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I completely forgot the record scratch bit was in this route and it was probably the funniest thing to come out of an interaction with Kenji.
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Oct 18, 2021 20:22
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| # ? Jun 11, 2024 19:23 |
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fyi just say deaf/Deaf. Mute is not a great word to be using. I've noticed people here using that word in combination with deaf.
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Oct 18, 2021 21:23
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This last Kenji scene is actually fairly interesting, because it's a rare glimpse at the toll Kenji's warped mindset takes on him. He lives in a hell of his own making, torturing himself with paranoia and conspiracy theories (and we haven't even fully explored the worst thing he's done to himself). In a fictional work like KS, it's kind of tragic, but in a real-world context, where people like Kenji do a lot more harm than just mildly annoying a high school student, there's a certain cold comfort to be taken in knowing that they're torturing themselves, as well as everyone else.
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Oct 18, 2021 21:48
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Marluxia posted:fyi just say deaf/Deaf. Mute is not a great word to be using. I've noticed people here using that word in combination with deaf. That… Is something I should have spotted and discouraged  . Anyway, consider the National Association of the Deaf’s page on terminology required reading going forward; that’ll catch you up.
Falconier111 fucked around with this message at 03:51 on Oct 20, 2021 |
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Oct 18, 2021 22:54
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Yeah, that's fine. The game was using "mute" so I think people here picked up on that.
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Oct 18, 2021 23:23
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EclecticTastes posted:This last Kenji scene is actually fairly interesting, because it's a rare glimpse at the toll Kenji's warped mindset takes on him. He lives in a hell of his own making, torturing himself with paranoia and conspiracy theories (and we haven't even fully explored the worst thing he's done to himself). In a fictional work like KS, it's kind of tragic, but in a real-world context, where people like Kenji do a lot more harm than just mildly annoying a high school student, there's a certain cold comfort to be taken in knowing that they're torturing themselves, as well as everyone else. That's hardly a comfort. In a room full of real-world Kenji's several of them are going to lash out and hurt someone eventually. Bitches, man, they had it coming. I forgot that this scene with Kenji was in Shizune's route and not Lily's. I think it's the most relatable moment between Kenji and Hisao, which isn't saying much, but I remember almost nothing of Kenji in either Lily or Rin's route.
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Oct 18, 2021 23:42
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raifield posted:That's hardly a comfort. That is what the phrase "cold comfort" typically means, yes. I think whoever was doing Shizune's route had some manner of soft spot for Kenji, hence the greater focus on him compared to the other routes, including those CGs of his eyes. Though it's kind of thematically appropriate, if you view Shizune's route as "seeing some depth in a character who comes off as less than likeable at first". Doesn't exactly help Kenji as much as it does Shizune, but the parallel is there.
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Oct 19, 2021 00:13
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No further Kenji discussion, please. That’s a thread rule for a reason, after all.
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Oct 19, 2021 00:14
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So I did say I'd throw together a post on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. ME/CFS is characterized by constant pain and fatigue, with exertion causing flareups and crashes that can render sufferers bed-bound after activities as subjectively mild as taking a shower. Doctors don't know what causes it, there are no diagnostic indicators beyond pain and fatigue, it's degenerative, and there is no known cure. The fact that I was able to find an actual CDC page about it gives me some hope, though, because ten years ago the only source I ever saw that didn't think sufferers were making it up was an episode of House. (Ten minutes of googling later, I was mistaken, that was about fibromyalgia, which has basically all the same symptoms, the same lack of cause, diagnostic indicators, or treatment, and is a different thing because  ) (So basically I could have FMS instead, I don't know.)My case is thankfully mild, but as I sit here I have a moderate pain running from one bicep across my shoulderblades to the other bicep. I have had it all day, and likely longer, but I don't bother to remember longer than that. If asked to rate my pain, I would say a 2 or 3. Distracting, but not debilitating. The fatigue is where I drew the short straw. To put this in terms I understand, picture a videogame with a stamina meter. You can still perform strenuous actions when the meter is empty, but it will damage your maximum stamina until you take a good long rest. Have a bath, a good meal, and a solid amount of sleep. That doesn't work for me. On top of my stamina regeneration being slower than normal, I overexert myself and I'm not getting that stamina back, ever. (Couple this with my ADHD taking random chunks out of my MP and I count myself lucky I didn't get the trifecta and have a DoT like diabetes or something) Given that I only learned of the existence of this Damned Disease (A common epithet from sufferers) well after I had already overexerted myself repeatedly, I need to do a lot of managing my time and energy. Physical work needs to be broken up with breaks where I can just get my breath back and evaluate my remaining energy and what I can feasibly get done without injuring myself. Even physical entertainment like riding a bike needs me to stay cognizant of my energy levels and head back when I hit "bingo fuel." Some ME/CFS sufferers have flareups during mental exertion, I'm fortunate that's not part of my presentation, the ADHD makes it hard enough. These two afflictions combined result in a situation I dread explaining to a potential employer. At my most pessimistic I consider myself unemployable. This rarely lasts because one of the mixed blessings of my ADHD is that emotional states don't last much longer than my focus does. I could easily do creative work, I stopped writing this post three times to add to a google doc I keep all my random ideas in. But I lack the skills to move my ideas out of the realm of possibility. (I know fragments of five programming languages and bits of four different artistic mediums.) IT support would probably be the least likely to cause any serious clashes with my medical issues, but I doubt I could get much further than helpdesk due to the focus it would require learning a major language or technology.
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Oct 19, 2021 07:35
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SimplyUnknown1 posted:I assume he's talking about those old-fashioned glass milk bottles that used to be delivered door to door. At least, that's what comes up when I google-search 'milk jar'. Also, Kenji really does need some sleep. Those bags under his eyes shouldn't be that dark. Mix. posted:Some of the grocery stores around here (Midwest US) actually still sell milk in glass jars That makes more sense. I was imagining a mason jar of milk or something.
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Oct 19, 2021 07:38
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Disability Corner: Ivar the Boneless If you talk about disabled people in history, you’ll often hear people comparing how modern society treats disabled people to previous societies deeply favorably. You’ll get horror stories about accusations of witchcraft and cursing lepers or whatever contrasted with accessibility ramps and sign language, often with the implication that in our enlightened era, we treat disabled people far more humanely than our brutal, barbaric ancestors. But as we’ve covered in the thread, we don’t really treat disabled people humanely today, and people of the past weren’t always inhumane, either. I mean, we’re definitely better about it, but when you look through the records you get everything from caring for those unable to care for themselves being seen as a religious duty to disabled professionals earning their living well enough to blow past the time’s average lifespan to Neanderthals taking care of people who couldn’t contribute, we have evidence of disabled people decidedly not getting shafted by the people around them. Like Ivar the Boneless, an infamous Viking warlord. Ivar was definitely based on a real person, the chief commander of a large force of Scandinavian warriors that landed in England in the mid-800s. The locals weren’t exactly strangers to major Viking raids, even ones big enough to defeat full armies in pitched battles, but this was the first time they’d come with a force large enough to actually campaign. After a decade of constant, bloody warfare and frequent Viking victories, Alfred the Great FINALLY managed to check them and get them to settle down; they took over a good half of England, soon known as the Danelaw, and ruled it surprisingly well for a half-century before the English kicked them out. Ivar himself disappears from the record in the wake of their victory, probably because he died. Some historians think he’s also Imar, the leader of a similar army in eastern and northern Ireland at about the same time. At this point, Ireland had been both raided and settled by Norsemen for the better part of a century, and he fought Norse settlers and native Irishmen until he took over Dublin and founded a dynasty that controlled huge swaths of land on both sides of the Irish Sea, at least when they weren’t killing each other. We don’t know, though, because while the dates and actions line up, there’s too many details that don’t quite add up to be sure they’re the same person. Or to prove basically anything about him. See, Dark Ages or not, we have plenty of sources that mention him. Trouble is, those sources are English and/or Irish chronicles and manuscripts (which say he’s a monster) and Scandinavian sagas and histories (which say he’s the best thing ever). The only people who didn’t get their information fifth-hand don’t describe him beyond “he’s a Viking leader and he killed a bunch of people”, so we don’t know how closely that guy lines up with the one that shows up in various sagas. He’s a big question mark, which is why I put the based on a true story disclaimer earlier. So, instead of just citing Wikipedia and calling it a day, I went through those sagas (and a couple other sources too) to get a better idea of who were talking about.
