sacrifice or as objects of perverse lust. I have actually seen someone look at a person in a wheelchair, turn to their spouse, and say “wow, you’re so brave” to their faces. Hell, I had to step back and untangle my own feelings on the subject when I entered my first relationship. That sort of desexualization dehumanizes us further, cuts us off from other people, and quietly dovetails with eugenics (it makes sure we don’t reproduce), which, uh, yeah, that’s worth opposing. On the other hand, we are talking about sex, and even though the characters are all canonically 18 there’s still a creepo factor there. I originally planned on skipping this game’s sex scenes entirely in line with SA LP standard practice, but the more I think about it, the more I feel not addressing the sexlessness issue runs against the whole drive of this LP – it is, after all, skipping over a fundamental part of what it’s like to live as a disabled person because reading about it makes people uncomfortable. Which is a really blunt way of putting it, but it’s true. I want to poll the thread on how to handle this.
 Vote ends in 48 hours I still have plenty more to say, but that can wait for after we start finishing routes. I’ll be looping back to parts of Act 1 every time we start a new one, but for now, it’s time we leave it behind and start running through Emi’s story. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 20:40 on Aug 19, 2021 |
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Jun 18, 2021 19:03
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DelilahFlowers posted:I think Limited would be fine enough for an LP. I'm more interested in the narrative importance than anything else, so a good summary without the guff would be nice. People can read the VN itself if they want the written specifics. I’m making LP history But yeah, I’ve been in touch with the mods and things are chugging along. Fun fact: it turns out the h-scenes are formatted differently from what I thought. It’s going to be a lot easier to avoid CIA-style redactions than I feared.
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Jun 19, 2021 04:04
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The vote’s still on, but Interviews with Monster Girls, Episode 1: "Tetsuo Takahashi Wants an Interview" (Pt. 1) Once upon a time, there was a series of porn comics that was turned into a proper manga, then an anime. Known as Everyday Life with Monster Girls, it took the world by storm, its mixture of likable characters and borderline softcore pornography making it one of the most profitable anime of its time. This is not that anime’s story. Demi-chan wa Kataritai (literally “Demi wants to talk”) was a completely unrelated manga released about the same time. It, too, focused on women who were also legendary supernatural creatures, but instead of a raucous sex comedy featuring members of human subspecies moving in on some guy’s house, it was cheerful, squeaky-clean, and focused on teenagers who just had traits of said creatures dealing with ordinary life. So when it came time to import it to the west, the translators looked at it, went “let’s capitalize on this completely unrelated work’s popularity”, and dubbed it Interviews with Monster Girls. The anime made a modest impact, getting positive reviews and nominations for a couple awards it lost out on, but it hit never hit big time. It still has a small but respectable fan base. None of whom seem to realize it’s a thinly veiled examination of what it’s like to live as a disabled teenager. So let’s fix that. This will be a livereview of the anime. I’ll be taking screenshots and describing the action while inserting commentary and drawing connections in the text; If you’ve ever seen someone liveblog or liveread something, this is basically that with a slightly different format. Please let me know what does and doesn’t work; I’m new to this and I can definitely improve.    We open a young woman humming to herself just outside a building at night.  A passerby on the sidewalk turns at the sound.  We see her face…  … And so does he.  She turns to face him…  … And we get the opening. I’ll go over it at a strategic point a few episodes ahead, but it’s basically an extended character introduction and I think it’s best we let the anime introduce them at its own pace. Also, the OP is aggressively anime and I don’t want to listen to it any longer than I have to. Back to the standoff.  Or not, we jump to the same building – a school – in the middle of the day. Apparently there’s a new teacher on the way, but she’s late on her first day. Whoever speaking (the principal?) starts sniping at her for that to the silent disinterest to the rest of the room.  The guy on the right is Takahashi Tetsuo (I’m using Japanese naming conventions, surname first), a high school biology teacher and our male protagonist. As the first guy drones on in the background, a generic coworker rolls his chair up next to him and asks him about “demi-humans”; apparently, Takahashi wanted to make them the topic of his college thesis, but his application got denied because he was just looking to be a biology teacher. The subject was too delicate and the people involved are too rare. He’s never even met one. Why’re you so interested, the other guy asks?  He says he wants to interview them, while making this face and cooing. Not a good start there, champ.  At that moment, a flustered young woman stumbles into the room and tries to apologize.  She’s a bit ranty. Apparently, the train she was going to take was too crowded, and that’s why she’s late. The guy who was insulting her behind her back completely changes his tune when he hears this, to Takahashi’s confusion. The other teacher explains that it makes sense as she introduces herself…  … Because Satou Sakie, a new math teacher, is also a demi-human, specifically a succubus. Gotta admit, I winced when I saw this. I winced because announcing that you’re disabled to a room full of new coworkers is almost never a good idea in the real world. Ableism is just too widespread; at best you’re asking to be pigeonholed and at worst you just got yourself fired. Many employers can and will get rid of you if they find that out, and the fact that firing someone for having a disability is illegal in most places doesn’t even factor in. Many people straight up don’t know that, or they know that the enforcement mechanisms in place are slow, inconsistent, and often expensive. And that’s not counting what coworkers might do, anything from gallantly protecting you from responsibilities to hazing you out of the office. I’ve seen it. It’s happened to me. But we’re dealing with a fluffy idealistic slice of life anime right now, and it appears, in this fictional world, that may not apply. Kinda stings, though.  Takahashi’s like   Infodump time! Apparently, some people possess traits or abilities that line up with depictions of mythological creatures. These “demi-humans” have been persecuted up until recently, but discriminations been on the decline for a while, with the help of an entire government office specifically for demi-human welfare. They offer support to demi-humans “who live with any sort of disadvantage” and help them live normal lives.  Goddamnit, you can tell I was taking screenshots on my phone  . I only noticed this while editing the update, so it’s too late to fix it. This won’t happen again, I promise.“Now, being a demi-human is seen as just another aspect of one’s identity.” So, folks whose bodies but them at a disadvantage in society are offered support and now simply embrace those differences as part of their identity? Yeah, sounds a lot like the end goal of many disability activist organizations. Hopefully the writers’ll follow through on that they deliberately examine it later.  The whole school’s busy preparing for some festival, a lot like in KS at the end of Act 1 (it’s a Japanese thing). Satou’s pondering her handiwork when Takahashi walks up behind her to ask her a question…   … And she gasps and slithers her way over to a wall. The animation is a lot better than you expect in a slice of life anime, but the facial expressions especially are reaction image-grade – and Satou provides at least 30% of the best ones. Takahashi introduces himself, offers her a handshake…  … And she’s so eager to make her escape she knocks over a stepladder, then picks it up to hold him off. She frantically starts to explain that she’s a succubus and that means he can’t come close to her…  …And he just apologizes, steps back, and resumes normal conversation while respecting her boundaries. That, kids, is how you deal with someone asking you to respect their needs and accommodations. A lot of people’s first instinct is to frantically apologize when they make this kind of mistake, and that just makes an awkward roadblock of a situation even more awkward; other people get offended and dig in, and of course that makes everything even worse. But no. Takahashi seamlessly accepts the role he played in the mixup, apologizes for it, and moves along. Either he’s just that nice a guy, or he’s literally done his homework on demi-humans. As for why she needs those accommodations, we’ll get into that later. But seriously, if someone asks you to respect reasonable accommodations like that, just do it. A lot of people will be like “but why should I do x” and that is rude at best, just assume a person minding their own business isn’t trying to punk you or screw you over for no reason and go about your day. Also worth noting: Satou’s seiyuu is superb. She could have played this scene pitiable or confrontational, but instead she went for over-the-top slapstick intensity – and it worked, it took something that could have been uncomfortable in any number of ways and made it silly enough not to cut too deep while not diminishing her character or weakening the scene’s impact.  It turns out that Satou’s noticed Takahashi watching her from a distance and is understandably nervous that he’s there to gawk at the succubus – something which a lot of people with visible disabilities are unpleasantly familiar with. He tries to defend himself but just digs himself in deeper, and she slides away making a  face.After a “a few days later” title card…   He runs into her again at the sink outside the bathrooms (…why?), tries to apologize again, and she beat a hasty retreat again, dodging around another guy as he walks in the door. He’s kind of like until… … The girl from the other day runs up behind him.   Apparently, that was the night before school started and she was basically scoping the place out before marching in the next day; when she saw him, she understandably bugged out. Now, though, she’s a lot friendlier…   … And more excitable…  … Very self-confident…  … And most of all, extremely expressive. This is Takanashi Hikari, the primary female protagonist and source of another 30% of the anime’s potential reaction images. She’s here to get help for a classmate. He tags along without question, asserting he “can judge a student’s health with one look at her face.”   Too bad that doesn’t apply. Hikari identifies her as a Dullahan, which Takahashi identifies as a demi-human whose head and body are naturally separate. Hikari already carried her head to the nurse’s office, but for her body, she needed somebody way bigger.  Takahashi immediately asks if he can touch her flame. Well, at least he ASKS, and when Hikari is kind of  , he decides not to. Respect her bodily autonomy, dude. Takahashi marvels that there are two demi-humans in school this year… … And in the most contrived incident in the anime, a THIRD demi-human rolls by at that exact moment: a yuki-onna who apparently overheated in gym class. The classmates carrying her stretcher roar straight by them to the nurse’s office, and Hikari’s like “oh, a snow woman too, neato”. When Takahashi asks her why she’s being so blasé about this, she responds…  … That she’s a vampire. Timeskip! Hikari comes out of the nurse’s office to tell Takahashi both the dullahan and yuki-onna have only minor health issues and will be okay. He confesses he’s surprised to meet so many demi-humans all at once.  Every piece of media about minority issues has to have this moment, the moment where any main characters who aren’t members of that minority make their starting position clear. Judging by Hikari’s reaction here (and notice how similar her facial expression is to Satou’s earlier in the episode), paean to increasing tolerance or not, she’s faced enough discrimination in the past to become familiar with the quiet, dismayed disappointment so many people feel when they discover someone they got along with is still prejudiced against them.  He quickly acts to counter that perception, making it clear he’s been interested in meeting demi-humans for years and is just kind of startled so many stumbled into his life like that.  She accepts this and expresses her relief in a suitably anime fashion. They go their separate ways, but before she leaves, she has one last thing to say.  “Demi-human”, while not actually offensive, is apparently out of date and unpopular with people her age; it’s too clinical and “not cute”.  Instead, they just use “demi”. And that’s where the “demi” in the title comes from. All right, we’re 10 minutes into the episode and we have six pages of text and 45 images already, so we should probably reel this one in for now. But now that we’ve hit a natural stopping point, let’s see what we’ve already run into in the first half of the first episode:
That was a lot more fun to do than I expected. I plan on continuing this review once in a while, when I have the time and energy, but I’d appreciate it if you had any input on length, picture size, picture density, whatever. Make the next round easier on me, that’s a lot of images to cut into a post.
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Jun 19, 2021 21:44
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Blaziken386 posted:you can't just entirely gloss over the OP Falconier111 posted:… And we get the opening. I’ll go over it at a strategic point a few episodes ahead, I’ll be going over the whole thing at the beginning of the episode where it changes, then covering the changes at the start of the next episode for contrast. C’mon, man, have more faith in me!
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Jun 19, 2021 23:01
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Alien Arcana posted:The word that is being rendered as "demi-human" is probably 亜人, ajin. Confirmed, they DO use ajin in the original Japanese. Blaziken386 posted:gomennasorry, im bad at reading and also paying attention Wouldn’t be the first gomennasorry you had to drop in one of my threads Quackles posted:Perhaps the reason people don't recognize this anime in the context of disability is that it's portrayed as a thing that just, like, the characters have and roll with, and not, like, a primary impediment to the characters' well-being? This is actually a really good point, one I hadn’t considered when doing my research. I’m planning on having a disability corner theme for the end summary of each route; this topic will probably show up in Lilly or Shizune’s.
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Jun 20, 2021 03:27
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Vote is closed! It looks like we’ll be going with a modified version of Limited. We’re still at least a couple weeks from this coming into play, though.
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Jun 21, 2021 04:01
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SSJ_naruto_2003 posted:Tbh it appeared that clear won the vote so it was probably mod oversight Yarp. There will be cuts, but they won't be overwhelming. What exactly that means has to wait until we get there. Update 18: Morning Run We start Act 2 with a brief animation.Katawa Shoujo OST 2x400m Relay  Emi prepares her prosthetics, first putting her on liners…  … Then her sockets…  …and connecting them to her feet.  She gets in the ready position…  … And then shoots towards a distant figure on the track. Hisao’s gamely trying his best…  … But Emi screams by him. No wonder she’s on the track team, motherfucker can MOVE.  Hisao huffs and puffs trying to catch up, until he falls out of view and the camera pans back…  … To reveal him gasping on the ground.   He looks up.  Emi’s there, hand outstretched.   She pulls him up and supports him…  … Looks at him…  … And smiles.   They walk off together. The lighting changes, from the greens and blues of summer to the golds and browns of autumn.  A hand swings fruitlessly at a hanging apple until it finally makes contact…  … To Emi’s delight.   Hisao, holding her up, grins too.  Begin Act 2. There’s definitely stuff to criticize this in this animation: there’s some questionable anatomy, Emi’s hair doesn’t match with her sprite, sometimes the animation is jerky or awkward. But on the whole, it’s pleasant to watch and accurately and compellingly portrays the personalities. I wanted to draw attention to one part, though. Normally I listen to whatever music tracks show up in a scene while working screenshots into updates to keep me focused, but I couldn’t do that here. The audio cues for each story beat were so obvious and vivid it kept throwing me off. The music and animation are VERY well integrated here. It holds the section together and makes it a worthy start to Act 2. Except for the taint shot. But, you know, that IS what a starting position legitimately looks like. (Silence, Alarm Clock Beeping)  My alarm's beeping shatters the early morning quiet, and I find myself wondering where to find the motivation to rise. Class is still quite far off, but I agreed to run with Emi in the mornings. Really, I'm not that interested in running as a hobby, or even as a possible life-lengthening exercise. However, I feel obligated to follow through on my promise to Emi yesterday, which is why I find myself throwing on some running shorts and a light tee-shirt. The cool morning air caresses my face as the morning sunshine causes the dew on the grass to sparkle, nearly blinding me at first. As I make my way down to the track, an ugly thought strikes me. What if this is some sort of joke that Emi's playing on me? Would that surprise me, really? Hell, I'd probably do it to the new guy, too. At the very least, I'm sure Emi and Rin made a bet on whether or not I'd actually show up. I feel a sense of trepidation as the track comes into view. Katawa Shoujo OST - Standing Tall (Emi's Theme)  EMI: "You're late!" It would seem that Emi is already there. What a relief. HISAO: "Not according to my watch. We both are early, in fact." EMI: "drat. You've got me there." Emi is sitting on the bleachers, decked out in her running gear, waiting somewhat patiently for me. HISAO: "I'm glad you're actually here. I was afraid that this was a joke or something." EMI: "Nah, I'd never make someone get up early for nothing.  EMI: “Plus, Rin owes me 500 yen now. She didn't think you'd actually show up." I knew it! Nice to know Emi was on my side, at least. Emi hops off of the bleachers and begins stretching out. She's remarkably lithe, almost like a dancer. I set out to stretch as well, but then realize that I don't exactly remember how to stretch properly. It's been ages since I stretched for anything, if you don't count my one stint at running last week. And even then, I don't think I actually stretched beforehand. The specter of my long hospital stay rises up again. I can't say I was all that active before the hospital stay, though, so maybe I'm just being morose. Emi giggles as she watches me stretch out. EMI: "No no no Hisao, you've got to hold it for longer than that!" HISAO: "I'm trying! It kinda hurts a little." EMI: "Ha! That's because you're out of shape. You've got to get some flexibility in you, like this." To demonstrate, Emi reaches down and puts her head through her legs. God bless you, Emi. HISAO: "I see. Is that the sort of thing I should strive for?" EMI: "Of course! Flexibility is important for any runner. You'll be able to go faster the more you stretch out." That makes no sense to me, but Emi seems to believe it's true. With Emi's help, I manage to stretch myself out properly. I can't help but notice that when she thinks about how to explain things to me, her mouth scrunches up in concentration. It's adorable. EMI: "Not bad, Hisao. Come on, we'd better start running. We'll start off with just a mile, okay? That's four laps around the track, got it?" HISAO: "That sounds fine to me." This shouldn't be too hard, right? A hazy memory of running a mile for gym class surfaces in my mind. Yeah, it wasn't that bad. Katawa Shoujo OST – Hokabi  Emi sets a pretty good pace, and I fall in behind her. EMI: "Try to keep up, okay Hisao?" HISAO: "Roger." We round the first curve without incident, though I can already feel my heart rate increasing slightly. By the second curve, I've started to breathe through my mouth. Emi doesn't even seem to be breaking a sweat. As if to punctuate her superiority, she turns around and starts running backwards. EMI: "Are you doing okay, Hisao?" HISAO: "Never... better." EMI: "Oh really? Maybe I should speed up then, hmm?" HISAO: "Oh... no, ...wouldn't want you... ...to... overex...ert yourself." My heavy panting and wheezing makes the statement less convincing than I had hoped. Emi simply smiles and turns around again. EMI: "You're the boss, Hisao. We'll stay at this pace." I get the feeling that I'm being mocked. If I weren't in such terrible shape, I'd probably feel offended. By the third lap, my breath is coming in ragged gasps. I'm also awash in my own sweat. Gross. We round the curve to start our fourth lap, and Emi looks back at me with a grin. EMI: "Here we go!" She takes off at blinding speed while I stubbornly stick to my slower pace. By the time I get to the first turn, she's already rounding the second. As I struggle across the back stretch, Emi continues running and catches up to me. EMI: "Come on, Hisao! You can do it!" I'd answer her, but I'm too focused on getting air into my lungs and ignoring the burning in my leg muscles. Part of me wants to say something like “Maybe you can, but I'm about to die here.” But again, I doubt I can actually form words right now. Emi keeps pace with me as I round the second turn and cross the finish line. (Silence) Her sprint seems to have gotten her sweating. It's actually caused her shirt to turn slightly translucent. It seems she wears a black sports bra. I feel a vague stab of guilt for being the sort of guy who stares at a girl's chest, but my legs and chest are burning so badly I can't bring myself to care that much.  EMI: "Not bad for a first effort, Hisao." HISAO: "Ki— ...kind of you... to say... so." Katawa Shoujo OST – Fripperies Emi seems to be, if not out of breath, at least breathing a little more heavily than she was before we started running. It must have been the sprint that did it. EMI: "Hey, I've got to get a few sprints in. You should walk around the track to cool down. Then we can stretch out, and we'll be all done, okay?" HISAO: "Sounds great." My legs are on fire, and my breathing is still heavy, but surprisingly my heart seems to be taking the strain well. Another triumph of medical science, I suppose. EMI: "You should put your hands behind your head. It makes it easier to catch your breath." Surprisingly, she's right. I begin to stroll around the track, happy to feel my breath coming back to me.  She goes blurring across the screen exactly once. It took me 15 tries to get this shot  There's a blur as Emi sprints by me. Watching her run is absolutely fascinating. It's not just because she's on prosthetics, though that is interesting.  The really interesting thing is the way her face changes. I can only catch glimpses of it as she runs by, but her eyes seem to come alive with a sort of fierce joy. It's as if there's nothing else in the world but her and the track. By the time I've gotten to the final stretch, Emi seems to have finished her sprinting. She's breathing heavily now, but she's wearing a satisfied grin on her face. She waves to me cheerily as I near her. EMI: "Feeling better, right?" HISAO: "Actually, yeah." EMI: "D'you want to take another lap around with me? I've got to cool down too, you know." Part of me would rather sit down, and not move, but something tells me that would be a bad idea. Besides, if I sit down, there may be no getting back up again. HISAO: "Sure, why not?" Emi's got her hands behind her head now as well, which makes her seem very relaxed. The positioning of her arms also pulls her shirt upwards ever-so-slightly so that I can see a small strip of her belly. I do my best to act the gentleman and not look, but the contrast of her skin against her red running shorts is rather arresting. EMI: "So how do you feel, Hisao?" HISAO: "Surprisingly good, actually. I'm sore and tired, but... surprisingly good." As soon as I say it, I realize that it's true. Sure, part of me wants to lay down and die, but I feel like I've accomplished something. It's almost like a glow throughout my body that persists despite the soreness. EMI: "Yeah, that's the runner's high." HISAO: "Runner's high?" EMI: "Yeah, it has something to do with... adrenaline?" Emi thinks for a moment as we walk, trying to remember. Then she shrugs and grins at me. EMI: "I don't actually remember. It's a good feeling though, isn't it?” (Sudden Silence)  EMI: “Better than sex, right?” I open my mouth to respond shortly before processing what she's just said. HISAO: "..." Emi watches my face for a few moments before bursting into laughter. Katawa Shoujo OST - Generic Happy Music EMI: "Sorry, sorry! I couldn't resist! You're just too easy!" HISAO: "Why did I agree to run with you again?" Emi just laughs harder. She takes a hold of my forearm and tilts it, allowing her to get a better view of my watch. Her face changes the moment she sees the time. EMI: "Oh no! We'd better get a move on, Hisao! Class is in an hour, and I need to shower!" HISAO: "I should probably do that as well..." EMI: "I need to see the nurse, too... maybe he'll write me a note for being late!" HISAO: "Why do you need to see the nurse?" Emi points to her prosthetics, as if that would explain everything.  EMI: "It's important to check for irritation. You know, from sweat or friction, or anything. Normally I only go after practice, but if we're going to be doing these morning runs then I guess I'll see him twice a day." Wait, so Emi has only started doing these runs since I showed up? HISAO: "If it's more convenient for you to run with me at a later time..." EMI: "Don't be silly! I've been meaning to start running in the morning for a while now. But if I didn't have a partner to run with, I'd be less likely to keep up a routine. It's always harder to blow off a commitment if you're going to let someone else down, you know? So you'll be my running partner for the mornings! We both need the exercise, so it all works out, don't you think?" HISAO: "Yeah, perfect." Did it have to be me, though? Well, I guess I can't complain too much. Emi's pretty fun to hang out with. And she's right. I do need the exercise. Doctor's orders, even. Emi waves a quick goodbye to me. EMI: "Right, I'm off! Come have lunch with us, okay?" HISAO: "What?" EMI: "Lunch! You know, the meal? In the middle of the day? Come have it with us!" HISAO: "Where?" EMI: "The rooftop. Rin likes it up there." HISAO: "When?" EMI: "Lunchtime, when else? That was a silly question." HISAO: "Yeah, but I sort of felt the need to ask all three for completeness' sake." Emi laughs and grins. I don't think I've ever seen a girl smile so much before. EMI: "Not bad, Hisao. See ya!" With that, she takes off like a shot for the school building. I guess she's going to see the nurse first. I hurry back to my room and hop in the shower, only to find that the water takes a while to heat up. The shock of the cold water nearly kills me. I manage to warm the water a bit and spend some quality time feeling my muscles loosen. My heart, surprisingly, feels the least bothered by the run. I suppose that's a good thing, even if it does make me feel like a bit of a wuss. I mean at least I'd have an excuse beyond “I am out of shape” if my heart were bothering me. Guess I'll have to keep this running thing up, otherwise I'm sure Emi won't let me hear the end of it. It's only after I get out and dry myself off that I realize that I've only ten minutes left to put my clothes on and get to class. Crap. (Silence) The hands on the clock finally set me free from the tedium of yet another fun-filled class. Getting up from my seat proves to be more of a problem than I anticipated. My legs are killing me from the morning's run. Maybe doing these with Emi isn't such a hot idea after all. Still, the run's given me a hell of an appetite. I'm halfway down the hallway to the cafeteria when I remember that I've got my lunch with me. My parents saw fit to provide me with some prepackaged stuff when I moved in, and a good thing too. The hallway is packed with students headed for the cafeteria. Going back is like swimming upstream - but I've got an appointment to keep on the rooftop. It takes me a moment to find the staircase leading up to the rooftop, but I'm willing to bet that Emi and Rin aren't up there by now anyway. In fact, I think I saw Emi among the bodies in the hallway headed for the cafeteria. I step out of the door to the roof and take a deep breath. The fresh air blowing against my face and body almost makes my legs hurt less. RIN: "Maybe if I'm upside down..." Katawa Shoujo OST - Parity (Rin's Theme)  Part of me wants to be surprised that Rin's already up here. HISAO: "What's that going to accomplish?" RIN: "Things in the clouds." HISAO: "Couldn't you just... look at them right-side up?" Rin rolls her eyes in something approaching exasperation. RIN: "Then I wouldn't get a new perspective." HISAO: "Is upside down really a new perspective?" Ah ha! That caught her off guard. Rin looks pensive. RIN: "You may have a point. Maybe sideways." Her sprite slides down out of the frame. As Rin lays down on the bench to look at the sky, I give up. Fortunately Emi chooses that moment to burst through the door carrying two bags. She nearly takes the door off the hinges. EMI: "Sorry it took me so long! There were a ton of people in line." She drops the first bag in front of Rin and takes a seat on the bench next to her. HISAO: "You buy Rin's lunch for her?" EMI: "Sometimes, yeah. I'd have Rin buy my lunch for me in return, but I'm not sure how she'd carry it." RIN: "Plus I'd never buy her lunch." If Rin's offended by Emi's comment, she doesn't show it. Emi sniffs. EMI: "How ungrateful of you." I'm not sure whether the two are joking with one another or if I'm witnessing the beginnings of a cat fight. The two girls stare at one another for a few tense moments before breaking into smiles. RIN: "Hey Emi, do you think being upside down is a new perspective on things?" Didn't I already have this conversation? Emi looks thoughtful, apparently giving the question some thought. After a deep and profound pause, she speaks. EMI: "I have no idea." Well, at least she's as lost as I am. (Silence)  EMI: "Hey Hisao, you're coming to the track meet, right?" The question comes out of the blue and catches me off guard. HISAO: "Um... I don't know yet?" EMI: "Honestly, Hisao, after I went through all the trouble of letting you run with me in the morning, you won't even show up at my track meet?" Wasn't she the one that asked me to run with her? Actually, she didn't even give me a choice in the matter. HISAO: "Wait, no, I didn't say that..." Katawa Shoujo OST – Ease She beams at me as if I'd just agreed to give her a million dollars. EMI: "So you will come after all! That's great!" I didn't say that either! RIN: "I'll be going too, so I'll make sure he comes, Emi." EMI: "Good idea, Rin! Maybe we can get some food or something after the meet's over?" I feel like I've just been conned, but not by these two. More like by some outside force, pushing me irrevocably toward my destiny. ...Or maybe I shouldn't read books that feature conspiracy theories so heavily. Otherwise I might wind up sounding like Kenji. Still, I suppose that I've got to show up now. I don't think that I could stand against both of them being disappointed. I'd never hear the end of it. HISAO: "When is it again?" EMI: "Next week, silly! I just told you a few days ago." HISAO: "No you didn't." EMI: "I forgot? Well, you won't forget to come though, will you?" HISAO: "Of course I won't! I'll even make a note on a calendar or something!" Rin nods sagely. RIN: "That's probably a good idea, you know. Unless time changes its course." EMI: "It can do that?" Rin gives a noncommittal shrug. RIN: "It hasn't yet, but you never know..." This time it's Emi who gives a shrug. EMI: "I suppose it can't be helped if it happens." RIN: "Not unless you're a time traveler or something." HISAO: "You don't actually think that could happen, do you?" EMI: "I don't think we do... do we?" Rin shrugs again. That seems to be her default response to everything. RIN: "I suppose not. But I reserve the right to change my opinion at a moment's notice." For Rin, this statement makes a disturbing amount of sense. The fact that I realize this now frightens me a bit. I wonder if Emi gets this feeling all the time. If she does she's not showing it, though. Emi merely nods. EMI: "As expected." RIN: "What's that supposed to mean?"  Literal  This time, it's Emi who shrugs. It's like she's using Rin's own weapons against her. EMI: "Your response is the sort of thing I'd expect from you, that's all." RIN: "Am I really that predictable?" Emi's smile seems to border on gloating. EMI: "Nah, it's just that your unpredictability is pretty predictable." RIN: "Well that's all right then." I don't get the chance to see whether Rin's being serious or not, as the bell rings. I didn't notice the lunch period slipping by at all. Hanging out with these two was far too interesting. Emi jumps up, a look of panic on her face. EMI: "Oh no! I needed to stop by my room to pick up my notebook for the next class!" RIN: "Don't you wish you had a time machine now?" Rin seems rather smug as she delivers this line; like she'd just won an argument. Emi ignores Rin's comment. EMI: "Sorry Hisao, but could you make sure our garbage gets thrown away? I usually clean up myself, but I've got to run!" HISAO: "Sure, no problem." Emi darts away with an urgency I'm starting to expect from her. I don't bother asking Rin why she couldn't help. She already seems to be preoccupied with something else entirely as she wanders off. She's probably used to Emi taking care of cleanup, and for some reason I doubt Emi's ever raised the issue with her. Cleaning up from lunch doesn't take long, so I have plenty of time to toss our garbage and get to class. Misha greets me with a wave and a devious grin as I walk through the door.  MISHA: "Didn't see you in the cafeteria, Hicchan." HISAO: "Yeah, I decided it was too crowded there." Misha's grin gets even wider. MISHA: "Oh really? Are you sure you weren't participating in an illicit ren—dez—vous?" HISAO: "W... what? What are you talking about?" MISHA: "You were on the roof, right? With both Rin and Emi, no less! You Casanova, you!" HISAO: "We... we just had lunch, that's all!" Misha bursts into laughter, drawing the attention of several of my classmates. MISHA: "Wahahaha! You're so adorable when you blush like that, Hicchan!" She gives me a conspiratorial wink. MISHA: "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." HISAO: "There's no secret!" MISHA: "Oh?" Misha seems disappointed and then brightens up again. MISHA: "Time will tell~!" I don't know what the hell she's talking about, but blessedly our teacher comes in, and the class starts. (Silence)  Another day of class has finally dragged itself to a close. Unexpectedly, I managed to stay awake for the whole day. I'm pretty sure that counts as a miracle. My legs seem unwilling to stand up for a moment. I guess the run took a lot out of me. I head down the hallway and make my way to my room. I sit down and half-heartedly chip away at my homework for a while, feeling like a vulture picking at a particularly unsavory carcass. It knows this is what it eats, but it's not sure that it shouldn't be ordering takeout instead. I don't think I can take this, but it's important to get my work done. HISAO: "Now let's see... what was I supposed to be looking over again?" I know it's a losing battle, but I fight it anyway. Halfway through my math homework, I put my pencil down. This isn't working. I need a distraction. Unfortunately, my options for distractions are rather slim. I'm not in the mood to read, right now. Kenji is, unusually, out of his room at the moment. If I go to the student council room, I'll just end up doing work for those two. And heaven only knows where everyone else is, except for... Well, I suppose that's an option. I grab my shoes and head for the track. Emi's probably down there. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 02:17 on Sep 2, 2021 |
