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SnootGame_w_ExtrasMenu/game/script.rpy

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#TODO
#remove sex
#troll /adgd/
#idk debug lol
#just like make game
#??????
#Profit&Export
#To whoever decides to look at the script file of this, woe be upon ye, because this is an absolute clusterfuck. The actual script for the game starts on line 346. The rest is just boilerplate code for characters, scenes, transitions, and whatnot.
#Why yes all my code is in one massive file called "script" thats 28k lines long, how could you tell?
#Licensed under the GNU AGPL v3, for more information check snootgame.xyz or the LICENSE file that should have came with this work.
init python:
import random
import webbrowser
#function for insult layers
def showCG():
files = ["text0", "text1", "text2", "text3", "text4", "text5", "text6", "text7", "text8", "text9"]
length = len(files)
picked = random.randint(0,length - 1)
fileName = files[picked]
renpy.show(fileName, at_list=[randPosition])
transform randPosition:
alpha 0.0
xalign random.uniform(0.2,0.8)
yalign random.uniform(0.2,0.8)
linear 0.6 alpha 1.0
linear 1.0 alpha 0.0
#python:
# def Walking( name ):
# show name:
# xalign 0.2 yalign 0.25
# ease 1.0 yalign 0.0
# ease 1.0 yalign 0.25
# repeat
#layeredimage aquariumexhibit:
#group animals:
# attribute babyTurtle:
# attribute octo:
# attribute
# attribute
# attribute
# attribute
#layeredimage aquarium
#group kids:
# attribute wkids:
# "smolpatrol.webp"
#layeredimage anon:
# group face:
# attribute neutralFace default:
# "anonb1f1.webp"
# attribute happyFace:
# "anonhappyface.webp"
# attribute flipNeutralFace:
# "flipanonb1f1.webp"
# attribute flipHappyFace:
# "flipanonhappyface.webp"
# group body:
# attribute neutralBody default:
# "anonspriteneutral.webp"
# attribute thumbsUp:
# "anonspritethumbsup.webp"
# attribute flipThumbsUp:
# "flipanonspritethumbsup.webp"
# attribute:
# "flipanonspriteneutral.webp"
# attribute monkey:
# "monkeyanon.webp"
# group holding:
# attribute guitar:
# "guitar.webp"
#Characters
define A = Character ('Anon',color="#36E12D",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-120,who_ypos=110) #Light Green
define F = Character ('Fang',color="#7E2DE1",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-125,who_ypos=111) #Purple
define Lucy = Character ('Lucy',color="#7E2DE1",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-125,who_ypos=111) #Purple
define Ro = Character ('Rosa',color="#E12D36",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-125,who_ypos=111) #Red
define St = Character ('Stella',color="#E17E2D",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-125,who_ypos=111) #orang
define N = Character ('Naomi',color="#2D36E1",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-125,who_ypos=111) #Blue
define Nas = Character ('Naser',color="#501D5E",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-125,who_ypos=111) #Dark Purple
define T = Character ('Trish',color="#8A0036",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-125,who_ypos=111) #Maroon
define Attendant = Character ('Attendant',color="#8A0036",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-155,who_ypos=111) #Maroon
define Sp = Character ('Spears',color="#7B8A00",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-125,who_ypos=111) #Dark Yellow
define Re = Character ('Reed',color="#368A00",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-125,who_ypos=111) #Dark Green
define D = Character ('Driver',color="#098A00",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-125,who_ypos=111)
define FM = Character ('Fangs Mom',color="#EA1A84",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-170,who_ypos=108)
define FD = Character ('Fangs Dad',color="#1A1CEA",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-170,who_ypos=108)
define Tsuki = Character ('Mr. Tsuki',color="#CEAF23",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-150,who_ypos=111)
define unknown = Character (' (???)',color="#000000",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-170,who_ypos=110)
define jingo = Character ('Mr. Jingo',color="#42C053",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-170,who_ypos=110)
define MaitD = Character ('Maitre D',color="#42C053",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-170,who_ypos=110)
define Moe = Character(' Moe',color="#42C053",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-170,who_ypos=110)
define Vince = Character ('Vince',color="#3C770D",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-125,who_ypos=111) #Dark Green
define Waitress = Character ('Waitress',color="#C89B19",window_background="gui/textbox.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-140,who_ypos=111) #Gold
#long TB chars
define AnonAndFang = Character(' Anon and Fang',color="34F313",window_background="gui/textbox_long.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-170,who_ypos=110)
define SV = Character ('Street Vendor',color="#420046",window_background="gui/textbox_long.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-145,who_ypos=110)
define carl = Character ('Mr. Carldewskii',color="#4963A5",window_background="gui/textbox_long.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-170,who_ypos=110)
define Drf = Character (' Dr. Fernsworth',color="#4963A5",window_background="gui/textbox_long.png",window_xoffset=120,window_yoffset=-79,what_xpos=245,what_ypos=125,who_xpos=-170,who_ypos=110)
#Extra image translations
#siloettes
image stellaSilo = im.Flip(im.MatrixColor("stella/stella neutral.png",im.matrix.brightness(-1)), horizontal=True)
image rosaSilo = im.MatrixColor("rosa/rosa neutral.png",im.matrix.brightness(-1))
image naomiSilo = im.MatrixColor("naomi/naomi neutral.png",im.matrix.brightness(-1))
image naserSilo = im.Flip(im.MatrixColor("naser/naser neutral.png",im.matrix.brightness(-1)), horizontal=True)
image fangSilo = im.MatrixColor("fang/fang neutral.png",im.matrix.brightness(-1))
image fangAngrySilo = im.MatrixColor("fang/fang angry.png",im.matrix.brightness(-1))
#violence flips
image fang kicking flip = im.Flip("fang/emotive set/fang kicking.png", horizontal=True)
#neutral flips
image anon neutral flip = im.Flip("anon/base set/anon neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image anond neutral flip = im.Flip("anon/ending sets/anond neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image anon prom neutral flip = im.Flip("anon/prom set/anon prom neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image anon prom blacklight neutral flip = im.Flip("anon/Other/anon prom blacklight neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image fang neutral flip = im.Flip("fang/basic set/fang neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image fang a prom neutral flip = im.Flip("fang/prom sets/fang a prom neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image fang d prom neutral flip = im.Flip("fang/prom sets/fang d prom neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image fang d neutral flip = im.Flip("fang/future sets/fang d neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image fang c prom neutral flip = im.Flip("fang/prom sets/fang c prom neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image naser neutral flip = im.Flip("naser/naser neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image naser prom neutral flip = im.Flip("naser/naser prom neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image trish neutral flip = im.Flip("trish/trish neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image trish future neutral flip = im.Flip("trish/trish future neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image trish prom neutral flip = im.Flip("trish/trish prom neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image naomi neutral flip = im.Flip("naomi/naomi neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image naomi prom neutral flip = im.Flip("naomi/naomi prom neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image fangmom neutral flip = im.Flip("fangparents/fangmom neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image fangdad neutral flip = im.Flip("fangparents/fangdad neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image spears neutral flip = im.Flip("spears/spears neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image stella neutral flip = im.Flip("stella/stella neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image stella prom neutral flip = im.Flip("stella/stella prom neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image moe neutral flip = im.Flip("moe/moe neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image rosa neutral flip = im.Flip("rosa/rosa neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image rosa prom neutral flip = im.Flip("rosa/rosa prom neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image reed neutral flip = im.Flip("reed/reed neutral.png", horizontal=True)
image reed king rex flip = im.Flip("reed/reed king rex.png", horizontal=True)
image reed future neutral flip = im.Flip("reed/reed future neutral.png", horizontal=True)
#angry flips
image spears angry flip = im.Flip("spears/spears angry.png", horizontal=True)
image fang angry flip = im.Flip("fang/basic set/fang angry.png", horizontal=True)
image fang very angry flip = im.Flip("fang/emotive set/fang very angry.png", horizontal=True)
image fang ultra angry flip = im.Flip("fang/emotive set/fang ultra angry.png", horizontal=True)
image fang a prom angry flip = im.Flip("fang/prom sets/fang a prom angry.png", horizontal=True)
image naomi angry flip = im.Flip("naomi/naomi angry.png", horizontal=True)
image naomi prom angry flip = im.Flip("naomi/naomi prom angry.png", horizontal=True)
image rosa angry flip = im.Flip("rosa/rosa angry.png", horizontal=True)
image naser angry flip = im.Flip("naser/naser angry.png", horizontal=True)
image trish angry flip = im.Flip("trish/trish angry.png", horizontal=True)
image trish prom angry flip = im.Flip("trish/trish prom angry.png", horizontal=True)
image trish fury flip = im.Flip("trish/trish fury.png", horizontal=True)
image reed angry flip = im.Flip("reed/reed angry.png", horizontal=True)
#very angry flips
image anon angry flip = im.Flip("anon/emotive set/anon angry.png", horizontal=True)
#sad flips
image anon sad flip = im.Flip("anon/emotive set/anon sad.png", horizontal=True)
image fang very sad flip = im.Flip("fang/emotive set/fang very sad.png", horizontal=True)
image fang sad flip = im.Flip("fang/basic set/fang sad.png", horizontal=True)
image fang pendant sad flip = im.Flip("fang/christmas/fang pendant sad.png", horizontal=True)
image fang c prom sad flip = im.Flip("fang/prom sets/fang c prom sad.png", horizontal=True)
image fang c sad flip = im.Flip("fang/future sets/fang c sad.png", horizontal=True)
image fang c sad2 flip = im.Flip("fang/future sets/fang c sad2.png", horizontal=True)
image fang c sad3 flip = im.Flip("fang/future sets/fang c sad3.png", horizontal=True)
image fang c sad4 flip = im.Flip("fang/future sets/fang c sad4.png", horizontal=True)
image anon sad flip = im.Flip("anon/emotive set/anon sad.png", horizontal=True)
image naomi sad flip = im.Flip("naomi/naomi sad.png", horizontal=True)
image naser sad flip = im.Flip("naser/naser sad.png", horizontal=True)
image trish sad flip = im.Flip("trish/trish sad.png", horizontal=True)
image trish prom sad flip = im.Flip("trish/trish prom sad.png", horizontal=True)
image stella sad flip = im.Flip("stella/stella sad.png", horizontal=True)
image stella prom sad flip = im.Flip("stella/stella prom sad.png", horizontal=True)
image reed sad flip = im.Flip("reed/reed sad.png", horizontal=True)
#shocked flips
image anon shocked flip = im.Flip("anon/emotive set/anon shocked.png", horizontal=True)
image fang shocked flip = im.Flip("fang/emotive set/fang shocked.png", horizontal=True)
image fang c shocked flip = im.Flip("fang/future sets/fang c shocked.png", horizontal=True)
image reed shocked flip = im.Flip("reed/reed shocked.png", horizontal=True)
image naser shocked flip = im.Flip("naser/naser shocked.png", horizontal=True)
image naomi shocked flip = im.Flip("naomi/naomi shocked.png", horizontal=True)
#considering flips
image fang considering flip = im.Flip("fang/basic set/fang considering.png", horizontal=True)
image reed considering flip = im.Flip("reed/reed considering.png", horizontal=True)
image naser considering flip = im.Flip("naser/naser considering.png", horizontal=True)
image naomi considering flip = im.Flip("naomi/naomi considering.png", horizontal=True)
image rosa considering flip = im.Flip("rosa/rosa considering.png", horizontal=True)
#happy flips
image fang happy flip = im.Flip("fang/basic set/fang happy.png", horizontal=True)
image fang a prom happy flip = im.Flip("fang/prom sets/fang a prom happy.png", horizontal=True)
image fang d prom happy flip = im.Flip("fang/prom sets/fang d prom happy.png", horizontal=True)
image fang c prom happy flip = im.Flip("fang/prom sets/fang c prom happy.png", horizontal=True)
image fang c happy flip = im.Flip("fang/future sets/fang c happy.png", horizontal=True)
image naser happy flip = im.Flip("naser/naser happy.png", horizontal=True)
image naser prom happy flip = im.Flip("naser/naser prom happy.png", horizontal=True)
image naomi happy flip = im.Flip("naomi/naomi happy.png", horizontal=True)
image trish happy flip = im.Flip("trish/trish happy.png", horizontal=True)
image trish very happy flip = im.Flip("trish/trish very happy.png", horizontal=True)
image naomi prom happy flip = im.Flip("naomi/naomi prom happy.png", horizontal=True)
image reed happy flip = im.Flip("reed/reed happy.png", horizontal=True)
image reed happy sunglasses flip = im.Flip("reed/reed happy sunglasses.png", horizontal=True)
image anon face happy flip = im.Flip("anon/base set/anon face happy.png", horizontal=True)
image trish future smug flip = im.Flip("trish/trish future smug.png", horizontal=True)
image trish prom happy flip = im.Flip("trish/trish prom happy.png", horizontal=True)
image stella happy flip = im.Flip("stella/stella happy.png", horizontal=True)
#fear flips
image anon fear flip = im.Flip("anon/emotive set/anon fear.png", horizontal=True)
#bossy flips
image rosa bossy flip = im.Flip("rosa/rosa bossy.png", horizontal=True)
#explanatory flip
image reed explanatory flip = im.Flip("reed/reed explanatory.png", horizontal=True)
image trish explanatory flip = im.Flip("trish/trish explanatory.png", horizontal=True)
image reed future explanatory flip = im.Flip("reed/reed future explanatory.png", horizontal=True)
image stella explanatory flip = im.Flip("stella/stella explanatory.png", horizontal=True)
image naser explanatory flip = im.Flip("naser/naser explanatory.png", horizontal=True)
image naomi explanatory flip = im.Flip("naomi/naomi explanatory.png", horizontal=True)
#unimpressed flip
image fang unimpressed flip = im.Flip("fang/basic set/fang unimpressed.png", horizontal=True)
image fang d prom unimpressed flip = im.Flip("fang/prom sets/fang d prom unimpressed.png", horizontal=True)
image reed unimpressed flip = im.Flip("reed/reed unimpressed.png", horizontal=True)
image anon unimpressed flip = im.Flip("anon/base set/anon unimpressed.png", horizontal=True)
image naser unimpressed flip = im.Flip("naser/naser unimpressed.png", horizontal=True)
image trish unimpressed flip = im.Flip("trish/trish unimpressed.png", horizontal=True)
image naomi unimpressed flip = im.Flip("naomi/naomi unimpressed.png", horizontal=True)
image stella unimpressed flip = im.Flip("stella/stella unimpressed.png", horizontal=True)
image trish future unimpressed flip = im.Flip("trish/trish future unimpressed.png", horizontal=True)
image fangdad unimpressed flip = im.Flip("fangparents/fangdad unimpressed.png", horizontal=True)
image fangmom unimpressed flip = im.Flip("fangparents/fangmom unimpressed.png", horizontal=True)
#annoyed flip
image naser annoyed flip = im.Flip("naser/naser annoyed.png", horizontal=True)
image trish annoyed flip = im.Flip("trish/trish annoyed.png", horizontal=True)
#embarrass flip
image fang embarrass flip = im.Flip("fang/emotive set/fang embarrass.png", horizontal=True)
#hiding flip
image fang hiding flip = im.Flip("fang/emotive set/fang hiding.png", horizontal=True)
#indignant flip
image trish prom indignant flip = im.Flip("trish/trish prom indignant.png", horizontal=True)
#surprised flip
image fang surprised flip = im.Flip("fang/basic set/fang surprised.png", horizontal=True)
#other flips
image spears happy flip = im.Flip("spears/spears happy.png", horizontal=True)
image fang flip off happy flip = im.Flip("fang/emotive set/fang flip off happy.png", horizontal=True)
image fang ear cover flip = im.Flip("fang/emotive set/fang ear cover.png", horizontal=True)
image anon monkey flip = im.Flip("anon/Other/anon monkey.png", horizontal=True)
image rosa prom closed flip = im.Flip("rosa/rosa prom closed.png", horizontal=True)
image reed sunglasses flip = im.Flip("reed/reed sunglasses.png", horizontal=True)
image trish prom bass flip = im.Flip("trish/trish prom bass.png", horizontal=True)
image trish smug flip = im.Flip("trish/trish smug.png", horizontal=True)
image rosa future flip = im.Flip("rosa/rosa future.png", horizontal=True)
image jinflip = im.Flip("other/jin.png", horizontal=True)
image farnsworth flip = im.Flip("other/farnsworth.png", horizontal=True)
image carldelewski flip = im.Flip("other/carldelewski.png", horizontal=True)
image fangdad unimpressed flip = im.Flip("fangparents/fangdad unimpressed.png", horizontal=True)
image black = "#000"
#WAOH ITS THE TITLE SCREEN!!!!
label splashscreen:
$ renpy.movie_cutscene("images/intros/CaveManonProductions.webm")
stop sound
return
#Custom Vars for positions
transform scenter:
xalign 0.5 yalign 0.0
transform sleft:
xalign 0.0 yalign 0.0
transform sright:
xalign 1.0 yalign 0.0
#Stella
transform stcenter:
xalign 0.5 yalign 0.1
transform stleft:
xalign 0.0 yalign 0.1
transform stright:
xalign 1.0 yalign 0.1
#Anon
transform acenter:
xalign 0.5 yalign 0.1
transform aleft:
xalign 0.0 yalign 0.1
transform aright:
xalign 1.0 yalign 0.1
#Naser
transform ncenter:
xalign 0.6 yalign 0.1
transform nleft:
xalign -0.2 yalign 0.1
transform nright:
xalign 1.9 yalign 0.1
#Fangs mom
transform fmcenter:
xalign 0.5 yalign 0.1
transform fmleft:
xalign 0.0 yalign 0.1
transform fmright:
xalign 1.0 yalign 0.1
#Trish
transform tcenter:
xalign 0.5 yalign 0.1
transform tleft:
xalign 0.0 yalign 0.1
transform tright:
xalign 1.0 yalign 0.1
#Reed and other long tailed dinos
transform rcenter:
xalign 1.2 yalign 0.1
transform rleft:
xalign -0.2 yalign 0.1
transform rright:
xalign 1.7 yalign 0.1
label start:
$ fangscore = 0
$ anonscore = 0
$ tradwife = False
pause 1.0
#First Day of School
"January sixth."
"Year 201M2020 BC."
"Volcaldera Bluffs."
"Weather conditions; cold as balls."
"It’s my first time living close to water."
"The idea of ‘marine layer’ is new to me, but I do understand morning mist."
"This was like it, except infinitely more shitty."
"The heavy fog makes navigating to my new school more difficult as I fail to see anything five feet in front of me."
"Like a runt of a tree planted in the sidewalk that I swerve to avoid."
"It’s my first time having to walk to school too."
"My new apartment is in an awkward spot. Opposite side of town, yet no school or public bus to take me from there."
"It’s my first day at a new school."
"It’s the second half of the first semester of senior year."
"I had six months left at my old school."
"I can’t even imagine the kind of hell those six months would have been."
"But this…"
"I should take my mind off of it."
"I whip out my phone, and consider the best way to make people upset online."
menu:
"Reply to the obvious shill thread":
"I replied to the obvious shill thread"
"Bait the obvious underaged poster":
"I baited as underage B&"
"The thread goes 404 right as I'm ready to post my well thought-out reply."
"Better hide my phone before someone sees fit to take it from me, the only human around town. I think."
play music 'audio/effects/chatter loop.ogg' fadein 1.0
"It’s the sounds that reach me first. The chatter of people milling about."
show rosaSilo at scenter
show stellaSilo at sright
unknown "Bro"
unknown "It’s been too long!"
unknown "It was only three weeks *Giggle*"
"I can make out the building now."
"The fog shrouding gives the school an ominous vibe to it."
"I look at the name written on the arch over the entrance."
"Volcano High."
scene outside school fog with fade
A "Perfect setting for a horror game. Or maybe a shitty WAD."
"The attempt at humouring myself just made me feel more alone."
show anonphone
"A check of my phone says I’m 30 minutes early."
"Wonderful."
hide anonphone
"I move to the entrance, only to see all of the steps occupied by students."
scene stairs with fade
scene stairs at Pan((6000, 1200),(553, 169), 30.0)
"Their eyes turn to me. Expressions of confusion and contemplation. I can feel their judging stares, the same that had haunted me for four months previous."
"I can already picture what they’re thinking."
unknown "{i}Dude, check it out!{/i}"
unknown "{i}Is that a skinnie?{/i}"
unknown "{i}Where’s his spear? Aren’t they all like, spear chuckers or something?{/i}"
unknown "{i}Bet he eats his own kind.{/i}"
"They probably see me as some kind of circus attraction and nothing more."
"Ha, I’m the freakshow among this cereal box mascot crowd."
#(Scrolling Staircase CG here)
"Taking acid is not nearly as colorful as going to Volcano High, I should write that down."
"As I write '’write that down'' on my phone’s note app, I noticed the surrounding students stopped looking at me, which is good."
"I can peep around the friend circles without a problem now."
"Not like I'll ever be a part of one anyway."
"?"
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/That Monochromatic Weirdo.ogg" fadein 0.5
scene fanglookback at Pan((0, 1080), (0, 0), 10.0)
"Talk about wanting to stand out, I never thought it was possible to look like you were from a black and white twenties cartoon."
"She does differ from the other technicolor students though..."
"...in the worst way possible."
"O-oh yeah. She's staring at me..."
"...with that look. Fucking hell."
"Has she never seen a human in her life?"
"I fucking hate that look."
"Contempt. Judging."
"Everyone that has looked at me like that never proved to be anything more than an asshole."
"Like I'M the anomaly here. She's just as dumb and insufferable as the rest of them."
"She’s probably no better than me, miss ''my snout is so big I can land a plane on it''."
"Go back to your friends."
scene fangtalkingwithtrish with dissolve
stop music fadeout 1.0
pause 1
play music "audio/OST/Beach Chill Out.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Huh. She did. I feel like I should say something."
"I notice that all this time my knees were weak and my arms were heavy."
"My feet carry me over the soggy grass as I look for somewhere else to be."
stop music
stop sound
stop audio
"On the side of the building is where I find sanctuary"
scene garden with fade
show anon neutral flip at scenter
"It’s a small alcove of sorts."
"The pavement is cracked to bits and the shrubs surrounding it are overgrown."
"Even the bench, cracked paint on rotted wood held between two concrete legs, matched the ‘abandoned’ vibe of the place."
"It was perfect."
"I flop down on the wet bench and the violent crack from it makes my heart drop."
"Almost perfect but good enough."
"I feel a tightness in my chest, and my lungs fight to draw air in."
"Head in my hands I can fully understand what I’ve done now."
"Six months in a new school."
"A year on my own in some rundown apartment in a town I know nothing about."
"All on my own."
"Three weeks."
"It took a day for me to want to change schools, and three weeks to make it happen."
"And this is my life now for the next year. I think back to my old man’s ultimatum."
"{i}Once the lease is done, Anon, either college or the service.{/i}"
"{i}I don’t care which.{/i}"
show naomiSilo at sleft
show naserSilo at sright
unknown "Would you happen to be Anon?" #Naomi
play sound "audio/effects/WoodSnap.wav"
hide anon
"I look up. The bench broke down."
"I lay on the ground, ass hurt from hitting jagged concrete and splintered wood."
"Thank god for jeans."
scene pathetic at Pan((0, 1031), (0, 0), 10.0)
play music 'audio/OST/Dragging on and on....ogg'
unknown "Oh my goodness! Are you okay?"
"I groan"
A "Never better"
"I instinctively apply my ‘chill guy’ facade in the presence of strangers to hide how uneasy I am today."
"A hand is held over my face. In my pain addled confusion I shake it."
unknown "Naser!"
Nas "Right, right"
scene garden with fade
show naser neutral flip at nright
show naomiSilo at sleft
show anon neutral at acenter with dissolve
"The hand tightens around my own and pulls roughly."
"The force is enough for my feet to get under me, stumbling back up to stand before the pair of strangers."
"It also felt like enough force to pull my arm out of its socket."
show anon neutral at acenter
A "Uh... 'Sup?"
Nas "You're Anon, yeah?"
unknown "I'm glad we found you!"
A "...Who are you guys? Why do you know my name?"
show anon neutral flip at acenter with dissolve
unknown "Where are my manners! My name is Naomi, student council president and your guide. It’s my sincere pleasure to make your acquaintance Anon!"
show naomi neutral at sleft with dissolve
hide naomiSilo
Nas "We’re your welcoming committee"
A "O-kay then."
"Is that really necessary?"
N "I had this prepared just for you!"
"The orange one, Naomi hands me a brochure."
"Volcano High and You. A new beginning to adulthood."
"The title alone makes me gag. The pink one, Naomi, looks at me expectantly."
"The brochure is full of the typical trivialities."
"College prep, financial assistance, after school programs."
"None of it matters."
Nas "Babe, I’ve got some things to take care of."
show naser neutral flip:
xalign 1.0 yalign 0.0
show naomi sad
with dissolve
A "Naser looks back to the school entrance. I follow his eyes and see some people trying to lift a large speaker up the stairs of the school. "
N "O-oh."
N "I’ll see you at lunch, right Naser?"
"She looks dejected."
Nas "*chuckles* Of course."
show anon at aright
show naser neutral flip at ncenter
with move
"Naser pulls her into a hug and nudges his muzzle against hers. Is that how dinos kiss?"
"He leaves, running quickly to assist with the heavy sound equipment."
hide naser neutral flip with dissolve
N "ahem"
show naomi neutral with dissolve
"I turn back to Naomi. She smiles again, though there is a plasticity to it."
N "How about I show you the campus, Anon? We wouldn’t want you getting lost on your first day, now would we?"
A "Mm, sounds good."
scene hallway
show naomi neutral at sleft
show anon neutral flip at aright
with fade
show hallway
play music 'audio/OST/Dragging on and on....ogg'
"Instead of using the main entrance Naomi led me to a side entrance. Inside, the school looked like your stereotypical school hallway."
"Lockers and posters along the walls. Doors interspersed equally all the way down. More students milling about before class."
N "Anon, may I see your class schedule?"
"I pull the folded up sheet from my pocket and hand it to her. She unfolds it delicately and scans the page thoroughly."
N "Oh my gosh! We share a home room Anon!"
"Oh wonderful."
N "Speaking of, class will be starting shortly. Follow me. Mr. Tsuki’s classroom is this way."
play music 'audio/OST/Dragging on and on....ogg'
"I follow after her to a classroom on the 2nd floor. The seats were being filled with students. I take one near the front, knowing I’ll have to introduce myself. I’ll probably be doing that for all my classes."
scene classroom with fade
"Fuck my life."
show anon neutral flip at aright
"The artificial ring of a bell blares from a speaker on the wall. With it everyone waits as the teacher finally enters the room and shuts the door."
show jinflip at sleft with dissolve
Tsuki "Ohayo gozaimasu curassu. Tudei yu habu e niu curassu-meito tsu Borukeino Hai"
"What"
Tsuki "Anon-kun puriizu camu appu zen intorudiusu yooru serfu"
stop sound
"Naomi coughs and makes a subtle nod up."
"OH!"
stop sound
stop audio
stop music
"I stood from my seat and faced the class. Once again all eyes on me and the tightness in my chest returns. I inhale deep, willing my erratic heart to slow."
show anon neutral flip at acenter with move
show jinflip with move:
xalign -0.2 yalign 0.0
show anon neutral at acenter with dissolve
A "Hey…"
"Again those eyes, just like three weeks ago."
A "My name is Anon. I uh…"
"Just like every day for the past four months."
A "I don’t really have any hobbies."
"I wanted to flee. Hide away. Anything to avoid those judging eyes."
N "Why did you transfer here?"
"My throat clenches. It’s an innocent question. But I think back again to it all."
A "uh… I…"
"There’s whispers now. The hushed tones, silenced snickers, blending with the everpresent stares. My heart hammers at my chest and I am sure that they all can hear it. See the cold chill racing over me."
Tsuki "Anon-kun, yuu du natto habu tsu ansaa zattu"
"His words snap me out of my trance. Only Naomi was looking at me. The rest were preoccupied."
"Either talking about their winter break. Or catching up on sleep."
"They’ve all been ignoring me the entire time."
Tsuki "Puriizu retaano tsu yo shiito, Anon-kun. Hai, nao curassu-"
"That was nothing like my Japanese animes."
hide anon neutral with dissolve
"Mr. Tsuki continued on, drawing what little attention there was to himself. I sat down, finally feeling the blood that had caught in my legs rush up, leaving me lightheaded."
hide jinflip with dissolve
"And I probably have to do this for each class today?"
"Double fuck my life."
scene black with fade
"Awkward introduction after awkward introduction to classmates that couldn’t care less kept me anxious the whole morning."
scene cafeteria
show anon neutral at aleft
with dissolve
"And there’s still the rest of the day to go."
"Eventually, lunch comes around."
"I don’t have the lunch card yet, so I settle for a pseudopizza."
"The kind that becomes a viable weapon if you leave it alone for ten minutes."
"No time to waste after exiting the line, I scan the lunchroom for an open seat."
"I thought I had found a decent spot in the corner when disaster struck."
show naser neutral with moveinleft:
xalign -0.1 yalign 0.0
show anon neutral flip at scenter with move
"Said disaster was a hand grabbing my shoulder and turning me about."
"My plate of pizza shaped cardboard threatened to smear across my shirt."
"I fought the momentum of the tray until the hand that had spun me stabilized it and me."
show naser explanatory
Nas "Whoa there! Nearly dropped your food Anon."
A "Yeah, whose fault is that?"
show naser considering with dissolve
pause 2
show naser explanatory with dissolve
Nas "...Yours?"
"I swear to all that is good and holy."
show naser happy with dissolve
Nas "Wanna sit with us?"
"What?"
Nas "Wanna sit with Naomi and me? Since you’re new and all."
"He points to a table where the living pink sugar rush is waving."
"God damn it."
"I don’t want to make a scene."
A "Suuuure…"
scene cafeteria
show anon neutral at aleft
show naomi neutral flip at sright
show naser neutral flip:
xalign 0.4 yalign 0.0
with fade
play music 'audio/OST/Dragging on and on....ogg'
"Before I even sit down the barrage of questions begins."
show naomi explanatory flip with dissolve
N "SO! How’d it go! Did you like Spears? Were you able to get what you need?"
"I just nod along, starting to not pay attention."
Nas "You looking forward to the rest of the day?"
A "Not really."
A "All these introductions, you know?"
Nas "I get you, hard to talk to people you don’t know, right?"
A "Something like that, yeah."
A "Hell, last period I tripped in front of everyone. Talk about a first impression."
Nas "I don’t think they’d care too much."
N "Have you had any trouble since then? Do you have enough money for food today?"
Nas "Oh, you’re short on food money man?"
show naser flip unimpressed
show naomi flip sad
with dissolve
"I perk up at Naser’s interjection. Naomi looks disappointed for a second."
show naomi neutral flip with dissolve
A "Not really, just had to sign up for some handouts."
"Naomi is starting to look disappointed I’m only picking up on Naser’s interjections"
Nas "If you need a bit more extra chow, there’s going to be free refreshments at my si-- uh…"
show naser considering flip with dissolve
pause 0.3
show naser neutral flip with dissolve
Nas "At Fang’s concert after school today"
A "Your what?"
Nas "Fang"
A "Your brother or….?"
pause 0.1
Nas "...Sibling."
"What."
Nas "Fang’s gonna have some extra pizzas for the show. You could take some home."
A "I uh... dunno about concerts. Not really one for public events like that."
Nas "Alright man, just thought you could use a few opportunities to make friends."
"What was that?"
"I’ll pretend that wasn’t meant to be malicious."
A "I’ll consider it."
show naomi sad flip with dissolve
N "Hey! Don’t leave me out of the conversation!"
show naomi happy flip with dissolve
N "How about I help you pick out some cheap food after school?"
N "I know some great vegan shops in the area!"
"My stomach roils at the V-word."
A "Maaaaybe another time, sorry. So about that concert Naser?"
show naomi sad flip with dissolve
"Dinner and a show? Sign me the fuck up."
A "So what do they play?"
Nas "Music."
A "Music?"
Nas "Yes."
show naomi neutral flip
A "What kind?"
Nas "The kind you listen to."
A "Wh- Well what genre?"
Nas "The good kind?"
A "You don’t know, do you."
Nas "Nope."
"Well, free food is free food. Sign me the fuck up"
"I look at my pizza, noticing something is wrong."
"I test it with my plastic spork and watch the cheap utensil shatter to bits."
"I curse life for a third time today."
"The dreaded ten-minute mark has passed, rendering my ‘pizza’ only useful as building material."
show naomi happy flip with dissolve
N "Oh dear. Naser why don’t you split your sandwich with him?"
show naser annoyed flip with dissolve
Nas "But it’s my sandwich!"
N "It’s fine, we can split my vegan TLT!"
show naser sad flip with dissolve
"Naser shudders and looks at his own footlong philly sub longingly."
Nas "S-sure thing, babe."
"He tears the sandwich in two and hands me the larger half."
Nas "Here, Anon."
"I will never forget your brave sacrifice."
"With that we all dig into our meal."
"..."
scene black with fade
"--After school--"
"My classes after lunch were the same as before it."
"By now I had a rehearsed introduction that only the teacher cared about."
"My classmates were disinterested and I would sit down to be forgotten."
"I hope the rest of the year is just like that."
"I just want to skate through it all."
"All that’s left for today is the concert. And dinner."
scene door auditorium
show naser neutral at sleft
show anon neutral flip at aright
with fade
"I wait outside the auditorium entrance with Naser, who was checking his phone for messages."
Nas "Right, Fang says the show is starting in a bit. See?"
show fuckedwingretard with dissolve
"Naser turns the screen to me."
"Fang: Piss off."
"Fang: Is the pizza here?"
"Fang: You can have a slice"
"Fang: But after that you GTFO FWR"
hide fuckedwingretard with dissolve
A "FWR? Like, Franklin W. Roosevelt?"
Nas "Nah. Fucked wing retard. Fang’s words, not mine."
A "Is your uh… sibling always like this?"
Nas "Fang’s...."
show naser considering with dissolve
"I wait for him to continue."
Nas "Well um…"
Nas "I mean, kinda?"
A "Glad I’m an only child."
show naser angry with dissolve
"Naser glares at me."
Nas "Fang’s still family."
A "Ah, sorry. Just saying is all."
show naser sad with dissolve
"Naser deflates."
Nas "You’re good, Anon. And yeah, they’re family but Fang’s just so… so…"
A "Difficult?"
show naser explanatory with dissolve
Nas "YES! Difficult! And I don’t know why."
A "Sounds rough."
show naser considering with dissolve
Nas "It is. Like, I know sh- THEY care but Fang doesn’t even wanna be around me."
A "Hmmm."
"Finally the doors open and I smell the cheesy, heart clogging goodness within."
show naser happy with dissolve
Nas "Sweet. Come on, Anon."
hide naser with dissolve
play music 'audio/OST/we just turned on the microphone in our programmers_ house.ogg'
"A caveman of a man holds open the door for everyone."
unknown "Wait."
"His massive hand stops me."
A "A-ah. Y-yes?"
"I’m guided to the side, away from the crowd that’s filtering into the auditorium."
show spears neutral at sleft with dissolve
unknown "So how are you feeling about our lovely school, Anon?"
A "Uh…"
"It’s the spear-shaped pin on his lapel that reads ‘principal’ that informs me of who this giant is."
A "O-oh! It’s uh… nice? Cleaner than my old school."
"He guffaws and slaps his chest."
Sp "You can thank your classmates for that."
"What?"
Sp "Now, go enjoy the show."
A "Yes sir."
Sp "Oh, I do need you to come by my office tomorrow for some paperwork."
hide spears with dissolve
scene auditorium with dissolve
show anon neutral flip at aright
show naser neutral at sleft
with fade
"I nod and go back to the door where Naser is standing, holding it open for the last of the audience to go inside."
"Naser leads me and the large crowd into the shitty school theater."
"The foyer has tables with boxes of pizzas stacked taller than me."
Nas "You can take a couple boxes after, Anon. That should help ya out."
A "Who the hell got all these anyway?"
Nas "I did."
"I take a box down from the stack. Others have already started stacking their plates."
"I check the logo on the box."
A "And to get so many larges from… \"Dino-moe’s Pizza\"?"
A "That’s a couple hundred bucks though."
Nas "Meh, ‘bout a month’s allowance."
"A month? That explains that disaster of a jacket."
A "So about the actual show-"
Nas "I’ll check on them. Be right back."
hide naser with dissolve
"Left on my own I stack my plate up with some quality grease topped delight."
show anon neutral flip at sleft with move
show anon neutral at aleft with dissolve
"I lean against the wall, chewing bits of supreme and observing the rest of the crowd."
unknown "-nother shitshow-"
unknown "She’s so stupid-"
unknown "-they even bother?"
unknown "Bunch of losers-"
"Everyone seems to share the same sentiment."
"So why the hell did they even show up for this?"
"Naser finally comes back and opens the door to the main hall."
"The crowd moves in, though I hang back so I can talk with Naser."
show naser neutral flip at ncenter with moveinright
A "What’s with them, Naser?"
Nas "What do you mean?"
A "The crowd. They were talking mad shit."
show naser angry flip
Nas "What?!"
show anon neutral at acenter with move
show anon neutral flip at aright with move
show naser angry flip at ncenter with dissolve
show naser angry flip at sleft with move
"Naser grasps at the air unsure what to think or do at the moment. I think he’s angry"
show naser table hit at sleft with dissolve
#(Naser bangs the table, there is no text or indication on screen, only a loud banging noise and a screen shake)
play sound "audio/effects/Slam.ogg"
A "Whoa whoa."
show naser angry flip at sleft
Nas "Ugh, I should’ve known."
show naser angry at sleft
A "I don’t, what are you talking about man?"
Nas "I brought them here so Fang has an audience."
stop music
A "Oh."
show naser considering at sleft
play sound 'audio/OST/ringtone.ogg'
"Naser’s phone rings. He moves aside to answer it."
show naser flip neutral with dissolve
hide naser with moveoutleft
Nas "Fa-"
"The voice on the other end is loud and shrill."
Nas "Yeah I-"
"He holds the phone away from his ear to save his eardrum."
Nas "Okay okay I-"
"The call ends and Naser sags."
show naser sad at sleft with moveinleft
Nas "I’ve gotta leave."
A "Seriously?"
Nas "Yeah, Fang doesn’t want me here. Said I’ll ruin the show."
"Harsh."
Nas "Look, whatever happens promise you won’t hold this against them."
Nas "They're actually a really a nice person once you get to know them"
A "Naser why did you just murder the english language in cold blood?"
"Within I see the rest of the audience, huddled in groups around tiny snack tables."
Nas "Even went to the trouble of switching out the seats for them. Naomi said it’d help."
"With a huff Naser turns away, begrudgingly leaving the auditorium.:"
hide naser with moveoutright
"I enter the hall and take a seat in the back, away from the rest of the crowd."
scene black with fade
"The lights dim and the curtains are drawn open."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene fang band playing with fade
"Onstage is a trio of people my age."
"I think Fang is the drummer? He doesn’t look related to Naser, maybe it is the main front-woman?"
"That must be Naser’s sister."
A "Wh-"
"Then why the whole confusion over her sex? For fuck’s sake."
"I’m just getting thrown around today. I don’t know."
"She looks familiar."
"The band doesn’t bother introducing themselves."
play music 'audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg'
"Instead the purple one begins plucking her bass."
"It all went tumbling down from there."
"What I thought was a guitar sounded horrifically wrong, far too heavy."
"The lead guitarist was using a fucking bass."
"And then the vocals kicked in."
"It’s horrific screeching, combined with the amelodious shredding on a bass created a cacophony equal to hundreds of cats ritualistically sacrificed."
"I fight the urge to cover my ears."
"I don’t know too much about music, but even I know that you don’t use two basses in one band unless you know exactly what you’re doing."
"Ooooooh nooooooo."
"Ooooooooh God."
"What were they thinking?!"
"I looked back to the crowd to gauge their interest."
"Surely I’m not alone in thinking this is an absolute travesty."
unknown "PFFFT AHAHAHA THEY STILL FUCKING SUCK!!"
#(In-CG insult layers)
window hide
$ i = 0
while i < 20:
$ showCG()
pause 1
$ i = i + 1
#(In-CG insult layers)
"The crowd was standing, jeering and laughing with whoever said that."
"More words were said but the laughter eclipsed them and the music."
"Wait, what happened to the music?"
"On-stage, the trio looked panicked."
"The drummer was inching off stage, while the purple bassist was about to break down into tears."
"But the frontwoman stood there. Stood her ground."
#(In-CG insult layers)
window hide
$ showCG()
#(In-CG insult layers)
scene fang band screaming
unknown "FUCK YOU!"
"She tossed her bass aside, raising both hands and proudly displaying a finger on each of them."
unknown "FUCK ALL OF YOU!"
unknown "NO ONE WOULD WANT TO FUCK YOU, BITCH!"
"Pffft… That struck a chord with her."
#(In-CG insult layers)
window hide
$ i = 0
while i < 5:
$ showCG()
pause 1
$ i = i + 1
#(In-CG insult layers)
"I watch as she grabs her bass and takes the arm of the purple one, rushing off stage with the pink drummer."
scene black with fade
scene black with fade
window hide
$ i = 0
while i < 3:
$ showCG()
pause 1
$ i = i + 1
"Oh God I can’t take this, I’m gonna grow a 6 pack from laughing so much, I’m just gonna grab my pizza and leave"
scene auditorium
show anon neutral flip at aright
show spears neutral at sleft
with fade
"I turn towards the door and see Principal Spears, a fierce glare freezing me in place."
Sp "Anon."
"Oh fuck"
"His voice is even more stern than this morning."
A "Yes sir?"
"He looks to the crowd and then to me."
Sp "I don’t want to hear about any of this come tomorrow."
Sp "I expect some goddamned maturity from you, Anon."
Sp "You’ll be an adult once you graduate."
A "Uh… Why me though?"
Sp "I’ve taught many students, and I can tell these things."
"His hand lands on my shoulder."
"It’s grip was firm as it weighed on me."
Sp "Listen here, Anon. You are not the only person in the world."
Sp "Everyone’s fighting their own battles."
"The hand squeezes before pushing me towards the door."
show anon neutral at aright
Sp "I want to see you in my office first thing tomorrow."
Sp "Now get out of here, this is the only warning that you’ll get from me."
Sp "Next time it will be campus clean-up."
stop audio
stop sound
stop music
"Behind me the principal’s voice shakes the room."
show spears angry with dissolve
Sp "WHOSE SORRY ASS AM I GOING TO HAVE TO SUPLEX!"
scene hallway with dissolve
show anon neutral at aleft
"Back in the foyer I see some boxes of partially finished pizza left."