So why am I talking about him here? Well, he almost certainly had a disability. There are other theories out there: some historians argue his nickname refers to his cowardice (unlikely for a seasoned raider and conqueror), a mistranslation in an English source of a term that means “the Hated” (not likely that that Latin phrase made it all the way to Iceland), or erectile dysfunction (nobody’s dick is so limp people have to carry him around on a shield). But most of the sources I found present those as theories that dispute the accepted narrative, which lines up with the saga that describes him as having been “born with gristle instead of legs/bones” (leg and bone are synonyms in Old Norse, but “Ivar the Boneless” is way cooler than “Ivar the Legless” so historians tend to go with that). What that means specifically likewise has a bunch of theories around it. Most of the sources I found said he probably had brittle bone disease, something the recent Vikings series took and ran with (warning: ableist language). I’m not a huge fan of the theory – I don’t think it lines up with his behavior, and not in a “he can’t possibly have done anything” way. See, he’s frequently described as taking part in battle, but he never goes to the front line; he’s always sitting on a shield in the rear with a longbow so big he’s the only one that can pull it, giving orders and sniping literal sacred cows (they show up a lot as magic guardians that he kills because he’s just so smart). In fact, he’s never described as walking anywhere, or even standing up – he holds court from his chair whenever someone comes to him. In fact, at one point he asks his soldiers to throw him onto one of those dead magic cows as an intimidation tactic, which, uh, may not have been ideal for someone who had osteogenesis imperfecta. So I’m inclined to believe he was legless, not boneless. But ultimately, it’s not really something I can prove. And the sources I’d theoretically use to prove it? Well, there’s a thing about them. A lot of websites cite the whole brittle bone disease thing when talking about Ivar, but almost none of them actually mention who came up with idea. They treat it like the theory formed out of midair instead of something somebody developed. I had to go digging to find even a name. Turns out the source, as far as I can tell, was Nabil Shaban, a disability activist and respected actor (he showed up everywhere from BBC documentaries to Doctor Who to Children of Men). He helped put together a documentary that laid the theory out, if you want to check it out. Don’t read the comments, though. You shouldn’t be reading YouTube comments anyway, but every single comment that talks about its content attacks it by attacking him, saying he’s projecting and making things up. They say his conclusions are all bullshit because he draws almost exclusively on Icelandic sagas, which are just distorted collections of legends that only barely represent fact. Except no, that’s actually highly debatable. To compact a centuries-old argument into a few sentences, the modern conception of history as a factual depiction of events doesn’t date back very far. Histories were usually written with other goals in mind, whether the author wanted to make their country or patron look good, organize events to prove the inevitability of their religion, or just grind an axe. They weren’t afraid of inventing things to back themselves up (ever heard “the Romans make a desert and call it peace”? Yeah, Tacitus probably pulled that out of thin air). That doesn’t mean they were completely untrustworthy or anything, just that you shouldn’t treat them as inherently superior. And oral histories, which the Icelandic sagas served as for centuries? Well, just in general there’s been a recent movement to reevaluate how untrustworthy they may or may not be. The classic example for this comes out of the Australian Aboriginal oral tradition which accurately preserved events from the end of the last Ice Age, as reported by Scientific American, but the ways they preserve that information (mnemonic techniques and extensive cross-referencing) show up in just about every oral tradition – Australian Aboriginal, Native American, Homeric Greek, or, indeed, Icelandic Norse. We ARE talking about the tradition that preserved knowledge of Norse settlements in the New World for almost 1000 years before archaeology backed it up. From what I can tell, the current scholarly consensus is that you can’t trust oral tradition for dates, fine details, or things that people involved kept private, but you can trust it for broader stuff: big events, chronological order, mass movements, and the sorts of things a lot of people would have witnessed. Ivar sniping cows? Definitely in the first category. Ivar not being able to walk, riding on a shield in full view of his army and holding court in front of dignitaries while never standing up? That crosses into the second. But none of those commenters know any of this, and frankly I’m not surprised. I went to their channels to figure out where they were coming from; the vast majority showed no sign of any knowledge of historiography, at best following channels that uploaded general documentaries. But the moment they saw this video these dipshits all put on their historian hats and confidently declared it failed to meet the standards of proper history that they didn’t understand. And it’s not like the world at large had a different reaction, either. Just googling Nabil Shaban pulled up a Guardian article about the documentary; the article refers to Shaban as “a gnome-like little soul with a personality out of all proportion to the size of his socks” and spends the next several paragraphs adroitly switching between condescending to and insulting him in some real ableist ways. The author in question, Nancy Banks-Smith, was shortly offered the Order of the British Empire for her contributions to the literary culture of the United Kingdom. The rest follows that pattern. Funnily enough, most of the criticism fell on him, not the theory. Everyone from the highest critics to the lowliest Internet dwellers seems to targeted him personally as someone not worth listening to instead of attacking his ideas. So his name was effectively scrubbed from the information and it ended up free-floating on the Internet to be picked up by various other sources. The theory migrated all the way to mass media without anyone bothering to check where it came from, leaving Shaban firmly out of the picture. Anyone familiar with disability issues – or minority issues in general, really – has seen this phenomenon before: a member of an oppressed community forwards an idea or image or phrase, it catches the attention of broader society, members of broader society forcibly separate it and its creator, they rob it of any attributes that might make it uncomfortable or hard to sell, and it enters the zeitgeist either without attribution or attributed to somebody else. This erasure pervades everything from influencers peddling snake oil as “ancient Native American wisdom” to Betty Boop. Sometimes the originators get actively screwed over, too, but at least that isn’t the case here; Shaban’s spent the years since he released the documentary in 2003 building an impressive career on stage and screen, and even though he’s been disconnected from his theory, it still has enough of a presence to make it on TV. Granted, it’s highly unlikely Vikings even consulted anyone with OI, let alone consider casting a disabled actor in the role (and that article explains the issues behind it better than I ever could), so to some extent it’s cold comfort to see the idea of an influential historical figure being disabled entering popular culture. We may be present, but that doesn’t mean they acknowledge us as anything more than an abstract. But they do acknowledge us (which they don’t always do), and they acknowledge us as something that isn’t just a stereotype. And cold comfort it may be, at least it’s something, and we can use it as a platform to claw our way forward.
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Oct 20, 2021 01:45
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Update 70: When Stars Embrace (Act 2, Scenes 8-9) Katawa Shoujo OST - Raindrops and Puddles That was blunt. She ends with a chopping motion, as if passing judgment on them. I hope she's going to elaborate a little.  SHIZUNE: "..."  MISHA: "At universities and some private schools, student councils can have control over millions of yen to budget and distribute as needed! Wow~! Really? Millions? Ah, right~! And they are much more involved in school activities, too, Hicchan!" From Misha's tone, it seems like this is newer to her than it is to me. MISHA: "This school's Student Council was like a joke in comparison~! Don't give people positions of power if they don't have any power at all! What's the point~?" SHIZUNE: “[So...]" .png) MISHA: "...I wanted us to have more and more work~! It was hard to convince the school and the other Student Council members to allow it. Actually~, a lot of the work you've seen us do really is work that I took on, which is what Lilly was talking about. If it wasn't for Shicchan, the Student Council would just file attendance reports day in and day out~! Hahaha~! Would you prefer that, Hicchan? Of course, Hicchan, as soon as the workload started going up, most of the Student Council stopped coming. Wahahaha~!" SHIZUNE: "..." Shizune's fingers fold over each other carefully. It looks like she wants to add something, but she can't bring herself to. Like she said, sign language gives you a little more time to think about what you “say.” I guess she feels like she can't talk about this. SHIZUNE: “[That was then, and this is now. Let's just have fun tomorrow.]" That is what she finally settles for.  