Katawa Shoujo and Alcohol

[Xden]

Well i'm about to start an experiment. I switched laptops and have to start Katawa Shoujo over from scratch, and i'll be going through the first act with rye and hemp ale. Hemp beer and "Feels," let's see how it works out! But first, Team Fortress 2.

godspeed, sir.

[Pseudogenesis]

Emi Arc:
Take a shot everytime her MILF of a mother appears.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1ZqFipZMQw

I love you for this.

Thank the creator! All of his KS stuff is hilarious.

[Pyramid Head]

O'Fallon Hemp Hop Rye vs. The Feels:

Okay, so two bottles in and all i can think of is why i didn't wait until the Hanako arc when i actually do get feels since the intro is kind of plain? As for the beer itself while i am getting some decent hop flavor and of course rye beers are always delicious, i would have preferred to stick with a dry-hopped pale ale which typically costs $6 a six pack instead of conning my old man into paying $9 for it. Plus it was only a standard 5 ABV so in all i've had a tenth of what it takes to get me buzzed, so it really wasn't much of an experiment. Must try again with Maker's Mark to see if being buzzed affects the "Feels."

[DrNonookee]

Drinking? Bleh. I never drink, mostly because I've never understood the appeal. The whole idea behind booze is to chemically alter your mental state - something I find apalling (and to be honest, terrifying), not enjoyable. If I'm going to do something enjoyable, I want to be lucid enough to savor every moment of the experience, not blunder through it half-senseless. Plus it leads to people not thinking clearly and saying or doing stuff that gets them (or other innocent people) hurt or in trouble.

Then again, maybe I'm just being a pussy. I'm shy, and since drinking is something of a social activity, I've rarely had the opportunity to drink with other people (and getting drunk all by yourself isn't really the sign of a healthy individual, IMHO). Maybe I'm just scared that I might actually, you know, loosen up and have a good time.

...I wish I had friends to take me out drinking on my birthday.

There have been night's where I have stumbled home drunk as fuck and just thought

"Ya'know what I'm going to play some KS!"

The rest is a blur

Sounds like a good night to me, haha.

I have never understood this mentality - if I have a really awesome time (great party, wild sex, etc.), I'd ideally like to *remember* it afterwards (especially the sex). If your idea of fun is losing time, you can just go take a nap for the same results.

"...who the heck is 'Carly'!?"

[Snow_Storm]

O'Fallon Hemp Hop Rye vs. The Feels:

Okay, so two bottles in and all i can think of is why i didn't wait until the Hanako arc when i actually do get feels since the intro is kind of plain? As for the beer itself while i am getting some decent hop flavor and of course rye beers are always delicious, i would have preferred to stick with a dry-hopped pale ale which typically costs $6 a six pack instead of conning my old man into paying $9 for it. Plus it was only a standard 5 ABV so in all i've had a tenth of what it takes to get me buzzed, so it really wasn't much of an experiment. Must try again with Maker's Mark to see if being buzzed affects the "Feels."

O'Fallon Hemp?

By any chance you're from Missouri? Just wondering since that's a local brand near my hometown.

[WorldlyWiseman]

I have never understood this mentality - if I have a really awesome time (great party, wild sex, etc.), I'd ideally like to *remember* it afterwards (especially the sex). If your idea of fun is losing time, you can just go take a nap for the same results.

Some people find that there's a great deal of enjoyment to be had in chemically forcing the release of emotional inhibitions, often if their daily routine requires a lot of stress and mundane activity. The idea is to not to go overboard like you're suggesting, and to be honest most social drinking doesn't. You shouldn't knock it unless you've tried it yourself, it makes you sound more judgmental than you're probably intending to be.

Mickey's malt liquor seems to be a good entry point for people who've never drank before - cheap, doesn't have that alcohol/hoppy flavor that can turn new drinkers off, easy to spot in the liquor store (so you don't have to ask questions and look foolish), and you don't have to drink a gallon of it before you feel anything like some cheap beers. Find some drinking buddies (round up some coworkers, or get with a DnD group, something) and have a little tailgate party. For god's sake, just don't go to a bar by yourself. That's just expensive and depressing if you're socially anxious.

[Pseudogenesis]

Drinking? Bleh. I never drink, mostly because I've never understood the appeal. The whole idea behind booze is to chemically alter your mental state - something I find apalling (and to be honest, terrifying), not enjoyable. If I'm going to do something enjoyable, I want to be lucid enough to savor every moment of the experience, not blunder through it half-senseless. Plus it leads to people not thinking clearly and saying or doing stuff that gets them (or other innocent people) hurt or in trouble.

This sums up every thought I have on the subject. I value my presence of mind too much. Plus I know how easily I can become addicted to something if it gives me the slightest form of pleasure. I'm content with video games being my one and only vice. (And it's not a bad one either.)