"I consolidate them all into a pair of boxes and make my exit."
scene outside school
show anon neutral at aleft
with fade
"The sun is starting to set now as I make my way home."
play music 'audio/OST/Skinrow Soul.ogg' fadein 1.0
Sp "{i}You are not the only person in the world.{/i}"
"Pfft. Like I don’t already know that. There’s like…"
"The classmates that all ignored me today."
"Naomi’s annoying ass."
"That fucking caveman of a principal."
"Naser, whose been a bro."
"Naser’s Sis-"
"Oh."
"Shit."
"..."
scene black with fade
"--Next day; Lunch time--"
scene cafeteria
show anon neutral at aleft
with fade
"With the lunch card in my possession I’m able to snag something actually edible."
"I should run the math on how much I’ll end up owing, but I feel more like indulging myself."
"Hence my tray stacked high with desserts and the tastiest looking sandwich from the lunchline."
"Looking around for a place to sit I see the aggravating creamsicle waving at me."
"Next to her is Naser with a complicated expression."
Nas "{i}Said I’ll ruin the show.{/i}"
"Shit."
"..."
scene black with fade
#Meeting the Band
"-The Next Day-"
play sound "audio/effects/Alarm.ogg"
"*BLEEP* *BLEEP* *BLEEP* *BLEEP* *BLEEP* *BLEEP* "
stop sound
scene room anon dark with fade
"The bane of all sleep echoes violently by my head, swiftly erasing any traces of slumber."
"Still without the energy to turn the alarm off, I stare at the ceiling for a bit, recalling the events of the last few days as an exercise."
"The school, if you could call it one."
"My new friends, if you could call them that."
"That band, if you could call it such."
"Great idea Anon, start the day by dissing everything you've done so far in your new life."
"No wonder you're so damn popular."
"Finally, I lean out of bed and turn the alarm clock off."
"I have a good forty-five minutes before I need to be at school, and it takes twenty to walk."
"That leaves twenty-five minutes to get ready."
"With practiced movements I execute a proper combat roll from bed, tackling the floor and headbutt it into submission. My foe defeated, I groan in victory."
show anon neutral at acenter with dissolve
"My new bed is half the size of what I’m used to."
"The hardwood (or is it vinyl?) floor is cold as hell."
"From the purview of the floor, I look around my room again."
"A tiny one room apartment with only a computer, bed, television, and fridge."
"A whole year in this shithole."
"... Guess I gotta take it one day at a time."
"Picking myself up, I slide into todays’ (and everydays’) clothes and pour myself a bowl" #of off-brand cereal I picked up the day before.
"My eyes scan over my phone while I shovel my sugary breakfast into my mouth."
"*Scroll*"
"*Crunch*"
"*Scroll*"
"*Crunch*"
"Like a poorly oiled machine until it runs out of fuel with a noisy slurp."
"Soon enough it's time to leave for school. I grab my backpack and slide it over my shoulders. I take my jacket off the hanger and"
"…"
"I take off the backpack and put the jacket on."
"Opening the door blows the cool morning air in my face, and I stop to take a deep breath."
scene skinrow
show anon neutral at aleft
"Day four out of however many days are left in the year. So far so good."
scene outside school
show anon neutral at aleft
play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating the Atmosphere.ogg'
show outside school fog
"I approach the grand building, looking to find a place in line between the other students trundling into the front doors."
"The halls before class are as crowded as always, hundreds of students filing in unison towards their homerooms."
"By now I was starting to be able to make my way around on autopilot, I've walked the same path twice already after all."
"Even after the longest sleep of my life, I still feel miserably tired and ready to crash once again."
"I found another entrance at the side of the school that has less students on it. The less the merrier."
"I check my clock once again - I’m early. Fucking hell. Should have shitposted a bit more."
play music 'audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg'
"Why am I here so early again?"
"Think I had to do something."
"Oh yeah."
"I should talk to Naser. Give him my version of events."
"That way he won’t kick {i}my{/i} ass."
"Wait."
"Oh goddamn it."
"The principal also wanted to see me. Shit, probably gonna get some demerit or whatever rich schools do as punishment."
"I had almost forgotten."
"Please Raptor Jesus just let this be the last time I need to deal with stuff like this."
"Get it over with so I can finally just slip my way through this year."
menu:
"Naser's a bro":
jump naserBro
"I don't wanna piss off the caveman.":
jump pissOffCaveman
label naserBro:
"Principal caveman can wait. I want to apologize to Naser about yesterday…"
"I hope I can be nice to him this time."
"Great job, Anon!"
"He saves you from soy poisoning by sacrificing his footlong, and how do you repay him? By laughing at his sister."
"There he is, I hope he’s not too busy."
"..."
"I just realized I don’t know what to say to him"
"\"I wasn’t laughing AT your sister, I was laughing WITH the crowd\""
"No, that sounds bad"
"\"Weird sisters, amirite?\""
"I might be retarded. I just told him I’m an only son yesterday."
"\"Can’t help it, dude. Some people just won’t amount to anything in life. Sorry.\""
"This isn’t time to be edgy, Anon."
"As I try and fail to find some way to explain myself to Naser I also fail at actually finding Naser."
"How the fuck did I even end up in the tard yard?"
play music 'audio/OST/That Monochromatic Weirdo.ogg'
"What feels like a space decade of walking, or really just half an hour I find the crippled pteradon being accosted by a VERY pissed off purple midget."
unknown "-SAID YOU INVITED ALL THOSE ASSHOLES!" #trish
Nas "Wait, Trish, you don’t understand-!"
T "DON’T CUT ME OFF YOU GRAY PIECE OF SHIT!"
"Students are clearing out of the way, just trying to get to their classes."
scene hallway with fade
show trish angry at tleft
show naser neutral flip at nright
"This must be a common occurrence."
"The diminutive triceratops, Trish, bows her head and charges Naser."
"He just holds a hand out to her forehead."
show naser shocked flip at nright behind trish with dissolve
show trish fury:
xalign 0.0 yalign 10.0
show trish fury with move:
xalign 0.75 yalign 10.0
T "GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!!"
Nas "Trish, I’m not going to fight you again."
Nas "The principal’s already gotten onto me about the lockers from last time."
Nas "Believe me, I had no idea the concert would have turned out like that."
T "LIAR!!"
Nas "I just wanted to make sure you guys had an actual audience-"
T "WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!?"
Nas "You know what I mean, come on..."
T "Argh!"
show trish angry at ncenter with dissolve
"She stops trying to gore Naser and throws her arms to her sides."
show naser unimpressed flip with dissolve
T "Screw you!"
T "Even if you weren’t trying to mess with Fang!"
T "Screw! You!"
"She stomps off."
hide trish with moveoutright
show naser annoyed flip with dissolve
Nas "{i}*Sigh.*{/i}"
show anon neutral at aleft with dissolve
A "What was that all about?"
show naomi neutral flip with moveinright:
xalign 0.6
N "Oh, Anon."
N "Don’t worry about it, it’s nothing."
Nas "Y’know, girl issues, right? Haha..."
show naser sad flip with dissolve
A "Sure…"
A "Sounds like she was grilling you about the concert."
Nas "..."
N "Some concert, right?"
A "Actually, about that…"
A "I, uhh…"
#play sound "audio/PANoise.ogg"
pause 1
Sp "ANON MOUS, IF YOU ARE NOT IN MY OFFICE WITHIN TEN MINUTES I SWEAR ON MY DEAR FAMILY I WILL PERSONALLY MOUNT YOU ON MY WALL."
#play sound "audio/PANoise.ogg"
pause 1
A "..."
"A layer of cold sweat makes its presence known."
show naser neutral with dissolve
Nas "It can wait, the office is down this hall on the right."
A "I know the way, but thanks."
"Naser waves and heads off."
hide naomi with moveoutleft
"Guess it’s to the principal’s office with me. Again."
"And thinking about him makes me think about last night."
Sp "{i}You are not the only person in the world.{/i}"
"Poor Naser, man. Just wanted to help his sister."
"But it’s not like he did anything wrong."
scene hallway
show naomi angry at scenter
show reed explanatory flip at rright
with fade
"Just as I reach the office the sound of clinking glass draws my attention to the apricot asspain and some pink raptor."
N "Is that contraband, Reed?"
Re "Bro, you’ve known I’m in a band for like, a year now."
N "No! Contraband! In your backpack!"
Re "Hmmm… nah, I left my games at home."
"Naomi facepalms, or whatever counts as a facepalm with a snout."
N "Reed! You have a bong in your backpack!"
Re "...But we aren’t in Britain?"
N "Ugh, you’re impossible…"
hide naomi with moveoutright
"Naomi huffs and returns her focus to a stack of papers on the desk, leaving a satisfied raptor in her wake."
show reed happy flip with dissolve
Re "Heh, works every time…"
"I need to learn how to do that."
Re "S’all ‘bout misdirection…"
"What."
Re "Deuces."
hide reed with moveoutright
"The fuck just happened?"
show naomi neutral flip at scenter with dissolve
N "Oh! Anon, I didn’t see you there!"
N "Just in time to finish your paperwork!"
A "Paperwhatsit now?"
N "Go inside, Principal Spears will finalize it with you now."
"Paperwork? What fucking paperwork? I’m pretty sure all that stuff was finished before I even came here."
"Whatever. Probably a detention slip or whatever the principal has planned."
scene office spears with dissolve
"I open the door to the cramped office, expecting to see a gruff cave of a workspace."
"Instead, it was a fairly well furnished space complete with armchairs and cabinets of old photos."
show spears neutral flip at sright with dissolve
Sp "You going to stand there forever? What are you waiting for? Sit."
show anon neutral at aleft with moveinleft
"I plant myself in one of the armchairs and sink a bit lower into the cushion than expected."
"Perks of being a human, I guess."
Sp "I believe I told you last night to be here first thing this morning."
"Shit!"
Sp "Tell me, do I have a stutter?"
A "..."
Sp "Speak."
A "N-no, sir."
Sp "{i}*sigh…*{/i}"
Sp "Take this as a learning experience, Anon."
Sp "Punctuality gets you far in life."
A "Yes, sir."
Sp "I let you off the hook last night because you’re a new student."
Sp "I meant what I said last night."
"Hopefully not about the whole pile driving thing."
Sp "Still, I didn’t bring you in here to lecture you."
"He didn’t?"
Sp "Not many people have to use the school’s financial services."
A "What?"
A "Financial services?"
Sp "All the paperwork’s done to get you a special lunch card for the semester."
Sp "You don’t have to worry about paying until after graduation. No interest, no down payments, none of that."
A "I uh… What’s happening, sir?"
Sp "You signed up for the financial services, correct?"
Sp "Naomi told me you needed help with food and even had the papers filed out."
"Naomi?!"
Sp "Allow me to double-check real fast."
Sp "NAOMI!!"
show naomi neutral at rleft behind spears with dissolve
play music 'audio/effects/Alarm.ogg'
"Hello tinnitus my old friend…"
N "...."
Sp "....."
"Oh god am I stuck like this?"
Sp "-dismissed Naomi. And just to be absolutely clear, Anon did ask you for this, correct?"
N "Well, he {i}is{/i} in need of assistance, right?"
N "Otherwise he’s stuck with the budget meals."
Sp "Anon?"
"I glance between the two."
"It probably wasn’t malicious, but still…"
"I’m not getting involved in office politics today."
A "... Yes."
N "Oh, lovely!"
N "Don’t hesitate to ask if you have any other prob-"
Sp "You may leave now, Naomi."
N "Oh! Yes sir!"
hide naomi with dissolve
"She leaves the office and Spears clicks the papers on his desk into a stack."
Sp "Hate to do that, but she goes on for ages."
Sp "Anyways, go ahead and sign here. Here. Here. Initial here. Date here. Print your name here."
"I didn’t catch any of that."
A "W-what?"
Sp "Just kidding. You’re good to go, Anon, and don’t forget this."
"He holds out the poorly laminated lunch card for me to take."
Sp "Just keep in mind,"
Sp "As a senior, this semester is your last, your biggest chance to figure your future out."
Sp "Even if you’re new to all of us here at Volcano High, we’re here to help you make the most of it."
"Huh…"
A "Thank you, Mister Spears."
"Mr. Spears nods and gives a small smile."
Sp "You can come in anytime. I’m always here to listen. Except for topics relating to estrus season."
"I sense great exhaustion in that last bit."
"I thank Mr. Spears one last time and head to homeroom."
"..."
scene black with fade
jump postCavemanConference
label pissOffCaveman:
"Probably best I try and not make the principal pissed at me."
"Campus beautification sounds like slave labor. And my arms are strictly for shitposting and gaming."
"I try to recall the way that the pomelo primadonna showed me to the office."
"I somehow found myself in the potato ranch at the back of the school."
"Fuck am I tired already."
scene hallway
show reed neutral at rleft with dissolve
A "How the fuck did I end up here?"
play music 'audio/OST/That Monochromatic Weirdo.ogg'
unknown "Don’t worry man, it happens to new students all the time…"
A "Wha-?"
"Some pink raptor smelling of very heavily burnt grass surprises me."
unknown "If you’re looking for the office you’re gonna wanna go thataway."
A "Oh- thanks."
unknown "Yeah, no problem, man…"
unknown "I’m about to go myself, but I forgot something in my locker."
unknown "See ya."
"He walks off down another hallway."
"I should follow the directions he gave me."
"Oh wait..."
"Was that the drummer from last night?"
"Huh."
"As I near the office I can feel a heavy tension suffusing the air."
"In front of the principals’ office is Naomi and some other chick, engaged in a heated conversation."
show naomi angry at scenter with dissolve
show trish angry flip at sright with dissolve
unknown "Come on, Naomi, there’s no reason at all for you to keep us from selling merchandise at school!"
N "Very sorry, Trish, but we’ve already told you before that due to your friends’… record… we can’t allow you to sell on school grounds."
N "Seven times, in fact."
"The purple one, Trish, throws up her hands in frustration."
T "Six! This is the seventh!"
N "Go ahead and fill out a form if you really want to try again."
T "I saw last time you just threw it in the trash without reading it!"
N "It was illegible, Trish. You should work on your handwriting a bit."
T "ARGH!"
T "I don’t have time for this, I need to go track someone down."
hide trish with moveoutleft
"She stomps away, leaving Naomi to deflate a bit."
show naomi flip at scenter with move
A "That anything important?"
N "Sorry you had to see that, Anon."
N "Oh, I didn’t notice we were blocking the door from you, my apologies."
A "The principal asked to see me early, I’m not really in any rush."
N "Very commendable of you, though!"
N "Go right ahead on in."
A "Sure, thanks."
scene office spears with fade
play music 'audio/OST/we just turned on the microphone in our programmers_ house.ogg'
"I open the door to the cramped office, expecting to see a gruff cave of a workspace."
"Instead, it was a fairly well furnished space complete with armchairs and cabinets of old photos."
show spears neutral flip at sright with dissolve
Sp "You going to stand there forever? What are you waiting for? Sit."
"I plant myself in one of the armchairs and sink a bit lower into the cushion than expected."
"Perks of being a human, I guess."
Sp "Punctual like I asked. I like that, Anon."
Sp "I trust that what happened last night won’t become a recurring problem with you?"
A "No, sir."
Sp "Good. I meant what I said last night."
"Hopefully not about the whole pile driving thing."
Sp "Still, I didn’t bring you in here to lecture you."
"He didn’t?"
Sp "Not many people have to use the school’s financial services."
A "What?"
A "Financial services?"
Sp "All the paperwork’s done to get you a special lunch card for the semester."
Sp "You don’t have to worry about paying until after graduation. No interest, no down payments, none of that."
A "I uh… What’s happening, sir?"
Sp "You signed up for the financial services, correct?"
Sp "Naomi told me you needed help with food and even had the papers filed out."
"Naomi?!"
Sp "Allow me to double-check real fast."
Sp "NAOMI!!"
show naomi neutral at rleft behind spears with dissolve
"Hello tinnitus my old friend…"
N "...."
Sp "....."
"Oh god am I stuck like this?"
Sp "-dismissed Naomi. And just to be absolutely clear, Anon did ask you for this, correct?"
N "Well, he {i}is{/i} in need of assistance, right?"
N "Otherwise he’s stuck with the budget meals."
Sp "Anon?"
"I glance between the two."
"It probably wasn’t malicious, but still…"
"I’m not getting involved in office politics today."
A "... Yes."
N "Oh, lovely!"
N "Don’t hesitate to ask if you have any other prob-"
Sp "You may leave now, Naomi."
N "Oh! Yes sir!"
hide naomi with dissolve
"She leaves the office and Spears clicks the papers on his desk into a stack."
Sp "Hate to do that, but she goes on for ages."
Sp "Anyways, go ahead and sign here. Here. Here. Initial here. Date here. Print your name here."
"I didn’t catch any of that."
A "W-what?"
Sp "Just kidding. You’re good to go, Anon, and don’t forget this."
"He holds out the poorly laminated lunch card for me to take."
Sp "Just keep in mind,"
Sp "As a senior, this semester is your last, your biggest chance to figure your future out."
Sp "Even if you’re new to all of us here at Volcano High, we’re here to help you make the most of it."
"Huh…"
A "Thank you, Mister Spears."
"Mr. Spears nods and gives a small smile."
Sp "You can come in anytime. I’m always here to listen. Except for topics relating to estrus season."
"I sense great exhaustion in that last bit."
stop music
scene hallway
"I thank Mr. Spears one last time and head out."
"Naser should be around here somewhere, I wanted to talk to him before class."
"There’s still a bit of time before the bell."
"But where would Naser be hanging out about now?"
scene hallway
"Maybe near the cafeteria? This place serves breakfa-"
unknown "WAOOOH!!"
"With the screech of a banshee, a blur of purple launches itself onto an unsuspecting student."
"Everyone in the hallway pauses to watch as a midget of a triceratops attempts to bring down the taller raptor student."
unknown "IMMAKILLYOUTRIGGA!"
"The student body collectively rolls their eyes and continues on, choosing to ignore the pissed off trigga as she finally forces the helpless guy to the floor and sits triumphantly on his chest."
"I’m pretty sure some would pay good money for this treatment."
"The ineffectual pummel-slapping included as she flails at the raptor’s face."
T "You were there last night weren’t you?!"
unknown "YES, ALRIGHT, I WAS! GET OFF ME YOU PSYCHO BITCH!"
T "You owe my band an apology!"
unknown "WILL IT GET YOU OFF OF ME?!"
T "If it’s good enough."
unknown "ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, I’M SORRY, JUST GET OFF!!"
"Wait, she’s in the band that played yesterday?"
stop music
"I… Should get out of here."
"Last thing I need is whatever’s going on here."
"I discreetly slip away, down the nearest hall."
scene black with fade
scene hallway
show anon neutral flip at aright
with fade
A "That happen often…?"
show naser neutral flip at ncenter
show reed neutral at sleft
Nas "Does what happen often?"
show naser neutral at ncenter with dissolve
A "WAH!"
"Naser’s leaning against a set of lockers, along with that guy from before."
"The other one’s making a throat-slashing gesture, waving a palm across his neck."
A "Uhh… nothing important."
show naser neutral flip at ncenter with dissolve
show reed explanatory with dissolve
unknown "So as I was saying, bro…"
unknown "BXR, best tactic in the game, y’know?"
show reed neutral with dissolve
show naser considering flip with dissolve
Nas "Erm, yeah... Makes sense, I guess?"
Nas "Anyways, Reed. I’m sorry for how things went last night, I didn’t think those assholes would laugh at you."
"Oh."
show reed unimpressed with dissolve
Re "Nah man, s’cool."
Re "They called me because they wanted me to kill bugs crawling on the drums with a couple sticks, I don't know why a bunch of people came there to watch it"
Nas "Right... And you’re absolutely sure Trish is taking it okay?"
show reed explanatory with dissolve
Re "Hell yeah, man. Nothin’ goin’ on in the Trish department at all."
"Reed suddenly reaches into his pocket and retrieves his phone, tapping away at a shockingly long password."
show reed shocked with dissolve
Re "Oh, sick! Right, gotta go. Catch you later, amigo."
hide reed with moveoutright
"The raptor bolts before Naser can respond, undoubtedly related to the triceratops."
Nas "Weird guy."
A "Uh, Naser, I actually wanted to talk to-"
"{i}DING-DONG BING-BONG{/i}"
Nas "Crap, can’t miss my homeroom today."
Nas "Sorry, it’ll have to wait a bit."
A "It… no, that’s fine."
A "See you later."
hide naser with moveoutleft
stop music
"Naser heads off down the hall and I go to my own homeroom."
"..."
scene black with fade
jump postCavemanConference
label postCavemanConference:
"The periods pass and eventually it’s lunchtime again."
"I’ve been focusing a bit less on class, and more on getting a routine down to avoid unwanted confrontation."
"It’s like it’s only me and the teacher in class, phasing out everyone else."
scene hallway
show anon neutral at acenter
with fade
"I follow the flow of students towards the lunchroom, mindlessly looking about the halls."
"Passing by the athletic awards case, a decent amount of group photos have Naser front and center."
"Apparently this school is pretty well known for their track team."
"In a similar vein, Naomi is present in a good deal of the photos in the academic achievement case."
"The last case was reserved for general awards, I guess trophies that don’t belong anywhere else."
"The school has a few commendation awards for their efforts to stop bullying."
"Feh, they pass those around to every school."
"Looking around, there’s several posters on the walls here."
"All simple slogans to stop the evil bully menace."
"A fat lot of good those did me at my old school…"
"They always went all in with those efforts."
"One time they even got the whole student body into the auditorium to watch a short movie."
"Some frail, pasty kid gets pestered by a chubby, buff bully."
"The kid ended up trying to run away and got hit by a car, with the credits scrolling over a scene in the hospital."
"Everyone in class just said things like ‘man, good thing I’m not like that bully.’, ‘yeah, if I ever see a bully like that I’ll help the kid!’"
"Then they went right back to talking about me."
stop music
"... No use feeling bad about the past."
scene cafeteria
show anon neutral at acenter
with fade
"I’m here now."
"With the lunch card in my possession I’m able to snag something actually edible."
"I should run the math on how much I’ll end up owing, but I feel more like indulging myself."
menu:
"Grab the cookies you fatass":
"Why not both?"
"That sandwich looks good":
"Why not both?"
"Hence my tray stacked high with desserts and the tastiest looking sandwich from the lunchline."
"Looking around for a place to sit I see the aggravating creamsicle waving at me."
play music 'audio/OST/Summertime Synth.ogg'
"Next to her is Naser with a complicated expression."
Nas "{i}I just wanted to make sure you guys had an actual audience-{/i}"
"Shit. I go and sit across from Naser and Naomi."
scene cafeteria
show anon neutral at aleft
show naomi neutral flip at sright
show naser sad flip:
xalign 0.4 yalign 0.0
with fade
N "I see you’re making use of the lunch card."
A "Yyyyeeeaaaaah…"
N "But all those sugars! All that is bad for your health, Anon. This school’s vegan options-"
"I tune her out with the help of a crunchy sugar cookie."
"A glance at Naser and I notice that he’s just poking at his pasta."
N "Naser sweetie, you shouldn’t play with your food."
show naser neutral with dissolve
Nas "Huhwha- OH! Anon, what’s up?"
A "Not much. And you?"
Nas "Yeah no, totally good!"
"His following laugh sounds hollow."
N "Naser…"
show naomi sad flip
show naser sad flip
with dissolve
Nas "Yeah yeah. It’s just…"
show naser angry flip with dissolve
Nas "Fang stayed home today. The concert was a shitshow and wanted to avoid everyone. I knew I shouldn’t have invited all those guys."
show naser sad flip with dissolve
"Naomi places a comforting hand on his shoulder."
A "I uh… Yeah… That crowd was harsh."
Nas "What happened after I left?"
"Naser looks at me pitifully."
Nas "Trish gave me a general idea, but I have to know…"
Sp "{i}You are not the only person in the world.{/i}"
"Ah, shit."
A "The band never made it past the first song. Someone said they ‘still’ sucked. "
show naser angry flip with dissolve
show naomi shocked flip with dissolve
"Naser grits his teeth."
A "Whoa whoa, calm down man."
Nas "What else? Did they say anything about Fang?!"
unknown "{i}NO ONE WOULD WANT TO FUCK YOU, BITCH!{/i}"
A "...Yeah… I don’t think you’d want to hear it though…"
Nas "And? What happened after! I’m gonna kick all their asses!"
N "Naser! Please calm yourself!"
"{i}I realize now that I had been laughing with them.{/i}"
A "I left after that. Principal Spears was fucking pissed. Even threatened to suplex them."
show naser sad flip
show naomi unimpressed flip
with dissolve
"Naser sags, emotionally spent."
Nas "Haaaaah.... Fuck… So that’s why she stayed home…"
N "If Fang wishes to stay home then that is her prerogative. You just need to give her some time, Naser."
show naomi considering flip with dissolve
"While she said that I noticed a strange expression cross over Naomi’s face."
Nas "I know babe. I just wish I could help them more."
A "Yeah. If you need any help Naser, I owe ya for the pizza."
#Chapter 2
scene black with fade
"We finish eating and make small talk until the bell signals us to go to our sixth period."
"Day two out of however many left is now out of my way."
"I’m fairly certain that if Naser found out I laughed too I’d need to avoid him."
"Those cheeto covered claws look like they’d freakin’ hurt, man."
"With that drama now past me I can just disappear and cheese through the rest of the year like I’m invisible."
"Oh when June hits it’s gonna be so sweet."
"Amen to that."
"..."
pause 1
scene room anon dark with fade
"-Two Days Later-"
"Alarm is off"
"You know the drill."
"Combat roll, head butt, victory screech."
"Breakfast, shitposting, clothes."
show anon neutral at acenter with dissolve
"I’m pretty good at this."
"I think I’ve finally found a pretty good routine for the rest of the year."
"I might have to go easy on the shitposting though, yesterday I might have over indulged…"
"But…"
"I’ve succeeded in turning invisible, not completely but so far I’m happy."
"Even the stupid stuff with Naser seems settled, I can just cruise through schooling and shitpost in the evening."
"Perfection."
"Day four out of however many days are left in the year. So far so good."
scene skinrow with fade
show anonphone at center with moveinbottom
"It’s a bit of a walk, so I get my phone out and start posting on a shitty imageboard."
"Baiting people into replying to my posts isn’t the most rewarding of hobbies, but it passes the time."
A ">Meteor dodgers"
A ">having jobs"
A "pick one and only one."
"That oughtta get a few."
"Just before I hit the reply button, I sense the air behind me turn warmer. A few wildflowers growing in the cracks of the sidewalk bloom in seconds."
hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
scene black with fade
pause 3
scene outside school
show anon neutral at acenter
with fade
"She’s here."
play music 'audio/OST/Dragging on and on....ogg'
N "Good morning Anon!"
A "It could have been."
show naomi neutral at rleft with moveinleft
"Naomi catches up to me."
N "You say something?"
A "Good morning."
A "Don’t you walk with Naser to school? Where is he?"
show naomi sad with dissolve
N "... He went early today to help set up another student event."
A "Oh. He’s certainly someone you can count on for that."
show naomi happy with dissolve
N "He really is! I’m so proud of him!"
A "Yeah…"
show naomi neutral with dissolve
N "Umm… Anon, have you seen our lovely award-winning school gardens yet?"
A "Gardens win awards?"
N "They do! Come on, I’ll show you."
A "Actually, wait, I don’t really wan-"
"Naomi grabs my hand again and when I come to, we’re already there."
scene flower garden
show anon neutral at aright
show naomi neutral at sleft
with dissolve
N "And here they are, our school’s flowerbeds!"
N "Aren’t they just magnificent?"
A "Please stop dragging me by the hand."
"She is right though, the gardens here are absolutely stunning."
"I can’t tell what’s more colorful, the bushes of flowers, or the students that tend to them."
A "Yeah, the gardeners here do a great job."
N "Hm? Oh, yeah, you can thank the gardening club for that."
"Naomi guides me through the gardens, occasionally giving tour trivia."
"I can’t shake the feeling something’s on her mind, though."
N "And here’s where the freshmen planted flower seeds at the start of the school year, by the end they’ll bloom wonderfully…"
N "..."
N "And then the… Uh…"
show naomi sad with dissolve
"What’s going on here?"
"Is she coming onto me?"
"I want to ask if she’s upset about something, but is that even right of me to do?"
menu:
"Ask what’s up":
jump naomiWhatsUp
"Not my place to pry":
jump naomiNotMyPlace
label naomiWhatsUp:
A "You alright?"
N "Hm?"
A "Something’s bothering you, right?"
N "Not really… A bit, I guess…"
jump naomiStressMerge
label naomiNotMyPlace:
"Nah, I don’t know her that well."
"If it’s something personal Naser can help her with it."
N "I’m sorry, I’ve been a bit stressed lately, Anon...:"
jump naomiStressMerge
label naomiStressMerge:
N "I’ve just been worried about Naser recently…"
A "Something wrong with him?"
N "No, nothing’s wrong…"
N "It’s more that he worries a bit too much for that… sister of his."
N "Oftentimes when I’m with him, he’s anxious about something she’s done."
N "I’d just like him to relax about it a bit more, I suppose."
N "Is that selfish of me to say?"
A "I mean…"
A "I’ve never had a girlfriend, but I imagine that it’d be a bit inconsiderate to constantly be worried in front of her."
A "I dunno."
"Naomi nods her head a bit, staring at her shoes."
N "Sorry, I just wanted to share with someone."
N "Guess I ended up doing the same thing I’m complaining about here, huh?"
A "Don’t sweat it."
show naomi shocked with dissolve
"She checksher phone and jumps a bit."
N "Oh! I’m going to be late!"
N "I still need to check in at the front desk…"
N "Really sorry, Anon, but the tour will have to end here."
A "It was fine, hopefully it just doesn’t make my allergies flare."
hide naomi with moveoutright
stop music fadeout 1.0
"She waves and runs off to a side door."
"I should be getting to homeroom soon, too."
scene hallway
show anon neutral flip at aright
with dissolve
play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating the Atmosphere.ogg'
"I push open the usual side entrance I take and enter the hallway that’s starting to become familiar now."
play music "audio/OST/That Monochromatic Weirdo.ogg" fadein 1.0
show fang considering with dissolve:
xalign -0.4 yalign 0.0
"Still occasionally glancing at the room numbers just to make absolute sure, I noticed someone in the countercurrent walking past."
"It was one of the bass players from the concert two days ago."
"Naser said she was his sister, right?"
"Glancing at her for a moment, the expression on her face sort of reminds me of something."
"It was probably just leftover embarrassment from the concert, but she seemed to have a lost look on her face."
"Or maybe it was confusion."
"Or a mix of the two...?"
"Either way there's something on her mind."
"I can't help but think that that must be how I looked on my first day."
"But it was my first day of school, she had been going here all year."
"What's her excuse then?"
"Either way, doesn’t look like she recognizes me."
"Objective one out of whatever of the current year is accomplished then, next one is memorizing the class schedule."
"And that says it’s home room in fifteen minutes."
"Home room which I share with Naomi."
"{i}*shudder*{/i}"
"She’s just too… too {i}sweet{/i}... and like… Obnoxious... "
"Ugh, I can’t find the right way to put it, but she feels so… movie-like…"
"Like an act."
"Day four, Anon. day four."
"What the hell?"
"Why is she scratching herself?"
"Is she a junkie?"
show fang neutral at scenter with move
"OH GOD DON’T COME ANY CLOSER."
"I DON’T WANNA GET SHANKED BY A JUNKIE PTERODACTYL."
F "You...uh...SKINNIE."
A "Y-yeah?"
F "Did you see where they went?"
A "..."
F "The group with the uh..."
F "uhhh…"
A "Dinosaurs?"
F "No! Yellow hoodie, red hair, pink tail, hair buns…"
A "Are you describing one person?"
F "What? No!"
F "it’s multiple!"
A "They’re dinosaurs though, right?"
F "WHAT?"
A "I don’t know where they went!"
F "uuuuuuughhhhhh"
hide fang hiding with moveoutright
stop music fadeout 1.0
"And just like that, she’s gone."
play music "audio/OST/Dragging on and on....ogg" fadein 1.0
"I seem to have this effect on women."
"I call them poison pheromones."
"But it is relieving that she didn’t recognize me. Guess Naser didn’t tell her."
"The staccato of the bell signals my tardiness for class."
"My class with Naomi."
"If there is a Jurassic God, please make Naomi miss home room today."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
"I’ll even offer a goat sacrifice!"
scene black with fade
"..."
scene science class
show anon neutral at aleft
with fade
"The day passes uneventfully until fourth period, Science Class."
play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating the Atmosphere.ogg'
"I find a seat near the back of the room and watch the clock hands tick down the remaining few seconds to the bell."
"Right before the tone, one last student rushes in, out of breath."
"Oh, it's that girl again. I guess we shared a period or two on the first day and I just didn't notice."
"She strides across the room, taking her seat without a word."
"Strangely, nobody seems to acknowledge her. Not even a sneer or chuckle."
"That’s odd. Given how many people were there that night, you’d expect at least a couple of snickers."
"But there she was, being completely left alone… Or ignored."
"Seems almost worse than getting laughed at."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"The lingering chatter in the room dies out as the teacher stands from his desk, moving to the front of the room."
show farnsworth at sright with dissolve
Drf "Good news everyone!"
Drf "Today we'll be having a lab on magnetic fields."
Drf "Find a partner and get prepared."
hide farnsworth with dissolve
play music 'audio/OST/Many Such Cases of Being So True.ogg'
"My heart sunk as those dreaded words passed my ears."
"'Find a partner.'"
"I know it’s pointless, but I at least have to try. Maybe someone was out sick."
"With my luck though, I’ll probably just end up with that fossil of a teacher."
"With everyone else already starting on the assignment I resign myself to working twice as hard."
show farnsworth at sright with dissolve
Drf "Hurry up Mr. Anon, your partner is waiting for you"
stop music fadeout 1.0
"...What"
Drf "Very well. Fang"
Drf "If you would be so kind to sit next to your new partner."
"I sat in momentary confusion as someone took the seat next to mine."
show fang neutral with dissolve:
xalign -1.0 yalign 0.0
#--not brazil, Forced text speedup through the following 4 lines
play sound "audio/effects/Alarm.ogg"
"SPAGHETTI ALERT!! SPAGHETTI ALERT!!"
"DEFCON LEVEL TWO"
"THERE IS A FEMOID WITHIN ARMS DISTANCE LOOKING AT ME"
"DEPLOY ALL SPAGHETTI LOCKDOWN MEASURES"
F "‘Sup."
A "Thanks, you too."
"SHIT! RECOVERY MANEUVERS NOW!"
A "I mean, hey. Not much. You?"
"CHAD RECOVERY SUCCESSFUL"
stop sound fadeout 1.0
F "None of your business. Just do the damn assignment and don’t bother me."
A "O-oh. You upset right now or something?"
F "What was your first fuckin’ clue. Last time I’ll say it, just do the assignment and don’t. Bother. Me."
"Okay! Got to keep coolheaded."
A "So this assignment, then."
scene black with fade
"With that we open our books and start on trying to decipher who Lorentz is and why his force is magnetic."
"Things are going well for the first few questions, I remember a bit of it from that one time I tried to make a railgun."
scene science class
show anon neutral at aleft
show fang neutral:
xalign -1.0 yalign 0.0
with fade
pause 1
show farnsworth at sright with moveinright
Drf "How are you two doing so far?"
F "We are… Fine, Dr. Fernsworth."
Drf "I see, and you Anon?"
A "Yeah what she said."
show fang angry
"Why is Dr. Fernsworth making that face?"
"I turn to Fang to ask her what the deal is and-"
show anon neutral flip at acenter with dissolve
"Oh."
Drf "Oh dear"
"Mistakes have been made."
F "She?"
A "...Yes?"
"Oh Raptor Jesus almighty this is the absolute worst case scenario."
F "I. Am. Non. Binary."
"How was I supposed to know something so trivial would set something like this off?!"
F "Well?!"
A "..."
"I can’t bring myself to say anything!!"
F "Oh, OH, so that’s how it’s going to be, huh?!"
Drf "Fang…"
show fang very angry with dissolve
F "YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST SPIT IN MY FACE AND THEN- AND THEN GIVE ME THE COLD SHOULDER?!"
F "I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW-"
Drf "{b}FANG{/b}."
show fang shocked with dissolve
stop music
"It feels like the world just stopped."
"All eyes are on Fang."
"And in Fangs’ eyes I see something flash briefly."
"Judging by those exaggerated movements and the eloquent speech, this is something Fang had been practicing."
"This was supposed to be a big moment where she stopped an evil bigot and the whole class would clap."
"In all her planning and practice Fang had made one crucial error."
"Nobody cared."
Drf "Please consider stepping into the hall for a moment."
show fang angry
"Sh- Fang is quick to exit the room. Dr. Fernsworth turns a sympathetic look towards me."
hide fang neutral with moveoutright
show anon neutral at acenter with dissolve
Drf "Forgive them, Anon, you must understand that Fang is… Experiencing issues."
hide farnsworth with moveoutleft
"What the fuck just happened…?"
"Well, she blew up at me when I called her a she…"
"She was already upset about something before…"
"She was upset before because of the concert the other day?"
"Looks like I just pushed her over the edge."
scene black with fade
pause 1
scene science class
show anon neutral at aleft
with fade
play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating the Atmosphere.ogg'
"After a few moments Fang comes back in and sits down without a word."
show fang sad flip at sright with moveinright
F "...Sorry."
A "Uh, don’t worry about it."
show fang sad flip with move:
xalign -1.0 yalign 0.0
show fang sad with dissolve
"."
".."
"..."
show anon neutral flip with dissolve
"Now that I think about it, something’s off."
"Fang claims to not be male or female, but the clothes she’s wearing are clearly provocative."
"It’s almost like she’s showing off her femininity."
"Then why?"
"Why would someone be wearing revealing clothes in contradiction to their identity…?"
"It’s almost like they’re just looking for attent-"
"Then suddenly, it hits me. I recall memories of a slightly younger Anon, running around school with a cape, pilot goggles…"
"… And three plastic katanas."
show fang angry
"That was a quick way to get sent to the principal's office."
F "Are you even listening to me?!"
A "Dowhatnow? Wasn’t paying attention."
F "Yeah, I could tell."
"She mutters as she turns back to the assignment."
F "Uh.... You’ve been staring at me for the past 5 minutes. Freak."
"Judging by the looks of the class, and both of our current social standing, we’ll probably be working together a lot more."
menu:
"Sorry for calling you a girl...":
F "Non-binary people don't owe you androgyny"
"Sorry Fang I should have known from your feminine appearance and dress that you are, in fact, non-binary...":
F "Non-binary people don't owe you androgyny"
"Doesn’t seem like it’s something she wants to hear right now."
A "So um, your Naser’s sister, right?"
F "SIB-ling."
A "R-right. Sorry."
F "…"
show fang neutral
"There’s a brief pause until Fang speaks up again."
F "Yes. Naser’s my baby brother, why do you ask?"
A "I was just curious, Naser has been helping me settle into the school."
F "Of course he did. Just wish he’d keep out of my fuckin’ business for two seconds."
A "Uhh… Sure."
"Actually, thinking about Naser…"
N "{i}It’s more that he worries a bit too much for that… sister of his.{/i}"
N "{i}Oftentimes when I’m with him, he’s anxious about something she’s done.{/i}"
A "...He told me about what happened the other day."
A "Sorry to hear something like that happened to you and your band."
show fang considering with dissolve
F "..."
show fang neutral with dissolve
F "What do you care?"
A "I… Dunno."
"Suddenly my shoes seem more interesting than the conversation at hand."
A "Just think it’s messed up people would go to a show just to laugh at you."
F "Feh."
show fang happy with dissolve
F "Guess you aren’t that awful…"
F "Unlike every other guy in this school."
A "..."
"The rest of the period passed between continued small talk with Fang."
"She seemed to be controlling the conversation though."
"When the bell rang, Fang whips out her phone and immediately starts tapping away."
A "You going to your next class?"
F "Who cares about being late?"
A "Fair. See you then."
hide fang neutral with moveoutright
"She lazily waves a hand at me and I make my way to my next class."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
"Unfortunately, fifth period is mathematics."
scene black with fade
pause 1
scene classroom with fade
show carldelewski at sleft
"I’m barely keeping myself awake while Mr. Carlesiidewski is giving a lecture on the inverse of tangents."
carl "ANON!"
"I sit ramrod straight at the direct address."
carl "Are you frickin’ listening? Come finish this frickin’ problem on the frickin’ board."
"Just one social disaster after another today."
show anon neutral flip at acenter with dissolve
"Hesitantly, I slide out of my chair and trundle my way to the whiteboard, trying to decipher the runes I'm expected to make sense of."
"Only I never made it to the whiteboard."
"Three rows down and my foot catches on a loose backpack strap in the isle."
"Luckily I fell sideways and there was a cold hard desk in the way to catch my fall."
play music 'audio/OST/Those Other Two Weirdos.ogg'
"To the chuckles of the rest of the class, I look up from my final resting place to see a massive pink and white muzzle."
Re "Dude."
"Like a deer caught in headlights, I can only stare and wait for him to continue."
Re "You’re on my desk man..."
"My senses return to me, and I quickly get up, picking up and returning the pencil that flew to the floor in a flurry of apologies."
"Then I recognise just whose desk I fell on."
"It’s that drummer in Fang’s band."
"Don’t I just have the luck of the devil?"
"Giving one last apology, I head to the front of the room to solve the whiteboard problem."
"I tried solving the problem to the best of my ability."
"Still took a solid two minutes."
"After circling my answer, I look expectantly at Mr. Carlesiidewski who gives a nod."
"Finally turning around to return to my seat, I freeze."
"Right there in the front row is the last member of the band, Trish."
hide carldelewski with fade
"I stumble back to my desk."
"Mr. Carlesiidewski gives each row a stack of papers to pass back."
carl "Alright, here’s the frickin’ homework covering today’s lesson. Use page two-seventy-nine. I’ll give you the last…"
carl "Fifteen frickin’ minutes of class to work with your frickin’ peers."
"Mr. Carlesiidewski returns to his desk and pulls out a math book with a monthly romance novel crudely stuffed inside it. With very detailed centerfold with the way he turned it sideways."
"Looking ahead to Reed’s desk, he’s been joined by Trish who is trying to get him to get started."
"I think I can feel their eyes following me…"
"Back at my desk, I glance over the math sheet."
"Page two-seventy-nine, right?"
"Looks like I finally get to use that phonebook of a math textbook."
"...Where is it?"
"I open my backpack, and instead of my math textbook…"
"Is the Saturnia Collectors Edition Art-book I splurged on yesterday."
"I’m frozen. Can’t move an inch."
"Did I grab the wrong book this morning? Is someone playing a sick joke?"
"How could I bring this to school?!?"
"Something bounces off my head and lands on my desk."
"It’s enough to snap me back to reality and I shove my backpack under my desk, furiously zipping it."
"On my desk is a balled-up wad of paper."
"Oh great. I was hoping to avoid these chain notes."
