Katawa Shoujo Forums

This is an inspirational place you know. Its a very long time since I wrote anything that wasn't an article for a scholarly journal or a chapter in a textbook, yet Katawa Shoujo and the many talented authors who entertain us here for free have got me writing fiction. But why inflict my scrawlings on you good people? "If you don't publish it, you never did it" was hammered into me early in my career, and I may even provide some entertainment.

Don't look here for taut plotlines, sweeping arcs and insightful character development! It'll just be short, fluffy slices of life, as and when something occurs to me.

Oh I'm British, so your spellings may vary :p

• Not like that, Hisao!
• A presentation to remember I didn't mean to add another one so soon after the first, but a very boring meeting today made me think of this. Then it refused to stay in my pastebin.
• Rin is full
• Dignity
• Collection due
• Consider this an intervention!
• Walking together
• Three of a perfect pair
• From the archives
• Tokyo nightlife
• The hairnet
• Home
• All I want for Christmas... My S9 submission, located in the main thread
• "You are not alone..."
• "Hang on..."
• Manga Evening
• True Love Waits
• Lullaby Contains mature themes that may be upsetting
• A delicate balance Slightly smutty!
• Mother knows best
• Quercus mongolica
• Thoroughly modern pirates
• Longing, love, lust
• Moon Hare
• Date night
• Memories
• Kissaaten

"A-and that's why the Berlin Wall fell and Germany was re-re-united!"

Hisao looks impressed. "How do you know all this? We never covered it in history class."

"I w-was looking at the Wikipedia page for my birth year a-and one thing lead to another." I smile as I remember the hours I spent in front of the library computer, following link after link without even finishing the page I was on. Yuuko was hovering over me for ages before I realised she wanted to close up and I felt terrible even though she said it was ok.

"Anyway, back to my cooking lesson! I've cut up the vegetables like you said."

I'm glad I chose a simple Italian recipe for our first time, though I added black olives and yellow bread so we'd still have the five colours. Well, the bread's not very yellow but I don't think its cheating. I look over at the chopping board, taking in Hisao's proud stance, and... oh! I should have paid more attention to what he was doing instead of rambling on. Well the mozzarella's ok but the tomatoes are more squished than sliced; I should sharpen the kitchen knives before the next lesson. And what did the avocado do to deserve that treatment? Never mind.

"Now a-alternate slices of avocado, mozzarella and tomato on the p-plate..."

"Just like the Italian flag!"

Its sometimes surprising how perceptive he can be, and I reward him with a peck on the cheek.

"Yes! Add some olives," I'm not so disappointed now that they only had pitted ones in the shop. I pass him the jar of my 'vinaigrette with a twist' dressing, "and d-drizzle some of this over. Now cut--" I notice the fresh plaster on his finger and change my mind, "I'll cut some s-slices of bread and we're done!"

"So how is it?" he asks anxiously. I can tell he really wants me to like it.

I smile. "It t-tastes of love."

Cute! I can totally imagine a bookworm like Hanako losing herself in Wikipedia. At least it's not a TV Tropes addiction.

That's a nice vinaigrette... oops, I mean vignette.

Welcome to the author pool!

I'm doing the Emi version:

"Hey, Emi, how should I cut up that bell pepper?"

"Put down the tomato and get out of the kitchen!"

calcifer wrote: ↑Mon Jun 25, 2018 10:51 am Cute! I can totally imagine a bookworm like Hanako losing herself in Wikipedia. At least it's not a TV Tropes addiction.

Thank-you! One of the things I'm really enjoying is how much doesn't need to, and indeed shouldn't, be written in order to set scenes and indicate who is participating. A well established, shared background is great for a lazy git like me.

brythain wrote: ↑Mon Jun 25, 2018 10:54 am That's a nice vinaigrette

Isn't it! But she won't tell me what the twist is You know her much better than I do, maybe she'll let you in on her secret.

Mirage_GSM wrote: ↑Mon Jun 25, 2018 4:50 pm I'm doing the Emi version:

"Hey, Emi, how should I cut up that bell pepper?"

"Put down the tomato and get out of the kitchen!"

But I thought she prefered lemons

Scroff wrote: ↑Tue Jun 26, 2018 10:27 am

brythain wrote: ↑Mon Jun 25, 2018 10:54 am That's a nice vinaigrette

Isn't it! But she won't tell me what the twist is You know her much better than I do, maybe she'll let you in on her secret.

