[Fanfic]:Off104d - a Megatokyo story - Chapter 1 : Leave it to Seraphim v1.5

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cidjen
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[Fanfic]:Off104d - a Megatokyo story - Chapter 1 : Leave it to Seraphim v1.5

Post by cidjen » Thu Jan 04, 2018 2:26 am

I love you... I want to live, because I love you! Stop being stupid!
How would you feel... If I really died ?


Piro closed the book, put it on the shelf and shuddered. Another story cycle was over.

However something still did not feel right. The feeling, the pain of having taken a wrong choice, was growing on for several cycles already, now that he had more time to think about it.

Usually it took just an evening of playing games with his children. Not that he was doing this to wipe out the memory of what happened - no, that wasn't why he was doing it. He could swear by that, even if he couldn't explain it even to himself.

He has been revisiting this story from time to time, to ensure 'continuity of art', as it became known to his colleagues at Lockart.
The corporate types really took some convincing, and several successful projects, to see why they needed to hold on to this story and never let it go again. Success... yeah. He has achieved it numerous times over the years, as he worked as the Lead Artist, first on Sight, then on other projects. It has been busy and fulfilling. All was well, apart from that lingering feeling, that intensified every time it was his turn to re-read.

He and Kimiko... really had the knack for working together. It was almost like she was channeling the voices of his characters as successfully, as he was channeling their looks. The fans responded to that in numbers. And cash. He smirked at that the reminiscence of his own character in the book he just closed. He was so broke back then.

Things were very different now.

Why did he feel like an empty vessel today ? Something definitively wasn't feeling right. Not just the lingering feeling of wrong choice. Something actually broke today. He felt like he was about to lose something.

And then he realized : All the drawings of Seraphim he ever made for this story, started to look very sketchy.

He sat down and looked blankly through the office high-riser window. He looked at his watch - it was almost time to go home.

* * *
They sat around the table in the morning.
It wasn't quite the default setting for a japanese urban villa, mostly furnished traditionally. But Kimiko didn't mind, and the children didn't know any different, not until they started going around their friends' houses, that did not have raised dining surfaces and chairs to sit around. Even then, they simply got over it. It was pretty convenient to not have to kneel around the table. Also his knees did not feel as fresh as when they were younger.
- What do you do today, Piro ? - Kimiko started the conversation.
- Uh... it's story time... - he cringed - you know, this time is my turn.
- Why do you cringe like that dad ? - asked the teenage boy to the left of him.
Piro dabbed at his breakfast cereal and stuffed his mouth almost shut.
- Beghus a av do Ya ow at - he almost choked, while Kimiko finished - leave your father alone, Kirigashi, you know he has to.
Gulp. He looked at Kimiko. She looked at him - he loved her eyes. Her eyes was what he secretly liked drawing the most of all. He had acres of paper covered in pencil sketches of her eyes. Fans of his work loved the way he drew his characters' eyes.
- Yeah but everytime da' has to do that, he looks like a mop afterwards - the girl to the right chimed in - takes him hours in the evening to get out of that zone, even longer if we don't force him to play a game with us. Does he not know this story by heart by now ?
Kimiko smiled, extended her hand across the table and touched his, while he was dabbing his cereal again. She knew why he was doing that, always at that time. She lifted the corners of her mouth just-right for a really compassionate smile to come out, turned her head slightly towards the girl, while still maintaining eye contact with him.
- He knows. But this time it is special to us, Yumi. It's the anniversary of when the original story really happened - she straightened her view of him again and put on a stern look - I too wish he didn't have to, but it's his turn today to keep aunt Miho's fantasy alive. You know I too have to do that sometimes. - The stern look disappeared. Her normal smile came back again.
- Yeah mom - said the girl - but you did not see what da' looked like last time round. You were not here, you were promoting something down in China.
- I know - Kimiko replied - I too hate seeing him like this. But it's the only way we can keep aunt Miho alive. You like aunt Miho do you?
- I dunno - the boy chimed in - she seems all right with us. Is it really that she has to feed on her friends emotions ?
- We've been through this, Kirigashi - his voice came out unexpectedly harsh, almost too harsh for the situation.- hrh... sorry that cereal was a bit sharp.
- None of your friends who do that too, ever look this exhausted after their turn is up - Yumi added.
- You know... I told you before... that the story you're reading, is not entirely what really happened?
They all nodded, they knew why this was true.
The elaborate plan, to portray Miho's death as the bad ending, that nobody liked, and everybody always wanted to avoid.
- So please stop drilling me about this so much. I will do what I have to do, then will be someone else's turn to read it.

He sighed and sulked into his cereal again. Like he could ever tell them. Anyone of them. Even Kimiko. Not after all these years.

* * *

Why didn't you tell me ? we could have saved them!
We weren't exactly on speaking terms back then, remeber?


He read the book. Recently, the task of re-reading the Megatokyo story got a lot harder.