"I unfurl the ball to read the note."
"{i}Look up.{/i}"
"I look up and see the purple one waving me over."
"Fuck."
"Grabbing my stuff I shuffle over slowly to the duo."
show trish neutral flip at tright with dissolve
show reed neutral at rleft with dissolve
Re "Sup compadre."
A "Uh… Sup?"
T "See? He’s my class partner so I look out for him."
T "How are YOU looking out for your class partner, Anon?"
T "Enforcing the social contract, having good conduct and mutual respect so you can leave class and go on with your life?"
A "Uh....What’s this about?"
T "A certain friend of mine is partnered with you in Science, right?"
"Wait. Oh!"
A "You mean Fang?"
T "They just messaged me before class, said they had to be partnered with a skinnie bigot - then proceeded to show them."
T "I had a feeling you’d be him."
"Am I gonna have to tolerate humiliation from these meteor dodgers too?"
"My head is starting to hurt. Hopefully we can just get started on these math exercises."
A "Yeah, that was me. I apologized, though."
T "I know and I appreciate it."
T "I’m Trish and this is Reed. We’re Fang’s best friends."
A "Uh-huh."
T "What about you? Now you tell us about yourself."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"RED ALERT."
"There is no way I’m telling anyone, especially {i}these{/i} people."
"And if they find out where I was a few days ago…"
A "Uhh... I’m Anon and I’m a human. I got here Monday."
A "That’s all."
play music 'audio/OST/Those Other Two Weirdos.ogg' fadein 1.0
T "We know that. We want to know where you’re from, what have you been doing since you got here, if you have any friends…"
A "I-I’ve been doing nothing. I don’t really care about friends."
"She doesn’t look very convinced by that answer."
T "Right."
Re "You know that Naser dude, right...?"
T "Hey… Yeah, I saw you with that slut Naomi earlier, too…"
"Trish squints her eyes at me."
A "T-they were my welcoming committee, they helped me with getting settled, nothing besides that."
T "Riiiiight. Didn’t Naser or Naomi invite you to anything...or…?"
A "No. I don’t remember. I’ve been trying to get them off my back. But w-why you ask?"
T "We had a concert last week, Naser and Naomi invited a whole bunch of assholes to ruin it. Suppose if we had seen a human in that crowd we would remember, right?"
A "Y-yeah. Haha."
A "I-I mean, concert?"
"I don’t think they invited me here to solve math problems."
T "We have a band. I’m the lead bassist, Fang’s the vocalist and secondary bass, and Reed is the drummer."
Re "...And the songwriter."
T "He just comes up with the funny song titles."
A "Uhhh...that’s very neat! Would love to listen to your band someday."
"I drag my chair backwards and clumsily rise from my seat"
A "It was great meeting you guys, I’ll be going back to my desk, though…"
T "Wait, I’m not done with you yet."
A "What? I really should get started on the homework...?"
T "It’s important. Look at me."
"She has a very serious look on her face."
"She’s not saying anything, her glaring through the back of my skull makes me think she means business."
T "Fang is happy. They found something about themself they finally like, and I helped them through a dark time. They made up their mind."
"They? Themself? No wonder Naser seemed so confused by this."
T "They don’t need people in their life that might hurt or confuse them. They have us, and the band. We’re trying to make it for ourselves."
A "O...kay?"
T "I look out for them because I care for them. They’ve been hurting because of those dicks, I’m doing my part in assuring them."
"Was that what I saw her doing earlier?"
"Looked more like a one trigga trig-out."
A "I don’t understand."
T "My point is, don’t upset Fang."
"I just wanted to solve math problems."
A "I, er... yes, ma’am."
"Once again she’s just glaring at me."
"Fucking hell my stupid legs, stop shaking."
"I’ll take this opportunity."
A "Uh… thank you for the lesson, Trish. I’ll keep that in mind. See ya."
Re "Wait man- you want this?"
"Reed holds out a sheet of paper."
"Wait, it’s a copy of the homework assignment-"
"And it’s complete?!"
A "Wait, I thought you were the one needing help?"
Re "Shhhh, the friend of my friend who’s the friend that helps me is also my friend too."
A "I don’t think that’s how the saying goes...?"
Re "You’re sharp, Anon. Razor sharp. Friends?"
"The bell announces lunchtime, and the rest of the students collectively rise and start shuffling out the door."
A "Lunch hour, been a blast talking to you guys."
hide anon neutral with moveoutleft
"I swiftly snatch up the backpack by my leg, flashing an earnest sympathetic smile at them - or at least I thought it was one."
scene hallway with fade
show anon neutral at acenter
"As I power walk out of the classroom I swear I caught a glimpse of Reed waving goodbye."
"A shame I have other places to be. Namely away from the pissed off midget."
"Sorry man, you seem like a good guy. But with that tiny tyrant?"
"Not in this lifetime."
"That was the worst fucking experience in a long while. Almost as bad as actually dealing with Fang in class."
"Here I was thinking I could be invisible for the rest of the year,"
"...And now I have classmates talking about me behind my back on their phones, probably for the rest of the school year."
"At least it’s the best period of the day now."
"Wonder what to get for lunch today…"
"Wait."
A "What’s that smell?"
"Oh no."
"I duck into a corner and rip the backpack open."
"What should have been my lunch card, binders, and horrendously embarrassing art book…"
play music 'audio/OST/Fuck You I Like To Ignore Problems.ogg'
"Was instead a half dozen glass flasks, bags full of… something, and all sorts of machinery I didn’t recognize."
"Someone… someone else has my backpack… and that book."
"If they see..."
A "..."
"This backpack…"
"It's from the Reed guy, I’ll bet."
"When I rushed out of class…"
"Fuck me."
"On the other hand…"
"I could get a medal of honor for turning all this stuff in..."
"Think you can even get a bit of cash for reporting stuff like this."
"...What am I thinking?"
"Any amount of money is NOT worth my power level being revealed."
"I can't ruin my life. Not again"
"Especially not with these losers."
"A half-hour until lunch period ends. Good."
"I need to find Reed."
"I double back to the classroom I just left and find it empty."
"Fuck."
"Maybe he’s getting his lunch now. Cafeteria then."
scene cafeteria with fade
show anon neutral at acenter
"I sprint through the school hallways, already familiar with the layout, looking for the drug dealer."
"The colorful crowd in the lunch line makes it difficult to pick Reed out, so I have to carefully scan the room."
"I finally spot the pink raptor at the end of the queue, tray in hand and incriminating evidence on his back."
"The world must be fucking with me since {b}I’m{/b} the one currently carrying a mini-cartel in a backpack."
show reed neutral at sleft with dissolve
A "REED!"
"The stoner drummer turns my way as I try as calmly as possible to approach him."
Re "What up, my guy?"
A "I uh…"
"I give the backpack a bump, causing all the dubious glassware within to clink."
A "Think you got my backpack, Reed."
Re "Huh… Was wonderin’ why this felt lighter."
"He holds out my backpack to me."
Re "‘Ere ya go, man."
"We trade backpacks, I’m careful to hand his over while simultaneously examining mine still within his grip."
"It doesn’t look like he opened it at all but…"
play music 'audio/OST/Fuck You I Like To Shitpost.ogg'
A "Thank fuck…"
Re "Why’re you so worried bout the bag, man?"
"Shitfuckfuckfuckfuck."
A "Becaaaauuuuuse…"
"Don’tbringuptheartbook."
"Think you dumbfuck, there’s gotta be something you can say-"
"Naomi I owe you a fruit basket!"
A "My lunch card!"
A "I wouldn’t have been able to get my lunch without it."
show reed shocked
Re "Oh. Oh! Oh fuck, dude I’m sorry to hear that."
"What."
show reed explanatory
Re "New kid in school AND you need the lunch card?"
Re "Do you like, wanna hang with us? You look like the lonely type."
"FUCK no."
A "Naaaaah, I’ll be good. I just needed my-"
Re "Come on bro, I’ll introduce you to the whole band."
A "You don’t have to-"
Re "Y’know... reward your good deed with a good deed."
A "What."
Re "I’ll like, be your first friend, Anon."
A "What."
Re "Yeeaah, man."
A "I appreciate it, but… Y’know…"
Re "You worried about Trish, bro?"
A "..."
Re "Yeaah, she can be a bit rough, but she’s great."
A "Isn’t she on a crusade to assault everyone that laughed at your concert?"
Re "Oh yeah, she does that sometimes, don’t worry about it."
A "Hrmmm…"
Re "‘s fine for you to be worried."
Re "You’ll see, she’s plenty nice."
"Maybe I was a bit quick to judge..."
"See, there’s Trish now."
show trish neutral flip at tright with dissolve
T "Hey, Reed."
T "Sorry, gonna have to return that crowbar a bit later than I promised."
T "Also, I got vengeance on another one of those jerks."
A "Those aren’t… related, right?"
T "Who’s asking?"
"I need to get out of here."
A "Well Reed, thank you for talking, I’ll just be on my wa-"
Re "Hoolld on man, Trish just got here."
T "Reed, what’s all this about?"
Re "Anon here and I had a little… mix-up?"
Re "Anyways, he was a total bro about it…"
Re "And he’s like, super poor and stuff."
T "How poor?"
Re "Y’know that lunch card thing they advertise on the school brochures?"
T "Bull."
Re "Show her, Anon."
A "I’d rather not…"
T "Oh my goodness you poor soul."
Re "Literally, even."
Re "So I figured, why not be a bro back to him?"
Re "Like uhhh…"
Re "Be his legit welcome committee."
A "I appreciate the thought, but uhh...I should really be going right about… now, bye."
T "Oh, Fang, what took you so long today?"
show fang sad flip:
xalign 0.9 yalign 0.0
"Why meeee…"
show fang shocked flip at sright
F "Yo. Wait, is that Anon? what’s {i}he{/i} doing here?"
"No, it’s the other new human transfer student with the dress sense of Rex Luthor."
show fang neutral
A "Heeeey Fang. Good to see ya again. Well lunch is almost over so I’ll-"
Re "He’s poor."
T "Like, super poor!"
F "How poor?"
T "Y’know those lunch cards they have on posters near the principals’ office?"
F "Wow. That is hilariously depressing."
"I hate everyone here."
F "Anyways, that doesn’t answer my question of why the skinny loser here."
Re "Man, Anon’s like a total bro an’ I’m his {i}first{/i} friend an’ we’re gonna be Rock Ring buddies for the rest of the school year!"
Re "Then like… he’ll be my business partner an’ we’ll sell enough goods to get half the country high an’ like, fuck narcs and fuck the IRS too."
A "..."
F "Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrggggghhhhhhh. Trish?"
T "The morons swapped backpacks and now they’re best friends or something."
A "Yeah. That. And now I’m gonna go grab my lunch so-"
Re "We can all grab some together."
T "...Well, Reed {i}is{/i} a good judge of character…"
F "Is he?"
A "...Didn’t you already grab your lunch, Reed?"
Re "Yeah. I want seconds, man."
"What."
"I look at Reed’s tray and see that it’s completely empty."
A "When did you- How?!"
Re "Come on, man, I’ve got a mean case of munchies."
"I end up walking to get food with Trish, Reed and Fang."
"Every time I consider ditching them, Reed says or does something to keep me with the band."
"Fuck my life."
"I’m able to hold the makings of a conversation with Reed, but it feels like I’m talking to space."
"Trish was listening in while we made our way to the lunch room, but was more focused on her talk with Fang."
F "What do you mean my halter top is ‘out’ right now? I haven’t noticed a difference."
T "I’m telling you, the next thing is going to be leotards."
F "No, fuck that. I would never wear something that retarded."
"As for Reed…"
Re "...So… You play videogames, right?"
A "Yeah, I got a couple consoles and a toaster of a PC."
Re "Only Xrox… Battle Saurs is sick…"
A "Pachystation has a better lineup overall."
Re "But like… Stony-games are all lame… like, just movies lame..."
A "You can’t prove that."
Re "I can."
A "Huh?"
Re "Get your phone out man… Look up {color=#66cc33}'LW_S9znpklI'{/color}.."
A "How did you say that out loud?"
Re "Just look it up man…"
"What’s the harm?"
A "..."
menu:
"Look the link up":
$ webbrowser.open('https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW_S9znpklI')
pause 5
"What on earth…?"
Re "Pretty hilarious right?"
"What is this, a shitty Netstix cartoon knock off?"
A "It’s funny in a way, yeah."
jump PostCheckLinkOut
"Save it for later":
"I'll save this one for when I get home."
jump PostCheckLinkOut
label PostCheckLinkOut:
Re "Xrox is better anyways, you see the whole lineup they had prepared for..."
"Reed delves into his rant about console differences."
"I thought he was just an airhead, but…"
"I totally can’t get a read on this guy."
F "Well, anyways."
F "The lunch lines aren’t going to get any shorter."
F "We should hurry and pick one."
scene cafeteria
show anon neutral at aleft:
xalign 0.3 yalign 0.1
show reed neutral at rleft:
xalign -0.1 yalign 0.1
show fang neutral flip at sright:
xalign 0.8 yalign 0.0
show trish neutral flip at tright:
xalign 1.0 yalign 0.1
"Once we all got our food, we all stand around chatting a bit more outside the line."
"Trish and Fang babble to each other about their daily activities all through the lunch line."
"Reed on the other hand has pulled out a tablet from his backpack to show me something."
Re "So like, y’know we got a band, yeah?"
A "Er, yeah. Trish brought it up earlier and all."
Re "Check it. I’ve been recording our practices."
"Fang and Trish both look at me expectantly."
"Fuckshitfuckokay you can do this."
A "Cool, lemme see."
"Even through the poor recording quality I can see and hear just how atrocious the band is."
play music 'audio/OST/The (audiophile edition).ogg'
"I bite back the grimace threatening to come out as I give the video my full attention."
stop music
F "W-well?"
T "We’re great, right Anon?"
A "It’s uh… certainly original."
T "I know, right?"
A "But like, why two basses?"
"Fang glances at me from the side. Weird."
T "It’s our style!"
A "I-I see."
"What do I say here? I can only give feedback on games I haven’t played, not music!"
menu:
"I like the double tension on the G strings.":
"The three stop moving in line and look back at me."
"The synchronization between the melody and the submelody compliments the reverb well!":
"The three stop moving in line and look back at me."
"Very nice ironic reference to Beethoven’s Für Elise.":
"The three stop moving in line and look back at me."
"Think I messed up."
F "How could you tell?"
play music 'audio/OST/Bayside Bumming it.ogg' fadein 1.0
Re "Jeez man, you got the ears of a bat?"
A "Uhh, just something I picked up."
F "I didn’t know you knew about that sort of thing, Anon…"
Re "Yo, next time we have a concert… You gotta come along."
F "...Maybe…"
"Trish glowers at me warily."
T "I dunno, maybe if he actually talked about himself for once."
"Nope, nah uh, no way, abort!"
Re "Yeah, man, go ahead. None of us are judgin’. I’m not at least."
A "Well…"
"Fang Reed and Trish" "Ohfuck. Sorry Anon, we gotta bail."
show fang neutral flip
show trish neutral flip
hide trish with moveoutright
hide fang neutral with moveoutright
hide reed with moveoutright
A "Huh? Where-"
"They’re already gone."
"Pretty impressive how fast they can move even with their hands full."
"But what could’ve made them run like that?"
N "ANON!"
show anon neutral flip at acenter with move
show naomi neutral at sleft with moveinleft
show naser neutral with moveinleft:
xalign -0.6 yalign 0.0
"Oh."
"I turn around to see Naser and Naomi approaching, food in hand."
N "I knew I’d find you here with the others, Anon!"
N "Shame they ran off, why do they do that?"
"Her shrill goody goody sugary voice is piercing through the chatter of the lunchroom, I don’t wanna reply if it means hearing more of her voice…"
N "Tell me, Anon! What were you and Fang talking about? I didn’t know you were friends!"
N "I wanna know about everything!"
"Oh help me, God. I just can’t catch a break."
"I just want to go home…"
"But there's still half a day to go…"
Nas "Hey Anon… you uh...seem kinda low energy, are you alright?"
"The Anon you are trying to reach is currently having an existential meltdown."
"Please leave your message after the scream."
N "Aaaww, he's just thrilled to make new friends!"
Nas "Yeah man, good on you. You’re quite the extrovert!"
"I’m mentally screaming, I swear I just want to get out and never come back."
Nas "Was that really my sibling you were hanging with?"
A "Fang and her friends, yeah. Strange group, I know."
N "I’ll say."
Nas "Sh-they’re not that bad once you get to know them."
A "Colorful folk, I know."
Nas "Uh...no...I mean -THEY-..."
A "Hm?"
Nas "Fang!"
A "Uh-huh… sure hope so. Seems I’m going to be her lab partner for the rest of the year."
Nas "Whoa."
"Naomi pauses for a second."
Nas "Honestly. They’re just going through a phase man."
A "That phase include rants about non-binarism?"
Nas "*sigh* Fang hit you with that too?"
N "What a great opportunity for real friendship Anon! I’m so happy for you!"
Nas "...?"
A "...?"
N "If there’s anything Fang needs in these trying times, it’s a new friend to talk to!"
A "Uuuuuh, I don’t know about that, you know how they is, right?"
N "I would love it if you tried! Naser would appreciate it!"
"Would he?"
Nas "Whoa, calm down, boo. That’s not how it works...and I don’t think…"
"The bell’s loud sound rings on our ears"
"A rush of relief and dopamine overcome me."
"I’m free."
Nas "Uhhh...we’ll talk later, Anon. I’ll have to keep my eye on you, though."
N "don’t worry, Naser. I know Anon is of good character!"
"What is she talking about?"
"You know what, it don’t matter. Nonathiss matters."
"Only useful thing I learned all day."
A "Uhhhh...I guess I’ll have to go now, see you around."
"Be a little nicer, Anon"
A "Ask if you need anything, I’ll help you out."
N "Oh I’ll hold you on that one! Just you wait, hahahahahah!"
"Nice. Now you’ll never get them off your back, now. Congratulations."
Nas "Hey, take it easy, man!"
N "Come Naser! We have a busy day today!"
N "Oh, sure."
scene black with fade
stop music
A "See ya."
"..."
scene black with fade
jump StartOfChap3
#Band Practice
label StartOfChap3:
scene black
play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating the Atmosphere.ogg'
"-One Week Later-"
scene classroom with fade
"It's math. Bane of retards and lazy intellectuals alike."
"And teachers too, judging by the lack of a certain coomer teacher."
"Substitute today, which means busywork. Group problems busywork specifically."
"Of course, I can't escape this any more than I could have escaped the lab partner assignment."
"At least here I have the opportunity to just keep to myself for an hour."
"I don't even bother attempting the assignment, instead pretending my phone is a calculator and spending the first half shitposting about video games I haven’t played online."
"The second half, interrupted by something pointy to the back of the dome."
"*sshk*"
"I can feel something stuck between my chair and my back."
play music 'audio/OST/Fuck You I Like To Shitpost.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I fish around and pull out a crumpled paper airplane, a completed set of problems."
"...this is Reed's. And it's..."
"...done? Even the extra problems that I don't even bother with because they take another ten minutes each."
"I turn around to see that technicolor burnout waving me over. He's sitting next to Trish."
"She's giving me the evil eye."
"At least I think it's the evil eye. Whatever that expression is, it clashes with her smile."
"Might as well see what they want."
"As I weave through the maze of desks squished together with partners more interested in their phones than the worksheet, I catch a hint of whatever Reed and Trish are talking about."
show reed unimpressed at scenter
show trish neutral flip at tright
with dissolve
show anon neutral at aleft with dissolve
Re "...Honesty is the best policy, eh?"
Re "...Bad juju to keep somethin’ bottled up..."
show reed neutral with dissolve
"Reed grabs hold of another chair and sets it on Trish's other side, nodding in my direction before taking a big pull from whatever he's got in that thermos on his desk."
"The widening of his pupils suggest its more than just Roarbucks cold brew in it."
show trish happy flip with dissolve
T "Hey, Anon!"
A "You guys need something?"
T "Nah, just wanted to chat a bit since we got the time"
show trish neutral flip with dissolve
"There’s something in her tone of voice…"
" It’s like she's getting ready to gore me with those nubs she calls horns."
A "...Sure"
show reed explanatory with dissolve
Re "Imma let you two get to whatever… gonna go for a refill..."
"He shakes his thermos and heads for the door."
"What's in that anyway?"
Re "Don't ask..."
hide reed with dissolve
"Fair enough."
"...Wait..."
"Fuck it."
show trish neutral flip at tcenter with move
T "So… Anon… You and Fang?"
A "...You and Fang what?"
T "They’ve been talkin’ about you."
A "They?"
show trish unimpressed flip with dissolve
"The tiny triceratops rolled her eyes dramatically."
T "Fang. Fang’s been talkin’ bout you."
A "All good things, I’m sure."
"Fang’s been talking about me? That’s dumb."
"Oh yeah. The phones."
"All we’ve been doing is more labwork in science."
#[CG of mad scientist Anon with a railgun aimed at Dr. Fernsworth]
#God I wish we had time for this CG
"Last Thursday I tried to remember how to make a railgun."
"To show I could, of course."
F "{i}Pfft, I could make one too.{/i}"
"She seemed unimpressed at the time, but…"
A "Was it about making a railgun?"
T "Er… Yeah, it was."
T "What exactly are you talking about with them?"
A "Just science stuff."
A "The railgun is just something I happen to know though, picked it up from an old game."
show trish neutral flip with dissolve
"Trish raises an eyebrow."
T "...Right."
A "Why do you ask?"
T "You learned to make a deadly weapon from a video game?"
show trish unimpressed flip with dissolve
"Her tone is flat. Unlike her chest."
A "I wouldn’t say deadl-"
T "Don’t interrupt."
show trish explanatory flip with dissolve
T "Why would you think that it’s a good idea to make a weapon in class?"
T "How did you not get in trouble?"
A "Spears actually did talk to me, said something about the ‘great equaliser’."
show trish annoyed flip with dissolve
"Trish grabs the bridge of her snout."
T "This is why men are useless."
"She continues to mutter to herself. All of it incoherent."
show trish unimpressed flip with dissolve
A "Is there a point?"
"She rounds back on me, anger painted clearly on her face."
show trish angry flip with dissolve
T "Look, Anon, YOU may be into that stuff, but leave Fang out of it."
T "They have better things to do than… than…"
T "Than play with some man-child’s lethal toys!"
show reed shocked flip at rright with dissolve
Re "Whoa… Harsh…"
show reed neutral flip with move:
xalign 1.1
"Reed slumps into the seat next to Trish, sipping on his thermos of…"
Re "Just agua, bro…"
"Thermos of water…"
"What the-"
Re "What’d I miss?"
show trish explanatory with dissolve
T "I’m just trying to tell Anon here that he shouldn’t be telling Fang how to make a fuckin’ gun in school."
show reed explanatory flip with dissolve
Re "Why not?"
T "We’ve been over this."
Re "We have? When?"
T "Less than five minutes ago."
Re "Thought we were talkin’ about Anon?"
T "Yes!"
T "And specifically!"
T "We were talking about Anon’s gun!"
show trish neutral
show reed shocked flip
with dissolve
"Heads start to turn."
show reed happy with dissolve
"Reed grins at them all"
Re "Then how bout these guns?"
"Reed places his hands on the back of his head and flexes his biceps."
show trish unimpressed with dissolve
show trish angry with dissolve
show trish considering with dissolve
show trish angry with dissolve
"Trish’s face is a blur of emotions. At first confused, then fucking pissed, then aroused, then back to fucking pissed, all in the space of an attosecond."
T "Not those! The one he made with magnets!"
show reed neutral flip
Re "But like… how do magnets work?"
"*DING-DONG BING-BONG.*"
"All at once all the students giving the clock a blank stare stand to attention and file out the door."
T "I-I… Damn it, Reed!"
"Trish punches Reed in the shoulder, gives me another evil stare, and saunters out the room."
hide trish neutral flip with moveoutright
Re "Hey."
"Reed’s pats me on the shoulder."
show reed neutral flip at scenter with moveoutleft
Re "Bruh."
show reed happy flip
"He gives me a thumbs up and exits as well."
hide reed neutral flip with moveoutright
"Leaving only the substitute teacher, looking at me from her desk impatiently for me to leave."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"Guess it’s her lunch period, too."
show anon neutral flip
hide anon neutral with moveoutleft
scene black with fade
"..."
scene cafeteria
show anon neutral at aleft
show naomi neutral flip at scenter
show naser neutral flip at nright
show cafeteria
play music 'audio/OST/The Top of the Social Ladder.ogg'
"Naser ended up dragging me to sit with him and the magenta motormouth again."
"Naomi hovers over Naser, who currently has Gucci under his eyes."
Nas "So, I uh… Talked to the soccer team earlier."
Nas "They’re going to make the first game after all."
N "Isn’t that great, Anon?"
A "..."
Nas "I also… Got the L&L Club to finally take down their christmas decorations…"
Nas "So… The library’s clean again…"
"Naser’s head lands in his chicken salad, then he jerks wide awake."
show naomi shocked flip
N "NASER!"
show naser shocked flip
Nas "OH GOOD LORD NOT THE WATER-"
A "..."
show naser sad flip
Nas "Ugh… Sorry."
Nas "...Did you say something, Anon?"
show naomi unimpressed flip
A "Naser, you look like you fell into another blender."
A "What’s going on, big guy?"
Nas "Don’t worry about it…"
Nas "Just some… Family problems last night…"
A "Like what?"
Nas "Ugh…"
N "You don’t have to tell him if you don’t want to, dear."
show naomi happy flip with dissolve
N "Why don’t you wipe that alfredo sauce off your cute little face."
"She’s so saccharine she’d give a third world country diabetes"
Nas "It’s my sister again…"
"Why is it always his sister with him?"
show naomi unimpressed flip
N "Aww…"
Nas "I was going to sleep last night, when I heard something downstairs."
"...When did this turn into an interrogation?"
Nas "It was about one or two in the morning. I checked what it was, and…"
Nas "Fang was just, standing in front of the microwave."
Nas "Staring at the dino nuggets rotate inside."
"At one in the morning?"
Nas "At one in the morning."
show naomi neutral flip
N "This is a personal issue, isn’t it?"
N "Wouldn’t you rather just be enjoying lunch with us?"
Nas "I just need advice from someone at this point, Naomi."
N "But from Anon?"
A "But from me?"
show naomi considering flip
"Naser continues."
Nas "I asked her what she was doing, and she just…"
Nas "Just says ‘fuck off…’, so I think ‘maybe dad will help’."
Nas "...He didn’t."
Nas "...They just got into a shouting match."
Nas "Screamin’ bout her lack of control an’ dad was pissed an’-"
show naomi sad flip
N "Poor baby."
"Naomi wraps her arms around Naser’s head, cradling the tired pterosaur in her bosom."
hide naser with dissolve
"There’s a rumbling snore and it’s clear that Naser has checked out."
A "...Riiiiiiiight…"
"Naomi looks distraught."
N "He’s always like this…"
N "But it’s been getting worse recently..."
A "Going unconscious?"
N "Trying to help. Wearing himself ragged."
N "That Fang…"
N "We should help Naser."
A "What, by talking to Fang?"
N "By taking him to the nurses office."
"Ah fuck."
"Naomi looks at me with the biggest, wettest doe eyes possible."
A "Alright alright. He doesn’t look that heavy anyway."
N "Only a hundred and sixty pounds."
A "How do you- nevermind."
scene black with fade
"Naomi puts herself under Naser’s left arm, motioning me to take the other one."
"I sling his arm around my back and-"
"GOOD LORD HE’S HEAVY."
N "Alright, the Nurses’ Office is down the main hall on the left side, near the front desk."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"I’m clenching my face too much to be able to speak, I can only get a slight nod out."
"..."
scene hallway with fade
"After dropping Naser at the nurse and leaving before Naomi could argue with her about staying, the lunch bell rings."
"With music at the ass end of the campus I have to sprint through the halls."
"Fuck today, I avoided gym class for a reason."
play music 'audio/OST/Dino Destiny Reader.ogg'
"Halfway to Music class, I slam into somebody and tumble to the floor."
scene black
A "Augh..."
scene hallway with fade
show stella neutral at stleft with dissolve
unknown "You…"
A "AH!"
"Sorry, sorry sorry!"
show anon neutral flip at aright with dissolve
"I get up from the floor and look at the stego who bumped into me. The plates on her back twitch as she looks me up and down."
unknown "Judgement…"
"A chill rolls over me."
show stella considering
unknown "Karma? No. No, maybe second chance?"
"She draws closer, a contemplative expression on her face."
show stella explanatory
unknown "Ah, I see now."
A "What?"
unknown "You’ve important choices to come."
A "I do? Wait back up what the fuck are you talking about?"
unknown "This."
"She reaches toward my chest, plucking something off of it. She holds it up for me to see it’s some oversized playing card."
A "Still lost."
unknown "It’s you. Your card. You are on the precipice of a great ordeal. Many difficult points of divergence and contention are coming your way. Reflect on them."
"I think about asking the green weirdo to make sense, but the bell is about to ring."
A "Yeah, thanks, sure. Sorry, gotta dash."
show classroom at scenter with dissolve
stop music fadeout 1.0
show bandroom
"I slam into the band room door just as the late bell trills, panting and sweaty."
show jingo at sleft with dissolve
jingo "Good timing, Mr. Mous. Just in time for free period."
"What…"
jingo "Take up anything you like and have fun."
"The teacher then took to his extremely lavish loveseat, threw on a pair of headphones and blacked out."
hide jingo with fade
"I looked at the scattered instruments, left alone for whatever reason."
"Dent looking brass and cracked woodwinds. Even a bass with a missing string."
"Wow. I feel like that right about now."
"I reach for one at random, taking a wooden… thing…"
"It looks like an oak tree made love to an eggplant and this is the aborted monstrosity in Mexico."
"Whatever, I melt into my chair and pull out my phone. Seems a majority of my classmates have a similar idea."
"I’ve some shitposting to do."
"Let’s see…"
show anonphone with moveintop
#phone overlay with Elliot Raptor, and the text ‘he made some valid points :^)’
"Ah yes, perfect. Click post aaaand now to wait."
hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
"Nefarious deed for the day done, I look around the room out of boredom."
"Oh fuck no."
"Fang has a weapon of mass hearing loss."
"I’m covering my ears in preparation when the ptero-rist starts strumming and…"
play music 'audio/OST/Beach Chill Out.ogg'
"Oh wow."
"I still have my hearing."
"In fact she’s actually playing something pleasant."
"It’s mellow. Relaxed. A slow rhythm that carries a strange nostalgic hint to it."
"The difference between this and the performance is night and day."
"What gives?"
"Looking a bit closer, she’s swinging her tail a bit to the rhythm."
"She uses her tail as a metronome?"
"Suddenly, the phone slips from my hand onto the floor."
stop music
A "SHIT!"
"The sound it makes as it clatters on the ground is a klaxon of pants-shitting terror."
"It lies face down on the isle."
"Do I really want to pick it up and potentially face a harsh reality?"
"Schrodingers’ crack."
"...I can’t just leave it there."
"I pick up the phone and slowly turn it over."
"It’s the moment of truth."
"...No cracks?"
"Thank the Lord."
show fang shocked at scenter with dissolve
play music 'audio/OST/Fuck You I Like This Chick.ogg'
F "Yeah, you got lucky."
"Fang has stopped playing and is throwing a small smirk my way."
"I should probably say something…"
"Her playing is pretty good, I'll compliment that."
A "That sounded way better than in the video Reed took."
hide fang shocked
show fang angry at scenter
"..."
"Wrong choice of words."
F "You’re still not off my shit list, watch it."
"Quick Anon, think"
A "Why didn’t you play guitar back then, you’re obviously a lot better with it."
hide fang angry
show fang neutral at scenter
F "Would’ve if I could’ve."
A "What do you mean?"
"There’s an empty seat next to Fang."
"Finders’ keepers, I guess."
F "The band is just Reed, Trish, and I."
F "So we all have to decide by majority what happens."
F "Reed says using a bass is more unique, and Trish always says how it’s a ‘promising business model’."
A "But it sounds like you play the guitar much easier than a bass."
F "I play the bass just fine."
F "I think the problem is more that if you want to make an unconventional band layout, you damn well better know what you’re doing."
F "If you’re anything short of masterful it won’t sound good."
F "And when it comes to music, it either sounds good or it doesn’t."
F "Simple as."
"She continues strumming."
A "But it’s just a high school band, right?"
A "Shouldn’t it just be fun?"
F "It is, yeah."
A "Even though you’re just doing what they want without getting a say in it?"
"Fang flinches and misses a note."
F "..."
F "It’s not like that…"
F "It’s just… Trish says… I mean… God damn it."
F "Look, we’re better with two basses. Trish and Reed say so."
stop music
A "The au--"
"Uhp"
"Fuck"
"I almost said 'the audience at the concert' to her outloud."
F "What was that?"
play music 'audio/OST/fighter.ogg' fadein 1.0
A "Nuthin’"
"Fang growls at that."
F "You know what, we’re having band practice after school today."
F "Just show up and see for yourself."
A "And what if I don’t?"
F "You’ll be a little bitch that’s wrong."
"Oh."
"In that case."
A "Fuck you, I’m right, your band sucks with two basses, and you shoulda been on guitar!"
"I lock eyes with her."
F "Fuck you!"
A "Fuck you!"
F "Fuck! You!"
A "FUCK YOU!"
show jingo at sleft with dissolve
stop music fadeout 1.0
jingo "Aaaaand we’re caaaaaalm now."
"Fuck me."
"..."
hide jingo with fade
play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating the Atmosphere.ogg'
show hallway
F "Hurry up, dweeb. If I can keep ahead of you while carrying two instruments, you can speedwalk."
A "You sure you don’t want me to carry one?"
F "Pfeh."
"Fang is leading me back to the auditorium with both the acoustic guitar ‘borrowed’ from the music room and her bass in hand, one over each shoulder."
"When we eventually get to the auditorium, Fang stops."
"Is something wrong?"
A "Uh, is everything-"
F "The doors, moron."
"She swings the guitar cases on her shoulders around a bit."
"Oh."
"I step around her and grab the hanlde, pulling the door wide open."
A "Ladies first."
"Fang growls and stomps on my foot as she walks past."
"..."
A "FUCK!"
F "Hurry up already."
scene bandroom
show reed neutral flip at rright
show trish neutral at tcenter
"Inside, Reed and Trish already have everything set up onstage."
show fang neutral with moveinleft:
xalign 0.2 yalign 0.1
show anon neutral with moveinleft:
xalign -0.1 yalign 0.0
"Where does Reed keep that huge drumset during the day?"
show trish very happy flip with dissolve
"Trish waves her arms from the stage."
T "HEY, FANG! WHAT TOOK SO LONG?"
F "HAD TO GRAB SOMETHING."
show trish unimpressed
"Trish squints in the spotlight, then finally notices me."
show trish indignant
T "What-"
T "What’s he doing here?!"
"Fang slings both cases onto the stage, then climbs on herself."
F "Proving a dumbass bigot wrong."
A "So you admit there’s smart ones?"
show fang angry
show jewlcase at truecenter:
xalign 0.5 yalign 0.5 zoom 0.3
rotate 0.6
linear 0.3 xalign 0.05 yalign 0.12
linear 1.5 yalign 5.0
"Fang then ripped something from Trish’s hands and threw it at me."
show trish angry
T "What the fuck?!"
"It strikes against my head with a dull *tonk* and lands on the ground in front of me."
show jewlcase at truecenter:
xalign 0.5 yalign 0.5 zoom 1.0
"Looking down at the makeshift shuriken, it was a copy of 'VVORM DRAMA’s new hit single Indragon Onslaught'"
hide jewlcase
show trish indignant
T "Fang! I just made that in art class!"
A "It looks like picasso had a seizure."
show fang considering
F "He was being an ass!"
A "I was."
show reed explanatory flip
Re "Like… are we on break now?"
T "We haven’t even started!"
show reed neutral flip
T "Fang! Why is Anon here?!"
show fang neutral
F "Like I said, proving him wrong."
A "More like proving me right."
T "Proving him wrong how?"
Re "Like… Playing guitar, right? Ya wanted to play your guitar…"
T "What?"
F "Yes! I mean-"
A "Ha!"
F "No, I mean Anon thinks that if I used a guitar instead of bass the music would sound better."
show trish neutral
T "What? No wayyyy."
F "I know, right?"
Re "Woooow… Way to try throwing everything off, Anon..."
F "Mm. Let’s just go through ‘I Need Meth Money By Tuesday Night And If I Don’t Get It I Will Stomp On Your Child’."
"Don’t say ayy lmao."
F "Three… Two... One.."
#half life flash bang
scene black
pause 5
"My mind went blank."
"I don’t know what happened during the time when it was blank"
scene bandroom
show trish neutral at tleft
play music 'audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg'
"I look to the stage and see Fang, panting, looking distressed."
F "S-see? Totally awesome, r-right?"
"Not the word I would use."
show trish explanatory with moveinright:
xalign -0.2 yalign 0.1
show anon neutral with dissolve:
xalign 0.3 yalign 0.1
show reed neutral flip with dissolve:
xalign 0.9 yalign 0.1
show fang neutral flip with dissolve:
xalign 1.6 yalign 0.1
A "...I think you should give the guitar a try."
show trish angry
T "Oh shut up, you don’t know anything about music."
F "Might as well. That’s what I brought him for, after all."
T "You’re really siding with him on this?"
T "We already decided VVURM DRAMA is better with only drum and bass, remember?"
show reed explanatory flip
Re "Yeah man… WAY more unique that way."
A "Aren’t there like two bands in existence that pulled it off?"
Re "That means there’s a chance then, yeah…?"
A "It can’t hurt to try, right?"
show reed neutral flip
show trish angry
T "You don’t get a say in this, it’s a band decision and we already made our choice."
F "Maybe he’s right, Trish. What’s the big deal?"
T "The ‘deal’ is we’re wasting enough time as it is when we should be practicing!"
T "Especially wasting time on playing guitar when it doesn’t match any of our stuff."
show fang angry flip
"That clearly struck a nerve."
F "‘Wasting time’ playing guitar? What’s THAT supposed to mean?"
"Fang rounds on Trish, jabbing an accusing finger into the little triceratop’s surprisingly voluminous chest."
F "Every time I want to make changes you guys always overrule me!"
F "Even when it’s something like playing my favorite instrument in my own band!"
"Yikes."
show trish indignant
T "Come on Fang, you know I didn’t mean it that way!"
T "We decided that democratically, right Reed?"
Re "Yeah, but… like, there are only three of us, y’know?"
"I’ll hate myself for this…"
"...this is already getting too intimate for me..."
"...but maybe I should say something."
"It’s only going to get worse if I don’t"
"But this seems like a personal argument between them."
menu:
"Speak Up":
jump GuitarQuestionSpeakUp
"Stay Silent":
jump GuitarQuestionStaySilent
label GuitarQuestionSpeakUp:
$ fangscore += 1
"Fang does seem very passionate about playing guitar."
"It could only help their music, right?"
show trish unimpressed
show fang surprised
A "Just give Fang a chance, have you ever even let them play guitar with the band?"
"That seemed to stop Trish in her presidential yeezys."
show trish neutral
T "I- uh, well… not really. We voted on it in our first jam session together."
"Fang made a weird face, like she couldn’t believe I was standing up for her."
"Honestly I couldn’t believe I stood up for her either."
"But god dammit I’m winning this challenge!"
A "If you’re really Fang’s friend, you should at least let them try."
"..."
"Trish’s mouth opened and closed, as if she was trying to find the right words."
"She threw up her hands and let out a frustrated sigh."
show trish unimpressed
T "Fine, I guess we can try it with the guitar…"
jump postguitarscene
label GuitarQuestionStaySilent:
"Can’t guarantee their style won’t be better than dogshit if I lose this challenge."
"Certainly can’t get worse."
"This is between the members of the band."
T "In the end, majority still rules."
T "I’m sorry, Fang, but we can’t get into creative squabbles like this all the time."
T "And you already agreed to it, right?"
"How controlling."
show fang sad flip with dissolve
"Fang hangs her head in defeat."
F "I guess so…"
Re "Hey man, Fang… Don’t let it get to you so hard…"
show reed explanatory:
xalign 0.7 yalign 0.1
Re "We just gotta get it out of your system’s all, right...?"
Re "Like, y’know, get it all out now so you don’t have to later, yeah…?"
Re "Like Trish said…"
T "I never said that."
Re "Cuz’, that’s how these things work, right? You know until you don’t, and then all the rest is wack."
T "I… Guess?"
T "What?"
Re "It’s like the bigger picture, you got Fang playin’ bass with all us…"
Re "And they’re all ‘ohh yeah good thing I’m not thinking about playing other instruments, yeah yeah,’"
Re "And you’re all like ‘see, I told you so’..."
T "Yeah, so we should let them play now to get it all out for later!"
T "Wait…"
"If there were any cameras rolling, they’d be zooming in on Trish’s face."
F "Thanks, Reed."
show trish unimpressed
T "Yeah, thanks a lot."
jump postguitarscene
label postguitarscene:
F "Alright, this time we’re doing I Gave The Special Kids The Jonestown Special And Now I’m Going To Jail!"
"...I’m gonna need Raptor Jesus after this one..."
F "And a three, two, and…"
play music 'audio/OST/That Almost Sounded Good.ogg'
"Opposed to the nostalgic tune earlier, Fang rapidly strums on her borrowed guitar."
"It’s fast and rough but the tone carried doesn’t melt my eardrums."
"Watching and listening now I can see and hear the difference clear as day."
"They’re actually not bad."
"Not good, not by any metric worth it’s weight."
"But at least I don’t cringe so hard my spleen erupts from my side and creates a splash zone."
"I find myself bobbing to the song, in fact."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"And just as I consider the song ‘gittin’ gud’ it ends."
"I feel a little disappointed that the show ended so soon."
"Then I remember it’s not a show at all."
play music 'audio/OST/Bayside Bumming it.ogg'
"And that I definitely won."
"There’s sweat dripping from Fang’s brow, and her black clothes are clinging to her a bit more tightly."
"The grin on her face stands out the most though."
F "See! Totally better with a guitar Trish!"
A "Ha! I win!"
"Trish, Reed, and Fang turn to look at me."
F "Oh… OH! OH GOD DAMN IT!"
A "So you’re now a normal band?"
F "I mean…"
"Trish scowls."
T "A vote then. Who votes if we stick to drum and bass?"
"She’s the only one to raise her hand."
T "fff… And against?"
"Even I raise my hands along with Reed and Fang."
T "You stay out of this Skinnie!"
A "Skinnie?"
F "Yessss!"
Re "So like… do we gotta redo all the songs?"
F "It’s only one instrument line."
F "Shouldn’t take too long."
T "Ugh…"
T "There goes our main marketing strategy."
"Marketing strategy? I thought she was a triceratops, not a rhinorex."
