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Starbursts (Mutou and Miyagi) (UPDATED)

Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 7:24 pm
by spirizu
Just thought I'd lash out something with a little dose of sweetness. Hope ye like it.

(And I'm perfectly aware that the transit of Venus took place in 2012, not 2007. It's not canon :P )

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Starbursts

“My name is Hisao Nakai and I like pussy.”

I slam my half-full mug of still-lukewarm coffee down onto the desk while I attempt to master my sudden fit of spluttering. That was a bad time to take a sip.

Fortunately, none of the other students seem to notice anything much out of the ordinary. Thank God for the low standard of Engrish in this class.

“That’s good, Nakai”, I respond, forcing down a half-mouthful of tepid liquid, “but it’s more … correct to say “My name is Hisao Nakai and I like cats.”

The transfer student’s brow furrows.

“But … Mr Asakuro told us that ‘pussy’ was just another word for ‘pet cats’.”

Yes, I bet he did. That creep was nearly as bad as Nomiya. I was quickly deputised to take his classes two weeks ago, after he was put on indefinite leave of absence.

Hentai found on a grown man’s computer … sick.

But back to the problem at hand.

“Well, Nakai … even though that can sometimes be the case … it’s more correct to only use that word towards your own pet cat. In private. Where no-one can hear you.”

Please, oh please, let that suffice.

Nakai lets out a faint sigh, as if despairing of his grasp of the subject, but doesn’t force the issue. Nor does anyone else, despite the somewhat oblique nature of my attempt to discourage unwitting vulgarities. The shrill sound of the lunch bell has never been more welcome.

Although I’m required to stay in class for another minute, in case any of the students have questions, most of them seem only too happy to push their way out. I guess they want to make sure they eat before their next class.

Double Science.

Mutou.

I take a last glance around the room. Ikezawa is the only student left, sitting at her desk and reading a Japanese translation of The Remains of the Day. It seems unusual for her to take an interest in British (or British-Japanese, I guess) culture, but I have seen her walking with Satou, my star pupil, before.

I pack up my books and casually walk out of class. Star pupil … star-crossed lovers … wish upon a star. Strange how we know so little about them, how distant they can seem, but how dependent upon them we can let ourselves become. Not that I’m into anything like astrology, mind. Far too irrational.

"Star, star, teach me how to shine, shine. Teach me so I know what’s going on in your mind",

I hum softly to myself as I walk. Since being given Asakuro’s 3-3 classes, as well as my own in 3-2, I’m a lot busier but I don’t mind. The extra money helps.

It would be nice to have someone to spend it on, though.

I make my way down the hall to the staffroom and make my way to the corner where my locker is. It’s pretty well placed. Mutou’s spot is a little further down, closer to the centre, but not so far that I can’t subtly take a quick look at him anytime I feel the need. Which is not as seldom as I might like to pretend.

He’s sitting comfortably in his usual red leather chair (Yamaku has some very generous donors), reading a science magazine with a front page reading “Can CERN simulate the Big Bang?”.

Whatever about CERN, I sure wish he’d
… no. NO. Earth to Miyagi. Do you read?

I continue watching him while he reads. As always, he seems utterly absorbed by what he’s reading. That man never does things by halves. I have no idea how to catch his attention, nor am I even sure that I want to. Sitting in front of me, filling that mind with the mysteries of life – the universe – everything – he’s just too Mutou to disturb.

For me, anyway. Clearly, not everyone feels that way. I watch as Yuuko approaches him. She usually has her head in the clouds, that one does. Heh. Not stars, but it’ll do. Still, I try to keep my eye on her while she speaks to him. Going by some of the rumours I’ve heard, he’s about twenty years too old for her to be interested, but there’s no reason to let my guard down.

“E-excuse me? Mutou-san?”

Slowly, he turns his head towards her, as if he’s an explorer on a far-distant planet who has just encountered an alien life form of uncertain friendliness.

“Yuuko? How can I help you?”

“I was just w-wondering … if I could borrow th-that magazine when you’re f-finished. For the l-library. We sh-should have more stock but it k-keeps … vanishing.”

Mutou continues watching her for a moment, as if deliberating, slowly and painstakingly. Finally, he gives a quick nod.

“Okay.”

“Thankyousomuch! Thatsveryhelpfulofyou! Okaybye!”