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Jun 21, 2021 19:54
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The updates at the bottom of the last page, gently caress. I knew I miscounted the posts
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Interviews with Monster Girls, Episode 1: "Tetsuo Takahashi Wants an Interview" (Pt. 2)  We jump a little bit further ahead. Somebody is yelling at Hikari; apparently she left something at home and she’s trying to mooch it off someone else instead.   Takahashi is introduced to Himari, Hikari’s younger twin and responsible sibling. Unlike Hikari, she’s polite to Takahashi, collected, and kinda stiff, but she seems pretty used to putting up with Hikari’s nonsense. Himari stalks off after giving Hikari her book (“don’t draw in it”) while Hikari brags about how great her sister is.  Takahashi starts to ask her whether her sister is also a demi-human, stops halfway through the last word, and replaces it with demi. That’s how you handle it. We notice it if you use an outdated word, then replace it with something more appropriate. We don’t mind. Don’t worry about it, and just try to remember it in the future. She says Himari isn’t, and that’s the end of that conversation.  Takahashi takes advantage of the lull in the conversation to ask her for an interview, having his words and preparing for disappointment.  Hikari goes “yeah  ”… … And he does a genuine double take. All she wants is permission to hang out in the biology prep room whenever she wants, and he agrees before she darts off to class. Fun fact: while this is hardly universal, lots of disabled people are actually happy to tell you all about their disabilities as long as you ask respectfully about it and then listen to what they say.  Wipe cut to our friendly neighborhood dullahan.  Meet Machi Kyouko, one of our supporting protagonists and the character that cleaves closest to the standard image of disability as something that one struggles with. Unlike the other three demis we’ve met so far, her condition is immediately visible and her accommodations pop out; she has to rest her head on a pillow turn it with her hands to meet people’s eyes. The conversation seems to be going fine, with her and her classmates bonding over living near each other…  … But the moment her nature comes up (she can’t take the bus because losing her head on there could be dangerous), the conversation grinds to a halt.  The other two abruptly change topics and start talking cat videos. They don’t cut her out of the conversation entirely, which is something that happens, but she reads the message that they’d rather not think about it loud and clear. People… Just don’t like talking about other people’s disabilities. They don’t know how to handle it, they get caught up in what would or wouldn’t be rude to say and end up talking about something else, even if the person in question wants to talk about their disability. At least they don’t stop talking to her entirely, which is something I’ve also seen happen. But it could definitely go better.  Takahashi starts another infodump as the camera pans to the next classroom, where [name has yet to be revealed] is picking up her books. Apparently, most demis come about as a result of random mutations and their conditions are not hereditary, so the one twin being a demi and the other not is more common than the other way around. Not… Gonna open up that can of dynamite-encrusted worms now. Maybe later.  He says that, even though he knows this and plenty of other facts about demis, he doesn’t know anything about how they live, how they interact with others, or even what they value. When he talked about interviews earlier, he’s not joking; he’s out to gather subjective information, to find out how they live from them directly and treat that as important. This point of view is rare. Information gathering on disabled people almost always focuses on collecting statistics and performing trials instead of performing surveys or interviews, anything that involves directly asking us about our wants and needs. When I did accessibility research for this thread (I’m still open to suggestions, by the way), I found very little from a user’s perspective; just about everything asserted principles and talked about general facts instead of how individuals might interact with the technology that’s supposed to be there to help them. It’s immensely refreshing to see somebody take the road less traveled here.  It turns out that narration was basically Takahashi typing up an introduction to his paper while Hikari enjoys the cool air. Fun fact: many, if not most, Japanese schools don’t have air conditioning. The biology prep room, though, has to be shaded and kept cool so the samples they keep there won’t go off, so it’s a lot cooler than the rest of the school. Turns out that vampire weakness to sunlight? They are extremely heat sensitive and overheat easy, so Hikari’s just like  out of the sun. She mentions that she COULD try and get accommodations in class, but she doesn’t want to inconvenience the people around her, which is… Very understandable. The issue of when, where, and how to ask for them is one way too complicated for me to cover here in a paragraph, but I can’t blame her for going about something that doesn’t seem to debilitate her. After some banter, they get the interview proper started. Takahashi kicks it off with a series of questions about qualities traditionally assigned to vampires.  She likes the taste of garlic and thinks crosses are terribly unfashionable…  … Is pretty sure that a stake through the heart will kill her (Takahashi’s like “yeah me too”)…  … And explains the blood dependency thing as a nutrient imbalance. Apparently they get anemic really easily, which is connected to their low tolerance for heat, but as long as they put a little effort into eating carefully they’ll get along just fine. … At least, she THINKS that, until he points out that she keeps unfavorably comparing the taste and texture of those foods to blood. It turns out vampires get a blood pack ration from the government, and she’d legitimately never considered how big a role that blood plays in her feeling free to eat what she wants. After some back and forth, they conclude that vampires who go without the blood ration are roughly equivalent to vegetarians and both are awesome. He asks her about drinking blood next and she’s like “oh yeah ” Remember the yuki-onna? Hikari gets up in her personal space a lot; she likes how she runs a lot colder than most people.  We get an uncomfortably erotically-charged imagination sequence about Hikari biting her neck, complete with lighting, costumes, and violin music…  … And then smash cut back to her deadpanning “I do think about it  ”. She never acts on it, though, because she’s aware of how colossal a dick move doing that would be. At this point Takahashi kind of crosses the line. He points out the obvious erotic connotations of what she just described… To a teenager, who he then asks to break down her romantic preferences and how they relate to that impulse. Hikari gets flustered and confirms that it might have something to do with her sexuality, but doesn’t really commit; she just doesn’t know yet. As she says herself, she’s never fallen in love, so she can’t hope to compare the two.  After breaking the tension by having Hikari accuse Takahashi of being “ah, it’s so good to be young  ” and him go “yeah pretty much”, the anime lets them back off and cool down… … Just in time for the bell to ring.   But as she walks away, she turns back…  … Nips his neck…  … And laughs at his  reaction.… I’m honestly not sure what to make of this scene. It’s worth making clear, as you never really know with anime: we aren’t in that kind of territory here. This never goes anywhere creepy. But speaking as someone who’s established themselves as a stickler for interview ethics, this whole scene is kind of fraught. I don’t even know where to begin. At least Hikari seems more caught offguard then actually indignant or intimidated.  Back to Kyouko. She’s busily going  as her classmates walk by… … When Hikari busts in and asks if anything’s wrong.   Nice touch here; when Kyouko tries to lie about how she’s feeling, she looks at Hikari for a second, gasps, and grabs her head off her pillow and rapidly rotates it to simulate shaking her head.  Hikari blows it off.  She starts openly – and frankly – empathizing with Kyouko about how hard it must be to get her head around safely, to the shock of her classmates.  Kyouko is delighted.  Hikari introduces herself as a vampire and they commiserate about their respective difficulties.  Eventually, a classmate walks over to see what they’re talking so animatedly about…  … And the sound of conversation cuts out as the camera shows the three of them talking and laughing. I like how the anime has demis finding each other and forming friendships, because in my experience, we do find each other. Looking back at both my high school and college friends, it’s kind of startling just how many of them turned out to be disabled in some way, and that lines up with what I hear from other disabled folks, too. I mean, in this anime they have to come together enough to form a social unit in order to get the story to work, but that’s a comfortable echo of something real.  As the two finally pack up to leave (the other girl left, apparently), Kyouko and Hikari agree to college other by their first names, which is a much bigger deal in Japan. Kyouko asks Hikari why she never sees her during class breaks.    Sometime later, Takahashi gets a jump scare. It’s a headless Kyouko, bearing a note for him. He tries to awkwardly socially interact with her body before he realizes it’s pointless…  … While pointedly ignoring Hikari and Kyouko’s head hiding just behind the door frame.  The note is from Kyouko, thanking him at length for getting her body to the nurse’s office. She also says Hikari told her about the interviews and expresses an interest in swinging by to participate sometime. The two belatedly realized that, if he doesn’t know they’re there (he totally doesn’t guys, for real  ), he can’t respond to the letter…  Only for him to open Kyouko’s hand and put a short response in it. She flushes at the contact.  He leans around the doorway to let them know, and we learn that when Kyouko gets startled, her flame thing flares and lets out a very  supernatural groan. Her body beats a hasty retreat, and the two girls run away laughing while Takahashi reverts to the “ah, young people ” expression he had earlier. Response secured (it says “come by anytime”), the two result to celebrate by buying something on the way home…  … And the camera pans up, and ends the episode.  And that’s a wrap! So, conclusions? I’ve talked before about how uncommon it is to think of disabled people as a minority group with elements in common instead of a series of sad one-offs. From the perspective of someone involved in the disability rights movement, it’s abundantly clear that this anime is one giant metaphor for disabled life: disability as an identity, the importance of government assistance, accommodations, us finding each other, there’s so much there. So why is this interpretation so unusual? Quackles posted:Perhaps the reason people don't recognize this anime in the context of disability is that it's portrayed as a thing that just, like, the characters have and roll with, and not, like, a primary impediment to the characters' well-being? Yep. Looking back at the counterarguments on that reddit thread I mentioned earlier, many of them boil down to “these themes are not overt, and therefore they don’t apply”. The disability lens feels wrong to these people because the only frame of reference they have is disability as a life-defining affliction; the neutral approach we’ve been exploring this thread isn’t on their radar. It’s kind of disappointing that something so thoroughly rooted in that experience fails to make that experience clear to people interacting with it. … But then, Interviews with Monster Girls never claimed to be a work of activism. I can wish it wore its heart on its sleeve more, but it doesn’t have the history or thrust of KS, so I’m not inclined to judge it. It’s a sweet, watchable anime that just happens to line up with the purposes of this thread, which makes it useful lens to look at things through. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 04:33 on Jun 25, 2021 |
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Jun 22, 2021 16:59
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Tulip posted:Redditors, like many many many very online people, are allergic to reading a fiction in any manner other than the most literal possible read. It's extremely frustrating and no surprise they were unwilling to even countenance a read that is, horror of horrors, social allegory. First of all, I actually worded that really badly (I’ll fix it in post). I think it’s less that the training takes a distant approach and more accurate to say it thoroughly others the people it’s supposed to be supporting. It’s crystal clear that most of the courses and guides I have access to were written by people people who don’t need accessibility measures for people who don’t need accessibility measures. The third person is ubiquitous and the second person usually shows up when referring to you implementing something. Examples from the client side (which are rare) always show up in the second person; otherwise they deal with their target audience as a faceless mass or talk principles without even mentioning people. This style of casual othering is really common in corporate training around accessibility and disability. As for your point… We are ignored. The fact that there’s an entire disability rights movement with millions of members and allies across the globe never seems to register in broader society. I think the biggest part of this (when it comes to training and such) comes down to the scientific establishment, which right now strongly favors the medical interpretation of disability over the social one; some are coming around, but most experimental scientists operate on the same quietly ableist principles they always have. I can’t get TOO mad at the coursewriters because to some extent, their hands are tied: the vast majority of studies take ableist or exclusionary positions and that’s what they have to use. Tons of other factors, too (we’re assumed not to need a voice because we’re infantilizated, our specific needs get subsumed into general medical or legal concerns, certain organizations like Autism Speaks have a vested interest in controlling the narrative and act to do so), but that’s the big one here I think. Fakeedit: see everything Haifisch just said /\/\/\/\ EclecticTastes posted:Okay, so, this reminds me, and while it's more illness than disability, strictly speaking, it also has to do with invisible disorders, also sexism. Forgive me in advance for any overly brusque phrasing, but remembering this tends to get me a little heated. So, my mother came down with rheumatoid arthritis when I was in junior high, mostly due to stress at work. Now, it's a manageable illness when treated, but my mother went without proper treatment for something like two years, entirely due to her being a woman. Because when she first went in complaining of joint pain, of fatigue, etc., the doctors (male, of course), asked her questions like how often she socialized and how she was feeling, because, of course, she was an overweight single mother approaching middle age, so she must just be lonely and looking for attention from the handsome doctor man. Because of that, she was bounced around the medical system for months on end, dealing with pointless test after pointless test as her actual descriptions of symptoms were ignored by men who thought they knew better. My sister is short, slender, and not particularly hardy. She’s also freakishly resistant to most anesthetics. When she went in for (minor) surgery a few years back, she told this to her anesthesiologist. He told her a higher dose would be too dangerous, used too small a dose, and she woke up during surgery. Next time she came in, she got the same anesthesiologist. She told him point blank what he did wrong, and he ignored her, administered a similar dose of another anesthesic, and she woke up during surgery. She actually had bully the hospital until they let her switch to a female anesthesiologist who listened to her and gave her the correct dosage, the one the last doctor thought would be dangerous. She woke up just fine after a successful surgery. Violet_Sky posted:Source? I was diagnosed with NVLD as a kid and would like to see if I'm actually autistic. Also am I the only Neurodivergent person that thrived in post-secondary? As far as I can tell, NVLD is kind of a fuzzy diagnosis; some kids definitely share those symptoms, but they aren’t sure how to categorize it. The diagnostic criteria overlap with ASD a lot, so the diagnoses overlap Also, there are plenty of neurodivergent success stories. I work with several. They just happen to have less to complain about in the thread
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Jun 23, 2021 04:03
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Funktor posted:Just want to point out that this thread is an absolute treasure. Psycho Lawnmower posted:Glad to see the conversations and information come around, very important and one of the best parts of this LP. Remember to vote 5 But seriously, this thread is doing better than I imagined and I think it really is opening minds. That’s everything an activist could ask for  e: holy poo poo you did, the thread just went gold  Violet_Sky posted:I struggle with feeling like I have fake Autism and fake Depression. It's not my fault I appear happy/neurotypical passing most days. I know this is like telling somebody with anxiety to just relax, but imposter syndrome is a thing and not struggling as much as others legitimately are doesn’t un-autism you. Like… A lot of the stories in this thread break my loving heart and I desperately wish there was something I do to help them. But there isn’t, at least not without a time machine and/or taking away their privacy and agency, and we get enough of that as it is. All I can do is offer support and understanding for everyone here, whatever they’re dealing with, however intense it is. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 19:47 on Jun 23, 2021 |
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Jun 23, 2021 18:22
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Update 19: Second Day’s the Worst Katawa Shoujo OST – Afternoon Track practice is just ending as I arrive at the track. The sun's beginning to dip low in the sky. Has it really gotten that late already?  EMI: "What are you doing down here, Hisao? Come to spy on me, have you?" I give a shrug. To be honest, I'm not sure why I'm down here. HISAO: "I didn't have anything better to do." I figure that's about right. At the moment, Emi's the only person I can think of who I could visit. EMI: "So I'm your last resort, am I? Nobody cool around, so I'll just go see Emi, is that what you thought?" She actually looks angry. A chance for some teasing of my own presents itself. HISAO: "Actually, yeah, I guess you are." Emi pouts, widening her eyes to give the maximum amount of puppy-dog resemblance. HISAO: "Kidding! I was kidding!"  EMI: "So you are down here to stalk me!" Wait, what? HISAO: "That's not what I meant! Why would I stalk you anyway? It's not like you require stalking. If you're not asleep or in class, you're down here, right?" Emi laughs at this comment. EMI: "Well, you're not all wrong, I suppose - but you forgot about eating. I do that too, you know." I nod, conceding the point. EMI: "Plus I hang out with Rin sometimes too... so really I might take some effort to stalk." HISAO: "What do you two do together anyway? You don't seem to have a lot in common." She puts her hands on her hips and assumes a superior air. EMI: "That's what you think. I've got all sorts of hidden hobbies, you know." HISAO: "Oh really? Like what?" Emi puts her head to one side, as if she's trying to remember what it is she does in her free time. EMI: "Well, Rin and I go out shopping sometimes." I guess that makes sense. Emi's a girl, after all. But Rin? HISAO: "Rin comes with you?" EMI: "We usually swing by the art supply store. Plus she likes this music store that sells all kinds of weird sounding stuff. She says it helps focus her." That makes a little more sense. HISAO: "I see. Any other hidden hobbies?" Emi wags a finger at me. EMI: "Now now, why would I go and reveal all my dark secrets to you? We hardly know one another!" Somehow I think that's all that Emi has in the way of hobbies. Still, I don't think my question's been answered. HISAO: "Even if you do have a few hobbies, I still don't see why you hang out with Rin so much. I mean, she's kind of weird, isn't she?" This comment causes Emi to laugh loudly. EMI: "Ha! That's the understatement of the year!" HISAO: "So why? I mean, you're a lot better at conversation and stuff, so I figure you'd hang out with a lot of people, but I think I've only ever seen you with Rin." Emi seems unusually defensive. EMI: "Hey, I hang out with plenty of people that aren't Rin! You just don't see me doing it because I'm not in your classes." HISAO: "Okay, but that still doesn't explain why you hang out with Rin." I'm not even sure why I want to know this. I guess it is because lunch was so strange. Emi shrugs, looking for a moment very Rin-ish. (Silence)  EMI: "It's because we have similar outlooks." If you were to ask me the least likely answer to my question, that would be it. HISAO: "What do you mean?" EMI: “It’s like…” Katawa Shoujo OST - Standing Tall (Emi's Theme) EMI: “Okay, Rin paints and stuff, right?" HISAO: "Yes..." I'm not sure where this is going. EMI: "Well, I run." HISAO: "And?" EMI: "And... that's why we're similar." HISAO: "... You lost me." Emi frowns, as if trying to figure out her answer. EMI: "Well, maybe it's that we do things for the same reasons." HISAO: "Huh?" EMI: "You know, we follow our passions." HISAO: "So you're passionate about running and Rin's passionate about art, is that it?" EMI: "Well, sort of. Let me think... Well, Rin explained it to me once, but I don't know how much of it I followed." Not surprising. I think any explanation from Rin would probably confuse anyone.  EMI: "She says we both chase after an extreme. Like, she's always trying to find a new way to show a particular feeling or something. And I run because of the feeling I get from it. And since we don't allow ourselves to be slowed down by anything, we make a connection based on that." HISAO: "What do you mean “slowed down by anything?”" Emi looks surprised and points to her legs. EMI: "You know, because I'm a runner. And Rin's a painter even without arms. So we respect each other's determination. And that's why we hang out. I think." Well, I'm not sure that made any sense to me...but from Emi's sheepish expression, she's not sure about it either. EMI: "Honestly, it's not something I think about much. We just get along - I think that's really all that matters." I suppose she's got a point there. Another question strikes me, and since I've got nothing better to do, I ask it. HISAO: "So what got you so into running, anyway?" EMI: "Oh, I've been running since I was really little! My dad was a runner, and so as soon as I could walk, he started teaching me how to run.”  EMI: “It was our father/daughter thing, you know?” (Silence)  EMI: “Our own mutual hobby." A shadow crosses her face, and I'm shocked to see her looking... sad. Did something happen between them? EMI: "Man, I don't have a lot of time left. Sorry, but I've got to get a few more laps in before I go see the nurse!" She races off around the track, hair streaming in the wind. It seems to me she's going a lot faster than she was this morning. As she rounds the track, I catch a glimpse of her face. It's much the same as it was this morning, but her eyes seem to have taken on a harder edge. I guess she’s right.  I don't really know much about her. I watch her run for a little while, and then stand up to head back to my room. EMI: "Hey!" She spots me leaving and waves to catch my attention. EMI: "Don't forget! Same time tomorrow morning, got it?" HISAO: "Got it." I head back to my room. Homework beckons.  I can't sleep. My body's tired, but my mind is kept awake, staring at the ceiling in the hollow darkness of my room. I grasp desperately for a thread of thought, hoping that I can run my brain into the ground. All I can think of is how I can't think of anything. This is not productive at all. I wonder if this is a side effect of my medication, though it seems odd for it to take so long to show up. Then again, maybe I'm just not as used to my new surroundings as I'd like to think. I don't know, but for whatever reason, I'm awake and I shouldn't be. This is ridiculous. Ignoring my body's stiffness, I get out of bed and look at my clock. Four in the morning. Last time I checked it was only one, so maybe I slept a little. I don't know. I throw on some clothes and head out of my room. A walk might do me some good.  I'm surprised at how chill the air is compared to the relative warmth of the day. I can almost see my breath as I wander the campus, waiting for the sun to come up or for me to fall asleep. At this point, either option works for me. I find myself at the track - where for the first time, Emi's not out running. I suppose that makes sense; it's too early, even for her. The bleacher seats are cold, but at this point I welcome the sensation. The sun is starting to show its face over the horizon, and I know with an awful certainty that I'll get no more sleep tonight. The sun's steadily strengthening rays start to warm me up, and I watch the dew on the ground begin to steam slightly. My mind calms down, a little. Someone's shaking me. EMI: "Hey, wake up!" HISAO: "Huh? Where? Wha?" I guess I fell asleep after all. Katawa Shoujo OST - Raindrops and Puddles  EMI: "What are you doing out here? You're going to catch a cold or something!" I rub my eyes and am confronted by Emi, who bends over me with a worried expression. I'm still a little groggy, so my response comes out in a mumble. HISAO: "Couldn't sleep. Watched the sun come up." EMI: "Sounds like something Rin would say." I shrug, feeling the stiffness that comes with sleeping on a bench for a few hours. HISAO: "Is it? I wouldn't know." Emi grins a little at my (somewhat cranky) response. EMI: "So, couldn't sleep, eh? Obviously we need to run you harder today!" Even though I've only known her for about a week, this seems a very Emi-ish response to the problem. HISAO: "Hey, my body was plenty exhausted after yesterday! My mind was just racing, that's all." EMI: "I don't see the difference. If you run hard enough, your brain will get tired too." I'm seriously questioning the wisdom of doing this first thing in the morning. I don't know if my grades will be able to handle me tiring my brain out like that. Emi pulls me up from the bleachers with surprising strength for someone her size. EMI: "Now come on, Hisao! We've got work to do!" I don't actually know if I'm up to this today, to be honest. I mean I obviously didn't get much sleep... and what sleep I got was on the bleachers! HISAO: "I don't know...should I really be running?" Emi glares at me. Good heavens. EMI: "What are you talking about? Of course you should be running! How else do you expect to work out the kinks? You've been sleeping on the bleachers, for heaven's sake! The best way to get that soreness out is to run around a little. Now stop hiding in the bleachers and get down here!" There's no arguing that. I'm pretty sure she'd kill me if I didn't do as she said. I get to my feet and hop down to the track. The sun is warming things up rather nicely, I think. Emi and I begin to stretch out, and I find myself once again hard pressed not to stare. If this is how I have to wake up every day, I might be able to get used to this.  EMI: "You know Hisao, it's not polite to stare." HISAO: "I wasn't staring! I swear!" Emi raises an eyebrow and considers me for a minute, as if evaluating my response. There's a brief moment where I'm afraid for my life.  