"I’m abusing my good luck here so I probably should leave."
A "That was very fun you guys, I hope I can see you all play more...again...better now than it was before...uuuhhhh…."
A "We’re cool right? Bye!"
A "So uh… I guess I should go now?"
"As I move to the door Fang calls out."
F "Wait!"
F "We uh…"
play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating the Atmosphere.ogg'
"I look to see her fidgeting onstage."
F "We couuuld uh… OH! Feedback! We could use your feedback!"
T "We what?! Fang, from him!"
Re "Like... He’s alright but… like, for real?"
A "Wha-"
F "He’s been helpful! So why not? Reed, back me up here."
Re "mmmm… Kay… Anon should stay…"
show trish indignant
T "REALLY?! BUT-"
show trish unimpressed
show fang happy flip
F "Anon, you’ll stick around a while, right?"
A "If you guys’ll order some Dino-moe’s, sure."
"The three of them just stare blankly."
"Wait. Auditorium. Pizza."
"Fuck."
"Ohfuckohshitfortheloveofallthatisholywhynow."
A "I-I mean, uhh…"
A "Actually, I have to go. Like, right now. So... Bye."
F "Why? I can spring for pizza if you’re too broke."
A "Nah nah nah, no need."
A "Plus I just remembered, I have to do uh...important things."
F "More important than our music?"
A "Err, yeah. See I have to go return a blu- a book!"
"Fucking hell mouth, don’t go slipping weebtalk now!"
A "See it’s WAAAAY overdue and I can NOT afford the late fee."
Re "Wait a minute…"
"?"
"I almost didn’t recognize Reed’s voice, he said that way too sharply"
Re "...the late date is like...two weeks...Are you up to something, Anon?"
"He sounds completely lucid and didn’t slur any words…"
"Oh no."
"SHUT IT DOWN"
"SHUT IT DOWN"
"THE PINK CUBONE KNOWS"
A "It’s from the library near my place. Suuuper strict. Y’know how public libraries are like."
Re "riiiiiight."
T "WILL YOU JUST FUCKING LEAVE ALREADY?"
"I love you, Trish."
A "sure, bye."
"I scramble away to the exit. I turn to make my way out of there, on the stage I hear…"
T "THANK YOU."
"I uh….hear them chattering…"
F "Okay now how about ‘I’m Not Sure Why But The Burglar Joined My Threesome."
"Don’t think about a Threesome with Trish and Fang, Don’t think about a threesome with Trish and Fang, they’re meteor dodgers for crying out loud!"
"..."
"Ok, just for one second"
if persistent.lewd == True:
scene lesbo with fade
pause 20.00
scene black with fade
"Fuck."
"..."
#Music class
scene black with fade
play music 'audio/OST/Skinrow Soul.ogg'
show outside school fog
"-The Following Monday Morning-"
"I haven’t been able to focus much lately."
"My original plan is in absolute tatters."
"As opposed to staying silent and not facing any conflict, I’m now all buddy-buddy with the school reject club."
"And then there’s Naser and Naomi as well, and all their issues…"
"At any moment I feel I’m going to get found out."
"Trish would certainly beat me senseless."
"Fang might as well…"
"Definitely Naser."
"All this shit happening, I can’t even get into my favorite hobby."
"I don’t think I’ve made a single forum post in three days."
"I stare down at my phone screen and see a sea of threads to post in."
"And yet, I have nothing to say."
"Wait, it’s already seven?!"
"Fuck me, I dragged my feet too much!"
"I sprint the rest of the way to school."
scene classroom with fade
"Luckily, I’m able to slink into homeroom without the teacher molesting me for a tardy pass."
"Classes tick by in the daily slog, and like all things, lunch eventually comes to pass."
scene cafeteria with dissolve
show anon neutral flip at sright
"I grab a packaged lunch from the omnivore line and begin looking for a place to sit."
"By now it’s a foregone conclusion, I already know what happens next."
N "Anon!"
"Right on cue."
show naomi neutral at sleft with moveinleft
show naser neutral behind nanomi with moveinleft:
xalign 0.25 yalign -0.0
"Naomi rushes over, followed by Naser. I’d really rather not deal with her anymore today."
N "Come on, Anon, let's continue our conversation from earlier!"
"I need to think of something, and fast."
A "Err, sorry. I already promised Fang I’d be eating with her."
"Smooth."
N "Oh..."
"Oh!"
"I’m glad to hear you’re trying to be better friends with Fang!"
Nas "Well hey, this is a welcome surprise!"
A "Right. Actually, she doesn’t eat in the cafeteria, does she?"
Nas "Didn’t she tell you? She hangs out with her band in the auditorium."
A "She’s allowed to do that?"
N "I’ve asked Principal Spears before, he sees no issue with it."
A "Huh. Anyways, I uh… Don’t want to keep them waiting!"
Nas "See you."
N "Have fun!"
A "Right. Bye!"
hide naser with moveoutleft
hide naomi with moveoutleft
"I turn away from the two and leave them behind in the cafeteria."
scene bandroom
"Now that i’m in front of the auditorium when it isn’t crowded for once, I can get a decent look around the foyer."
"The walls are as vine-covered as anywhere else in the building, but the ones here have small magenta flowers blooming on them here and there."
"I suppose there’s different kinds of vines, wouldn’t make much sense otherwise. Never really thought about it until now."
"I peer into the small window in the door to see Fang’s gang lazing about within. Reed is messing with some box on a table, and Fang and Trish are sitting on the first row of seats chattering to each other."
"I put my hand on the doorhandle and hesitate a bit. Then I pull it open."
"The squeak of the door echoes through the near empty auditorium, and immediately all three turn their heads and stare."
"There’s an awkward pause that goes on for just a bit too long. Eventually Fang calls out from her seat."
show fang shocked at scenter with dissolve
play music 'audio/OST/Fuck You I Like This Chick.ogg'
F "What the hell are you doing here, dweeb?"
hide fang shocked
show fang neutral at scenter
show anon neutral flip at sright
A "Hiding from Naomi."
"Fang throws her head back and goes limp on the shitty wooden chair."
F "UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGHHHHHH, THAT BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH."
show fang considering
"..."
A "..."
F "..."
A "..."
"Fang lifts her head back up."
show fang unimpressed with dissolve
F "Ffffffffine, you can stay."
"I go sit a few yards away from Fang and Trish on the theater seat. Reed turns back to that device he was messing with before."
"Looks like a projector?"
A "You don’t like Naomi?"
show fang angry with dissolve
F "What was your first fuckin’ clue? That stupid bitch, acting all high and mighty all the time."
T "Hey, Fang."
F "Oh look at me I’m super smart and nice to everyone and everyone likes me so if you disagree with me I get the moral high ground no matter what!"
"Fang lets out some combination of a snort and a sigh."
F "No different than Naser. What a couple."
F "Ugh, whatever. What was she doing to bother you?"
A "She’s been pestering me about every little thing since school started. Granted, she’s been a big help in some cases, but jeez she’s overbearing sometimes."
show trish neutral at tleft with dissolve
T "Fang?"
F "I’ll say. Sometime in the first semester she ended up helping me with a major science project. We only had a day to do the whole thing."
A "You waited until the last day for a major grade?"
F "It… That doesn’t matter. Shut up."
F "Anyways, Naomi insisted on helping me, and I just went along with it. She ended up just bossing me around for eight hours."
show trish indignant
T "HEY GUYS DID YOU FORGET I’M HERE TOO?!"
show fang neutral flip with dissolve
F "Oh, right. What were you talking about Trish?"
show trish neutral
"Trish pulls a cardboard tube out of her backpack. She pops the top of the tube open and pulls a rolled up poster out and unfurls it."
T "This! Tada! Our first poster!"
A "VVURM DRAMA? That’s an… interesting name… and what’s with the date on it?"
F "Trish wants-"
T "We need to have an actual show! Not some dumb school show. We need actual people who matter to show our genius to!"
"Genius? More like retardation."
show fang sad with dissolve
F "I don’t know Trish."
A "Yeeeaaaaahhhh I’m with Fang on this one."
show fang neutral
show trish unimpressed
"The glare Trish levels at me was akin to a very dull knife."
T "You don’t even know how good we are!"
T "That was simply a practice session!"
T "Since you’re Naser’s friend too, just know HE ruined our first concert. Right Fang?"
F "Ugh, yeah. If he hadn’t invited all those cocksuckers…"
A "Still I think-"
show trish angry with dissolve
T "It doesn’t matter what YOU think!"
"Whoa, where did that come from."
show fang happy with dissolve
F "Let’s drop it for now. My tuna sandwich is getting cold."
show trish smug
"Trish grins in victory."
Re "Dude… ya got told…"
"What the fuck am I doing? I’m dead if I out myself here outnumbered"
"Trish tore at me like she knew I was there."
"Had to happen EVENTUALLY."
"I hope that’s not the case."
show trish neutral
"I finally get to opening my omnivore lunch. A BLT, some chicken nuggets, and an orange."
"I take my first bite of the sandwich and-"
stop music fadeout 1.0
"*DING-DONG BING-BONG*"
"Are you kidding me."
"I cram as much of the sandwich into my mouth as I can and close the box."
"Reed puts the projector in the corner of the room, and Trish makes for the exit with Fang. I follow after, cheeks still filled with food"
scene hallway with fade
show fang happy flip at scenter with dissolve
show anon neutral at aleft with dissolve
"Next class is… Music, that’s right. I’ll be walking with Fang then."
show hallway
play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating the Moment.ogg'
"The three all wave each other goodbye and Fang turns towards our shared class."
"May as well make some small talk."
A "So, uh… What’s your favorite band, Fang?"
F "My favorite band, huh…"
F "Guess it’d be something like The Skinks… Maybe the Fossillies?"
A "‘Oi, tha’ ‘ere’s sum pre’ey bri’ish tayste, yeah?"
F "Pffft."
"She turns away to hide her snickers."
F "Shut it."
F "I’m sure your favorite is much better."
A "I’m into…"
#>>Boomer rock
#>>Obscure hipster shit
#>>Anime openings and video game OSTs
menu:
"Boomer rock":
jump regardlessofselect
"Obscure hipster shit":
jump regardlessofselect
"Anime openings and video game OSTs":
jump regardlessofselect
label regardlessofselect:
"Fang holds a hand up to her beak."
F "AHAHAHAHAHAHHA. God you are such a dweeb"
"I flash her my biggest shit-eating grin."
A "Least I don’t need a ‘loisence’ to listen to it."
F "Oi luv, didn’ share me taystes to get rallied on, bit rewd, innit?"
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
"The two of us banter with each other with increasingly strong british accents all the way to class."
scene classroom with fade
"..."
play music 'audio/OST/Dragging on and on....ogg'
show bandroom
"ARGH!! This stupid-"
"Define a Treble clef? I don’t know what a Treble clef is! I don’t care about this shit, it won’t ever be useful."
"Fuck this, who can I cheat off of?"
"I lean back in my uncomfortable chair hoping to pop my spine back in place."
N "{i}Oh! What if you asked Fang for help?{/i}"
"I crane my head, looking for Fang. At her own desk she’s filling out her assignment page easily, drumming her fingers on her desk. Almost looks like she’s strumming honestly."
"Agh, and that’s another thing. Who the fuck made guitars?! Fuck trying to memorize frets or whatever the fuck."
"Oh shit, she’s looking at me now."
"She tilts her head and taps her sheet."
"OH!"
"I respond with an eyeroll and finger gun at my temple. My thumb hammer drops and I fake die in my seat."
"Fang shakes her head, returning to her assignment with a tiny smile gracing her beak."
"I look at the papers we need to finish. Fuck me, how the hell are we suppose to finish these by the end of class?!"
N "It can’t hurt to ask, though, right?"
"Maybe the neon Nero had a good point."
"Still, interrupting her now might piss her off."
"FFFFFfuck. I’ll flip a coin."
#>>> Heads, ask Fang for help
#>>> Tails, leave Fang alone
menu:
"Heads, ask Fang for help":
jump Heads
"Tails, leave Fang alone":
jump Tails
#>> Heads, ask Fang for help
label Heads:
$ fangscore += 1
play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating the Atmosphere.ogg'
"Guess that’s that."
"May as well get it over with."
"I slink out of my chair and go around to Fang’s desk."
show anon neutral at aleft with dissolve
A "Uh...."
show fang shocked flip at sright with dissolve
"She jumps in her chair"
F "How’d you get- don’t scare me like that!"
A "Sorry…"
hide fang shocked flip with dissolve
show fang neutral flip at sright
"I look at her work and see she’s only a quarter done. Fuck, I hope we have enough time."
A "sooo… You seem to be capable of deciphering dead languages."
F "Wha-"
A "canyouhelpmewiththis?!"
F "Help you with the assignment?"
A "....Yes. I don’t get any of this. It’s all moon runes to me."
F "How’d you even join this class?"
A "Only elective that had an open spot. Even though it’s mid semester and I’m expected to be at the level of everyone that’s been here all year."
"Fang leans her head down and holds her hand on top of her muzzle."
"I’m guessing that’s supposed to be like pinching the bridge of your nose."
F "Whatever, it’s fine if the teacher gives the greenlight."
show reed king rex with moveinleft:
xalign -0.35 yalign 0.0
Re "It’ll be fine."
"Fang and I jump several inches."
F "What are you doing here?!"
A "And what’s with the costume?"
"Reed is in an overly large inflatable T-rex costume."
Re "Gotta get a signature for this absent note, man…"
Re "Anyways... Mr. Jingo doesn’t care about if you use, like, partners and stuff… He just wants the work done…"
A "I… I see. I didn’t know you were also the school mascot, Reed."
Re "There’s, like, pockets in here man… You get to bring a lot of cool stuff… As long as you clean it after…"
"I’m not even going to bother at this point."
F "Thanks, Reed."
Re "s’all good, man…"
"Reed gets up and goes to the teachers’ desk in the corner of the room."
hide reed king rex with moveoutleft
"I turn back to Fang expectantly."
F "I’m not getting up. Get your crap and sit down already."
A "Thanks."
"..."
jump PostFlip
#>>Tails, leave Fang alone.
label Tails:
"Guess that settles it."
"Fang wouldn’t want to be bothered right now anyways."
"Looking back to my paper, I try once again to make sense of the questions and music notes."
"Write the following notes in both Treble and Bass clef."
"...What?"
show reed king rex flip at rcenter
Re "Yo, you should have like... asked Fang for help, man…"
"I have to grab the desk to keep myself from falling out of my chair."
A "Reed, what the fuck are you doing here?!"
Re "Just getting an absent note signed by teach, man…"
A "And what’s with the outfit?!"
"Reed is in an overly large inflatable T-rex costume."
Re "School mascots are pretty cool… You wouldn’t believe the things they let you do with these…"
"I’m not going to ask for clarification."
Re "But, uhh… You should get some help or something…"
Re "I’ll ask the teacher for you…"
A "No, Reed, you don’t have to-"
Re "YO, TEACH! THIS GUY NEEDS SOME EXTRA HELP!"
"All eyes turn to us. The desk makes a nice ‘conk’ sound when my head hits it."
show jingo at sleft
jingo "Does he really?"
jingo "Err… Someone… Fang! You help him with the packet."
"Fang glares daggers at the two of us."
A "Thanks, Reed."
Re "Hey, no problem man! I gotta go…"
hide reed
"Reed shuffles over to the teachers’ desk in the corner to get his signature."
"Fang calls out from her chair."
F "I’m not getting up. If you need help grab your stuff and get over here."
"The damage is done. May as well at this point."
"..."
scene classroom with fade
show fang angry flip at sright
show anon neutral at aleft
jump PostFlip
label PostFlip:
F "Jesus... you suck at this"
A "No shit, I don’t know what half this shit is!"
F "God, they tell you about treble notes in Elementary, it’s E, G, B, D, F for treble and G, B, D, F, A for bass!"
A "How the hell do you know any of this"
"Anon then realized, he is horrendously fucking stupid."
F "I’ve been into playing music since pre-k"
"... Roll with it"
A "So does it take that long to learn that horrid thing?"
"I point at the class’ electric guitar"
show fang neutral flip with dissolve
F "Nah, I started with piano. I didn’t get my first guitar ‘til freshman year."
A "The piano? Isn’t that the hardest one?"
"I have no clue what i'm talking about"
F "Maybe for some, but I started early and got ahead. My grandma had an old piano she would let me mess around with."
F "She would try to get me to play all kinds of songs, mostly church stuff because she wanted me to be a little goodie two shoes like she was. It... was fun."
F "Then I started taking piano lessons privately because my mom saw that I was interested in it, and in middle school I joined the band for awhile!"
show fang happy flip
F "Only quit because of marching season, I was not wearing a dumb uniform."
show fang unimpressed flip
"Fang gets a strange expression, a mix between a blush and a scowl as she returns back to her snappy attitude."
F "You done with that yet? It's taking you way too long, rather have you out of my way."
"Cute."
"I show her the half-finished worksheet."
A "I still don’t get this fucking part."
F "It’s literally three classifications, it’s really easy"
A "It doesn’t list them!"
F "Did you even read the page?"
"Fang then grabs the paper and points at the top right. In a small box is a list of three types, woodwind, brass, and percussion."
A "Oh..."
F "You need me to still help you with this or do you have it from here?"
"Of course I have it, I know this shit, it's just 3 catagories"
"Percussion is simple enough. Getting the differences between woodwind and brass is a bit harder."
A "Right. You know your stuff. Band stuff."
play music 'audio/OST/Summertime Synth.ogg'
"I heard a sigh from Fang"
F "I can’t believe this."
A "What is it?"
F "Why did you leave your old school?"
A "Wh-"
A "Where did that come from?"
F "Just wondering, though I think I know the answer."
A "Why do you care?"
F "You’re here for just two weeks and already you’ve wedged yourself in with my friends."
A "I didn’t really have a choice there, Fang."
A "I just...wanted to cruise through this year. I’m not good with friends."
F "Sorry, just had a feeling. I myself haven’t gotten many new friends in a few years..."
F "It’s like I make people avoid me... I don’t like new people…"
A "That's weird."
F "Fuck em', you know?"
A "Sure."
F "You act like you have a hard time socializing, I’m not seeing it."
F "Makes me think you didn’t leave your school out of necessity, but because you really must have fucked up royally."
F "I know your kind."
"I-I, what did Fang mean by that? It all just came out of nowhere - I mean jeez-"
"We’re talking about how she can’t get friends and now she wants to know about THAT…"
"Oh God. I’m getting hot."
"It’s Trish. She told Fang and she knows everything."
"Play dumb? Hopefully that will work."
A "I have no clue what you’re talking about."
F "Honestly? Me neither."
show fang neutral flip with dissolve
F "You’re just some loser that knows NOTHING about music."
F "And yet you come in from your cave where even their parents must’ve wanted you gone."
F "But still you’re now BOTH my science and music partner, on top of worming your way in with MY band and with MY friends-"
F "Anon, what is there TO understand?"
show fang happy flip with dissolve
"She’s laughing."
A "..."
F "Hey, you ok?"
A "..."
F "That’s funny, come on."
A "..."
A "Haha."
show fang neutral flip with dissolve
F "I'll almost miss you when you leave and start finding your own friends."
A "Whatever you say, Fang."
"With a roll of her eyes she returns to scrolling through her phone again. I seriously wonder now what she meant."
F "I gotta go."
A "Y-you’re leaving so soon?"
F "I’m going to the bathroom, stupid."
hide fang neutral flip
show fang neutral at sright
hide fang neutral with moveoutleft
"..."
play music 'audio/OST/you can_t sage here.ogg'
"She knows."
"But how?!"
"She left her phone on the desk."
"I can see the imprint of the password being illuminated by the room’s lamps"
"It… It wouldn’t be right."
"...I have to know."
"I reach over to pick up the phone."
"Some movement in the corner of my eye solidifies me."
"Why’s Reed still here?!"
Re "..."
A "..."
Re "... {i}*snrrrk*{/i}"
"Oh thank Raptor Jesus. He’s asleep."
"Fang’s password is…"
"Wait, only the ‘one’ key is smudged?"
"I guess it’s worked until now…"
"Ah, the messenger app."
#TODO: IMPLEMENT MESSAGING GUI
#do we even have time for this?
#maybe this will be a post release update
#lmao as if
#--refer to Writer1 for the entirety of the texting part as he wants it to be more interactive.
"... There’s surprisingly not a lot."
"Seems they interact mostly in person."
"...What did I even just accomplish?"
"I shouldn’t have looked."
"All because of my paranoia… I just violated someone’s privacy."
"I can feel a pit open in my stomach."
"I shouldn't have done it."
"Trish is Fang’s friend. Not me."
"God damn it, Anon. The fuck is wrong with you."
"I set the phone back where it was."
"A glance back at Reed and I confirm that he’s still unconscious."
play music 'audio/OST/Bayside Bumming it.ogg'
"What’s another secret to keep?"
"Each one just building on the last, the growing maw in my gut threatens to make me violently ill."
show fang unimpressed flip at sright with moveinright
F "Oi!"
"I’m startled as Fang retakes her seat."
F "Did you manage to do {i}anything{/i} on the sheet?"
"I simply shake my head as I show her the incomplete worksheet."
show fang angry flip with dissolve
"Fang sighs frustratedly."
A "Look if I’m being a bother-"
F "It’s simple you dweeb."
show fang neutral flip with dissolve
"Fang began breaking down the questions, her tone less condescending than when we initially started."
"The way she explained it was infinitely better than how Mr. Jingo did at the start of class."
"Over time the sheet was slowly filled in, things finally starting to click now."
F "Looks like you got the hang of this bit. Good job, dork."
"Fang smirks a bit."
"I see a chance to strike."
A "Helps to have an actual decent teacher."
show fang surprised flip with dissolve
"The slight red tint tells me I was right on the mark."
"There’s also the steady *thump thump thump* of her tail on the back of her seat to clue me in. I can’t help thinking of tugging on the appendage."
"Wait, the thumping."
"*Thump thump… thump thump thump… thump thump… thump thump thump*"
A "Hey uh… Is… Is your tail drumming right now?"
F "Hm? Oh, that. Kinda."
show fang neutral flip with dissolve
A "Kinda?"
F "I’m feeling out a rhythm. Thinking of a new song."
A "Is that normally part of the creative process?"
F "Maybe, maybe not. Are you done with the packet yet?"
"I groan."
A "Still got half a page left."
F "That’s just a crossword puzzle. I’m not helping if you can’t do even that."
A "I know, I know."
"I have to resort to good ol’ logic to solve the crossword. The longest and shortest words are easy enough to figure out."
A "But, uhh…"
F "Hm?"
A "Thanks for helping me. With the assignment I mean."
show fang considering flip with dissolve
F "Uhh… Yeah. Sure."
"There’s that red tint again."
F "I’ll help again… I mean, if you need it."
A "Really? Thanks."
F "Yeah, just-"
show fang neutral flip
"*DING-DONG BING-BONG*"
"That’s the bell telling us to piss off to the last period. Crap, I still got a few words left."
scene black with fade
"I guess the last few words and rush over to the teachers’ desk to turn it in. When I turn back I catch sight of Fang leaving the room in a hurry, tail between her legs."
Nas "{i}She’s not that bad once you get to know her.{/i}"
"Guess he was right after all."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
"God, I feel like a jerk now."
"..."
#Gardening Club
scene skinrow
show anon neutral at aleft
play music 'audio/OST/The Top of the Social Ladder.ogg'
"It’s been a couple of days since I snooped on Fang’s phone."
"The guilt still weighs on me, but I’ve found a way to cope with it."
"Even more aggressive shitposting on a Hungarian steak sampling vlogsite."
"And I would be enjoying my day by myself in my apartment playing games and shitposting."
"It’s Saturday after all."
"Except I’m walking to school."
"Fuck my life."
"As it turns out the school keeps a log of what the wifi bandwidth goes to."
"And the IT guy probably wasn’t too thrilled to see I’d been using it to download the entire Saturnia collection."
"Spears sentenced me to one week ‘Campus Beautification’ for using taxpayer money on a few dozen gigs of videos."
"Well, now I know to space the torrenting out a bit more."
"As I get closer to the dreaded building, the more the thought of ditching crosses my mind."
"But then the thought of Principal Spears pops up and violently pile drives it into a prius. Weird thought but enough to discourage me from ditching."
"So here I am now walking to the side and where the gardens of the school are."
scene flower garden
show anon neutral at acenter
with fade
"I can see others are here as well, probably all for detention too."
"Wait a sec. Isn’t that Fang? Why is she talking to that green weirdo from before?"
"Wait another sec. Are they getting closer?"
"No, I am."
"Why did I walk up to them?!"
show fang neutral at sleft
show stella neutral at stleft
"Seeing Fang only makes the guilt more intense."
"I cast my gaze aside instead."
"The flower bulbs are still closed for the winter, but a few are peeking out."
show rosa neutral flip at sright with fade
play music 'audio/OST/Ramo de Rosas.ogg' fadein 1.0
Ro "I see you are admiring our work! The gardening club takes much pride in our flowers!"
"BWAHSHIT!"
"For such a… large girl she’s surprisingly stealthy."
St "Good morning, Rosa! Ready for today?"
Ro "Si! It is a beautiful day for gardening, isn’t it?"
A "Err… you WANT to be here?"
show fang considering
F "Rosa’s the head of the gardening club."
"Judging by Fang’s tone, she’s been through this kind of detention multiple times already."
show fang neutral
Ro "Oh! Does he wish to join our club? Is that why he is here? Stella! Stella, we have a new member!"
St "Oh, wonderful!"
"My eyes are drawn to the green stego, who I immediately recognize from that encounter with the cards."
A "Hey, you’re that weird stego from the other day."
show stella sad
"Her smile falters ever so slightly. Did I get the wrong person?"
St "My name is Stella… And I’m not weird…"
A "Right. So what was with the Pocket Raptor cards?"
St "I was just saying what my tarot guidebook told me…"
show stella explanatory
St "The, uh… work of an astrologer is to show people what fate has in store for them."
St "And that’s what I do!"
A "Astrologer? Really?"
St "But there will always be those who aren’t able to accept what their fortune tells."
A "A, that’s retarded. two, astrology is retarded. And thirdly, that sounds like something from a bad video game."
show stella sad
St "N-no! I uh… awwwww…"
"The sulky stego is pulled into a hug by the happy hispanic girl."
Ro "There there, Stella. You’re still my friend no matter how much of the black arts you believe."
show fang happy
F "Pfft, you’re one to talk about ‘believing black arts’, Rosa."
F "You and your magic dino in the sky."
Ro "Pagana… you’re lucky I don’t-"
show fang neutral
play music 'audio/OST/we just turned on the microphone in our programmers_ house.ogg' fadein 1.0
Sp "GET ALL YOUR ASSES OUT FRONT RIGHT NOW!"
"The caveman’s bellow reverberates throughout the entire school, even though I’m pretty sure he wasn’t using the PA system."
hide rosa
show rosa neutral at sright
hide rosa neutral with moveoutright
"Not wanting to piss him off even more, I follow the others to where Principal Spears has a few other students gathered in front of him."
hide stella with moveoutright
"The only one I recognize is the guy Trish had in a headlock that one day."
F "Didn’t expect you of all people to get detention."
"It takes me a moment to realize Fang is talking to me."
A "I, er... used too much of the school bandwidth."
show fang happy
F "What, Spears catch you downloading porn in the library or something?"
A "No! Just torrenting, like, TV shows that I can’t get on cable."
"She raises an eyebrow like she doesn’t believe me but doesn’t follow it up."
"She must never find out about Saturnia."
scene black with fade
scene garden with fade
show spears neutral flip:
xalign 1.2 yalign 0.0
show anon neutral:
xalign -0.4 yalign 0.1
show fang neutral:
xalign -0.1 yalign 0.1
show rosa neutral:
xalign 0.5 yalign 0.1
Sp "I’m glad you could make it, Anon. I think that’s just about everyone."
"Not that he gave me much of a choice."
Sp "Alright, I’m sure you’re all familiar with Rosa, she’ll be supervising you for campus beautification today."
Sp "If I hear a bad word from her about any of you…"
"I think I can fill in the rest."
"Spears nods to Rosa, who reminds me of Naomi with how overly happy she looks."
hide spears with moveoutleft
show rosa with move:
xalign 0.9 yalign 0.0
show rosa flip with dissolve
Ro "Thank you all so much for coming out to help with campus beautification today!"
Ro "If we all work hard and have a good time we can get done before you know it!"
"How can anyone be so enthusiastic about coming to school on the weekend?"
Ro "So by the end of the day we need to get weeding done in the gardens, as well as replanting older flowers, and some of the vines are ready to be trimmed back!"
show fang unimpressed
F "{i}*groan*{/i}"
St "Make sure you all get a pair of gloves, and to return them before you leave!"
"Fang raises her hand."
Ro "Fingerless don’t count."
"Fang lowers her hand."
St "You should all pair off now to split the work evenly, decide amongst yourselves."
"Even in detention, the partner curse haunts me."
show rosa neutral with dissolve
hide rosa neutral with moveoutright
"Everyone else almost immediately groups off."
play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating the Moment.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Leaving just me and take a wild guess who else."
show fang neutral flip with dissolve
F "I don’t like how often this is happening."
A "Can’t say I’m a big fan either."
F "Whatever, let’s just take vine trimming and get this over with."
"Fang starts heading to one of the ladders already set up near the wall."
A "Wait, don’t you need gloves?"
show fang happy flip
F "What? I’m not a wuss."
F "You get some if you’re so concerned about getting a few cuts."
"I just don’t get this chick sometimes."
"I get a pair of gloves and some loppers and rejoin Fang at the ladder."
F "Alright cool, gimme the snippy thing."
A "I don’t like the idea of you with a weapon very much."
"She flashes an evil grin."
F "Hold the ladder steady while I do this."
F "I’ve been here a few times, this is the easiest job of the three."
A "If you say so…"
"Fang is quick to scale the ladder, leaving me to hold it in place."
"I wish I could shitpost on my phone right now to distract myself but my hands are occupied."
"Fang’s disregard of me is made extremely clear as she carelessly lets the remnants of dead vines rain down on my head."
"Kind of glad I don’t have hair because I can’t imagine how bad it would be to have these sticky plant bits tangled in it."
show fang angry with dissolve
F "Oi! Shift the ladder over!"
A "But you’re still on it."
F "Don’t feel like getting down. Come on, you can’t be that weak."
"Whatever. I shimmy the ladder to the side, Fang’s weight making the process more difficult."
"Damn my scrawny arms."
show fang happy with dissolve
F "Alright this is good."
"She goes back to clipping vines and dropping them on my head."
"It’s started building up on my shoulders and neck now."
play music 'audio/OST/Fuck You I Like To Shitpost.ogg' fadein 1.0
"And now the spots the vines have touched start to itch."
A "Hey."
"She remains focused on the vines, dropping the largest clump directly on my face."
A "HEY!"
"Nevermind. The follow up clump was even bigger and lands right in my mouth."
"After I finish spitting the wad of dead vegetation from my mouth I try one last time to get her attention."
label movie:
A "FANG!"
stop music fadeout 1.0
image fang tail = Movie(play="animations/fangtail.webm",loop=True)
scene fang tail with fade
"Through my blurred vision I can make out Fang’s tail, slowly shifting side to side."
"And an evil idea comes to mind to get her attention."
"There’s a less evil one, too, something that’d just shock her."
menu:
"Tug Her Tail":
"I reach out to her when she drops another clump into my eyes, blinding me."
"Tug Her Ankle":
"I reach out to her when she drops another clump into my eyes, blinding me."
"I blindly grasp at her until my fingers brush against something covered in scales."
"I give the appendage a sharp tug."
scene black with fade
"There’s a shrill cry above me. That got her attention."
A "Stop dropping shi-"
"Suddenly stars explode in my sight impaired eyes and I fall backwards."
"There’s a ringing in my ears and I try to blink the vines and stars away."
scene garden
show fang very angry at sleft
show anon sad flip at sright
with fade
play music "audio/OST/Many Such Cases of Being So True.ogg"
F "NEVER. DO THAT. AGAIN."
"Do what? The fuck did I do?"
F "Fucking pervert."
show anon angry flip at sright
A "What the fuck did I DO?!"
"When I can finally see again Fang has her wings drawn together behind her and her hands clasped on something also behind her."
scene black
"I think I fell in the flowerbed behind us. It’s actually sort of soft."
F "You pulled my TAIL!"
scene garden with fade
show fang very angry at sleft
show anon sad flip at sright
A "I thought that was your ankle!"
F "Why the fuck would you think my TAIL was my ANKLE?!"
A "Because I couldn’t see because YOU kept dropping fucking vines in my eyes!"
F "So you pull my fucking tail you perverted fuck!"
A "You weren’t listening to me when I was trying to tell you to stop!"
show anon unimpressed flip at sright
"We’re both out of breath and staring daggers at each other."
"My eyes are still bleary and starting to itch now because of the plants."
"Fang is still protectively holding her tail as if I’ll pull it again."
show fang unimpressed with dissolve
F "Wha-why is your face all red?"
A "I was {i}trying{/i} to tell you!"
A "These vines fuckin’ hurt!"
F "That makes no sense at all."
F "Oh wait. Yeah. Humans."
"She tosses another discarded vine on my face."
A "Cut that out!"
F "Hah!"
show fang happy
A "I could report you for allergy abuse."
F "That’s the weakest threat I’ve ever heard."
F "Actually, in general you seem a bit milquetoast around people."
F "What gives?"
show anon neutral with dissolve
"I start prying off some of the vines stuck to my clothes."
A "It’s like, why waste time on certain people, you know?"
show anon neutral flip with dissolve
A "It wouldn’t be worth my time to do something crazy."
"Fang leans forward on the ladder, pretending to be hurt."
F "Aww, I’m not worth your time?"
A "Some people certainly aren’t."
A "Just never meant to amount to anything or do anything important."
"She drops the smug expression for a second."
F "Anyways, you should get up."
F "Rosa will kill you if she sees you crumpled in her stupid flowers."
play music 'audio/OST/Fuck You I Like To Ignore Problems.ogg' fadein 1.0
"A yell echoes from somewhere across the schoolgrounds."
Ro "He {i}WHAT{/i}."
F "Shit, hurry up!"
A "Hang on…!"
"I try leaning up. The bush has intertwined with my clothes."
A "I’m stuck!"
F "You actual…!"
"Rosa scrambles over and starts pulling at her hair when she sees me stuck in the bush."
show fang surprised with move:
xalign -0.5 yalign 0.0
show rosa angry at scenter with moveinleft
show anon fear flip with move:
xalign 1.5 yalign 0.0
Ro "Wh-yo-why- ARGH!"
Ro "¡ESTÚPIDA, MADERA Y PIES DE CERDO EXCUSA PARA UN HOMBRE!"
Ro "Wait… Your position…"
"She points a burning finger up at Fang."
show rosa angry flip with dissolve
Ro "Did {i}you{/i} push him!"
show fang surprised with move:
xalign -0.8 yalign 0.0
"Fang’s skin goes a shade paler."
show anon neutral flip
A "Uh... no, I fell on my own."
A "Sorry…"
show rosa angry at scenter with dissolve
Ro "SORRY? What kind of idiota torpe manages to fall that hard into my Middlemist Red Camelias that hard on his own?!?"
"I shrug apologetically."
Ro "I just… URGH! Do you have {i}any{/i} idea how long it takes for those to bloom!"
Ro "Name! What is your name!"
A "Er, Anon…"
Ro "An-on! Why are you still in there? Get up niño, get up!"
"She grabs one of my hands and wHOA-"
A "You trying to rip my arm off?"
"She grabs a bicep proudly."
Ro "I say all the time. Outside work is good for your health!"
F "Think I’ll stick to stealing the occasional protein bar from Nasers’ stock."
Ro "Wait, An-on, why is your face so red?"
A "The uh, vines. Guess I have an allergy."
show rosa bossy at scenter with dissolve
Ro "Oh, no, no no! You must stop working vines then!"
"She points back up to Fang."
show rosa bossy flip at scenter with dissolve
Ro "You! Get down from there, you are both switching to weeds!"
F "{i}Uuuuughhhhh…{/i}"
F "...Allright, whatever."
Ro "Go, go now! And no more tripping!"
scene black with fade
"We go exchange our equipment for weeding trowels."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"Once we get directed to a place in the dirt to start, Fang and I diligently continue in silence for a bit."
scene garden with fade
show anon neutral flip at sright
show fang neutral at sleft
F "... Why did you lie earlier?"
A "Hm?"
F "About how I kicked you."
A "Uhh…"
A "Spur of the moment, I guess?"
A "Seemed like the easiest way out of getting in more trouble?"
F "... Sure."
A "What do you mean sure?"
F "Sure it was the easiest way to get out of trouble?"
A "Uh… "
F "Why did you {i}really{/i} do it?"
A "What do you mean?"
F "You know, your reasons, real reasons? Your recta ratio."
A "Recta ratio? Fancy words outta you."
A "But I don’t understand..."
F "You fucking moron what was your motives? Why would you care?"
A "Uhh… "
"I had to think about that for a moment. Why {i}did{/i} I do that..."
F "... You said something before."
F "About how some people won’t ever amount to anything."
A "Oh, uh, yeah. That was, uh…"
F "What did you mean by that?"
"Why the fuck is she so curious?"
A "I dunno, you’d probably think I’m some creep for saying this…"
F "I already think you’re a creep."
A "Fair but fuck you regardless."
show fang flip off hostile with dissolve
"Her retort is a prominent flipping of the bird."
show fang neutral with dissolve
A "I dunno, It’s like, the world is too full."
A "And there’s only gonna be more people as time goes on."
A "Eventually we’ll run out of food and resources, but culture will be too far gone to really fix anything."
"Fang stops digging for a moment and gives an attentive stare out of the corner of her eye."
A "Midwits and morons have kids like crazy. The number of smart people in the world remains stagnant."
A "Or even goes down over time."
A "Nobody is immune to propaganda, and useful people can be indoctrinated right into the crowds."
A "Y’know?"
F "..."
A "Told you it’d sound weird."
F "No, actually, that’s… Wow."
show fang happy with dissolve
F "That’s actually exactly how I feel about things!"
"She what?"
"Fang is acting strangely enthusiastic all of a sudden."
F "Right like, in all of history, if you {i}really{/i} look at it, the smart people have never even once had to answer to the excess."
F "Back in the day, innovation was propelled by smart people working with other smart people."
F "Trying all sorts of new things the masses would have hated."
F "Like rock music, right?"
F "People hated that at first."
F "When {i}my{/i} band takes off, I’ll get to rub it in everyone’s faces."
F "All those cock goblins. It’s like everywhere you go, there’s a hundred dumb people for one person worth anything."
A "What’d you call it before? Excess?"
F "Yeah, like Naomi."
A "Right."
F "Most people in the school, even."
A "I can see it."
F "... Maybe Reed? Not sure."
"...?"
F "Rosa and Stella, definitely."
"What the-"
F "Naser, too, unfortunately. Oh, well."
F "All of them, sheep."
"Too casually brush everyone aside like that…"
"What does she think of me, then?"
A "If you think so little of Rosa and Stella and everyone, why hang out with them?"
show fang neutral with dissolve
F "... I don’t like being alone. You don’t need to know any more."
F "As long as they aren’t the sort of people that showed up that day at our concert…"
F "Those lazy, talentless, inconsiderate, self-righteous, condescending excuses for peers."
F "Thinking they can just make fun of our music."
A "Haha, yeah, those guys sucked. Their insults weren’t even that creative."
"Fang’s arm jerks back violently, pulling a bundle of weeds and topsoil out and onto my jacket."
A "Hey-"
play music 'audio/OST/you can_t sage here.ogg' fadein 1.0
F "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Her eyes scrutinize me thoroughly."
"But why-"
"Oh."
"Oh shit."
"My foot tastes a bit salad-like today. Damn gardening."
A "Er, just… gossip I heard from classmates afterwards?"
"We both know that’s a lie."
"I feel anxious as Fang continues watching me."
"I watch it happen, as if in slow motion, as comprehension dawns on Fang."
"Her voice is low."
"Accusatory."
show fang very angry
F "...you were at the show?"
"My heart stops."
"There it is."
"I couldn’t have hoped to hide it forever."
"Fang stands over me, her wings spread wide and her shoulders shaking."
"I… how do I explain this?"
"We’re close enough friends now, right?"
"I could probably even joke about it a bit."
menu:
"Explain it to her honestly, she should understand by now":
jump beHonest
"Joking is a good way to move past mistakes.":
jump jokeAround
label beHonest:
$ anonscore += 1
play music 'audio/OST/Summertime Synth.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I guess honesty is the best policy."
A "Well, Naser did invite me to your concert... and I did end up going."
show fang angry
"Fang’s expression hardens and she crosses her arms."
A "He told me there’d be free food so I figured why not? It’s not like I knew it was going to end up the way it did."
F "So why did you tell us you didn’t go?"
A "Because I kept seeing your psycho friend hunting down everyone else who went, why would I make myself a target?"
F "Trish was only looking for the dicks who…"
F "Did you laugh at us too?"
"She jabs an accusatory finger at me."
A "Fang, I-"
F "Did. You. Laugh?"
"I open my mouth to answer but the words aren’t coming to me."
"Fang seems to pick up on my inability to answer."
show fang very angry
F "I fucking knew it."
A "Look Fang, I’m sorry, right? I didn’t know-"
F "I can’t believe you right now!"
"Fang begins to storm off and I try to chase after her."
A "Fang, wait!"
"But my self-defeating clumsiness seems to have a different plan and my foot catches on the pile of discarded gardening tools."
"The world spins and I land on my ass where we were weeding."
scene black
"At least something broke my fall…"
"Wait. Isn’t this the flowerbed?"
"Suddenly an orange terror descends upon me like I set off some sort of alarm."
Ro "FOLLANDO DEMONIO CALVO, QUITATE ESAS FLORES!!"
scene garden with fade
show rosa angry at sleft
A "Err… Sorry?"
Ro "Dios mio, do you have any idea how long it takes those to bloom!"
Ro "And for you to just tumble onto them AGAIN!"
jump postAnonLaughReveal
label jokeAround:
play music 'audio/OST/Summertime Synth.ogg' fadein 1.0
"We’re good enough friends now, right? This’ll be fiiiine."
A "I know that you guys sounded so bad you never made it past your intro."
"Her eyes narrow. Eh, maybe if I…"
A "I was expecting dinner and a show, not a comedy skit."
show fang ultra angry
"I know I’m not the best comedian but still nothing?"
"No, wait, I think I hear some cracking."
"Oh, that’d be her knuckles popping."
"Fang’s face twists into a sneer and her hand slowly comes up into a fist."
"I may have overestimated my comedic talents. Or our friendship."
scene black
"My head snaps to the side, a burning sting radiating from my cheek."
"My foot catches on the pile of discarded gardening tools."
"The world spins and I land on my ass where we were weeding."
"At least something broke my fall…"
"Wait. Isn’t this the flowerbed?"
