Yamaku Book Club (20220124 Dish Washing)

[Mirage_GSM]

Oh yes, and another "Misha-piece"... "It all makes sense in the end"
YMMV...

[brythain]

Oh yes, and another "Misha-piece"... "It all makes sense in the end"
YMMV...

Haha, I remember that one. It's really a 'Misha' piece, not really a Misha piece, if you know what I mean.

[Skeeve]

I've always found Misha fics to be wildly divergent in tone, if for no other reason than we never really get a good look at who Misha is, once you pull back the mask of cheer. So much of who Misha really is has to be built up either from the ground or out of fanon, and the results are never quite the same. I've always found that sort of thing very interesting, although I can see why a lot of the community tends to find Misha fics polarizing, for that very same reason.

For Want Of A Nail was the first Misha fic I ever read, and it's kind of what lead me to this conclusion; Misha's a lot more shy and reticent in it than you'd expect, especially in later chapters, but it's because we're getting a peek at the girl behind the mask, so to speak.

Haha, I remember that one. It's really a 'Misha' piece, not really a Misha piece, if you know what I mean.

I get the feeling that in that route, no one is really who or what they seem. Lends credence to the whole 'everyone at Yamaku is an international secret agent' theory*, and Kenji just has really bad operational discipline.



*Thiiiiis.... may be just my theory.

[ProfAllister]

Well, hello, everyone. Been a while since I've posted anything...

Since I've been so heavily name-dropped and everything, I should probably make a showing.

This is a little difficult, since I've already spilled so many pixels discussing Misha. And, I've put a bit of a self-imposed gag order on myself, to reduce the possibility of spoiling things too much.

On top of that, the featured work is something I'm actively writing, and I tend to subscribe to the philosophy of "the author is dead." [Insert joke about it being a philosophy for interpreting, not writing :p]

That being said, I think it might be nice to focus on something that's really best suited to this forum and not really anywhere else: Comparing and contrasting the different Mishas.

Needless to say, SPOILER WARNING!

So, without further ado:

Closure - We don't get too terribly much of her, and it's based pretty heavily on Act 1 Misha, so there's going to be quite a bit of divergence. For obvious reasons, there's no hint at any questions of sexuality, nor is there much callback to any high school struggles. We've got Surface!Misha, aged up a few years, following a (disturbingly common) Shizune pregnancy death. Sadly, not as up to date on the details with this one, since it's been so long since I read it, but it's definitely the most divergent by far.

Blame - There are some issues here, but the characterization of Misha is relatively solid (certainly stronger than Hisao's bizarre behavior). Following as an epilogue, it sticks with what had been established, and builds form there. Again, for the obvious reasons, it doubles down on Misha's sexual confusion/uncertainty. One of the most particularly noteworthy bits, though, is the attempt to get at pre-drills Misha (often referred to as "Shiina"). This Shiina is very much a timid shrinking violet. I get the impression of a shy beta-female falling head over heels with Shizune's alpha status, and trying to project herself as a sort of Shizune with a voice.

Misha in the City - While the end result somewhat resembles Blame!Shiina, this Misha is much more a sense of having worn the mask so soften that she doesn't remember her own face anymore. Another dramatic departure from the previous two, this Misha has dedicated herself unambiguously to the purest form of love. Were I to be particularly harsh, I'd say that, barring a few phone calls to Hisao/Shizune, this is really "Lesbian Ingenue in the City" (which sounds like a really sketchy porn title...)

Misha as told by Doomish - Ah, Doomish. He would do terrible horrible things to Misha, then wrap it up in the end with something sweet. Doomish!Misha has far more reason to be depressed than a simple "Shizune won't put out." Doomish took the "everyone hated me" line from Misha's confession and ran with it, taking a long, hard, uncompromising look at situations most of us would rather pretend simply don't exist. Doomish!Misha had sexuality as the plot demands - on some she was seducing Misha, in others she was boning Hisao, and in still others, Hisao was boning her. One of the most noteworthy details, though, is the lack of dichotomy - there isn't a "Happy Misha" and a "Sad Shiina", or anything. Misha is Misha - she's been through some serious shit, and she occasionally lets it show, but she puts on a brave face not to hide, but because of everything there is to love in the world.

Katawa Kijo - I'm not sure what to say about this one. Like Closure, it's an Act 1 Misha. Like canon, it's a smile hiding a frown. I'll readily admit my biases, but most of her scenes felt like Cancer was the main character, rather than Misha. There were some cute scenes, but not much was made of Misha's interior life. In fairness, for may victims, Cancer is their life, and Mirage had even less to work with than the rest of us, so there's that. And, since we've been covering it with the others, like in Closure, no real hint of being gay.

Constant Companion - Short and sweet. Much of what's said about Misha is said by not being said. If memory serves, this is another Act 1 fic, with all that entails.

It all Makes Sense in the End - I think we can all agree that this is the definitive Misha.

And overall, a particularly interesting note: With the exception of Doomish's route, and a few others, where the "how we got here" is elided, most of the stories with HisaoxMisha present a Misha that doesn't want to compete - she either doesn't approach (out of fear of rejection?), or approaches in secret (more ashamed that others might find out?).

[Mirage_GSM]

Oh yes, also Fewer Options - A bit of a historical piece that one, and we don't get to actually see Misha in person, so I'm not sure it fits here. It's short though, so can't hurt to give it a look.

And of course Sweet Voice by our favourite chef.
Reading it now, it's an uncanny foreshadowing of what would later happen in Shizune's path, though I think Shizune's route probably wasn't even written so far at the point this was written, so maybe it was the inspiration for A22?
Probably the only ones who can shed some light onto that are the cook and A22 themselves...