But then she smiles and laughs, shaking her head slowly. EMI: "Honestly, you didn't have to deny it so strenuously." In response, I clap my hands together and go for a change of subject. HISAO: "So! That's enough stretching, right?" Emi gives a casual shrug. EMI: "Do you feel stretched? That's really how you tell." Well, I do feel up to the run, if that's what she means. HISAO: "Yeah, I feel ready to go." (Silence) EMI: "Same as yesterday, okay? We'll just run for a mile at a steady pace. Don't worry about going really fast, just worry about keeping the pace, got it?" HISAO: "You're the boss." Katawa Shoujo OST – Hokabi Emi grins again, and we take off around the track. ... ... I think I'm going to die. We're not even done with the first lap, and my legs are on fire. My breath is coming in ragged gasps. I can feel sweat pouring down my brow, and we've only just now rounded the second turn. EMI: "Come on, Hisao! You've got three more laps to go!" I can't do this... I can't do this. I can't do this! I think I might hurl. Somehow we're on the second lap. Emi's not even sweating. How can she do this so effortlessly? For some reason I'm still moving. She's like a machine. Third lap. What happened to the second? EMI: "Almost there, Hisao!" Liar! We've got another two! Nothing to be done. HISAO: "I... ca... can't... do... this." Emi whirls around and begins running backwards. Her face is a mask of anger that surprises me.  EMI: "Never say that! If you say that, you'll have already lost. Keep moving! If you're alive, you can keep moving, dammit!" Whoa, language. We're on the fourth lap now. She really seems to want me to keep going. Legs move. Move. Move. They feel so sluggish. I'm in mud, or molasses, or tar. I can't go on. I'll go on. EMI: "Final stretch, Hisao! Give it all you've got!" I pump my legs as fast as they'll go. They keep refusing to obey my commands. Somehow, I keep moving. Somehow, I finish. EMI: "That's it, Hisao! I knew you had it in you!" The anger Emi showed a lap ago is gone, replaced with pride. She's positively radiant, like she just won the gold medal or something. I stagger to a stop and fall to my hands and knees, gasping for air. My heart is pounding far harder than it has in a long time. (Sudden Silence) I don't think it's done this since...  Oh God.  Please slow down, heart. Just slow down. Stop racing. I cough, and for some reason, feel a grin crossing my face. So this is how I die, huh? Trying to stay healthy? How ironic. I'm all ready to give up right there. But then, I feel my heart slow down. Two hands grab under my arms and tug upwards.  I look up and see Emi standing over me, with a mixture of delight and worry. EMI: "On your feet! Come on, you'll never catch your breath that way." Somehow, I manage to stand. I try to raise my arms above my head, but they feel like lead. I start to walk around the track while Emi keeps close to me, like she's afraid I'll fall over or something. She may not be far off. I feel terrible, and say so. Emi laughs. EMI: "But you finished, didn't you? You said you couldn't, but you did. Isn't that worth it?" I'm not sure, and I don't really have the breath to say so. But that small grin I felt on my face earlier hasn't left. So what if my heart's weak? I still survived this morning. Maybe I'll survive tomorrow, too. As soon as it becomes apparent that I'm not going to suddenly keel over, Emi takes off on her sprints. I don't know how the hell she can manage to sprint after running a mile, but I guess she's in much better shape than me. Once again, as I walk around the track, I can't help watching Emi sprint. It's weird, but she's like a different person when she's pushing herself. Last time I noticed her eyes, but this time it's her mouth that catches my attention. She's not wearing her normal grin. She's still smiling, but there's a tightness to it.  It's almost grim, like she's fighting a losing battle but doesn't care. She seems to be running harder, like she did yesterday. Sweat has started to pour down her face, but she keeps going. Her mouth finally opens as she can no longer get enough air through her nose. As she passes me once more, legs pumping, arms swinging in time, and her lips slightly parted... She looks beautiful. Katawa Shoujo OST - School Days After we've both taken some laps around the track to cool down, Emi changes back to her usual self. The transformation I saw in her is gone. EMI: "Not bad today, Hisao." There's almost admiration in her voice. HISAO: "What do you mean? I would have stopped if you hadn't yelled at me." Emi colors a little, seemingly embarrassed about her outburst.  EMI: "Sorry about that, I just... can't stand to see people give up. Especially about something like this. Saying “I can't go on” is silly when you're obviously going on while you're saying it. That's what this is all about." HISAO: "What, saying silly things?" Emi sticks her tongue out at me. EMI: "Idiot. I mean showing that you're alive." Showing I'm alive, huh? I didn't know it had to be so painful. But it does feel pretty good, despite that. EMI: "Besides, this is one of the hardest days." HISAO: "What do you mean?"  EMI: "Whenever you start a workout, it's difficult the first day, really hard the second day, and then the third day is easier. You'll still get days that are really hard, but they'll pop up less and less." HISAO: "So this will eventually get really easy, huh?" EMI: "Yeah, of course. But then you have to increase the difficulty, or you'll never get ahead. You'll just get complacent, and you'll lose the sense of accomplishment." HISAO: "So I'll have to run more than just four laps, huh?" EMI: "Yep! But not for a while - you'll have to be careful, you know." A thought strikes Emi, and her face lights up. EMI: "Got it!" HISAO: "Got what?" EMI: "You can come with me to see the nurse! That way you won't fall over dead or anything!" How charming. HISAO: "Um... when?" EMI: "Right now, of course! You'll need a shower and everything, right? We don't have much time, then!" Grabbing my hand, she's off, pulling me along with her. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 02:44 on Sep 2, 2021 |
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Jun 23, 2021 19:43
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Disability Corner: Social Construction of Disability Let me tell you a story a professional tutor once told me. When the US entered World War II, it suddenly found itself in need of an Air Force. It already had one, yeah, but it was just a branch of the Army, and the war effort demanded as many pilots in the air as possible as soon as possible. So, they ramped up production and training. And started killing their pilots outside of combat. Seriously, they died constantly; about a third of dead American airmen died in accidents, and this was an air force that flew planes so dangerous they called them flying coffins. The military spent the war trying to figure out stem the tide and never really pulled it off – except in one place. During a review of training equipment, somebody noticed somebody else had hosed up standardized flight gear at the planning stage. As a matter of policy, all pilots were issued the same flight suit. The same-sized flight suit. Tall, short, thin, the closest you could get to fat on military rations, didn’t matter, same flight suit. If it was too big on you, it would get in the way, slow down your reaction time, and you would crash. If it was too small on you, it would restrict your movement, slow down your reaction time, and you would crash. They were in such a hurry to get people in the air that they forgot most people aren’t, in fact, the archetypical paragon of American manliness they’d modeled the flight suit on. They built a model around an assumption without realizing it was just an assumption, and it killed people they needed dying somewhere else yesterday. The solution was simple: remove some unnecessary bulk, alter the flight suit to include adjustable straps to make up the difference, and that was it. And like that, pilot death rates dropped. Well, actually they kept climbing because that wasn’t their only problem and they were still ramping up recruitment, but the pilot death ratio fell significantly. All it took was an eye for letting people fit the situation to their own needs. But without that eye, without that reach towards accommodating all of their pilots, they would kept bleeding pilots for who knows how long. I have no idea if that anecdote is true. I haven’t been able to find any trace of it on Google, though that may be due to the American military suppressing something that makes it look that. But the logic that led to first flight suit, the idea that an assumed average will fit everyone, is very much a thing. One example? Temperature control. In the US at least, most people assume the natural temperature to set your house or workplace a is 73°F. Most Americans absorb the idea that that’s the ideal indoor temperature pretty early. I did. And sure, it is – for biological males. For biological females, though, that’s a little cold, just enough to be uncomfortable. But when they started implementing climate control in the 50s and 60s, their tests involved mostly men, and so that discrepancy never came up. Car crashes killing more women than men because crash dummies are modeled on male bodies, facial recognition systems ignoring black people because they trained them on white faces, the examples are endless; assumed averages frequently backfire, but that doesn’t stop people from using them. Naturally, this ends up hitting disabled people, too. Airports are famous for mistreating your luggage, that isn’t news. But did you know they wreck thousands of wheelchairs every year? Airlines are legally obligated to replace any wheelchairs they damage, but it can take weeks for you to get your wheelchair back, and that’s assuming they don’t ignore or reject your complaint and nothing else gets in the way. And that’s just the beginning of a wheelchair user’s woes; most old buildings can’t accommodate wheelchairs (especially if they have stairs), a lot of curbs can’t be mounted, certain pathways are downright unusable, the list goes on and I’m sure people in this thread can roll out endless examples. And beyond wheelchairs? Blind people can’t see the lights change on crosswalks. ADHD people are funneled into environments full of distractions and get punished for being distracted. Educational opportunities extended to abled folks as a matter of course are reframed as additional burdens when applied to disabled kids and get targeted for budget cuts. Getting life-saving medicine gets caught up in layers of bureaucracy without any way to expedite the process. All of this, all these issues and dangers, fall under a concept known as the social construction of disability: the way our society works shunts aside and hinders disabled people at a very basic level. Living with a disability can be hard; living with a disability when society punishes you for having it is much worse. At least, I think this is what the social construction of disability is. I have to admit, researching this topic is kind of a nightmare – not in the “despairing for the soul of humanity” sense, but in the “why do you have to write like this  ” sense. The Wikipedia article’s downright inscrutable, and reading this sort of thing is my job: "Social construction of disability, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia posted:The social construction of disability comes from a paradigm of ideas that suggest that society's beliefs about a particular community, group or population are grounded in the power structures inherent in a society at any given time. These are often steeped in historical representations of the issue and social expectations surrounding concepts such as disability, thereby enabling a social construct around what society deems disabled and healthy. Is it just me? I think it's not just me. This is the introduction. The rest is just as well-written and organized  . The blog posts I find touch on the subject before spinning off into some aspect, while the papers I find seem a lot more focused on collating examples than putting down a definition. Which, I suppose, is appropriate; the interplay of society and how it defines disability is hideously complex, so why should researching it be any easier?All I can say is that a society that can’t make those adjustments will have a nasty habit of brutalizing people to fall outside a projected norm out of convenience, and that if you choose to keep brutalizing them, you’re going to lose out on everything you could’ve gone back. That, and I’ve finally put a bullet in this godddamn topic that’s been haunting me for weeks E: the next few posts cover this really well \/ \/ \/ \/ DoubleE: We have an  post from LXP that explains the concept far better:LXP posted:Hi, I'm LXP. I'm middle-aged, asian, male(ish), and was largely from an affluent family. I was diagnosed with high-level autism at a young age, and my major problem is the inability to distinguish other peoples' emotions. Due to the affluence, my family was able to do things like "move me to different schools every grade level until 3rd so my classmates don't realize my weirdness", and "go to schools where there are enough workforce to take a few people out of class and do things like speech therapy and emotion control." So I can largely pass as "normal." As you might be able to tell, this is kinda a sticking point. This is also intersectionality in play. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 00:55 on Jul 5, 2021 |
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Jun 25, 2021 03:10
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Update 20: Track Meeting Katawa Shoujo OST - Ah Eh I Oh You   NURSE: "My goodness, but you're in a hurry today, aren't you, Emi?" I have no idea how we got to the nurse's office so fast, but here we are. The nurse grins at Emi and seems to completely ignore me. NURSE: "You've got plenty of time to take a shower and get to class, you know. There's no need to run through the hallways like that. I could hear you coming a mile away!" Somehow, it doesn't seem like he's actually scolding Emi at all. It's like this is a sort of routine between the two of them. Emi does a passable imitation of remorse. EMI: "I'm sorry! I won't ever do it again!"  The nurse and Emi both laugh at some private joke. Suddenly, it seems that he notices me. NURSE: "Ah, hello Hisao. What brings you here?" HISAO: "Well, I've been—" EMI: "Hisao's officially joined me on my morning runs." I start to explain, but Emi cuts me off. EMI: "I thought he might need to visit you so that he doesn't die or anything." The nurse raises his eyebrows in mock horror. NURSE: "Yes, that would certainly put me out of a job fast, wouldn't it? Well then Hisao, let's have a look at you. Lift up your shirt, would you?" I'm suddenly very conscious of the fact that Emi's in the room with me and blush in spite of myself. The nurse seems to sense my discomfort, but it only seems to amuse him. NURSE: "A bit shy, are we?" He makes an apologetic bow to Emi. NURSE: "Sorry Emi, I tried to get you a free show, but it doesn't seem to have worked." Emi stiffens slightly and fires a look of annoyance at him.  EMI: "You're an rear end in a top hat." Emi bows to me apologetically. EMI: "I'll wait outside, okay Hisao?" I begin to stammer that it's not really a big deal, she doesn't have to leave, but she's already out the door and the nurse is laughing as he watches her go. NURSE: "Still got it! Ha!" HISAO: "I don't follow." He laughs again, like he's in on some joke that's over my head. NURSE: "I can still get her flustered. It's a competition of sorts we've had going on for a while now." That sounds incredibly sinister to me, and it seems as if the nurse realizes that too. NURSE: "Er. That sounded a lot worse than it actually is, come to think of it." HISAO: "I wasn't going to say anything..." NURSE: "No no, you're right. I should fill you in so that you don't get the wrong idea. I'm actually relatively new here, you see. I got hired on the same year Emi started going here. Before that, I worked with Emi during her initial rehab following her accident." Hold on, what?  NURSE: "We had to amputate her legs after a really nasty car wreck. It nearly killed her, and succeeded—" He shuts up abruptly. I blink at receiving this unexpected piece of news. NURSE: "Well, that's not my place to say. Anyway, we've known each other for quite a while. So we have a slightly more familiar relationship than is strictly professional." He seems embarrassed, like he's done something stupid. I guess he's really worried about that. Hell yeah he should be. In America, that would be a grievous violation of doctor/patient confidentiality, so much so I bet Psycho Lawnmower’s probably reaching for a bat labeled “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996” as we speak. I wasn’t able to find out how Japanese law would handle this situation (I couldn’t wade through the  translated legalese), but in general Japanese medical privacy laws are even stricter: even patients rarely have access to their own medical records. So  E: turns out, not quite: Ghost Car posted:This is a little outdated - since 2003, doctors/hospitals have been required to disclose your medical information to you and provide you copies of your medical records upon request. However, many people aren't aware they have this right - in a survey of people who had received medical attention in 2014-2015, about 40% didn't know (source). Also, even if you are aware, the fact that they're required to provide you the information doesn't mean they can't make you jump through hoops to get it. Particularly controversially, the law explicitly allows doctors/hospitals to charge a fee to provide you with your medical records, and most do. (It states that the fee should be "reasonable" but doesn't specify what "reasonable" means.) According to a 2018 survey, at about 30% of hospitals this fee is more than 5,000 yen (about US$45) (source - unfortunately paywalled but I couldn't find one that wasn't). Of course, since I'm from the US, criticizing this feels a little like throwing stones from within a glass house - certainly I spent a lot less on medical-related expenses when I lived in Japan than I do now. But the fee is a barrier to access nonetheless. So he is still hosed, but significantly less than I thought I wave a hand to let him know it's not a big deal. HISAO: "Don't worry, sir. I promise I'm going to be discreet." I had been wondering about what caused Emi to lose her legs, and that was one of the scenarios I thought of. There were only so many ways that could have happened, but actually hearing about the facts... it's still a little shocking. NURSE: "Well, thanks. You're a good kid, Hisao. I can see why Emi became friends with you. She's quite indomitable, you know." HISAO: "What do you mean?" NURSE: "You didn't see her learning to walk. She'd go for so much longer than the others in the hospital. She refused to quit. Normally it takes years to get to a point where you can even think about running again. Emi did it all in about a year." He almost seems proud of her, like a father who watches his daughter win a competition or something. NURSE: "Hell, she'd probably have done it faster if not for the fact that we wouldn't let her." HISAO: "Wouldn't let her? Why not?" (Silence)  NURSE: "Because she'd go for so long that her legs would start bleeding where they met her prosthetics. It's a real concern - it's why she comes by every day after she runs. To say nothing of the risk of infection if her legs get cut up and her prosthetics are dirty.” Katawa Shoujo OST - Ah Eh I Oh You NURSE: “But enough about that. If we don't get you on your way soon, Emi will think we're up to something." As he says this, he gives a wink and begins checking my heartbeat. The stethoscope is way too cold. He really should have heated it up or something before he used it. After a few moments he leans back, satisfied. NURSE: "Well, you sound pretty good to me, Hisao. You didn't have any chest pains while you were running, did you?" HISAO: "No, not really. I had some trouble catching my breath, though - and my heart was racing by the end, too." The nurse frowns as I say this, but then shrugs. NURSE: "It's probably just because you're out of shape... but if you don't improve, then you should let me know, okay? Don't push yourself too much - and of course if you have any chest pains, come to me immediately, right?" I put my shirt back on, and the nurse leans out of the doorway to call in Emi. EMI: "What took you so long? Now I'm going to be late!" The nurse gives me a significant look. (Silence) NURSE: "I was just seducing Hisao, that's all." Sure aren’t covering yourself in glory here, bud. EMI: "What!? Come on, what have I told you about seducing my friends?" Katawa Shoujo OST - Katawa Shoujo OST - Generic Happy Music I'd expected Emi to be shocked by this, but instead she seems merely annoyed, scolding the nurse as if he were a child stealing cookies. Meanwhile, I try hard not to blush at the nurse's innuendo. NURSE: "I'll try not to do it again, though I fear young Hisao may be lost to the female gender forever!" (Sudden Silence) HISAO: "Not freaking likely." There’s a screen without text here where they both just stare at you. Katawa Shoujo OST - Katawa Shoujo OST - Generic Happy Music  I didn't mean to say that out loud, but both the nurse and Emi regard me for a moment before bursting into laughter again. EMI: "Told you he was funny, didn't I?" Huh. I guess Emi does talk to the nurse about a lot of stuff. NURSE: "Well Hisao, you should probably get moving. You still need a shower before class starts, don't you?" Crap! He's got a point, and it looks like I've only got a half hour! HISAO: "Thanks for your time. I'll see you later, Emi!" I dash out of the room as the nurse begins to remove Emi's prosthetics. As I head down the hallway, I can just barely hear his voice drifting after me. (Silence) NURSE: "Emi, you've got to be more careful..." I make it back to my room and shower in record time. It occurs to me that I've already been up for four hours, and class hasn't even started yet. This is going to be a really, really long day. I hope I don't fall asleep in class. Katawa Shoujo OST ~ Passing of Time  Katawa Shoujo OST - Stride The morning sunlight streaming through my window wakes me up instead of my alarm, and I realize that it must be Sunday. Emi has kindly deigned to give me weekends off from our morning runs. I don't actually know if I woke up at all yesterday, or if I just slept through the entire day. My legs groan in protest as I lever myself out of bed. All this running has really taken it out of me. Still, I can't deny that Emi wasn't lying to me. It has gotten a little easier. I'd been worried that the runs would start to wear on my nerves, but thus far I haven't minded them that much. Well, it's only been a week. I suppose there's plenty of time for me to start dreading the sound of my alarm in the morning. Not that I could ever skip out now. As Emi said, it's harder to stop a routine when there's another person. And frankly, I don't think I'm equipped to deal with a disappointed Emi. She'd probably give me those puppy-dog eyes and I'd feel terrible about myself. Which reminds me... wasn't I supposed to be somewhere today? Katawa Shoujo OST - Stride (muted)  EMI: "Hey, you're coming to my track meet on Sunday, right? What am I talking about, of course you are. Right?" Those puppy-dog eyes again. HISAO: "Of course I'm going! I owe you, right?" EMI: "Exactly! So don't forget, okay?" Katawa Shoujo OST - Stride Crap, Emi's track meet! I'd better get a move on if I don't want to miss her running, since she's the only reason I'm even considering going. Otherwise, it would defeat the whole purpose of going.  And so, I soon find myself quite suddenly surrounded by a crowd of people, all turning out to see our track team compete with another school like this one. Katawa Shoujo OST - Stride (muted) I'll admit it, it's almost comforting to know we're not the only school like this. After you see that there can be two schools with a bunch of...defective kids, well. ...You stop feeling so defective. You also stop feeling unique, which in most cases would be a bad thing, but in this case it sure as hell isn't. That's part of Yamaku's appeal, I guess. Learn that you're not unique - hell, learn there's a lot of others who would kill to be saddled with your problem instead of whatever they're dealing with. Some of the kids here aren't here because they're missing a leg or they have a heart condition. Some of them might be here because they're as good as dead in two, maybe three years if they're lucky. And that's only if they get the right sort of care. It's a bitter sort of comfort to be able to say “Well, at least I've got a chance of being alive through college,” but there it is. I'm brought out of my rather morbid musings by the appearance of Rin near the entrance to the bleachers. (Silence)  RIN: "You came." HISAO: "Of course. I said I would, didn't I?" RIN: "That doesn't necessarily imply that you had to follow through. Lots of people say things and don't mean them." HISAO: "Well, I don't." Katawa Shoujo OST - Air Guitar Rin shrugs. Seemingly bored with our conversation, she turns on her heel and heads back toward the stands. RIN: "I owe Emi money now." HISAO: "Why's that?" RIN: "I didn't think you'd show up. Emi did. So I owe her 500 yen." HISAO: "You two bet an awful lot, don't you?" Another shrug from my armless companion. RIN: "I don't think so." We enter the bleachers, and Rin nods upwards. RIN: "Up there. I came out to see if you'd come." For the bet, I presume. Rin leads the way, and soon we've settled down on an almost-empty bench.  There's an older woman sitting next to Rin - someone's mother, I assume. She's got rather long hair done up in a braid. On seeing Rin, she gives her an oddly familiar-seeming grin.  MEIKO: "Well, this is surprising.”  MEIKO: "I thought you went to get a snack, not a boy.” HISAO: "Huh?" RIN: "A snack? I wondered why I was down there." The woman laughs, again in a way that seems familiar. Where have I seen her before? MEIKO: "Well, I suppose you've always been one to go out for one thing and bring back another. But I'm being rude! I haven't introduced myself. I'm Meiko Ibarazaki, Emi's mother. Pleased to meet you." Well, that explains it. She's like a taller, older and better endowed Emi. Apart from her hair being a darker shade than Emi's, there's really no mistaking the resemblance. HISAO: "Sorry, I'm Hisao. Hisao Nakai. And really, you don't have to apologize for not introducing yourself, Mrs. Ibarazaki. That's really Rin's job in this situation, isn't it?" Another laugh from Emi's mother. MEIKO: "I take it you've not known Rin for that long, then. It's best not to expect her to remember something like that. She's got other things to think about, I assume." Rin nods, seeming pleased by this assessment. RIN: "She's right. I was thinking about sunsets." MEIKO: "You see? It's really up to us to make introductions and the like." For lack of any better response, I nod. Mrs. Ibarazaki leans back a little on her seat and raises an eyebrow. (Sudden Silence)  MEIKO: "So, how long have you and Rin been dating?" My response consists of silence as my brain suddenly lurches into gear. But just before I can begin to utter a hastily babbled explanation, Emi's mother bursts into laughter again. Katawa Shoujo OST - Air Guitar MEIKO: "Ha! You're a blusher, aren't you?" I don't know if there's any way to keep my dignity in this situation, so I settle for a mumbled response. HISAO: "Maybe." MEIKO: "So this must be a new romance then, mustn't it?" HISAO: "Wait, that's not the question that—" Another laugh. MEIKO: "I know, but it's funny to watch you squirm. I'm sorry. Forgive an old woman her amusements." Old woman? She sure doesn't look that old to me. Clearly Emi gets her youthful features from her mother. HISAO: "I suppose I can let it go." MEIKO: "How kind of you." RIN: "It's starting." (Silence)  I direct my attention to the track, where they're preparing for the first sprint. It looks like the 400 meter dash. My eyes scan the runners, before finding Emi. She's smiling, with an almost cocky look on her face.  The starter raises his pistol. (Gunshot Sound Effect, Emi Running)  Emi explodes off the block, disappearing from the starting line in a blur. It's amazing. Even as the other sprinters converge on the lanes closest to the inside line, Emi surges to the front of the pack. By the time she rounds the final turn, some of the other runners have caught up with her. Their efforts come to naught though, since a final burst of speed from Emi leaves them at least a half second behind. (Crowd Cheering)  Mrs. Ibarazaki whoops and shouts, applauding wildly, and generally looking like any other parent cheering on their child. Emi bounds off the track, looking pleased with herself. I cheer right along with the rest of them. The announcer (sounding suspiciously like Misha) gleefully gives the results. Katawa Shoujo OST - Daylight MEIKO: "I think she's gotten faster since the last time." HISAO: "That was incredible." Mrs. Ibarazaki grins proudly. MEIKO: "Emi's a heck of a runner." We fall silent as the next event is being prepared. I'm surprised to see Emi striding out onto the track again. HISAO: "Wait, didn't she just run?" Emi's mother nods. MEIKO: "Yes, but she runs multiple events for the team. Especially the sprints. It's a lot of running, but Emi can handle it." From the looks of things, she's right. Emi doesn't appear to be tired, as if she hadn't run the previous event at all. If not for the sweat visible on her shirt, you'd never know." HISAO: "Which event is this?" MEIKO: "It's the 200 meter dash. She'll do this one, the 100-meter, and the relay." HISAO: "I see." (Gunshot Sound Effect, Emi Running) Once again the pistol sounds, and once again Emi flies off the block. A thumping sound draws my attention away from the race. It's Rin's foot. She seems completely absorbed in the race. (Crowd Cheering) Emi's mother cheers again, and I assume that the race is over. Sprints don't seem to me like they'd take very long to complete. HISAO: "Your foot." RIN: "Hmm?" HISAO: "Your foot was bouncing on the bleachers." RIN: "Oh." HISAO: "You seem pretty into this stuff. I'm surprised." Rin looks at me quizzically. RIN: "Why wouldn't I be?" HISAO: "No reason, I just thought stuff like sports wouldn't interest you." RIN: "Hmm, I suppose you're right. It's not that interesting. But I'm watching Emi, not the sport." HISAO: "I don't follow."  RIN: "Emi's the most Emi when she runs. You don't get to see Emi at her Emiest very often. But here, you can. See?" She directs my attention toward the track again, where the 100-meter dash is about to start. I watch Emi closely. As she gets onto the starter blocks, her whole body seems to relax, but it's a false relaxation. I can see that she's actually like a coiled spring. (Silence)  As the starter tells everyone to get set, her head snaps up, and her eyes narrow slightly. Her mouth curls upward in what could be a grin and could be a growl. (Gunshot Sound Effect, Emi Running) When the pistol goes off, it's as if she's been unleashed from a cage, like she was always moving at this blinding speed, but we couldn't see it happening until the starter's pistol dispelled the illusion of motionlessness. It's all over in a few seconds, but in those few seconds I feel like I just witnessed something very personal for Emi. (Crowd Cheering) As soon as she crossed the finish line, the fierce look was replaced by her normal grin. The conquering general returning to his farm. HISAO: "Amazing. She's really amazing. I've never seen anyone move that fast." MEIKO: "Well, don't look at me, I'm far too relaxed to run that fast. No, I think Emi's prowess all came from her father's side." At the mention of Emi's father, Mrs. Ibarazaki looks wistful, almost sad. MEIKO: "He got her into running, you know." HISAO: "Yeah, she told me." I'm uncertain as to whether or not it would be rude of me to ask after Emi's father. But after that look on her face a few days ago, I feel compelled to ask. HISAO: "Where is her father now, if I might ask?" Emi's mother hesitates, clearly not willing to answer the question but at the same time not wishing to appear rude.  MEIKO: "He... isn't around any more." HISAO: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. Emi just seemed a little sad when she mentioned him earlier." MEIKO: "That's not surprising, considering." HISAO: "Hmm?" MEIKO: "They were very close." HISAO: "I see." A beeping noise suddenly emanates from Mrs. Ibarazaki's pocket. Reaching into it, she pulls out a cell phone and looks at it. MEIKO: "...Honestly, text messages? What is he, sixteen?" HISAO: "Hmm?" MEIKO: "Oh, nothing. I've got to go meet up with a friend of mine. Will you tell Emi I'm very proud of her and that I'll call her later tonight?" HISAO: "Of course." Katawa Shoujo OST - Afternoon I'll admit that I zone out for a while. I almost don't notice that the relay's about to begin. But when I look, I can't find Emi. HISAO: "I thought that Emi would be running the relay." RIN: "She runs anchor. So she won't be running for a while yet." HISAO: "Ah." RIN: "Did you see it?" HISAO: "Huh?" RIN: "Emi at her Emiest." HISAO: "Maybe." RIN: "Hmm. Maybe this time." (Gunshot Sound Effect, Emi Running) The race begins, and I cheer Emi's teammates along as they pass the baton. Finally, I see Emi sprinting onto the track to take the final handoff. Once again I'm taken aback by how graceful she looks when she runs. It really is beautiful. The look of determination and fearlessness on her face only adds to the picture. Emi at her Emiest, I suppose. (Crowd Cheering)  But then, as she crosses the finish line, I see her stumble slightly. It's only barely, but it's a definite stumble. Rin inhales sharply, and actually looks concerned for a second. RIN: "Aw, Emi..." HISAO: "Did she hurt herself, do you think?" RIN: "You noticed it too? It must be bad." Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 20:35 on Aug 24, 2021 |