Yuuko gives a quick bow, turns on her heel and flees for the door, nearly knocking a table over in her haste. Space cadet.

Mutou frowns at his page in the magazine a few moments longer, but eventually folds it and sets it down. He gazes around the staffroom and spies me, a fortunate fraction of a second after I have the presence of mind to avert my eyes. He unfolds himself from the chair, stretching his back as he does, and walks over to me.

“Hello, Miyagi. Long time, no talk”.

“Hi Mutou, how’re tricks?”

“Quite well, thanks. I take it you’re busy? I haven’t seen much of you lately.”

Not nearly as much of me as I’d like you to see
, bubbles up a treacherous thought. I stamp it out before it can give rise to a blush.

“Yeah, well, what with filling in for Asakuro, and the astronomy club, I haven’t as much free time as I’d like.”

Oh God, why did I just say that? I don’t want him to think that I’m too busy to have a social life. Unless he thinks I’m playing hard to get. Does that really work with men?

He gives a slight grin at this. “I still haven’t figured out how they made you the head of that club. I am the Science teacher, after all.”

I match his grin with one I hope is as sure, and confident, and handso - Focus, woman! – as his own.

“Pedigree, Mutou. You may have learned about stars from lecturers and chalkboards, but I got mine from bedtime stories and pyjama parties with my Dad.”

He looks a little nonplussed at this, at about the point where I replay the last few words in my head. Dammit!

Before I can correct what I’ve said - and probably just dig myself into an even deeper hole - he chuckles wryly.

“Well, that’s certainly true. My first experiences with astronomy came from curriculums. I’ve been trying to expand my horizons since then, though.”

I’ve noticed. He devours science materials as if the next journal, the next article, the next paragraph, could contain some piece of arcane knowledge that might help change the very bedrock of the world we inhabit.

In his brain, it probably would.

“But at least I’ve got my own club to lead now. Do you know Hisao Nakai, from 3-3?”

Do I … oh. I instantly blush with the memory of our last interaction. Fortunately, Mutou misunderstands the significance of this.

“I’m sorry, you’ve only been teaching him a week or two. And he doesn’t exactly … stand out from the class.”

Now it’s Mutou’s turn to look abashed. Nakai looks normal, after all. In a way, it’s his most distinguishing feature.

“Anyway”, Mutou continues, “we’ve started a science club. Just the two of us. Once a week.”

He looks incredibly pleased with himself while he tells me this, as if he’d just been elected class representative or something. It’s more than a little sweet.

“Oh, cool!” Strangely, I feel the need to encourage him. He doesn’t really talk to many of the other teachers here, though no-one actively dislikes him, so far as I’m aware. It’s nice that he wants to tell me this, though.

“That’s a great idea! Hopefully, some more students will join as you go.”

He gives a big grin, almost as if he’s relieved at my reaction.

“Well, I thought Nakai would be interested and I … didn’t have much to do with my evenings, so … yeah.”

I give the clock a quick glance. Two minutes to class. And I still haven’t eaten. Dammit. Whether due to pressure of time, or hunger, or a desire to break the verging-on-uncomfortable silence that’s rapidly expanding between us, I do something very out of character. I take the initiative.

“Well … I don’t know what the remit of the science club is, exactly … but if you’d be interested in organising a joint activity with the astronomy club …”

He looks quizzically at me. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, the transit of Venus is due to happen on Thursday. The weather forecast predicts a clear night. We’ve already planned to take our telescopes up to the roof to … look at the sky.”

Seriously?! “Look at the sky?” That’s how you phrase it?! You could at least have said “conduct a series of astronomical observations” or something smart like that! You know, to show that you have words, and know how to use them! But never mind ol’ Brainy here, what do I know? It sometimes seems that you think with every other part of your anatomy first, before falling back on me!

I feel dumb. Why couldn’t the stupid initiative just stay where it was? It was nice there. It was comfortable. Why did I have to take it out from its natural spot? If twenty years of re-watching the Indiana Jones films has taught me anything, it’s that you should always, always leave things where you find them.

Mutou gives me an even bigger grin, bigger than any I’ve seen from him before.

“Sure. I’ll tell Nakai after class.”

___________________________________________________________

Happily, I’m too busy for the following few days to dwell too much on the possible implications of our joint activity – I mean, our joint clubs doing something together. In the school. As they should. Which is perfectly proper.