HISAO: "Yeah." SHIZUNE: "..." (Silence) MISHA: "Okay~! Then, Student Council is ad—jour—ned? for today~! It has to be adjourned excitingly, because today was a good day. Ahahaha~!" .png) School seems to be over by the time we leave the teahouse, as I can see students coming down from the school as we walk up the road towards it. A couple people wearing our school uniform look at Shizune as she walks by, and I wonder if they recognize her as the Student Council president or if their eyes are just being drawn to Misha's head. It's impossible not to overhear the chatter in the air, and the topic is more often than not plans for Tanabata. I wonder how many of them will be using or going to the stalls that I reassembled. It makes me feel a little pride, an emotion I've never felt doing something for school. Maybe this is how Shizune feels as well. I almost want to ask, but it seems stupid to want to do so. So I just hold on to the thought as the three of us walk onto campus and then separate; Shizune to the student council room, and Misha and I to our dorms. It isn't until they're gone that I realize I again didn't ask when and where they wanted to meet up tomorrow. Katawa Shoujo OST ~ Passing of Time .png) (Silence) Even though it is a holiday, I wake up at the same time as usual, on a day when everyone else is likely sleeping in for another six hours. Katawa Shoujo OST - Stride I take my morning regimen of pills for the first time in a few days. Admittedly, I'd let my medication slip my mind. Looking at the rows of bottles in front of me, I don't know how I managed to. Seventeen different medications. I feel full enough to skip breakfast after taking all of them. I'm already up, so I might as well take a walk. The weather looks nice outside, giving off an idyllic atmosphere I'd often dreamed of. It's always been kind of a romantic notion to me to be able to meander around in the countryside, taking in the fresh air. Now that an opportunity to do just that is here, I can't resist, even though I know it must seem silly. I stop at the main building in order to buy a drink, and then decide to enter it and maybe hang around on the roof a little bit. The view might be pretty cool at this time, and I'm sure that nobody else will be up there either. And I've never been up there by myself. The school is quiet today. Deserted. My footsteps echoing in the staircase to the roof are unnervingly loud. It shouldn't bother me due to how much time I've spent in sign language class in near-total silence, or working so much with Shizune lately, but it still does. It makes the smallest noises that I wouldn't have even noticed before seem boomingly loud. It feels like I'm sneaking around some place I shouldn't be. I wonder why I'm getting that vibe. Maybe the school is haunted or something. (Silence) When I open the door to the roof, I see I'm not alone. Misha leans against the fence, looking over the school grounds, not having noticed me at all. Instantly, I know what I have to do: I have to put my hands over her eyes and say “Guess who?” It's the only option. Halfway, I start thinking of how bad this would look if Shizune suddenly popped in, having left just for a second to get some sandwiches, and saw me sneaking up on Misha like this. I pray silently that such a coincidental misunderstanding doesn't happen. HISAO: "Guess who?" MISHA: "Hicchan!" She says, without hesitating for a second, without deviating even slightly from her normal tone. My fun was over before it started. Katawa Shoujo OST - Air Guitar .png) MISHA: "Hi, Hicchan! Good morning~!" She reflexively tries to move her hands to form a greeting and entangles them in the fencing. HISAO: "Good morning. I didn't expect to find you here. What're you doing up so early?" MISHA: "I could ask you the same thing, Hicchan! What are you doing up so early? I didn't expect to find you here~!" HISAO: "I asked you first." MISHA: "Hm~... you're right. Wahaha~! You sound just like Shicchan." HISAO: "No, I don't." ...I say, in the least convincing manner possible. Luckily, Misha doesn't notice what a bad actor I am. HISAO: "Are you looking forward to tonight?" MISHA: "Of course, Hicchan~! I don't like celebrations, or maybe not as much as Shicchan does, but Tanabata stands always have interesting things to buy and all kinds of seasonal food. And~! I get to wear a yukata~!" .png) Her choice of words is a little strange. It sounds like she's saying that she doesn't like celebrations, but likes doing everything involved with them. I don't know if it's worth pursuing, though, and it could be that I just misunderstood. MISHA: "What about you, Hicchan~?" HISAO: "I am, or else I'd just stay home, wouldn't I? That's the logical step." MISHA: "Ahaha~! Hicchan, you're not that logical~! So~! That's really surprising! Hm, okay, though. I was just making sure, because you didn't look like you were having a lot of fun last time. Me and Shicchan were a little worried, because of that." HISAO: "Hey, I had fun. I guess I ended up appreciating it more than I expected to." MISHA: "Really, Hicchan~? Wahahaha~! What part of it? Tell me~!" HISAO: "Well, there were fireworks at the end. They were... really nice. I think you slept through them." MISHA: "Aw~... I always fall asleep early. But~! I won't sleep through them this year! I'll definitely stay awake!" HISAO: "I don't think they have fireworks during Tanabata. It's a different mood entirely. Maybe you can get Shizune to petition them to have them, though. And to move the fireworks to an earlier time." MISHA: "Hahahahahaha~! Maybe I will~! That's a great idea, Hicchan!" HISAO: "Ah, no, no it's not! Don't do that. I wasn't being serious. Although... maybe it would annoy Shicc— Shizune." MISHA: "Wahaha~. You make it sound like you would like that, Hicchan.” .png) MISHA: "Hicchan~! Do you like Shicchan?" I can't say yes or no, and, sitting down like I am, I can't even smoothly leave. HISAO: "Don't be silly; the one I like is you." MISHA: "Ahahaha~! Really, Hicchan? Hm~! No, you're kidding, right? You must like Shicchan more." HISAO: "Misha, you jump to conclusions too much." MISHA: "But you almost called her Shicchan! So~! I'm right, right~?" HISAO: "It's because you call her Shicchan all the time. It got stuck in my head. Osmosing language is common, you know. Besides, it's one little slip-up. And by your logic, you should like her more than me. And... are you making fun of me or something?" MISHA: "Wahaha~! Maybe~. I'm hungry. Did you eat breakfast, Hicchan?" HISAO: "No. Just medicine." MISHA: "Hm..." Misha twirls her finger lazily in the air to keep her hands busy as she thinks. MISHA: "We should eat something, then~! Do you think they will be serving breakfast today?" That's really the kind of thing a member of the Student Council should know. I can't say that, though. I'm on the Student Council and don't know. HISAO: "It didn't seem like anyone was working in the kitchen when I entered the building, but I don't know for sure." MISHA: "Hey, Hicchan, have you ever heard about those vending machines that you can get food from, like burgers, soup, and even pizza? Wouldn't it be great if we had some of those at our school~?" HISAO: "I don't know, I always thought those machines were kind of weird." MISHA: "Imagine how cool it would be if we had machines like that at our school, Hicchan~! It would almost be like magic, wouldn't it? Hot food coming out of a vending machine, that's so amazing, I could never imagine that. Seeing one of those machines would be like a dream! Hm~... We don't have machines like that in this whole town, though~. It's too early to even go into town~! I won't be able to eat breakfast, Hicchan, that's the most important meal of the day. Everyone says so~! Ah, I want to eat!" HISAO: "You're really silly. If it bothers you so much, I'll buy you a soda." Misha puffs out her cheeks and puts on her serious face. MISHA: "Hicchan, a soda is not a breakfast. It's like water~." HISAO: "It's not like water, it's a liquid. Water isn't food. Liquid can be food." “Now who sounds like Shizune, Misha?” I want to say it. Even her tone reminds me of Shizune's unblinking, matter-of-fact way of stating the ridiculous. If I did say that, though, I would be the one who sounds like Shizune again. It's terrible, her competitiveness is really rubbing off on me. HISAO: "Let's look for something to eat, then." MISHA: "... Okay. Ahahahaha~!" (Silence) Predictably, our search for food in an empty school building this early in the morning leads only to failure. Misha decides to go off on her own after we both decide to give up for now, vowing to eat breakfast even though by now it's closer to time for brunch. I go back to my dorm. The following hours tick by slowly, and I pass the time by catching up on my reading. .png)  The light gradually dims as night approaches. Some of these books I haven't touched since I was in the hospital. Thinking back on it, it wasn't that long ago, even though it definitely feels like it was. A free day, and I can't think of anything to do. Katawa Shoujo OST - Raindrops and Puddles I take a short nap, and as I change for the second time today, I realize that I never actually confirmed with Shizune or Misha when and where we would meet up. I guess that eventually they would come looking for me, but I would look pretty stupid if it came to that. It's already evening, so I should at least make an effort to find them first. Even though the grounds aren't exactly flooded with people and it should be impossible to miss Misha's pink hair even if they were, I have a lot of difficulty finding them. Finally, I run into them at the front gate, which was the first place I had looked. .png) SHIZUNE: “[Hello!]" She attempts to punctuate her normal greeting with a grand little sweep at the end. .png) MISHA: "Hicchan~! How're you?" It's strange seeing them in yukata, though I've been seeing yukata in general all night. Shizune's is simple and tasteful, which seems obvious for her in retrospect. For all her grand flourishes and over-the-top behavior, I think she would rather die than dress the part. What draws my eye is the hairpin she is wearing, a pearl flower that gleams softly in the moonlight. It looks pretty on her, but in a way it also feels out of place. As if it's too elaborate for a high school girl, or maybe just for someone as secretly childish as Shizune. Misha's yukata is about what I expected, so it actually fits a little too well. Paired with her bubblegum pink hair, she looks cute, but anachronistic. HISAO: "You two look nice." MISHA: "Thanks, Hicchan~!" SHIZUNE: "..." MISHA: "Hicchan, you're a little late. We were waiting here a while for you, did you forget the time or the place? Oh well~! Let's get going, Hicchan~!" SHIZUNE: "..." Misha dropping this line of discussion saves me what could potentially be a pretty embarrassing thing to own up to; specifically, that I had been looking for them for at least an hour. Seeing Shizune and Misha looking so cheerful, it's hard not to want to fall into the atmosphere and enjoy a nice night out. What bothers me is that I'm having some trouble reading Shizune's signing tonight. I haven't been to sign language