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Jun 25, 2021 20:31
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Looks like I've got another bumper crop of posts to sort through. Quackles, Alien Arcana, Mikl, Dirk the Average, ChristBTY, EclecticTastes, Nidoking, Antistar01, and Notahippie, permission to add some of your posts to the OP. Haifisch, GrayGriffin, you already gave permission and I'll be including your posts unless you object, which you can do if you want. Ghost Car, LXP, your posts covered holes I left in the updates really well; do I have your permission to just edit-quote those posts directly in the updates? Either way, it'll take some time to get everything up, because, uh, it's a lot to summarize 
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Jun 27, 2021 21:59
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Quackles posted:You have my permission for everything I post in here unless I specifically say not to. gently caress, you found my weakness E: At first I kept asking for ethical reasons, but now I keep asking because there's no convenient way for me to keep track of everyone's blanket permissions. That phrase contains the magic words, though; they give you a clear out, making the agreement at least somewhat ethical, and take the burden of constantly asking off me. Just... Keep in mind that I might forget you granted permission and ask you later on down the line. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 02:54 on Jun 28, 2021 |
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Jun 28, 2021 02:41
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Update 21: Piracy on the High Seas (Silence)  She frowns, as if deciding on the next course of action. Eventually that proves to be too tiresome, and she shrugs again. RIN: "Well, let's go down. Gotta crown the victor. See if you can find a laurel branch." HISAO: "That's not going to be easy." Rin shrugs. RIN: "At least we tried." Well, we didn't really try all that hard. Or at all. But hey, whatever. (Crowd Chattering) Emi is surrounded by her teammates, all of them congratulating her on the run. Rin seems to be waiting for Emi to notice that she's arrived. Oh yeah, I guess she can't exactly wave Emi over. Then again, I'm not sure that Rin would do such a thing even if she had arms. It doesn't seem her style to draw attention to herself. Or to emote beyond shrugging. Either way, I'm not willing to wait, so I wave to Emi, who looks up and grins happily at me - er, us. Katawa Shoujo OST - Standing Tall (Emi’s Theme)  EMI: "Hey, you showed up! Guess Rin owes me money, huh?" RIN: "We would have brought you a crown of laurels, but Hisao didn't find one." HISAO: "Hey, neither did you." RIN: "It wasn't my job to look." HISAO: "When did we assign jobs?" RIN: "When I said “See if you can find a laurel branch.” Try to keep up." I shrug. Guess Rin's rubbing off on me. HISAO: "Seems it's my fault after all, Emi." Emi laughs at Rin and me. EMI: "It's okay, I'm sure you'll make it up to me somehow." HISAO: "Uh, sure." EMI: "Good! So, how'd I look?" I stop myself from blurting out “beautiful” or “amazing” and settle for the substantially safer “very impressive.” Emi seems pleased with this assessment. I don't mention how much more impressive her performance is given her lack of legs. I figure she knows that already. Besides, it seems like it would take away from her efforts, somehow. EMI: "Great to hear! I was worried that I looked a little slow on the relay, but I guess I did fine, huh?" HISAO: "Actually, I noticed—" The screen shakes Rin kicks me and keeps me from finishing my sentence. EMI: "What was that all about?" RIN: "He noticed it. At the end." EMI: "Hmm, that's no good. Guess the nurse will look at it for me later." There's a carelessness in her voice, as if it isn't a big deal, but I suddenly notice a slight twitch on her face.  Like she's trying to hide the fact that she's in pain. It's then that I notice her breathing is a little shallow, too. I guess she really is hurt. She must notice my concern, because she skips up to me and gives me a friendly pat on the shoulder. EMI: "Hey, you look a little worried! I'm fine, really! Just sore from all the running, is all. And come on, a little pain isn't going to stop me." HISAO: "Oh no?" Emi grins, and for a moment she looks like she did during her sprint, fierce and unconquerable. Or to put it another way, really beautiful. EMI: "Hasn't yet." HISAO: "Well then. I guess I shouldn't worry, huh?"  EMI: "drat right! I'm Emi Ibarazaki, fastest thing on no legs! I don't stop for anything!" HISAO: "Impressive." Emi giggles, and then seems to remember something. EMI: "Oh, before I forget... Rin and I are going to do something next Sunday as a post-track meet celebration! You should come along! Normally we do it the day after, but since the track meet was on a Sunday, I've got homework and class and all that stuff to take care of. Plus our morning run, of course." HISAO: "Right, of course. Oh, right. Your mom wanted to say she's proud of you. She'll call you later tonight." EMI: "I thought I saw her in the stands! I'm glad she made it! Used to be my dad who showed up to my meets, but Mom's done a pretty good job of taking over." Her sprite shakes. She shivers slightly, and I realize that she's still all sweaty. A breeze has started to blow, too. I'm not cold at all, and I've got my jacket with me, so without a word I throw it around her shoulders. Emi jumps slightly and then grins at me. EMI: "Hey, thanks! It's getting a little cold, I guess." HISAO: "Yeah, looked like it." Just as I begin to wonder whether or not giving Emi my jacket could be taken the wrong way, a boy in a track uniform approaches. TEAMMATE: "Hey, Emi! You're going to miss the medal ceremony!" EMI: "Oh yeah, thanks!" She turns to Rin and myself. EMI: "You don't have to stick around for this part. It takes forever. Besides, you should get cracking on your homework now if you don't want to be up late, Hisao. Morning run tomorrow! Don't forget!" HISAO: "How could I?" EMI: "Good point. I mean, it's spending time with me, after all." With this, she waves quickly and dashes off to receive her medals, or whatever they pass off as a medal these days. Rin and I head away from the track, Rin remaining deep in whatever thoughts she has for most of the walk back to her dorm. As I see her off, she speaks up. (Silence)  RIN: "You're probably not getting that coat back, I think." HISAO: "I'm sure I'll get it back eventually." RIN: "Interesting. Take it as it comes, huh? Very Emi-ish." With this odd statement, she turns and heads into the building. Honestly, was it that big a deal? Emi was cold and, unless I'm mistaken, in pain. Giving her a solution to at least one of those problems seems like an obvious reaction. Though I guess there is a chance I could lose my jacket if Emi never remembers to return it. I guess Rin has a point. Still, I can't bring myself to muster much worry over the whole thing. After all, it's been getting warmer lately. I don't need a jacket. Odd. I think I used to be a little more responsible with my stuff. “Emi-ish,” huh? Maybe that's not really a bad thing. Katawa Shoujo OST ~ Passing of Time  (Silence)  NURSE: "You haven't been forgetting to take your medicine, have you? I'm catching a little murmur. You should take it easy for a few days." Katawa Shoujo OST - Ah Eh I Oh You The nurse's words hurt me far more than the exhaustion of the morning run ever could. Take it easy for a few days? I knew I should have kept quiet. I keep my eyes on the floor, feeling like a complete idiot. Of course I hadn't been remembering to take my medicine. I've been rushing out of my room to get to the track before Emi. After the track meet a few days ago, I felt... inspired. So I've been running warm-up laps in the morning before Emi shows up. But then today while she and I were running, I felt a little pain in my chest. It was only slight, and it was only for a second, so I mentioned it to the nurse. HISAO: "Honestly, it wasn't that bad. I mean I kept running and finished just fine, so really it couldn't have been that bad..." Why do I feel like I'm making excuses to the nurse? Moreover, why do I feel a need to justify continuing to run despite the pain? Really, it comes down to my being unwilling to concern Emi, who seemed concerned anyway. I'm not sure how she was able to tell there was anything wrong, but she claims I stumbled a little. She's the one who insisted I tell the nurse, so now I feel bad for worrying her at all. The nurse is shaking his head ruefully while Emi paces outside the room. NURSE: "Hisao, I know it's difficult for you get into a new routine, but if you don't want to find yourself in a lot of trouble you're going to have to try harder. You can't afford to forget your pills, and you can't push yourself too hard." HISAO: "But if I don't push myself, how will I improve?" I don't know where that came from. The nurse seems to have an idea.  NURSE: "Now where have I heard that before?" He laughs and pats me on the shoulder. NURSE: "Ha! She's rubbing off on you, I guess." His expression changes again, and he's back in serious mode. NURSE: "Look, I'm not saying you shouldn't push yourself. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be taking your medication, and it doesn't mean you shouldn't stop if your chest starts to bother you. I'd prefer not to have any fatalities while I'm on staff here. A bit of a lofty goal, to be sure, but I'm always up for a challenge." I hate to admit it, but I think he's right. I've got to remember to take my medication. HISAO: "You're right. I'm sorry to worry you." NURSE: "Who's worried? You're a smart kid, right? I know you can be responsible, Hisao. A situation like yours, you've got to learn to be responsible fast." HISAO: "I know, I know." His expression suddenly becomes devious. NURSE: "I suppose you've started to enjoy your runs with Emi then, eh?" HISAO: "Yeah, they've really been helping me. I mean, until today I was feeling a lot more healthy. Plus it's really impressive to see Emi run. Did you see her at the track meet? She was incredible!" The nurse nods, grinning all the while. NURSE: "That she was, Hisao. I watched her first couple of races before I had some business to take care of, but she told me all about it. Kind of you to loan her your jacket, by the way." HISAO: "Huh? Oh yeah, it wasn't that big of a deal." I had honestly forgotten all about that. I still haven't gotten it back. The nurse gets a smile that makes me feel like he's just made a joke. NURSE: "Not to you, but Emi certainly appreciated it. And I know she appreciates your running with her in the mornings." This one catches me off guard a little. Sure, she mentioned that it's easier to keep to a schedule with an extra person, but I didn't think that I was doing her a favor at all. HISAO: "I thought she was doing me the favor of helping me follow the doctor's orders."  NURSE: "She tries harder when you're around. If there's someone else running with her, she's going to push herself more. And she tries even harder when you're around because, well, it's you." HISAO: "What the heck does that mean?" NURSE: "Oh ho, you'd love to know, wouldn't you?" He laughs in the style of evil megalomaniacs. NURSE: "No seriously, it's because you're her friend. If Rin ran with her, I'm sure she'd do the same. Well, probably. But that's not the point.”  NURSE: “The point is, you're helping her, even if you don't know you are. And she's grateful for that, even if she never says it." HISAO: "What do you mean “even if she never says it?”" NURSE: "Emi doesn't talk a lot, but she and I have known each other long enough that I can read her most of the time." I'll admit it. I have no idea what he's talking about. Emi always seems pretty talkative to me. HISAO: "I see." The nurse suddenly realizes that he's been rambling and stops talking, looking a little embarrassed. NURSE: "Anyway, you don't have to stop your morning exercise. Just walk the track instead of running for a few days. Let things calm down. And take your damned medicine!" (Sudden Silence)  I laugh as I exit the office, bumping straight into Emi. HISAO: "Whoops, sorry about that." EMI: "Are you okay? What did the nurse say? Do you need to go to a hospital? Omigosh, it was my fault, wasn't it? I've been pushing you too hard, haven't I? I'm a horrible person!" The words pour forth like a torrent. She's really agitated. I didn't expect her to be this concerned about me, to be honest. Gotta calm her down... but how the hell do I do that? I do the only thing I can think of. Katawa Shoujo OST - Lullaby of Open Eyes I give her a hug. Emi tenses up slightly, so I pat her head in what I hope is a reassuring manner." HISAO: "Hey, settle down! I'm fine, okay? No worries." I can feel Emi's body relax as I continue to assure her I'm fine. Her arms wrap around me, as if she's trying to confirm that I'm not about to fall over dead. I catch a whiff of her hair. It smells like sweat, or how adrenaline should smell. It's the scent of activity. And a hint of strawberries. From her shampoo, I suspect. HISAO: "I just need to remember to take my medicine, that's all. Don't worry about it. It's not your fault." EMI: "You're sure?" Her voice is muffled, mostly because at the moment her face is pressed into my chest. HISAO: "Yeah, I'm sure. I just need to take it a little easy for the next few days." It suddenly occurs to me how close the two of us are. It also occurs to me how nice being this close feels. I can feel Emi's heartbeat calming down, and I have to resist the urge to rest my chin on the top of her head. EMI: "Thank goodness. You really had me worried there, Hisao." (Sudden Silence)  NURSE: "Emi, you going to come in here any time soon? ...Oh, I'm sorry. Was I interrupting?" The two of us spring apart as if the other just caught on fire. Emi brushes her hair back nervously and laughs. Katawa Shoujo OST - Standing Tall (Emi’s Theme) EMI: "'Course not! I'll uh... see you later, okay? Oh, and Hisao?" HISAO: "Hmm?"  EMI: "Take your drat medicine!" This last phrase is punctuated by a punch to the shoulder. HISAO: "Yeah, yeah, I'll remember. See you later." The nurse smiles again like he's in on some joke I don't know about and waves to me as I head for my room, feeling a burning in my cheeks. (Silence) I need a shower. A cold one, if the thoughts running through my head now are any indication. She was really soft. My pills are waiting for me when I make it to my room. I swallow them without a second thought. I don't know why I didn't think of waiting until after the runs to take them. For some reason I figured it was when I woke up or not at all. But no, they only need to be taken every twenty-four hours. The exact time of day doesn't factor into it. My thoughts drift back to the hug in the hallway. It's weird, you'd expect someone to smell foul after a run, but for some reason, Emi smelled... right. That tinge of sweat just seemed to fit her. I really need that shower. Katawa Shoujo OST ~ Passing of Time  Strange that it feels so natural for me to go up to the roof these days. I never would have done such a thing at my old school. In those days I liked to eat alone... no, that's not quite true. Though I liked to sit alone, I also liked to watch people. I always figured that was the sort of person I was, but it appears I was wrong. Then again, I also thought I was the sort of person who had a normal heart, so there you have it. I don't know myself that well. Now I'm on the roof so that I can have lunch with a couple of people. And they are both girls, which is even stranger. Oddly enough, I feel closer to Emi and Rin than I felt to anyone at my old school. Somehow I get the feeling they'd at least visit me if I wound up in the hospital. I focus on the view from the roof, banishing such thoughts from my head. There's a light breeze blowing, and the sun is shining high in the sky. The sky itself is a deep blue, with hardly a cloud in it. It's gotten pleasantly warm, and as I sit down to wait for my friends, I close my eyes and enjoy the feeling of the sun seeping into my skin. Voices intrude upon the edge of hearing. EMI: "—seems to have fallen asleep on us, Rin." RIN: "Maybe he's faking, to lull us into a false sense of security." EMI: "Why would he do that?" RIN: "No idea." EMI: "Still, you make a good point. We should kick him or something to make sure he's really asleep." HISAO: "Huh? What?" Katawa Shoujo OST - Ease   Emi looms over me like only a short girl can, peering at me intently. EMI: "Oh, you're awake. I guess we don't have to kick you then." RIN: "Was it part of your master plan?" HISAO: "What are you talking about?" Emi shrugs, her twin tails bouncing with the motion. EMI: "I'm not sure either. You must be pretty tired to fall asleep out here. Although it's pretty comfortable, I suppose." She plops down next to me and begins to eat. Rin sits opposite from the two of us, a move which only makes me more aware of the girl sitting next to me. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear Rin did it on purpose. I concentrate on my food, trying to tune out the majority of the conversation that Rin and Emi are having. Despite my best efforts, however, I still find myself glancing over at Emi whenever she speaks. I notice how she purses her lips when she's thinking about something, squinting slightly as if that would improve her thinking ability.  Her sprite slides left to right. Rin says something that makes Emi laugh, and I notice, perhaps for the first time, how she laughs with her whole body, rocking back and forth, head thrown back, almost like she's about to fall over. I probably look like a creep. It's about this time that I realize Emi's looking at me. Her voice raised slightly, so she's probably just asked me a question." HISAO: "Huh? Sorry, I kinda zoned out for a moment there." Emi rolls her eyes, while a slight quirk of the eyebrow is the only sign that Rin's even paying attention. EMI: "I said, did you get a career survey in your class too? You know, one of those “What do you want to do after high school?” things?" HISAO: "I don't... think so. Maybe we'll get one tomorrow." EMI: "What are you going to put down?" That's a really good question. I guess I always figured I'd go to college after high school, but I've no idea what I'd do once I got there. And with the heart attack and all, I'd really been concentrating on each day as it came rather than making long-term plans. I suppose I can safely start planning ahead, again. I've always liked having at least a vague plan for my future, so it'll be nice to come up with one again. Of course, that doesn't change the fact that right now I've got absolutely... HISAO: "...No clue. I always kind of assumed I'd figure it out in college. That or just become a salaryman. That's pretty popular." But do I really want to? That's a tough question. I guess I don't really want to do anything. EMI: "You don't sound very excited about that one, do you?" She laughs as she says this, and I'm caught up in her laugh again. It's so... girlish. High and giggly, like a... well, pardon the cliché - like a babbling brook. It bubbles out of her, starting in her belly and working its way up her throat. I can't help but laugh myself - it's infectious. HISAO: "Yeah, I guess I'm pretty unhappy with the salaryman idea. But to be honest, I haven't given much thought to the future recently. I suppose that, these days, I've been more concerned with living one day at a time." Emi considers this for a moment and grins. EMI: "That's a pretty good idea, Hisao! I just wrote down, “Pirate.”" I'm momentarily stunned, then I start laughing. I stop myself and manage to gasp out a question. HISAO: "You're... you're not actually serious, are you?" Emi looks mock offended. EMI: "Well I've got the legs for it already, so I just kind of figured..." Even Rin seems amused by this.  EMI: "Just you wait, I'll be the terror of the high seas! I'll show you all! I've even been working on my pirate voice!" She suddenly springs up and begins swaggering up and down the rooftop shouting orders. EMI: "Yarr, me hearties, give 'em a broadside with the long guns! We'll wear their guts for garters!" RIN: "Do you even know what that means?" Rin's unexpected interruption stops Emi in her tracks. EMI: "Not really. But it's all in the delivery!" The ringing of the bell prevents her from demonstrating her point further. Emi dashes off immediately, leaving Rin and myself alone on the roof.  Rin stares at me intently for a few moments. HISAO: "Is there... something wrong?" Rin considers this question closely for a moment. After a lengthy pause, she shakes her head. RIN: "Nope." HISAO: "Oh, um... why the staring, then?" Rin shakes her head again. RIN: "Nope, I don't get it." HISAO: "Get what?" RIN: "The staring thing. You two seem to, but I don't." Great. She saw me staring. Now she probably thinks I'm a pervert or something. Actually, probably not. This is Rin we're talking about, after all. Still, I feel the need to defend myself. HISAO: "I wasn't staring, I was just tired." Rin actually snorts at this, but she doesn't say anything. HISAO: "No, really! I was just... distracted, is all." RIN: "Mmm." Eager to end this conversation, I head back down to class. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 20:37 on Aug 24, 2021 |
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Jun 28, 2021 19:19
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StrangeAeon posted:If I can actually sort out my thoughts on it, I might do an effort post to add to the Invisible Disability pile. I feel like we've had a lot of neurodivergent posters but not as many physical issues. 
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Jun 30, 2021 13:45
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Update 22: Famous Last Words (Silence)  I'm greeted by the twin specters of Shizune and Misha, looking like they mean business. Well, Shizune looks like she means business, anyway. Misha just looks like she's about to start laughing at any minute. Katawa Shoujo OST - The Student Council (Shizune’s Theme) MISHA: "Up on the roof again, Hicchan? You know that's dangerous, don't you~?"  SHIZUNE: "..." MISHA: "That's right~! The school cannot be held responsible for any injury that comes from being up there, you know! Furthermore, we could report you for breaking the rules~!" Misha leans in and whispers conspiratorially.  MISHA: “You three are too cute together~!” She straightens up again, laughing at my sudden blush. MISHA: "Wahahaha~! You're too easy to tease, Hicchan~!" HISAO: "Hey, come on. I'm still new here, sort of. Isn't it mean to pick on the newcomer like this?" MISHA: "Nope~! It's to help you get acclimated to your new surroundings!" HISAO: "Ah, I see. Well...do you have to be so overzealous about it?" MISHA: "Yep! Ah! That aside, Hicchan, we were looking for you this morning, but you weren't in your room!" HISAO: "Of course I wasn't. I was out for my morning exercise, or here in class, bright and early. Unlike you." Shizune looks peeved, and a beat later, so does Misha. Or she tries to, at any rate. MISHA: "That was because of student council business! You should be grateful that we work so hard for you~!" HISAO: "Oh, I am, I am. So what did you need me for?" Not another attempt to rope me in to do their dirty work, I hope. MISHA: "We had to give you something~ but since you weren't around, we dropped it off in your room!" HISAO: "Something? Like what?" MISHA: "Oh, you'll find out when you get back, Hicchan~! Wahahaha~!" Mutou entering the room ends our conversation, and we all head to our seats. It's only after I've settled down at my desk and the teacher's started talking about something or other that something odd strikes me. What did Rin mean, “You two seem to?” Was Emi staring at something too? For a brief moment, I consider the possibility that Emi was staring at me the way I was staring at her. Of course, that's ridiculous. Still, I can't deny that I wouldn't mind if it were true. …But it's best not to think of that. No need to get my hopes up. Come to think of it, when did I start having hopes like that anyway? I shake my head in an attempt to clear it, and focus on the lesson. After class, I make my way to my room. Mutou really piled on the homework today. Before I can open my door, however, I am suddenly intercepted by Kenji, who has just exploded out of his own room in a flurry of papers. KENJI: "Hey, we need to talk.” Welp. Katawa Shoujo OST - Out of the Loop  KENJI: “These rooftop shenanigans of yours, man. They've gotta stop." HISAO: "What?" KENJI: "Your running around on the rooftop with the limbless wonders! They're women, man! You'll get yourself killed running around like that!" HISAO: "I don't follow." Kenji sighs and adjusts his glasses, before what could be understood as an attempt at explaining himself patiently. KENJI: "Look, we're friends so I'm telling you this for your own good. But if I were going to kill someone, I'd do it by throwing them off the roof and making it look like an accident. And if I've thought of it, you can be sure they've thought of it too. They're crafty - almost as crafty as I am." HISAO: "I see." KENJI: "Good! I'm glad we had this chat. Loan me 500 yen." HISAO: "...I'm sorry?" KENJI: "I need to get a drink, man! I've been inside all day and the tap water's been compromised, as I'm sure you know. So I need to stock up on something canned, got it? But to do that, I need 500 yen. And since I've just saved your life with my timely advice, you can at least spare me 500 yen." You know, if it'll make him go away, 500 yen is a bargain. I hand the money over to Kenji, who nods in thanks and dashes off down the hallway, but not before he locks his door. What an exhausting person. I'd better go, in case he changes his mind. Still used as comic relief, still incredibly uncomfortable. But at least he isn’t as invasive a presence as he was earlier. He will keep showing up, but he will never get the spotlight he did in Act 1. (Silence) Hm? As I close the door, my heel taps against something lying on the floor. It's a brightly-colored rectangle of paper. Ah, this must be the “something” Misha mentioned before. Probably a student council leaflet she slid under the door. However, when I pick it up, I find that I couldn't have been more wrong. Someone actually wrote me an old-fashioned, hand-written paper letter. Who bothers doing something like that in this day and age, anyway? Yet, as unlikely as the prospect of receiving one sounds, this is definitely a letter I have in my hands. I was planning on finishing my homework, getting some dinner, and going to bed in order to be ready for tomorrow morning's run. However, the letter has naturally caught my interest. I sit at my desk to examine it properly. Katawa Shoujo OST - Caged Heart It's the first piece of mail I've received here at Yamaku, so it'd feel special even if it wasn't something as rare as a handwritten letter. What causes me even more trepidation is the name of the sender, written neatly on the back of the envelope.  “Iwanako.” I have no idea why she would write to me. I haven't been in contact with anyone from my old school since I transferred, and Iwanako is the last person I'd expect to want to write me a letter. The last time I saw Iwanako was terribly awkward; embarrassingly so. She came to my hospital room, peeled me an apple out of courtesy and then we practically sat in silence for half an hour. She said “goodbye” and didn't look me in the eye when she closed the door. It might've been a natural end to the series of visits that were probably pretty painful for both of us. Every time she visited me in the hospital I wanted to talk to her, but something stopped me every time. Every time that I didn't speak made the next time even harder. She looked so guilty that I didn't want to say anything that might upset her, and I never could figure out the right words to say. I think Iwanako blamed herself for my heart attack. That's ridiculous, of course, but knowing it and believing it are two very different things. I told her that it wasn't her fault, she nodded and I really think she understood that if it hadn't been that, then sooner or later something else would've made my heart give out. Yet she looked so hopelessly sad every time she opened that door and entered my room. So I never managed to say the things I wanted to say. In the end, that might've hurt her even more. Carefully, I open the envelope and draw out the folded letter from within.  Iwanako’s Letter posted:Dear Hisao,  Yeah, I think I have had quite enough of this. I crumple up the sheet of paper and toss it across the room. My aim is off, so the letter rolls under my nightstand instead of going into my wastebasket. That was an apology for abandoning me. Except I don't know that I really need it any more, at this point. The hospital seems like a lifetime ago, and here, now, I've got other things on my mind. Emi, for starters. It wasn't great to be abandoned during my stay, but it's not something I'm worried about any more. (Silence) In fact, I hadn't even thought about the hospital in what feels like forever until this letter came in. It's almost annoying to have received it. I've got exams to study for, myself. I have no time for the past. Now, about that homework... That’s pretty cold, Hisao. But then, I guess I can’t blame you for not wanting to remember the darkest time of your life so far. As you can probably guess, there’s a lot more to Iwanako’s letter; it shows up around this point in all five routes, and sometimes his reaction to it is very different. Katawa Shoujo OST ~ Passing of Time  HISAO: "So what's the plan for today anyway?" Katawa Shoujo OST - Daylight  I'm waiting patiently in the hallway of the girls' dormitory just outside of Emi and Rin's rooms. Emi is apparently helping Rin with getting dressed. I suppose that makes perfect sense, as I've no idea how Rin would get dressed otherwise. EMI: "Picnic!" HISAO: "Picnic?" EMI: "That's what I said!" HISAO: "Sounds pretty exciting." EMI: "I know, right?" Rin chooses this moment to make an observation. RIN: "The sky seems threatening today." Actually, I noticed that, too, on my way over. Despite the sunshine of the early morning, the afternoon seems to have taken a turn for the gloomy. There's a heaviness to the air as well that usually heralds a rainstorm. I wonder if I should have brought my umbrella... HISAO: "She's got a point. Emi, you sure that you still want to risk getting caught in the rain?" I don't even know why I bothered asking.  Emi pops out of Rin's room into the hallway looking shocked that I'd even suggest canceling our plans. EMI: "Of course! What, the threat of rain's supposed to stop me?" I can't help but grin at her belligerent response. It's almost like she's daring the rain to come. If Mother Nature were walking down the street, I think Emi would probably start a fight with her. Or at the least challenge her to a race. In fact, Emi seems almost aggressively cheerful today.  Rin wanders out into the hallway, looking her usual self. HISAO: "Well then, are we all ready to go?" EMI: "I'm ready!" Rin nods and says a single word. RIN: "Basket." HISAO: "Beg pardon?" RIN: "The basket. In Emi's room. You should carry it." Emi claps a hand to her mouth, embarrassed. EMI: "Omigosh! I almost forgot all about it! Nice save, Rin!" Emi darts into her room and emerges with what looks like a very well-stocked picnic basket. As she hands it over to me, I note that it feels heavy enough to be one, too. Good Lord, how much food did she pack? ...More to the point, where'd she get the money for all of this? HISAO: "So, are we set to head out?" EMI: "Yep!" Rin gives another nod, and we head out of the dormitory.  