The school is nervous about letting students up on the roof as a rule. In general, a blind eye is turned during the day, and the astronomy club can usually expect a little leeway (aided by the fact that I don’t usually keep the management informed of our activities), but Mutou does things by the book, and the fact that he and Nakai aren’t technically part of the astronomy club threatens to cause all sorts of wrangles with the management. Eventually, after volunteering the club to clean the roof of its assorted debris (which includes several whiskey bottles – empty, unfortunately – and a single used condom: presumably, someone had an experience they’re not keen to repeat on cold, hard concrete), the red tape is sorted and we get permission.

I have the gruesome twosome, Masato and Sayuri, carry Akiko up the steps that evening, while Kei dutifully follows with her wheelchair. A few other members follow behind, with Nakai looking slightly forlorn at the back, trudging along beside Mutou. It’s strange to see Nakai by himself: from what little I’ve seen of him, he’s normally hanging around with some girl or other. Must have had some sort of a fight.

Mirabile dictu, after a dull and overcast day, the forecast was spot-on. The evening is dry, warm, with a slight breeze blowing from the south-southwe … stop it, Miyagi. You’re sounding like a shipping forecaster. I help set up the telescope, and a few tripods spring up, here and there. Misaki’s a regular with us now, and a couple of her fellow photographers … photographixes … photographices … whatever the hell … are with us tonight. Filtered glasses have been procured for all, making us look like a group of friends out at a 3D movie. Fine by me.

I generally take a laissez-faire approach to making sure everyone gets to have a turn: the competitive impulse isn’t quite as strong in Yamaku as other private schools, and the students are pretty conscientious about fitting everyone in. Nakai seems to be relaxing a little, and seems to be hovering close to Aoi. Whichever girl he had a fight with, he seems to be getting over her pretty quickly.

Mutou is standing apart from the group, staring up in fascination. I go to join him, and reflexively put my hand in my pocket for my cigarettes. They re-emerge holding an empty carton. Dammit.

“Want to take one of mine?”, Mutou asks. I turn to him while he takes out his own pack. Lucky Strikes. A man of impeccable taste.

We each light up, and go to sit near a corner of the roof: as is usually my way, we’re close enough to the students to keep an eye on them, but far enough that they’re not going to be looking at us unless they really want to.

We hear the excitement of the students mount as they each take a turn at the telescope, and we make sure to do so ourselves. I note that Nakai seems happy to forego his turn, preferring to sit by the opposite corner, deep in conversation with Aoi.

I only stay at the telescope for five or six minutes: everyone needs to have a turn, and we can’t stay out here all night. It’s a beautiful sight, though, and, after I wait for Mutou to take his turn and walk back to “our” corner with him, I continue to savour it in my mind’s eye. I guess, on the rare occasions that we get to compare ourselves to true brilliance, we should take them, even if just to make ourselves stand out a little more clearly from the dark.

When I emerge from my reverie, I see that Mutou is staring at the sky with an expression similar to what I imagine my own has just been. It seems a shame to interrupt his thoughts, but it would be an even bigger shame not to.

“What are you thinking?”

He turns to me, eyes suddenly bright with wonder.

“I was just looking up at those immense, powerful, lumps of gas and rock in the sky. Each of them lies many millions of light years from here. We will never see any of them up close, we will probably never really know what lies on, or beneath any of them. They are the enduring mysteries of the universe. Who knows how far they stretch, how many life forms could exist out there, how many plains of reality there might be? We can even take this thought further and ask: is Earth really the big deal that we make it out to be? In an infinite universe, are there not infinite Earths? In such an incomprehensibly large and complex universe, what am “I”? What is one person? Does anything I say, think or do, make even the slightest difference to the universe?”

He looks at me, not apparently agitated or consumed by existential dread, but seemingly just waiting for a response. But it’s way too late for philosophy.

“I think so”, I reply and press my lips to his.

Behind my eyes, I see only stars.

Re: Starbursts (Mutou and Miyagi)

Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 8:25 pm
by Mirage_GSM
Yay, Miyagi!
Two small nitpicks:
Hisao is in class 3-3, and plains are sometimes planes.