F "You fucking asshole…"
"Fang storms off, shouldering past Rosa, who is stunned silent."
"Rosa isn’t stunned for long though, and suddenly an orange terror descends upon me like I set off some sort of alarm."
Ro "FOLLANDO DEMONIO CALVO, QUITATE ESAS FLORES!!"
scene garden with fade
show rosa angry at sleft
A "Err… Sorry?"
Ro "Dios mio, do you have any idea how long it takes those to bloom!"
jump postAnonLaughReveal
label postAnonLaughReveal:
show anon neutral flip at sright
"I jump to my feet and quickly inspect the damage. The entire section of flowerbed where I had landed was imprinted with my outline like a snow-angel."
"Just my luck."
A "Rosa, I didn’t mean-"
Ro "It doesn’t matter what you meant!"
Ro "Once is forgivable, but twice! TWICE!"
Ro "¡¡POR RAPTOR JESÚS QUEDARTE QUEDADO, TE GOLPEARÉ CON MI CHANCLA !!"
St "Whoa, whoa, whoa!!"
show stella unimpressed at stleft with moveinleft
"I am saved by a green stegosaur grabbing the mighty arm of judgement out of the air mid-swing."
St "Rosa, remember what we talked about!"
"Steam erupts from Rosa’s nostrils like a bull."
show rosa considering with dissolve
Ro "..."
St "Don’t use physical force to make people hurt, alright?"
A "Th-thank you St-"
St "That’s what manual labor is for, right?"
A "..."
Ro "...Yes… Yes, of course."
show rosa bossy with dissolve
Ro "You! An-on, you will help extra two hours after everyone else! Two!!"
A "For flowers?!"
Ro "For flowers!"
A "... Are you sure you wouldn’t rather just beat me?"
Ro "I can do both!"
St "Where did Fang go?"
show stella
A "I uh… Did something I shouldn’t have."
A "She ran off…"
Ro "You ruin the flowers of friendship like you do of my labor!!"
St "You should go find Fang and apologize. And bring her back."
St "If you don’t share someone’s pain, you can never understand them."
"Did this bitch just quote Naruto of all things?"
"If I weren’t being directed to leave I would have bailed anyways."
A "I saw her going towards the parking lot, I’ll be right back."
Ro "You better!"
hide anon neutral with moveoutleft
scene outside school with fade
show anon neutral at acenter with moveinleft
"There aren’t many cars in the parking lot, so finding Fang shouldn’t be too hard to find."
play music 'audio/OST/Beach Chill Out.ogg' fadein 1.0
"That pair of wings rustling in-between two parked cars is probably a hint, not sure."
"I silently approach, hiding behind the other cars in the lot."
"She’s huddled around the passenger door of a garishly yellow minivan."
"Wait, is she…?"
"Shit, I gotta stop her."
A "Fang, what are you doing?!"
show fang very angry flip with dissolve:
xalign 1.4 yalign 0.0
F "Fuck off, fuck-knuckle."
A "..."
A "Fang, don’t break into a teachers’ car, we’ll get-"
F "Shut the fuck up cunt smuggler I’m focusing on this."
A "..."
"I’m over it."
A "Why are you doing this?"
show fang angry flip
F "... It’ll be fun."
F "Hehehehe…"
F "Why, you want to join in on a joyride?"
"She looks at me like it’s a genuine question."
A "No, I don’t."
show fang kicking with dissolve:
xalign 1.6 yalign 0.0
show anon fear at sleft with move
A "Fang, what are you doing?!"
A "Stop kicking the car!!"
A "Damn it Fang!"
A "I don’t know what more to say,"
A "except I’m sorry."
A "I messed up and that was a dick move,"
A "But if you keep this up we’ll both be going-"
F "What do you care?!"
F "We’re already in detention, what’s a FEW MORE DAYS?!"
show anon angry with dissolve
A "... TO JAIL, FANG."
F "GO."
F "AWAY."
A "YOU WANT TO GET OUR PARENTS INVOLVED?!"
"Fang stops kicking the glass, drained of energy and out of breath."
show fang sad at sright
show anon neutral
with dissolve
"Thankfully, the glass isn’t even scratched."
A "... You’re right for being angry at me, you’re talented and skilled, and I got nothing to show for myself, and what I did was wrong.."
A "But you’re better than this, come on."
F "..."
"Fang won’t look my direction."
"At least she hasn’t started kicking the car again."
"... Might be a good idea to give her some space."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"All of a sudden I feel like I shouldn’t be here."
play music 'audio/OST/you need gopher chucks.ogg' fadein 1.0
unknown "HEY!!"
unknown "WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING TO MY CAR?!"
"We freeze."
menu:
"Get out of there.":
scene black with fade
"GET OUT OF THERE.":
scene black with fade
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF DODGE.":
scene black with fade
"Fang immediately bolts towards the front of the school."
"I follow after, legs pumping furiously in an attempt to both catch up to Fang and avoid the teacher screeching at us from behind."
"I see Fang veer into the school, the door closing slowly after."
"By the jacket on my back I’m able to slip in just before the door shuts completely."
"Fang is panting in the stairwell near the door. And I’m sure I’m redder than I was earlier with the vines."
scene garden with fade
show fang angry at sleft
show anon neutral at aright
F "Why… hah hah… did you… follow me?"
"Why?"
A "Be haaaaah… because… I’m sorry…"
"Her snear returns and she makes to turn away."
A "I fucked up. Yes, I was at that concert. And yes, I laughed. I never expected to actually become your friend."
"Her wings block my view of her."
"But she hasn’t left yet. Maybe I can fix this after all."
A "I just wanted to coast through school. I was happy being a loner."
A "I’ve always been one, after all."
show anon neutral at acenter with move
hide fang neutral with dissolve
"Without a word Fang climbs the stairs."
play music 'audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Fuck."
"I consider following but her silence was evidence enough she wants nothing to do with me."
"And standing here by myself I have time to think of my own admission."
"If Fang leaves me alone, I’ll get exactly what I want. Right?"
"She could probably talk Trish and Reed into leaving me alone too."
"I’ll get the easy life I wanted."
"So why the fuck do I feel absolutely empty right now?"
"I sigh and slump over on the stairs."
A "Can today get any worse?"
show stella neutral at stleft
St "Karma would suggest yes."
"Oh."
"You know, I always thought that tempting fate thing was just a dumb cliche."
"It still is. But maybe Stella has a good point about astrology."
show stella explanatory
St "Rosa! I found our errant runaway!"
"I hear the shrill screech of a latina banshee approach."
show rosa angry at sright with dissolve
Ro "Where did you go?!"
Ro "You were supposed to get Fang and return! RETURN!!"
A "Oh… Right. Yeah, uh… Sorry."
Ro "You will be sorry!"
St "There’s two hours left for the rest of the students, but that makes four for you."
show rosa neutral
Ro "Do not worry An-on! We stay as well!"
A "... Greaaat."
scene black with fade
"The next few hours were grueling hell."
"Carrying bags of the most rancid smelling fertilizer back and forth…"
"Clearing entire sections of flowerbed of weeds using only a trowel…"
"Tilling the same flowerbeds by hand..."
"I don’t think the phrase ‘backbreaking labor’ was supposed to be literal."
scene garden with fade
show rosa neutral at sleft
show anon neutral flip at acenter
Ro "As is expected of hombres!"
"I could already tell that by the end of the day I would have crippling arthritis."
"Fang returns eventually, but still won’t talk to me and just sticks nearby cutting vines."
"Only an hour has passed, but I’m about ready to sleep for days."
Ro "An-on! We will now be replanting the flowers you destroyed!"
"‘Destroyed’ is a harsh word…"
A "But I don’t know anything about planting-"
Ro "You speak nonsense! Come here, now, I’ll teach you!"
"She motions me to get on my knees next to her and hands me a clump of dirt with a juvenile daisy in it."
Ro "I will dig the hole, you will place it in. Very simple!"
"I somehow almost drop the flower."
A "Y-yeah…"
"I don’t even {i}want{/i} to think what would happen if I mess up a third time."
"Rosa points up at Fang, who is still aggressively trimming back the vines."
Ro "Fang, do you want to plant some, too?"
F "I’ll… pass."
"With a practiced hand Rosa clears out a cylindrical hole deep enough for the clump to go in."
Ro "Okay, it’s ready."
"My arms are practically rubber from today’s work and are faltering to the point pieces of dirt are being shaken off."
"A little bit from the hole, I have to catch the whole thing when it slips from my grip."
"Rosa puts her hands around mine to steady them before I drop it for real."
Ro "Veeery easy, like this…"
"The bulb is placed in the hole and we let go."
"Rosa quickly fills up the patch of dirt with the trowel, leaving only the stem and flower visible."
Ro "You did it!"
A "Doesn’t seem like I did much at all…"
Ro "Hush now. We still have dozens left to plant."
"A keening whine rumbles from my mouth."
A "Can’t I just take the beating instead? Please?"
F "I’ll do that if you really want."
Ro "Do you want to borrow my slipper?"
A "I’d prefer the shovel. Aim right here, and do {i}not{/i} resuscitate me after."
play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating her Company.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Fang’s chuckle helps to lighten my mood immensely."
"Maybe…"
"I continue replanting flowers under Rosa’s caring yet Orwellian supervision."
"At noon the bellowing of our principal calls us back up to the front of the school."
Sp "Thank you all again for showing up today."
Sp "I hope that through your hard work all of you learned a valuable lesson."
"I catch Fang rolling her eyes from the corner of my vision."
Sp "Please do stay safe on your way home, and try to keep out of trouble in the future."
Sp "Dismissed."
show rosa bossy with dissolve
Ro "Not you, An-on! You stay!"
Ro "Right! And before everyone goes…!"
show stella explanatory at sleft with moveinright
"Stella approaches holding a covered pot and paper plates."
show rosa neutral with dissolve
Ro "I made lunch for everyone!!"
"The small crowd gets a bit more energetic."
Ro "Home cooked Mole Poblano! Enough for seconds and thirds!"
"I graciously accept a plate and stack it high with salty-sweet goodness."
"The hot food is absolutely heavenly, reinvigorating me as I bite into the mexican meal."
F "mmmm… so filling…"
A "Yeah… Wish I could cook like that…"
"Wait."
"I look around and see that the only ones left are Rosa, Stella, Fang and I."
"Even Spears has gone home."
A "Fang, ab-"
Ro "Alright An-on, back to work! You still owe me two hours of heavy lifting!"
Ro "Oh do not look so sad. You are a natural greenthumb!"
Ro "When you are not laying on my flowers, that is."
"I don’t really… Get compliments."
"It’s just circumstance, it’s not like I'm actually any less lazy or unskilled."
F "Hold on, I’m not done yet."
play music 'audio/OST/Dino Destiny Reader.ogg' fadein 1.0
St "We can wait a bit while you two finish. You need all your energy after all."
"These guys aren’t half bad."
"I thought they were slave drivers, but then again I did ruin their hard work."
A "Stella, I’ve been meaning to ask…"
A "Why {i}are{/i} you like this?"
St "Like what?"
A "You know, the whole thing with astrology and quoting…"
A "..."
A "...video games."
St "Oh, I dunno, I guess it’s just the stuff I like."
A "Right…"
St "Why do you ask? Ooh, are you interested in it, too?!"
A "I, err… maybe some other time, Stella."
scene black with fade
"The rest of lunch passes by without incident, and I’m left savoring Rosa’s delicious cooking."
"Like they say, the first rule of Mexican food: the more it looks like raw sewage, the better it tastes."
"The next two hours of work fly by relatively quickly without Rosa and Stella breathing down my neck."
"Replant the rest of the flowers I had crushed, all done by me."
"Collect all of the discarded vines and clippings into compost bins, all done by me."
"Carry all of the tools back into the maintenance shed."
"Take a guess who did it."
play music 'audio/OST/west_coast_kicking.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Fang stuck around for some reason, even though I don’t think she had any other work to do."
"But now my prison sentence is finally over and I’m free to go."
"My feet hurt, my arms hurt, my back hurts."
scene garden
show rosa neutral at sleft
show stella neutral at stcenter
show anon neutral flip at aright
with fade
Ro "Anon, you did such a good job today! You should sign up for the gardening club!"
St "Yeah! You could come and help out with {i}all{/i} of our meetings!"
"I just want to go home."
A "That’s… I’ll just… think about it."
hide rosa neutral with dissolve
hide stella with dissolve
"I walk away before either of them can push joining their club further. I’m too tired to argue."
"Fang seems to have disappeared, guess she didn’t want to stick around longer than she had to."
"As I pass by some of the gardens I take a moment to admire my handiwork."
"As much as I didn’t want to be here, I have to admit they look a lot cleaner than before."
show fang neutral at sleft
F "See? That’s what doing some actual hard work for once can do."
"Fang’s sudden appearance from behind me makes me flinch. I guess she stuck around after all."
show fang happy
F "A wimp like you could use it, too."
"So now Fang is suddenly talking to me, again?"
A "Yeah, sure…"
show fang angry
F "Now all the important and beautiful plants can thrive without any of the useless weeds choking them up and holding them back."
"Oh right, I almost forgot Fang thinks people like me are barely worth the oxygen."
"Not that I really blame her after earlier."
A "Yeah, well, don’t let the weeds like me get in your way…"
"I sigh and turn away from Fang, beginning my very achy walk home."
"Time to go and sleep for twenty hours."
show fang neutral
F "Anon, wait."
"I stop in my tracks. Now what does she want?"
A "Look, I said I was sorry, okay? I laughed at you guys and ruined your concert."
A "I don’t care if you never want to talk to me again, I just don’t know what else you want me to say."
F "Anon... It…"
show fang sad
F "It’s not the concert I’m upset about."
"What?"
A "It’s not?"
F "I mean, maybe a little bit, but..."
F "I’m mad because you kept it from me, okay?"
F "It’s just… I haven’t made many friends in, well… a while."
F "I don’t want to lose an actual friend over stupid bullshit like that."
F "I just thought you would have trusted me more to tell me the truth…"
A "I… is this why you stuck around earlier?"
"She hesitates before nodding, like she needed to convince herself."
F "Not that it matters but… I’m sorry too."
A "You… for what? Kicking me in the face?"
show fang happy
F "I {i}might{/i} have overreacted a bit earlier but you did deserve that."
F "I’m sorry for calling you one of the weeds. You’re not a weed, you’re… I dunno, a mushroom or some shit."
A "A mushroom? Not like a cool tree or a cactus or something?"
F "Hell no, you’re not {i}that{/i} cool. Mushrooms take all the bad shit and turn it into nutrients for all of the good plants, y’know?"
F "Plus you kinda look like one, too."
"Fucking rude."
A "That’s like the nicest thing I think I’ve ever heard you say."
F "Now you’re pushing it."
"I let out a sigh of relief. Can’t say that’s how I expected this conversation to go."
A "I guess we’re both assholes, then…"
F "Heh, yeah… friends?"
A "Friends."
A "So, uh… why do you know so much about mushrooms, exactly? Reed?"
show fang considering
"Fang gives me a sideways glance and smiles a bit."
show fang neutral
F "Spend enough time around Stella and Rosa and you pick up a few gardening facts."
A "Yeah, first impressions aside they’re pretty alright I guess. Stella’s a bit weird and Rosa is a walking stereotype."
show fang happy
F "BWAHAHA!! A dork like {i}you{/i} calling Stella weird?"
A "A dork like me has every right to call out Stella."
F "Sure, sure. Anyway, I’ll be seeing ya, Anon."
A "Yeah… See you…"
hide fang with moveoutright
"Fang strolls away, humming some tune I’ve never heard."
"Left alone now with just my thoughts I find myself feeling a great weight lift from me."
"Friends, huh… I can’t recall the last time I had a legitimate friend…"
A "{i}Some people certainly aren’t.{/i}"
A "{i}Just never meant to amount to anything or do anything important.{/i}"
A "..."
A "I just don’t know anymore."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
"I set off for my apartment, body sore but spirit soaring."
"..."
#Heart to Heart
play music 'audio/OST/punk_revamp.ogg' fadein 1.0
"One month now. Five to go and I’ve found myself in a predicament."
"I’m enjoying my time with Fang."
"Most of the time just talking about stupid shit."
"Like our mutual love for wire-fu and comedy movies."
"{alpha=*0.5}{i}We are both ventriloquist, ventriloquist, ventriloquist. We are both ventriloquists and we practice every day.{/i}{/alpha}"
F "{alpha=*0.5}{i}He carries a basket{/i}{/alpha}"
A "{alpha=*0.5}{i}He carries a paper roll{/i}{/alpha}"
"{alpha=*0.5}{i}and we don’t have cysts. But there is one thing that’s for sure friends, we are ventriloquists.{/i}{/alpha}"
"Almost every day now I’m either at her desk helping her in Science or working on a lab with her."
"Or she’s sat next to me decrypting the mystical arts of Not Sucking at Music."
"I’m talking more with her than anyone I’ve ever talked with."
"Not to mention lunch and after school. It’s less hiding from the tangerine tyrant and Naser these days and more spending time with Fang and Reed."
"Even if he’s constantly checked out."
"And smells of burnt skunk."
"The fuck is he on, anyway?!"
scene bandroom
show anon neutral at acenter
show reed neutral at sright
Re "It’s carfe, bro…"
"...what?"
Re "Carfentanyl."
"..."
"Whatever."
"Fang and the gang (heh) are pretty alright."
"Trish though…"
"Every day she gives me the same look of distrust and a put-upon sigh."
"As if I’m some kind of chore to deal with."
"Whatever. S’not like she matters in the long run."
"But I find myself having these weird thoughts lately."
"Like, is any of this real or not?"
"I tumble backwards."
"Off of the stage."
show anon neutral at aleft:
xalign 0.5 yalign -0.1
linear 1 rotate -90
hide anon neutral with dissolve
"Woah"
A "ow…"
Re "bro….. That sucks….."
"It’s lunch time now, and I guess I dozed off."
"Too many late night ‘study’ sessions."
Re "You like… need help?"
A "ffff…. Just fix the projector Reed."
Re "‘Kay… Almost done…"
show anon neutral at aleft:
xalign -0.8 yalign 0.0
linear 1 rotate 0
ease 1.0 xalign 0.0 yalign 0.1
"I hobble to my feet, feeling out the bruise blossoming on my shoulder."
A "Hrrrrg… Stupid fuckin’ stage."
"I consider jumping back up, but find the stairs up more appealing."
scene hallway
show anon neutral flip at acenter
show trish unimpressed at tleft
play music 'audio/OST/i_have_no_clue_what_im_doing.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Going up the stairs, Trish suddenly grabs my shoulder, pinning it to the wall."
"She leans in close, looking me dead in the eyes."
A "Uhh…"
A "Can I help you?"
T "Don’t play dumb."
T "Something’s up with Fang today."
"She gestures to where Fang is sitting."
"Fang’s picking at her lunch with a fork, not eating a bite."
"Now that I think about it, she has been a bit distant today."
T "They’ve been like this since band practice yesterday."
"Wait, what?"
show trish angry with dissolve
T "Did you do something to them?"
"Do something? What does she mean?"
"Does she think that Fang and I…"
#if persistent.lewd == True:
# show howlewd at truecenter with dissolve
# pause 3
# hide howlewd with dissolve
T "OI!"
A "What? No! I don’t think at least."
A "Why are you so concerned?"
A "Everyone has a bad day every now and then, right?"
T "Fang and I have been friends for ten years now."
T "Not once have I seen them this upset."
T "You’re the only new thing around here."
T "It can’t be anyone else."
T "So. What did you do?"
A "I swear I haven’t done anything with Fang."
A "Look, we’ve got music next. I’ll ask Fang what’s up then."
"Trish glowers. We both glance at Fang to see her still sitting there with her untouched food."
T "You’ll talk to Fang? You’ll probably make it worse. I should be the one to talk with them."
A "So why haven’t you?"
show trish unimpressed with dissolve
"Trish’s mouth shuts with a click."
"I stare her down."
"Her eyes harden and she finally speaks."
show trish annoyed at tleft with dissolve
T "...Fine… but you better not fuck up."
"She lets go of my shoulder, stuffing her hands in her jacket pockets with a huff."
hide trish with moveoutright
"I finally return to where I was sitting on the stage to continue finishing my lunch."
scene bandroom
"Right when I plant myself on the ground Reed speaks up."
show anon neutral at aleft
show reed neutral at scenter
show trish neutral flip at sright
Re "Aaaaand… Done!"
A "Done? With the projector?"
Re "That’s right, man… Now we can watch movies… Shows… Pornos… All that."
T "We’re not watching porn in school."
A "Not with that attitude…"
"Trish throws an orange slice at me."
Re "So what do you guys wanna watch…?"
"I can’t think of anything that would be appropriate around normal highschoolers."
"Trish raises her hand and jumps in place."
T "How about the Count of Monte Cristo?"
Re "Oh, I know that one! The actors in that one are pretty great…"
A "Oh yeah. I love the VA work."
"Trish and Reed stop and stare at me."
play music 'audio/OST/The.ogg' fadein 1.0
T "..."
Re "..."
"Crap, was it something I said?"
T "What-"
"*DING-DONG BING-BONG*"
"Saved by the bell!"
"I look to Fang and-"
"Oh."
"When did she leave?"
A "Oh, Fang left already. I’ll go catch up with her."
A "BYE!"
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
"I make record time out of the auditorium, leaving a still confused Trish and Reed."
"..."
scene classroom with fade
"Fang isn’t in music class when I get there."
"I tap out a quick message to her on my phone. I take a spot next to her seat and wait."
"Maybe she just needed to use the bathroom."
"..."
"It’s been about twenty minutes."
"I’m starting to get worried."
T "{i}{alpha=0.5}Something’s up with Fang today.{/alpha}{/i}"
"Hmmm..."
"I looked at my phone, and the message I sent her way just before class started."
show anonphone at scenter
A "Hey. Wanna talk?"
"Still unseen?"
"..."
T "{alpha=0.5}{i}you better not fuck up.{/i}{/alpha}"
"God damn it."
A "Mr. Jingo! I need to use the bathroom!"
"..."
"One guitar-shaped bathroom pass later I’m scrambling through the halls."
scene hallway with dissolve
"If I were a non-binary teenage pterodon having a crisis, where would I hide?"
"Someplace only Fang would go..."
"The family bathrooms!"
"There are only two in the building."
"I sprint to the first bathroom, closer to the back of the school and nestled away in the special needs area."
"My knuckles rap against the door, locked and preoccupied."
A "Fang? You’re missing class and I seriously need help with this sheet music."
play music 'audio/OST/Dino Destiny Reader.ogg' fadein 1.0
unknown "The one you seek is elsewhere."
"Who the fuck… Wait…"
A "You’re that weird stego chick…Stella?"
St "That’s very rude… And I’m not weird…"
A "Whatever, do you know where Fang is?"
St "...Not here… Can you please leave? I have a nervous bladder."
"I turn away from the door and sprint to the front of the school where the other bathroom is."
"It’s while I’m moving briskly through the empty corridors of the school with un-tuned guitar in hand that I find divine providence."
"Or rather."
"The feathers floating by the window provide me with the clue I need."
"I look out the window, and while I can’t look up to see for sure, the shadow that she is casting on the ground below is enough verification required."
"My feet climb the steps easily, but my mind is ill at-ease."
"The hell is wrong with me right now."
"Why do I feel anxious right now?"
T "{alpha=0.5}{i}What did you do?{/i}{/alpha}"
"What if I did do something?"
T "{alpha=0.5}{i}Fang and I have been friends for ten years now.{/i}{/alpha}"
"I’ve known her for barely a month. And why is it my problem to fix?"
T "{alpha=0.5}{i}Not once have I seen them this upset.{/i}{/alpha}"
"I can’t stop the gnawing feeling in my chest."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene roof day
show fang neutral:
xalign -0.2
show anon neutral flip at aright
with fade
"I’m at the door to the roof now. It’s shut, but by the handle I notice a piece of cardboard tucked between the door and frame, keeping the latch open."
F "Good job, dork."
show fang happy
"Fang smirks a bit."
"Damn it all. Fang’s problems first, then I can figure out my chest."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"I open the door and am immediately blinded by the sun."
"I shade my eyes."
"The door clicks shut behind me."
A "Oh… shit…"
show fang neutral
F "Whose the- Anon?... What’s with the guitar?"
"Fang is sitting atop the stair enclosure looking down at me."
A "Mr. Jingo’s hall pass. I uh… Kinda need help with sheet music again."
F "Wow. You really suck at music."
A "Yeah. I really do."
"I find the ladder easily enough and climb on top of the tiny hut."
play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating her Company.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Around Fang are scattered feathers."
A "You alright? The feath-"
F "Preening."
"What."
"Fang sighs. She holds one of her wings and gently brushes her fingers through the feathers."
F "I’m preening my wing."
"She winces. A feather drifts to the floor."
A "That looks painful."
show anon neutral flip at acenter behind fang with move
"I move closer."
F "A little."
"I sit down next to her and look out at Volcaldera Bluff. It’s a beautiful view."
"It’s a distraction."
F "You ever…"
menu:
"stay quiet...":
jump quiet4b
"Interrupt":
jump interrupt4b
label quiet4b:
"There’s a time to speak and a time to listen."
show fang sad
F "... You ever feel like you just don’t matter?"
"Fang stares at the vista of Volcaldera but her eyes are vacant."
F "I feel like no matter what I do, I’ll never be able to make something."
F "I try and try but nobody likes the ways I express myself."
show fang angry
"She growls."
F "Not once after all the work I’ve put into VVURM DRAMA has anyone ever told me it was good,"
"Her eyes wetten. Her voice roughens. Her shoulders quake."
F "nobodies ever said ‘Good job, Fang! Can I get a copy of that last song on CD’ ."
F "I’ve been playing music since I was basically in diapers and all I have to show for it is a shit reputation."
show fang very angry
"Her hand curls into a fist. Her nails bite into her palm, and I can clearly see the minute trickle of blood."
F "How much harder do I have to try to get people to notice me!"
"Her fist crashes down on the floor."
show fang ultra angry
F "Even my own parents!"
F "When dad looks at me it’s like he just sees a lost cause!"
F "\"Oh, Fang is the scene teen, better focus on the one that ISN’T broken so we don’t screw up again!\""
"She punctuated her shouts with her fist, striking the roof beneath her."
"Her fist lands softly one final time, uncurling to reveal the bleeding grooves her sharp nails have left."
F "..."
show fang ear cover
"Watching her break apart, it’s causing the dull pain in my chest to intensify."
F "Why can’t I be popular like him?"
show fang very sad
"Fang deflates completely. All her anger gone, replaced with melancholy."
F "Naser doesn’t have to try at all!"
F "Even crippled, he just breezes through life!"
F "Why does he get straight A’s?"
F "Why does he get my parents’ attention?"
F "Why do I have to be the burden on everyone?!"
show fang hiding
"She grabs her knees and buries her face in her lap."
A "..."
menu:
"stay quiet...":
jump quiet4c
"Interrupt":
jump interrupt4c
label quiet4c:
F "And the worst part is he can’t even hate me."
show fang sad
"She picks her head up."
"Rivulets of tears and orange eyeliner run down her cheeks and leave bright stains on her knees."
F "I can tell him to fuck off every day and he’ll still be there the next."
F "As if nothing fucking happened."
F "He’s a constant reminder of everything I can’t be."
F "He’s a goddamned boy scout!"
F "Lil’ Mr. Perfect!"
F "And I’ll always be in his fucking shadow!"
F "I can’t just change, just magically get better at everything even if someone like Naser tries to help."
F "And it’s clear he wants to."
F "But the sheer difference between us…"
F "It won’t ever happen."
F "But my brother tries."
F "He’s always trying. He just FUCKS UP!"
F "Every. Fucking. Time."
show fang anguish
"She wipes a tear with one of her hands, but leaves a bloody smudge instead."
F "Naser knows who he is."
F "I don’t even know what I am."
A "..."
"Do I step in now…?"
menu:
"stay quiet...":
jump quiet4d
"Interrupt":
jump interrupt4d
label quiet4d:
show fang ultra angry
F "WHO AM I, DAMN IT?!"
show fang very sad
F "I can only define myself by the thing’s I’m not."
F "I’m not a good band player."
F "I’m not a good sibling."
F "I’m not a good friend."
F "I’m not a good person."
F "My mind is a fucking mess. In my head it’s all…"
F "My thoughts… they’re all fucking foggy. Half the time I’m hating myself."
show fang hiding
F "‘Am I who I say I am?’ Maybe? Not really…"
show fang anguish
F "The other half I’m daydreaming of being something special."
F "That I’m different from everyone. Above them… I know more than them."
F "They’re both lies. I’m fuckin’ lying to myself but…"
F "It’s like I’m just here to be a drain on myself and others."
F "I’m stuck with myself, I can’t just drop everything and try other things now."
F "It’s just too late for that."
F "There’s too many ways to fuck up."
F "Music is the only thing I’ve ever been decent at, and even then…"
"She looks to me desperately, at a loss for words."
"..."
menu:
"stay quiet...":
jump quiet4e
"Interrupt":
jump interrupt4e
label quiet4e:
$ fangscore += 1
$ anonscore += 1
A "..."
F "..."
show fang very angry
F "Why won’t you say anything?"
F "Here I am begging for help and you haven’t said a word!"
F "You’re always so sure of yourself, yet here you are listening to me in a crisis and you can’t say anything?!"
"Fang grips my jacket with both hands, digging in."
scene fangroofcry with fade
F "What is it you have that I don’t?!"
F "What is it you want from me?!"
F "What is it I want from you?!"
F "When you got here a few weeks ago you were just some nobody kid without friends who lives alone on financial assistance!"
"She’s shaking my arm around."
F "And now everyone I know is friends with you!"
F "You have no talents, no specific knowledge anywhere, no real personality…"
F "WHAT IS IT WITH YOU THAT YOU CAN LACK AN IDENTITY BUT KNOW EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE?!"
"Honestly I…"
A "dunno"
F "...What…"
A "I dunno how to say it. All I know is I’m me…"
F "You’re… You?"
"I struggle to find the right words."
"Fang stares pleadingly. Eventually she buries her eyes in my jacket arm."
A "It's like.. I don’t know..."
A "You’re trying to be something you’re not."
A "It needs to happen naturally."
"Fang looks up from my arm."
F "Naturally…?"
A "If you are forcing this… whatever... then it's like some misplaced idea or like, a refusal to leave the comfort zone..."
A "Argh, what I’m trying to say is…"
A "I ended up trying to be someone else too."
A "To the point that I rejected who I really was and started to fuck myself up."
A "I’m not about making others' notice me, or about being great at something."
A "I just do what makes me, well, me."
A "I'm the only me here, and I think it's safe to assume that there's several of you. Like, you don’t know, you said it yourself."
"Her fingers tighten around my arm."
"I’m not certain she’s breathing right now."
A "And there’s tons of different people going through what you are right now, trying to force their egos, only to reject who they really are."
A "Not to undermine your feelings or anything."
A "And at the end of it all, I’ve accepted that ‘I’ am, and will always be, ‘me’."
A "Ya see?"
F "I have to… Figure it out myself…?"
"Fang’s grip loosens."
scene roof day
show fang ear cover at sleft
show anon neutral flip at aright
with fade
"She puts her hands around her knees and lowers her head."
"Her expression is one of complete resignation."
F "I don’t… I can’t do anything on my own."
F "How am I supposed to do something like this?"
A "You aren’t alone."
A "I’m here. Reed and Trish are here. You already know Naser wants to help."
F "..."
show fang very sad
A "It doesn’t need to be all at once."
"Fang looks back to me and gives a sad smile."
F "... Alright…"
show fang sad
"She tries to dry her tears again, only to smudge her face with blood and makeup again."
"I remove my jacket and offer the sleeve to her."
"She sniffles, then grabs it to wipe her eyes."
"...It’s laundry day anyways."
show fang happy with dissolve
"After returning my jacket, Fang looks to me again with a somber smile."
A "Why did you come up here?"
F "It’s nice up here. Quiet."
A "But why? And why alone?"
F "To think. Maybe to throw myself a pity party. I do this every year."
A "Up here?"
F "Nah… Just somewhere I can be alone."
A "Every year though?"
F "... Since I was 11…"
A "Jeez. What happened?"
show fang sad with dissolve
F "I broke Naser’s wing."
"Ah. My foot tastes extra salty today."
F "We used to be really close. He looked up to me."
F "I was supposed to watch him. I’m his big sister after all."
F "He had asked me if we could really fly."
"Fang stretched her wings to highlight that."
F "I said ‘of course’... I looked away for a second and then it happened…"
F "He jumped off the bluff."
"Her eyes become distant, and I can only guess just how vividly she’s reliving this moment of her past."
F "I watched as he jumped. As he bounced off the cliff and into the water."
F "I climbed down as fast as I could, hoping to God he wasn’t dead."
F "But the current… Dad and the lifeguard had to go in because the current was too strong."
"Her voice quakes as she’s engulfed in her memory."
F "When mom came with the medic-"
show fang hiding
"Fang chokes back a sob and continues."
F "Naser was… I thought he was dead…"
F "...Covered in blood…"
F "...Limbs mangled…"
F "My baby brother, just 9 years old, had jumped off the bluff, thinking he could fly!"
hide fang
hide anon
show fanganonhug
with dissolve
"Fang’s eyes grow wet again. Without a second thought I draw her into a hug, comforting her."
"Her voice is muffled by my jacket but she continues."
F "I’m why his wing is a fucking mess. I did it…"
F "So why…"
F "Why doesn’t he hate me…"
Nas "{i}{alpha=0.5}She’s still family.{/i}{/alpha}"
A "Because you’re his sister."
"Fang flinches in my arms, but doesn’t pull away."
A "You’re the one that’s hurting, Fang. Not Naser."
"I surprised myself there. I honestly don’t know how I managed this conversation."
"I let go of Fang and lean back, giving her some space. Her breathing is evening out, and she looks far more composed now."
hide fanganonhug
show fang sad at sleft
show anon neutral flip at sright
F "... I’m sorry for what I said earlier."
A "Huh?"
F "About how you’re a nobody."
A "You’re pretty much right."
F "Maybe, but I shouldn’t have put it so harshly."
F "All this time I thought people like you were…"
F "Useless? Something like that."
F "But here you are, proving me wrong time and time again."
A "I get what you mean."
A "I could say the same to you as well."
A "I’ve been breaking your rules like you’ve been breaking mine."
F "Maybe we’re both just useless nobodies."
show fang happy with dissolve
"She chuckles to herself."
jump postFangAndAnonTalk
label interrupt4b:
"She seems at a loss for words."
"I should say something."
A "You’re feeling helpless, right?"
A "Like you don’t matter?"
show fang sad
"Fang looks at me with desperation."
F "Y...Yes…"
A "Here’s what I think…"
jump postinterruption
label interrupt4c:
"Here’s a good place to butt in."
A "You aren’t a burden to me."
show fang sad
"Fang removes her head from her knees and looks to me with pleading eyes."
F "What?"
A "I’m your friend too, right?"
A "I don’t think you’re a burden."
"Fang sniffles a bit."
A "Here’s what I think…"
jump postinterruption
label interrupt4d:
"Now’s a good time."
A "You’re Fang."
show fang sad
"She looks to me with tears streaming down her cheek."
A "Even if you don’t see it, you’re still you."
A "The Fang I know likes music, bad movies, and doesn’t take crap from any adults."
A "Am I right?"
"Fang nods slowly."
A "Here’s what I think…"
jump postinterruption
label interrupt4e:
"Here we go."
A "It’s never too late to try something new."
F "...I can’t."
F "I just can’t."
show fang sad
A "You have support from me and Naser, right?"
F "..."
F "...Maybe..."
A "Here’s what I think…"
jump postinterruption
label postinterruption:
"I put my arm on Fang’s shoulder."
A "You’re in a pretty bad spot right now."
A "Self-improvement is hard, but there’s nothing to be gained without sacrifice, right?"
"Fang gives a slight nod."
A "You need to step out from your comfort zone more often, even if you think there’s no time."
A "There’s no harm in diversifying, right?"
"Fang looks away from the coastline and to me."
F "... I don’t know. Maybe you’re right..."
A "You could also try harder to get along with Naser."
A "I guarantee there’s not that much in the way between you two."
F "...You’ll be there to support me, right?"
A "Sure."
F "I don’t know if I’m strong enough to do all that…"
A "I believe you can be."
A "Being weak is nothing to be ashamed of."
A "Staying weak is."
A "You don’t have to do it alone."
hide fang
hide anon
show fanganonhug
with dissolve
"Fang embraces me tight."
F "Thank you."
"We sit in silence for a few minutes."
".."
"..."
"...."
"Eventually, she lets go."
"Fang’s breathing is evening out, and she looks far more composed now."
label postFangAndAnonTalk:
scene roof day
show fang neutral at sleft
show anon neutral flip at aright
with fade
F "Hey, can I see that?"
"Fang points at my oversized hall pass."
A "Yeah, sure"
hide anon
hide fang
show hallpass
with dissolve
"She takes it from my hands, our fingers brushing for a second."
"She blushes while she handles the acoustic bathroom pass."
F "I think… I think I finally got the tune, Anon."
A "Tune?"
"She finishes tuning the guitar and tests it. With a nod to herself Fang begins strumming."
"The rhythm is slow and the tone is soft, enough so that her humming blends perfectly with it."
"I lean back, bobbing my head along to the impromptu music."
"The streaks from her tears that had once marred her pretty face only help the highlight her soft smile now."
"I hum along now too, which causes Fang to giggle. The rhythm is slowing to a crawl, the song about to end."
F "With a meteor coming soon"
F "Everyone’s going to die"
F "So I’ll say to everyone"
F "Goodbye Volcano High"
"The lyrics surprise me, but I shrug it off."
A "You ready to get up?"
"Fang nods and wipes her tears one last time with her forearm."
"I stand and pop my back, looking out over the fence at the ground below."
"From here I can see the afternoon sun starting to encroach on the skyline of the small coastal town."
"Turning to Fang, I crouch a bit and extend my hand to her."
"She moves her bloody hand to take it, but hesitates."
"..."
"..."
"She softly grasps my hand."
"She winces in pain."
"You know…"
"It’s strange, I expected the alarms to go off again, but…"
"This feels different, somehow."
"More natural."
show weridkissu
hide hallpass
with dissolve
"I’m careful to hoist her to her feet. Mindful of her injured palm. But her beak accidentally bumps into my cheek on her way up."
stop music fadeout 5.0
"Ah, there they are."
"Fang’s eyes contact and she instinctively hops backwards, covering her muzzle with her hands and turning her head away in her flusteration."
"I clench my lower jaw and look at my palm, slick with sweat and her blood."
"The silence continues for an immeasurable amount of time."
A "Haha… So that’s how dinos kiss… Haha…"
hide weridkissu
show fang happy at scenter
show anon neutral flip at aright
with dissolve
#[Internal screaming sfx here]
"FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFU-"
F "Haha… not really haha… haha…"
A "Ha ha… haaaa… uh…"
"I look for something, anything, to end this awkwardness."
"Like the guitar hall pass. Wait…"
stop music fadeout 1.0
"I check my phone, seeing that Mr. Jingo’s class will be ending in 10 minutes."
show anon sad flip
play music 'audio/OST/she_fucks_human_men.ogg' fadein 1.0
A "Fuck… the assignment…"
"Fang finally looks my way again, though her face is still flush."
show fang surprised
F "What?"
A "Mr. Jingo’s assignment. There’s no way in hell I’ll be able to do it at home."
F "Pfffft."
show fang happy
show anon neutral flip
"Fang’s hands try to cover her beak, failing horribly to contain her giggles."
F "Hehehehehehe. God, you really suck at music."
"I glare at her."
F "haaaaah... Why don’t you just drop it? It’s an elective anyway."
"Because I need to maintain my GPA for college."
A "Because… I kinda like it…"
"I blush and look down to the entrance of the roof below us."
F "Hmm… maaaaybe I’ll help you…"
"Fang hops down, her wings easing her landing."
F "I owe you for the fuckin’ therapy session anyway."
A "Oh thank fuck."
"I climb down the ladder. Those wings must be really convenient."
stop music fadeout 1.0
show fang surprised flip
show anon fear flip
play music 'audio/OST/we just turned on the microphone in our programmers_ house.ogg' fadein 1.0
Sp "WHO THE FUCK IS UP HERE!"
"The door flies open, off its hinges, through the suicide fence and over the side of the building, crashing loudly on the concrete below."
scene roof day broken
show fang shocked flip at sright
show anon fear flip at aright
with fade
show spears angry at sleft with moveinleft
Sp "I KNOW SOMEONE IS DITCHING UP HERE! MY HUNTING INSTINCTS CAN TELL!"
"Oh double fuck."
A "Uh…"
Sp "YOU!"
"Principal Spears looks at us, finger pointed at me as if to fire a special beam cannon through my chest."
Sp "In all my god damned years… On top of the roof! Explain. NOW!"
"Bullshit mode activate."
A "I got lost looking for the bathroom?"
"Spears incinerates me on the spot."
F "Estrus season?"
"For a brief instant I picture Fang in a bikini."
#if persistent.lewd == True:
# show howlewd at truecenter with dissolve
# pause 3
# hide howlewd with dissolve
"Hot."
"Fang gets a similar stare and withers down."
Sp "I’m not stupid. Ptero estrus season isn’t for another few months."
Sp "Empty your pockets. Now."
show anon neutral flip
show fang neutral flip
with dissolve
"I reduce myself to hoover flags. All I had on me was my phone and a ratty wallet held together with hot glue and duct tape."
"Fang does the same, dropping her own phone, a spare guitar pick, and an unopened pack of cigarettes."
"Spears looks at Fang dead in the eyes, rips the package open, and stuffs every cigarette in his mouth at once."
"To our mortified stares, he chews them until they are a brown glob and spits it over the fence, landing on a rather oriental looking car."
Sp "Anon. Go to class. Now. Fang. To the Nurse’s."
scene bloodywing with dissolve
play music 'audio/OST/Skinrow Soul.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I look to Fang one last time. She looks a mess."
"Her wings are ragged, feathers misaligned and a clear patch of them missing on one."
"Stains on her legs from her make-up, tears and blood."
"Drying blood on her hands, arms and beak."
"Eyes puffy and red from crying."
"But her smile… was…"
"I wave her goodbye and wordlessly return to class."
scene bandroom with fade
"I only have a few minutes, but I can’t focus on the assignment. I’ll have to take it home as homework."
F "{alpha=0.5}{i}Hmm… maaaaybe I’ll help you{/i}{/alpha}"
show anonphone at scenter with moveinbottom
"I take out my phone and consider messaging Fang again."
"!"
"My heart thumps roughly in my chest. Just what is with me today."
hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
"All this drama… When did my life become a soap opera…"
"Heh… even included a dramatic kiss…"
"I look at my hand, her blood now dried and dusty on my palm."
"Did… That count as a kiss?"