I can't help but frown when I notice how gray the sky's gotten in the ten minutes I was inside. Still, Emi does not seem concerned by such petty concerns as the color of the sky. She's positively skipping as we walk. Which reminds me... HISAO: "Where are we going?" This brings Emi up short and she shoots me an embarrassed look. EMI: "You know, I hadn't really thought of that. What do you think, Hisao?" Well, there's the spot where we ate during the festival, but it might be nice to leave the campus for a while. However, I'm not sure if there's any good places to do that in town. Just as I'm about to open my mouth, Rin unexpectedly interjects with a suggestion. RIN: "There's a park in town near the art shop." EMI: "Great idea, Rin! I totally forgot all about that place!" Crisis averted. HISAO: "Do you know how to get there, Rin?" Rin shrugs. RIN: "It's pretty likely." EMI: "Good enough for me!" I would prefer knowing for sure... but, what the hell. HISAO: "Lead on, Rin."  The three of us quickly make our way off campus and take the road down into town. This basket's a bit heavy. I hope that the park is close by.  We pass the art supply store, Rin slowing her pace slightly as we go by. Emi notices Rin's change of pace and stops. EMI: "You wanna go in, Rin?" Rin shrugs. RIN: "Nothing I need." EMI: "Are you suuure?" There's the slightest flutter of a smile on Rin's face, quickly replaced with her usual expression. RIN: "Life's uncertain, but on this at least I am pretty sure. Nice of you to offer." EMI: "Well it's not like I'm the one carrying the basket. But I'll bet Hisao wouldn't have minded anyway, right?" HISAO: "Oh, of course not. This is hardly a heavy load." I flex for emphasis. Emi stifles a snort of laughter by pointing to the park at which we've suddenly arrived.  EMI: "Oh, I remember this place! I ran into you here that one time, didn't I, Rin?" Rin's eyebrow raises slightly. RIN: "Maybe. I'm unwilling to say for certain one way or the other. Memory's a tricky thing, you know." Well I'll be. We made it in one piece after all. The sun's still nowhere to be seen, but neither Emi nor Rin seem to mind.  We find a spot to sit on the grass and I set the basket down gratefully. There's a surprising amount of food prepared. Maybe we were supposed to be joined by some of Emi's teammates or something? EMI: "I'm starving! Dig in!" She attacks the food as if she's had nothing to eat for years. (Sudden Silence, Lightning Flashes, Rain Sound Effect)  I love the art in this game I'm just reaching for the food myself when I feel the first drop of rain land on the back of my hand. HISAO: "Uh oh. Looks like the weather's not going to cooperate with us after all." Emi glares at the sky as if that alone will hold back the rain. I very nearly believe she can do it. It's one heck of a glare. EMI: "It had better cooperate. You hear me sky? You stop that raining right this instant!" The sky doesn't seem inclined to listen to her, despite the commanding tone she's taken with it. Instead, the rain seems to increase. Rin wrinkles her nose in distaste at this turn of events. RIN: "Regrettable." EMI: "What do you mean?" Rin shrugs. RIN: "I could paint this if I weren't out here. Shame to miss it, is all." She doesn't seem angry or annoyed about it, just a little disappointed. Emi laughs in response to Rin's comment. EMI: "Guess we should have stopped in that art supply store after all, huh?" The rain increases a little more, offended that we haven't fled yet. Despite the warm temperatures we've been enjoying, the rain is rather cold. I wish I'd brought my umbrella. HISAO: "Hey, we should probably head inside to keep dry." EMI: "We're already pretty wet, Hisao." HISAO: "Yeah, but we can dry off this way and maybe wait out the storm. You don't want to catch a cold or anything, do you?" Emi considers this for a moment. I can tell that part of her wants to stay out in the rain just to spite the weather. Unfortunately for her, the weather hardly cares about what we do. EMI: "I suppose you're right. Where could we go?" I don't have an answer for her. The area's still pretty new to me. Though I guess I'm slowly getting used to the school itself, the surrounding town remains a mystery. All I know is the art supply store, and that's only because we've just passed it. Fortunately, Emi soon snaps her fingers in triumph. EMI: "That's it! There's a tea shop nearby!”  EMI: "We could have some tea and dry out, no problem!" That doesn't sound like a bad idea. HISAO: "Great! You know where it is?" Emi nods, looking fairly confident. EMI: "Sure do! I think. But it'll be an adventure either way, right?" HISAO: "Adventure, huh? Well, I suppose we could use a little adventure." I think as long as we get out of the rain I'll be happy. The picnic basket is a little lighter now, at least. HISAO: "Lead on!" Rin and I follow Emi as she weaves through the streets with something approaching confidence. EMI: "Now, a left here...”  EMI: “There! The Shanghai!"  Emi beams triumphantly as she points to the tea shop. It seems fairly crowded inside; a symptom of the sudden rain, I'm sure. Katawa Shoujo OST - Red Velvet  (Rain Effect Stops, Chattering Crowd Sound Effect)  YUUKO: "Welcome! Can I—" I'm surprised to find out that our waitress is none other than Yuuko. She sure looks the part in her uniform. It's hard to believe this is the same librarian from our school. Does she work two jobs? I guess that must be it. YUUKO: "Oh, it's you." Yuuko seems to know Emi. Emi grins brightly, pleased to be remembered. EMI: "Hey Yuuko!" HISAO: "Hi, Yuuko. I didn't know you worked here too." YUUKO: "Do I know you? You seem awfully familiar, but I don't think I've ever seen you in here." HISAO: "Er, we met at your other job. At the Yamaku library. Remember?" Her eyes widen in memory. YUUKO: "Yeah, that's it! Nice to see you again... Oh no, this is bad! I should have remembered a customer's face! I'm sorry... I'm terribly sorry!" Yuuko goes from realization to panic in a split second, performing a series of high-speed bows. I narrowly avoid getting headbutted in the process. HISAO: "Whoa, hey, calm down! Listen, I wasn't a customer when we first met, in fact I hadn't ever been to the Shanghai, so it's all right." Not the best display of logic, but it seems to relax her a little. YUUKO: "Do you really think so?" HISAO: "Uh, yeah, I'm sure. Positive. Isn't that right, girls?" Emi has been watching this little drama unfold with considerable bemusement. EMI: "Yep, it sure is!" YUUKO: "Well, okay..." EMI: "So Yuuko, got room to seat us?" Yuuko nods and leads us to a corner booth, providing us with some small towels before taking our order. YUUKO: "What will you have?" EMI: "Cake! And some tea too, I guess." YUUKO: "What kind of cake?" EMI: "Surprise me!" Yuuko looks uncomfortable at the thought of surprising anyone, but she gives a nod and turns to Rin. YUUKO: "And for you?"  RIN: "I'll take a straw. My feet are all wet." YUUKO: "Sorry?" RIN: "The drinking kind of straw. One, please." Yuuko is obviously uncertain of what to think about this. She fiddles with her pen and stationery for a moment, looking like she's about to cry, before turning in my direction. YUUKO: "And you, sir?" HISAO: "Just tea, I think." Emi would probably yell at me if I ordered cake. EMI: "Aw, come on Hisao! Don't let me be the only one with food, I'll feel like a pig!" HISAO: "Just trying to eat healthy. Your orders, after all." EMI: "Well... today is your day off! You can be healthy tomorrow!" HISAO: "Well then, I suppose I will have some cake after all." Yuuko seems slightly irritated that I'm changing my mind. YUUKO: "What kind?" I glance at Emi and grin. HISAO: "Surprise me." Yuuko sighs and nods. YUUKO: "Very well. Your order will be out soon." Despite the crowd, our order does indeed arrive quickly. EMI: "Thanks, Yuuko!" Yuuko nods in appreciation. (Silence) YUUKO: "This is a different guy than usual, isn't it?" What? Different guy? Emi must notice my confusion, because she seems a little embarrassed.  EMI: "W-what? Oh, yeah, I guess he is. This is my friend Hisao." HISAO: "We've met." YUUKO: "Huh. Small world. Well, let me know if you need anything." With that, Yuuko takes off like a shot to wait on some other tables, leaving me to ponder her comment. Different guy, huh? I guess it makes sense, right? Emi's pretty popular, or so I've been told. It's probably that kid from the track team. This is stupid. I can just ask Emi. Katawa Shoujo OST - Katawa Shoujo OST - Generic Happy Music HISAO: "So who's this other guy, huh? You got a secret lover or something?" Emi laughs again, only I get the feeling it's from nervousness as much as anything else. EMI: "It's just the track team captain. He likes coming down here after practice sometimes. So if we have anything to discuss I tag along." Hmm, sounds mighty suspicious to me... HISAO: "Oh, I see." I could let the matter drop, but I can't resist at least getting another dig in. HISAO: "So it is a secret lover! I knew it!" Rin watches our play, seeming mildly amused before muttering something that I don't quite catch. RIN: "... y'anyway" EMI: "What?" HISAO: "Huh?" Rin jerks back from wherever her mind wandered off to. RIN: "Huh?" HISAO: "What did you just say?" RIN: "Huh." HISAO: "No, before that." RIN: "No idea." HISAO: "Oh. Well. Okay." I let the matter drop, but I can't help notice that Emi seems relieved that Rin interrupted the conversation. Maybe I went a little too far... Conversation dies down for a moment as Emi and I busy ourselves with cake. Mine is strawberry, and surprisingly good. Emi seems to think so too, as she suddenly reaches over with her fork and steals a bit. HISAO: "Thief!" EMI: "Pirate. There's a difference." HISAO: "We're not on water!" EMI: "Well, no. But there's a lot of water outside, so it still works, right? Besides, you can have some of mine. I think it's cranberry or something. I should have asked for the strawberry. I like strawberries." HISAO: "Feel free to help yourself to mine, if you really must." For some reason, I feel compelled to add: HISAO: "Seeing as how you've already done it once, and all." Emi sticks her tongue out at me, but that doesn't stop her from appropriating my cake. I try some of hers, as well. It's raspberry, and pretty good. RIN: "The rain's let up." It would appear that Rin is correct. Good timing, too. I've finished my food, and it looks like Emi has as well. HISAO: "Well, we'd better pay and get a move on before it starts raining again." It takes a few minutes to get Yuuko's attention, but we pay and get out pretty quickly. Like Iwanako’s letter, the Shanghai is a constant between all routes – but unlike the letter, it shows up frequently. Like, if we made different choices in Act 1, we could’ve visited it earlier and missed out on Yuuko going  here.  EMI: "So, do you want to return to the park?" My jaw nearly drops. HISAO: "Are you kidding? It's probably going to rain again!" (Silence) In fact, I think I just felt some raindrops. EMI: "Hmm... you may be right. Well okay, I'll let you off the hook this time, but you owe me a picnic now. Got it?" I don't know if she's addressing me, Rin, or the both of us. HISAO: "Fine, fine." EMI: "Now hurry up! I wanted to get some laps in at the track, and it would be nice to do it without the rain." HISAO: "I thought this was your day off!" EMI: "Well..." Emi suddenly seems reluctant to explain herself. EMI: "I need the practice. And I need to burn off that cake, anyway." Why do I get the feeling that she's leaving something out? HISAO: "Are you sure? It wasn't that much cake..." EMI: "No, it wasn't that much cake for you. I ate most of it." She's got a point there.  Still, I feel like I should at least offer to run with her... >Offer to run with Emi. >Keep quiet. This isn’t a real choice, I’ll be making it for you to forward the LP. It’s just a convenient stopping point for an overlong update. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 02:47 on Sep 2, 2021 |
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Jun 30, 2021 18:34
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Violet_Sky posted:He would have blamed the feminist jew cabal for the fence I finally broke down and started searching the transcripts other horrifying poo poo coming out of Kenji’s mouth. Far as I can tell, it’s only women he brings up: no Jews, no black people, no other conspiracy hot buttons I can think of. I know that’s cold comfort at best, but still, at least you probably won’t have to brace yourself for that.
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Jul 1, 2021 05:07
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Update 23: Tracking Absences (Silence) Still, I feel like I should at least offer to run with her... >Offer to run with Emi. >Keep quiet. Well, let’s think. We know Emi turns to running whenever her issues rear their heads; when her dad came up, she abruptly ended the conversation and went back to sprint a few laps. We also know that she tries to hide her pain when she can; we saw what happened at the track meet, and from what Rin said, it might be a pattern. I wouldn’t put money on it, but I’d say something about the conversation in the café really spooked her and now she’s off to literally run away from her problems. =>Offer to run with Emi. The least we can do it is try and be there for her, right? HISAO: "Hey, I'll run with you. I might as well, right?" Emi shakes her head emphatically. EMI: "No you won't, Hisao. Rest is critical for you, remember?”  EMI: “I won't allow you to push yourself too hard." I guess she's better at giving advice than taking it. HISAO: "Whatever you say, Emi." I think it's probably best not to press the issue. (Rain Effect) As we approach the girls' dormitory, it starts to rain again. Emi's expression sours slightly. EMI: "Aw, man... Stupid rain." HISAO: "Hey, it'll let up soon enough. You can go running then, right?" Emi snorts, seemingly amused.  EMI: "Like I'm not going to run in the rain." HISAO: "Well you shouldn't! You could catch a cold!" Emi waves her hand airily. EMI: "Ridiculous! I don't get colds. My immune system is far too strong for something like that." I can't help but laugh. HISAO: "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then, okay?" EMI: "Yeah! Thanks for coming! Oh, and for carrying the picnic basket! I'll bring it for lunch tomorrow. We can have our picnic on the roof!" HISAO: "Sounds good to me. See you then!" Emi grabs the basket from me and shoots through the door. Rin gives me a sort of half-nod and ambles inside as well. drat, it's wet out here. I need to get back to my room and into some dry clothes. (Silence) I'm soon in front of my door, but I am intercepted by the sudden appearance of Kenji, who appears to be carrying a stack of books. KENJI: "Hey man, give me a hand, would you?" HISAO: "Huh?" Katawa Shoujo OST - Out of the Loop  The books are unceremoniously dumped into my arms as Kenji fumbles with his room key. KENJI: "Thanks, you're a lifesaver. If you weren't around I'd have to keep my door unlocked, and that's just begging for trouble. The perfect opportunity to set up an ambush, or maybe just plant a bomb if they don't want to get their hands too dirty. Probably don't. Afraid they'll break a nail or something if they have to stab me. Women." ( )My mind thinks about digesting the verbal torrent that's just been unleashed, but elects to remain comfortably in the dark. HISAO: "Uh... huh." KENJI: "Anyway, where have you been, man? I could have used some help carrying these back from the library! I knocked on your door, but you weren't there." HISAO: "Oh, sorry." Not really. You appear to think I'm some kind of pack mule. HISAO: "I was out with Emi and Rin." Kenji staggers back in shock. It looks like I just shot his dog, if he had a dog. KENJI: "The limbless ladies again? What'd you do this time?" HISAO: "Well, we wound up at the Shanghai—" I'm prevented from continuing by a sudden exclamation of despair. KENJI: "The Shanghai? Why the Shanghai? No no no no, man, you can't just go to the drat Shanghai! It's the most dangerous place in the city! A veritable stronghold of their best agents! I know! I've met them! They'll stop at nothing to lull you into a false sense of security, and then BAM!" He hits his door for emphasis. KENJI: "Wallet's gone. Bus pass? Gone. Identity? Fuckin' gone, man! Promise me you won't go there again!" He seems so vehemently opposed to the idea of the Shanghai that I'm willing to lie a little in order to get to my room. HISAO: "Sure, I won't go there again." Or at least, I won't ever tell you I've gone there again. This seems to mollify my bespectacled companion. KENJI: "Good, good. Sorry to come on so strong, but I know the danger there too well to let you just wander into the lion's den again. You got out of there alive once, but twice is pushing it." HISAO: "Yeah, well I need to get changed and uh, do homework. So... I'll see you later." KENJI: "Huh? Oh, sure. Whatever." I suddenly remember that I'm still holding his books. HISAO: "You'd better take these." I catch a glimpse of one of titles, something about cryptography. What a weirdo. Kenji grabs his precious cargo from me and disappears through his doorway. (Muted Rain Sound Effect) I open my own door and walk in, grateful to get out of my soaking wet clothes. The rain outside picks up, and I find myself hoping that Emi's not out running in this weather. She seemed so adamant about doing the run alone, I can't help but wonder if her leg's still bothering her. I try to remember whether or not I've seen her limping at all today, but I can't. Guess I was too caught up in enjoying the day, even if it did rain on us. And as I think back over the events of today, I keep finding myself focusing on my running partner. Her complete refusal to allow the rain to spoil her plans was incredibly cute. But there was something else there, too. Sort of an unflappable attitude when it comes to enjoying the day as it comes. I really like that quality. Maybe I need to do a little of that myself. Katawa Shoujo OST ~ Passing of Time  (Silence) The sound of my alarm brings me out of a dream involving pirates and some other stuff I can't really remember. Katawa Shoujo OST - Stride I'm a little bleary-eyed, and it feels like it takes me longer than usual to get dressed and down to the track. A glance at my watch reveals that I was right, and I am in fact running a little late. The thing is...  There's no Emi. That's odd. She should be here. She definitely should be here. I mean, I was late. I guess I wasn't the only one who had trouble getting up this morning. The thought crosses my mind that it never quite stopped raining yesterday. Did she go running anyway? It seems likely. Emi's a lot of things, but cautious isn't one of them. She probably figured the rain wouldn't stop, and that's why she was so adamant about running alone. Still, I would have gladly run with her, even if it was in the rain. Heck, if anything I would have been able to convince her to come in once it got really bad. That would be why she didn't want me along, of course. Even so, I can't help wanting to know where she is. ...Well, nothing for it. I'd better stretch and run, and hope that Emi shows up with a grin and an excuse. On my cool down lap, I am forced to admit that Emi isn't showing up. Furthermore, I have no idea where she is. Anxiety gnaws at me while at the same time I wonder just why I'm so worried over her. The run helped to take my mind off it for a little while, but now that I'm finished I'm back to worrying. It was weird not having her here. Downright unnerving. It suddenly dawns on me that I've been running to hang out with Emi as much as I've been running to stay healthy - probably more to be with Emi, now that I think of it. It's one of those things that are completely obvious yet somehow, I never realized it. She really is someone I enjoy being with. As revelations go, it's hardly world-shaking. All the same, I find myself feeling slightly shocked. When did this happen? Well, no time to think about this - though I want to ponder this new development, I have a greater desire to find out what's happened to Emi. I'll ask the nurse when I stop in to see him. (Silence)  NURSE: "Well, you seem to be in good shape, Hisao." HISAO: "That's good to hear." I replace my shirt and stand to leave, as usual. Except instead of leaving, I ask a question. HISAO: "Hey, where's Emi? She didn't show up this morning. Is she okay?" While I try valiantly to conceal the anxiety in my voice, the nurse's expression suggests that I've failed miserably. NURSE: "You mean she didn't tell you? She's sick in bed." HISAO: "What? Sick?" The nurse shrugs. NURSE: "Yeah, she came to my office early this morning with a fever. To be honest I'm surprised she made it here. She was burning up when she arrived. I believe she'd planned to let you know, but she asked me to tell you - oh shoot!" Katawa Shoujo OST - Ah Eh I Oh You The nurse gives me a sheepish smile that seems at least partially sincere. NURSE: "I told her I'd stop by the track to let you know in case she forgot to. Sorry about that. But we don't need to tell Emi I forgot, right?" I return the nurse's smile with a devious one of my own. HISAO: "Oh, of course not. This is fine blackmail material. I'll save it for whenever I need a favor from you." The nurse laughs. NURSE: "Well, I guess I deserve that. But you know, I've got tons of blackmail on you that you're not even aware of. So don't push your luck, okay?" My expression earns another laugh from the nurse. NURSE: "I'm just kidding, Hisao. But seriously - don't tell Emi I forgot, okay?" HISAO: "Your secret is safe with me." NURSE: "Oh good. Now go on, get out of here." HISAO: "Wait, I've got one more question." NURSE: "Shoot." HISAO: "Is she going to be okay?" NURSE: "Oh yeah, definitely. Her fever was high, but it was already starting to go down by the time she came by my office. I'll probably check up on her again at lunch to be sure, but I expect she'll be up and about by the evening no matter what I tell her." HISAO: "Hmm, maybe I should visit her after class." It takes me a second to realize I've spoken aloud. The nurse raises an eyebrow and gives me a searching glance for a moment. NURSE: "Hmm... Well, it might not be a bad idea. You could let me know if she'd taken a turn for the worse, I guess. But no funny business, you got it? I know what meds you're on, after all.” I think that's a threat against my life, but I'm not sure. Either way, I assure the nurse that my intentions are chaste and exit the office. Interesting that the nurse sees me as some sort of potential suitor to Emi. Even more interesting is how pleased that makes me feel. I need a shower.  The lunch bell rings, and I find myself disinclined to make my way up to the roof. After all, I'm betting Rin knows where Emi is, and if that's the case then I doubt she'd bother going up there. More to the point, I doubt we'd have any sort of scintillating conversation if she did. Chances are she'd prefer to be alone up there anyway, so I don't accidentally ruin her train of thought or something. Unfortunately, I don't really feel like heading to the cafeteria either. Guess I'll go to the library instead. I need a new book to read anyway, having finished my other one yesterday before bed. Maybe I can find more by the same author. Katawa Shoujo OST - Fripperies I love libraries. They smell like dust and paper and ink. All these stories and facts and opinions crowded together in one place makes the air come alive with potential. I'm not sure how to navigate Yamaku's library yet, having mostly stuck to books I brought with me, so I search for the librarian to ask for help. ... Hmm. I suppose she's not arou—  YUUKO: "...can't believe it." Yuuko, looking rather distracted, suddenly emerges from one of the aisles. HISAO: "Er, excuse me." YUUKO: "Oh, can I help you?" HISAO: "Actually, I was looking for a book..." YUUKO: "So am I! “Advanced Cryptography.” We just got it in, and now it's gone missing. I really, really wanted to read that one!" HISAO: "Cryptography?" YUUKO: "Yeah, my... er, that is... This guy I knew. Know. Um. Not sure how to describe it..." HISAO: "Skip to the end." YUUKO: "He got me interested in cryptography only now the book's gone, and I think it's been stolen!" HISAO: "Sounds pretty terrible." YUUKO: "Yeah, especially because now I have to search the whole library for it! Even though it's probably not even here!" HISAO: "You seem... busy." YUUKO: "A little." She dashes off down another aisle, and I resign myself to finding my own drat book. Hmm, plenty of choices. (Silence) Oh come on, how did I get lost? These aren't even printed books! They're all in Braille. I guess that makes sense in a school like this, but honestly, it's a little annoying. LILLY: "I'm sorry, is someone there?" A lilting voice drifts out from behind one of the cubicles set up for research.  As I approach, I see that Lilly's been reading a book while I've been stomping about the aisles. HISAO: "Oh no, I should be apologizing. I didn't mean to make so much noise." LILLY: "My, is that you Hisao? I've not heard from you in quite some time. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten all about me." HISAO: "Er, sorry." Katawa Shoujo OST - Concord (Lilly's Theme) Lilly laughs in that refined manner of hers and shakes her head. LILLY: "I'm only teasing you, Hisao. From what I hear, you've been busy. Morning runs with Emi Ibarazaki and lunch on the rooftop, if I'm not mistaken." HISAO: "Heh, yeah. Guess word gets around pretty quickly." LILLY: "That and I can't coax poor Hanako on the roof any more. You three are always up there, claiming the spot for yourselves." She chides me gently, though it's pretty clear she's just teasing me again. Still, I feel an odd need to apologize. HISAO: "Sorry, we could eat lunch somewhere else if it's a real problem—" LILLY: "Oh no, I wouldn't worry about it. Hanako and I have other things to do at lunch, too. Such as read in the library, as you can see." HISAO: "Oh, Hanako's here too? I didn't see her." Lilly smiles, a bit enigmatically. LILLY: "Oh, she's around somewhere. But I'm surprised, Hisao. You're in here, instead of up there. What brings you to the library?" HISAO: "Well, Emi's ill, so there's no lunch on the rooftop to keep me occupied..." Lilly raises an eyebrow at my statement before giving another chuckle." LILLY: "My, poor Rin must feel left out." HISAO: "It's not like that!" LILLY: "Ah, but I'm sure it isn't.”  LILLY: "Emi tends to be the life of whatever group she's in. It's a shame to hear she's fallen ill. Will she be okay?" Somehow I get the feeling that Lilly's just inquiring out of politeness, but I respond anyway. HISAO: "The nurse thinks so. I'm going to swing by and see how she's doing after school myself." Another raised eyebrow. LILLY: "My, what a noble gentleman you are, Hisao." HISAO: "It's nothing, really. Just checking up on my friend, after all." LILLY: "Ah, so it's just friends, is it? How disappointing." I blush, glad that Lilly can't see it. But somehow she knows that I've been flustered by her comment anyway, and laughs. LILLY: "I'm sorry, Hisao. I'm teasing you again. Please do tell Emi that I hope she feels better, won't you?" A glance at my watch reveals that I'm very nearly out of time to find my book. HISAO: "Of course. Hey, I've got to find a book before lunch is over, so I'd better get moving. See you later." That was probably not the best phrase to use. Lilly, however, takes my gaffe in stride. LILLY: "Until we meet again, Hisao." (Silence) I never do find the book I was looking for, but I walk out with something else instead. My stomach growls slightly, letting me know that I should have had something for lunch. Oh well. I'll grab something before I visit Emi later. Katawa Shoujo OST - School Days It seems as if time has decided to slow down for the express purpose of annoying the hell out of me. Class feels like it drags on for ages. I suspect that my being consumed with worry probably has something to do with it. Blessedly the bell rings and I dash out of class, drawing a few raised eyebrows, I'm sure. I have spent the majority of the day fretting as unobtrusively as I could. Even though the nurse thinks that Emi is perfectly okay, I want to see for myself. It doesn't take long to get to the girls' dormitory and make my way to Emi's room. (Silence) Standing outside her door, I suddenly pause. What if she's resting? I'd hate to wake her up, especially if she's still feeling ill. Then again, if she sleeps all day then it could throw off her sleeping schedule. But rest is important if you're ill, isn't it? I can't decide what to do, so I settle for standing outside the door looking like an idiot. Then I hear Emi's voice from behind the door. EMI: "Thanks for your concern, but I really am okay." Is she talking to me? EMI: "I'll see you at practice tomorrow!" Guess not. Still, clearly she's not asleep, so I can knock without worry. So why this clenched feeling in my gut? I wasn't nervous about dropping by the other day, so why today? Granted, I still haven't really had time to figure out this newfound interest in Emi's well-being. I don't have a lot of experience in the matter, of course, but certainly this seems to go beyond feelings of mere friendship.  But could I take that step? Could I even bring myself to risk what I have right now? I mean it's enough to be friends with her, isn't it?" Either way, shouldn't I just open the door and see how she's doing? That's why I came here... right? What if she's not dressed yet? The image that flashes through my mind causes my heart to skip a beat, literally. I should probably not ever think those thoughts again. Not if I want to avoid a heart attack. I suddenly realize I'm still standing in the hallway looking like an idiot. Emi still seems to be in the middle of a conversation, but I knock anyway. Hopefully she won't mind the interruption. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 20:39 on Aug 24, 2021 |
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Jul 2, 2021 21:11