Re: Starbursts (Mutou and Miyagi)

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 1:24 am
by nemz
spirizu wrote:“My name is Hisao Nakai and I like pussy.”
I knew right away this was going to be a good one. :lol:

Re: Starbursts (Mutou and Miyagi)

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 11:28 am
by bradpara
Does anyone else find it funny that *none* of the chars in the game are in 3-1. Hisao, Hanako,Shizune, and Misha are all 3-3, Lilly and Kenji are in 3-2 , Emi and Rin are in 3-4, but 3-1 is the Hufflepuff House of Yamaku.

Re: Starbursts (Mutou and Miyagi)

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 1:19 pm
by Breaker deGodot
bradpara wrote:Does anyone else find it funny that *none* of the chars in the game are in 3-1. Hisao, Hanako,Shizune, and Misha are all 3-3, Lilly and Kenji are in 3-2 , Emi and Rin are in 3-4, but 3-1 is the Hufflepuff House of Yamaku.
I think I read somewhere that 3-1 is solely for deaf students, and the class is in sign language. The only reason Shizune is not in that class is because there are simply too many deaf students in a single homeroom.

Re: Starbursts (Mutou and Miyagi)

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 2:42 pm
by spirizu
Mirage_GSM wrote:Yay, Miyagi!
Two small nitpicks:
Hisao is in class 3-3, and plains are sometimes planes.
3-3, right. I can never bloody remember. Thanks for that.

I'm sticking with "plains", though. Makes me picture some sort of astral desert. :P
nemz wrote:
spirizu wrote:“My name is Hisao Nakai and I like pussy.”
I knew right away this was going to be a good one. :lol:
Thanks :D .

Re: Starbursts (Mutou and Miyagi)

Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 6:25 pm
by spirizu
Just a little update.

I seem to be getting hooked.

_______________________________________________________________

“Farting?”

I barely suppress a sigh as a burst of laughter ripples around the classroom. Miura’s laugh is almost loud enough to rouse Suzuki from her neverending slumber.

Suzuki … more like Snoozuki.

Heh.

I wonder if anyone else has thought of that?

Anyway, I get back to the matter at hand.

“No, Mikado, flatulence is not a good example of an exothermic reaction.”

“But … heat is released ...” she raises her hand halfway as if to emphasise her point, looking hopelessly lost and confused.

“Be that as it may, it’s not an example covered by the curriculum”, I rejoin, adding a silent Thank goodness to my explanation.

I turn to Nakai, hoping that he can get class back on track, when the bell rings out.

Already?

Time really does fly when you’re having fun.

I pack up my books and navigate my way towards the staffroom. For the first time, really, breaks have become something other than an opportunity to read up on physics in between classes.

I manipulate the door handle with my elbow, arms full with books and ungraded assignments - I really have to get around to marking them. Sometime - and notice her as soon as I walk in.

Miyagi-chan.

She asked me to call her Hoshimi, that night on the rooftop, but I dunno. I’m not really good with first names. Something intimate about them.

I like hearing her call me Akio, though. That could be good.

She’s engaged in putting some things away in her locker as I approach. I don’t really want to interrupt if she’s busy, but I’m sure she won’t mind just saying hi.

My throat’s suddenly gone dry, for some reason. I don’t even have hay fever. I clear it.

“Miyagi?”

She turns with a broad grin.

“Akio! How are you? Have a good morning?”

“Yes.”

I mean it. I did.

“You?”

She gives a tiny frown, causing her forehead to furrow slightly.

“Okay, I think. I made the mistake of explaining to Setou that there was no such thing as masculine and feminine nouns in English: they’re all just nouns. He accused me of planning to castrate all the males in the class and ran out screaming. No problems otherwise.”

“Just an average boring Tuesday.”

“Yup. Are … I mean … do …?”

She’s become suddenly shy. She does this sometimes. I don’t really understand it but it’s cute. I decide the best course of action is to just to stand politely and wait for her to ask her question.

She decides to start again. “So, have you any plans after work?”

“Yes.”

She looks suddenly forlorn. Did I do something wrong?

“Oh, well, I suppose that makes sense. Are you meeting friends … or … or ... someone?”

“No, not at all. There’s a documentary on the Higgs boson on the Science Channel at 8. I’ve been looking forward to it.”

This seems to perk her up. I enjoy my particle physics as much as the next guy, but I don’t know if it’s ever made my eyes sparkle quite like that. Starlight indeed.

“Oh, cool! Could I watch it with you … I mean … if that’s alright?”

