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Post by Doctor Nanjo M.D. on Sept 19, 2023 21:46:38 GMT
[Chapter 2 - Requested by Lyric]
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 20, 2023 0:34:31 GMT
A day or so after Lyric asked if Ava wanted to be their friend, she's just kinda chillin' in the girls bunk room. She's in a particularly '90s mood, so she's been practicing songs like Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Come As You Are by Nirvana, and Every Morning by Sugar Ray. It's generally just been a mellow, slow kind of day after the maelstrom that had occurred a day and a half ago. Next up on the docket is What I Got by Sublime as they begin picking out the intro riff.
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Post by Akkordian on Sept 20, 2023 2:21:34 GMT
Ava, for her part, has just been laying on her bed across the room from or adjacent to or below Lyric and listening to the chill jam session the entire time.
“I feel bad for implying you were a shitty singer, back when the show first started… listening to your voice singing all these classic songs has been real nice. And… you’re pretty cool, too. So, uh, sorry.” She tries to mask her embarrassment from her sudden confession-slash-apology by picking up and flipping through one of her many books that she has decidedly not let anyone else touch or see.
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 20, 2023 3:35:57 GMT
As Lyric finishes up the song and Ava says her apology-slash-confession, Lyric simply smiles and lets out a low chuckle.
"Oh, that? That's in the past now. It's fine! I've . . . already . . . ," She begins, but something's up. Using that as a coping mechanism has worked many times for her before. Maybe it's the stress of the fire and the death and the trial. Maybe it's the captivity, meaning these fifteen people are the only ones she's been able to interact with. In any case, Lyric leans Hannah up against the side of their bunk, and takes in a deep breath.
"Okay, I need to level with you. Now, for sure, I know you were acting back then. I even figured you might react that kind of way to my song. Still, it . . . hurt. Not the fact that you were sarcastic about saying I was a good singer, or the name calling; I expected those. But saying my song was full of insults made me step back and wonder, 'Did I actually mess up? Did I go too far?' Normally, I'm able to throw those things behind me and move on. Especially if you kept up the act and I could be dismissive by saying, 'Well, I tried getting through and it's not working.' But--and I mean this in the best way possible--you started to change, and the mask melted away, and my opinion of you also began to change. I know we haven't been friends for long, but I thought it might be good to clear the air. Crazy what happens to people when death is on the line." Lyric laughs bitterly. "So, did I mess up with that song?"
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Post by Akkordian on Sept 20, 2023 4:31:35 GMT
Ava stills once she realizes she’s suddenly being interrogated. Realizing that just running out of the room wouldn’t do her any good and also make for a pretty lame FTE, she lets out a deep breath and flops her head against her pillow.
“You didn’t mess up, I guess, it just- really hit close to home. You had me completely read quicker than anyone else here. Or at least you were the first to speak up about it.”
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 20, 2023 5:38:33 GMT
Lyric exhales and visibly relaxes. So this is what it's like to feel relief.
"Yeah, I pride myself on being able to read people so it's easier to figure out what they want. They've always come to me, though, so there's never been any hostility. After I called you out, you probably felt scared, even attacked. Act or not, it's no wonder you reacted the way you did. But, ah, I'm not here to put you under a microscope. Thank you for the apology and the reassurance." Lyric smiles and takes on a more laid-back posture. "Unless you have more to say about this, I think we can move on to something more fun! Like talking about random shit, or jamming out to some more music, or asking each other questions! Or, y'know, something else you'd find fun. I'm up for anything, really!"
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Post by Akkordian on Sept 20, 2023 6:07:44 GMT
“You moonlight as a therapist or something when you’re not playing guitar?”
Ava sits up from her limbs akimbo, sprawled-out-on-her-bunk position and sits up to face Lyric. “I mean, I’d be fine to just talk or listen to you sing more. It really is nice.” She kicks her feet and stops talking for a second. “I can’t show you any of the games or forums I’d usually go on, ‘cause of the whole internet restriction thing we’ve gotta deal with. Which is totally lame. Buuut, I do have all the anime I’ve been showing Eleven, and if that pin you wear a lot is anything to go by, you might actually be interested in watching them…”
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 20, 2023 15:41:06 GMT
Lyric chortles. "Ahaha, play the guitar for money? In this economy? Everyone's been asking me if I'm a professional musician. I'm not; it's just my longest, strongest hobby. I'm afraid if I turned it into an obligation, I'd get bored of it too. I'm more akin to a life coach, which I guess isn't that much more viable of a career. Though, I have used music in my work many times."