Canonically, it's thyme. But personally, I favour raspberries.

"And this is why Chiyono Terada, powerful business woman who has turned to philanthropy in recent years and opened many childcare centres across Japan, is my inspirational historic figure," Misha finishes with relief. She is glad that Shizune insisted she practice her pronunciations, where does~ she get those fancy words from?

Shizune looks for signs of how her presentation has been received by her audience. She is disappointed that their claps look polite and restrained, only Naomi and Natsume seem inspired while the rest are barely awake. She had been excited when Mr Yoshimi announced this assignment, keen to share her admiration for Ms Terada, but excitement turned to dismay when she saw that her slot had been scheduled in the middle of the class, too late to capitalise on her classmates' initial enthusiasm and too early to benefit from them catching their second wind.

Misha's touch on her arm jolts Shizune out of contemplating a lost opportunity and she walks back to her seat while Yoshimi ushers Molly to the font of the classroom.

"In 1931, Douglas Robert Steuart Bader had both legs amputated after crashing the plane he was flying. He had been practicing aerobatics for an upcoming display with other members of his squadron in the British Royal Air Force. Despite nearly losing his life, he fought back to health and re-learnt how to do things he enjoyed like play golf, drive and fly. He was also very keen to start dancing again so he could take his crush on a date!" Molly pauses to let the giggles and occasional "d'awww" subside.

"Despite making a full recovery he was discharged from the RAF in 1933 and had to face life as a civilian. Although he threw all his efforts into new his job and was successful, he missed military life and was so persistent in his efforts to rejoin the RAF that the authorities let him return at the start of the war in 1939."

"Bader saw active duty until 1941 when he was shot down and captured in France. Even though he was a double amputee, he caused his captors so many problems with his constant escape attempts that he was eventually sent to Colditz Castle, where he stayed until the end of the war."

"But he is not my inspirational historic figure because of his war record and certainly not for his personality! He was said to be very rude and held old-fashioned and, according to some, even racist views. After the war he became a tireless advocate for disabled people, not only raising money and fighting with politicians but also making frequent hospital visits to demonstrate that losing limbs does not mean you have lost your chance to have a good life. In 1976 he was awarded the British equivalent of the Order of the Rising Sun, third class, for services to disabled people."

"During my r-recovery," Molly blinks back the tears in her eyes, "my father would often remind me of Bader's words and I took them to heart. I try to live by them to this day."

Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader wrote:"Don't listen to anyone who tells you that you can't do this or that. That's nonsense. Make up your mind, you'll never use crutches or a stick, then have a go at everything. Go to school, join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible."

Rin plods through the woods behind Yamaku, a troubled look on her face. She is full, too full to continue her battle with the blank canvas. A sharp glint from the centre of the dappled clearing catches her eye and she notices a boy leaning against the tree trunk.

"Do you always flash while you worry?"

Hisao looks up in surprise. "What? No!" He shows her the piece of wood he is working on. "I'm not going to stay inside if I don't have to after months in that place, but I've got nothing to read right now and my hands got restless." He glances at her knotted sleeves and blushes.

"I'm not sure baby echidnas look like that."

"It's supposed to be... never mind. My grandpa always made it look so easy: 'Cut away the bits that aren't supposed to be there.' I just end up with kindling," he sighs.

'How would I fix a little knife like that to my foot?' 'I add paint to my canvas, not remove it.' 'Is that tuft of hair supposed to be there? Should I cut it off? What would be left?' 'Cut away what shouldn't be there to reveal what should!' With that revelation, Rin spins around and heads back to the art room. She is still full but maybe she will be able to cut away the distracting thoughts and find what she should paint onto that canvas.

A presentation to remember

Nice one. It barely counts as KS fanfic, but I've enjoyed it

Scroff wrote: ↑Wed Jun 27, 2018 6:30 pm[Douglas Bader] was said to be very rude and held old-fashioned and, according to some, even racist views

That's quite the understatement. Bader was a huge asshole and very racist, even for his time.