I take a moment to consider her request. I always prefer not to rush into decisions. I consider the implications of her visiting, the feasibility of cooking for another person, and the time outlay involved in washing up after she’s gone.

“I don’t see why not”, I answer, truthfully.

_____________________________________________

After an exhausting two hours in the lab with class 2-4 (the class rep has been diagnosed with Tourette’s, but I’ve long had my doubts. And the others aren’t much better), I find myself on the road leading down towards the village and my apartment, when I hear rapid footsteps and I go suddenly blind.

“Guess who?”

This better not be Mikado.

I turn and look.

It’s not Mikado. For an instant, I’m not sure who it is.

“M-Miyagi-chan”, I breathe out.

She looks amazing. Her dark sweater and jeans have vanished, replaced by a light blue cotton dress and pale pink scarf, with her hair tied back by a green ribbon.

How did she find the time to change?

“I hope your surprise is a good thing”, she warns me playfully, linking her arm through mine. “Let’s go, Akio”.

We walk toward the village arm-in-arm, attracting a few surprised looks from students. None of ours, fortunately, but we’re outside school grounds and hours. No rules are being broken.

By the time I unlock the front door of my apartment, there’s a palpable frisson between us. I wonder if she’s as excited as I am? Because I can already hardly wait.

Only two hours until the documentary starts. I just hope it’s not an anti-climax.

When we’re inside, Miyagi settles herself on the couch while I begin to prepare the okonomiyaki. I glance at her from the corner of my eye after putting them on the grill. She stretches herself languidly and pipes up:

“Have you anything to drink?”

Drink? Does she need a glass of water? There’s a tap right … ah. Of course.

“There’s whiskey. Or white wine, if you like.”

“Ooh, white wine sounds lovely. I’ll take that, please.”

Great, now I have to find out where I stored the damn thing. I’m a whiskey drinker myself, but Nomiya kind of took me under his wing when I started in Yamaku and decided to give me some advice on how to get along with girls.

And always, always, remember to keep a bottle of white wine in the house, Mutou. You give a girl a few glasses of that, she’s yours for the night. And if that doesn’t do the trick…

I got the wine alright, but I never did find out what a “roofie” was. The girl in the store only looked at me in disgust when I asked to buy some. Maybe I should ask Miyagi sometime.

Hmm. Or not.

I eventually find the wine, well-hidden deep inside the whiskey cabinet, and pour it into two glasses, so she won’t think it’s gone off.

“Mm. That’s what I need. To be honest, Akio, I … haven’t done anything like this in a while.”

I don’t really know if she means the wine, the outfit or the visit, but I decide there’s only one right answer I can give in the situation, which fortunately happens to be true.

“Me either.”

I take a sip of the wine. It’s okay, I guess. Not whiskey, but it’ll do.

I serve dinner, which seems to go down pretty well.

“Mm. Wow. You’re a great cook, you know?”

I don’t really see the difficulty. The instructions are right there in the book: all I did was follow them. It would probably be churlish to point that out, though.

“Thank you. I’m glad you like it.”

“Mm. I’m hopeless at cooking. I either microwave or burn things.”

I find myself chuckling, though I’m not sure why. Not that I’m complaining.

She interests me. Not many people do. I think it’s the way she can be so cheerful and easy-going. Wherever she is, and whatever she’s doing, she seems to wear her surroundings like a coat which can be assumed or discarded at a moment’s thought. She fits her situation, whatever that might be. And her students adore her.

That much was clear, up on the roof. One of the students – the girl in the wheelchair – spotted us and pointed it out to the others. I braced myself for the jeering but none came. There were grins, but not cruel ones. They seemed happy for her. I wonder if it was a plot, and they were all in on it?

If it was, I think I’m okay with it. I don’t think my students adore me, though. But I’m okay with that, too. As long as they learn something from me, I can let the rest of it go.

She still interests me, though.

“Miyagi-chan … if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Yes, Akio?”, she sits up suddenly on the couch, eyes fixed on me, lit cigarette dangling idly from the fingertips of her right hand.

“How did you become an English teacher?”

“Oh. Oh! Ahem. Well, after finishing school, I went straight to teacher training college, even though I didn’t really have a subject in mind. I met an … American boy who was there to study Japanese and … we started dating. For about two years. I thought I’d go to the States with him, settle down and become either an English or Japanese teacher there.”