[brythain]

Oh yes, also Fewer Options - A bit of a historical piece that one, and we don't get to actually see Misha in person, so I'm not sure it fits here. It's short though, so can't hurt to give it a look.

And of course Sweet Voice by our favourite chef.
Reading it now, it's an uncanny foreshadowing of what would later happen in Shizune's path, though I think Shizune's route probably wasn't even written so far at the point this was written, so maybe it was the inspiration for A22?
Probably the only ones who can shed some light onto that are the cook and A22 themselves...

Yes, that's in the list in the top post.Go have a look and see if anything else has been missed out?

[Hoitash]

Ouch. Perhaps I was a bit too ambitious for my first fan-fic project, heh.

In any case, this does beg the question: How much of Misha is a mask, and in what ways, and what makes Misha Misha? When is she at her Misha-ist, or, her Shiina-ist, rather?

For my interpretation... I'll get back to you on that. I need more coffee and a few hours of daylight first

[Mahorfeus]

I've always thought that the (rather popular) concept of "Misha" being a mask has always been a construct of the fan community. So few people seem to just take it at face value as being a nickname. Indeed, it is most often treated as some kind of alter ego. Poor, brown-haired, drilless, heartbroken Shiina just can't take being around Shizune as herself anymore, so she creates a bubbly persona to hide her pain... I guess I've just never seen it that way.

I mean sure, there's the cultural subtext behind her change of hairstyle, but I think she's always been the happy-go-lucky ditz. There wasn't some drastic transformation, and it isn't some huge deception to hide her feelings. There are times when she is her usual happy self, and there are times when she (rather poorly) pretends that she is her usual happy self.

Maybe word of god or canon contradicts me outright somewhere, but that's just the way I've always seen it.

[bhtooefr]

"The Misha you know is completely different from the one I think of, when I think of the first time we met. Even though I think she looks better cheerful and smiling, that isn't how she typically is."

[Mirage_GSM]

I do think a lot of the bubbly Misha is different from the "normal" Misha, but Mahorfeus might have a point with the Shiina/Misha thing.
I'm not 100% sure, but I can't think of any place in the VN where it says that she assumed her nickname only when she assumed her bubbly personality.

[Mahorfeus]

Aha, that's what I get for not reading the VN in almost a year. I should get around to that.

But in either case, I do stand by it being a genuine change, even if it's a forced one on her part. It's not a case of dual identity, so there isn't this secret club of people that are allowed to call her by her real name because they know the "real" her, because if such a club existed, then that quote alone would be proof that Shizune herself would be the president of it. /ranting

In that respect, I agreed with Doomish's interpretation to a degree, though it got a bit off-kilter at some points. Off the top of my head, the sword fight with Jigoro. That she, ah, won.

Closure... I had a few choice words to say about it in a past meeting, but as far as Misha's characterization went, I thought it was pretty okay. Well, I suppose it isn't the Misha we know for obvious reasons, but still. With some finagling I guess I could see this one following the Shizune Good End buuuut.... nah.

[brythain]

So far, the Misha discussion has been interesting because it raised an issue we often think but seldom enunciate:

Is 'Misha' a mask for Shiina Mikado? Or is she a whole, complex, personality with ups and downs?

Discussion is officially open now, for at least a week, before we usher in Shizune Hakamichi's time.
Any suggestions for Shizune works would be very welcome, and I'm sure we can make Misha->Shizune work.

Thanks everyone for participating so far, and please carry on with the (un)official discussion or any discussion at all!

[Blank Mage]

Being a Shizune-centric fan myself, it stands to reason that I've kind of constructed my own head-canon regarding Misha.

I personally think that Misha pre-Yamaku was more of an Emi type, a cheerful and outgoing girl, albeit a bit dense at times. I think that bullying and/or some manner of traumatic event caused her to attempt a 'fresh start' at a radically different setting, one where social dynamics were far less hostile. (There's actually more on that, but I'll save it for now, because I am writing Lost in Translation, damn it, as soon as I figure out why I'm so terrible at pacing.) I think that this 'blank slate (heh) version of Shiina, the creation of Misha, is an exaggeration of her natural traits. I think that after Shizune's rejection, she exaggerated them even further, becoming the Misha we know now, laughing at everything louder than she really would, acting ditzier than she really is, in an attempt to keep Shizune from worrying about the fallout she inadvertently created.

Basically, Misha's mask is more like an overexposure, just intensifying herself to uncomfortable levels to keep anyone from making out the details.

[Skeeve]

I've always been of the opinion that it was a facet of her depression; Misha puts on her cheerful and dizzy front because trying to ignore her own problems and pretending that everything is just a-ok fine is a lot easier than having to deal with both her own problems and with pushing other people away by complaining about her own problems. Especially after a confession gone poorly like Misha's did, the urge to not want to rock the boat during depression is pretty strong.

[brythain]

For the month of October, we'll be looking at Shizune, and perhaps Miki or Yuuko? Of course it would be fair to follow the order in which we encounter them in main character/side character alternation, which means Miki (whom Hisao notices pretty early on) should come as the next side character after Shizune.

Suggestions welcome: so far, Weekend at Hisao's has already been discussed, around Beltane 2014. There is more from themocaw on this topic, and also a far bit by DaGarver. Numb's Christmas at the Hakamichis has also come up. I'll add to the list, just PM me.

Do take the next few days as space to discuss any of the Misha fics currently up for discussion. Enjoy!