Now that the conversation is moving on, Lyric brightens a bit. "Thank you, again, for the compliment. I guess you could tell me about the games you like to play or the forums you frequent; maybe I've heard of some of them! Now, I haven't really watched any anime so pretty much anything you show me would be completely new, but I'd certainly love to watch some. Besides! Imagine if I learned to play some of the opening or ending songs! That would be so fun!" She claps her hands together and chuckles.
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Post by Akkordian on Sept 20, 2023 18:36:35 GMT
Ava, not really expecting her suggestions to go over so well, awkwardly scoots out of her bunk and pulls her laptop bag out from underneath the frame before going over and sitting on the edge of Lyric’s bed.
“Well, I’m like, super popular on Gaia (Online). Naturally, I’ve put together amazing outfits and everyone thinks my posts are like, so funny. But I missed my daily login for the first time since ‘04 because of the stupid rules of this fuckin’ murder show…” Ava’s mindlessly clicking around her desktop as she starts to ramble, “I’ve maxed out a bunch of characters in Maplestory, very cute pixel-y Korean MMO. All my characters are so adorable with their cash shop items. Oh, and I got a couple of really high level characters on AdventureQuest, too. Lots of good times skipping class and grinding on the library PCs back in high school…”
She wistfully reminisces about high school as if she didn’t graduate around a year ago.
“And like, if you do wanna watch anime, for real, I’ve got all the typical action stuff, pretty much…” Her tone gets a lot more reserved, and she curls in on herself a bit, “but most the stuff I’ve got saved are shows about girls falling in love, and, uh, stuff. If I’m gonna get bullied for being fat, a nerd, and gay, I might as well embrace what I like or whatever, right?”
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 20, 2023 19:49:03 GMT
Lyric listens intently during the forum and game ramble, frowning a bit after the murder show comment.
"Well, if it's any consolation, some of your fans from the forum are probably watching, right? Though I guess them getting to see 'the real you' isn't exactly what you wanted . . . . MapleStory and AdventureQuest do sound like they could be fun to check out, though I admire your dedication; I'd probably get bored long before I reached high levels, let alone the max level."
"As for anime? Hell yeah, I'd be down to check out some WLW stuff. There's certainly not enough of it these days. Also, you're not fat, there's absolutely nothing wrong with being a nerd, and being homophobic on this show is literally illegal! As it should be in the rest of the world!" She's standing up and pumping their fists at this point. "You know what we do with the haters? We dunk on them, that's what! Nerdy lesbians unite!" She plops down on the bed, sitting next to Ava, tuckered out from that tirade.
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Post by Akkordian on Sept 20, 2023 20:41:39 GMT
“That last part…was what I dealt with when I was younger.” Ava pointedly does not look in Lyric’s direction as her face flushes and her voice breaks, just a bit.
“I used to be fat. As a kid.” She picks at the second set of sleeves she’s consistently worn along with her other clothes the entire duration of the show. “I’ve always been a nerd, and, I kinda always just knew I only liked girls. And I was bullied for all that shit, until everyone just stopped giving me any attention at all. ‘s why what you said in that song of yours really got to me. I dunno why I even decided to open up like this just ‘cause you agreed to watch anime with me…”
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 20, 2023 21:58:21 GMT
Lyric's expression darkens again as they listen to Ava's response.
"Right . . . Sorry for getting preachy there," she mopes, "It's easy for me to forget that those years are long behind me, and it's not so 'easy' for a lot of people. Kids can be so fucking cruel. I'll never understand it.
"You had to have some friends during your school years though, right? I wasn't the first person that asked if you wanted to be friends, was I? I figured you deserved to have at least one other member in your party. I know, I'll be your bard!" Lyric stands up, grabs Hannah, aims the guitar at some imaginary monster, and puts on their best adventurer's voice. "Stand down, bullies, or face my . . . um . . . Song! Of-Of Storms. Good job, Lyric, very original."