When their little circle of friends back-then agreed, that they will be Miho's fans she needed to keep her alive, he drew and printed a copy of the Megatokyo story for every Best Miho Friends fanclub member, he kept his copy hand-drawn and un-touched by digital enhancements. This meant, after years of use, he recently had to redraw parts of it, as the paper went brittle and yellow due to aging. Also redrawing was the way to re-touch some of the designs and looks that he wasn't able to draw when he first drew the story. He liked adding the little touches to the revisions. A better look here, a slightly more sexy curve there. Nicer eyes.

The bathhouse scene, always was a strain on his conscience. He could remember clearly the day when he decided to not draw a part of it, as the script called for. He masked the gap over with layers of meta, and it worked. The gap was after all only two pages wide, the story skipped a couple of passages, and nobody was any wiser about what really happened there, especially before entering the school.

But what surprised him slightly, was that the people that were in the bathhouse with him and Miho - Mugi, Yuki and Yutaka - seemed to have forgotten that one page of original script. Like it was never there. Maybe because it was a near-death experience at least for Yutaka - and the feelings were so strong that even after all these years, Yuki too wasn't herself for a while after reading that part. That wasn't something, that Seraphim was able to show anyone but him though. She was his conscience, no one could ever see her but him. Every time it was his turn to read the book he drew without that one page of script, two pages of drawings, Seraphim looked unbelievably sad and did not talk to him for the next few hours. He could swear by it, that it was this, the two missing scenes, that made her look like she was going to die.

* * *

- Honey I'm home.

Silence.

The house was rarely this silent when he was coming back. He went around all the rooms. He looked at the Family Planner 2018. Oh right, how could he forget. The kids were studying with their friends tonight, and have been invited to the birthday party at Yuki and Yutaka's home. So they won't be back for another few hours. He made sure that his Tesla knew when to go to pick them up, then loosened his tie and crashed on a swiveling chair.

He had different strategies of coping with the guilty conscience over the years. Most of the time, when the kids were small, when he read the book to them, he had to keep that part out of his mind anyway, for the bathhouse scene was decidedly not entirely safe for kids. When the kids grew up and started reading the book for themselves, they weren't able to even detect the gap.

Kimiko never drilled further on what really happened in the bathhouse. She had the second hand-drawn copy of the book, but being emotional as she was, she laminated it to protect it from UV, air and tears. He had to reprint the "what happened to you in his story" pages every time she read it, before they got this idea.

He could not ever laminate his copy. He would rather redraw a destroyed page, than give up on the raw feelings and emotions radiating from the pencil drawings.

But he kept part of the bathhouse script aside, only ever in his head.

I couldn't hold it for much longer - he thought - I couldn't hold it like that forever. I needed to offload this burden off Seraphim. I don't want to lose her... I can't lose my conscience. She hasn't spoken to me for years. Or smiled. I can't leave it to Seraphim any more.
* * *
-fanfic-by-cidjen-2018-to-be-continued-
(touch-up : doe->due, redraw->reprint)
Last edited by cidjen on Thu Jun 07, 2018 8:56 am, edited 3 times in total.
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🖕💩🥫🚽🖌️
--------
Translation to polish
and where it happens when I have time to stream

Blessed be those, who, having nothing to say, avoid trying to tell this to the world in their own words - J. Tuwim ( liberally translated )

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cidjen
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Re: [Fanfic]:Off104d - a Megatokyo story - Chapter 1 : Leave it to Seraphim v1

Post by cidjen » Fri Jan 12, 2018 7:02 pm

(Note: this is the first version of this chapter. the old versions, when they emerge, will be reposted as the replies to the newest one -cidjen- )

I love you... I want to live, because I love you! Stop being stupid!
How would you feel... If I really died ?

He closed the book, put it on the shelf and shuddered. Seraphim smiled. After all these years, she could smile at him again.

However something still did not feel right. He has been revisiting this story from time to time, to ensure 'continuity of art', as it became known to his colleagues at Lockhart. He has done it numerous times over the years, as he worked as the Lead Artist, first on Sight, then on other projects.

He and Kimiko... really had the knack for working together. It was almost like she was channeling the voices of his characters as successfully, as he was channeling their looks. The fans responded to that in numbers. And cash. He smirked at that the reminiscence of his own character in the book he just closed. He was so broke back then.

Things were very different now.

Why did he feel like an empty vessel today ? Something definitively wasn't feeling right, like something went amiss between yesterday evening and now.

He sat down and looked blankly through the high-riser window. Flying cars passing by in numerous corridors to the left and right, very organized, like rows of ants. He looked at his watch - it was almost time to go home.