[Xden]

Drinking? Bleh. I never drink, mostly because I've never understood the appeal. The whole idea behind booze is to chemically alter your mental state - something I find apalling (and to be honest, terrifying), not enjoyable. If I'm going to do something enjoyable, I want to be lucid enough to savor every moment of the experience, not blunder through it half-senseless. Plus it leads to people not thinking clearly and saying or doing stuff that gets them (or other innocent people) hurt or in trouble.

Then again, maybe I'm just being a pussy. I'm shy, and since drinking is something of a social activity, I've rarely had the opportunity to drink with other people (and getting drunk all by yourself isn't really the sign of a healthy individual, IMHO). Maybe I'm just scared that I might actually, you know, loosen up and have a good time.

...I wish I had friends to take me out drinking on my birthday.

I used to feel the same way. I don't get SUPER drunk unless I'm with good company and we're all prepared for what's about to happen. There are different levels of intoxication. If you can manage to reach that magic level where everything is right with the world and you're just loving life, it's worth it. Believe it or not, some alcohol in the system every once in a while can be healthy both mentally and physically. Now, it can also be unhealthy, as anything can be if you consume too much. Reaching that magic level, you can still think logically (I can at least. I tend to have very good poise when intoxicated though.) but those silly anxieties are torn away and you can start to enjoy things more. The idea here for KS drunk(tipsy) is to get rid of all of the stuff going on in your head that would otherwise take away from the beauty of the game and leave just you, the game, and your raw emotions as you experience the bliss that is Katawa Shoujo. By no means am I intending to get so drunk that I can't remember the game and it's glory, I simply want to strip myself of any extra baggage, make myself mentally vulnerable to the game, and let it work its magic. The next day I would easily remember the story and how it affected me. Alcohol only leads to people getting hurt when the drunk people are dumb/irresponsible with their drinking. It's important to know what you're getting yourself into when you drink. You aren't a pussy, you just don't know what you're missing

Hell, if I met you IRL, I'd take you out drinking anytime. I used to feel the same way about alcohol, so I'd be willing to show you that it's really not as bad as some might lead you to believe. Not to sound like a broken record, but it's all about being responsible. I also want to add that beer can taste pretty awful. Don't let it be your only impression of alcohol. I'm a liquor man myself.

I have never understood this mentality - if I have a really awesome time (great party, wild sex, etc.), I'd ideally like to *remember* it afterwards (especially the sex). If your idea of fun is losing time, you can just go take a nap for the same results.

I'm mostly kidding about the blackout. The enjoyment comes from the memories, not the intoxication itself. Get together with a few of your best friends, get really drunk, and people start to get a little crazy(fun crazy). That's when you really get to know a person. That kind of interaction really helps people to get closer. Those are great memories and experiences to have. I do not advocate blacking out or drinking more than you can handle. You have to be able to limit yourself and know how much alcohol is right for you. Once you can do that, you can really learn how to enjoy yourself.

[ArazelEternal]

Ive played KS more than once under a good buzz. I have to say it does make the feels a little more intense, but do I go from silent tears to all out sobbing? No. The silent tears just start sooner, happen more often, or just last a bit longer.

Strangely enough when I get a good buzz on, my physical coordination and steadiness are the first things to go, along with my vision becoming blurred and delayed. My presence of mind is always the last, if it ever goes. Ask me a question, and Ill still be able to give you a perfectly valid answer. It may be worded a bit more simply, but otherwise it would be the same. When I am at a friends place for lets say New Years Eve, I am generally always the one who keeps everyone else out of trouble, even though by law I may be worse off than they are.

[Xden]

Ive played KS more than once under a good buzz. I have to say it does make the feels a little more intense, but do I go from silent tears to all out sobbing? No. The silent tears just start sooner, happen more often, or just last a bit longer.

That's a shame. I was hoping for all out sobbing. Thanks for the input though. I'm excited to hear that it's effective.

Strangely enough when I get a good buzz on, my physical coordination and steadiness are the first things to go, along with my vision becoming blurred and delayed. My presence of mind is always the last, if it ever goes. Ask me a question, and Ill still be able to give you a perfectly valid answer. It may be worded a bit more simply, but otherwise it would be the same. When I am at a friends place for lets say New Years Eve, I am generally always the one who keeps everyone else out of trouble, even though by law I may be worse off than they are.

Yeah, that's all typically how it goes down for me too. I'm still pretty reasonable and good with logic after a few drinks, but it starts to get harder to navigate through a crowded room and etc.

[DrNonookee]

Some people find that there's a great deal of enjoyment to be had in chemically forcing the release of emotional inhibitions, often if their daily routine requires a lot of stress and mundane activity.