class in almost a week, so I'm not surprised. I guess having lost focus for a while, I'm slipping. It certainly wouldn't be the first time. HISAO: "Hold on, where are we going? Into town?" SHIZUNE: “[Yes.]" HISAO: "That doesn't make any sense. We haven't even checked out what's on the grounds. Unless you two decided to have fun while I wasn't looking." SHIZUNE: “[We're going to come back; we'll be working our way up.]" MISHA: "Hahaha~! Either way, Hicchan, we have to walk into town and then back up if we want to see everything. So~! This way, after we're done, we'll be right by our dorms when we're tired. It works out perfectly~!" (Silence) .png) That is admittedly logical. Shizune doesn't give me much time to argue anyway, grabbing me by the arm and lightly trying to pull me along. Katawa Shoujo OST - Ease, (Crowd Noises) .png) The streets illuminated only by the light of the moon and low lanterns tinted with tissue paper put me at ease. Now that we're in town, Shizune moves a bit more slowly in order to see the sights. So, I decide to walk more briskly in order to mess with her, but she quickly readjusts her own speed to match, letting out a soundless laugh before quickly signing to Misha with her off hand. SHIZUNE: "..." MISHA: "What do you want to do first, Hicchan~?" HISAO: "How about some games, if there are any?" MISHA: "I thought you didn't like games, Hicchan." HISAO: "I don't mind." For the second time today, I feel her slim fingers wrapping around mine. It feels like all this time, I've been pulled along by Shizune's will. Occasionally, it's quite tiring, but I think that for the most part, I wouldn't say I hate it. It's just the quality of some people to drag others into their lives, like a storm. That word fits Shizune sometimes, I think. Although I didn't want to tell Misha earlier today, I do like her. MISHA: "Hicchan, you're going to win a doll for me too this time, right~?" HISAO: "You're still thinking about that? Okay, I will." The time passes by faster than I thought it could as we run around, trying to do as many frivolous things as possible. MISHA: "Snow cones! Hicchan, do you want one~?" Misha runs towards the stand, not even waiting to hear my answer. .png) SHIZUNE: “[They look delicious, I want one too. We'll play rock-paper-scissors to see who can pay for them all.]" HISAO: "Or... we could each pay for our own." MISHA: "Hicchan~, what flavor do you want?" HISAO: "The blue one." SHIZUNE: “[Blue is not a flavor.]" HISAO: "I knew that..." SHIZUNE: “[Ordering something based on color is childish.]" HISAO: "You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry." SHIZUNE: “[You should get plain, the most mature flavor of all!]" I want to know where her personality comes from. I wonder if I would think that way if she hadn't been the first student I ended up having a conversation with on my first day here. It's entirely possible that I'd have missed the parts of her that kept drawing me in. If I didn't know that she couldn't hear me, and that she was so competitive, and so focused with getting me to join the Student Council, and so alternatingly playful and sharp... Without these constant new facets to keep my interest in her, would I have grown to like her so much? It's likely that I'm overthinking it. HISAO: "Aren't you going to make a wish?" MISHA: "Shicchan never makes wishes, Hicchan!" HISAO: "Oh really? Not even on New Year's? Why's that?" SHIZUNE: "..." Shizune tents her fingers and smiles, but won't answer. SHIZUNE: “[It's a secret.]" MISHA: "I know~! Hicchan, do you want me to tell you?" .png) SHIZUNE: "...!" HISAO: "Yes." Shizune alternates between as many forceful iterations of “no” she can think of. MISHA: "Wahaha~! I'll tell you later, okay?” (Silence, Crowd Noises Continue) MISHA: "Actually, I feel tired. I think I'm going to go to bed early~." SHIZUNE: “[Really?]" HISAO: "It doesn't feel like it's been that long." Time flies when you're having fun. MISHA: "But~! it has, Hicchan. Maybe I can visit Yuuko first, then go back? Or~... I don't know~. Well, it doesn't matter. Have fun without me, okay~?" HISAO: "We're going to go back to the school soon anyway, Misha." Misha doesn't want to hear it, and leaves anyway. Shizune starts to wonder why just as soon as I do, but while I keep it in my head, she signs it, seeming to want to discuss the possible reasons. After we're both done seeing all there is to see, I check the time, and find that it is pretty late. My energy is starting to wear off, and it's a miracle that I managed to have even this much, too. Even Shizune is starting to look a bit tired. We make our way back to the grounds. (Crowd Noises Stop, Cicada Noises) Shizune seems disappointed when she sees the school building lit up and teeming with students. HISAO: “[Something wrong?]" .png) SHIZUNE: “[I wanted to go up to the roof, but now there are too many people. I'm tired, so it might be for the best.]" HISAO: “[There are probably couples on the roof, since it's that kind of holiday. Then again, I wouldn't know. Is that how it really is? I'd never really been to any festivals before coming here.]" SHIZUNE: "..." HISAO: “[I'm disappointed, I thought you said you wanted to see what the school was doing last, like saving the best for last. Now you're telling me you don't want to? Not even a little? I thought you would have more energy. I don't feel tired.]" This seems to spark her competitive spirit, and Shizune immediately perks up, although it's then that I realize I didn't have anywhere in mind to take her, and I don't feel like going to the main building myself. Fortunately, the area behind the school is both deserted and impressive-looking today. I'd never appreciated how sprawling and well kept it was until seeing it at night. It almost seems to go on forever in the moonlight. .png) SHIZUNE: “[It's very pretty, even though it's just a field.]" Katawa Shoujo OST - Lullaby of Open Eyes I'd thought earlier that she was too immature to pull off the old-fashioned clothes she is wearing tonight, but right now, she is quite beautiful in them. It makes me think back to that day, the other festival that I went to with her. She had looked the same way then. I want to tell her that I like her. Decisively, in one go. But even thinking about it is just so awkward. And the more I like her, the more awkward and afraid I am of telling her how I feel, even now, when I could do so if I wanted without having to go through another person. Not to mention, what if what happened last time happens again? If it does, I might not get off so easily with a months-long hospital stay. I don't want to even think about it I try to shove the thoughts out of my mind any way possible. I try to dismiss them as unlikely fears. Still... The first time I had seen all of my pills, I'd imagined them cascading before me, enough of them to choke me. I still think about it from time to time. I can't say that it's not a legitimate concern. Times like these are nice enough that I can forget, though. .png) SHIZUNE: “[My favorite thing about this school is that it's on top of a mountain.]" HISAO: “[Is it because it's that much closer to the sky?]" SHIZUNE: “[Yes.]" HISAO: “[I like it too, but more because of the fresh air. You're so competitive. Too competitive. If a whale bit you, you would bite it back.]" .png) SHIZUNE: "..." That makes her laugh, and she winks. SHIZUNE: “[Would that be so bad?]" Her smile is contagious. HISAO: “[Yes.]" SHIZUNE: "..." .png) SHIZUNE: “[It's true. I'm terrible, a little. But if I can make people happy, I'm not entirely terrible, am I? Then, it's okay. I have many examples in my defense.]" Maybe even this moment is a kind of game to her. HISAO: “[That's right.]" (Silence) This is a romantic moment. I don't know if such a chance might come again, and I feel compelled to say something awkward and stupid. If I think about it too much, I doubt my hands will listen to me. HISAO: “[Do you want to be my girlfriend?]" .png) SHIZUNE: "..." I hope that I signed it properly. I feel nervous; as if I want to break into a run, yet I'm rooted to this spot. I couldn't hear a thing just minutes ago, now I'm picking up every little ambient noise. I really am nervous, and I wonder if it shows. Before, hours passed like seconds. Now, the seconds pass like eons. Then I see Shizune's hands moving unsteadily before her, fumbling over each other, stopping halfway through each gesture. It's like she said, sign language gives you an opportunity to think your words through, and she is trying very hard to do that right now. A situation that she doesn't know how to respond to. It must be unthinkable. As stoic as Shizune tries to be, she can't hide her reddening cheeks, and she's very cute and feminine like this. And it puts me at ease to know she is as nervous as I am. The thought is yet another way in which I've found myself competing with her. SHIZUNE: “[Okay.]" Katawa Shoujo OST - Romance in Andante II .png) That's a simple reply. But as soon as I think that, Shizune takes a step forward and embraces me. An unsure and careful embrace, as if I were made of eggshell, and as if she doesn't know how to hug someone. Although to be honest, it's not a subject I'm familiar with either. Her yukata is cool and silky under my fingers, but I can also feel Shizune's warmth. In the end, she thought this the best possible gesture to show how she felt. END OF ACT 2
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Oct 20, 2021 14:49
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That was straightforward.
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Oct 20, 2021 15:05
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I don't think a plain snowcone counts as a flavour, Shizune.
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Oct 20, 2021 15:10
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Ibblebibble posted:I don't think a plain snowcone counts as a flavour, Shizune. Unless she's defaulting to the idea that 'vanilla'='plain', which is very wrong. For a plain snowcone, I think that would just be ice, which doesn't sound all that tasty, even to a plain Jane like myself. It's really surprising to see how Hisao has changed from route to route. Emi and Hanako had to make the first move in their relationship for different reasons, but Hisao is the one to openly ask for a relationship this time. Though I am a little concerned about how he didn't take his medication for a few days. It's important for your health to follow doctor's orders, Hisao!