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Update 24: Dropping By EMI: "You worry too mu— Come in! The door's unlocked." So it is. I open the door and step in, which is about where my thought process comes to a grinding halt. Katawa Shoujo OST - Lullaby of Open Eyes  Emi is sitting up in bed, her hair tousled from a day spent asleep. I think this is the first time I've seen her without those familiar beads in her hair. Her gym shirt and bloomers, obviously hastily pulled on before I came in, are creased and folded from less than proper storage.  Her legs lay bare on the sheets. I've never seen Emi without prosthetics before. Yet here she is, slender legs terminating in stumps just below her knees. But as odd as the sight is, I find myself more captivated by everything north of the waist.  It seems that Emi had finished her conversation with whoever was on the phone with her, and is now watching my reaction closely out of her one open eye as she wipes sleep from the other. Her expression, far from being embarrassed, is rather one of a surprisingly wide yawn. One perhaps appropriate from such a small mouth. A grin that for a brief moment seems almost flirtatious tugs at the corner of her mouth as she takes the sight of me in. I can do nothing but remain in a state fluctuating between fear, confusion, and not a little bit of lust. Emi hastily sweeps her hair out of her eyes, fixing it back into place before addressing me.  Wait, did she just put the beads back in her hair? EMI: "You seem a bit caught off guard, Hisao." A wave of laughter erupts from her, and I find myself grinning and rubbing the back of my head ruefully. HISAO: "Sorry, I've just..." Never seen someone so disheveled look so attractive. Never seen you without your legs on. Never seen you look so... HISAO: "Um, sorry." Emi giggles again and moves to sit up a little straighter. I'm caught up in the movements of her shirt, very nearly losing myself. EMI: "I was wondering what your reaction would be. The nurse called and told me you were going to drop by, you see. And I know you haven't seen me... well, you know. Without legs." I respond in a tone of casual surprise. HISAO: "Oh, you don't have them on? I didn't notice." This is almost the truth. I very nearly didn't. I'm not trying to be suave or anything, mind you. Somehow I think Emi would get offended by that. (Sudden Silence) Instead, she sticks her tongue out at me and chucks a pillow at my head. EMI: "rear end." Katawa Shoujo OST - Hokabi I deftly catch the pillow and take careful aim before throwing. Emi laughs and rolls to one side, dodging my shot, the shifting of her shirt distracting me enough so that the next thrown pillow hits me right between the eyes. HISAO: "Oof!" I retaliate, of course. And once I've retaliated twice, well, a war was bound to break out sooner or later. And really, when Emi appears to have far better aim than me, well... It was just a matter of time before I'd have to resort to a suicidal charge. HISAO: "Gotcha!" EMI: "Eep!"   How the hell do I transcribe comic book-style sound effects? (Bam! Pow! Biff!) Yeah, sure, that’ll do. And once the charge was accomplished, well, of course I'd have to wrestle the pillows away from her. And with that kind of struggle, of course we'd wind up in this sort of position. Katawa Shoujo OST - Lullaby of Open Eyes And so I find myself staring down at her from my position atop her. She's grinning, eyes sparkling with amusement, maybe a little sweaty now from our tussle.  Her chest is heaving up and down, sucking in air. The small bit of my brain that is not currently enraptured by the sight and the smell of her observes that she must still be ill, because her stamina's not what it should be. We stay that way for a while. I'm not sure how long, because everything seems to go fuzzy. Everything that isn't her, anyway. Her eyes meet mine, and deep inside them I almost catch a glimpse of... what, fear? Longing? Hope? HISAO: "Emi...?" Katawa Shoujo OST - Standing Tall (Emi’s Theme)  A cough suddenly convulses her, and I'm almost stumbling in my haste to get off, to apologize for everything. HISAO: "Sorry, I shouldn't have..." EMI: "It's fine, it's fine." She gives me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. EMI: "So... what brings you here?" She's still breathing hard, and that causes her voice to shake slightly. HISAO: "Well, before I was so rudely assaulted by pillows, I came to see how you were doing."  (Wham!) This earns me another shove, and I very nearly fall off her bed. Emi's eyes sparkle again, and I wonder how I never noticed how attractive they are before. EMI: "Consumed with worry, were you?" Her tone is mocking, haughty. Teasing. She throws her arm across her forehead dramatically, grin still apparent from underneath." EMI: "Couldn't bear the thought of me laying deathly ill?" As we both recover from our brief wrestling match, Emi appears to fall back on teasing me. HISAO: "Well, I wouldn't say consumed with worry, but after you didn't show up this morning like a total wuss..." Emi pouts, crossing her arms petulantly and sticking her lower lip out. EMI: "It's not my fault. Nurse wouldn't allow it." HISAO: "Sure he wouldn't. I completely believe you." Emi sticks her tongue out again. EMI: "You're such a jerk, Hisao." HISAO: "So how was your day then, eh? Did you enjoy slacking off?" EMI: "Not really, the phone woke me up pretty early on." HISAO: "The phone?" EMI: "Yeah, the captain of the team called to make sure I was doing okay. Also to let me know it was okay to skip practice." Good, at least she wasn't alone all day. Someone checked up on her. Although I can't help but think that it should have been me. HISAO: "Oh, that's good. He really keeps an eye on you, huh?" Emi shrugs. EMI: "It's his job. Part of being the captain means you know where your team members are when they're not in school. Still, I guess it was nice of him to call, huh?" HISAO: "Yep. Sure was." Emi yawns and shimmies down into a more comfortable position. EMI: "So how was your day?" HISAO: "Kind of uneventful, you know? I went ahead and ran by myself, and talked with the nurse about how you were doing... (Silence)  I meander through the day's events, none of which are particularly engrossing. That's when I'm distracted by an arm finding its way across my waist. It seems that Emi fell asleep while I was talking so I draw her blanket to cover us.  She's rolled over on to her side, and now one leg is thrown over my legs, effectively trapping me. Katawa Shoujo OST - Comfort HISAO: "Hey." It seems a shame to wake her, but I have things to do. I gently shake her, but in response she only tightens her arm's grip on me and sighs a little. My resistance to this position crumbles rather quickly. The feeling of her body breathing steadily is both calming and incredibly stimulating at the same time. My breathing cannot decide if it wants to relax or speed up. Relaxation wins, and I find myself putting an arm around Emi. HISAO: "I think I'm in love." The words slip out and hang in the air unnoticed. At least I hope they've gone unnoticed.  Emi whimpers weakly through her dream, and her grip suddenly tightens again. For the first time since I've known her, I see tears running down Emi's face. It feels like my heart is about to break. I instinctively tighten my own grip and stroke her hair in what I hope is a soothing manner. Words of comfort, meaningless in this situation, spring to mind. Maybe I should wake her. Are you supposed to wake people having nightmares? I can't for the life of me remember. The decision is taken from me as Emi suddenly jerks awake with a cry.  EMI: "Dad!" This is... more than I think I want to hear without her knowing. I quickly sit upright and gently shake her shoulder to stir her. HISAO: "Hey, you okay?" What a silly question. EMI: "Huh? What? Hisao?" She shakes her head as if to clear it and quickly wipes her eyes. HISAO: "You had a nightmare. I think."  Emi shudders again and glances up at me a little cautiously, as if unsure whether or not she's actually up. EMI: "Y-yeah, I guess so." HISAO: "You wanna talk about it?" EMI: "Hmm?" A speedy internal debate seems to be going on in her head, which resolves itself with a shrug. EMI: "Nah, I don't really remember much of it." I'm pretty sure she's lying to me, but somehow I don't think I should press the issue. Emi shudders again and turns toward me, looking a little sheepish. EMI: "Sorry for falling asleep on you like that." I keep my voice as soothing as I can. HISAO: "Hey, don't worry about it. You've been ill." EMI: "Yeah, I guess that cold medicine's just made me a little drowsy." HISAO: "I guess so." Emi does not strike me as the sort of person who'd fall asleep at the drop of a hat. Rin, maybe. But Emi's far too energetic. Emi gives a half-smile at my response, and then just like that she's back to her old self. EMI: "Well, prepare yourself for tomorrow morning Hisao! We'll have to go twice as hard to make up for today!" HISAO: "But I went running this morning!" EMI: "No excuse!" HISAO: "Oh fine, I'll be ready for you!" Emi nods, satisfied. EMI: "Good." I take this as my cue to exit. HISAO: "Well, I'd better get going. Especially if I want to get enough sleep for tomorrow." I hop off the bed and head for the door. EMI: "Hey, Hisao..." HISAO: "Hmm?" I pivot neatly on my heel and face Emi.  She opens her mouth to say something, and then in another first, I see her falter slightly. She closes her mouth and opens it again.  EMI: "...Thanks. For dropping by, I mean. You're kind of the first visitor I've ever had who wasn't Rin." Now that's surprising. I would figure that Emi'd have people dropping by all the time. She's certainly popular enough, or so I thought. Always talking to people in the hallways. Emi hesitates again. EMI: "And thanks for staying around after I... well." A look of pain flits across her face. EMI: "You know. It helped." She brightens back up and waves cheerily at me. EMI: "See you tomorrow!" HISAO: "Yeah, see you later." I'm just about to exit the door when something makes me turn around again. HISAO: "Hey, Emi." EMI: "Hmm?" HISAO: "Anytime you need to talk, let me know, okay?" Emi seems taken aback by this offer. Her grin gets even wider. EMI: "Sure thing, Hisao. See you in the morning!"  I exit Emi's room with my head in a whirl. Should I have even left? Was she really okay? I want to turn around and march back down the hallway, open the door and tell her... Tell her I love her, tell her I think she's beautiful, tell her that I'll be there when she needs me. I want to stay with her, to hold her close as she falls back to sleep. How many nights has she woken up like that? Only to find that nobody's there. I want to be that person she can be with when that happens. It's a silly thought, I know. We don't know each other that well, do we? The whole idea, while exhilarating, also makes me feel worry. Worry, perhaps, that I'd overstep my bounds. And now to add to my troubles, it seems as if Emi herself already has an interest in someone else. This track captain of hers who seems so interested in her well-being. True, I've only seen the two of them together a few times, but that doesn't change the fact that they seem better suited to one another. There's really nothing to be done about that. I need to take my mind off of this whole situation. I've got homework to do. Maybe that will distract me. Katawa Shoujo OST ~ Passing of Time  A night of restlessness has left me feeling fairly groggy this morning. The events of the previous day keep intruding upon my mind. Katawa Shoujo OST - Moment of Decision Listen to that track. Do it. It’s important. The memory of how Emi felt against me. The memory of our wrestling match. And most bothersome, the memory of her nightmare. She was in so much pain. I can't stop wondering what it must be like for her to wake up with nobody there. The shower shocks me awake with hot water. Awake, but still worried. What will happen today? Will things just go back to normal? End of the episode, back to the status quo? There was a connection yesterday. Something that nearly pushed us past the boundaries of normal friendship. Would that have been so bad? My mind goes back to the look in Emi's eyes after our pillowfight. It almost seemed like she was daring me to go on. Almost. But I can't know for sure. Anyway, the track captain's probably first in her affections. But even as I say that, my mind is already snorting derisively. I'm just looking for an excuse. A reason for everything to go wrong. A reason to not try. It's not as if I've even seen the two of them together outside of track practice. And clearly he's never visited. Emi said as much herself. If they were close, surely he'd visit. I'm such a wuss. I ought to just go for it anyway, drat the consequences. That's what Emi would do, I think. Hell, I know that's what she'd do. Which is partially why I'm convinced there's no interest on her end. She hasn't acted either. Maybe because of this track captain. It's possible she's got a bit of an unrequited crush thing going on. But who would be able to clarify their relationship? It sure as hell can't be Emi. She'd probably just laugh and ask why I wanted to know... and I'm not ready to answer that yet. Rin... Rin would probably just give me some cryptic answer or something. And then with my luck, she'd just ask Emi, who would ask me why I wanted to know, and I've already covered that problem. I wonder... Could I get away with asking the nurse? He seems pretty protective of Emi. I'm sure he'd know if something was up... And he owes me for not letting Emi know he forgot to tell me about her being ill, so he'll keep quiet. What if he asks me why I want to know, though? I can shake him off. Just say I'm curious as a friend. He'll buy that, won't he? Of course! That's settled, then. After the run, I'll talk to him while Emi's waiting outside the office. There's no sign of Emi when I arrive at the track. Is she still too ill? I decide to give her ten minutes. I'm a little early, and she was ill yesterday, so if she takes a while to show up it shouldn't be surprising. Still, I'd hate to just waste my time, so I occupy myself by stretching and pacing back and forth anxiously. What if I went too far yesterday? What if she doesn't come because she's embarrassed? What if... (Sudden Silence)  EMI: "You're early again, Hisao! I'm impressed!" Just like that, I feel some of the tension leaving my body. Emi seems to be bright and cheerful as usual, with no sign that she even was ill the other day, much less had a less-than-restful sleep. Still, I have to ask. Katawa Shoujo OST - Lullaby of Open Eyes HISAO: "Sleep well last night?" It's just a throwaway question. Small talk. The sort of thing people ask someone they bump into in the cafe while getting their morning coffee. But not for us. At least, not for me. I don't know if Emi realizes that I'm actually concerned about how well she slept last night, but the question does give her pause.  After a short moment of what seems like her genuinely pondering this, she nods." EMI: "Yep! Sure did!" Was it because of me? Did I actually help? Or are you just saying that to get me to stop asking questions? HISAO: "Good to hear." Emi grins and begins warming up. EMI: "So, ready to begin?" HISAO: "Pfft, am I ready? Of course I'm ready! I was born ready!" Emi laughs at my bravado, and we take off running. I keep a steady pace the whole time, breathing steadily. I still feel dead at the end, but at least I don't gasp like a fish out of water now. Emi is positively beaming after the run today. EMI: "Nice job, Hisao! You're improving! You'll be half as fast as me in no time!" This last line is delivered with a teasing grin that I've grown all too used to. HISAO: "Oh, how exciting." Emi begins to run her sprints while I take a cool-down lap. She's really pushing herself today. By the time I'm done with my lap, she's laying across one of the bleachers, looking exhausted. HISAO: "Goodness, not pushing it a little too much today, are you? You did just have a cold, you'll recall." Emi gives an annoyed snort and sits up. EMI: "Bah! I'm just trying to make up for lost time, that's all. I went twice as hard today, you know. A good run always gets the kinks out, you know.”  EMI: "Clears the mind, too." HISAO: "Oh?" Emi nods vigorously. EMI: "Yep! It's a great outlet for that sort of thing." She does not explain further, and I don't ask. I suspect I know the real reason she went so hard today. Being sick had nothing to do with it. Something's bothering her. Maybe the nightmare. Maybe something else. But it's not my place to pry. She'd tell me if she wanted me to know. HISAO: "I'm sure that comes in handy." EMI: "You have no idea." The sincerity in her voice confirms my suspicion. The only problem is... Even though I know she'd tell me if she wanted me to know, I still want to know. HISAO: "Something on your mind, then?" Emi doesn't seem surprised by my question. Instead, she shrugs. EMI: "Nah, it's nothing worth getting worried about." She seems as if she's trying to convince herself as much as she's convincing me. I open my mouth to ask if yesterday is responsible for her current state of mind, but think better of it. Too much risk of her taking the question the wrong way. Besides, I'm not even sure myself what to think about yesterday. Really I can only get about as far as how it felt to have Emi sleeping next to me before my brain shuts down. Having her before me now, covered in sweat and looking wryly at me, she's making it difficult to think. HISAO: "Yeah, I hear you." EMI: "We'd better hurry to see the nurse. We're running short on time." HISAO: "Aren't we always?" Emi laughs at this, a dry chuckle that seems most un-Emi-like. EMI: "Too true."  For a brief moment, she looks old, worn down by some old hurt. But just like yesterday I can almost see her shouldering the burden and straightening up slightly.  And then she's back to being Emi again. EMI: "Come on then Hisao. Race ya!" With a sudden smile, she darts off. HISAO: "Hey! No fair!" I take off after her, knowing I won't catch her but not caring. Even if there's no chance of catching her, I'll still run after her. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 20:40 on Aug 24, 2021 |
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Jul 5, 2021 20:49
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It helps that he’s surprising mature about the whole thing; I remember dithering and getting caught up in myself a lot more than he does. Like, he actually stops himself from speculating at one point and goes, literally, “This is stupid. I should just ask Emi”. I like to think I was an unusually self-aware teenager. I was not that self-aware. And I definitely wasn’t confident enough to do that. It’s kind of refreshing, you know? You know it’s the good kind of movie when you shout something at the screen and then the characters do it. Not speaking of which, it’s that time again! We are closing in on the end of Act 2, and I want to get my ducks in order before I update the OP appropriately, especially since we’ve had some real posts over the last couple pages. Psycho Lawnmower, Violet_Sky, Dance Officer, StrangeAeon, Danakir, I’d like to include some of your posts in the OP. My dedication to oral history ethical standards is decaying over time, but it’s still intact enough that I need your explicit permission (in the thread or in a PM) to include them in the OP, and you have the right to have the link expunged at any time. You can also grant me blanket permission to archive your posts; the magic words are “permission unless requested otherwise”, or some less artificial phrasing of the same idea. Mikl, EclecticTastes, Nidoking, ChrisBTY (I think, if I read your post right), I’m planning on selecting some of your posts and you all already given blanket permission, so you don’t have to respond if you don’t want to. You all can still request I take something down or retract that permission whenever you want.Speaking of retraction rights, I’m considering crossposting this LP on AO3, partly to spread the good word and partly for storage purposes; finding out that SA went entirely without backups for years has eroded my confidence in it sticking around. Would the thread be comfortable with me uploading some of those posts there as well? It’s not like I’ll be doing anything with them other than grouping them together in chapters for each subheading in the OP, but I would be transplanting them to another site and I won’t do so unless the thread makes it collectively clear they’re okay with that, and retraction rights will still apply there.
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Jul 6, 2021 22:12
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Update 25: The (Real) Beginning (Silence)  EMI: "Well well, look who's finally shown up!" HISAO: "Yeah, yeah. Enjoy your victory while you can." Emi grins as the nurse pokes his head out of the door. NURSE: "Well, there you are. Come on in, Hisao." Katawa Shoujo OST - Ah Eh I Oh You  In what has become a familiar routine by now, he checks my blood pressure and my heart rate. NURSE: "A bit fast today, isn't it?" HISAO: "Yeah, I kind of raced Emi here." The nurse laughs. NURSE: "That's never a good idea!" He leans in to whisper to me in a conspiratory manner. NURSE: "I don't know if you've heard... but Emi's a bit of a track star." I reel back in mock surprise. HISAO: "Really? She never mentioned it before!" The two of us share a laugh. NURSE: "Did she do okay today? Cold seemed to bother her?" HISAO: "Why don't you ask her?" He rolls his eyes in exasperation.  NURSE: "Of course I'm going to ask her too, but she'll tell me that she didn't have any problems, regardless of whether or not she did.”  NURSE: “So I'm asking you, because you're her friend and would probably tell me if she had trouble today." When he puts it that way, it makes a lot more sense. HISAO: "She seemed pretty good today, if a little more tired than usual. She was already feeling better when I dropped by yesterday, so I'm not that surprised." The nurse nods, though I notice he tenses slightly when I mention yesterday's visit. NURSE: "Well, that's good to hear. I figured it was just a 24-hour thing. Emi tends to recover quickly from colds and the like." HISAO: "Hey, speaking of Emi... Are she and the track captain...? Well, you know." A look of suspicion crosses his face. NURSE: "Why do you ask?" HISAO: "Well, it's just that they seem kind of close, and I was just curious, you know? And I'd never ask her, because that would be kind of embarrassing." So far, so good. Now to really sell it. HISAO: "Besides, I think they'd make a cute couple." The nurse laughs. NURSE: "Well, I don't suppose you're the first to think that. But I think I can say with some certainty that the two of them will never do anything like that." HISAO: "Certainty?"  NURSE: "Yep. Not that I could tell you, of course. Confidentiality and all that." I love how this part of the game was hand-crafted to drive Psycho Lawnmower up the wall HISAO: "Yeah right, you just like holding a secret over my head." NURSE: "That too. Right. Get out of here. I'm a busy man, you know." (Silence) I roll my eyes at his last statement and head out the door, motioning to Emi to go in. The whole time, I'm trying to keep from doing a celebratory dance. Katawa Shoujo OST - Hokabi The two of them will never do anything like that. That's precisely the sort of thing I wanted to hear. I'm half-tempted to make some sort of a move on Emi right now, but I think the nurse would probably disapprove. Besides, I still don't know exactly how Emi feels about me. I mean it's obvious that she cares about me as a friend, but something more than that? I can't be certain. Even so, I can't help but feel hopeful. I just need to figure out a good time to tell Emi exactly how I feel. That puzzle should keep me occupied for the rest of the day, at least. (Silence)  The rooftop is completely deserted. Normally I could count on Rin to be up here before me, but she's strangely absent. I wonder if she decided to accompany Emi to the cafeteria for once. That seems pretty unlikely, but it's all I can think of right now. Part of me wants to go look for Rin, but a far larger part of me is too pleased with the way the sun feels on my skin to care. I pick idly at my lunch while I wait for Emi and Rin to show up. It does not take long for me to hear the sounds of someone coming up the stairs. I wait until the door begins to open before talking. HISAO: "Took you long enough. Keeping me waiting for you, honestly. The two of you are... Huh?" Well that's odd.  The only person standing in the doorway is Emi, who looks mildly confused. EMI: "What do you mean, “huh?” It's me! You know, Emi! We run in the mornings." She grins, and I feel my heart jump slightly in my chest at the sight. HISAO: "Yes, I knew that. I'm just confused... ...Where's Rin?" Emi's grin is replaced by a rather guilty-looking expression. EMI: "Yeah, about that... I kind of... sort of... Gavehermycold." Katawa Shoujo OST - Everyday Fantasy HISAO: "Oh dear. Am I at risk too?" It would make sense, after all. Emi and I were in close contact the other day... So what did she and Rin do that got her ill? ... Steady on, old lad. Don't go down that road. Rin's just probably got a worse immune system than me. Emi seems shocked by my comment, like she hadn't considered that before. EMI: "I hope not! I'll feel terrible if you get ill because of me, Hisao!" HISAO: "Oh man, I think I feel a fever coming on..." Emi looks horrified, and then quickly shifts into a more angry expression. EMI: "Hisao! You stop getting sick this instant! I won't have it!"  Impulsively she seizes me by the collar. EMI: "Are you listening to me, Hisao's immune system? Get your rear end in gear!" I give a smart salute. HISAO: "Duly noted, ma'am." Emi steps back and nods, satisfied. EMI: "Good. You are not allowed to miss any of our morning runs, after all." HISAO: "But you missed a morning run!" Emi crosses her arms and looks at me haughtily. EMI: "Yes, but that's a special case. It was me, and not you." HISAO: "That's not an explanation at all." Emi looks flabbergasted. EMI: "You're kidding, right? That explanation makes perfect sense!" HISAO: "No it doesn't! It's a blatant double standard!" EMI: "I don't see what that has to do with anything." HISAO: "Oh, fine." Emi seems pleased by her victory. HISAO: "Anyway, is Rin going to be okay? She's not terribly ill, right?" Emi shakes her head. EMI: "Nope! She'll be fine. I got her some cold medicine that should help her. Although I probably should have made sure she didn't try to take them all at once... She's done it before, you know." Somehow, I don't find this all that surprising. I doubt Rin is one to pay attention to maximum dosages and such. HISAO: "You should probably check in on her later, then. Just to make sure." Emi shrugs. EMI: "I'll stop by after practice. She'll be fine until then." I nod, figuring that line of conversation is over. The only problem is, I don't know what else to talk about. HISAO: "So... You got any more track meets coming up?" This is a terribly roundabout way of trying to see if she's free on the weekend. If she's free, then maybe I can ask her on a date or something. Well, assuming I can get myself to actually form the words. Emi shakes her head. EMI: "Nah, not for another couple weeks, I think. The season's winding down." Oh yeah. I came in right in the middle of things, didn't I? Does that mean exams are coming up soon? I should probably look into that. HISAO: "What do you do on weekends if there's not a meet?" An eyebrow goes up, and Emi gets a teasing look on her face. EMI: "You're awfully inquisitive today, aren't you?" I shrug and hope it looks casual. HISAO: "Just making conversation. I don't know what it's like to be a track star, after all." EMI: "Pfft, flattery." She waves a hand idly. EMI: "I'm not actually that good, you know. You just so happened to see me on a good day, is all." HISAO: "You liar." EMI: "Heh, yeah. But humility is the sign of a good athlete.” (Silence)  EMI: At least that's what my dad used to say." She shrugs and tries unsuccessfully to hide the rather troubled expression her face has taken on. HISAO: "Hey, what's up? You seem bothered by something." Emi starts to deny it, then sighs in defeat. I wonder if she's too tired from being sick to get herself to deny it like usual. Or if she actually just trusts me enough at this point to open up. Katawa Shoujo OST - Comfort EMI: "Well, you remember last night?" Do I ever. I settle for nodding, however.  EMI: "That's not the first time that's happened to me. Actually, I get them kind of..." She pauses, as if it's suddenly occurred to her what she's doing. It's almost like she's breaking some sort of personal rule, here. But she starts up again, choosing her words carefully. EMI: "Well, not often, but... On occasion. It's just been one of those weeks where that's what happens." A sigh escapes her, and she looks terribly frustrated.  I reach over and give her a hug, which unlike last time doesn't seem to shock her. Instead, she seems to relax as my arms wrap around her. We stay that way for a while. HISAO: "Hey, you know I was serious last night. You really can talk to me if stuff like this is bothering you. It's always difficult to do this sort of thing solo, you know?" Emi smiles and breaks the embrace, but stays leaning on my shoulder. EMI: "Thanks, Hisao. I'll be fine, I think." I can already see her reassembling herself, getting ready to bottle it all up again. Guess that topic's closed, now. HISAO: "So hey, given any more thought to that career survey?" EMI: "Can't say I have. I don't tend to plan very far ahead, you know. Although I suppose I could at least start looking into college, huh?" I shrug. HISAO: "I suppose, unless you were serious about that pirate thing. Last I checked, pirates didn't have much need for universities. Unless there's like, a pirate university out there somewhere." Emi giggles and starts to look a little like her old self, but there's a new element to her expression.  Impish. That's how I'd describe it. Emi looks impish, looking up at me with her head nestled into my shoulder. EMI: "Would you come with me if I ran off to be a pirate?" HISAO: "Of course I would! Who in their right mind would pass up the opportunity to be pirates with you?" EMI: "Well, when you put it that way, I'm not sure." She giggles again. I notice that my heart seems to have sped up. It's probably due to Emi's proximity to me. That hint of strawberries, again. I can't help but grin as I gaze down at her. She's happy again. EMI: "Hey, Hisao." HISAO: "Hmm?"  EMI: "If you're going to kiss me, you should probably do it soon. I think the lunch bell is about to ring." (Sudden Silence) My thoughts grind to a sudden halt. I'm pretty sure my mouth is hanging open in shock. All I can manage is a strangled “Huh?” This amuses Emi even more. EMI: "You were thinking about it, weren't you?" She sits up, bringing her face level with mine. EMI: "I'd probably enjoy it, you know? You're a really... ...Well." She briefly composes herself, looking like she's about to say something important. EMI: "If you hadn't figured it out by now, I think I've developed a bit of a crush on you. You're going to have to do something about that." This time her grin short circuits several important thought processes. At some point I turned toward her, and at another point her arms moved to around my neck. At yet another, my arms wrapped around her waist. I'll be damned if I could tell precisely when that happened. Because at the moment, there's only a voice in the back of my head yelling at me to kiss her. I look into Emi's eyes. There it is. The thing I saw yesterday on the bed. It's there again. It suddenly strikes me that she's worried that I'll reject her. What a silly worry for her to have. If you can listen to music right now, click the next link and listen to it for the rest of the update. Trust me. Katawa Shoujo OST - Romance in Andante II  Her lips taste faintly of strawberries. She leans into the kiss, and her arms tighten around the back of my head, making sure that I don't pull away. Not that there was any danger of that. There's a churning feeling in my gut. The world falls away. There's just me, and her, and this bench. My arms tighten, drawing her waist closer, entranced by the feel of her. I inhale her scent, my mind trying desperately to memorize everything about how she tastes, how she smells, how she feels.  The ringing of the bell snaps us both back to reality, and we break the kiss. Emi's cheeks are slightly flushed, and she seems to be catching her breath. In her defense, so am I. We stand there for a few moments, trying to wrap our heads around what we've just done. Emi is the first to break the silence. EMI: "So...”  EMI: "... Wanna grab dinner after I'm done with practice?" HISAO: "What a coincidence. I was about to ask you the same thing." Well, actually I suppose it was going to be some kind of proper date on the weekend or something. But the thought was there, I think. Emi gives me a playful shove. EMI: "Yeah right. You were still in shock from how incredibly awesome I am at kissing." We begin to head down the stairs back to our respective classrooms. HISAO: "Hey, I didn't see you talking immediately afterwards either." EMI: "That I didn't. See you after practice, Hisao."  Her sprite flashes forward and fades off to the right. She leans in quickly and gives me a quick kiss in the middle of the hallway, sending me into another brief state of mental freefall. As I head into my classroom, a giggling Misha greets me. MISHA: "Why Hicchan, you romantic, you~! Did you confess on the rooftop? Did you~?" HISAO: "Er, actually I think it was the other way around." This sends Misha into a fresh fit of laughter. MISHA: "Young love is so unpredictable, isn't it~?" This being Misha, I suppose I should have expected her to tease me over this. HISAO: "I guess..." Before I can really respond, Mutou's entered the room and Misha skips off to her seat, giggling all the while. I suspect that I'll get a lot of that sort of conversation now, especially seeing as how Emi kissed me right in the middle of the hall. But somehow, I don't care about that.  For the first time since arriving here, my heart feels light. END OF ACT 2 Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 20:41 on Aug 24, 2021 |
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Jul 7, 2021 18:13
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As a bit of a preview, I prepare these posts about a week in advance. I just finished running through the first sex scene. The update itself hasn't been written yet, but to give you a taste:
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Jul 8, 2021 03:22
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Ibblebibble posted:Fitting that you picked an animal with no legs. “I”? Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 04:09 on Jul 8, 2021 |
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Jul 8, 2021 04:07
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Tulip posted:Just for bookkeeping or whatever would it be good if you made a set phrase that people can include in their posts that gives permission? You wouldn't have to keep track of who has given permission already and you wouldn't have to ask for additional posts giving permission. I'm just keeping track of everyone manually in my notes. Like a pleb. Also, reading everyone on the initial attribution thing, that can definitely happen.