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Post by Akkordian on Sept 20, 2023 22:32:30 GMT
“…No. I haven’t had any friends since elementary school. Even my best friend ghosted me back in the fourth grade.”
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 20, 2023 22:47:16 GMT
"Well, you have me now, and I promise the only way I would ghost you is by becoming a literal . . . ghost."
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Post by Akkordian on Sept 20, 2023 23:17:13 GMT
“Thanks, Lyric. I appreciate it.” Ava gives a small smile, and actually seems genuine right now. Wow!
She awkwardly scoots a little closer to the center of the bed, now. “So, uh… if you still wanna, like, hang out, we could watch something. Since you mentioned parties and bards, how about something adventure-y? Y’might like El Cazador de la Bruja… this outlaw cowgirl protects a witch girl from bounty hunters and shit, and they go on the run together and get close and stuff. I really like it.”
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 20, 2023 23:45:49 GMT
"Ooh, I like the premise. Sounds epic!" Lyric sits back down on the bed, Hannah still tucked under her arm as if staying 'prepared for battle,' and looks toward Ava with a smile. "As I said before, I hope you don't mind if I start playing along with the opening and ending themes as I become more familiar with them." They give Hannah a quick strum to make sure she's still in tune.
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Post by Akkordian on Sept 21, 2023 0:10:11 GMT
“I don’t really mind.” Ava replies quickly, her twintails whipping around as she shakes her head, still awkwardly scooting closer to Lyric with her laptop resting on her lap.
Wow so that’s why they call them laptops
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 21, 2023 1:45:14 GMT
Lyric chuckles, looking over at the laptop. "Let me guess: subs all the way, am I right?"
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Post by Akkordian on Sept 21, 2023 2:57:05 GMT
Ava settles in, you guessed it, awkwardly, with some space still between her and Lyric, and lets out a quick laugh as she hits play on the first episode. “Uh, duh? What do I look like, some kinda scrub?”
Her epic 2008 gamer reply undermines the unfortunate fact that a lot of great queer stories are never graced with dubs, adaptations, or even translations due to their status as niche, underrepresented genres within the space.
“Plus, uh, El Cazador doesn’t actually have a dub. So.”
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 21, 2023 4:32:31 GMT
"Hmhm, just a friendly bit of teasing. I know how heated the debates can get."
As the opening theme plays on, Lyric picks up on the key immediately: G minor, and is able to predict its chords with middling accuracy. By the second chorus, they have that chord progression down. [Gm - Dm - Eb F Bb D/A Gm - Dm - Eb D C D] It might take some work yet to figure out the verses.
Lyric's player, being visually-impaired, has tried watching part of the first episode and, not only must she focus only on the subtitles in order to read them, cannot keep up with how fast the subtitles are going. This is a shame, because she was hoping to achieve full immersion in the moment. Alas, if she wants to watch the full anime, she'll need to find its dub. Le sigh. Lyric themself, however, will have no trouble keeping up with the subtitles.
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Post by Akkordian on Sept 21, 2023 5:06:14 GMT
“Y’know,” Ava speaks up once the credits are rolling for the first time, leaning back against the headrest uncomfortably, “I was never really into anything cowboy-related before. Guess everything gets better when you put gay girls in it.”
“…it still feels so weird actually sharing the things I like with real people like this.”
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 21, 2023 6:22:40 GMT
"Oh, hell yeah!" Lyric agrees, once again leaning Hannah against the side of the bunk to give her a rest, "Two women starting a grand adventure! Ellis, and . . . um, well I guess we didn't learn the name of the cowgirl yet. Man, Ellis is already showing her prowess! They're bound to make a great duo!"
After trying again, Lyric's player did in fact make it through the first episode, only having to stop and rewind a few times to reread subtitles she missed. It was only sometimes hard to follow during conversations. It was like watching a normal show when there wasn't dialogue, so . . . yeah! Seems like an awesome show! And subs aren't as difficult as I originally thought, as long as I'm watching alone.