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Oct 20, 2021 15:27
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I think I got plain ice at least once as a kid because I didn't like the flavors and it was hot and I just wanted something cold. Possibly if they were out of lemon which was the only flavor I was willing to eat.
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Oct 20, 2021 15:34
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It seems Shizune's discipline isn't rubbing off on Hisao. Take your pills Hisao.
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Oct 20, 2021 15:40
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Seventeen is a lot of pills! You gotta get yourself one of those pill-organizers, Hisao. Makes it much more bearable. You can even ask your pharmacist to put it together for you! (Although, if you're under a certain age they might scold you...I'm not lazy, I just don't trust myself to remember every single pill every day...)
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Oct 20, 2021 16:06
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I only take one real med (plus some vitamins) and I still rely on a pill organizer. They're good! Also I thought that was cute and nice. It's cool to see how Hisao fits into the different context of different relationships, and how he internalizes different lessons from different people.
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Oct 20, 2021 16:12
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quote:I want to know where her personality comes from. Be careful what you wish for. Well, you'll find out eventually Hisao.
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Oct 20, 2021 17:33
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mycelia posted:Seventeen is a lot of pills! You gotta get yourself one of those pill-organizers, Hisao. Makes it much more bearable. You can even ask your pharmacist to put it together for you! (Although, if you're under a certain age they might scold you...I'm not lazy, I just don't trust myself to remember every single pill every day...) scolding people for trying to make sure they take their medications right is a bad look no matter the age ngl
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Oct 20, 2021 22:38
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Falconier111 posted:scolding people for trying to make sure they take their medications right is a bad look no matter the age ngl Truth speaking to the choir. We've had to pull many pharmicists to the side to explain the situation...that and nurse attendants...and doctors.
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Oct 20, 2021 23:18
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Falconier111 posted:scolding people for trying to make sure they take their medications right is a bad look no matter the age ngl Not to mention it just feels like you're trying to punish people for what? Being responsible? Trying to ensure they follow doctor's orders and stay healthy? Why is that something to make people feel ashamed of? It should be something to be praised, or at least recommended when you're putting someone on medication it's likely they'll have to take for some time.
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Oct 21, 2021 00:45
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Falconier111 posted:scolding people for trying to make sure they take their medications right is a bad look no matter the age ngl People reaaaaaaally hate acknowledging that a young, "healthy" looking person can be sick. "But you don't need it!" yeah well I don't "need" a lot of things but they sure do make my life more tolerable. Wheelchairs are the worst, though. Yes, I'm physically capable of walking...if I stop every few minutes to rest, otherwise I get dizzy and in the worst case, faint. But you breathe a word of "hm maybe I could use a chair for long distances?" and suddenly everyone is just so concerned that you're giving up! ...All of which to say, yeah, it is in fact a very bad look, as evidenced by the fact I'm still sulking over it months afterwards.
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Oct 21, 2021 00:49
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SimplyUnknown1 posted:Not to mention it just feels like you're trying to punish people for what? Being responsible? Trying to ensure they follow doctor's orders and stay healthy? Why is that something to make people feel ashamed of? It should be something to be praised, or at least recommended when you're putting someone on medication it's likely they'll have to take for some time. mycelia posted:People reaaaaaaally hate acknowledging that a young, "healthy" looking person can be sick. "But you don't need it!" yeah well I don't "need" a lot of things but they sure do make my life more tolerable. Wheelchairs are the worst, though. Yes, I'm physically capable of walking...if I stop every few minutes to rest, otherwise I get dizzy and in the worst case, faint. But you breathe a word of "hm maybe I could use a chair for long distances?" and suddenly everyone is just so concerned that you're giving up! And there you have it, the answer is ableism. And no, being a medical professional does not make you less prone to engage in this; in fact, there’s evidence it worsens that behavior, since they’re convinced they know better than everyone else. God, I’m trying not to get worked up and/or project my own experiences here, getting punished for bad reasons by terrible doctors is so common and traumatizing I don’t know where to go with this.
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Oct 21, 2021 03:14
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Falconier111 posted:And there you have it, the answer is ableism. And no, being a medical professional does not make you less prone to engage in this; in fact, there’s evidence it worsens that behavior, since they’re convinced they know better than everyone else.  Me neither...I also got worked up. It's probably a sore point for a lot of us.Uh ... The yukata sprites are pretty!
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Oct 21, 2021 10:17
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For a relationship that started...contentiously, that was a rather tame next step. Of course, there's more (much more) text to come.
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Oct 21, 2021 16:19
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Update 71: Force Feedback (Act 3, Scenes 1-2).png) Katawa Shoujo OST - School Days The following days pass uneventfully and with surprising quickness. I find renewed motivation to learn sign language. It seems that I have a knack for learning sign, so it would be a waste to not do it, and falling behind would be even more unacceptable. Summer break is coming up. Even though I figured that student council work would see a drop-off proportional to how lethargic my classes are becoming, it doesn't happen that way. Every day, I get swamped under increasingly meaningless work. Despite how much I want to, I don't have even a free second to talk to Shizune nowadays. Every time I look at her, her face is buried in some book of records or some stack of papers that need to be checked over in triplicate. Today, I woke up early to come to school before everyone else, hoping to catch Shizune. She has a habit of coming in first thing in the morning, to be more punctual than all the other students. Unfortunately, I think I am earlier than her. Hearing the student council room door click closed to my right tells me that isn't the case. I guess I got here just behind her. .png) I enter the room and tap Shizune on the shoulder to get her attention. Maybe she expects a conversation, which is why she puts down the carton of orange juice in her hand. SHIZUNE: “[Good morning.]" HISAO: “[Where's your better half?]" SHIZUNE: “[We are separate individuals.]" Thinking about it, they must get that quite a bit. I can think of no other way to explain how ready she was with that answer. SHIZUNE: “[You're here early. That's good, you can help me look over some handouts. They're going out later today.]" HISAO: “[I came here early specifically so I could see you without having to do work.]" SHIZUNE: “[According to Misha, being early isn't new for you.]" HISAO: “[It's not new for you either.]" SHIZUNE: “[Are you saying you want to race?]" Shizune adjusts her glasses nonchalantly, a gesture that belies how giddy she is inside about the thought of having something very petty to take competitively and seriously. I think the smaller the matter is, the more it excites her. HISAO: “[It's not a race. Do you want to make it a contest? I don't.]" I almost forget to add the last part, the most important part. SHIZUNE: “[...Well, that's fine. There are too many days left in the school year, I'd get tired of it anyway.]" With that, Shizune picks up her juice and finishes it off. I wonder if she's going to try and shoot the empty container into the trash, but she doesn't. In fact, she seems puzzled as to why I seem so disappointed. I'd better get to the point. HISAO: “[I just wanted to talk. Our break is practically here, you know. And we should spend more time together, anyway. I was thinking that we could do that over the summer.]" Shizune's face turns as red as mine must be, and she starts adjusting her glasses, flustered. What an all-purpose gesture. She taps her fingers together in thought, considering her next words carefully. SHIZUNE: “[You mean like a date?]" HISAO: “[Just because we're going out somewhere, that instantly makes it a date?]" SHIZUNE: “[It's not? I want it to be a date.]" HISAO: “[Then it is one.]" Shizune approvingly claps her hands once, before adding on to my statement: SHIZUNE: “[But not today.]” .png) SHIZUNE: “[I'm going away for a week to visit my family.]” That is an oddly formal way of putting it, and for that reason, my interest is piqued. Maybe her family is the prim and proper, traditional kind, living in a giant old-timey mansion with a little stream and koi pond, where everyone wears kimonos all the time. It's a wild assumption, but it's fun to speculate sometimes. I wonder if Shizune puts on the appearance of being a calm and mature good daughter like Lilly when she is with her family. I can't imagine it, but if there's even a possibility that it's true, then I must see it. HISAO: “[Only a week? It must not be that far of a trip, then.]" SHIZUNE: “[Of course not, they're still in Japan, after all.]" HISAO: “[Really...]" SHIZUNE: “[It isn't