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Jul 9, 2021 17:59
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Update 26: Definitions Welcome to Act 3; we’ve officially reached the halfway mark. Well, we’re actually more like two thirds of the way through; many of this game’s routes (Emi’s included) divide the traditional three act structure between Acts 1 and 3 and leave Act 4 as a compact finale, and her route is already shorter than most. No pun intended.Anyway, back to My head's in a spin all through Mutou's class. I'm going to have dinner. With Emi. Who wants to be my girlfriend, no less. A date... And then she kissed me. That kiss. I keep going back to it, playing it over in my mind again and again. Everything about that moment felt so right. My mind drifts off, lost in thoughts of Emi.  MUTOU: "Nakai? Hello?" It seems like I've drifted a bit too far. HISAO: "Huh? What?" MUTOU: "Egad! You've contracted some kind of amnesia! Someone get the nurse!" The class chuckles at Mutou's antics. HISAO: "Sorry, sir." MUTOU: "Hmm, won't happen again and all that, right?" HISAO: "Exactly." Mutou brightens considerably. MUTOU: "Well! Lovely to hear! I'd hate to have my star pupil slacking off, after all." I've been doing well, but I hardly qualify as a star pupil, I think. I'm fairly certain that this class is the sort that everyone does well in. It's just memorizing formulas. True to my word, I manage to pay attention for the rest of the class. (Silence, Bell Ringing) MUTOU: "Nakai, may I have a word with you?" I wonder if I'm in trouble for earlier. HISAO: "Uh, sure. Am I in trouble?" Mutou looks genuinely confused for a moment. MUTOU: "Beg your pardon?" He tilts his head to one side and thinks for a moment. MUTOU: "Oh, that! No, no, you're not in any sort of trouble. There's just a question I want to ask you." HISAO: "What's that?" Katawa Shoujo OST - Everyday Fantasy  MUTOU: "Nothing terrible, I was just wondering what your plans for after graduation are. Are you going to university?" HISAO: "Yeah, I guess. I can't really see a reason not to go." MUTOU: "Given any thought to what you'll study?" HISAO: "Not really, no. I figure I'll come up with something when I get there." Mutou laughs. MUTOU: "Taking things as they come, eh? I'd argue against it, but that's how I did things when I went to university. Well, not really. I knew I'd go into a science, I just wasn't sure which one. Ended up with physics, but could just as well have gone for astronomy or what have you. Actually I did go for chemistry first, but there were all sorts of things..." Mutou trails off, and frowns slightly. It takes a minute for him to recover his train of thought, and I wait patiently for him to continue. MUTOU: "So anyway, I did a lot of physics as well, because I had an interest in that, but I wasn't sure if it was for me. So I went back to chemistry, and here we are. Yes?" He smiles at me enthusiastically, as if waiting for me to confirm that yes, here is were we are. Somehow I get the feeling that Mutou had a plan for this conversation, but I'll be damned if I can figure it out. HISAO: "I'm sorry, I'm not following you." Mutou frowns and rubs his chin a bit, looking perplexed. He then snaps his fingers as if he's remembered what the point of all this was. MUTOU: "Right! Yes! You!" HISAO: "Me?" MUTOU: "Yes! You should look into studying one of the sciences! You're fantastic at it. Unless you'd rather just go into math." Mutou makes a sour face. MUTOU: "Not a big fan of straight math. I always liked the experiments more than the proofs." HISAO: "You're saying I should study science at university?" Mutou seems thrown off balance by my question. MUTOU: "Well, sort of. You could also join the science club! Trouble is, there's not actually a science club. But there could be! You could even be a charter member! A founding father! Of course, you'd need to find other members. Well, only if you wanted to. We could just start it up with the two of us. And um. I could give you things to read, and we could talk about them. Er, and I could help you get ready for university and such as well. Wait!" Mutou rummages around in his briefcase and tosses me a book. MUTOU: "Read that. If it's interesting, then we can talk about it." “A Brief History of Time?” I don't know if I actually want to read this, but Mutou seems pretty excited about it. HISAO: "What's it about?" MUTOU: "Time. Space. Space-time. Black holes and such. And it's not that dense. Just to see if that sort of thing's interesting for you, you understand. Hang around after class, and we can either discuss it, or I can show you how to make explosives in the lab." He waves a hand at my quizzical expression. MUTOU: "Joking, sorry. Still, I've kept you here long enough for now. Think about science as a career path, Nakai. I think you'd enjoy it." HISAO: "Uh, okay. I will. Thank you for the book." (Silence) I leave the classroom and look up at the clock; quite a chunk of time to kill until Emi's out of practice. Guess I'll give this book a look; I should probably shower as well. Showering before a date's only proper, right? I head back to the dorms. I wonder where I'm supposed to meet Emi, anyway. She said “after practice,” but she didn't say where I should find her. I guess I can just swing by the track; that's probably best, anyway. If she needs a shower, I can just wait for her in her room or something. Or in the hallway, I guess; that would be better as well. I take a quick shower, remembering to take my medication once I hop out. Now, for a look at this book. Katawa Shoujo OST ~ Passing of Time  The screen shakes. I wake with a start. poo poo! What time is it? A glance at the clock reveals that I've been asleep for nearly an hour. HISAO: "Thank goodness." Emi's practice should be finishing up soon. I throw on some casual clothes and head for the track. Somehow I get the feeling we won't be doing anything fancy for dinner. Emi doesn't strike me as a very fancy sort of person. Still, I suppose there's a lot I have yet to know about Emi. Despite our newfound closeness, I still feel like I don't know her as well as I should. Ah well, I have lots of time to fix that. To be honest, I'm looking forward to getting to know her more. I'm so caught up in my own thoughts that I hardly register that I'm already at the track. Emi is nowhere to be found. I don't even see any signs of the track team. This could be embarrassing. I turn to head toward the girl's dormitory when I hear a shout. EMI: "Hey, Hisao!" Katawa Shoujo OST - Standing Tall (Emi’s Theme)  I turn around to see Emi making a beeline for me with a gym bag slung over her shoulder. She's changed into some decidedly more casual clothing; a pair of shorts and an olive green top. Her running blades have been replaced by more realistic-looking legs that probably wouldn't fool anyone. Emi doesn't seem to care about that, a fact which makes me smile. EMI: "Hey, you came!”  EMI: “I mean I figured you would, but still..." I suddenly find myself wrapped in a rather affectionate hug, and it proves to be impossible for me to keep what must be the world's largest grin off my face. HISAO: "Well, of course I came! I'd be crazy not to, right?" Emi ponders for a moment. EMI: "You know, that's true. I mean I'm pretty amazing, after all." I shrug in response. HISAO: "I certainly think so."  It's an offhand remark, which is why I'm surprised to see that it seems to have caught Emi by surprise. She blushes and smiles warmly at me before planting a kiss on my lips. Now it's my turn to be surprised. Emi steps back, resting her weight on her back heel, looking pleased with herself. My brain fumbles for an appropriate response. HISAO: "... I should compliment you more often." Emi laughs and gives me a playful shove. EMI: "Jerk." I throw an arm around Emi's shoulders and am pleased when she immediately leans into me as if it were the most natural thing in the world. HISAO: "So, where to?" EMI: "I'm not actually sure. Where do people go on dates around here, anyway?" That's a damned good question. HISAO: "I've got no idea. Why don't we just head down to the Aura-Mart and grab something portable?" Emi's face brightens at this idea. EMI: "A picnic! I think you're on to something, Hisao." Emi snakes her arm around my waist, and we begin to head for the front gate. I'm entirely unsure of what I'm meant to do in this situation, but at least Emi seems to be equally clueless. Despite the relaxing feeling of being with Emi, I still can't help feeling a little tense. What if I do something wrong? I'd hate to make an rear end out of myself.  The trip to the Aura-Mart is accompanied by Emi's chatter about how practice went. I keep quiet for the most part, merely enjoying the warmth of being around Emi. We get a few odd looks from passersby, but I don't mind. We wind up buying some bread and instant noodles, realizing too late that we cannot actually cook the latter in the park. EMI: "Oh well. I'll make it for lunch or something." HISAO: "That'll work." (Silence) The park is located after a brief loss of direction that I blame entirely on Emi. She, of course, blames me. We find a spot beneath a tree and sit down. I lean back against the trunk, Emi sits across from me. Katawa Shoujo OST - Ease HISAO: "I guess we should have brought a blanket or something to sit on, huh?" Emi shrugs. EMI: "I don't mind." HISAO: "Neither do I." Emi tosses me a package of bread and we dig in. Curry bread. Interesting. I guess I wasn't really paying attention to what I grabbed in the store. EMI: "Hey, Hisao. You look like your bread's a little spicy." I shake my head, trying in vain to keep an image of manliness. HISAO: "Nah, it's hardly spicy at all." EMI: "I see, I see. That must be why your face has gotten so red." HISAO: "Yes, exactly. The lack of spice has uh... gotten my blood up. Because of the disappointment." Emi laughs and swallows the last of her bread. EMI: "Well, if you can't handle it, I'll be glad to take it off of your hands." HISAO: "Hey, just because you wolfed down yours so quickly doesn't mean I'm just going to give you mine." Emi mock-pouts, causing me to nearly choke on my bread with laughter.  EMI: "Aw, come on Hisao!” Aren't you supposed to be concerned with making sure I've got enough to eat now? We're dating, you know! Though..." Emi looks troubled all of a sudden.  EMI: "I can't say I feel any different." HISAO: "Hmm? What do you mean by that?" EMI: "What makes this a date? It's just what we would have done anyway, really. But this should feel different because before when we had lunch we were friends, and now we're a level above friends." HISAO: "You sound like Rin." Laughter escapes, and Emi grins. EMI: "Well, she might've put the thought into my mind. We've talked about that sort of thing before." HISAO: "Really? About me?" EMI: "Not really. Just... stuff, really. Rin thinks that the change of a label from “friend” to “girlfriend” seems arbitrary most of the time. Like there's no difference between the two." HISAO: "I can think of at least one, you know. You don't tend to kiss your friends quite as much." For the second time that day, Emi blushes slightly and giggles. EMI: "I suppose you're right." HISAO: "Exactly. I'm always right about things like this." Emi rolls her eyes and chuckles. EMI: "Guess you're pretty smart, huh?" I nod in agreement. HISAO: "Yep. Even Mutou thinks so. He thinks I should go into some scientific study after graduation." Emi raises an eyebrow. EMI: "Oh really?" HISAO: "Yeah, I'm thinking I actually might do just that." Really, the more I consider the idea, the more it appeals to me. I make a mental note to look into it a little more closely. HISAO: "So what are you thinking of doing after graduation? Still planning on running?"  Breaking out new sprite variations left and right here. Emi shrugs, seeming almost a bit hesitant. EMI: "I dunno. If I'm good enough and I can find a team, I guess?" HISAO: "You mean you aren't sure?" EMI: "I haven't... really thought about it, to be honest." HISAO: "Really? You probably should, you know. Graduation isn't that far off." Emi fidgets a little nervously. EMI: "Yeah, well... it's far enough, right? Besides, I've got other things to think about." There's a mischievous flash behind Emi's eyes, and I suddenly find myself gloriously pinned against the tree. EMI: "Like making sure this is a real date, right? I mean if we don't kiss then it's not a date at all, right?" HISAO: "I suppose s— mmmph." Strawberries and curry. Not the best combination, but I don't think I mind. Emi sits back on my legs and grins again. EMI: "There. Science would approve, right?" I have the oddest mental image of Mutou nodding seriously and making a mark on some checklist. I can't help laughing at the idea. EMI: "Well I'll admit, this is the first time I've ever witnessed a kiss met with laughter before. Should I feel offended?" HISAO: "Heh, no, no. I'm sure science approves." Emi beams at me, and I find it increasingly difficult to keep my brain functioning properly. EMI: "Oh good!" It is at this point I notice that Emi has stolen the remainder of my curry bread while I was otherwise occupied with images of teachers wielding clipboards. HISAO: "Hey!" Emi tries to look innocent, but considering she's just crammed the last bits of my bread into her mouth it does not appear to be working. EMI: "Mmph? F'orry, couln't refisft." HISAO: "Thief!" A shrug from my companion is all I get in response. HISAO: "You used your feminine wiles on me!" I wasn't that hungry anyway, but I still feel that the point needs to be made. Emi seems confused by the phrase “feminine wiles,” but the understanding dawns on her features after a moment's thought. EMI: "Wasn't anything of the sort! You were laughing! Feminine wiles don't involve laughing!" I guess I can't argue with this. HISAO: "That doesn't change your thievery." Emi laughs at my injured tone and gives me a playful shove. EMI: "Fine, you can have the instant noodles." HISAO: "Are you kidding? That stuff's terrible! If anything, you should definitely eat it as punishment!"  Her sprite tilts to the left. Another laugh from the girl sitting on my legs. ...Both of which have fallen asleep by now. I twitch one leg to try waking it up, which has the unintended effect of unbalancing Emi, who falls to the side with a startled “Eep!”" HISAO: "Whoops! Sorry about that. Legs fell asleep on me." Emi remains on the ground, giggling. I stand up a little shakily, feeling the nerves in my legs return to normal. My eyes wander over the scenery before fixing on the figure of Emi, who has yet to get up.  Her hair is splayed out around her head, her arms are spread, and laughter is bubbling up through her mouth. Everything about Emi seems condensed into this one image. Her energy, her spirit, her childish giggling. The urge to lay down on the grass with her rises swiftly from the back of my mind to the forefront of my thoughts, and indeed I am convinced that I would love nothing more than to do just that. Unfortunately the sun has set, and it is probably time for us to get back to the dormitories. While Emi may be happy to stay out here all night, I don't think I have that ability. Besides, homework soon beckons. It wouldn't make sense to start thinking about things like university and then slack off, would it? I extend a hand to Emi to help her up. HISAO: "We should probably get going."  Emi makes a sour face. EMI: "You're right." She grabs my proffered hand, and I pull her to her feet and into a hug. This time I'm the one who kisses her, unable to resist having Emi against me. HISAO: "Seems a shame to leave, you know." EMI: "Yeah, it does. But if we don't get back to the school soon, we'll probably get into trouble." Emi pokes me in the ribs playfully. EMI: "And you need to do your homework, I'm sure." HISAO: "Sadly, you're absolutely right." I throw my arm around her shoulders, and we make the trek back to the school, accompanied by occasional bouts of laughter as our conversation jumps from subject to subject. Everything from running, to school, to the peculiar way that one of the cafeteria workers smells.  All too soon we find ourselves outside of the girls' dormitory building. EMI: "Well, I guess I'll be going, then." HISAO: "I guess so, huh?" Emi grins at me again with that mischievous look. EMI: "Are you going to be able to survive without me?" I laugh. HISAO: "I'm sure I'll manage." EMI: "How terrible! Aren't you supposed to say something like “I'll be counting the seconds you are away?”" HISAO: "Nah, I don't think so." Emi pulls me down into a quick goodbye kiss and steps back, looking unexpectedly shy. EMI: "Thanks for dinner. I really had fun. Honestly, I did." HISAO: "So did I. I think we shall have to do it again, sometime." Emi laughs at my deadpan delivery and nods. EMI: "See you bright and early tomorrow morning, right? You've gotta run off that bread, after all." HISAO: "Of course. Despite the fact that you ate most of it." EMI: "Yes, despite that. See you later, Hisao!" (Sudden Silence) As Emi turns to head inside, I notice something weird. Something so weird that I'm surprised I didn't notice it earlier.  She's limping slightly, favoring the left leg. HISAO: "Hey, Emi!" Katawa Shoujo OST - Stride EMI: "Hmm?" HISAO: "Is your leg okay?" Emi looks confused, or at least fakes confusion. EMI: "What are you talking about?" HISAO: "Your right leg. You're limping." There's the briefest flash of concern on Emi's face. Either she didn't want me to know, or she didn't think I'd notice - or, I prefer to think, she just didn't realize it. EMI: "Oh, that." She shrugs casually. EMI: "Must've gotten knocked a little out of alignment during the picnic. No idea what would have caused that, of course." I think back to being pinned under the tree. HISAO: "Ah. You should have told me! We could have stopped and fixed it, you know." Emi waves a hand airily. EMI: "Nah, it's not that big of a deal. Don't worry about it, okay Hisao? It's fine."  Why do I get the feeling that she's convincing herself as well as me? >Press. >Rest. We could just let this rest. Hell, we probably SHOULD. Pushing like this is rude and invasive at the best of times, especially when it comes to an issue with someone’s body. Except, we know Emi’s prone to ignoring her limits and paying for it later; just look at what happened after she ran in the rain, or what she did to her leg at the track meet. You can’t exactly blame us for wanting to be sure. And really… Update 23 posted:
=>Press. … We already know what Emi would do. HISAO: "Are you absolutely sure? You don't want to go ahead and adjust it before heading up the stairs? You could get hurt if you don't, right?" EMI: "I said it was fine, Hisao. Seriously, don't worry about it. I've got some experience in these matters, after all." HISAO: "Yeah, I suppose so." Emi grins reassuringly. EMI: "Honestly, Hisao, I appreciate the concern but I really am okay. Now really, I need to get going. Your attempts to keep me around are doomed to fail!" HISAO: "Heh, of course. Just prolonging the goodbye, I suppose." Another grin lights up Emi's face. EMI: "Goodnight, Hisao." HISAO: "Goodnight." As she limps inside, I find myself hoping she's okay despite her assurances that she's fine. I think I can call this a successful first date. Hell, any day that ends with Emi pinning me under a tree to kiss me can't be bad, can it? I head back to my room, mentally thank the gods that Kenji doesn't ambush me in the hallway, and get started on my homework. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 20:46 on Aug 24, 2021 |
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Jul 9, 2021 19:40
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Disability Corner: Prosthetic Leg Anatomy All the Disability Corners up until this point have been kind of grim. And that’s not surprising! Being disabled can suck. But to cover something a bit more neutral (and hit up the physical disability side of things since this thread has been pretty heavily neuro), let’s talk about what goes into a prosthetic leg! (Before we begin, keep in mind this is an overview made by someone only barely familiar with the topic. If you spot something wrong, want anything added, or know about anything I’ve missed, please speak up in the thread!) Let’s take it from the top. Prosthetic legs come in two overall types: above- and below-the-knee, depending on the situation. Emi falls into the second category, but for those who fall into the first category, they need prosthetic knees. I’d list the types out here, but there’s at least a dozen of them with their own names, quirks, and intended uses; the knee is a hideously complicated joint already, forget the fine details of how to replace it. They range from simple hinges with locking mechanisms to help you stand up to complicated machines with pneumatics to straight up robot knees with built-in microprocessors, because if you have tons of money to blow why not become a loving cyborg. Especially if you spring for myoelectric control, which read electrical impulses sent by your nervous system and move your leg in sync  . But those are expensive, so while you can find some truly wild knees out there, they’re likely out of your price range.Knees only matter to above-the-knee amputees, but sockets are at the core of every prosthetic leg; they’re the things that sit over the amputation site, metal or plastic cup (depending on the design) fitted to the leg in question. Sockets tend to be expensive and take a while to build, for good reason; the human leg is a complex creature designed to work as a whole unit and isn’t built to support a person’s weight on a residual limb. That obviously doesn’t mean using artificial legs is impossible, but they do need to be well-designed – not just to fit the specific limb, but also tweaked to avoid putting pressure on pressure points and support the person’s weight efficiently. For most kinds of prosthetics, you also need a liner, basically a thin sock that fits over the stump; it’s there to prevent chafing and keep both the leg and the socket clean. While I get the impression that the material used in liners has to be both soft and tough, higher quality than ordinary fabric, most of the sources I found on socket construction and anatomy were on the websites of companies trying to sell you sockets and liners, so who knows if they were playing it up. It can’t hurt, though. While in theory you could just put on a liner and put it in the socket, even if it fit perfectly, the socket would slide around on the leg, creating an eventual health nightmare. So instead, most prosthetic legs use one of a few different connection techniques:
Below that comes the pylon or shin tube, the piece of metal that connects the knee/socket (depending) to the foot. These are pretty simple, just metal rods that connect two parts of the leg with maybe some springs or bells and whistles, which would explain why nobody talks about them when talking about how prosthetic legs go together. I had to dig for a couple minutes just to find the term. Sometimes people just leave them uncovered, sometimes they wrap them in a casing that looks like a regular lower leg (to a greater or lesser extent) for social reasons, and sometimes, like with Emi’s, they blend into the final part of the prosthetic leg… … The foot. Most prosthetic feet look like… Well, feet. The ankle is a sticking point, like the knee but less so; it’s a complicated joint that has to make sure the foot stays relatively flat on the ground no matter how you’re holding it from your body, so there are as many kinds of artificial feet as there are artificial knees, factoring in any mix of shape, aesthetics, intended use, and realism. But that’s beyond our purview, because Emi doesn’t bother with realism unless she has to go out on the town; instead, she uses running feet or blades, specialized artificial feet designed for athletic use. They come in two flavors of their own:
So, conclusions? First of all, the world of prosthetic legs is wildly commercialized. The vast majority of this information I got by filtering the advertising speak out of product lists on company websites because they’re the only places that provide overviews. There probably are better sources out there, but I had trouble finding them. Second of all, we can say Emi uses below-the-knee prosthetic legs with suction sockets and J-shaped feet, likely because suction sockets provide enough of a grip to support athletic activity without taking too long to put on and J-feet are optimized for sprinting but cause problems if you overuse them. It says a lot about the research and effort put into this game that not only did they give her the kind of legs she would realistically use, but those legs reflect deeper aspects of her character like any other good character trait.
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Jul 11, 2021 03:58
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Update 27: Invisible Rock Katawa Shoujo OST ~ Passing of Time  Katawa Shoujo OST - Nocturne The morning is far too early for my taste. It doesn't help that I had trouble sleeping last night. There were simply too many things to think about. My mind refused to slow down. Instead I replayed the rooftop, the park, and everything else over and over in my mind. There's a small part of my mind that is still paranoid that this has all been some kind of joke. That I'll meet up with Emi at the track, and she'll act like nothing happened yesterday. Pushing these thoughts to the back of my mind, I throw on my running clothes and open the door.  Emi's waiting for me with her usual smile. EMI: "You're late! Or at least, you're not early today. Are you tired or something?" I find myself ruefully rubbing the back of my head. HISAO: "Something like that, yeah. Lots to think about and all that." Emi giggles at my mild understatement. EMI: "Yeah, I didn't sleep that well either. I was actually glad you weren't early, 'cause I wasn't early either." I wonder if the same thing kept us awake. The image of her weeping face passes through my mind. HISAO: "What kept you up?" Emi's expression falters, but she quickly notices my curiosity and forces a smile. EMI: "Nothing important." She's obviously not telling me something. The question is, should I press the issue? Something's clearly been bothering her for a while. I want to help her, but would it just come off as me being nosy? She's got to know I care about her, though. HISAO: "Are you sure? If something's bothering you, I'm here to help you sort it out." Emi laughs then, but it's not her usual laugh. There's an edge to it that seems almost bitter. EMI: "Sort it out? I'm not sure it can be sorted out, Hisao." An almost grim smile crosses her lips. It's like a smile of resignation.  EMI: "I don't think you could help me, anyway." That hurts. I don't want to say that it hurts to her, but it does. Doesn't she realize I want to be there for her when things go wrong? HISAO: "Well, I won't push you on the matter. But I'm here for you if you decide later that you'd like to talk about it. It might help." I can see the debate raging behind Emi's eyes. It seems like she wants to tell me, but she's not sure whether or not she can. HISAO: "Hey, forget about it for now, okay? We've got running to do." The mention of running, something that she can handle, brings Emi back to her usual self. EMI: "Right! Hurry up and stretch out, Hisao! We've got to get moving!" She takes off like a shot, far quicker than I'm used to. Still, I try to keep pace with her, recklessly testing my limits. It gives me a feeling of freedom, like my heart is no longer important. I find myself wanting to laugh, filled with the feeling of moving beyond what I once called my boundaries. The nurse's warnings to not overdo things echo in my mind, and I disregard them. This feeling I have, this willingness to risk a heart attack for something so trivial as a morning run, feels out of character for me. But is it? Or rather, should it be? I've got a weak heart, sure. It'll never be capable of the kind of speed and endurance Emi's capable of. Though I probably wouldn't be able to get that good even if I had a healthy heart. (Silence) As we round the final bend, I feel my legs screaming in protest, but for the first time, I ignore them. I accelerate to finish at a sprint, nearly catching up to Emi. That was never going to happen, of course. Still, I feel surprisingly good. Oh sure, my legs feel like they're about to catch fire, and I'm having trouble staying upright.  But there's been a shift of some sort today. And it's all thanks to the girl grinning at the finish line, waiting for me. Katawa Shoujo OST - Standing Tall (Emi’s Theme) HISAO: "That felt a little faster than usual." My comment is met with a grin and a shrug. EMI: "Can't have you think I was going to go soft on you, now can I? But you managed to handle it just fine." HISAO: "Well, I couldn't have done it without you." Still feeling the high from the run and moved by a surge of gratitude, I seize Emi in a hug. HISAO: "Thanks. Really, I'm not just saying that. I'm in your debt." Emi seems flustered by my words, squirming uncomfortably. EMI: "Don't be silly, Hisao. Someone had to haul you out here, didn't they? And it's not like you're not doing anything for me, right? I needed a running partner, remember?" I shake my head, still pointedly not letting go of Emi, who stops squirming and merely looks up at me with a quickly deepening blush that almost seems out of character. HISAO: "No, that's not true. You wanted a running partner, but you didn't need one. If I hadn't shown up the day after the festival, you would still run, right? But it doesn't work the other way around. I only managed to make it out a few times before the festival. And without you, I probably wouldn't have made it out at all after that.” Emi smiles at me and prods my chest with one finger. EMI: "You are pretty lazy, Hisao." HISAO: "Hey, I was giving you a compliment!" EMI: "Well... you're welcome, I guess." HISAO: "I'll pay you back somehow." EMI: "Oh, uh, well... That's not necessary, you know. I mean I kinda like you, Hisao. And being able to run with you in the mornings isn't exactly a bad deal for me either, so..."  For someone who gets so much praise, she seems unused to gratitude. I can't think of anything else to say, so we fall silent. I become aware of Emi's breathing, of the dampness of her clothing, and of the scent of her. Coming off of anyone else, it would stink. Coming off of Emi, it fits her in a way nothing else could. Her skin is cool, slick with sweat, and a breeze causes goosebumps to rise." Almost without thinking about it, I lean down and meet Emi's mouth which has already moved to meet my own. Her lips are soft, and she hums happily as we kiss, sending vibrations from her mouth to mine. There's a startling rightness to everything about this moment. We fit one another perfectly. The kiss ends, and I finally let my arms drop back to my sides. Emi is smiling warmly at me, and giggles again. EMI: "Come on Hisao, we'd better go see the nurse." (Sudden Silence) Then it happens.  Her sprite bobs. As she turns to begin walking, she gives out a tiny yelp and stumbles forward. HISAO: "Emi!" Katawa Shoujo OST - Caged Heart I leap to steady her and notice with some concern that she's favoring the same leg as last night. HISAO: "Your leg..." Emi seems panicked and pushes away from me. EMI: "It's fine!" My expression must seem hurt, because she hastens to apologize. EMI: "Sorry! Sorry! Didn't mean to push you like that! I was just..." She stumbles for something to say. EMI: "It's nothing, really." HISAO: "Hey, don't worry about it." She's so flustered, I decide to shrug the whole thing off. But there's a cold feeling in the pit of my stomach now that won't go away. I tried to step in and help her, and she pushed me away. Smiling, I shove those thoughts to the back of my mind and concentrate on Emi. HISAO: "I just don't want you getting hurt, that's all." EMI: "You don't have to worry about me, honest. I'm fine!" Yes, you say that, but I don't believe you. Why won't you tell me what's wrong? It's like she gets offended by my trying to help. What am I supposed to make of that? (Silence) I'm still trying to sort out what happened on the track as we arrive in front of the nurse's office. Emi raises her hand to knock, hesitates and turns to me smiling guiltily. EMI: "Hey, can you do me a favor?" HISAO: "Of course."  