"I mean, it was unintentional. She backed off and all."
"..."
"Jeez, my insides feel like liquid."
"Surely that’s just my disgusted reaction to Spear’s scare tactic up there."
"Nah, this isn’t fear. Unlike a bottomless pit the feeling is..."
"Pleasant…"
"Yeah, I kinda like it. Hmmmm…"
"I wonder if Fang-"
"!"
"The feeling intensifies. But why? I only thought of-"
"It’s not as if she-"
"But-"
"..."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
"Do I like Fang?"
"!!!!!!"
"..."
"Fuck."
"..."
#Not A Date
scene room anon dark with fade
"-One Month Later-"
play music 'audio/OST/Bayside Bumming it.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I’m laying in bed on a saturday morning."
"It’s been raining the last few days, so I’m stuck inside."
"Not like I had any other plans anyways."
"The forecast says it should clear up later today."
"There’s no new games out, and my backlog is just the perfect size of fuck that noise."
"I don’t even feel like baiting on a certain basket weaving polynesian forum."
"The light of my phone is the only thing illuminating my hovel of a home."
"I scroll through the camera roll out of boredom."
"At least that’s what I tell myself."
"Interspersed through various memes and screenshots of homework assignments are pictures Fang has been sending."
"Over the last month I’ve been included more in Fang’s circle of friends."
#[CG of Fang having beaten Anon on a Primal Rage arcade cabinet]
"Ugh… My cred… I can feel it slipping away."
#[CG of Reed in his mascot outfit at one of Naser’s track meet]
"Hehehehe, Reed stole all the hotdogs that day."
#[CG of a selfie of Trish and Fang on the pier]
"I scroll past that one swiftly… god damn it Trish…"
"My perusal through old pictures is interrupted with a text."
"Fang: Looking for new band venue"
"Fang: Don’t feel like going alone"
"Fang: Do you want to come with?"
"...Alone…? No, shut the fuck up alarms."
"Anon: Why alone?"
"Fang: Trish has a horn appt and Reed is"
"A pause."
"Fang: Preoccupied."
#cut to Reed in bathroom cg
Re "...dude like… back to the story..."
#cut back to Anon
"Anon: Alright, where we dropping?"
"Fang: Just show up at my place in like an hour"
"Fang: Need to go now"
"Anon: k"
stop music fadeout 1.0
"This is fine."
play music 'audio/OST/Fuck You I Like To Shitpost.ogg' fadein 1.0
"It’s just helping a friend of mine find someplace for her band to play."
"A friend I have feelings for."
"And we’re alone."
scene room anon day
"JUST HANGING OUT CALM DOWN ANON CALM THE FUCK DOWN."
"I boot up my computer and start a gacha thread on a taiwanese rum brewing blogsite."
"The soothing replies bring my heartbeat down to an acceptable level."
"To top it off I insult the mods and then report my own post so I know they have to see it."
"I am become Anon, Collector of (You)s and Poster of Shit."
"By now the rain has subsided."
"Still feeling refreshed, I grab my jacket and start making my way across town to Fang’s house."
scene black with fade
"..."
scene home fang day with fade
play music "audio/OST/Skinrow Soul.ogg" fadein 1.0
show anon neutral at aleft
"Passing through the snobby part of town to catch a bus, my thoughts begin intruding on me."
"Images of what’s to come pass before my eyes unwarranted."
"Looking for restaurants… because they’d be good venues of course!"
"Walking through the mall maybe? That’d be a good spot."
"The day turns to night and the temperature drops."
"I offer Fang my coat and-"
"God damn it no this isn’t a daaa-"
"Oh shit my stop!"
"I scurry off the bus right as the doors are closing."
scene sidewalk
show anon neutral at aleft
with fade
"And I don’t forget to thank the driver."
"The bus stop is luckily only a block away from Fang’s neighborhood."
"There’s a few stores open, and a street vendor is gleefully setting up shop for the first time in a few days.."
"she calls out to me as I pass."
show tracy unimpressed at scenter
play music "audio/OST/Tracy was fired from her real job.ogg" fadein 1.0
SV "Some storm, eh?"
show anon neutral at aleft
A "Oh, uh… Yeah. It was."
SV "People don’t usually take the bus here these days, where ya headed?"
A "Just… Over to the suburbs over there."
SV "Highschooler, taking the bus to the suburbs on a saturday…"
show tracy tease
SV "You’re going to see a girl, ain’tcha?"
A "How did…"
A "I mean, I am, but… I-it isn’t like that, you know?"
SV "Come onnnn, you can’t fool me."
SV "WAH-HA!! I’m certain it ain’t."
SV "At any rate, why not pick up a few ‘dogs to impress her?"
SV "We got ice cream too, if she’s an herbie."
A "Maybe later. I’ll keep it in mind."
"I turn to leave, behind me I hear the vendor mutter to herself."
show tracy neutral
SV "Ah, to be young and love again…"
scene skinrow
show anon neutral at aleft
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
"... I pick up the pace."
"..."
"The difference between Fang’s neighborhood and my apartment complex is night and day."
"The smell of burnt tires doesn’t hang in the air. Instead it’s a mix of Cedar and wet pavement."
"The knife in my pocket feels excessive as an officer’s car passes by."
"I suppose to someone who's lived here it would seem normal, but to someone from bumfuck nowhere? The suburb felt decadent."
"Fang’s home is easy enough to find thanks to Gruugle maps’ images."
scene home fang outside
"It’s nice. Very nice actually. Two stories tall and with an expensive, if kinda scraped up, sports car in the drive-way."
"I approach the home, careful to hop up the spread stones that make up the walkway, in fear of trampling the well manicured yard."
"At last I’m at my destination. Fuck."
show anon neutral at aleft
"I stand frozen on the white porch now with the front door before me like the ramparts of a castle."
"Am I supposed to knock, or text her that I’m here?"
"Crap, I’ve never done anything like this before."
"Go with a friend to find a venue for a band, that is."
menu:
"Knock":
"Before my knuckles reach the door it swings open."
"Text Fang":
"Before I can hit ‘Send’ the door swings open."
"What is this killing intent?!"
show fangdad neutral flip at scenter with moveinright
play music "audio/OST/Prized Bowling Ball.ogg" fadein 1.0
FD "Hm… You Anon?"
"Shitshitshitalarms shut the fuck up right now please I need to think."
A "Y-yeah, I’m Anon. P-pleased to m-meet you uh…"
FD "Executioner."
"My pants feel heavy and sodden."
show fangmom neutral flip at fmright with moveinright
FM "Honey, who is it?"
FM "OH! You must be Anon!"
FM "Come in come in!"
scene home fang day
"The petite ptero-matriarch drags me into her abode. I could see the patriarch’s jaw clench as Fang’s mother pushed me into the comfiest couch to ever exist."
FM "Oh you must forgive my little Lucy, she’s still getting ready for your date!"
"Oh god I can feel iron-sights on my back."
"While she spoke a mile a minute I managed to catch some of the words. I ignored the latter, because this ISN’T a daaaa-"
"Isn’t THAT!"
"But-"
A "Ah, it’s uh, no trouble ma’am."
A "But uh… I thought her name was Fang."
"She titters, holding a hand over her sly smile."
FM "Oh that? My little tooth fairy always loves to re-invent herself."
"Her eyes gloss over as she’s pulled into her own memories."
FM "One moment she was the prettiest princess pirate, and now she’s some sort of rock and roll maestro! The imagination she has…"
show naser neutral flip at nright with moveinright
Nas "Sup buddy."
"I look across the coffee table to see Naser reclined in an equally plushy couch."
Nas "You good?"
"I breathe deeply, collecting my scrambled thoughts into a semi-coherent state."
A "I’m good… So uh… nice place."
"I look at the walls of the room, what little white I could see that wasn’t covered by the myriad of family photos."
"Huh… She really was a princess pirate at some point…"
show naomi neutral at scenter with moveinleft
N "Home is where the heart is, as they say."
"SWEET RAPTOR JESUS ON THE CROSS!"
"Oh… is that a sin to think that with that cross hung behind Naser’s head?"
"I look back to see the Cream Queen of the Kremlin, a tray of the smallest cups I’ve ever seen in her arms."
show naomi happy with dissolve
N "Naser! Your mother made us some tea! Oh isn’t she the most wonderful woman!"
show naomi neutral with dissolve
Nas "Bleh… She knows I’m not a fan of that hot leaf juice…"
"Naomi navigates around the couch and coffee table, setting the tray of treats and tea before us."
N "Would you like some, Anon?"
A "I’ll pass, thanks."
"Something’s not right with what just happened."
"I look back to where Naomi was standing."
"The entire opposing wall is covered in various hunting trophies."
"Two bears, a whole school of fish, a falcon, two deers…"
"And a rhinoceros."
"... I may have made a huge mistake."
"The loveseat to the right of me scrapes forward into my field of view."
"Fang’s father leans back, carefully examining and polishing a golf club."
"Maybe I can turn his trophies into a conversation piece."
"Extend an olive branch, so to speak."
A "What gun did you use to hunt these?"
show fangdad happy at sleft with moveinleft
FD "Gun?"
"My hands fold into my lap and I stare a million yards into the wall clock ahead of me."
FD "So… Anon, was it?"
FD "You a big fan of Golf?"
show naser considering flip
"Naser dons a similar pose."
A "I’ve played minigolf before…"
show fangdad neutral
FD "That’s a good start, a good start…"
FD "Nothing beats the real thing, though."
FD "You ever play golf before, boy?"
"Don't say Wii Golf don't say Wii Golf don't say Wii golf"
A "N-no, not on a proper green before."
"Nailed it."
show fangdad happy
FD "Well, this is my favorite club right here. A 9 Iron."
"He finishes polishing the head of the club and rotates it ever so slightly so I see my reflection in the metal."
FD "Now, Irons are by far the most common, and most useful out of your standard club set. Anywhere you need an extra...push, the Iron will do."
"His gaze makes its way from the club to me as he lays it across his lap. I gulp and sink back into the couch in an attempt to hide among the cushions."
FD "Of course, this is all due to the solid steel construction, and your own efforts."
FD "With the right quality club and technique, you can almost feel the ball cleaving in twain when you strike it…"
FD "And I assure you, Anon, that my equipment is of the highest quality, and my technique is impeccable."
"Fang’s father stands up, stepping on top of the sturdy coffee table. His club is lined up, and I can see my reflection in the impromptu ball."
"With well-practiced motions he demonstrates a perfect swing in the middle of a living room. I can practically feel the air slice in half as an image of the impossibly large pteradon stands over me with the club flashes momentarily."
"Fang’s father laughs heartily, setting the murder tool aside as he reclaims his throne."
show naomi flip
N "What fine form sir!"
FM "Dear!"
show fangdad unimpressed
"Fang’s father flinches."
show fangdad neutral
show fangmom unimpressed at fmleft with moveinleft
FM "How many times have I told you about intimidating suitors! This is the first boy our little Tooth Fairy has brought home!!"
FD "What about Reed?"
"The father shrunk under the patented mother’s leer."
FM "You know that boy isn’t right, dear."
"I feel a smidgen of sympathy, but keep quiet to avoid similar treatment from her."
play music "audio/OST/punk_revamp.ogg" fadein 1.0
F "Oh my god Mom! Not in front of my friends!"
show fang angry at sleft behind naser with dissolve
"Fang is at the foot of the stairway, frustration clear on her face."
show fang angry:
xalign 1.4 yalign 0.0
with move
show fang angry flip:
"I look to Fang with hands clasp together, silently pleading."
N "Oh! Are you ready for your date now?"
"I lurch in my seat at that."
A "Ah, nah nah! We’re just-"
show fang shocked flip
F "N-no! We need to find a venue!"
FM "Just you two though?"
"Oh god no. Please, Raptor Jesus, I promise I’ll sacrifice a goat if you end this."
show naomi happy
show fang unimpressed flip
with dissolve
N "Why don’t we have a double date then!"
"...God, why have you abandoned me…?"
"Buddha be a bro please!"
show fangmom neutral
FM "I agree! Naser and Naomi can accompany you!"
"I am going to personally commit mass deicide."
FD "I agree."
show fangdad unimpressed
show naomi neutral
"He looks me dead in the eyes."
FD "More people means you’re less likely to do something reckless, after all."
N "I dunno, I don’t think Fang would appreciate-"
"Fang’s father puts his arm around Nasers’ shoulder and pulls him aside."
hide naser
hide fangdad
with moveoutleft
FM "You’d love going with your brother, right Fang?"
F "Absolutely not."
F "I’m perfectly able to find somewhere to play without anyone’s help."
F "Especially his."
FM "Come now, how many opportunities in your youth will you get to spend time all together like this?"
F "Hopefully none."
FM "Aww, but you used to always spend time with little Naser…"
"Her eyes gloss over again."
FM "Like all those times you used to bathe together."
F "Mooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom!"
"Fang’s Father gives a loud pat on Naser’s back and he returns to the conversation."
show naser explanatory at nleft behind fangmom with moveinleft
show naomi neutral flip with dissolve
Nas "Yes, I think a group date is an excellent idea."
Nas "We should all go together."
"Naser’s shaking like a leaf in a monsoon in the middle of an earthquake with a meteor hanging overhead."
F "It’s not happening."
show fangdad unimpressed behind naser with moveinleft:
xalign -0.4
FD "It is."
"Fang and her dad lock eyes."
"The tension in the room mounts as the staredown draws on."
"The moment long eternity finally ends though."
"Eventually Fang flops her head back in defeat."
show fang considering flip
F "Fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffine."
F "Let’s just get out of here, Anon."
"Gladly."
show naomi happy with dissolve
"Naomi gives a little cheer and tugs the still catatonic Naser by the arm out the door."
scene black with fade
"I give a polite goodbye to Fang’s Mother."
"I extend a hand to Fang’s father and-"
"The eight bones of my palm are squeezed together, being ground into dust under the immense strength."
"The five bones joining my fingers to my palm threaten to splinter from the powerful grip."
"The rest of my bones in my hand try to separate from the vicious shake that Fang’s father ends it with."
"By the time I get outside everyone else is getting into the fancy and beat up car from before."
"Guess it was Nasers’."
play music "audio/OST/The Top of the Social Ladder.ogg" fadein 1.0
N "Come on, Naser! The day is still young!"
"Naser, still mentally fried, is being goaded by Naomi into driving to the city."
"Eventually, he robotically enters the drivers’ seat."
"Naomi ecstatically shoots into the shotgun seat."
"Fang and I take the back seats."
scene nascar day with fade
"Now that we’re getting this shitshow on the road, I should probably clarify with Fang about precisely what sort of venue she wants."
"The split second I move my hand towards Fang to ask Naser chucks his jacket between us with lightning speed."
Nas "Whups, look out back there! Haha!"
"The look of pants-shitting fear on his face betrays his jovial tone."
"Poor guy."
A "A-anyways, Fang."
"She looks over."
A "What sort of place are we supposed to be looking for?"
"Fang looks away for a minute with a finger under the end of her beak."
"Is that supposed to be a thinking pose?"
F "Some wide open space where people can stand or sit."
F "Preferably with a mosh pit."
N "Oh, I know lots of places like that!"
A "Where?"
N "They’re at the Gold Fern Galleria in the downtown shopping district!"
F "No."
N "Why ever not?"
F "I’m not going to play around the ritzy area."
F "There’s more stuck up assholes there than at school!"
"Naomi shrugs and turns back to Naser."
N "In that case, we should just park in the middle of the city and work our way around."
F "...Sure. That’s fine."
N "What do you think, Anon?"
"I look at Fang. She’s preoccupied with watching the buildings fly past us."
"I shrug."
N "Alright then, to the city we go!"
"Naomi turns the radio on, shattering my ears with the most nauseatingly upbeat love-song on max volume."
"I’m left to retch as the song violates my virgin ears with it’s too cheery tune."
scene sidewalk
show fang neutral at sleft
show anon neutral:
xalign 0.0 yalign 0.1
show naser neutral:
xalign 0.9 yalign 0.1
show naomi neutral:
xalign 1.0 yalign 0.0
with fade
"In the city proper now I find myself with a new dilemma."
"The group slowly makes its way down the sidewalk."
play music "audio/effects/chatter loop.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Naser walks ahead and continues to look back at me, his expression anxious and worried."
"Fang refuses to speak and gives everyone and everything a vicious sneer."
"And Naomi just."
"Won’t."
"Shut the fuck up."
show naomi happy with dissolve
N "OH OH OH HOW ABOUT HERE! IT’S SO SPACIOUS AND THE FOOD IS TO DIE FOR- OOOOH I LOVE THAT RESTAURANT MAYBE WE CAN ASK THEM- OH AND THEN THERE’S THIS NICE CAFE AND THEY EVEN HAVE A PIANO-"
"God this marmalade monster needs to die."
N "OH. MY. GOSH! It’s PERFECT!"
"Naomi stops the group before a large glass window. Past it is a large open room sparsely filled with miniscule round tables with candelabras set atop them."
Nas "Isn’t this a bit too…"
"Ostentatious."
show fang angry with dissolve
F "Gaudy."
N "No way! It’s wide open! The tables can be rearranged to provide ample room for your audience!"
show fang unimpressed with dissolve
"Fang looks unimpressed."
N "Come on, let’s go ask!"
"The saurolophus wraps her arms around Naser’s and bodily drags him to the entrance."
F "Fuck me…"
"Shutthefuckupbrain."
A "Ten dollars we get kicked out."
F "No deal. You’re stating an inevitability, not a possibility."
"We follow behind the pair to find Naomi pestering the Maitre D’ for possible arrangements, cringing as the poor man just stares off into the middle distance while Naomi prattles on obliviously."
show black with dissolve
N "-And if possible could you include maybe a dinner ticket option for-"
"The Maitre D’ looks towards us, or rather, Fang, and scowls."
MaitD "Our esteemed establishment caters exclusively to those with an appreciation for fine culture, culinary and otherwise."
show naomi angry
MaitD "Might I recommend that you vacate the premises at once, or will you be requiring an escort?"
hide black with dissolve
A "Where’s my ten bucks?"
show fang happy with dissolve
F "Up your ass, I told you no deal."
"Naser tugs a bit at Naomi’s arm, and she stomps back to the entrance in a huff with him following."
show naomi angry flip with dissolve
N "Hmph! Fang, I’ve decided this place isn’t good enough!"
"Sure."
show naser considering with dissolve
Nas "Don’t be mad Naomi, he isn’t worth getting upset about."
F "Nah, he’s worth it. If it were me and the band they’d have one less tire on all their cars."
show naser unimpressed flip with dissolve
"Naser raises an eyebrow back at Fang."
show fang flip off happy with dissolve
"She responds with a smirk and a middle finger."
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
"..."
scene skinrow
show fang angry at sleft
show anon neutral:
xalign 0.0 yalign 0.1
show naser neutral:
xalign 0.9 yalign 0.1
show naomi neutral:
xalign 0.7 yalign 0.0
with fade
play music "audio/OST/Summertime Synth.ogg" fadein 1.0
"We’ve been searching for a place for at least two hours now."
"Fang is barely holding herself together, judging from her angry muttering."
"A lot of muttering. Mostly including words like murder, knives, and particular genitals as pin cushions, with profanity taking up a good half of what escaped her beak."
"I could see a blood vessel throbbing on her temple. This didn’t look good."
"I position myself slightly behind Fang, putting her between me and Naomi."
A "Hey Naomi, I got an idea!"
"Naomi spins on her heel towards the sound of my voice, and the giant grin on her stupid snout stiffens as she sees Fang’s looming aneurysm."
show naomi happy:
xoffset 0
linear .5 xzoom -1.0
N "Maybe we should take a little break."
"..."
"Luckily there’s a small park nearby."
scene park
show fang angry flip:
xalign 0.9 yalign 0.0
show anon neutral flip at sright
show naser neutral:
xalign 0.1 yalign 0.0
show naomi neutral:
xalign -0.1 yalign -0.1
with fade
"The four of us grab some drinks from a vending machine."
"Fang and I grab a knockoff brand of soda, Naomi got a bottle of water, and Naser bought a sports drink."
"We’re lucky to find an unoccupied picnic table with some shade, because the afternoon sun has turned the cool day into a sweltering hot one."
"Thank you, coastal weather."
"We sit in near silence aside from Nasers’ audible chugging of his sports drink."
"He crushes the bottle in one hand and tosses it into a trash can five yards away, then looks to us with the smuggest grin to ever be seen on a beak."
A "Showoff."
Nas "Yes."
N "Great shot, Naser!"
Nas "Of course it was, babe."
"Fang mock retches into the grass."
Nas "At any rate, I need to drain the snake."
"What."
"Naser turns and gives a brief wave back to us, and makes his way to the public restroom on the other side of the park."
hide naser with dissolve
N "Aww, his double-entendres are always so clever!"
"Fang slaps a hand over her eyes."
F "I need to go too."
N "Why? Something the matter?"
F "Monthly problems."
N "Do you have everything you need?"
N "I have some extras stocked!"
N "I have regular, plastic, scented…"
N "Oh, what diameter do-"
F "Shut up now."
"Fang stomps away to the bathroom, leaving just the apricot asspain"
hide fang neutral flip with dissolve
stop music fadeout 1.0
"...And me."
N "Do you need to use the restroom as well, Anon?"
"How tempting."
A "Well, now that you mention it, I-"
N "Since it’s just the two of us, I’ve been wanting to ask for a while."
N "How have things been going with Fang? Has she been well? Is there anything wrong?"
menu:
"Fine, I guess?":
jump FangIsFine
"Shouldn’t Naser know?":
jump NaomiReveal
label FangIsFine:
A "...Fine, I guess?"
N "Just ‘fine’ Anon? Are you sure?"
"There’s something in her tone of voice."
A "...Are you implying something?"
show naomi happy
"Naomi smiles sweetly but there’s a wicked glint in her eyes."
N "Well you were so nervous this morning. And you haven’t been saying much on this double date."
"I feel my cheeks heat up."
A "I-it isn’t a date! I’m just helping the band out is all!"
show naomi keikaku
N "But you want it to be a date."
show naomi neutral
"Her statement catches me off-guard."
N "I know the date hasn’t been going to well so far-"
show anon angry flip
A "It isn’t a date, Naomi!"
N "But I’m sure I can help you sweep that girl off her feet-"
show anon neutral flip
A "wha-"
N "You’ve been doing a great job so far, all she needs is a little more-"
show anon angry flip
A "STOP."
"The bottle in my hand is a crumpled mess, spilling fizzly liquid across my white knuckles."
A "What. Did. You. Do."
show naomi keikaku
N "Me?"
"Naomi titters into her hand."
"Her serpentine green eyes harden."
N "Nothing."
A "Bullshit. You were the one to pull this double date shit. What the hell did you do."
N "Hmmm…I did… Poor Fang needs all the help she can get after all."
"I’m ready to lunge across this table."
show naomi unimpressed
N "Why, all I ever hear from my dear sweet Naser is how sad Fang is."
show anon neutral flip
N "How depressed Fang is."
N "How lonely Fang is."
N "Fang Fang Fang Fang."
"She meets my glare with her own."
show naomi keikaku
N "All the time."
N "So."
N "I decided to fix her."
A "‘Fix’ her?!"
N "Oh, how simple a maiden’s heart is."
N "All she really needs is someone in her life."
N "To deal with her problems for her."
N "To make her feel loved."
N "You’ve been doing a wonderful job so far, Anon."
A "And if I didn’t? What if I were to leave right now?"
show naomi shocked
N "And leave Fang here by herself?"
show naomi neutral
"..."
"Fucking bitch"
N "Ah, it’s written all over your face."
N "I knew you two losers would be a match made in heaven."
label NaomiReveal:
play music "audio/OST/Dragging on and on....ogg" fadein 1.0
A "Shouldn’t Naser know?"
N "Yes, Naser knows, but I figure I’d ask you as well."
N "Since the two of you spend so much time together and all."
N "I hear Naser talking all the time about how worried he is for Fang."
show naomi sad
N "He’s such a good brother, isn’t he?"
"I’m just going to start filtering her."
N "I just get so worried for her sometimes, too."
N "Fang can just be so anti-social, you know?"
N "And she’s always avoiding me, too."
N "I never can get a read on how she feels."
N "Like when she was feeling upset a month or so ago."
N "Or just after that concert she gave after winter break."
"Wait."
"Rewind a bit."
show naomi neutral
A "How’d you know about how Fang felt sad a month ago?"
N "Oh, Naser told me!"
"..."
"The fuck is up with her?"
show naomi considering
A "Then why ask me?"
N "You keep on asking that question!"
A "You keep on dodging that question."
show naomi keikaku
N "Hm? What am I dodging?"
show naomi neutral
A "Fang clearly doesn’t like you, you say so yourself."
A "Yet you keep asking me about her."
A "When you can just go to Naser."
A "Fang is his sister after all."
show naomi considering
N "O-of course! It’s just I’d like to hear from you about her!"
A "Why me though? I don’t know anything about her, Naser knows Fang better than I do."
show naomi happy
N "Because you two have been getting so close! You’re even on a date right now Anon!"
show naomi considering
"Naomi’s pupils dilate and her eyes dance away from me."
N "In fact, you two make the cutest couple. Hahaha."
"It’s the first time Naomi’s looked anything other than happy."
A "Are you up to something?"
show naomi shocked
N "Why would I ever be up to something?"
A "Because you’re not making any sense."
A "Naser knows her better than anyone else."
A "But every time we talk you bring Fang up."
A "Why?"
show naomi happy
N "I have every reason to care!"
A "Why?"
N "Because-"
show anon angry flip
A "Why?!"
show naomi unimpressed
N "Because Naser wants to make Fang happy! A-and so do I, of course! ahahahaha!"
show naomi considering
play music "audio/OST/sadist.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Naomi’s laugh is hollow. Her eyes shifting side to side."
N "I was only doing what I thought was best for both her and you, Anon."
"Wait."
show anon neutral flip
N "The first time I saw you, sitting on your own on that dirty old bench."
N "You looked like you needed someone to lean on."
"No…"
N "And with Fang..."
"I think back to all the times that the beige bitch had asked me about Fang."
N "{alpha=0.5}{i}What a great opportunity for real friendship Anon! I’m so happy for you!{/i}{/alpha}"
Nas "{alpha=0.5}{i}...?{/i}{/alpha}"
A "{alpha=0.5}{i}...?{/i}{/alpha}"
N "{alpha=0.5}{i}If there’s anything Fang needs in these trying times, it’s a new friend to talk to!"
"This entire time."
N "{alpha=0.5}{i}Oh, you’re spending time with Fang?{/i}{/alpha}"
A "{alpha=0.5}{i}She just needed me for some feedback.{/i}{/alpha}"
N "{alpha=0.5}{i}I see. I think it’s wonderful you’re making more friends here!{/i}{/alpha}"
A "{alpha=0.5}{i}Could you really say we’re friends? We’ve only met two or three times.{/i}{/alpha}"
N "{alpha=0.5}{i}I think you and Fang would make wonderful friends! She needs more friends like you!{/i}{/alpha}"
"Fuck, why didn’t I notice?"
"{alpha=0.5}{i}Naomi places a finger on her chin(?) for a moment and stares into space. Suddenly, her face lights up.{/i}{/alpha}"
N "{alpha=0.5}{i}Oh! What if you asked Fang for help? I’m sure she’d lend a hand!{/i}{/alpha}"
A "{alpha=0.5}{i}I dunno... She’s usually busy with her own work, and I don’t want to bother her more than I already do every day.{/i}{/alpha}"
N "{alpha=0.5}{i}It can’t hurt to ask, though, right? Just a thought.{/i}{/alpha}"
"That fucking bitch."
"This entire time she’s been pushing me closer to Fang."
"I must be the biggest fucking idiot."
show naomi neutral
N "‘Uh… Anon? You’ve been spacing out."
"She played me like a god damned fiddle!"
show naser neutral behind naomi with moveinleft:
xalign 0.1 yalign 0.0
Nas "Did I miss something?"
"I look to Naser, who’s completely clueless to what Naomi has been doing for the past month."
"Just like I was."
"What would he do in this situation?"
"He’s the boyscout here after all."
"Fitting that the moral compass has a literal compass for a head."
"I’m part of someone else’s plan."
"Nothing I’ve done in the last several months was a conclusion reached on my own."
"Are my feelings for Fang also just a tool for Naomi?"
stop music fadeout 1.0
"What do I even do here?"
menu:
"Excuse Myself":
jump AnonExcusesHimself
"Wait for Fang":
jump AnonWaitsForFang
label AnonExcusesHimself:
"I need to get away from here, fast."
A "Actually, I need to use the bathroom myself now."
N "Oh, sure! We’ll be here!"
"I soullessly start dragging my feet away from Naomi."
Nas "ANON. WAIT!"
"I freeze in place."
Nas "Fair warning, watch the ceiling."
"I sense great tragedy in those words…"
"Whatever. I don’t want to be here."
scene black with fade
"..."
scene bathroom1 with fade
"The public restroom looks clean enough from the outside, but I can see through the open doors that it gets cleaned maybe once a week."
"I’m not here to use the restroom anyways."
scene bathroom2
"If I’m right, I just need to look behind the building, and…"
"Jackpot."
scene bathroom3
"Fang is resting on the wall with a half finished cigarette between her fingers."
play music "audio/OST/That Monochromatic Weirdo.ogg" fadein 1.0
scene bathroom4
A "Got a spare?"
"She shrugs half-heartedly, holding out the half-smoked sin-stick to me."
"I hesitate."
"Fang tilts her head. Before she can pull her hand back I accept the smoke."
"The cherry at the end burns dimly as I tap off the ash."
"‘It’s not an indirect kiss or anything like that’ I chant as a mantra."
"The drag is smooth, with the hint of mint to it."
"The smoke exhaled is wispy, and I can feel my skin prickle."
"I don’t know whether it’s because of the nicotine or whose lips I tasted."
"Fuck."
A "Thanks."
"I hand her back the cigarette."
F "Mmm…"
"Fang’s tail drums a steady rhythm on the wall as she takes one last, long drag."
"She blows out a heavier cloud and drops the stump on the ground."
"I stamp on the stub before she can, giving it a solid twist before kicking the dead end into the grass."
F "How’d you find me?"
scene bathroom5
A "Where else would you be?"
"She gives a brief shrug."
A "Anyways, we could probably get away with ditching Naser and Naomi."
F "How’d you manage that?"
A "Secret family technique."
F "Pssh."
"Suddenly an image of Fang’s dad pops in my mind and I realize I probably shouldn’t be seen alone with her behind a public restroom, under penalty of ‘holy shit my spleen is outside my body’."
A "Let’s get out of here."
F "Alright. Let’s get a move on."
scene bathroom6
"The two of us peek from behind the building to make sure the coast is clear of any brothers or scheming persimmon piranhas."
"The coast is clear."
F "I think I know where to look."
A "Please tell me it’s not in this shitty Promenade place."
F "Nah, it’s in Lil Tru."
A "...Where?"
F "Little Troodon. It’s near enough that we can walk there."
A "Why didn’t you mention it before?"
F "Naomi."
A "Ah."
scene bathroom7
"The two of us sprint conspicuously across the park to the nearest cover in the concrete jungle."
"..."
jump troodon
label AnonWaitsForFang:
$ anonscore += 1
show naser neutral flip
play music "audio/OST/west_coast_kicking.ogg" fadein 1.0
"... No."
"It doesn’t matter if my feelings are being used."
"They’re still real to me."
"And I want to actually help her."
"Right now that means helping her find a venue."
"Even if it means being around the coral cunt."
show naser explanatory flip with dissolve
Nas "Hey, Naomi, did you know that thirteen percent of public restrooms…"
"Naser babbles with Naomi while we wait for Fang to return."
show naser neutral with dissolve
show fang neutral flip at sright with moveinright:
xalign 1.9
F "Alright, I’m done taking a dump or whatever."
F "Let’s go."
Nas "Wait… Why do you smell like smoke?"
F "Uh… I went to hong kong for a bit. Let’s go."
Nas "You know you aren’t supposed to be smoking, Fang."
F "Just drop it, dork."
F "You don’t see me bringing up that leopard mankini you have in your closet."
show naser annoyed
show naomi shocked
with dissolve
"Naser’s skin turns a noticeably lighter shade."
A "That the only thing in the closet?"
show fang happy flip
F "Oh, of fucking course not."
F "He’s also got this pink-"
show naser shocked with dissolve
Nas "I’M GOING TO STOP YOU RIGHT THERE."
N "Why don’t we continue on now!"
"Naomi is holding a handkerchief to her nose, with a prominent splotch of red that’s steadily growing."
F "Fffffffffffffffffffffffffffiiiiinally."
"..."
scene skinrow with fade
show fang neutral at sleft
show anon neutral at aleft
show naser neutral flip:
xalign 1.2
show naomi neutral:
xalign 0.6 yalign 0.0
with dissolve
"Not even ten minutes later and we’re back where we started."
show naomi happy with dissolve
N "-isn’t this one perfect! The stage is so well lit and-"
"Fang seems seconds away from successful recreation of Jing Ke’s assassination of King Zheng."
"I know it’s wrong to poke a hornet’s nest, but…"
show naomi neutral
A "Fang, you alright?"
show fang angry with dissolve
F "I hate everyone here."
A "Ah."
"Well then."
"Fang’s about to commit homicide."
"I should ask Naser to just split off for a while…"
"Naomi would back me up if I can convince her I’m taking Fang out on a d-EVENT."
"I really don’t want Naomi’s help, though."
"I could get Fang to ask Naser to break off, but uh…"
"She’s on the verge of fratricide too right now."
Nas "Hey, Anon, you alright?"
A "Hm?"
Nas "You’ve got this intense look on you."
A "Oh, sorry."
A "Just… Trying to think of good places."
play music "audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Guess it’s now or never."
menu:
"Ask Naser":
jump AskNaser
"Ask Fang":
jump AskFang
label AskNaser:
A "Actually, Naser."
Nas "Hm?"
"Naser slows his gait so he’s walking next to me."
Nas "Something on your mind?"
"I lean in and start whispering."
A "Yeah…"
A "It may be a good idea to split into groups."
Nas "Ha, you’re funny."
show naser explanatory flip
"Naser’s brow grows slick with sweat."
"Christ what did his dad tell him?"
"This is gonna be difficult."
A "Take a look at her man."
A "You know she doesn’t get along with Naomi."
"His eyes shift back, catching sight of Fang’s poorly withheld anger."
show naser angry flip
Nas "...Ugh…"
A "It’s only a matter of time before things go nuclear."
A "And as much as I’d find a catfight amusing, neither of us want to see Fang and Naomi duke it out."
show naser considering flip
Nas "..."
Nas "... Be that as it may…"
show naser neutral flip
Nas "We still can’t split."
Nas "I’m supposed to be keeping an eye on you two right now."
show naomi happy with dissolve
N "what are we whispering about?"
"RAPTOR-JESUS FUCK."
"Naomi has circled around behind us and pokes her head between Naser and I."
Nas "Don’t worry about it, babe."
Nas "Anon just wanted to split the group for a bit."
N "..."
N "..."
N "That’s a wonderful idea!"
show naomi neutral
Nas "But babe, you know I’m supposed to-"
N "I think you should trust Anon a bit more!"
A "Do you really think I’m the frisky type?"
"Naser looks at me for a moment."
show naser unimpressed flip
Nas "Yes."
A "Wow."
Nas "It’s true."
N "I mean..."
A "A) Go fuck yourselves."
A "And B) I’m not some degenerate."
show naomi explanatory
N "Still, despite his looks, the Anon I know won’t end up doing anything weird!"
show naser neutral flip
Nas "...You really think so?"
N "Sure!"
show naomi neutral
Nas "... You promise to not make it weird or anything, right?"
A "I-I… What? Whatever, no, of course not."
N "Seems it’s settled then!"
N "Come on, Naser! We’ll go look on the east side of town!"
show naser considering flip
Nas "... Alright…"
Nas "I trust you, Anon."
show naser neutral
"Naomi grabs Naser by the arm and leads him around a corner and onto another street."
"Naser gives one last worried look back before he’s out of sight."
hide naser
hide naomi
with moveoutright
F "What were the three of you huddling about?"
"Fang was walking behind us this whole time? I didn’t notice."
A "Oh, I was just getting rid of them."
show fang happy with dissolve
F "Oh, man, you’re a lifesaver."
A "Seems like it was either this or someone ends up with a black eye."
F "You think I’d stop at a black eye?"
jump postAsking
label AskFang:
$ fangscore += 1
A "Don’t worry about it."
Nas "Alright…"
show naser flip with dissolve
"He looks ahead again, paying great attention to Naomi’s spergery."
"I turn to Fang again."
A "Hey, if you don’t want to stay in a group, why don’t you ask Naser to split off for a while?"
show fang neutral with dissolve
F "Why me?"
A "He’ll listen to you."
A "Hes only doing this because your dad put him up to it."
A "I think he trusts you enough to be willing to take Naomi elsewhere for a while."
show fang considering
F "Hm…"
A "Give him a chance."
"Fang looks in contemplation at Naser walking ahead of us."
F "Ehh, might as well try."
show fang happy with dissolve
F "Hey, Stephen Ha-Wing!"
A "Wait, that’s not how-"
show naser neutral flip with dissolve
Nas "Yeah?"
A "He responded to it?!"
F "Can you take your girlfriend and fuck off elsewhere?"
F "Me and her just aren’t going to get along."
F "And it’d cover more ground."
show naser explanatory flip with dissolve
"Naser slows down a bit."
Nas "I uh… Don’t think that’s a great idea."
Nas "We should stick together, right Naomi?"
show naomi sad with dissolve
N "Well…"
"Two can play this game you citrine psycho."
"I look at Naomi and give her a subtle nod."
show naomi keikaku with dissolve
N "I think it’s a wonderful idea, we can check in the Promenade! Oh I know this wonderful cafe and-"
F "Great. Now fuck off."
scene askfang1
Nas "H-hold on a second!"
Nas "Dad said he’ll do to me anything that you do to Fang!"
F "...What…"
A "...What…"
N "...What…"
Nas "Fang, you gotta promise to not let Anon do anything creepy."
scene askfang2
A "That’s fuckin’ rude."
scene askfang3
pause 1
scene askfang4
pause 1
scene askfang5
pause 1
scene askfang6
"Fang looks at me and grins wickedly."
scene askfang2
Nas "Please Fang."
#Le Sigh
scene askfang6
F "I promise."
F "Now go."
"Naser gulps and nods."
scene askfang7
Nas "You better not do anything creepy Anon!"
scene skinrow
show fang neutral at sleft
show anon neutral at aleft
show naser neutral flip at ncenter
show naomi neutral:
xalign 0.3 yalign 0.0
pause 0.4
show naser neutral
pause 0.4
hide naomi with moveoutright
hide naser with moveoutright
show fang neutral:
linear 0.4 xalign 0.55 yalign 0.0
show fang neutral flip
"With that Naser and Naomi leave, turning the corner onto another street."
jump postAsking
label postAsking:
"..."
play music "audio/OST/That Monochromatic Weirdo.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Now it’s just the two of us."
"Alone."
"Oh and there’s the alarms again. I think I’m finally starting to tune them out though."
scene troodonconvergence1 with fade
"Fang reaches into her pocket and withdraws a crumpled back of cigarettes."
A "Got a spare?"
"She shrugs half-heartedly, holding out the pack to me."
"There’s one left."
"I hesitate."
scene troodonconvergence2
"Fang tilts her head. Before she can pull her hand back I accept the last smoke."
scene troodonconvergence3
"I bring the butt to my lips, feeling the pod within the filter."
A "Figures you smoke menthols."
F "Oh shut up. And you better share, I don’t think I’ll be getting a fresh pack any time soon."
"She hands me her lighter, a little cheap pink Bic."
"It’s quick and easy, no wind to worry about as my thumb rolls over the top and the tiny ember of a flame sears the end of the cigarette."
"I pop the pod with my incisor and pull in slowly."
"The draw is smooth, with a hint of mint to it."
"The cherry at the end burns dimly as I tap off the ash."
"The smoke exhaled is wispy, and I can feel my nerves ease."
F "Ha, pussy."
A "It’s your last one, wanna savor it."
scene troodonconvergence4
"I hand her back the cigarette."
"‘It’s not an indirect kiss or anything like that’ I chant as a mantra."
"Her drag is harsher, burning up twice the amount."
scene troodonconvergence2
"She blows out hazy rings, one after another, as if signaling an indigenous Raptor tribe."
A "Trying to show off now?"
F "Bet you can’t do it."
"Fang grins as she hands the stick back to me."
A "You trigga-lipped it."
F "It’s still good, man."
scene troodonconvergence3
"The filter feels moist between my index and middle knuckles."
"I bring the smoke back to my lips, trying to ignore the wetness of it."
"I draw in even more, burning up another quarter of it."
"I can feel my skin prickle as I exhale a thicker fog."
"I don’t know whether it’s because of the nicotine or whose lips I imagine I taste."
"Fuck."
F "Ha, called it."
A "Mmm. Yeah, I can’t."
scene troodonconvergence4
"Fang’s tail ticks a steady rhythm like a metronome as she takes one last, long drag."
scene troodonconvergence5
"She blows out a thick cloud and drops the stump on the ground."
"I stamp on the stub before she can, giving it a solid twist before kicking the dead end into the street."
scene troodonconvergence6
A "So now what?"
F "I think I know where we can look."
A "Please tell me it’s not in this shitty Promenade place."
F "Nah, it’s Lil Tru."
A "...Where?"
F "Little Troodon. It’s near enough that we can walk there."
A "Why didn’t you mention it before?"
F "Naomi."
A "Ah."
"Fang leads the way, navigating us away from this overly expensive part of town."
scene black with fade
"..."
label troodon:
scene little troodon with fade
show anon neutral at aleft
show fang neutral behind anon at scenter
"Little Troodon is completely unlike the rest of the city."
"Instead of skyscrapers and glass buildings, the whole place is a series of interconnected alleyways forming a plaza."
"Mostly booths for scamming vendors, but every now and then an actual building can be seen."
"Countless salesmen call out to Fang and I."
"Fang just strides past all of them."
F "Just don’t make eye contact."
"She must know the place."
"One child runs up and gives me a flower to mark me for pickpockets."
"I toss it in the nearest bin."
F "Good eye."
A "Living in the ass-end of this place, I’ve picked up a thing or two."
"The two of us check the sparsely located buildings one by one."
"I make sure to mark down the foreign swears in a notepad to look up later."
"Several hours pass as both the sun and the temperature drops."
F "Can’t believe we’re still looking."
F "These people are usually looking for any way possible to attract customers."
A "Maaaaybe you shouldn’t have insulted that one guy…"
F "Fuck him… callin’ me a meteor dodger… fucking prick."
A "Still, we must have checked dozens of places by now."
A "But why won’t anyone have a band?"
play music "audio/OST/she_fucks_human_men.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Passing Shopkeeper" "Her reputation precedes her."
"Fang’s pupils contract."