like you can come with me. Is that what you're trying to say?]" HISAO: “[Why can't I?]" SHIZUNE: “[It isn't like you would enjoy it.]" HISAO: “[You don't know that. It could be fun. Ah, I almost forgot: you didn't answer my question. Are you going alone, or is Misha going with you? Does your family know sign?]" .png) SHIZUNE: “[Misha is coming along.]" The part of the question left unanswered is the most telling. If Shizune's family can't communicate with her, I have to wonder what her childhood was like. She probably wrote everything on that pad she carries around and still produces out of nowhere sometimes. Usually, it's when neither Misha nor I are around. I can notice her from far away when she pulls it out like a last resort, grimacing the whole time. HISAO: “[If Misha is going, then I'm going to go, too.]" SHIZUNE: “[Do you like Misha?]" HISAO: “[It's the principle of the thing.]" I entertain the notion that Shizune might actually be jealous, but I doubt it. She usually wears her emotions pretty plainly on her face, and I don't see anything that would support my theory right now. SHIZUNE: “[I think you're just bored. That's okay, though. All right, we'll all go together. It's what I hoped for in the first place. You can't skip out on Student Council today to pack your bags, just because you're coming with us on such short notice, it's no excuse!]" HISAO: “[It's okay, I hardly have anything to pack anyway.]" Shizune pauses, tenting her fingers thoughtfully." SHIZUNE: “[You must have come to this school on very short notice.]" If she and Misha had barged into our room in Act 1, we’d get a paragraph referring to it here. HISAO: “[I did. It was kind of an on-the-spot decision. It worked out better than I expected, though.]" I hope Shizune won't pursue the matter, and to my relief, she doesn't. SHIZUNE: “[My home is in a particularly beautiful part of Saitama. We'll be leaving early in the morning, so be ready. Let's talk about it more later, okay? For now, those handouts won't look over themselves, and you're going to help me.]" (Silence) As Shizune dives into her work, pulling me along with her, I think that she seems almost, but not quite, excited to go. Katawa Shoujo OST ~ Passing of Time .png) Katawa Shoujo OST - Daylight When Shizune and Misha arrive early the next morning to pick me up, they are dressed in something other than the school uniform I've grown used to seeing them in. .png) It makes sense, since we're on holiday, but it's still jarring. Shizune's dress is sharp and fashionable, almost too much for a quiet place like Yamaku. Thinking back to what she wore at the Tanabata festival, I'm starting to notice a trend with her. All of her clothes are very tasteful and mature; very well thought out. So, then, I wonder why she herself is so immature. .png) Well, at least Misha's clothes reflect her inner self on the outside. … She’s wearing a Bush-Cheney ’04 campaign shirt. How? SHIZUNE: “[You're bringing so little.]" HISAO: "[I said I would. I said there wasn't much to pack.]" Shizune pouts and rocks her own, rather large collection of luggage with her foot as if embarrassed. Misha only has one suitcase with her, but it's almost larger than she is. She looks self-conscious about it as well. God, that suitcase is as big as a compact car. The pea green color is unsettling, too. It's like something used to transport bodies. The way they look right now makes me want to tease them a little. HISAO: "Aw, that's bad luck for you and Misha, isn't it? Having to carry those huge bags. Gotta pack light next time, like me. Everything fits into one little suitcase." MISHA: "Like James Bond~!" HISAO: "Yes, exactly like James Bond." SHIZUNE: "..." Shizune gently tugs at her glasses in concentration. SHIZUNE: “[We should split the amount we carry equally.]" MISHA: "Wow~! That's a great idea, Shicchan~!" HISAO: "What? No." SHIZUNE: “[It would benefit us all.]" MISHA: "Yup~! Wahaha~!" HISAO: "I'm going to have to say no." SHIZUNE: “[You're outvoted!]" She almost lunges forth as she signs it. Terrifying. HISAO: "Ah, well. I was just kidding. I don't mind carrying a few extra. I just thought it would be fun to mess with you both. But, if you were going to try and make me carry it all, I was going to ride that giant green case down the mountain like a sled." SHIZUNE: "..." That seems to make Shizune laugh, and she holds a hand up to her mouth to hold it back. It's like she is hiding it. I wonder if she can laugh. If not, that might be why she does that. That kind of makes me feel sad. (Silence) .png) With that taken care of, we head for the train station, and a very uneventful ride follows. Shizune and Misha manage to fall asleep almost instantly, but I find myself unable to. That's never happened before. Maybe it's my medication. Katawa Shoujo OST - Air Guitar .png) When we arrive at Shizune's house, it's quite a bit larger than I'd envisioned it would be. I don't think huge would be much of an overstatement. HISAO: "You live in a mansion?" Shizune indignantly stands up on her tiptoes so that we're at eye level, and frowns deeply, having had my comment translated to her by Misha. It's as if she's saying, “how can you even suggest such a thing?” SHIZUNE: “[This is just a normal house. Nothing as ostentatious as a mansion.]" I believe our definitions of those terms are quite different, then. MISHA: "Wahaha~. Hicchan, are you surprised? Do you want me to point out where you'll be staying?" SHIZUNE: “[I think we have a guest room, but I'm not sure if we have two. I'll check.]" MISHA: "Hm~, it's no problem, though, Hicchan~! Shicchan and I can share a room if have to. Well~, unless hers is being used for something else now." (Silence) “Not sure?” I'm starting to think Shizune doesn't spend a lot of time at home. Before I can make a joke of it at her expense, Shizune vanishes into the house, and Misha goes with her, leaving me alone on the grounds. I don't want to follow them inside just yet. I put my bag down by the front door, and take the opportunity to look around the grounds, just making a quick lap around the house .png) Even though it takes just a few minutes, when I get back the first thing I notice is that my bag is gone, and a tiny girl is in its place. She looks a lot like Shizune, although Shizune wouldn't wear red shorts and star-and-moon stockings. HISAO: "Hi! Are you Shizune's little sister or something?"  HIDEAKI: "No. I'm her little brother. My name is Hideaki. It's nice to meet you." Okay, quick interjection, because I know I’d be on guard here: yes, he is crossdressing in the kind of game that includes Kenji, but I don’t recall it ever being played for transphobia. It’s mostly treated as an unusual (but not negative) character trait for an unusual (but not negative) person, on par with Misha talking in tildes or having gigantic pink hair drills. I’m not an expert in this, though, and I’ll both point out anything bad I notice and work in any relevant commentary from people who spot things I don’t. Katawa Shoujo OST - Fripperies The voice that responds is straightforward, monotone, and also definitely male. I feel embarrassed to the point where I could almost turn around and leave right now, if I could remember my way back to the train. HIDEAKI: "Are you the second person that my sister brought with her?" HISAO: "“Brought with her?” I'm not luggage. Anyway, I'm Hisao. Did you take my bag?" HIDEAKI: "Yes, it is my right to keep anything I find on my property." HISAO: "No, it's not. That's not how it works at all." I guess even particularly well-spoken little kids believe in the law of finders keepers. Even though I call him little, he doesn't seem that much younger, now that I think about it. Maybe two or three years younger, at most. HIDEAKI: "I gave it to Shizune. It's inside. Are you on the Student Council?" HISAO: "Yeah, how did you know? Does she bring it up often?" I almost said “does she talk about it often?” That could have been bad. HIDEAKI: "Yes, all the time. Do you get along with her?" HISAO: "Get along? That's a weird question. I wouldn't be on the Student Council if I couldn't get along with her. What about you, do you two get along well?" Even though he has a monotone voice, his face is as expressive as Shizune's, and belies how he really feels. It must run in the family. Looks like he isn't happy about my question, for whatever reason. .png) HIDEAKI: "I'm sorry. I was only asking because you both act so much alike." I don't know why, but it feels like he's teasing me. Unfortunately, it works. I don't like being compared to Shizune. HISAO: "You're a lot more like Shizune, but that's to be expected. I mistook you for her little sister, even. If you don't want people to make that mistake, you should dress more appropriately." HIDEAKI: "I don't understand, my clothes are perfectly seasonal." HISAO: "What's with the stockings?" HIDEAKI: "They are cool.” .png) HIDEAKI: "You act like my sister. Eventually people will start mistaking you for her." I guess my comment hit him harder than I thought. That would explain this attempt at turning it around. HISAO: "I hate being compared to other people." HIDEAKI: "Shizune doesn't like it when she is compared to others either." I'd thought that Hideaki was a little more mature than Shizune, but they have the same competitive streak and inclination to provoke people. I wonder if he's like this because of Shizune, or if it's the other way around. HISAO: "And neither do you, right? Okay, I get it. I shouldn't be so petty." Especially to little kids. (Silence) Hideaki seems to accept this as an acknowledgment of defeat, which is something that I feel like I can't let go. Nevertheless, I'll just have to let it go while I have the chance. Katawa Shoujo OST - Everyday Fantasy I can hear Misha's laughter bouncing through the halls the moment I step through the door to the house, and follow it into what I would guess is the living room. It holds more people than I'd expected. .png) For those who can’t see it, left to right: Misha, Shizune, Lilly, Akira, Hideaki.Among them I spot a distinctive and familiar blonde ponytail. I'm more confused by why Lilly is here than surprised. Shizune seems just as surprised. Lilly doesn't look ecstatic about this chance meeting either. Sitting next to Lilly is a tall, androgynous looking woman in a sharp suit. I'd like to assume that it's her older sister, but I don't want to risk it.  