EMI: "Can you tell the nurse that I'll see him later? I just remembered that I've got some... stuff to take care of before class. So I really need to get moving." I peer at her closely, and she fidgets under my stare. Yeah, she's clearly just avoiding the nurse. That leg of hers... Well, whatever. I said I'd help, and so I will. But I'll make drat sure she sees the nurse before the day's out. HISAO: "Yeah, okay. I'll let him know." Emi looks like I've just given her a pony on Christmas. EMI: "Thank you so much! You're the best, Hisao!" I am rewarded for my complicity in her lie by a kiss that makes it all worth it, or so I tell myself. As Emi heads out of the building, trying hard not to let her limp show, I knock on the door of the office. Katawa Shoujo OST - Ah Eh I Oh You  NURSE: "Ah, Hisao. Come on in. I don't see Emi with you. She's not sick again, is she?" From the tone of his voice, I don't think the nurse is expecting me to say “Yes, she's ill. HISAO: "Er, she said that she'd forgotten to do something, and so she had to skip out, but she'll see you later today." The nurse heaves an exasperated sigh. NURSE: "Honestly, that girl..." HISAO: "Hmm?" NURSE: "She's been avoiding me. Yesterday she was in and out of here without even taking off her prosthetics. And now this." Well, at least it's not just me Emi doesn't want worrying. That's a... comfort, I guess. Still, I feel like I should say something about her leg. I said I'd lie for her, but she really needs to see him. HISAO: "Now that you mention it, she was limping pretty badly today. And last night as well." The nurse's eyes narrow at the words “last night. NURSE: "And what exactly were you two doing last night?" HISAO: "We were uh, on a date." The nurse raises his eyebrows as if surprised. NURSE: "Really? Interesting." HISAO: "Huh?" NURSE: "Oh, nothing." His gaze turns thoughtful, and then he grins at me. NURSE: "You don't think you could use some of that boyfriend charm to get her to come see me today, could you?" HISAO: "Of course! I was planning on doing that anyway. I think she's really hurt and just pretending she isn't." NURSE: "Hmm, yes. She does that.”  NURSE: "Afraid I'll make her stop running." HISAO: "Will you?" NURSE: "I don't like to, but if it's bad enough that she's been limping, well... I guess I'll have to see what's wrong for myself before I make that call." HISAO: "I see." Emi, not allowed to run? Perish the thought. I don't know if she'd be able to function without running. No wonder she's reluctant to admit anything's wrong. HISAO: "Well, I'll make sure she sees you." NURSE: "Good. Oh, and before I forget..." He grins at me again in what feels like a vaguely threatening manner. NURSE: "Don't forget that I know what medications you're on. You be careful around Emi, got it?" Wow. He looks serious, too. HISAO: "Got it. Don't hurt Emi. Wouldn't dream of it." NURSE: "Grand! I'd hate for you to be late." HISAO: "Huh?" NURSE: "Late, as in the late Hisao Nakai." He frowns briefly, dissatisfied. NURSE: "Sounded better in my head... Well, at any rate. Get out of here before you miss your first class! You've got things to do, I'm sure. Shoo!" As I leave, I notice the nurse pulling out his phone and dialing a number. NURSE: "Meiko, your daughter's being a pain in the rear end again..." I'd better head back to my room, or I really will be late. Hey, wasn't he supposed to check my heart rate? ( )(Silence)  The lunch bell sounds, and I bring myself out of the stupor I slipped into during the morning's classes. My lack of sleep last night, coupled with the increased pace of this morning's run, has left me a little exhausted. Despite that, I find myself skipping stairs up to the roof. There's a thrill of excitement now, in addition to the pleasure one gets from eating lunch with one's friends. True, both Emi and Rin are still my friends, but Emi has become more than that now. Rin is back in her usual spot on the roof, almost as if she'd never been absent.  HISAO: "Feeling better, I take it?" A raised eyebrow is my reward for speaking. Katawa Shoujo OST - Parity (Rin’s Theme) RIN: "Better than what?" HISAO: "Er, better than you felt yesterday." Rin gives my question some serious thought. RIN: "I'm not sure. I think I might have felt rather good for some of yesterday, but it's all fuzzy." HISAO: "Too much cold medicine?" RIN: "Well, I was asleep. And that usually is pretty good. But I can't remember what it feels like to be asleep, because I'm not conscious for it. It's a real problem. Then again, if I knew how good it felt I might not sleep any more. But this way I keep trying so I guess that's how I can keep from being overtired." HISAO: "An eternal mystery to keep you sleeping at night?" RIN: "Maybe mystery's the wrong word. Intangibility might be the proper way to describe it." HISAO: "I see." No, I don't see at all. I have no idea what she's talking about, but that's okay, since I rarely do. RIN: "Do you remember what sleeping feels like? Like yesterday, do you remember what you felt like sleeping yesterday?" HISAO: "Well, I actually didn't get a lot of sleep yesterday." RIN: "Hmm. Maybe that's because you remember subconsciously." HISAO: "Actually, I think I was worrying about Emi." RIN: "Doesn't Emi worry enough about herself?" I hadn't considered that, but it gives me pause. HISAO: "True, but would she ask for help if she needed it?" Rin frowns, and I raise an eyebrow. Will I get a proper answer? RIN: "Probably not. Is there something she should be asking for help with?" HISAO: "Her leg, for starters." This seems to catch Rin's interest. RIN: "Leg?" HISAO: "It's hurt, but she won't see the nurse about it." Rin shakes her head in disapproval.  RIN: "You have to make her. Like she makes me go to class. For her own good. Otherwise she could lose her legs again, and that's just too weird. Losing things twice. Especially if you don't find them again to begin with. Unless prosthetics are the same as finding something. But that's a different kind of lost, isn't it?" HISAO: "I think so." RIN: "Hmm. I wonder..." (Sudden Silence)  EMI: "Wonder what?" Emi seems to have snuck up on Rin and I, though Rin doesn't seem especially surprised. Which is itself unsurprising, I suppose. Rin manages to sit herself upright quite expertly, throwing her upper body forward and using her momentum to right herself. HISAO: "Your leg. How's it feel?" That earns me a frown and a bit of a glare. EMI: "It's okay, I think. Not worth worrying about." HISAO: "Tell that to the nurse. He's quite insistent that you visit him, you know." Emi pouts like I've just told her she's been grounded. EMI: "He worries too much. It's not a big deal, just a little soreness." I try to resist rolling my eyes in exasperation. HISAO: "If it's nothing, then you should have no problem seeing him, right?" Emi narrows her eyes suspiciously. EMI: "Did he put you up to this?" HISAO: "Well, maybe. A little. But that's not the point. I would have reminded you to see him anyway. It would be terrible to see you really hurt and not doing anything about it. That would make it worse, and I don't really want to see you hurt, you know? Call me crazy, but I kinda would prefer to see you happy and healthy." With each statement, Emi's frown fades a little more, until eventually she's grinning, albeit a little shyly. Katawa Shoujo OST - Daylight EMI: "Well, if you're going to put it that way, then I guess I'll have to see him. Otherwise you'll keep worrying, and then I'll never hear the end of it, right?" HISAO: "That's right. I'll keep bugging you about it, and that might put a damper on our dates. “How's the food, Hisao?” “Talk to the nurse, Emi.” “How was your day, Hisao?” “Talk to the nurse, Emi.” “Hisao, I think I'm ready to go all the w—” “Talk to the nurse, Emi.” See? It doesn't work that well." Emi giggles at my high-pitched rendition of her own voice and gives me an affectionate shove. EMI: "My voice isn't that high, jerk."  RIN: "I thought it was pretty accurate." Emi and I stare at Rin for a while before I burst into laughter. Emi crosses her arms and huffs, mock-offended. EMI: "You're both jerks." HISAO: "Such vile calumnies from you, young woman. I'm stunned that you would call me, of all people, a jerk. Honestly, I just... I don't know what to think." Emi sticks her tongue out at me. EMI: "You rear end. So Rin, how's the art club these days?" Rin, seemingly as surprised by this sudden change of topic as I am, takes a minute to think before answering. RIN: "I believe it is okay. Although Nomiya keeps telling me to work harder. But I don't think he understands my methods." EMI: "He always struck me as slightly creepy." Rin ponders this statement for a while. RIN: "I've never really noticed. But I don't pay much attention to him most days, so maybe that's why." HISAO: "How often do you meet?" EMI: "Thinking of joining, Hisao?" HISAO: "What? Nah, I've already decided to join a club." EMI: "Really? Which one?" HISAO: "Well, it's not really much of a club, to be honest..." EMI: "Oh, you joined the tea club?" HISAO: "No, I uh... joined the science club... I think." Emi looks highly confused. EMI: "We have a science club?" HISAO: "Er, not really. It's just me." EMI: "Hisao, that's not a club. That's sitting in your room reading books." HISAO: "No, I mean it's just me and Mutou. I'm just the only student so far." EMI: "Mutou? Really?" A thought strikes her. EMI: "Oh, is that what you were talking about yesterday? Your meeting with Mutou?" HISAO: "Yeah, that was our first meeting, I guess." Emi giggles. EMI: "Nerd." HISAO: "Hey, I can't help being clever." EMI: "You know, I could have used your help years ago. You should've had your heart attack earlier in life, Hisao."  I laugh, and then realize this is probably one of the very rare times I've laughed about my heart attack. HISAO: "Hindsight..." EMI: "Yeah..." The ringing of the bell ends our conversation. HISAO: "Hmm, guess we'd better go." EMI: "Yeah, I guess so. Come on Rin, you too." Rin has apparently begun to doze off, so Emi gives her a sharp bump. RIN: "I almost had it." EMI: "Sorry, but you need to go to class." RIN: "I disagree, but maybe if I nap in class I'll get it this time. Changing location is sometimes helpful for that kind of thing." Neither Emi or I bother asking what “it” is. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 20:58 on Aug 24, 2021 |
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Jul 12, 2021 20:04
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Carpator Diei posted:The bolded part shouldn't be in the dialogue box. Thanks man, done. Decoy Badger posted:I'm going to guess that once this shows up for the third time things will escalate to the crisis point. Rule of three and all. I get the impression it’s usually a LOT more formulaic. And horny; there are multiple genres of visual novel listed on Wikipedia defined by how common and how intense the sexual content is. Speaking of which: cuttlefish in a couple hours. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 17:40 on Jul 14, 2021 |
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Jul 14, 2021 17:37
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Update 28: Up, Down, and Up AgainWARNING: This post contains the LP’s first sex scene (appropriately censored, of course). (Silence) As we arrive at my classroom, Emi gives me a quick kiss and heads down the hallway, Rin in tow. Katawa Shoujo OST - The Student Council (Shizune’s Theme)  I turn to enter the classroom, to be met by the duo of Shizune and Misha. SHIZUNE: "..." Misha seems to be fighting a losing battle to keep from breaking into a fit of giggles while she translates Shizune's latest rant. MISHA: "While we are pleased, nay thrilled, to see how well you've managed to make new friends and forge relationships - and with such a cutie too, Hicchan~..." I think that last part was probably Misha. SHIZUNE: "..." MISHA: "We nevertheless feel compelled to politely remind you that public displays of affection are strictly forbidden - really? That's disappointing, Shicchan - by section eight of the code of conduct laid out in the student handbook." SHIZUNE: "..." MISHA: "In this case, however, ignorance of the law may be your excuse, as we are feeling lenient..." SHIZUNE: "..." MISHA: "...and the paperwork required to punish the both of you would only add to the already mountainous volume of work which confronts us, the sole members of the Student Council - and besides, you two are adorable together~!" SHIZUNE: "..." MISHA: "Therefore consider this a formal warning, and please refrain from such displays in the future. At least when Shizune can see you, Hicchan~!" This whole spiel is so patently ridiculous that I can't help but reply in the same pompous manner. HISAO: "Well, I for one feel enlightened. I apologize profusely for my rash actions and will strive to contain my baser impulses which, I fear, impel me toward such inappropriate displays of public affection. It is hardly my wish to burden an already overworked Student Council with such petty matters, and will do my best to make your lives easier in this matter in the future. At least, when Shizune's watching." This last line is delivered with a wink to Misha, who finally loses control of her laughter. MISHA: "Wahaha~! Well said, Hicchan~!" Chuckling a little myself, we enter the classroom. (Silence) Class is uneventful, and after the final bell rings, I find myself alone with Mutou again. Katawa Shoujo OST - Everyday Fantasy  MUTOU: "So, it looks like we've all assembled for the second meeting of the Science Club. Or is it the first? What do you think, should we count yesterday as a meeting?" HISAO: "Well, we did form the club yesterday, didn't we? That seems like club business, so we can safely call yesterday a meeting. Mutou smiles in his usual stilted and awkward way. I wonder if the muscles in his face are just not shaped correctly to let him smile naturally. MUTOU: "You really do have a knack for this, I think. Logical thought processes, that is." HISAO: "I guess so?" MUTOU: "A scientist speaks with authority, Hisao. The answer here is “Yes, I do.” When the world wants to know how it works, we tell it. Even if all we've got is a decent hypothesis. But we must sound certain anyway, because we're the authorities on the subject, right?" He chuckles, to go along with his awkward smile at his awkward joke. I'm doing my best not to grimace, but I don't think I'm being too successful. MUTOU: "That's entirely false, of course.”  MUTOU: "We know a lot, sure, but nobody's an expert on how the world works, if only because nobody can be sure. With no certainty, there are no experts. But we like to pretend, sometimes." HISAO: "There's some things we can be certain of, right?" MUTOU: "Yes... but no. We know gravity's there, for example." To illustrate, Mutou picks up a pencil and drops it. MUTOU: "See? Still there. But it's good to check every once in a while. That's why you'll still see researchers mucking about with gravity. We're pretty sure we know how it works, but there's always a chance that something isn't how we think it is. So you check, and check, and check. That's science in a nutshell, Hisao." The whole time I've listened feeling rather spellbound. Mutou seems to really be passionate about this stuff... I think. It's hard to tell, sometimes. How the world works... How humans work. How the universe works. All these questions to be answered. And, depending on what I go into, maybe I could even figure out a way to fix my heart. That said, I don't think that's a real priority for me. Besides, as we start discussing the book he gave me yesterday, I find myself more and more interested in that than my heart condition. Before we even realize it, an hour's gone by. MUTOU: "Well, let's call this meeting over for now, okay? We'll have another meeting... tomorrow, or uh... the day after." He considers this for a moment. MUTOU: "Call it the day after. I've got a lot of grading to do." HISAO: "Okay. See you then." (Silence) As I exit the classroom, I realize that I don't really have anything to do tonight. Emi and I didn't make plans, so... I guess I'll go to the library. It beats doing homework in my room, anyway. Katawa Shoujo OST - Fripperies The library always seems cooler than the rest of the building. Probably to keep the books from getting damaged by excessive heat and humidity. Books are sturdy objects, but if you want to keep them in good condition it takes a little effort. I've got several books that are so well-worn the pages are barely clinging to the spine. It seems impossible for them to still be usable, but if you handle them with care... I make my way to the main desk, where I spot Yuuko busying herself with something or another. She smiles at me as I enter and waves.  Can’t tell if this sprite looks cute or unnatural. YUUKO: "Hello, Hisao. Good to see you again! What are you looking for this time?" HISAO: "Nothing in particular, I guess. I just didn't really feel like going back to my room, is all." Yuuko nods. YUUKO: "Well, if you're unoccupied, maybe you could help me look for something?" HISAO: "Sure, what do you need?" (Sudden Silence) Yuuko brings a finger to her lips and looks around furtively. She seems to be looking for eavesdroppers. YUUKO: "Come closer." I take a few hesitant steps forward while feeling distinctly unnerved. Yuuko lowers her voice to a confidential whisper.  YUUKO: "I'm on the trail of the Yamaku Cat Burglar." HISAO: "The what?" Katawa Shoujo OST #19 - High Tension YUUKO: "Shh! The walls have ears, Hisao! Or they might. But listen! Those missing books, remember them?" HISAO: "Er, yeah?" YUUKO: "Well, they weren't missing! They were stolen! I'm convinced of it!" HISAO: "I remember you saying something of the sort earlier, but how do you know?" Yuuko leans in closer and, if possible, whispers even lower. YUUKO: "Because I found one of his hiding places!" HISAO: "You did what?" Yuuko looks triumphant. YUUKO: "Found one of his stashes! It was under one of the stairwells in the boy's dorm! Three books I'd been looking for, all there! I'd suspected a thief before, but this proves it!" HISAO: "So did you take back the books?" Yuuko looks as if I've just suggested she walk around naked. YUUKO: "Are you nuts? He can't know I'm on to him! He might go to ground and evade capture!" HISAO: "Uh... huh. So what do you need my help with, then?" Yuuko casts another glance around the library and leans in closer. YUUKO: "You've got to spy for me." HISAO: "Spy?" YUUKO: "Yeah, like when you're in the dorms, you know. Keep an eye out for suspicious activity." What constitutes suspicious, anyway? I mean Kenji's a pretty suspicious dude, but I'll wager he barely goes to class, much less sneaks into the library to pilfer books. Still, what's the harm in saying yes? At the least it'll get me out of this weird conversation. HISAO: "Yeah, I can do that. No problem." Yuuko straightens up and claps excitedly. YUUKO: "Great! Now, hurry up and talk about something else in case someone comes in!” Katawa Shoujo OST - Katawa Shoujo OST - Generic Happy Music YUUKO: "How's the school treating you?" HISAO: "Er, pretty well, actually. I've been running in the mornings with—" YUUKO: "Emi Ibarazaki, right?" HISAO: "Uh, yeah. How'd you know?" YUUKO: "I served you two in the teahouse, remember? I deduced that if you were going to run with anyone, it would probably be her." She looks pleased with herself. HISAO: "Impressive. Anyway, yes. We've been running in the mornings. And uh, we kinda started dating." Yuuko claps her hands together excitedly. YUUKO: "Really? That's great! I'll bet you two are great together! I love seeing people find one another like that, you know? I even thought to myself when you walked into the Shanghai that one time, “I wonder if that kid will wind up with one of those girls.”" HISAO: "...Really?" Yuuko doesn't seem to notice my somewhat weirded out tone and nods affirmatively. YUUKO: "Yup! I could tell that you'd wind up with one of them, you know. I've got an eye for that sort of thing. Of course..." Her expression droops slightly. YUUKO: "I'm not so good at it myself." HISAO: "Aw, I'm sure that's not true." YUUKO: "Oh, it's true. I met this guy once... We got along really great, but it turned out he was younger than me. And that was kinda weird, but not terribly so.”  YUUKO: "What was really weird was that he disappeared one day, and I've not seen him since then." HISAO: "Huh. That does seem kind of odd." YUUKO: "Doesn't it? I hope it wasn't something I did..." I feel compelled to reassure her. HISAO: "I'm sure it wasn't." (Sudden Silence, Buzzing Sound Effect) I intend to try and calm her down further, but the both of us jump in surprise at the ringing suddenly coming from my pocket. Yuuko sighs to steady herself as I pull the phone from my pocket. I feel a little sheepish for indirectly causing the incident.  HISAO: "Emi? What's up?"  EMI: "Oh thank God I haven't called your phone before so I didn't know if this number would work or whether you would pick up and I can't—" Katawa Shoujo OST - Stride HISAO: "Woah there Emi, slow down. What's wrong?" There's a pause on the other side of the line, during which I can hear Emi trying to control her breathing in order to calm down. Something's got her terribly agitated, and it's starting to agitate me. EMI: "Can you just...”  EMI: "Can you stop by? Like, now? Or shortly after now? I really, really need to talk to you." There's a tone of pleading in the last sentence that I don't think I've ever heard from her. HISAO: "Of course, I'll be right there. Hold steady, okay?" In my increasingly agitated state I've apparently started saying things that don't quite make sense. EMI: "Okay. I'll be okay." HISAO: "See you soon." I press the button to end the call before slipping the phone back into my pocket, apologize to Yuuko for running off, and run off. Perhaps at some point I would have stopped to think about the time, or how suspicious it looks for a guy to enter the girls' dorm at this hour. Except right now I'm just concerned with getting to Emi and finding out what's wrong and how I can help her. I knock on the door and am greeted with a subdued “Come in.” Something is very wrong as I stare at the scene before me. Emi's there, yes. But she's in a wheelchair. And her legs are missing. I glance around the room and see them sitting in a corner, looking like they've been thrown there.  Emi responds to my entrance with a lopsided grin that is both pleased to see me and completely, utterly heartbroken. EMI: "Hi, Hisao." It looks like she's been crying, but if she was, she's stopped now. I notice that I'm a little out of breath, having taken the stairs two at a time in order to get here. My heart doesn't seem to mind the strain, though. I file this happy fact away for later consideration. Like when I am not staring somewhat dumbstruck at my girlfriend in a wheelchair. Realizing I've still not responded to her greeting, my brain lurches into gear. HISAO: "Emi? What happened?" EMI: "Guess I should've listened to you, Hisao.”  EMI: "My leg's got a nasty infection. I'm not allowed to run on it for at least a couple of weeks." She gives a bitter laugh that shouldn't be coming from her. EMI: "Heh, I can't even walk on it. I could have used a crutch and kept one of my legs, but I didn't see the point. Why hop? You can't run on one leg. At least this way I can still, I dunno, roll fast or something." HISAO: "Y-yeah, that's good, right?" My awkward attempt to look on the bright side seems appreciated, but not really effective. Emi shrugs again. EMI: "It's just... kind of a nuisance. I mean, we can't even eat up on the roof now. No wheelchair access." HISAO: "Yeah, but that's not a big deal, right? I mean we can still eat together, and that's the important thing." That lopsided grin again. It hurts to look at. EMI: "I suppose so, yeah. But like I said, it's a nuisance. I mean, I haven't really used a wheelchair in..." She thinks for a minute. EMI: "Maybe seven years? Something like that, anyway. A long time. I'm afraid I'm a bit out of practice." (Silence) HISAO: "Well, fortunately it's only temporary, right?" Emi nods. EMI: "Oh yeah, of course. It's not like I've lost 'em permanently. But it's a pain in the rear end all the same." I nod sympathetically. There's not much else I can do, after all. What am I gonna do, say “I told you so?” Although I did tell her to get that leg looked at. But by the time I noticed, it was too late anyway. HISAO: "Do you need help with anything? Er, that is, can I help with anything?"  Emi shakes her head and there's a bit of her usual grin back. EMI: "Nah, I can manage fine by myself. Although if you want to help me over to my bed, it would save me the trouble of rolling over there myself." I blush, in spite of myself. Katawa Shoujo OST - Letting My Heart Speak Emi giggles. EMI: "You're such a prude, Hisao." HISAO: "I'm not a prude! I just wouldn't want to take advantage of a young woman such as yourself. It's ungentlemanly." I wheel Emi's chair to her bed, and easily scoop her up and deposit her there. She quickly sorts herself out and sits on the side. She's actually a little heavier than she looks. It would be rude of me to observe this aloud, of course. HISAO: "Man, you're kind of heavy." (Smack!) Emi hits me with a pillow. EMI: "rear end." HISAO: "Just sayin', is all. Must be all that running." At the mention of running Emi's grin falters slightly. EMI: "Heh, well I guess I won't have to worry about that for a bit, huh? Maybe I'll lose some weight." HISAO: "That's what you do to lose weight, right? Cease physical activity?" EMI: "I'm pretty sure that's what the nurse would recommend." HISAO: "Speaking of which, are you going to still be showing up in the mornings? I'd hate to run alo—" EMI: "Ah, poo poo..." Emi's sudden interjection, more a disquieted muttering than anything too profane, causes me to look over in shock. She's leaning forward, trying to cover the fact that she's crying by covering her eyes with a hand. Of course, the subdued sobbing makes it pretty obvious that she's crying. HISAO: "Hey, I'm sorry. Forget I said anything, okay?" I place a hand gingerly around her and pull her close. I can think of nothing else to say or do. How do you comfort someone who's just lost their legs again? Emi wraps me in a hug and stays that way for a while. HISAO: "Sorry. I'm pretty bad at this whole comforting thing, I guess." EMI: "Don't say that. I'm fine, really." Her voice is slightly muffled by my chest. I pat her head reassuringly. HISAO: "That's the spirit, right? You'll get through this fine, I know it. Besides, I'm here to help you, remember?" Emi lifts her head and stares at me with tear-stained eyes. EMI: "Can you? Can you really?"  She's grinning lopsidedly, and something sparkles in her gaze. I can't tell if I'm being mocked or not. HISAO: "Of course. I mean sure, you're a bit heavy, but -" Mmph! My witty comment is cut off by the sudden press of Emi's lips on mine. I'm caught off guard, and am rewarded by hitting my head on the wall behind her bed. HISAO: "Ow." Emi pulls back, trying to look concerned rather than like she's about to laugh. EMI: "Are you okay? Sorry!" I rub my head ruefully and grin back at her." HISAO: "Caught me off guard, there. Is that going to become a habit? Am I going to be lectured by Shizune and Misha more?" At the mention of the duo, Emi giggles. EMI: "Honestly, those two... If I didn't know why, I'd be utterly confused as to why she hangs around with someone so bossy." HISAO: "Which one are we talking about?" EMI: "You know exactly which one, Hisao. Misha's hardly bossy." HISAO: "So what's the reason, then?" EMI: "Huh?" HISAO: "The reason why Misha hangs around Shizune." Emi waves my question off with a smile. EMI: "No idea." HISAO: "I see." EMI: "Anyway, you seem to be forgetting the original question, don't you?" HISAO: "Oh yeah, I guess I am. You wouldn't mind giving a guy a little warning, would you? Otherwise I'm liable to wind up with a concussion." I emphasize the point by rubbing at the back of my head. Emi giggles madly. EMI: "You could wear a helmet. Some kids here do, you know." (Sudden Silence) HISAO: "Or I could just take revenge!" I grab a pillow from beside me and whack Emi over the head.  Emi topples off the bed and lands on the floor with a thump. Her arms promptly reappear on the bed, and she manages to pull herself back up. She really has a surprising amount of strength in that little body. Her face is turned downwards and away from mine, making me think I might have accidentally hurt her. HISAO: "Emi? You okay? You didn't hit your—" A hand shoots up and grabs my collar. She pulls me in with a sharp tug, her face now barely an inch away from mine as she grins cheekily. HISAO: "Emi...?" She gives me a sharp headbutt, our foreheads making quite a loud thud. I sit back and rub my now sore head as Emi smirks victoriously. EMI: "How's that for revenge?" HISAO: "No fair! You can't take revenge for revenge!" For someone missing most of her legs, Emi's surprisingly agile. I swipe at her, but she deftly rolls out of the way and lands a hit with her pillow. Of course, the odds are against her. I can stand up, for starters. Oof! Guess I can't, after all. Emi seems to have effectively tripped me up, and is now sitting primly astride me as I lay on my back. I'm not even sure how she managed it.  EMI: "I win!" Her eyes twinkle mischievously. I've been thoroughly defeated, and by a girl that's a fraction of my size, at that. Then again, being defeated doesn't seem quite so bad. Emi being positioned over my waist isn't something that I, or my body, can ignore easily. I open my lips to speak, but Emi's head darts downwards before I can get so much as a word out. I give no resistance as she presses her mouth to mine, not that I'd want to. This is... different, somehow. She pulls back, nips at my lower lip, and reinitiates the embrace. Her tongue darts inside my mouth, exploring. I can feel a warmth spreading through my body as my heart begins to beat faster. My mind starts to go foggy, and I become vaguely aware of my hand traveling up Emi's blouse… Katawa Shoujo OST - To Become One Guess what time it is? That there is the sex scene theme, and this is how I’ll be representing them in the LP. First off, if you disable adult content, instead of  , you see…… Photography. In this case, cuttlefish. And yes, this is a screenshot, the screen fades to pink and this image throbs on the screen for a second or two before switching back. In future updates, I'll lead in with the theme, post the picture, and include a brief worksafe(ish) description in spoiler tags. To whit: Emi challenges Hisao on who will blush first. They partially strip and awkwardly but enthusiastically make love. It tires both of them out a bit. Exciting, wasn’t it? Future scenes will give us more characterization, and I’ll discuss that when it comes up, but this one could be safely be wrapped up in a couple sentences. But yeah, that’s the first sex scene! Anyway, let’s get back into –  – whoa, topless. I disabled adult content! This screenshot contains visual proof! But we still get an eyeful here, enough that the ordinary pause box doesn’t even cover all of it up. I guess you can only take so much H out of an H-game. That sprite sticks around for the rest of the scene, too. EMI: "So... did I blush?" HISAO: "I didn't notice. Did I?" Emi shrugs, still breathing a little heavily. EMI: "Didn't notice either." HISAO: "Well, maybe we should—" Katawa Shoujo OST - Katawa Shoujo OST - Generic Happy Music RIN: "I need to use your window." She just… Waltzes in, face blank. My first instinct is to hide, but then I realize that I'm still utterly exhausted and sitting next to a topless Emi, so there's no running anyway. Rin's eyes pass over Emi, and me, and focus on the window. RIN: "There was a cloud." EMI: "A cloud?" Rin nods. RIN: "I was watching it from my window, but it didn't stay in my window. So I need to use your window." Emi shifts a little, causing me to cough in order to cover up a giggle of my own. EMI: "How long do you need the window for? We're uh. Busy." This time I can't contain my laughter. Rin ignores both Emi and me and peers out the window. Her shoulders slump, and she looks disappointed. RIN: "Hmm. It changed into something else. Disappointing." Emi is having trouble keeping a straight face. EMI: "Sorry to hear that, Rin. Could we have a little privacy now, please?" Rin shrugs, as if to say “Can you?” and hooks her foot around the door, pulling it closed behind her. We both dissolve into raucous laughter, unable to deal with Rin's bizarrely timed visit any other way. After our laughter dies down, I look to Emi. We're both a total mess. (Silence) HISAO: "Well." Emi raises an eyebrow. EMI: "Well?" HISAO: "Again?" Emi grins and laughs, and then she nods. EMI: "We should probably ditch the clothes, this time." And SCENE. Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 02:50 on Sep 2, 2021 |
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Jul 14, 2021 18:50
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| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 11:20 |
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I just finished typing up the rest of Act 3 and Act 4 and… gently caress, I forgot how intense this game gets . Piece of advice: if you find a piece of music you don’t recognize in the next few updates, listen to it.
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Jul 16, 2021 01:57
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