". . . It makes sense it would feel weird. You didn't originally come here to make friends with anybody, but then . . . you changed. It's obviously not worth Hisoka having burned down the manor and Jackson dying. But . . . it led us here, to make the best out of a sucky situation. I . . . I wanna continue this. Our friendship. Even after we escape here and go back to our homes, I want to stay in touch." They laugh bitterly, "Guess I'm thinking a bit too far ahead, huh? Speaking of continuing, I'm down to watch the next episode if you are."
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Post by Akkordian on Sept 21, 2023 11:30:22 GMT
Ava just stares at Lyric for a moment, her eyes going wide. “You- you really wanna stay friends with me if we make it out of here?”
She stalls the conversation in a markedly unhelpful manner, but, hey, she’s just so surprised that all she can do is go bug-eyed and reiterate.
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 21, 2023 13:35:45 GMT
"I mean it could just be the combination of a dopamine rush from discovering a new badass anime from a new badass friend and elevated stress that comes from being part of a game where anyone can die at any moment, causing me to cling to friendships like they'll skitter away if I so much as look at them funny, but . . . ," Lyric rambles, beaming, "Duh! You're dope as hell. And you've been through so much. You deserve at least one fellow gay nerd who'll stick up for you." She holds up a hand for a high five.
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Post by Akkordian on Sept 21, 2023 17:05:24 GMT
Ava gives Lyric a high-five while having the dopiest look on her face. She not-so-subtly scoots closer to Lyric, until their arms are barely touching, and finally hits play on her laptop to start the next episode.
“…thanks, Lyric. I’ll try to be a good friend.”
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 21, 2023 17:23:05 GMT
"As will I, Ava, as will I," Lyric utters in a low, expressive tone. One that indicates they're comfortable with what's happening. As she feels her and Ava's arms nearly touch, she does not lean away.
As the OP begins to play again, Lyric starts the next step of the learning process: trying to hum along with the melody. There are points when she has to stop as it gets more complex. They make a mental note to pay particular attention to those spots later when seriously practicing the song.
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Post by Akkordian on Sept 21, 2023 18:03:48 GMT
The rest of Ava and Lyric’s little El Cazador marathon goes by without incident, for the purpose of maybe moving onto another scene if you want to, except Ava starts to lean against her new friend as the episodes go on.
She lets out a little yawn, after a while. “Your voice is really soothing. This was fun.”
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 21, 2023 19:59:39 GMT
"Aw, I really appreciate that. Indeed, this has been very fun. I especially liked the part when . . . ," and proceeds to recount a fluffy scene from a previous episode that definitely had gay undertones. ". . . Wasn't it crazy when . . ." Then a riveting action scene. ". . . I was really worried when . . ." Finally, a tense scene where it wasn't clear how the main duo would make it out, until they managed something clever or unexpected. Lyric just went on, gushing about the show for a couple minutes and just being a general dork about the whole thing.
"You know what we need for next time we do this? Snacks. I'm thinking nachos! Seems appropriate," Lyric comments, gesturing with the arm that Ava isn't leaning against. "Speaking of food, you wanna grab a bite to eat, and maybe go for a walk? It's fine if you don't want to go outside; I know you're not really the outdoorsy type."
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Post by Akkordian on Sept 21, 2023 21:36:07 GMT
Ava joins in on Lyric’s gushing about the cool lesbian western adventure anime, and shuts her probably close-to-dead laptop once they’re finishing geeking out and sets it aside.
“Yeah, I could eat. And I wouldn’t mind a walk, I guess… that’s, uh, is how hanging out is supposed to go, right? Doing what you both enjoy, like, uh, reciprocity or whatever?” It really took all the mental power in her two brain cells to think of that one.
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 21, 2023 23:07:07 GMT
"Ooh, nice word," Lyric compliments as they stand up and return Hannah to her case. "Well yeah, I wouldn't want the both of us to do something that one of us doesn't enjoy, hence why I checked in. So, what do you like to eat for a light meal? We probably have some fruit and cheese, and maybe crackers if that's your thing. Or maybe a small salad, or we can see what's in the fridge that's easy to cook. Or cold cut sandwiches? Plenty of options." She begins making her way out of the bunk room towards the kitchen.
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