“I see”, I reply, even though I don’t think I do. But it’s what people say in this situation, isn’t it?

“But he moved back three months before I was due to join him, while I was still organising my visa. For the next few months, nothing. No phone calls or e-mails. Okay. I figured he was planning something big, to welcome me over.”

“Was he?”

Her eyes cloud over. “You could say that. Just when I finally had all the immigration stuff sorted, had thrown a big goodbye party for all my friends and family, I got something in the post from him.”

I might not be great at literature, but I can recognise a pregnant pause when I hear one. Or don’t, I mean.

“What was it?”

“It was an invitation. To his wedding.”

“Really? But I don’t … oh, wait. Wow.”

“It was the most humiliating event of my life. I cried for weeks afterwards.”

I wonder if it would be polite to ask her if she accepted the invitation. Maybe not. Better not risk it.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

She smiles a little at me, through tears as yet unshed.

“Thanks, Akio. Anyway, I couldn’t face telling all my friends and relatives what had happened, so I thought I may as well go somewhere far away anyway. Yamaku was looking for an English teacher, and it was the farthest school from my hometown that was recruiting. So here I came. And here I am.”

“And do you like it here?”

Her smile widens. Good. I like that.

“I do. The work is challenging, the scenery is nice and the people are … just really great, Akio. Just really great.”

She fixes her gaze on me. I think she wants to kiss. Just as I lean closer, my phone goes off:

"Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring bananaphone!"

Damn it! I knew Mikado didn’t have to send an “urgent text to her mother” last week. Why would someone text somebody urgently, anyway? I glance at the screen.

20.00 Reminder: Higgs boson documentary. DO NOT MISS THIS MUTOU OR I WILL CUT YOU IN YOUR SLEEP. FROM MUTOU.

Oh, yeah. What to do? I look back at Miyagi, who seems to be settling surprisingly comfortably into the couch. I don’t know what my cue is but she turns her eyes back toward me.

“Well? Aren’t we watching the documentary?”

__________________________________________

An hour later, I lean back and relax. I didn’t even realise I’d been on the edge of my seat.

“Wow. Wow.”

That’s all I keep repeating.

Miyagi’s looking at me again.

“Tell me what you’re thinking, Akio.”

This again? If she insists.

“How lucky are we? For millions of years, ever since the Cros met the Magnons, humanity has dreamed of figuring out what “is” actually is! What is the difference being being and unbeing? Through millions of years, thousands of millennia, hundreds of eons, the most fundamental questions of the universe – the answers to everything – have teased and taunted us, so often appearing so near, yet tantalisingly out of reach. People thought it was ether, they thought it was alchemy, thought it was the philosopher’s stone. Now, for the first time in all of history, we are on the cusp of beginning to solve the puzzle. The possibilities are literally endless. And of all the times we could exist, of all the infinite lives we could live, we are in this time, in a country wealthy enough to educate us and free enough to allow us to access this information and decide what to do with it for ourselves. How many people, even today, have those advantages? How unbelievably, amazingly, lucky we are!”

I pause, gasping with the exertion of speaking over a hundred words without taking a breath. The stars are back in Miyagi’s eyes, but she doesn’t move to kiss me.

Instead, she stands, takes my hand, and leads me to the open door in the far wall.

That’s my bedroom. What does she want in th … oh.

______________________________________________________

I guess I can call her Hoshimi now.

Re: Starbursts (Mutou and Miyagi) (UPDATED)

Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 9:37 pm
by nemz
Yep, still awesome. The secret lives of teachers is a worthy subject indeed, even if the game didn't think one of them deserved more than 3 expressions and the other didn't even get a sprite.

Re: Starbursts (Mutou and Miyagi) (UPDATED)

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 4:03 am
by Mirage_GSM
Another very nice chapter. A few nitpicks though:
“Okay, I think. I made the mistake of explaining to Setou that there was no such thing as masculine and feminine nouns in English: they’re all just nouns. He accused me of planning to castrate all the males in the class and ran out screaming. No problems otherwise.”
Japanese doesn't have different genders for nouns either, so why would even Kenji get that idea?
“M-Miyagi-chan”
The combination of the surname and the -chan honorific is... let's say, I've never encountered that before. It makes Mutou sound extremely awkward, so it might be intentional...

And I learned what a roofie is. Not that I expect the knowledge to be of any use whatsoever, but hey - knowledge.

