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A Catgirl's Last Chance for High School Romance - COMPLETE

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[X] Try and have the talk here. Maybe that won't be as awkward as sharing an umbrella.
 
Ok seriously.

I've never understood the whole 'Because Drama!' Argument. Creating such situations is meant to be a GM's job, not deliberately taking options you know will backfire, or have a high chance of it.

That just feels like deliberately taking actions you know will harm a character, emotionally or potentially physically, for nebulous and kinda shallow reasons. And that honestly just feels cruel.
 
[X] ...Okay. At least you won't get wet that way. Even if you have to have an awkward conversation you're dreading.

The3rdCorinthian said:
Ok seriously.

I've never understood the whole 'Because Drama!' Argument. Creating such situations is meant to be a GM's job, not deliberately taking options you know will backfire, or have a high chance of it.

That just feels like deliberately taking actions you know will harm a character, emotionally or potentially physically, for nebulous and kinda shallow reasons. And that honestly just feels cruel.
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I mean, coming out of the building later (even if not at the same moment) can also be seen and misunderstood.

I'll take "seen and make the awkward conversation we need to have with Mari a little more awkward" over "worrying constantly about being overheard or seen at the meeting itself while having this awkward conversation" if that's the drama that people wanna focus on.
 
The3rdCorinthian said:
Ok seriously.

I've never understood the whole 'Because Drama!' Argument. Creating such situations is meant to be a GM's job, not deliberately taking options you know will backfire, or have a high chance of it.

That just feels like deliberately taking actions you know will harm a character, emotionally or potentially physically, for nebulous and kinda shallow reasons. And that honestly just feels cruel.
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Some of it is because people taking the choice don't fully view themselves as playing the character - they're viewing themselves as a kind of collaborative storyteller. Each choice is not just a character decision, but a decision on how you want the narrative to go. There may be some cruelty inherent in that, but it's the same kind of cruelty as a writer who puts their characters through any kind of unpleasant situation has to have.

Edit: Edited to avoid generalising too much about motives.

[X] ...Okay. At least you won't get wet that way. Even if you have to have anawkward conversation you're dreading.
 
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The3rdCorinthian said:
Ok seriously.

I've never understood the whole 'Because Drama!' Argument. Creating such situations is meant to be a GM's job, not deliberately taking options you know will backfire, or have a high chance of it.

That just feels like deliberately taking actions you know will harm a character, emotionally or potentially physically, for nebulous and kinda shallow reasons. And that honestly just feels cruel.
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If the QM had done anything to indicate being someone looking to punish us for our choices, your argument might be valid. But she hasn't. This isn't a case of "here's the optimal choice, here are the two okay choices, and here's the P͍͕̰u̺̜̺̺n̬͝i̢̠̲̯s̢͔h̢m͚̼̪̙͙͓̭e̦͎͚͚̫n͉̩̩̦̻t̡̼ option." Frankly, any of the options might lead to some sort of drama happening; alternatively, none will.

Beyond that, people have different motivations than you, as @PhDEevee pointed out. Drama is entertaining for a lot of us, and not necessarily in a "let's see this character SUFFER" manner. Honestly, I'm voting for that option because, if the the proposed mistaken sighting happens, I want to see how we deal with it. It's a potential for growth, both for Hanako and Mari (if she's aware of it happening). But I would also be fine with any of the other options winning, because this isn't a story with an optimal path.
 
PhDEevee said:
It's because people taking the choice don't fully view themselves as playing the character - they're viewing themselves as a kind of collaborative storyteller. Each choice is not just a character decision, but a decision on how you want the narrative to go. There may be some cruelty inherent in that, but it's the same kind of cruelty as a writer who puts their characters through any kind of unpleasant situation has to have.

[] ...Okay. At least you won't get wet that way. Even if you have to have anawkward conversation you're dreading.
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For one thing Jesse explicitly offered to walk with us. For another questgoers are instinctively risk averse and flighty. I mean, before it was pointed out to us how many would have thought of it? Would Nayako, highly emotional and distracted as she is, think of it at all?
 
Undead Martyr said:
For one thing Jesse explicitly offered to walk with us. For another questgoers are instinctively risk averse and flighty. I mean, before it was pointed out to us how many would have thought of it? Would Nayako, highly emotional and distracted as she is, think of it at all?
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I've edited my post not to imply there are no IC reasons for it. I just wanted to explain the 'drama' viewpoint.
 
[X] ...Okay. At least you won't get wet that way. Even if you have to have an awkward conversation you're dreading.
 
[X] Try and have the talk here. Maybe that won't be as awkward as sharing an umbrella.
 
[X] Try and have the talk here. Maybe that won't be as awkward as sharing an umbrella.

I think at this point talking AND not digging deeper is critical
 
[X] ...Okay. At least you won't get wet that way. Even if you have to have an awkward conversation you're dreading.
 
[x] ...Okay. At least you won't get wet that way. Even if you have to have anawkward conversation you're dreading.
 
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24. What if we never talked about this again?
  • Threadmarks
    • Ugh. Ugh. No. You don't want to share an umbrella even if you don't want to get wet either. And if you're going to have that conversation, maybe you can just talk about it here. Inside. Away from the prying eyes and ears of your community and everyone you know who might see you and start talking about you and then--

    And then calm down. You take a deep breath and close your eyes, trying to focus inwards on your racing thoughts, then open your eyes again to look at Jesse. You try to be cool and calm but instead you're petty sure it just comes off as shaky.

    "Um. Can we just talk here? I don't..." You trail off and look away from Jesse, that awkward anxiety coming back again. You can't look at him. When you finally manage to look back at him, Jesse is actually smiling a little. It's kind of awkward, but it's a smile, right? He nods.