LILLY: "I didn't expect that you would arrive so early." At first I think she's talking to me, but it turns out that she's referring to Shizune. I don't think Lilly even notices my presence. I've clearly walked in on them mid-conversation, and it looks like with her focus on Shizune, she couldn't hear me. SHIZUNE: “[I should have rearranged my entire schedule for you.]" MISHA: "Shicchan says: I should have rearranged my schedule just for you~!" LILLY: "That would have been nice, but I would not expect you to do such a thing." MISHA: "Oh, hi, Hicchan~! You're finally here." HISAO: "Yeah. Hello, Lilly." LILLY: "Oh, Hisao? This is quite a surprise. Akira, this is Hisao, a schoolmate. Hisao, this is Akira, my sister."  AKIRA: "Yo." She holds up her hand in a brief and quite casual gesture of greeting. So she is the older sister after all. AKIRA: "I hope we're not messing up any of your plans. Since we're only going to be here for one more day, Lilly and I thought she may as well come with me." Akira turns to me, like she feels compelled to explain. I'm grateful for that. AKIRA: "I suppose my position here would be best described as a babysitter." Akira ruffles Hideaki's hair as he carries on with his pastime of looking displeased. HIDEAKI: "That is demeaning." AKIRA: "Really? Maybe I'll change my title once you get a few more years on you. Or at least a few centimeters." They make an interesting pair, although Akira looks more like a lawyer than a babysitter. I'm still not really sure why both she and Lilly are here, though. Taking a glance around the room, there are tennis rackets, golf clubs, and even a stack of fishing poles and tackle boxes secreted here and there. Behind every chair, in every corner, and under every table there is some piece of outdoor hobbyist equipment. I pick up one of the fishing rods and play with it. HISAO: "This is a nice house. Shizune, it looks like your dad has a lot of hobbies." For a moment I forget to sign what I say, but Misha's already in the process of interpreting what I said for her. I'm still a little impressed at how automatic interpreting is for Misha. HIDEAKI: "Do you fish?" HISAO: "No, I don't know how. I kind of want to learn, as I heard it's relaxing." SHIZUNE: “[There is a river only a short drive away, my whole family knows how to fish. If you want, we could go there sometime." AKIRA: "You and Hideaki can fish? I didn't expect people your age to know, considering it's always seemed like a hobby for old men. Y'know, Lilly is great at cooking. If we had some fresh fish..." It's not hard to follow Akira's train of thought. LILLY: "If you want to eat fish, we could go to the store." Lilly's voice sounds slightly more authoritative than usual. She really doesn't seem to share her sister's enthusiasm for the idea. SHIZUNE: "..." MISHA: "It's more fun to go fishing; we could even make it like a game and try to see who catches the biggest one~! That would be exciting, right? Yeah~! Hicchan, what do you think? It sounds fun, doesn't it?" HISAO: "Yeah, it definitely could be." AKIRA: "Sounds like a plan. I don't know how to fish either, so now's as good a time as any to learn." Her eyes shift towards Lilly, who remains unmoved. This sours Akira's smile a bit, and makes me wonder why Lilly's being so obstinate about this. HIDEAKI: "I don't think we have enough fishing equipment for everyone." SHIZUNE: “[We can take turns. It'll be a team battle." HIDEAKI: "What is she saying?" HISAO: "We can take turns. She also wants to make it a contest." AKIRA: "Come on Lilly, we may as well make the most of it. So is this going to be a competition to see who can catch the biggest fish, or the most?" SHIZUNE: “[It looks like the older sister understands better, as always.] ..." MISHA: "Shicchan says that she supposes Lilly would prefer to go to the store, right~? It's much less work, so it's natural that she would! Going fishing would be more fun, though, and save money. Akira, you have the right idea~!" Akira gives a gracious, if slightly stilted, smile. Shizune's praise wasn't her goal, after all. LILLY: "... Isn't the river quite far away?" AKIRA: "I don't think it's that far, and I can drive if we have to. I'm okay with it, as long as you catch something." HISAO: "Can your car fit this many people, and a whole lot of fishing gear on top of that?" She purses her lips as her fingers subtly move, counting up the amount of passengers and the required cargo. If we're going to be taking me, Shizune, Misha, Lilly, Akira, and Hideaki... AKIRA: "Six people. drat, my car can only take five. Actually, if Hideaki sat on my lap, we could—" HIDEAKI: "I'm not sitting on your lap." AKIRA: "Aw." SHIZUNE: "..." MISHA: "Shicchan says that her father's car would be big enough." AKIRA: "What, the Fuga? If he doesn't mind us using it, then I guess we have no other choice. Feels kinda bad forsaking my car, considering I won't have it for much longer." Despite Lilly's obstinacy, and Hideaki's questions of whether or not we'd prefer to eat first than bet on a fish dinner that might fail to ever materialize, there is no way to dissuade Akira and Shizune as they agree on the transport plan. (Silence, Road Noises) .png) My expectations of a somewhat relaxing drive through the countryside are fulfilled. Akira's driving is as smooth and peaceful as the surroundings, to the point where Misha falls asleep during the trip. I thought this trip would have been rather too slow-paced for Shizune's liking, but she seems to genuinely enjoy it. Even with Hideaki awkwardly sandwiched between her and the door, she just keeps looking out of the window and smiling. (Road Noises Stop, Nature Noises) The area surrounding the river is quite beautiful. Akira and Shizune head off for the river so quickly that we have no choice but to chase them. We would be left in the dust, otherwise. .png) I can see Hideaki and Lilly are just humoring their siblings, Lilly being the more unenthusiastic of the two. Misha seems as happy as ever, though. Looks like she managed to latch onto some of Shizune and Akira's excitement. As for myself, I'd rather eat now, but the thought of fresh fish prepared by Lilly is appealing. The river is larger than I'd imagined, although very scenic and peaceful. Other than a small pier apparently built just to fish off of, this place looks untouched by civilization, and it makes me realize how much greenery I've seen lately. .png) Shizune pulls Misha away so that they can explain how to fish to Akira. Lilly and Hideaki are talking between themselves, so I decide to join the enthusiastic trio. AKIRA: "Hmm... so which one of these lures should I use then? Can I use this cute little one?" MISHA: "Wait, wait~! This is a contest, we need to pick teams first! Shicchan and I will be on one team, of course. Hicchan, you're going to be on our team too, won't you? We can be the Student Council team~!" HISAO: "Okay." AKIRA: "All right, then. That makes me, Hideaki, and Lilly on the other team. Lilly, what should we call ourselves?" LILLY: "I don't see why it matters." HIDEAKI: "I don't think it matters." AKIRA: "Team No-Enthusiasm it is..." Katawa Shoujo OST - Katawa Shoujo OST - Generic Happy Music Yet again, Akira's best efforts are rebuffed. Shizune and Misha, on the other hand, have no lack of enthusiasm whatsoever. SHIZUNE: “[Hisao! You can be our point man, please try hard to catch as many, or the biggest, fish possible.]" HISAO: "Why me? No one's even taught me how to fish yet." MISHA: "We can do that now~." After a quick tutorial, Shizune immediately tries to draw us into a discussion about the strategy in a tag team fishing competition. Somehow, competition doesn't seem particularly applicable to a sport where you spend hours sitting down and hoping a fish bites a worm. SHIZUNE: “[It looks like Hideaki got stuck with the spare rod. You know it's just a string tied to a bamboo pole, right? That means when deciding the order, you should go against him.]" HISAO: "What, why me?" MISHA: "You have the least experience here, Hicchan~." HISAO: "Yeah? So who's the best here? Shizune? Hideaki is your brother, he's probably just as good. He probably fishes all the time, since he lives closer to a lake. He might even be better." AKIRA: "Watching you three makes my head hurt. You know I'm only hearing two thirds of a conversation, right? What's this about?" HISAO: "Picking our lineup." Akira makes a troubled face. She's getting impatient, which probably isn't too unreasonable. SHIZUNE: “[If you're impatient, that only makes me more excited. Now I want to play for higher stakes.]" AKIRA: "What's she saying?" HISAO: "She wants to play for higher stakes." AKIRA: "I wouldn't be too hasty; we have beginner's luck twice over on our side, after all. The only way you'll be able to beat that is by catching a whole ocean." SHIZUNE: "..." MISHA: "This is a freshwater body of water, you marine biologist~." A weird insult, delivered with unblinking and innocent good cheer. Akira doesn't seem bothered. She laughs it off, and Shizune looks like her usual mischievous self again. I'm glad they get along. AKIRA: "So are we going to pick teams, or what? I'm getting kinda hungry..." SHIZUNE: “[Hisao, Misha, and I are on one team, and Lilly, Hideaki, and you are on the other, aren't you?]" AKIRA: "I suppose that's the most obvious arrangement. Wouldn't mixing it up a little be more fun, though? Eh?" MISHA: "Hmm~, you don't want to fish with your own sister?" AKIRA: "Well, neither of us know how to fish, so putting both of us on the same team is kinda..." Well, it sounds like I've heard something kind of dangerous. I try to change the subject before Shizune can turn that incredulous look on her face into anything more. HISAO: "So, I guess you and Shizune know each other?" AKIRA: "Sure do. We go way back." Akira throws a knowing grin at Shizune. It's not until Misha's finished translating what she's said that Shizune gains a troubled face. Akira sure is different from Lilly. Aside from how they look, she's much more informal and laid back. I expected Lilly's family to all be proper and formal like her, so this is a surprise. But, I feel like she's easy to talk to. AKIRA: "As much as I like talking about catching fish, we should probably actually do it sometime." SHIZUNE: “[Would you suggest that there should there be a lineup, like in baseball? Or should it be everyone-at-once, or a tag battle style? Can everyone sit wherever they want, or do teams have to stick together? Do we call where we fish? What fish sizes will we be counting?]" Seeing Akira groan after Misha dutifully translates for her, Shizune rubs her glasses, laughing silently. SHIZUNE: “[Never mind. Let's just fish, then. It can be an individual contest.]"