"Not this again."
F "HER?!?! You people are all the same! Thinking that you have to go off-"
A "Fang!"
F "WHAT!"
unknown "See what I mean."
F "Choke on a platter of cocks."
unknown "Everyone here knows her family."
F "A full platter! Stacks high!"
A "Look, buddy, you’ve gotta know a place that’ll let us play."
unknown "Weeeell, maybe I can uh… point ya in the right direction…"
unknown "...For a price…"
"Oh god damn it."
F "No way!"
show fang neutral at sleft with moveoutleft
show anon neutral at acenter with moveoutright
A "Fine, I’ll pay."
"I can hear my wallet commit sudoku in my pocket."
unknown "Buy this here Phone Roomba and I’ll tell ya."
A "...A phone roomba."
unknown "Cleans yer phone. Sorta cute lookin’."
F "... I just use my shirt though…"
A "..."
menu:
"At least it’s a novelty.":
jump buyTheRoomba
"No way am I paying forty bucks on this shit.":
jump notBuyingTheFuckingRoomba
label buyTheRoomba:
A "Fuck it, fine."
jump RoombaConvergence
label notBuyingTheFuckingRoomba:
A "Fang, we can find the place on our own."
unknown "You know, this place is well known for trafficking."
A "Fine you fucking cunt."
label RoombaConvergence:
"I slap down the money on the thieving rhinorex’s booth."
unknown "Good on ya, lad, there’s good ole’ Dino-moe’s a bit west o’ here. Ole Moe loves hostin’ you kids."
A "The pizza chain?"
unknown "Close, kid. Trust me on this."
"The shopkeeper gives one last smug wave to us."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
"I motion for Fang to follow and start heading in the direction the shopkeeper showed me."
"..."
"After twisting through the endless maze of merchants and frivolities Fang finally stops in front of a building."
A "We’re here."
scene outside moes
show anon neutral at aleft
show fang neutral flip at sright
with fade
"The building is an ancient antiquated italian restaurant, with the words ‘DINO-MOE’S PIZZA & PASTA’ written on a grand sign out front."
play music "audio/effects/chatter loop.ogg" fadein 1.0
F "Pizza, huh?"
F "In the middle of Little Trudoon?"
A "Let’s see."
"I open the double doors for Fang to enter."
"There’s a plaque for the National Register of Historic Places on the window."
scene moes pizza
show anon neutral at aleft
show fang neutral behind anon at scenter
A "Historical, huh?"
"Inside is a homely italian styled pizzeria."
"The warm candle lighting against the lattice dividers of the booths casts shades of orange along the walls and floor."
"The two of us walk up to the reception desk."
"A very tired waitress puts on a plastic smile when she sees us."
Waitress "Welcome to historic Dino-Moes, table for two?"
A "Actually, we just need to ask the manager something."
"The waitress rolls her eyes and skulks off."
F "Service with a smile, huh?"
A "Working in the industry grates on you."
F "This is a historical place though, isn’t it?"
F "Wouldn’t they have higher standards for-"
show moe neutral flip at rright with moveinright
play music "audio/OST/Venetian Values.ogg" fadein 1.0
Moe "AYYYYYY IF IT ISN’T LITTLE LUCY!"
"Fang’s skin goes several shades lighter."
Moe "I HAVEN’T SEEN YA SINCE AUGUST!"
Moe "C’MERE AND GIVE UNCLE MOE A HUG!"
"An older t-rex hobbles his way to us with arms spread wide."
"Well, as wide as he could at least."
"Fang squawks in protest as she’s pressed into his apron covered belly."
F "U-uncle M-Moe? What are you doing here?"
Moe "I’m workin’, toots!"
Moe "Dis is my restaurant!"
A "Hold up. Your uncle is Moe. Moe as in the Moe that started Dino-Moe’s?"
F "No! I mean… I don’t know!"
Moe "HAHAHAHA AH MY BABY GIRL ASN’T SWUNG BY IN AGES!"
Moe "AN’ WHO BE DIS LUCKY GUY? DON’T TELL ME YA GOTS YERSELF HITCHED ALREADY!"
"I feel my own skin warm up now. The old T-Rex laughs louder and slaps his rotund belly."
Moe "Relax kids, I’m messin’ wit ya. Come on I’ll gives ya da bes’ seats in da house."
"Moe wraps an arm around each of our shoulders and drags us through the restaurant to a cozy yet dark booth sequestered away from the rest."
scene black with fade
"We’re shoved into the seats and the owner/uncle bends over the table to light the sole candle there."
"I’m having a candle-lit dinner with Fang now."
"..."
scene moes pizza
show anon neutral flip at sright
show fang neutral at sleft
with fade
"The hell is happening?!"
Moe "Now yous twos wait right there while I make my lil princess’ favrite pie. On me, o’ course."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"Moe proceeds to saunter off, pushing through the double doors that probably led to the kitchen."
play music "audio/effects/chatter loop.ogg" fadein 1.0
"I look over the candle to Fang."
"She looks how I feel at the moment."
"Lost and confused."
A "...What just happened…"
F "...I don’t know…"
A "So…"
"Fuck. Come on Anon, you can do it. You were part of the team that kicked reddit’s ass in Claws of Duty: Jurassic Warfare."
A "Is that really your uncle?"
F "No, he’s just a good family friend."
F "My dad goes bowling every Thursday with him."
A "Sounds fun."
A "You ever go along?"
F "Not anymore."
F "All that sportsy stuff doesn’t appeal to me."
F "Besides, I have school and band stuff to worry about."
F "Not to mention my dad’s a bit of an asshole."
"The image of a golf club comes to mind."
A "You don’t say?"
F "Uh huh."
F "Whenever I’m listening to my music at night he always yells through the door about ‘audible bowel movements’."
A "Honestly, do you blame him?"
"Fang smirks."
F "Maybe not."
A "My dad isn’t even really there most of the time."
A "When I do interact with him, it’s just these huge orders about what to do with myself."
A "You’re going to camp, you’re going to Brazil, you’re going to some coastal town for half a year."
A "Then again, that last one was more my fault."
F "Sounds rough."
F "What about your Mom?"
A "What about her?"
A "Pretty standard mother, a bit naggy."
A "She’d always try to dress me for school, so i’d look like the biggest dork ever."
A "One time she got me into a denim jacket and jeans combo."
F "The Double-Denim Disaster! PFfffffft."
A "How’d you know- waaaaaaiiit a second."
F "Another word and you get hot wax in your face."
"I’m holding back my laughter behind my fist."
A "And she’d always try to embarrass me in front of everyone."
F "Don’t all moms do that?"
A "Why don’t you tell me, Pirate Princess?"
"You know, hot wax really only hurts for the first few seconds."
"That cute look of surprise though? Lasting for eternity."
F "Breathe a word of that to anyone and this candle is going up where the sun don’t shine while it’s still lit."
"I scrape the hardened wax on my forehead off with one hand."
A "Alright alright. Sheesh. But what about your mom?"
A "Is she like, on heroin or something?"
F "Ha, no. She’s just… Always in her own little world."
F "Nothing is ever wrong, there’s no flaws with anything…"
F "No concern is worth worrying about."
A "Ah. Yeah, that can’t be healthy."
F "Eh, I’ve made do so far."
A "Well, for what it’s worth, you’ve still got Trish, Reed, and Naser."
F "Pffft. Yeah, the one whose horn is more important than finding a place, my shitty baby brother, and Reed."
"Fang groans as she leans back in her seat."
F "The new guy is the only one I can rely on. My life sucks."
A "Hmmmm, I dunno…"
F "We haven’t found a venue and our show is in a week. Gah! Fuckin’ Naomi! Fuckin’ Dad!"
A "On the flip-side, we’re getting some of your favorite pizza at one of the pricier italian places around. For free too."
F "But the venue…"
A "We still have time. So, pizza first and then we find a place for your show."
show moe neutral flip behind fang with moveinright:
xalign 0.7
Moe "Someone say pizza?"
Moe "Someone order a fuckin’ pizza?!"
"Moe slides a large pizza onto the table in front of us."
Moe "A pizza with extra sausage, anchovies, pepperoni, and ham, also known as the Moe’s Original Meateor Pizza, Lucy’s favorite!"
F "I go by Fang now, actually."
Moe "Whoa-hoa! The youth are getting uppity with me!"
Moe "Ya try’na make ol’ Moe confused, ya punk?"
"He gives Fang a light noogie."
Moe "So what’ve you punks been up to?"
A "Actually, mister Moe, we were going to ask-"
Moe "Mister? Young punk ya don’ need ta be so formal."
"AAAAArgh fuck my head."
Moe "You younguns, I ‘eard ya talkin’ bout yer parents."
"Ah man, here comes the lecture."
Moe "You know, the best part bein’ young is-"
Waitress "Mooee!!"
Waitress "We got a code K on line 1!"
"Moe hangs his head in despair."
Moe "‘Old dat thought, kids. I’ze gots a pissed of motha ta deal wit."
"Moe stomps away to the reception desk, leaving Fang, the Pizza, and me."
hide moe neutral flip with moveoutleft
show fang happy with dissolve
F "Hey, free food."
"Fang piles three slices on a plate, catching a few of the anchovies before they slide off."
"I think I'll only take one, I’d rather not get heartburn at eighteen."
"Man, this place sure isn’t historical for no reason."
"Even something as ridiculous as this tastes phenomenal."
"Good thing it’s free, I’d be willing to pay a premium for this stuff."
"Kicks Comet Pizza’s ass any day of the week."
F "It really hooks you in, don’t it?"
"Oh, I didn’t realize I was in my own world for a bit."
A "Uh, yeah."
A "It’s real good."
"Huh, she’s already down two slices?"
F "Shame I have to limit myself around the good stuff."
"Fang picks up her last slice, tosses it in the air…"
"...and snaps it out of the air with one bite."
A "Whoa."
A "Cool trick. Do you do parties?"
"While she raises her middle finger at the remark, the grin on Fang’s face says it’s more out of humor than malice."
F "You gonna finish that?"
"I look at my half eaten slice. I guard my hoard with an arm bulwark."
A "Mine."
F "Heh. Didn’t want it anyway."
A "Mine."
"I’m quick to finish off my slice to keep it to myself while Fang goes for her second helping."
"The pizza doesn’t last, sadly, as we continue to take slices. Its’ life is ended in a matter of minutes, when otherwise I would have committed pastacide in an hour."
"By the end I’m satisfied, enjoying the feeling of the itis."
F "Aaaah… Uncle Moe knows just how to make it."
A "Yeah, your uncle is pretty cool."
"Fang gets out of her seat, legs unsteady as she fights off the need for a well needed nap."
F "I’ll see ya at the front. I’ve got a serious need. For real this time."
hide fang neutral flip with moveoutright
stop music fadeout 1.0
"I snicker and nod."
A "Sure, leave me to deal with your Uncle."
"I force myself out of the booth and casually meander to the reception area."
hide anon neutral with moveoutleft
scene moes pizza
show moe neutral at sleft
show anon neutral flip at sright with moveinright
"Moe is there placing the receiver of the desk’s phone back."
Moe "‘Ey son, youse enjoy da meal?"
A "Definitely. Feel like I’mma black out any second."
Moe "Hahaha. Dat’s what I like ta hear!"
Moe "Glad to make yas date, then."
stop music fadeout 1.0
A "A-ah, uh… we aren’t-"
play music "audio/OST/Fuck You I Like This Chick.ogg" fadein 1.0
Moe "No? Coulda fooled me wit’ dat disaster youse called flirtin’."
A "No, really!"
A "Fang’s looking for a venue."
A "Her band is planning a show for next week."
Moe "Reeeaaally now. Why not have it here den?"
"I look around at the restaurant, trying to find any real place for the band to actually play."
Moe "Ay, dun sweat the details, kid."
"Moe grins."
Moe "Me and da boys are used to makin’ room for shows."
Moe "Youse jus tell ma l’il Lucy ya got a place, then yas sure ta sweep ‘er of ‘er feet."
A "ah er wha I th huh?"
"Anon.exe has failed."
Moe "Ah ta be young and in love."
Moe "listen here, Anon."
Moe "I segreti dell’amore, the secret ta love…"
Moe "It’s not shared mis’ry. Youse can complain bout all da lil details in life."
Moe "But dat don’t fix yas problems."
Moe "Howeva!"
Moe "Yas can’t be tryna do everythang for her neitha."
Moe "Othawize she’d jus expec ya ta fix all her problems for her."
Moe "The secret is support!"
A "...Support?"
Moe "Ay, youse gots ta be her support. She gots ta fix her own problems, but youse gots ta back her up on dem."
Moe "An’ from what I hear from ma boy Nasa, you’ve already been dun dat."
"I suppose I have. Like at her band practice, or on the roof."
Moe "Like now!"
Moe "Hahahahaha BADA BING!"
unknown "BADA BOOM."
Moe "Back ta work Jerry!"
Moe "Anyway."
Moe "Be good ta her, Anon. She’ll be good ta youse, I raised her right afta all."
A "Err, thanks, Moe."
Moe "Ay, anytime."
Moe "I’ve been hangin’ around youse fools for too long, I can’t jus’ ignore the kitchen anymore, youse know?"
Moe "Give little Lucy my regards, huh?"
A "Sure."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"Moe saunters back to the kitchen."
hide moe neutral flip with moveoutleft
"Now that I think about it, how does he cook with those little arms?"
"I look a bit closer, there’s several toy claws hanging on a rack just inside the kitchen door."
"Somehow I don’t think that was something I was supposed to see."
show fang neutral at scenter with dissolve
F "Alright, I’m back."
F "Let’s hit the road."
F "Maybe we’ll find somewhere to play before sundown."
A "Actually, we really don’t."
"Fang freezes in place."
hide fang neutral
show fang shocked at scenter
F "How?"
A "Your Uncle."
F "You… Asked Uncle Moe if my band could play?"
A "Yeah, he seemed pretty excited about it."
A "He’s got a stage ready and everything."
"Fang still isn’t moving…"
"Did I do something wrong?"
play music "audio/OST/Appreciating the Moment.ogg" fadein 1.0
"It’s a blur of motion."
hide fang shocked
hide anon
show fang hug at scenter
with dissolve
"One second Fang looks like she’s going to start hyperventilating."
"Next it’s like I’m wrapped in a blanket of down feathers."
"Being shaken from side to side."
"With a tinnitus inducing scream right in my ear."
F "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WE GOT A VENUE AAAAAAAAA"
"It’s so infectious."
"My arms reflexively support her, wrapping around below her wings."
"Fang’s arms are wrapped around my shoulders as she clings to me."
"I feel something warm, soft and somewhat moist press against my cheek."
F "WE GOT A VENUE WE GOT A VENUE WE GOT A VEN- AH!"
"All movement stops and reality resumes."
show fang happy at scenter
show anon neutral flip at aright
with dissolve
"Fang’s wings withdraw from around us."
"Fang pulls away until only her hands are on my shoulders."
"My hands are now at her sides and I can feel her warm scales on my palms."
"Oh."
"Wow."
"I uh…"
"...huh…"
stop music
"It’s the sound of clapping that causes us to jump apart, faces bright red and breath rapid."
"Back at the kitchen door is Moe, clapping loudly with his miniscule arms."
A "Er… I suppose we uh…"
F "Um…"
A "Call… Naser?"
F "Y-yeah, a-and tell him… right?"
A "Totally. VVURM DRAMA’s got a venue!"
play music "audio/OST/appreciating_the_scenery.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Fang smiles softly and nods."
"Good thing Naomi put Naser’s number in my phone."
"Even though I didn’t ask for it."
"The tone rings twice."
Nas "Yes?"
A "Hey, Naser."
Nas "Hold on, I’ll put you on speaker."
Nas "Go ahead."
A "Mission accomplished, we got a venue set up."
N "Oh, they did?"
N "That’s great!"
A "Yeah, we’re at Dino-Moe’s place in Little Troodon."
Nas "Cool."
Nas "I’ll bring the NasCar over in a jiffy!"
"I’m going to punch him."
N "You sure you want us to get you now?"
N "Now that you have business out of the way you and Fang could go do something fun!"
A "..."
"You know, it may not be such a bad idea."
"Even if it’s an idea from the Orchid Oppressor."
"..."
"Good lord, I’m never going to be able to play golf again."
A "I’ll pass. It’s getting pretty dark."
N "Aww…"
Nas "Alright, stay put and we’ll be there soon."
A "Alright."
A "See you."
"All’s left is to wait a few minutes for the ride to get here."
scene outside moes
show anon neutral at acenter
show fang happy flip at sright
"Fang is sitting on a bench in front of one of the restaurant windows."
"She’s humming to herself, and her tail is drumming eurobeat on the bench."
"I take a seat next to her."
"By now the plaza has cooled down, most shops have closed and the only people still out are returning home after the long day."
"The two of us sit in companionable silence save for Fang’s humming and tail drumming."
"Her mood is contagious and soon enough I’m humming with her."
"I already know the song."
"It’s from the roof."
"Except more… more…"
"Happy."
"The scene is great."
"Just Fang and I on a bench in the waning sunlight in the middle of a deserted plaza."
"Taking the moment in, I almost don’t notice Fang scooting closer to me."
scene black with fade
"..."
scene home fang day with fade
show fang neutral:
xalign 0.3 yalign 0.0
show anon neutral:
xalign 0.2 yalign 0.0
show naser neutral behind naomi:
xalign -0.3 yalign 0.0
show naomi neutral behind anon:
xalign -0.4 yalign 0.0
Nas "Mom! Dad! We’re home!"
"The ride back to Fang’s house went by uneventfully."
show fangdad neutral flip:
xalign 0.9 yalign 0.25
show fangmom neutral flip at fmright
"Fang and I didn’t talk about what happened so Naser didn’t have an aneurysm."
FM "Oh! Welcome home, Naser dear!"
FM "How did your date go?"
FM "I’m just dying to know!"
FD "I am also interested."
"I don’t know how but he’s looking into the exact center of my pupils with no margin of error."
FD "So, Ayy-non, how was your trip with my little girl?"
F "Dad!"
FM "Why don’t you go get ready for bed Lucy."
"Fang glowers."
FD "Lucy your mom-"
"I look to Fang…"
"Okay, yeah. It was a date."
A "It went well, sir."
FD "What did-"
A "We were able to find a venue, and I met Fang’s Uncle Moe."
show fangdad unimpressed flip with dissolve
"Fang’s dad sputters."
FD "I've half a mind of bringing you to the station boy!"
FD "And the other half of testing my new nightsick on ya!"
FM "Dear! Not in front-"
A "I wouldn’t mind doing this again."
show fang surprised with dissolve
"Oh wow. The look on Fang’s face is really cute."
FM "Oh I’m so happy for you two!"
"I wave as I turn to the door."
A "I’ll see you at school Fang."
F "Y-yeah. You too, Anon!"
scene home fang outside night
show anon neutral flip at aright
with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
"With that I exit the door. Once it’s closed I can feel all that bravado evaporate and my legs turn to jelly."
"I think that’s enough excitement for one day. My first step forward towards the bus stop is so wobbly I worry I’ll end up in Fang’s Mom’s rose bush."
"It would probably be a good idea to sit a bit and catch my breath before going home, and take a seat on the curb just outside Fang’s house."
"The door behind me slams open and I jerk around to see Naser being shoved down the steps."
FD "-and don’t come back until you’re finished thinking!"
play music "audio/OST/Skinrow Soul.ogg" fadein 1.0
"The door slams again and I hear a morose sigh."
show naser sad at sleft with dissolve
Nas "Aw man… Anon?"
A "...yeah…"
Nas "Why’re you sitting here?"
A "Just catching my breath. Your dad’s a bit..."
Nas "Harsh?"
A "Homicidal, but close enough."
"Naser huffs and shoves his hands back into his pockets."
Nas "You know you’re the reason dad kicked me out, right?"
A "What? I know he’s pissed I so much as looked at Fang but what did you do?"
Nas "Turns out letting you run off with Fang is just ‘encouraging your degeneracy’ or something."
"Sighing, Naser drops to sit on the curb next to me."
"He kicks a rock clean across the road and into the neighbors’ mailbox."
A "Impressive."
Nas "Hmph."
A "Getting kicked out really got you that down?"
Nas "...Sure."
A "Convincing. What’s the real answer?"
Nas "What’s it to you?"
A "Not much. Just figured I’d ask."
"He stretches his wings and lays back on the pavement."
Nas "Just figures it’d get to this."
A "Get to what?"
Nas "Me getting punished for Fang’s issues."
"Naser lays an arm over his eyes."
Nas "Why’d you need to go alone?"
A "You saw her today, she was this close to killing your girlfriend."
A "Honestly you should be thanking me for that."
"He waves me away at that."
Nas "Feh."
A "Go on."
Nas "You aren’t my therapist."
A "Humor me."
"Naser’s arm flops away from his face and onto the concrete."
Nas "Ugh. I mean, look at it from my perspective."
Nas "Fang is always up to something stupid... More often than not these days she’s arguing with either me or my parents…"
Nas "At this rate, Fang’ll end up a junkie or in a prison somewhere."
"I cringe at the mental image of junkie Fang."
Nas "Mom and dad have pretty much accepted that, so who do you think all their hopes and dreams go to?"
Nas "Me."
"With a growl Naser sits back up."
show naser angry with dissolve
Nas "It’s like I’m not allowed to have problems of my own, not allowed to mess up or do anything less than the best."
A "Judging by the trophy case at school, you aren’t doing half bad."
show naser sad with dissolve
Nas "I wish it was an option to fail, I mean."
Nas "Instead, I’m stuck with no room for error and still with a broken sister."
Nas "And she’s still my sister, you know?"
Nas "I can’t help but be worried for her."
Nas "But what can I do? She hates me, and I can’t bring up my worries with my parents."
Nas "Even Naomi notices I get stressed about it."
Nas "I just want my sister to be happy, to go back to normal."
Nas "But I don’t even remember what her normal {i}is{/i}!"
A "I don’t have siblings myself, but if I did I certainly would have trouble doing all you’re able to."
A "That selflessness by itself should help you, right?"
Nas "Selflessness? You kidding me?"
Nas "Her friends would be destroyed if Fang just… dropped all that."
Nas "Who am I to even wish she were different?"
A "So you’re getting all this worked up and you aren’t sure it’s even the right thing?"
Nas "... Yeah, I guess so."
"I try and parse everything Naser’s bitched about up to now."
"Guess it’s time for Dr. Mous’ psychological response."
A "Y’know Naser, have you ever considered just… not?"
show naser shocked with dissolve
Nas "What?!"
"Naser practically lunges at me. I hold my hands up in supplication."
show naser angry with dissolve
"I consider what to say."
"Moe’s advice drifts to the forefront of my thoughts."
A "Hear me out. Just consider this."
A "Maybe it’s not your job. I mean, you go out of your way to try and help her…"
A "Hell even Naomi has tried."
A "But… Maybe Fang’s problem is her problem to fix."
show naser sad with dissolve
Nas "But-but-but-"
A "We met your uncle today."
Nas "Uncle Moe?!"
A "Yeah, and he had some advice for me."
A "He said she needs someone to support her. Not fix her problems for her."
Nas "Isn’t that what I’ve been doing?"
A "Remember the show in the auditorium?"
"The perturbed pterosaur sags as he recalls that disaster."
Nas "Oh…"
A "Look man, you’ve got a lot of problems of your own."
A "Maybe you should handle those first before you try to fix your sister’s."
Nas "Haaaaah. Well, if Uncle Moe said so…"
Nas "But why did he tell you that?"
"...shit…"
A "Err… y’know… just advice from an old guy."
A "You know how they love to give advice."
show naser neutral with dissolve
"His head shakes side to side, dismissing my dismissal."
Nas "No way. Not Uncle Moe. He’d never give you the time of day."
"Shitshitshitshitshit."
A "Look, he just wanted to give me some advice for Fang and now I’m giving it to you."
A "So drop it."
Nas "No way."
Nas "Advice for Fang… saying it was a date…"
show naser shocked with dissolve
Nas "Do you like my sister?!"
A "I wasn’t the one to call it a-"
show naser sad with dissolve
Nas "That…"
Nas "Explains a lot, shit..."
A "But I didn’t-"
show naser considering with dissolve
Nas "Oh god, what would Dad think of the kids?"
A "What the fuck?!"
Nas "Hell, if Dad finds out at all-"
show naser shocked with dissolve
A "NASER."
"He pauses, the look of shocked disdain still stuck to his face."
show naser neutral with dissolve
A "At this point it seems like you just {i}want{/i} to be a stressed mess."
A "Maybe I do like your sister."
show naser angry
A "Sure, she’s rude, violent, and maybe a bit bipolar."
A "She’s impressionable, self-centered, stubborn, the list goes on."
Nas "Are you looking to taste some concrete?"
A "But beyond all that, there’s more to her."
A "Like… Like her passion, Naser. She adores music. Adores {i}playing{/i} music."
A "And she has theses… moments where I can see the softer side of her."
"The pop of knuckles from Naser tells me I should rephrase that."
A "I mean, it feels like I’ve gotten to see a side of Fang that she hasn’t shown anyone else."
A "A side that’s willing to give a loser like me the time of day."
Nas "And that’s enough?"
A "I don’t know man, this is all uncharted water."
A "Like, how did you and Naomi get together?"
Nas "That is… a very long story."
A "How long?"
Nas "About two school semesters, thirty track-meets, and a school election."
A "So about a paperback book then?"
Nas "Sure, why not."
show naser neutral with dissolve
"Naser hums and reclines back onto the pavement."
Nas "Sheesh, how’d we wind up talking about our love lives?"
A "Speak for yourself, man, I know fuckall about this stuff."
Nas "And you think I do?"
Nas "Naomi’s the one that makes all the plans and stuff."
A "Seems like she does that a lot."
Nas "Just the way she is."
Nas "Anyway, I think dad’s had enough time and beer to cool down now."
A "How long has it been?"
Nas "‘Bout an hour I think."
A "Wait…"
"I swiftly withdraw my phone to check the time."
A "Ah fuck, I’m gonna miss the last bus!"
Nas "I could give you a lift."
"And let you find out I live in the shittiest part of town?"
A "Nah it’s fine. If I run I think I can make it."
Nas "Well don’t let me keep you. I’ll catch ya at school, Anon."
A "Yeah, sure thing."
Nas "And for what it’s worth, you’re not like the monkeys we hear about all the time on Dino News Network."
Nas "The kind that hang around this part of town called Skin Row, y’know?"
"Just gonna ignore that."
Nas "Thanks for sticking around a bit."
Nas "It’s… nice to finally be able to tell someone all that."
"I wave Naser goodbye as I get up and start jogging for the bus stop."
"I’m mentally fatigued after everything that’s happened today."
"I check my phone for the time."
"Hmm…."
"I open up the browser and go to a familiar Sudetan Sword Swallowing IRC."
"\[Hey faggots, guess who just got back from a perfect date?\]"
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
"Twelve replies from a single post, I think that’s a new record for me."
"..."
#Concert Day
"-One Week Later-"
scene moes pizza with fade
play music 'audio/OST/Fuck You I Like To Shitpost.ogg' fadein 1.0
"The week’s been a mix of excitement and trepidation."
"More excitement from Fang and the band and trepidation on my part around Fang."
"Having come to terms with how I feel, I just can’t stop noticing all the little things she does."
"Like her cute tail wagging to a silent tune."
"Or her weird and funny way of eating."
"Or how soft and huggable her wings look."
"Raptor Jesus, if this is what love is I kind of want to sample buckshot."
"And yet I don’t want it to stop."
"Even now as Moe and Reed work on clearing the floor of tables and making a noise."
"And I’m drooling like an idiot as I watch Fang bend over a large Amp."
unknown "Ahem"
"Even now her tail wags to that mysterious beat in her head."
unknown "AHEM"
"Not to mention the way those jeans hug her hips and ass-"
unknown "AH-HEM!"
A "Hm?"
show trish neutral at sleft
show anon neutral at aright
T "Aren’t you supposed to be helping?"
"Hm? OH SHIT RIGHT!"
A "Y-yeah, right! Just moving this table ahahaha."
show trish:
linear .5 xzoom -1.0
hide trish with moveoutleft
scene moebackrooms with fade
"I pick up the last table on the floor and hurriedly move it to the suspiciously large storage room in the back of Dino-Moe’s."
"I set the table down with the rest, right next to the seemingly out of place buckets of cement mix."
"Looking out from the closet, the joint is actually pretty big."
"The area is a good one-hundred and fifty by two-hundred feet, so without the tables there’s enough space for at least a few hundred people."
show anon neutral flip at sleft with moveinleft
"Impressed, I let out a low whistle."
play music 'audio/OST/Dino Destiny Reader.ogg' fadein 1.0
show anon neutral at aleft
show stella neutral flip at sright
St "I’m on time, right?"
"Where did she come from?"
A "Hm? Who are you?"
St "We’ve met before..."
A "Wha- wait… Stella, right? From the school gardens."
"She gleefully nods."
St "Yes! Rosa should be coming any minute now, too!"
"I haven’t spoken to either of them since campus beautification."
"Well, other than Stella through the bathroom door, but that doesn’t really count."
"But Fang and the rest will be happy they have at least two fans, right?"
St "You know…"
St "There’s always room in the gardening club if you still want to join, Anon..."
"There’s no way I’m going back to that sort of prison labor."
"I look the pale green, spine covered thing up and down."
A "Uh.."
A "Y-you {i}do{/i} know what your shirt says, right?"
"Stella gives me a quizzical look and glances down at her shirt, her face turning bright red."
St "Oh my… th-this was the only clean shirt I had…"
"If I didn’t feel the way I did about Fang, I’d think Stella’s stammering was kinda cute."
"Suddenly her face lights up and her eyes return to me."
St "Wait… You like anime too, don’t you?"
"Play it cool, Anon. No need to reveal your power level."
menu:
"I used to when I was little.":
A "I saw some back in elementary school."
"I’ve seen a bit here and there.":
A "Yeah, uh… a little bit."
St "That’s amazing! I don’t have anyone else I can talk to about it!"
St "What’s your favorite anime? I loooove PreCure!"
"Raptor Jesus on his cross of rock."
"It takes all my strength not to physically cringe."
St "Oooh, we should watch it together sometime!"
St "I have the box set of every season!"
St "We could marathon it over a long weekend or something!"
A "Uh… maybe some other time..."
"I’ll just block my calendar for this… maybe for after the heat death of the universe."
A "Anyway, the show isn’t for another half-hour."
St "I wanted to ask you before... what did you think of your fortune?"
A "Uh… I kinda forgot…"
St "You got the Judgement?"
A "Doesn’t ring a bell."
St "O-oh… well… Uh… How would you like another?"
A "Eh… I got time to kill, sure."
"She pulls her deck of tarot cards from… somewhere…"
"Where the fuck does she hide these things?"
"Anyway, she fans the deck out."
St "Alright, take one."
"I take one at random and show it to her."
#Decided to take the unholy if/else approach to this, if there is a better, cleaner, or faster way to do it then do point me to it.
#Values here were decided by writers, not me
if anonscore == 3 and fangscore == 4:
#>>golden
St "Upright Strength"
St "OH! I don’t think you need to worry about what’s to come, Anon."
elif anonscore >= 3 and fangscore <= 2:
#>>tradwife
St "Inverted Hierophant."
St "You need to be wary of your words and actions, Anon."
elif anonscore <= 2 and fangscore >= 3:
#>>doomer
St "Inverted Hermit."
St "Anon, if you ever feel lonely you can come to me."
elif anonscore <= 2 and fangscore <= 2:
#>>shooter
St "Oh my, inverted Empress."
St "You need to be wary about future negligence, Anon."
else:
#>>ERROR HANDLING
St "uh oh..."
A "What?"
St "Some dipshit developer made broken code and this is the error handling message and you should report this as a bug"
A "What?"
St "Basically the if/else statement that handles this shit has failed at catching the score, and I cannot give you a tarot reading..."
A "The fuck does that mean?"
St "Uh… er… Gottago,naturecalls,seeyouattheshow!"
hide stella neutral flip
show stella neutral at sright
hide stella with moveoutright
"She flees in denim pissing fear."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"...Well then…"
play music 'audio/OST/Those Other Two Weirdos.ogg' fadein 1.0
"What was I doing?"
"Oh yeah."
"I step up to the stage to see the band’s point of view."
hide anon at sleft with moveoutright
scene moebackrooms
show anon neutral at aleft with moveinleft:
xalign 0.0
linear 0.5 rotate 90 yalign -0.5
"And then promptly trip."
#anon fall
"*FWAP*"
A "Argh!"
hide anon
"What the fuck was that?!"
"There’s a loose cord over my foot."
"That’s…"
"Probably not good for the show."
show anon neutral at acenter with moveinbottom
"I stand up and wipe the dust from my pants."
"Trish is the organizer…"
"Right now she’s giving Reed a lecture on why it’s probably a bad idea to put carfentanyl in the smoke machine."
A "Hey, Trish!"
show anon at aleft with move
"Trish looks over her shoulder and Reed’s face lights up."
A "Can you come here a second?"
"Trish sighs, points between her eyes and Reed’s, and stomps over to the stage."
show trish neutral flip at tcenter with moveinright
T "Whaddayawant, skinnie?"
A "I just tripped on one of the wires up here."
show trish unimpressed flip
T "Sucks to be you."
"Bitch."
A "Should I plug them all into a surge protector so you guys don’t fall during the concert?"
show trish annoyed flip
T "What?"
T "No, of course not."
T "We won’t trip, I have that on good authority."
A "Whose?"
show trish unimpressed flip
T "...Reed’s."
A "..."
T "..."
A "And you trust his word on something like this?"
show trish neutral with dissolve
T "Sure."
T "He’s the expert on this stuff and all."
"Before I can object, Trish turns away and runs after Reed who is huddled over the smoke machine, pungent fumes wafting from it’s exposed innards."
hide trish with moveoutleft
"Well, seems like he’s got that handled."
"Trish seemed pretty confident that Reed knows what he’s doing with the stage."
"But Reed obviously doesn’t understand cable management."
menu:
"Leave the stage as-is":
jump LeaveStageAsIs
"Fix the cables":
jump FixCables
label LeaveStageAsIs:
$ anonscore += 1
"Reed may not understand cable management, but then again neither did I."
"Probably better to let sleeping fossils lie."
define LeftStage = "1"
jump PostCableConundrum
label FixCables:
"It could be a serious hazard if I leave them like this."
"Like a fire hazard or something. I think."
"I’ll just put them all on one of Moe’s surge protectors."
"Aaaaaand done."
label PostCableConundrum:
"Now that that’s taken care of, I glance at the pizza-themed clock on the wall."
"Thirty minutes until the show starts."
"The band is doing one last sound test, Reed’s bass drum bearing another new logo for VVURM DRAMA that doesn’t look half bad."
"Trish has a wicked grin on her face and I can practically see the dollar signs in her eyes."
scene moebackrooms
show fang hiding at sright
with fade
"And Fang…"
"Fang looks anxious, hands wringing the strap of her hollowbody electric guitar."
"I consider what I’m about to do extremely stupid but…"
A "Hey."
show anon neutral at aleft with moveinleft
show fang surprised flip at scenter with dissolve
"She jumps a little as I step back on stage. Her knuckles are bright white as they strangle the leather strap."
F "...Hey."
Moe "{alpha=0.5}{i}The secret is support!{/i}{/alpha}"
"I offer her my most supportive smile."
A "You’ve got this, Fang."
show fang sad flip with dissolve
F "Don’t feel like I do, though."
A "You do. You’ve been practicing all month for this."
A "And you’ve improved immensely since your last gig."
A "I have complete faith in your ability to play guitar."
A "Don’t worry so much."
A "Just don't fret about it, you’ll be fine"
show fang happy flip with dissolve
"Trish rolls her eyes, Reed’s vacant stare has a bit of approval."
show fang neutral flip at sright
show trish neutral flip at tcenter
with dissolve
T "At least it wasn't a dinosaur pun this time."
A "I'm not that unfunny!"
T "You are."
A "Fuck you, I’m hilarious."
T "No one thinks that, loser."
A "Don’t you have something to be triggered about!"
show trish fury flip with dissolve:
xalign 0.5 yalign 10.0
T "YOU CAN’T USE THAT WORD, THAT’S OUR WORD!"
show trish angry flip with dissolve
A "Just did, wanna see me do it again?"
F "Ladies, Ladies, please."
F "Shut the fuck up."
stop music fadeout 1.0
F "We’ve got sweet music to play."
scene moebackrooms
if LeftStage == "1":
show trish neutral at tleft
show fang neutral at scenter
show reed neutral flip at rright
play music 'audio/OST/The.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Showtime"
F "All right! Next up we got 'The!'"
"WHAT."
"They go right into their next song with gusto."
"..."
"An hour later and the band is wrapping up their last song for the night."
"I take my eyes off the stage to get a read on the crowd."
"Easily a good hundred people showed up to see VVURM DRAMA, better than any of us expected."
"The look on Fang’s face when everyone began filtering into the restaurant was priceless."
play music 'audio/OST/The Hitler Song With The Really Long Name.ogg' fadein 1.0
"They were on the last song of the night, the bizarrely long name of which I missed."
F "I JUST GOTTA ASK:"
F "WHY IS HITLER"
F "RIDING MY BIKE"
F "PRETENDING TO BE"
F "A MONKEY"
"Oh right… Reed definitely wrote this one."
"The band really has improved, as opposed to booing and pointing at the audience is listening intently."
F "AT THREEEEEEE AAAAAAAA MMMMM"
F "IN THE MORNIIIIIING!"
F "ON A FUCKIN’ TUESDAAAAY!"
"After the song ends, VVURM DRAMA hangs onto the pose of their final note."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"It’s silent."
"I applaud the band, eventually some other patrons join in."
"The applause turns to cheers, and the cheers turn to uproar."
"The crowd was cheering."
"Actually cheering this time."
play music 'audio/OST/punk_revamp.ogg' fadein 1.0
"The bandmates’ faces light up, and they all glance at each other."
"The hard work has taken its toll on the three, giving them varying degrees of perspiration."
"The sweat is trickling down Fang’s forehead, Trish has gone from an afro to dreadlocks, and Reed is providing the restaurant with a nice ocean scent."
"Fang finishes with a furious flurry of strumming on her fretboard."
F "Woooooooo! THANK YOU LITTLE TROODON!"
"The crowd’s approval is obvious, even in the makeshift mosh pit where I see Stella getting fake curb-stomped."
"At least I think it’s fake."
"Rosa is on the other side of the room, too entranced by the music to care."
"Eh, I don’t see any blood so she’s good."
scene moebackrooms
show fang very happy at sleft
show anon neutral flip at acenter with fade
F "ANON!"
"Before I could react I was swept up in a blur of feathers."
hide anon
hide fang
show fang hug
"Fang wrapped her arms and wings around me and kept rocking back and forth."
F "OHMYGOD OHMYGOD WE DID IT WE DID IT"
F "THEY ACTUALLY LOVE VVURM DRAMA!"
"I tune out the alarms screaming in my head and hug her back."
hide fang hug
show fanganonhug
"Her wings are just as soft and huggable as they look."
"Fang’s beak settles against my cheek, the warm scales sliding smoothly up and down against it."
"This is nice."
"I become aware of my hands, planted firmly on the small of Fang’s back and pressing her closer to me."
"Beneath my splayed palms is soft, warm and drenched in sweat. I find that I don’t really mind the slickness."
T "Fang?"
"I feel like I could stay like this forever."
T "Hellooo, Fang?"
"Fang suddenly flinches, and I get a split second view of a purple hand on her shoulder."
"Her face is beet red and the warmth in my own cheeks tells me I don’t look far behind."
"Trish looks like she’s sucked on a lemon with how twisted her face is."
"The tiny triceratops pulls Fang out of my hands, and I can picture my fist twisting that horn right off her face."
hide fanganonhug
show fang neutral flip at scenter
show anon neutral flip at sright
show trish neutral at tleft
T "Hmmm... "
A "Great show, right?"
T "I guess. For our first show, anyway."
show fang happy flip with dissolve
F "What? It was great though! Everyone was cheering!"
show trish indignant with dissolve
T "But it was a small crowd."
A "Was it? The place was packed."
show trish explanatory with dissolve
T "Small venue. We gotta think bigger now."
A "Why bigger?"
show trish happy with dissolve
T "Because I still have stock!"
"She motions to the bar, where there is still some hung up shirts with the new mediocre logo lazily spray painted on."
A "Have you sold much?"
T "Three buttons, four stickers, and an Apron!"
A "An apron?"
Moe "AY, KIDS!"
#moe now has vvurm drama apron
show moealt with moveinright:
xalign 1.8 yalign 0.0
Moe "LOOKIT DIS ‘ERE AH-PRON YA LIL TRIGGA FRIEN SOL’ ME!"
show trish unimpressed with dissolve
"Trish looks split on whether to be mad about the trigga comment or happy about the successful sale."
unknown "Hey! Someone took ma apron!"
Moe "GIT BACK TA WORK JERRY YER ON DA CLOCK!"
show fang happy flip with dissolve
F "It uh… looks nice, Uncle Moe."
Moe "Anyways, youse all gonna be helpin’ wit da clean up, right?"
"I look at the absolute mess around us."
"Fuck."
stop music fadeout 1.0
else:
show trish neutral at sleft
show fang neutral at scenter
show reed neutral flip at sright
play music 'audio/OST/The.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Showtime"
"I take my eyes off the stage to get a read on the crowd."
"Easily a good hundred people showed up to see VVURM DRAMA, better than any of us expected."
"The look on Fang’s face when everyone began filtering into the restaurant was priceless."
play music 'audio/OST/The Hitler Song With The Really Long Name.ogg' fadein 1.0
"They were on the last song of the night, the bizarrely long name of which I missed."
F "I JUST GOTTA ASK:"
F "WHY IS HITLER"
F "RIDING MY BIKE"
F "PRETENDING TO BE"
F "A MONKEY"
"Oh right… Reed definitely wrote this one."
"The band really has improved, as opposed to booing and pointing at the audience is listening intently."
"And nobody has tripped so far."
F "AT THREEEEEEE AAAAAAAA MMMMM"
F "IN THE MORNIIIIIING!"
F "ON A-"
"As if right on cue, half of the lights on stage cut out."
stop music
scene black
"Trish strummed silently before giving a confused glance at the speakers."
F "T-tuesday?"
"Fang fell out of tempo with Reed’s drums, stumbling over the end of the song."
scene dimstage with fade
show anon neutral at aright with dissolve
"It’s silent."
"I began to clap, followed by several other patrons."
"Including Stella who looked seconds away from being curb-stomped."
"Rosa is on the other side of the room, too entranced by the music to care."
play music 'audio/OST/Summertime Synth.ogg' fadein 1.0
"My eyes scan the room before noticing Trish, the sheer vehement rage radiating from her visibly distorting the air around her."
"Fuck."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"My jaw aches as I picture myself in Stella’s place, courtesy of one pissed of womanlet."