    "Yeah. That's fine. Sorry, I didn't think about how that could be weird." Oh. He understands. He sits down at the edge of the entryway, waving to the last couple stragglers who are heading out the door into the rain. Then the two of you are alone again. It reminds you of Tuesday but... this time it doesn't feel quite as awful. Jesse takes a breath, seeming to steel himself before he speaks in a quiet voice.

    "So. Um. Yeah, I guess we're kinda out to each other now? I didn't... Hm. I didn't think you were in the closet or whatever, but it kinda makes sense now that I think about it..." You exhale sharply and glance away, stammering a reply.

    "I--I don't know if I'm...I'm... a lesbian or whatever! I'm probably not even really gay!" You protest, probably a bit too loudly but you can't help yourself. Just saying the words out loud makes you shake a little, nervous jolts of adrenalin running up and down your nerves. Jesse holds up his hands, placating.

    "Right. Sorry. But, uh. You're here for a reason, right? You're here because... you think you might be?" You cover your face in your hands and bend a little, feeling that sick panic again. He's right. He's right and you really hate to admit it.

    "I--I guess. I just..." You swallow and try to find the words. They don't come to you easily and you have to squeeze your hands into tight fists as you try to figure out what you're supposed to say. You don't know. You don't know. You don't know.

    "...I'm sorry for freaking out at you the other day," you finally manage to say something. Better than confronting his question at least. Jesse is still smiling and it almost makes you feel guilty with how nice he is.

    "It's okay. I understand. I... shouldn't have asked you, honestly. But Mari was just... she wouldn't take no for an answer and I figured at the least we'd... go out and then maybe things wouldn't work out. That's all." He rubs the back of his neck.

    "...Which seems awful now that I say it out loud," he admits with a sheepish shrug. "I shouldn't let her push me around but. I didn't want anyone to like... Find out. I mean, I'm not ashamed. And you shouldn't be either, but it'd make life harder..." Jesse trails off again. "I just wanted to clear the air with you so you know that I'm not like. Mad at you or anything like that. You're my friend and especially now I'm gonna support you. No matter what."

    That's comforting. A little comforting. You don't know. You inhale again and scrub at your eyes with the back of your hand. Being... gay. It sounds scary and intimidating and you wonder if your life will ever be normal or if you're going to just be shunned forever if anyone finds out. Not that you're sure yet.

    "Thanks," you finally manage to squeak a quiet reply. "I...I'm not gonna tell anyone or anything. And we're still going to be friends, obviously. I just... don't know what I'm going to tell Mari about all this stupid shit that happened. And. How to explain it because I said I had a crush on you to get her to stop bugging me about finding a boyfriend or if I had anyone I liked and now... now it's all a mess. I hate this! I hate it!" You bow your head and take a deep breath. It actually felt pretty good to let all of that out of you, even if you still have no idea what to do now someone else knows and you're not just stewing in your own head.

    Weird how that works. Jesse sighs along with you.

    "Yeah. It kinda sucks, huh? I mean... Yeah. People have really stupid ideas about, you know. Gay people." He's quiet again for a moment. "Maybe just... be honest with her? I know that sounds waaaay easier than it actually is and it's probably stupid for me to tell you to do that? Because I haven't been able to. But it might work. I dunno. Sorry, I'm not that good at this. But, uh. If you ever need someone at school, like? Just find me. We can talk about it." The offer is really kind of sweet and it actually brings a smile to your face.

    "Thanks, Jesse. I... I'm glad we talked. I need to get to the station though and the walk home is gonna be awful with this rain. And no, before you even offer I am not taking your umbrella because you need it just as much as me." You shove yourself to your feet. You actually feel... better. A little hopeful. Maybe you're gonna be okay! There's just a lot to figure out. Jesse stands and moves to grab his own shoes as you head for the door.

    "See you at school, Hanako." He smiles at you and you find yourself smiling back--you're smiling for what feels like the first time in a week. "See you, Jesse."

    Then you push open the door and scurry out into the rain, running for the platform as fast as you can. You spend the run to the station dodging from awning to awning until at last you're on the train. You're not dry but it's a relief. When you finally get home, your parents fuss over you and you immediately head off to take a bath and soak the chill out of your bones from the spring rain shower. While you sit there in the steaming water, eyes on the ceiling, you find yourself wondering what exactly you're going to do tomorrow, because you really do need to talk to Mari...

    [ ] Pull her aside privately and tell her the truth. She deserves to know! She's your best friend after all
    [ ] Tell part of the truth. At least you can admit you're not actually into Jesse and just told her that because you panicked felt like you needed to say something.
    [ ] Come up with a convincing fib about why you turned Jesse down. Maybe you're just shy? Or maybe you're just not ready to date.
    [ ] You're not ready to think about this. Maybe you can avoid her again tomorrow and avoid the incoming awkward conversation.
     
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    • --Youexhales sharply and glance away, stammering a reply.

    You exhale

    [] Tell part of the truth. At least you can admit you're not actually into Jesse and just told her that because you panicked felt like you needed to say something.

    I'm torn between this and continual endless avoidance forever.
     
    At this point if you converted my desire to hug HAnako into electricity it could fully charge a power plant.

    [X] Tell part of the truth. At least you can admit you're not actually into Jesse and just told her that because you panicked felt like you needed to say something.

    Journey of a thousand miles, single step etc. etc.
     
    [X] Tell part of the truth. At least you can admit you're not actually into Jesse and just told her that because you panicked felt like you needed to say something.

    Time to try to be brave, I think. Lying is tempting, but it's just going to dig an even deeper hole, both with Mari and with Hanako's own situation.
     
    [X] Tell part of the truth. At least you can admit you're not actually into Jesse and just told her that because you panicked felt like you needed to say something.

    Alright time to somewhat resolve the situation.
     
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