This may be why I've never felt any real need to drink. I have relatively little stress in my life - I enjoy my job, I don't have people breathing down my neck, and I make it a point to avoid any responsibilities that are beyond my ability to cope with. This is partly because I despise being stressed out (it makes me all moody and irritable), and partly because I suffer from both high blood pressure and Tourette's Syndrome, both conditions that are aggravated by stress. I function best when calm and collected, thank you. So with no stress to vent, there's not much point.

Besides, I've never had trouble with emotional release. If anything, I tend to share my emotions a little *too* freely - I'm rather sensitive, and usually have to fight to keep myself from showing it lest I be ridiculed or made a target. Anything that makes me *more* likely to blubber like a baby or get pissed off over something trivial is something I definitely don't need.

Then again, keeping my unmanly emotional-ness under wraps is part of why I'm shy to begin with, so...heck, maybe there's something to it all after all.

The idea is to not to go overboard like you're suggesting, and to be honest most social drinking doesn't. You shouldn't knock it unless you've tried it yourself, it makes you sound more judgmental than you're probably intending to be.

Oh, no, don't get me wrong - I'm not knocking drinking in and of itself. I was more questioning the mindset of people who enjoy getting sh*t-faced drunk, to the point where they black out, and then acting like it was the Best. Party. Ever. It seems counter-productive to go out to have fun and then not remember having had said fun the next morning.

Find some drinking buddies (round up some coworkers, or get with a DnD group, something) and have a little tailgate party.

I don't have any buddies to drink with. All my friends (and my DnD group) are online, and I'm not allowed to socialize with anyone I know from work due to the nature of my job as a security guard (conflict of interest, and all that). Any friends I'd make would have to come from meeting them in places outside of home or work...and what with me being a geek, there aren't many such places that cater to my interests.

...although, there *are* a couple of cute girls I've seen working at Gamestop...

...hmm. I have some pondering to do.

For god's sake, just don't go to a bar by yourself. That's just expensive and depressing if you're socially anxious.

Music for drinking alone in a dingy bar.

WARNING: Anyone who is genuinely depressed, can't take a joke, or doesn't watch [adult swim] should absolutely *not* click the above link.

[Xden]

Besides, I've never had trouble with emotional release. If anything, I tend to share my emotions a little *too* freely - I'm rather sensitive, and usually have to fight to keep myself from showing it lest I be ridiculed or made a target. Anything that makes me *more* likely to blubber like a baby or get pissed off over something trivial is something I definitely don't need.

Then again, keeping my unmanly emotional-ness under wraps is part of why I'm shy to begin with, so...heck, maybe there's something to it all after all.

Just wanna say that it's alright to be sensitive like that. Don't consider yourself less manly just because you have emotions. While there is a time and a place to vent, I always hate to see guys ridiculed for having feelings like that. The idea that guys can't be emotional just really bothers me. It's BS. Perhaps you were already aware of all this, but I find guys hitting themselves a lot because people tell them it's not okay.

[metalangel]

I have never understood this mentality - if I have a really awesome time (great party, wild sex, etc.), I'd ideally like to *remember* it afterwards (especially the sex). If your idea of fun is losing time, you can just go take a nap for the same results.

Some people find that there's a great deal of enjoyment to be had in chemically forcing the release of emotional inhibitions, often if their daily routine requires a lot of stress and mundane activity. The idea is to not to go overboard like you're suggesting, and to be honest most social drinking doesn't. You shouldn't knock it unless you've tried it yourself, it makes you sound more judgmental than you're probably intending to be.

There's an awful lot of that here. With tone so hard to judge on the internet, it does come across as a condemnation of something they have no experience of (not singling DrNonooki out here)

Just to add, people don't drink to get shitfaced all the time. It's more to loosen up and relax. You do not get into altered mind states or anything else genuinely bad unless you seriously overdo it. I have had plenty of wild nights but frankly the best ones are where you don't drink until you pass out/throw up. You want the party to last all night, after all.

[Pyramid Head]

O'Fallon Hemp Hop Rye vs. The Feels:

Okay, so two bottles in and all i can think of is why i didn't wait until the Hanako arc when i actually do get feels since the intro is kind of plain? As for the beer itself while i am getting some decent hop flavor and of course rye beers are always delicious, i would have preferred to stick with a dry-hopped pale ale which typically costs $6 a six pack instead of conning my old man into paying $9 for it. Plus it was only a standard 5 ABV so in all i've had a tenth of what it takes to get me buzzed, so it really wasn't much of an experiment. Must try again with Maker's Mark to see if being buzzed affects the "Feels."

O'Fallon Hemp?

By any chance you're from Missouri? Just wondering since that's a local brand near my hometown.

Yes i am actually. A lesser known fact about Silent Hill is that it's not too far away from Joplin.

[Pseudogenesis]

Katawa Shoujo Drinking Game.

Dante Must Die Mode: Take a shot every time Hisao does something retarded

Are you trying to get someone killed?