* * *
They sat around the table in the morning.
It wasn't quite the default setting for a japanese stately home, mostly furnished traditionally. But Kimiko didn't mind, and the children didn't know any different, not until they started going around their friends' houses, that did not have raised dining surfaces and chairs to sit around. Even then, they simply got over it. It was pretty convenient to not have to kneel around the table. Also his knees did not feel as fresh as when they were younger.
- What do you do today, Piro ? - Kimiko engaged the conversation.
- Uh... it's story review time... - he cringed - you know, this time of the month.
- Why do you cringe like that dad ? - asked the teenage boy to the left of him.
Piro dabbed at his breakfast cereal and stuffed his mouth almost shut.
- Beghus a av do Ya ow at - he almost choked, while Kimiko finished - leave your father alone, Kirigashi, you know he has to.
Gulp. He looked at Kimiko. She looked at him - he loved her eyes. Her eyes was what he secretly liked drawing the most of all. He had acres of paper covered in pencil sketches of her eyes. Fans of his work loved the way he drew his characters' eyes.
- Yeah but everytime da' has to do that, he looks like a mop afterwards - the girl to the right chimed in - takes him hours in the evening to get out of that zone, even longer if we don't force him to play a game with us. Does he not know this story by heart by now ?
Kimiko smiled, extended her hand across the table and touched his, while he was dabbing his cereal again. She knew why he was doing that, always at this time of the month. She lifted the corners of her mouth just-right for a really compassionate smile to come out, turned her head slightly towards the girl, while still maintaining eye contact with him.
- He knows. But this time of month is special to us, Yumi - she straightened her view of him again and put on a stern look - I too wish he didn't have to, but it's his turn today to keep aunt Miho's fantasy alive. I too have to do that sometimes. - The stern look disappeared. Her normal smile came back again.
- Yeah mom - said the girl - but you did not see what da' looked like last time round. You were not here, you were promoting something down in China.
- I know - Kimiko replied - I too hate seeing him like this. But it's the only way we can keep aunt Miho alive. You like aunt Miho do you?
- I dunno - the boy chimed in - she seems all right with us. Is it really that she has to feed on her friends emotions ?
- We've been through this, Kirigashi - his voice came out unexpectedly harsh, almost too harsh for the situation.- hrh... sorry that cereal was a bit sharp.
- None of your friends who do that too, ever look this exhausted after their turn is up - Yumi added.

He sighed and sulked into his cereal again. Like he could ever tell them. Not after all these years.

* * *

Why didn't you tell me ? we could have saved them!
We weren't exactly on speaking terms back then, remeber?

He read the book. Recently, the task of re-reading the Megatokyo story got a lot harder.

When their little circle of friends back then agreed, that they will be Miho's fans to keep her alive, he printed a copy of the Megatokyo story for every Best Miho Friends fanclub member, he kept his copy hand-drawn and un-touched by digital enhancements. This meant, after years of use, he recently had to redraw parts of it, as the paper went brittle and yellow doe to aging. Also redrawing was the way to re-touch some of the designs and looks that he wasn't able to draw when he first drew the story. He liked adding the little touches to the revisions. A look here, a slightly more sexy curve there.

With the last redraw of the bathhouse scene, he decided he had to off-load his conscience ... Seraphim was right, omitting that page wasn't a very good idea in the first place.

But what surprised him slightly, was that the people that were in the bathhouse with them - Mugi, Yuki and Kobayashi - seemed to have forgotten that one page of script. Like it was never there. The gap was really small, and you could only see it, if you had the access to the original script. That wasn't something, that Seraphim was able to show anyone but him though. She was his conscience, no one could see her but him. Every time he read the book without that one page of script, Seraphim looked unbelievably sad and did not talk to him for the next few hours.

* * *

- Honey I'm home.

Silence.

The house was rarely this silent when he was coming back. He went around all the rooms. He looked at the Family Planner 2018. Oh right, how could he forget. The kids were studying with their friends tonight, and have been invited to the birthday party at Yuki and Kobayashi's home. So they won't be back for another few hours. He made sure that his Tesla knew when to go to pick them up, then loosened his tie and crashed on a swiveling chair.

He had different strategies of coping with the guilty conscience over the years. Most of the time, when the kids were small, when he read the book to them, he had to keep that part out of his mind anyway, for the bathhouse scene was decidedly not entirely safe for kids. When the kids grew up and started reading the book for themselves, they weren't able to even detect that there used to be a gap.

Kimiko never drilled further on what really happened in the bathhouse. She had the second hand-drawn copy of the book, but being emotional as she was, she laminated it to protect it from UV, air and tears. He had to redraw the "what happened to you in his story" pages every time she read it, before they got this idea.

He could not ever laminate his copy. He would rather redraw a destroyed page, than give up on the raw feelings and emotions radiating from the pencil drawings.

But he kept part of the bathhouse script aside, only in his head.

He never asked Yuki, Kobayashi or Mugi if they have seen any gaps in their copies of the story.

I couldn't hold it for much longer - he thought - I couldn't hold it like that forever. I needed to offload this off Seraphim. I can't lose my conscience. She hasn't spoken to me for years. Or smiled.
* * *
Слава Україні!
🖕💩🥫🚽🖌️
--------
Translation to polish
and where it happens when I have time to stream

Blessed be those, who, having nothing to say, avoid trying to tell this to the world in their own words - J. Tuwim ( liberally translated )

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