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Oct 22, 2021 16:05
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holy poo poo I was not expecting Misha's 'Bush/Cheney 2004' shirt. I had to actually stop and laugh for a solid minute. Talk about dating (heh) your VN. I didn't post for the last update but I actually really appreciate that Hisao makes the first move in Shizune's route, with the clear impetus being the competitive vibe he's gotten into the groove of with Shizune. Because of how straightforward she is and how much that has rubbed off on him, Hisao is willing to put himself out there first and that's a pretty cool difference to see. Now that we're getting to see some of Shizune's personal life and the family situation she had to grow up with... wow, I literally cannot imagine growing up around a family where no one bothered to try and learn how to communicate (sign language) with you even though you're deaf. What's that? Just use a writing pad Shizune, what's the problem why are you bothered by the fact you have to put all the effort in to communicate with your literal family? Geez.
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Oct 22, 2021 16:37
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The Bush/Cheney shirt is a reference to Japanese shirts that reference elements of American pop culture in a non-sequitur fashion, such as the punchline in this comic by a woman who taught English in Japan for a few years. Also, bit of background info regarding fan reactions, Hideaki and Akira were revealed a fair bit ahead of KS' release, and everyone immediately assumed they were a couple due to their respective clothing choices, on top of being the siblings of known rivals Lilly and Shizune. That theory was pretty thoroughly torpedoed in this scene, given that Hideaki is Shizune's younger brother, among other reasons (his age had been previously unknown).
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Oct 22, 2021 17:19
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Evil Kit posted:Now that we're getting to see some of Shizune's personal life and the family situation she had to grow up with... wow, I literally cannot imagine growing up around a family where no one bothered to try and learn how to communicate (sign language) with you even though you're deaf. What's that? Just use a writing pad Shizune, what's the problem why are you bothered by the fact you have to put all the effort in to communicate with your literal family? Geez. That actually puts Misha's relationship with Shizune in a different light for me. If even her own family refused to learn sign language for Shizune, having a friend like Misha who is not only pretty fluent, but also interested in becoming a sign language teacher must make their bond very tight. Especially since Misha is willing/able to act as an interpreter for Shizune. That being said, Shizune was likely very lonely in the past if the only way she could communicate was through the notepad. It must have made things awkward with Hideaki when he was still too young to know how to read. Poor girl.
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Oct 22, 2021 17:53
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The pink on pink Bush/Cheney 04 shirt is top tier. How'd she find that, incredible. Whoever came up with that can be proud. Also lol at Shizune going "oh its just a normal house." Just gonna reiterate that I really appreciate having all the text as text, even when it's in screenshots. It's just a lot easier to read and search.
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Oct 22, 2021 22:05
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Evil Kit posted:Now that we're getting to see some of Shizune's personal life and the family situation she had to grow up with... wow, I literally cannot imagine growing up around a family where no one bothered to try and learn how to communicate (sign language) with you even though you're deaf. What's that? Just use a writing pad Shizune, what's the problem why are you bothered by the fact you have to put all the effort in to communicate with your literal family? Geez. I've definitely known a couple of people whose family didn't bother doing that. The siblings usually ends up picking up the slack and communicating with them instead of the parents.
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Oct 22, 2021 22:23
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Tulip posted:The pink on pink Bush/Cheney 04 shirt is top tier. How'd she find that, incredible. Whoever came up with that can be proud. I've started noticing the lack of it in other SSLPs, especially super wordy ones. I don't know if it'll ever take off as a standard around here, but it'd be cool if it did.
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Oct 22, 2021 23:47
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Tulip posted:The pink on pink Bush/Cheney 04 shirt is top tier. How'd she find that, incredible. Whoever came up with that can be proud. I wanted to post this for a bit now, and it seems like a good time. I might be generalizing a bit too much from my experience being mildly dyslexic in Germany, but: There are "special" schools that are resume poison, there are people who get accommodated by home tutors/normal schools. And in some countries there is also a middle tier, which the school here is presented as. When I was young I was confused by how me and my friends were sorted into those, in retrospect all the ones that went to "special" schools were poorer/less white then me, and the only one that got sufficiently accommodated at a good school was the richest. And the most common "disability" at the school I went to was having non-native speaker parents. Now the actual "disability" (as perceived by the school bureaucracy) also plays a role, leading to an unusual angle of intersectionality deciding who goes into what tier. All the kids in the school should be about equal in outsiderness as judged by the relevant bureaucracy. This leads to my assumption that the kids who are seen as more "disabled" would be otherwise privileged, and the kids who could theoretically attend a normal school with minimal help are otherwise disprivileged. And if Hisano had lost his arms or something like that, he probably would have ended up at the worse kind of school that he imagined in the intro. Non-"disabled" students like Misha are fairly important in those middle class schools, because someone looking at hisano's resume will not immediately know for sure that he is disabled which might end up helping him a lot. Also, kudos for the text outside of screenshots from me, too. Initially it was confusing, but now I really don't want to go back.
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Oct 23, 2021 00:20
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mycelia posted:I've started noticing the lack of it in other SSLPs, especially super wordy ones. I don't know if it'll ever take off as a standard around here, but it'd be cool if it did. Speaking from behind the curtain, writing it like this is easier; I can basically just paste in the script and the screenshots separately, moving them around later if I gently caress up the order or something. Looking back, I think this difference may come down to eyestrain. Flipping between text in and out of screenshots necessarily means constantly refocusing your eyes, which slows you down and makes you uncomfortable until you get used to it - and even then the physical stress doesn’t go away, you just don’t notice it anymore. I actually kind of remember going through this process back when I first started reading LPs in like middle school, and I definitely remember people complaining about the text more in my benighted Max Gentlemen LP, where screenshots often had multiple font sizes. I think the repeated text style I use here lets a reader view the scene without breaking the flow or forcing refocusing, making things easier on your head on a physical level. In fact, that ties into - Oh gently caress, now I need to talk about the universal utility of accessibility improvements. And I was finally making real progress in the sexuality disability corner too  . Quick poll, not a vote: would you guys be more interested in reading how accessibility measures designed for disabled people almost always cause performance increases among abled users and what that says about the human organism, or about the interplay of disability, sexuality, romance, and societal expectations? I only have time for one disability corner before I start bumrushing the rest of the route and writing a route conclusion.
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Oct 23, 2021 06:53
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Falconier111 posted:Speaking from behind the curtain, writing it like this is easier; I can basically just paste in the script and the screenshots separately, moving them around later if I gently caress up the order or something. I vote for 'accessibility', also called 'the curb cut effect'.
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Oct 23, 2021 07:05
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Looking back at this in the light of morning, I really don’t have time to write a corner from scratch  . But that’s the next one on the list.Also, about next week’s updates… Normally I’d steer away from spoiling things outright like this, but I kind of need to here; if you’re uncomfortable reading about abuse, you may want to skim past sections featuring Shizune’s dad. He… Really isn’t great.
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Oct 23, 2021 20:30
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On the topic of visible disabilities, I've learned over the more-than-yearlong job hunt not to mention my autism, in the same way that I learned not to mention my depression way back when. There's just something about it that seems to make people treat me like a retard, or otherwise with very bad and weird prejudices. The company I ended up with doesn't know I'm autistic for this reason, and I don't intend to let them know for at least a year. Possibly forever.
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Oct 23, 2021 22:20
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I'd forgotten how quickly Shizune's route moves from Hisao saying "hey let's go out" to "hey take me to stay at your place over the holidays and meet your parents, that'd be awesome!"  to "hey Lilly and Akira are here too, let's all go fishing!"This is a weird route, and it gets weirder.
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Oct 24, 2021 12:54
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