Some minor SPaG issues:

Scroff wrote: ↑Wed Jun 27, 2018 6:30 pmMisha's touch on her arm jolts Shizune out of contemplating a lost opportunity and she walks back to her seat while Yoshimi ushers Molly to the font of the classroom.

front of the classroom

Scroff wrote: ↑Wed Jun 27, 2018 6:30 pmBader had both legs amputated

had had

calcifer wrote: ↑Mon Jul 02, 2018 4:11 pm Nice one. It barely counts as KS fanfic, but I've enjoyed it

Thank-you! Indeed it's more of an attempt to write in character than a fic. Hence Shizune picking someone who is doing what she plans to, implying that she too is a hero - or at least on her way to becoming so. Her competitive side requires that her presentation is THE BEST so Misha has to rehearse. Then her disappointment in the response, which she blames on the teacher giving her a graveyard slot.

Molly's a blank canvas, so I characterised her as being analytical and honest, and quite sentimental. After researching Bader more fully she weighed the admirable against the detestable and decided that he (just!) made the grade as a flawed hero, no doubt influenced by the memory of how his words helped her. But she didn't shy away from mentioning that he had flaws.

Shizune would have no truck with a flawed hero!

Some minor SPaG issues:

Ah the perils of premature posting! Thanks again.

Hisao stumbles along the pavement as he makes his way back to the seedy boarding house. Choking down the last mouthful of cheap rotgut, he remembers her final drink. Beautiful but palsied, she did not spill a drop of the cocktail that would preserve her dignity.

Later he jolts awake in his filthy room with a memory of her smile. He ignores the reeking piss that fouls his clothes and crawls to the bed, his dignity in tatters.

"Miki."

As she stretches before her evening run, Miki wonders why Rin has approached her. Maybe she’s come to challenge me to unarmed combat? No need to worry tho' she's mostly 'armless. Sniggering at her own devastating wit she asks, "what are you doin' crossing enemy lines?"

"I'm running out of time to complete my collection. The new boy is lying."

"What collection? Why do you think Hisao is lying?"

"He says he has a problem with his heart but he's stopped talking to Emi."

"Don't you think that someone with a dodgy heart might have issues with the most competitive person in the school being his personal trainer?" Everyone in the track club has learned their lesson about training with Emi.

"No."

"Suit yourself. You haven't said what you collect."

"Disabilities, and the only one I don't have is the most scandalous: problems in the pants."

Miki wonders if she is joking, with Rin you never can tell. "I'm almost scared to ask, but what do you want from me?"

"I collect disabilities, you collect boys."

"I'm not sure Hisao's my type." Seeing Rin's head droop and the light dim in her glorious emerald eyes, Miki softens. "Hey hey, I didn't say no. But I can't make any promises OK? Anyway I've got to run now."

***

Hisao is surprised to see Miki leaning against the wall outside the boys' dorms as he makes his way back to his room. He takes in her slightly damp hair, the white tank top and cutoff jeans that contrast so well against her tanned skin. He tries not to stare despite finding her an entrancing sight in the warm evening light; her volatile nature makes him anxious.

"Well fancy meeting you here big boy," Miki greets him with a wide grin. A wide, toothy grin, Hisao notices.

"Oh hi Miki, anything I can do for you?"

"I'm hoping you can help me out with whatever Mutou was droning on about this afternoon. Everyone knows you're the only one who has a chance of following him when he goes off on one."

"Well I don't think you have to worry about that, there's not a chance it'll come up on the exa..."

"Hisao, a cute girl is standing here asking for some personal tuition and you're gonna argue the toss? Seriously?"

He gulps nervously. "I-I suppose not."

"Right answer! Lead the way."

***

Rin opens her door to see Miki. A rather dazed Miki, hair tousled and eyes wide. They stare at each other for many seconds before Rin prompts her. "Well?"

"I-it was mind-blowing. Seriously. I'll never be the same again after what just happened in his room."

"So there's no problem in his pants after all," Rin says dejectedly.

"His pants? Oh... no, that's as dead as a dodo. I mean string theory! The possibilities it opens up..."

A huge grin spreads across Rin's face as she tunes out Miki's excited babbling. Finally!

This was a funny one!

"His pants? Oh... no, that's as dead as a dodo. I mean string theory! The possibilities it opens up..."

Poor, poor Hisao

NIce twist at the end. Didn't see that one coming.
Comes at the price of Rin being a bit ooc, but who cares