Re: Starbursts (Mutou and Miyagi) (UPDATED)

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 11:09 am
by spirizu
Mirage_GSM wrote:
“Okay, I think. I made the mistake of explaining to Setou that there was no such thing as masculine and feminine nouns in English: they’re all just nouns. He accused me of planning to castrate all the males in the class and ran out screaming. No problems otherwise.”
Japanese doesn't have different genders for nouns either, so why would even Kenji get that idea?
Believe it or not, I actually went to the trouble of researching whether Japanese had gendered nouns in advance, just in case some awkward pedant raised the point. :P

I like to think that something along these lines happened:

-Kenji at some point realises that linguistics is among the most advanced branches of cryptography and decides to start reading about different languages, including Japanese;
-He agrees with the minority of linguists that Japanese nouns have genders (let's face it, Kenji sees gender politics everywhere);
-He becomes fearful that the majority view disagrees with this and believes that a feminist conspiracy is afoot to emasculate the Japanese language and all Japanese males, from infancy up;
-For a couple of weeks, Kenji is even more Kenji than usual;
-Kenji knows English is a core subject at Yamaku, and knows that it's becoming evermore ubiquitous in the world, so reads up on European languages and is reassured to see that most of them maintain rigid gender divisions. Being Kenji, of course, he forgets to check/doesn't realise that this doesn't apply to English;
-He settles into his studies with Miss Miyagi, confident that through his pending fluency in English, he and the rest of the English-speaking world will successfully man the redoubt against the increasingly powerful Japanese language feminists and all will be returned to the way it should be;
-He actually works hard for a change, not minding because he knows it'll all pay off in the end;
-Miyagi casually corrects his mistake in class;
-Kenji instantly believes the feminists have outwitted him, distracting his attention from his other major projects in order to ensure he spends his time on the fool's errand of learning English - an even more emasculated language than Japanese - which is constantly making inroads to indigenous noun-gendered languages and cultures the world over;
-There's only one objective the feminists could have in mind for doing such a thing;
-Kenjitime.

Image

TL;DR: a wizard did it.
“M-Miyagi-chan”
The combination of the surname and the -chan honorific is... let's say, I've never encountered that before. It makes Mutou sound extremely awkward, so it might be intentional...
Yep. :D Mutou really likes Miyagi, but he's not really sure how to demonstrate this, or how to act around her. "Miyagi" seems too aloof now, but he's not yet at the point where he can readily call her "Hoshimi" (name is headcanon, but I thought the meaning was appropriate), so he settles on the awkward and all-to-Mutou "Miyagi-chan".
And I learned what a roofie is. Not that I expect the knowledge to be of any use whatsoever, but hey - knowledge.
"To entertain and educate" - that's my motto.

Re: Starbursts (Mutou and Miyagi) (UPDATED)

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 11:26 am
by Mirage_GSM
Too bad that link doesn't say how said linguists get the idea that Japanese nouns could have genders... Would be very interesting...

Re: Starbursts (Mutou and Miyagi) (UPDATED)

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 2:54 pm
by Oddball
As far as opening lines go, that's a hell of a way to start.
And I'm perfectly aware that the transit of Venus took place in 2012, not 2007. It's not canon
Maybe there was another one and nobody was paying attention.

Anyway, overall this is a very nice story and very well written. It does contain a pet peeve of mine though.
“E-excuse me? Mutou-san?”
Personally, I hate when people try to use honorifics. The rest of the story is in English so it just makes them look horribly out of place. Misha gets away with it because she uses it as a nickname.

On that note, having a character named Miyagi refer to another one as ____- san makes me think of Pat Morita, and that's probably not the mental image you were going for.

Other than that, there was a nice tone and some very good characterization here.

As for Kenji and gender issues with nouns, I'd be willing to chalk that up to Kenji just being Kenji.

Re: Starbursts (Mutou and Miyagi) (UPDATED)

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 4:52 pm
by Helbereth
Okay, I've seen that name come up twice in discussions about Miyagi... who the hell is Pat Morita? And what does he have to do with Miyagi?

Re: Starbursts (Mutou and Miyagi) (UPDATED)

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 5:24 pm
by griffon8

Re: Starbursts (Mutou and Miyagi) (UPDATED)

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 6:03 pm
by Helbereth
That Miyagi is a dude, though...