"Before I have the chance to escape I hear my one saving grace."
show fang happy with moveinleft:
xalign 0.6 yalign 0.25
F "ANON!"
"Fang reaches me before Trish leaves the stage, extending her hand for a high-five."
F "We did it!"
show trish unimpressed at tcenter with moveinleft
T "No thanks to that asshole!"
"Oh no."
F "What’s wrong?"
show trish indignant with dissolve
T "Skinnie sabotaged the show!"
T "I told him not to touch the wires and look what happened!"
A "I was only trying to help."
show trish annoyed with dissolve
"Trish holds up her hand to my face, waving the other around in grand gestures."
show trish indignant with dissolve
T "You ruined the big finale! We missed our chance to make it big!"
T "Why is it that only my bass cut out anyways?!"
T "Are you actively trying to ruin us?!"
T "I told you Reed knew what he was doing!"
T "Do you not trust him and I?"
show trish sad with dissolve
"Tears trickle down her sweat-glazed face."
T "Is Fang really the only one here you care about?!"
T "You are not the only person in the world!"
"This hypocritical bitch!"
"The sharp words cut right through me."
show fang sad with dissolve
F "Jeez, Trish. The show went great! Our first good concert!"
F "The crowd actually clapped this time!"
T "No thanks to him."
A "I didn’t do it on purpose."
"Even though you deserved it."
"Before she could interrogate me further, Fang grabbed Trish on the arm."
show fang happy with dissolve
F "Trish! Didn’t you say you wanted to set up our merch!"
"Trish winces, then gives a begrudging sigh, lowering her accusatory finger."
show trish unimpressed with dissolve
T "Ugh, you aren’t worth it."
hide trish with dissolve
"Trish storms off leaving Fang and I alone."
"And Reed who was listening the entire time."
Re "Anon, dude… you really should trust others, y’know?"
Re "It’s like they say… trust is the building block of our economy, or something."
"What."
Re "There are two kinds of people in this world, bro... people who believe and people who trust."
Re "And you believed in something false, your impulsiveness."
"Before I can begin to comprehend Reed’s capitalist sermon, my ears are assaulted by very Italian yelling."
Moe "AY, KIDS!"
#moe now has vvurm drama apron
Moe "LOOKIT DIS ‘ERE AH-PRON YA LIL TRIGGA FRIEN SOL’ ME!"
"Reed looks almost jealous of Moe’s new garb."
Re "Nice threads, compadre."
unknown "Hey! Someone took ma apron!"
Moe "GIT BACK TA WORK JERRY YER ON DA CLOCK!"
F "It uh… looks nice, Uncle Moe."
Moe "Anyways, youse all gonna be helpin’ wit da clean up, right?"
"I look at the absolute mess around us."
"Fuck."
scene moebackrooms
show anon neutral at acenter
play music 'audio/OST/west_coast_kicking.ogg' fadein 1.0
"An hour later and I’m stuck mopping up where the mosh pit once stood."
"As my mop head gains a tinge of red I pray to god this isn’t from Stella."
"Rosa wanted to stay and help clean buuut…"
"{i}Ro I am so sorry Stella! Come, I shall nurse you back at my home!{/i}"
"I’d feel more sorry for Stella but Rosa looked capable of helping her."
"My god that’s a lot of… Marinara… Yeah…"
"Fang and Trish are trying to divide and carry out the stage."
"...The mop really isn’t getting much from the floor."
"Am I supposed to have a bucket or something?"
show reed neutral flip at rright with moveinright
Re "Yooo, Anon!"
"Reed crosses right through the puddles, tracking grimy footprints without a care."
Re "Hey man… what’d you think of the lyrics?"
A "What were you on when you wrote that?"
"Reed rubs his forehead, struggling to remember more than ten minutes ago."
Re "I dunno man… the floor maybe? But I also distinctly remember floating…"
Re "Y’know, dude, we’ve been doing this since junior year, right?"
Re "And this is the first show that anyone’s actually liked."
Re "Wild."
A "You’ve only been playing together for a year?"
Re "You know it man, crazy how time flies."
Re "Man, back then Trish had these crazy long horns and glasses."
"Now there’s a thought. How would Trish even look with glasses?"
"Actually, how would glasses even work on any triceratops?"
Re "Fang wasn’t Fang."
A "She- what?"
Re "Er… Probably shouldn’t have mentioned that…"
A "Fang wasn’t herself?"
Re "Honestly… That’s probably something to be left for Fang and Fang alone to talk about… Sorry."
A "Er… riiiiiight."
Re "Only thing that stayed the same was like... me and my carfe, bro."
"How long has he been on that stuff?"
Re "It was almost like a totally different time, man."
show anon neutral at aleft with moveinright
show reed neutral flip with moveinright:
xalign 1.1
show trish neutral flip at tright with moveinright
"Before I even got a moment to picture what it might have been like not even a year ago, Trish appears behind Reed."
"She looks like she’s about to snap both our necks."
T "Hey, Reed, what are you two talking about?"
Re "Just talking about some memories of the band, Trish."
T "You didn’t tell him anything about me, did you?"
A "Glasses."
T "Reed, you absolute ass."
"Reed just shrugs."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"By this point the restaurant has been mostly cleaned up with only a few tables left to put back."
play music 'audio/OST/you need gopher chucks.ogg' fadein 1.0
T "So Anon, we showed you ours, now it’s your turn to show us yours."
A "What, out here in public? Didn’t peg you for the kinky type." #lol sex
"Trish inhales sharply, visibly trying to master herself."
T "I meant with your old school."
A "That’s on a need to know basis, and you don’t need to know."
show anon neutral with move:
xalign 0.2
show reed neutral flip with move:
xalign 1.2
show fang neutral with moveinleft:
xalign -0.4
F "Come on Anon, don’t you have any good memories from your old school?"
"Oh god no."
A "I’d really rather not talk about it."
F "Why not? You’ve told me about your parents."
"That seems to catch Trish’s attention."
"Shit. And that look of expectancy from Fang too?"
"I guess it can’t hurt."
A "Well… I did try to get into music at one point."
F "With how much you need my help in music class?"
A "I didn’t say I was good at it. I was just clicking buttons and seeing what stuck."
A "And spoiler alert, nothing did."
"That got a giggle out of Fang and a look from Trish."
T "By the way Anon, I saw you talking to that Stella girl before the concert. You have something going on there?"
"I feel a pit in my stomach as a look of betrayal crosses Fang’s face."
"Right into Trish’s trap, hook, line, sinker and rod."
menu:
"Nyet.":
A "I do NOT have a thing for Incontineisha."
"Nein.":
A "I do NOT have a thing for Incontineisha."
"Non.":
A "I do NOT have a thing for Incontineisha."
"Nope.":
A "I do NOT have a thing for Incontineisha."
"Inai.":
A "I do NOT have a thing for Incontineisha."
"Mei yo.":
A "I do NOT have a thing for Incontineisha."
"None of that.":
A "I do NOT have a thing for Incontineisha."
"No.":
A "I do NOT have a thing for Incontineisha."
Re "Who?... Thought like, we were talkin’ bout whatsherface."
T "The one with the Dino Duel cards."
Re "...I thought those were Pocket Raptor cards."
F "Weren’t they handegg cards?"
A "Uh… moving on..."
T "Anyone back home you had your eye on then?"
A "Nobody at Rock Bottom was worth the time."
"Fang’s face softens, almost in a silent sigh of relief."
"Is there hope for me yet?"
T "Rock Bottom, huh? I don’t think you’ve ever told us where you’re from before."
"..."
play music 'audio/OST/you can_t sage here.ogg' fadein 1.0
"SHIT."
A "O-oh, I haven’t? Huh."
F "Who really cares where you went to last?"
Re "Yeah, man, it’s just a school."
F "Was it in the sticks?"
A "Not exactly, it was certainly lower class though."
A "I used to buy bulk soda and sell them to the stupid kids for lunch money."
Re "Yooo, my man!"
"Reed gives me a fist bump."
A "I’d usually just go places on a crappy dirt bike, leaving donuts in parking lots when I was sure nobody was looking."
F "Sounds like you were pretty cool at your last school."
"HA."
A "I dunno about that…"
Re "Sure, man… I don’t get why you left in the first place if you had it so good."
"Oh no."
A "Oh, uh, actually…"
"THINK OF SOMETHING THINK OF SOMETHING THINK OF SOMETHING"
A "I had to leave because of, uh…"
"DON’T SAY SOMETHING STUPID YOU ONLY GET ONE SHOT AT THIS."
A "Family issues."
"Nailed it."
Re "Bummer man… glad you’re here instead."
A "Yeah, yeah, thanks man."
T "Sounds personal, guess we shouldn’t pry."
stop music fadeout 1.0
T "We’re all friends here, after all."
"Guess we are all friends at this point."
"To varying degrees."
"I let a content smile creep onto my face." #WHAT THE FUCK ANON CANT SMILE WHAT THEW FUCK WHAT THE FUCK
show moealt at sright with moveinright
play music 'audio/OST/Venetian Values.ogg' fadein 1.0
Moe "AY YOU STUPID KIDS!"
"The tyrannosaur stomps over to us from the kitchen."
Moe "Great job again on da show, punks."
Moe "I knew my lil Lucy could pull dis shindig off."
"He clamps one of his tiny hands down on Fang’s shoulder as she reflexively tries to hide her face with a wing."
Moe "Alas, I’m expecting a late night visita’, so I needs you punks to piss off."
Moe "Come on by for a slice sometime, yeah?"
A "Thanks, Moe."
Re "Yeah man… thanks a bunch…"
Moe "Now scram youse kids. I’ve got a different kinds a clean-up ta deal wit’."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
"Aaaaaaand repressing that."
"..."
scene black with fade
#Study Session
play music 'audio/OST/Bayside Bumming it.ogg' fadein 1.0
"-A Few Weeks Later-"
scene bandroom
"Things have cooled off since the concert back in February."
"There’s no major events coming up, so the days have gotten longer."
"The weather has started to warm up as well."
"Each morning I’ve been walking through a thick blanket of fog that always dissipates by lunchtime."
"It’s a drastic shift compared to the hot/cold binary of fly-over life."
"Maybe I should ditch the jacket soon…"
"No, there’s no way I’m showing the world just how much of a lanklet I am."
"Even if it means being grilled alive."
show fang happy at sleft with dissolve
F "Geez, Anon, you look like you’re dying right now."
show anon neutral flip at aright with dissolve
A "The sun… can go… fuck itself…"
"Fang chuckles and pats my back as I lean over my desk."
"On second thought, tank tops seem cool. Reed is usually wearing one."
show jingo at sleft
jingo "Alright class, the Principal’s got something to say, then you’ll be leavin’ early."
hide jingo
"With that we were all directed to the auditorium."
scene auditorium with dissolve
"We didn’t have assigned seating, so I immediately thought of sitting with Fang."
"Knowing better than to look through the ocean of students, I follow my nose to Reed."
"The fetid raptor was sitting in the very last row with Trish."
show reed sunglasses at scenter with dissolve
Re "YOOOOO!"
"Reed’s bellow easily eclipses everyone else."
"I wave back, hurrying past my awestruck classmates to claim my rightful throne."
Re "‘Ey guys… saved ya some seats."
"I take a glance over to see Trish pouting."
T "Fuck, he found us."
"The last students trickle in through the doors and take their seats."
scene auditorium
"Mr. Carldewskii takes the stage with an electronic mic."
show carldelewski at scenter with moveinright
carl "Alright, frickin’ settle down kids. We got a special frickin’ announcement from the frickin’ principal."
carl "We got frickin’ midterms coming up soon, and he frickin’ feels the need to give all of you a frickin’ pep talk."
"The audience collectively groans."
"Fang and Trish throw their heads back."
play music 'audio/OST/we just turned on the microphone in our programmers_ house.ogg' fadein 1.0
"On cue, Principal Spears takes the stage."
"Mr. Carldewskii holds the microphone out to him but gets ignored."
"The student body covers their ears in preparation."
hide carldelewski with dissolve
show spears neutral at scenter with moveinleft
show spears angry with dissolve
Sp "ALRIGHT YOU LITTLE PUNKS."
Sp "LIKE THE MAN SAID, WE HAVE MIDTERMS TO DEAL WITH IN JUST A FEW WEEKS."
Sp "AND I DON’T WANT TO SEE ANY OF YOU SLACKING, ONLY THE BEST EFFORTS WILL BE ALLOWED."
Sp "THESE SCORES MAY NOT AFFECT YOUR OVERALL GRADE, SO MANY OF YOU MAY DECIDE TO DISREGARD THEM."
Sp "IT’S A WEAK MINDSET LIKE THAT THAT CAN AND WILL TRAP YOU!"
Sp "THESE TESTS ARE FOR YOU TO SEE IF YOU’RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK OR NOT!"
Sp "I EXPECT YOU ALL TO ACE THESE EXAMS BECAUSE VOLCANO HIGH IS THE BEST SCHOOL THERE IS!"
Sp "AND I TEACH THE BEST STUDENTS THERE ARE, HERE AT VOLCANO HIGH!"
Sp "ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?"
"Judging by the dead silence, there wasn’t any."
hide spears angry
show spears neutral at scenter with dissolve
show carldelewski at sright with moveinright
stop music fadeout 1.0
"The principal gives a single approving nod and exits stage right."
carl "Alright you kids, you’re free to frikin' go."
hide spears with dissolve
hide carldelewski with dissolve
play music 'audio/effects/chatter loop.ogg' fadein 1.0
"With that the sea of students begins to funnel out of the auditorium."
"The four of us wait until the auditorium is half empty before getting up and making our way to the door."
play music 'audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Our motley crew make it to the front lawn of the school and Reed falls flat on his back in the freshly mowed grass."
scene outside school with fade
show fang neutral at sleft
show anon neutral:
xalign 0.3 yalign 1
show trish neutral at tcenter
show reed neutral at sright
Re "Later guys."
hide reed
show reed neutral flip at sright
hide reed neutral flip with moveoutleft
show trish neutral at tright with move
hide trish
show trish neutral flip at tright
show anon neutral at acenter with move
"His breathing becomes a rumbling snore."
T "So Fang, you actually gonna study?"
F "Mmmm…"
T "We can go to the library, there shouldn’t be anyone there."
A "Eh, I don’t think I’m allowed there anymore. Wasted too much bandwidth."
"Fuck using my own data to pirate all these games I’ll probably never play."
T "I wasn’t asking you, douche."
F "I kind of just wanna go home."
T "...Kay… Talk to ya later Fang."
F "Yeah… Later…"
T "Fuck you Anon."
A "I didn’t even do anything this time!"
hide trish neutral flip with moveoutleft
"Tch. Fuck her."
A "Whatever. See you monday, Fang."
show anon neutral:
linear 0.3 xalign 0.9
"Before I can turn away Fang’s hand catches the sleeve of my unnecessary sweater."
hide anon neutral
show anon neutral flip:
xalign 0.9
F "A-actually… I was thinking…"
A "Hmm?"
"Fang’s grip loosens on my arm, leaving her hand to rest on my forearm."
F "Wanna like, study at my place? I uh… kinda need help… with science."
A "Suuurrrreewaaait. Wouldn’t your dad make me into a hunting trophy?"
F "I don’t think you’re that good of a catch."
"Ow. My ego."
F "Besides, he’s working a late shift tonight and my mom should be out clothes shopping or something. Again."
"It’s okay Anon, you’re just going to Fang’s house."
"Alone."
"♪ Just the two of us. ♪"
"Bill Withers shut the fuck up holy fuck AAAAAAAA."
A "Okay then. So how are we gonna get to your place?"
F "Shit! The bus! We can make it to the last one if we run!"
"OH GO FUCK YOURSELF BILL WITHERS."
hide fang neutral
show fang neutral flip at sleft
hide fang neutral flip with moveoutleft
hide anon neutral with moveoutleft
scene black with fade
"We make a mad dash to the last bus."
"I’m sweating like hell by the time we get there, made worse by the fact I’m still wearing my jacket."
"Still must not take off."
"Must not expose skeleton arms."
scene home fang day
"After a little while of being simultaneously fried alive and bathed in sweat, we finally make it to Fang’s place."
"I obviously thank the bus driver again."
"Wait. Alone with Fang? At her place?"
"Bill Withers begins to blare inside my head again God just fuck off FUCK."
scene home fang day
F "Come on, Anon. We can study in my room."
"Fang’s room?"
"Oh, man, it’s been a while since I’ve noticed the alarms."
A "S-sure! Lead the way."
"Fang climbs the steps while I trail behind, weary of any hidden fathers laying in wait to ambush me."
scene black with fade
"She holds a door open to a pitch-black room, and I tentatively step in."
F "Aaaaah, home sweet home."
scene fangroom
"Fang flips on the lights and I’m not quite sure what I expected."
"The black walls are covered with various band posters, the spaces in between covered by what I assume are lyric ideas written in chalk."
"A few guitar stands and a keyboard in the corner below a non-binary flag hanging on the wall."
"Fang throws her bag off to the side and picks up a guitar, strumming a few chords."
"I plant my hands in my pockets nonchalantly, looking around for a chair or something."
show fang neutral at sleft with dissolve
show anon neutral flip at aright with dissolve
F "Just sit on the floor, dweeb."
A "Wow, not even a beanbag chair?"
A "What kind of lazy teenager are you?"
F "The kind that has expendable guitars in arm’s reach."
A "Fair enough."
"I use my backpack as a makeshift backrest."
A "What’s the guitar for, anyways?"
F "Playing music."
A "I mean, aren’t we supposed to be studying?"
A "Or are we doing music first?"
hide anon
hide fang
show fangguitar
with dissolve
F "Uhm… This is just how I get ready for studying."
F "Strumming along puts me at ease."
"Fang picks up a spare guitar pick from a shelf."
"She begins playing a short riff that I recognize from one of VVURM DRAMA’s songs, smiling and relaxing as she goes on."
"Like my own personal concert."
"When the song is finished, Fang gives an expectant glance my way."
"I smile and give a tasteful nod."
F "You wanna try?"
"Fang takes off the guitar strap and extends it for me to play."
"I’m not sure what she expects me to do but I could give it a shot."
"Though aren’t we supposed to be studying for midterms?"
Sp "{i}{alpha=0.5}THESE SCORES MAY NOT AFFECT YOUR OVERALL GRADE, SO MANY OF YOU MAY DECIDE TO DISREGARD THEM.{/alpha}{/i}"
Sp "{i}{alpha=0.5}IT’S A WEAK MINDSET LIKE THAT THAT CAN AND WILL TRAP YOU!{/alpha}{/i}"
Sp "{i}{alpha=0.5}THESE TESTS ARE FOR YOU TO SEE IF YOU’RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK OR NOT!{/alpha}{/i}"
"..."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"Is it really alright to slack off?"
menu:
"Play The Guitar":
jump LetFangPlayGuit
"Get to Studying":
jump GetStartedOnStudy
label LetFangPlayGuit:
$ fangscore += 1
"What the hell."
play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating the Moment.ogg' fadein 1.0
A "Er… why not."
"I take the guitar from her hands and put the strap on, letting its weight hang from my shoulder."
"Fang hands me the pick and I aimlessly strum the guitar, the mess of a noise sounding a far cry from her elegant playing."
"Well I tried."
F "Here, like this."
hide fangguitar
show fanganonguitar
with dissolve
"Fang grabs another guitar and motions me to copy her hand movements."
"I try to mimic her hands on the fretboard but it feels like my fingers are twisting into pretzels."
F "Not like that, your hand’s gonna get cramped as fuck like that."
"Fang sets her guitar down on a stand and comes over to me."
F "Holy fuck no wonder you sound like a horny cougar."
A "Wait, like the cat or-"
F "Here, like this."
"Her hand covers mine as she tries to readjust the position of it."
F "No like- Gah stop fighting back!"
A "Ow hey- Quite tha- OW!"
F "Oh my fuck, Anon. Just relax your hand!"
"I would if I could but the god damned alarms weren’t freaking me out!"
F "UUUUUUUURG… Hold on."
A "Wha-"
"Fang walks behind me."
F "Don’t turn around!"
A "Why-"
stop music fadeout 1.0
"She’s standing right behind me!"
"She’s standing RIGHT THE FUCK BEHIND ME!"
"Her body presses against my back and her arms come around, each of her hands taking my own and guiding them into proper position."
"..."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
play music 'audio/OST/Dragging on and on....ogg' fadein 1.0
F "Anon, are you paying attention?"
A "Y-yeah! Totally!"
"I hope my voice didn’t just crack."
"Fang’s hands move mine along the neck of the guitar."
F "Alright, try these chords."
"Her fingers press mine down, holding down the strings in an awkward position."
F "Then this."
"My hands are slid down closer to the base of the neck and too close to my crotch."
F "And then finally this."
"My fingers are shifted back up to the middle of the fretboard."
F "Try that out, Anon."
"Fang let’s go of my sweaty hands. She doesn’t move from behind me though."
"I try and replicate the movements."
"The first strum sounds… not bad…"
"The second note is horrendous. I blame my pants."
"And the last chord comes out alrightish."
F "Now do it all together."
"I repeat the pattern and it comes out all sounding alrightish."
F "Again."
"Oh hey, that didn’t sound too bad now."
F "You’re getting it now."
A "Am I? I have no clue what these chords are?"
"I keep strumming, each time progressively sounding better and better."
F "Now try playing chords of your own."
A "My own..? I thought you were showing me how to play a song."
F "I’m teaching you how to play guitar you dork."
"I reposition my fingers and try something new, producing several more horrid sounds from the instrument."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"My pinky slides off the fretboard and when I strum again a strange look appears in Fang’s eyes."
label musicalchoices:
menu:
"Slap the guitar":
play sound "audio/effects/badA.mp3"
F "Pfft hahahaha, wow you suck at this."
jump musicalchoices
"Try Something Cool":
play sound "audio/effects/goodA.mp3"
F "Wow that was really pretty."
A "Really?"
F "Pretty shit."
jump musicalchoices
"Keep it simple":
play sound "audio/effects/correctA.mp3"
F "Hmm. Interesting, keep going."
menu:
"Jam out hard":
play sound "audio/effects/badB.mp3"
F "You {i}really{/i} suck at this."
jump musicalchoices
"Strum with confidence":
play sound "audio/effects/correctB.mp3"
F "That’s pretty good."
F "Don’t stop you idiot, keep going."
"Keep a soft tone":
play sound "audio/effects/goodB.mp3"
F "C’mon Anon, you can do better."
jump musicalchoices
menu:
"Press this button or else your mother dies in her sleep":
play sound "audio/effects/badC.mp3"
F "Oh come on now, impress me."
jump musicalchoices
"Try to impress":
play sound "audio/effects/goodC.mp3"
F "Nah… That’s not it, but you’re getting there."
jump musicalchoices
"Play something random":
play sound "audio/effects/correctC.mp3"
F "I like this."
F "Play that one again for me, will you?"
"I oblige, and repeat notes several times."
"Fang’s tail starts wagging along with my strumming, turning into her usual metronome."
F "...Wait..."
"She takes the guitar from me and sits on the edge of her bed, toying with the chord I was strumming."
F "I... I think I’ve figured that song out, Anon."
play music 'audio/OST/Amberlight Brilliance - Demo.wav' fadein 1.0
"Her tail slaps a simple beat on her mattress as she slowly builds up a rhythm in her strumming."
"Her head bobs along, wings relaxing as the guitar’s tone starts picking up."
"The song borne from the guitar was mesmerizing."
"It started soft, with gentle tumbling trills, a slow jam at first, but eventually it grew into something more."
"The crescendo crossing the strings reshaped the music, the transformation into a weightier rock piece was seamless."
"More than just fingers and a pick, it was as if Fang put her entire life’s effort into this."
"Thinking back, she must have made countless songs like this, most of them never heard by anyone and left forgotten."
"She soon started to hum with the song she was playing, harmony and melancholy blending with the melody,"
"As Fang poured her very being into that instrument in her hands it dawned on me what this was."
"A lyricless ballad."
"An instrumental aria."
"Musical notes that bore the weight of words she couldn’t define."
"All of which sounded beautiful, melding together into a harsh yet intoxicating piece of dissonant serenity,"
stop music fadeout 1.0
"Eventually she started to diminuendo, the fading softness of strings and harshness in her humming as she slowly laid the guitar to rest."
"The music had stopped but her own emotions warred on."
"Fang sat there, looking down at her guitar realizing she showed me something she had never shown anyone before."
"Fang bit back tears, fighting the sob that threatened to spill from her."
"She sets her guitar down and slouches, rubbing her eyes and trying to repress her inner turmoil."
"Instinct pushes me to my feet, carrying me forward to the vulnerable girl sat on plush duvets."
"All that matters is her."
"The part of me that felt scared at that thought, that wanted to remain isolated in my comfort zone,"
"That wanted to pretend that no one else mattered,"
"That part was ejected. Forcibly."
hide fanganonguitar
show fanganonhug
with dissolve
"Fang gasps as I wrap my arms around her."
F "A-Anon-"
"The frailty of her voice makes my heart ache."
A "The song was amazing, Fang."
"It truly was. Because it was her. Her heart and soul were carried within it. Her very being."
"My heartfelt words reached her."
"The dam burst."
"She felt like a porcelain doll in my arms. Tears of sorrow and relief stain my shirt and wet my chest."
F "thank you...thank you...thank you..."
"Unlike the rooftop Fang’s voice was a weak mumble, broken by hiccups and uneasy breaths."
"My embrace is soft as I cradle her, soothing her with slow rocking."
"We stayed like this, my arms calming the fragile and spent girl."
"I have no clue how long it lasts, but Fang is able to compose herself with time."
"I let her move away, choosing to sit next to her on the soft mattress."
"Her eyes are puffy and red, and once again her make-up has left tracks of orange and black on her cheeks."
"And once again she shares with me that smile."
"But this time I can tell exactly what that soft expression means."
"Relief."
F "God Anon, that’s twice now..."
A "My bad. How are you feeling?"
F "...I don’t know..."
"She looks down at the guitar she set aside."
"I lean over her lap, carefully taking the instrument by its neck and bringing it to my lap."
A "Can you teach me?"
F "W-wha-"
A "The song. Can you teach it to me?"
"She looks at the guitar and then me. Her surprise slowly turns to happiness."
F "Sure I can. Hold up a second."
"She stands from the bed and goes for another one of her guitars."
"Along the way she grabs a shirt off the floor, using it to wipe her face."
"When she comes back Fang sits closer than before, our shoulders together."
F "So, for the opener-"
"After what feels like hours of back-and-forth to learn guitar, my arms feel like they’re about to fall off."
"Fang is an unexpectedly patient music teacher."
"She ends up correcting the same mistakes I make over and over with little more than ‘dweeb’."
"I ended up calling it quits halfway through the twentieth practice song."
"By that point my acoustic screeching turned into something that resembles actual music."
F "You’re no StegoSlash, buuuuut... not half bad for one lesson."
A "I’ll take it. I fuckin’ suck creatively."
F "Do you? You made that railgun way back when."
A "Ah, that, that was just something I read online."
F "Still managed to make it."
A "Yeah but that had like, instructions and shit."
A "Anything that needs imagination and it’s like I’m an epileptic with downs syndrome."
F "Pffft. What about your word play?"
"...Not telling her about my shitposting needs…"
A "That’s the best I can do I guess."
F "Hmmm…"
"Fang’s fingers trace along the strings of her waiting guitar."
F "How bout a jam session?"
A "J-jam session?"
"Not that kinda jam session. Fuck."
A "So what’s the whole pirate princess thing about?"
"She doesn’t have a candle so I’ll be fine."
"A guitar pick bounces off my eye."
A "Gah!"
F "I told you not to mention that!"
A "I know, I know, sorry, geez!"
A "But, really though. What was the deal with that?"
F "... It’s just… Something that I did sometimes."
A "What, play pretend? All kids do that."
F "Yeah, but I mean, this was a bit different."
F "When I pretended the world seemed so much better."
F "So I’d end up doing it for months at a time."
F "Years, even."
A "But that’s all over now?"
F "Yeah."
F "Just embarrassing memories."
F "Sometimes I do miss it, though."
F "Being someone new, trying to figure everything out again…"
Re "{i}Fang wasn’t Fang.{/i}"
"Hmmm…"
F "Anyways, go ahead and just try playing."
"She reaches over and plucks a string on the guitar I'm holding."
A "Just whatever comes to mind?"
F "Yeah. Just try and play whatever."
stop music
"And then… All hell broke loose."
show fangdad neutral at scenter with dissolve
hide fang happy
show fang shocked at sleft
FD "What the HELL are you doing here, Anon?"
play music 'audio/OST/you can_t sage here.ogg' fadein 1.0
show anonfacecloseup at truecenter
"Yep, that’s me. You’re probably wondering how I got in this situation."
"Well you see, it all started with me here, in the girl I like’s room. "
"I was learning to play guitar, maybe even getting a little good at it!"
"Then right out of nowhere, nowhere I tell you…"
"The scariest motherfucker I have ever seen in my life shows up."
"Yep, you guessed it, it’s the lady’s dad. No warning or anything!"
"And he brought his murder weapon."
"My life flashes before my life and my first thought is: god my life sucks."
"The Fang bits were pretty cool I guess."
"I at least hope someone deleted my browser history."
"Anyways, back to the show."
show anonfacecloseup at truecenter
FD "Out. Now."
"It takes all my strength to prevent my bladder from doing its best Stella impression right about now."
"I silently head to the door with Judge Dredd to my back, catching a sympathetic glance from Fang on the way out."
"Walking out the front door, I feel my heart stop as his talon-like nails begin to dig into my shoulder."
"At that moment I learned a very important lesson."
"PTERO-CLAWS HURT LIKE CRAP, MAN."
scene home fang outside night
show anon neutral at acenter
show fangdad unimpressed flip behind anon at sright
FD "The next time I catch you alone with my daughter, I will use your head as a rubix cube."
hide fangdad unimpressed flip
show fangdad unimpressed at sright
hide fangdad unimpressed with moveoutright
"He gives me a shove off the porch and I hear the door slam behind me."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"I can hear her father’s raised voice from here."
"Sheesh… guy needs like… all the chill pills…"
"Or maybe some Carfe…"
"God dammit Reed."
"I turn away from the luxurious home and walk down the pathway to the sidewalk."
scene skinrow
show anon neutral at aleft
play music 'audio/OST/Skinrow Soul.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Shit. And things were getting…"
"Getting…"
"Argh, I dunno."
"But like, after Fang’s song she was…"
"Fucking hell, why are emotions so fucking difficult."
"As I wait at the bus stop I decide to break down everything that happened."
"We didn’t study at all."
"Well, maybe music I guess. Raptor Jesus, Mr. Jingo is a shit teacher compared to her."
"But really, all I can think about is how she was after that song."
"I saw something… something…"
"How do I fucking contextualize it."
"In the moment I thought I knew."
"Holding her in my arms…"
"*Bzzz bzzz*"
"A text? Shit, that’s rare."
hide anon neutral
show anonphone at scenter with moveinbottom
"Fang: Hey"
"Fang: About earlier"
"Fang: Thanks"
"Fang: For like hanging out"
"Fang: And sorry about dad"
"There was a pause, the animated ellipsis showing Fang was writing something longer."
"Fang: About that song. I wanna work on some lyrics for it."
"Fang: So like how about we hang out again and write some?"
"I consider my response thoroughly."
"Anon: Sure"
"Another session like that?"
"I think of Fang, standing behind me, guiding my hands again."
"My cheeks warm as I recall the feeling of her hands over mine."
"Fuck… I wonder… how does she feel about me?"
"I mean, she’s shown me so much of her now."
"And all the cheek nuzzling."
"Just like Naser and Naomi."
"Maybe?"
"..."
scene black with fade
"-Two weeks later-"
"I’m looking over my final grades for this semester."
"My science score is barely passing."
"I want to say it’s because of Fang and mine’s ‘study sessions’."
"Every time we would try to study it would always become jam sessions or lyric writing."
"But I wouldn’t have it any other way."
"Spending more and more time with her was fun."
"And seeing this side of her."
"It makes me feel so lightheaded, like I’m floating on clouds."
"Although the sheet-rope escapes from Fang’s dad were starting to leave serious rugburns on my palms."
"As a bonus, I aced Music class."
"The midterm was a demonstration."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"And the fact I was able to play guitar, even shittily, was enough."
"..."
if anonscore >= 3 or fangscore >= 3:
"Fang seemed proud of the fact that I was able to play well enough to get a passing grade."
"Or rather proud of herself that she was that good of a music teacher."
"Her way of ‘congratulating’ me was to hip-check me right into my locker, only to apologize while laughing her ass off."
"Actually, the whole ordeal made me remember I had this old music program installed on my computer."
"It’s incredibly outdated, but free is free."
"Several hours of decade old tutorials later I finally start cobbling together a loosely musical sounding rhythm."
"I couldn’t find a reverb option, so I just overlaid the same instruments with a lower volume where I wanted it."
"People probably won’t notice."
"I’m starting to get why Fang likes doing this sort of thing."
"It’s sorta like just the act of creating something and being able to say ‘I made this’."
"Exporting the file and uploading it to a music site, I await my audience to start amassing before me."
"See, I already have a comment!"
"{i}Never make anything again. Ever.{/i}"
"Ah, just a day in the life of an underappreciated artist."
jump ChVVURMDRAMA
label GetStartedOnStudy:
play music 'audio/OST/Dragging on and on....ogg' fadein 1.0
"No, I should focus more on my midterms."
A "I’d rather get started with studying, actually."
"Fang lowers her arm with the guitar in rejection."
hide fangguitar
show fang neutral at scenter
show anon neutral flip at aright
with dissolve
A "Cmon, Fang. You know I can’t afford to waste my time here with all the money my family’s spent already."
F "Yeah, yeah. You only got this one shot and all."
F "Ffffffffffiiiiine. What’re we doing first?"
A "Ehh, why not science first since that’s your hardest subject."
play music 'audio/OST/Those Other Two Weirdos.ogg' fadein 1.0
F "Ugh. Got a textbook?"
A "What happened to yours?"
F "Tried throwing it at Naser and it flew over the cliff."
A "H-how? Why?"
F "I dunno, felt like it."
F "You got a textbook or not?"
A "Yeah…"
"I retrieve the tome from my backpack, science is easily the heaviest thing in there."
A "So, what? We take turns reading it?"
F "Too slow. Let’s just huddle and read it together."
A "Why not just switch it back and forth?"
F "Don’t feel like it. We reading or not?"
"Fang sits beside me on the ground, Her oversized beak obscuring a good portion of the side of the page in my peripheral vision."
"I can feel the prickle of her feathers barely brushing against my back."
F "We’re on chapter sixteen, right?"
A "Eighteen. Are you even paying attention during class?"
F "What do you think I hang out with you for?"
"We read about electric currents in silence for a few minutes."
"How do I know when she’s done so I can turn the page?"
"..."
A "..."
F "..."
A "You done?"
F "Oh, I wasn’t reading it."
A "Argh, fuck you."
F "Ha, you wish."
"Don’treadintothat."
A "If I read the first page out loud, would you read the second?"
F "Sure, sure."
"Fang leans back onto the floor, hands behind her head."
F "Get started already."
A "Ugh."
hide fang with dissolve
"In conductors, electrons are free to move around and flow easily. This is not true for insulators, in which the-"
F "*SNNNRRRRRRRRRK*"
A "...Electrons are more tightly bound to the nuclei (which we'll discuss next). When current is applied, electrons move-"
F "*SNNNRRRRRRRRRK*"
A "Dammit Fang, I’m trying to read to you here, cut that out."
F "*SNNNRRRRRRRRRK*"
"She really did pass out!"
"Hmm…"
A "Fang, seriously, get up or I’ll poke you."
F "*SNNNRRRRRRRRRK* mmmrrrrfooouurmooooreminuuuutes."
A "Don’t think I won’t Fang! These guns are cocked and loaded!"
F "*SNNNRRRRRRRRRK*"
"Target locked."
"Weapons hot!"
"Battery 1!"
show fang angry at scenter with dissolve
F "AAAAAAAAGH! THE FUCK?!"
A "Quit falling asleep during class."
F "It’s my room, I’ll do what I want."
A "Come on, I’m trying to take this ser-"
FM "I’M HOOOOOOME!"
show fang shocked with dissolve
F "Oh no."
FM "Luuuuucy? Naaaaser? Are you here?"
FM "I got your favorite, dino nuggies!"
show fang surprised with dissolve
F "Those're for Naser."
A "Suuure."
show fang neutral with dissolve
FM "Helloooo? Anyone home?"
"I hear footsteps getting progressively closer as Fang’s mother searches for any sign of life in the house."
"A door down the hall opens."
FM "Sweeeetie? Naseeeer? Oh, I guess he must be bowling with Moe again."
show fang sad with dissolve
F "Anon, you need to leave now."
FM "Lucy, are your headphones in again?"
F "I’ll open the window, just jump!"
A "This is the second floor!"
F "Broken bones are better than-"
show fangmom neutral at fmleft with moveinleft
FM "OH Lucy, there you are! I didn’t realize your boyfriend was over to visit!"
"WHAT."
show fang hiding with dissolve
"Fang’s hands cover her bright red face."
"I wasn’t aware their beaks got red too."
F "Moooooooom! He’s not- what did I say about knocking!"
FM "That you and lil’ Nassie need to knock on our door at night when it’s your parent’s ‘special’ time."
F "Not what YOU said!"
FM "Oh, sweetie, that’s no way to talk to your mother. Especially in front of a guest."
"The tiny Ptero turns to me with an apologetic smile."
FM "Since you’re here, why don’t you stay for dinner?"
"Something tells me Fang’s dad would make me the dinner."
"Beef Strog-Anon does not sound palatable to me."
F "Actually he was just leaving. Now."
FM "Oh but I wanted to show him your baby pictures!"
F "Right now in fact! He’s gonna miss his bus!"
FM "I have one with me right now!"
"She reaches elbow-deep into her purse and pulls out a small flipbook."
FM "Oh Lucy, this is my FAVORITE little picture of you and Naser!"
"She shoves the photo in my face that I immediately make out as a bathtub with an infant Fang and Naser playing in the water."
"Well it IS kinda cute…"
"Before I can open my mouth, Fang jabs me in the ribs."
F "Oh my god mom, he doesn’t have time for this!"
"Fang pulls me off the ground and begins to push me towards the door."
scene black with fade
FM "Well I hope you enjoyed spending time with my little tooth fairy, Anon!"
FM "You’re welcome back ANY time you’d like!"
"I manage a weak wave as Fang continues to rush me towards the door in embarrassment."
show fang surprised at scenter
scene home fang outside
"We reach the front door and she quickly turns back inside."
F "OkaybyeseeyouatschoolAnon."
scene home fang outside night
show anon neutral at aleft
"I hear the door slam behind me and am left alone on the porch."
"Well that was… interesting."
"Guess I’ll go wait at the bus stop."
"Does Fang’s mom really think I’m her boyfriend?"
"I know we spend a lot of time together…"
"Fang seemed REALLY quick to deny that though."
"Does it mean anything?"
"*Bzzz bzzz*"
"A text? Shit, that’s rare."
show anonphone at center with moveinbottom
"Fang: Hey"
"Fang: About earlier"
"Fang: Sorry about mom"
"Fang: Just ignore anything she says"
"Fang: Also don’t tell anyone what you saw"
"Fang: ANYONE"
"Anon: ten bucks"
"Fang: I have my dad on speed dial"
"Anon: five bucks"
"Anon: lol jk"
"Fang: gobble a knob"
"Anon: see you monday."
"Fang: see ya"
hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
"The bus hasn’t gotten here yet."
show tracy neutral at scenter with dissolve
SV "Yo, you’re that kid with the date from before, ain'tcha?"
play music 'audio/OST/Tracy was fired from her real job.ogg' fadein 1.0
A "Huh?"
"I flip around to see the street vendor from a few weeks ago."
A "You remember me?"
SV "Kid, I’ve been working this corner for the better part of two years now."
SV "I know how to tell faces apart."
SV "Plus, this ain’t exactly the skinnie part of town, y'know?"
A "I guess…"
SV "You just get back from another date?"
A "What? No, it was a study session- Why am I telling you this?"
SV "Yeah, a ‘study’ session."
SV "I get ya."
A "No, it really was just studying."
A "Fang tried to get me to play the guitar, but I made sure to keep on track."
SV "You WHAT."
A "Hm?"
SV "Kids these days… She was coming onto ya, dummy!"
"Oooooooohh."
"Fuck."
A "...Oh."
SV "Still, point stands."
A "What’s that?"
SV "I was right! HA!"
SV "By the way, that wasn’t your ride, was it?"
"I look back to see the tail end of the city bus rounding the corner onto the next street."
SV "Next one comes in forty-five minutes."
A "...Shut up and gimme a Danger Dog."
SV "Well, someone knows their franks."
SV "Comin’ right up."
"..."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
play music 'audio/OST/Skinrow Soul.ogg' fadein 1.0
"-Two weeks later-"
"I’m looking over my final grades for this semester."
"My science score is lower than normal."
"I couldn’t study with Fang anymore since the Mother Incident."
"She doesn’t want me to be seen by her anymore."
"Instead, I’ve been studying at home."
"Got a pretty great grasp on the core subjects, too."
"In the end, Mr Jingo screwed us over by making music midterm a live demonstration."
"Horrid marks there. But I did get things pretty great with math and english."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"My GPA was secured at least for whatever the fuck I decide on."
"..."
jump ChVVURMDRAMA
label ChVVURMDRAMA:
#VVURM DRAMA
scene hallway with fade
play music 'audio/OST/Fuck You I Like This Chick.ogg' fadein 1.0
"End of midterms means the start of the new quarter."
"Halfway through the semester, and things have been going pretty good."
"I didn’t completely fuck up so far, and I think the rest of the band is starting to warm up to me."
"Especially Fang."
"In fact we’ve been hanging out more in the auditorium after school."
"Instead of band practice we’ve been making use of that repaired projector."
"Watching shitty movies and playing games on Reed’s Xrox."
N "Why are you so deep in thought, Anon?"
show naomi neutral at scenter with dissolve
"The Mandarin Manchurian rips me away from my monologue."
"During homeroom, Spears came on the announcement to declare an assembly for the senior class."
"Or in his own words,"
Sp "ASSES IN THOSE SEATS NOW!"
scene hallway
show anon neutral at aleft
show naomi neutral flip at sright
with fade
"Naomi has taken the opportunity to walk with me through the hallways."
A "What do you want?"
N "So I heard you and Fang went on another date the other day."
"Of course she did."
A "It wasn’t a date, we were just hanging out."
"Just kickin’ Reed’s ass in Rock Ring 3."
"Pls give mammoth bone armor."
A "You do anything fun with Naser lately?"
N "OH! My Naser just had another track meet!"
"That always works."
show naomi happy flip with dissolve
N "His high jump form is so perfect!"
N "And he looks so dazzling in his track and field uniform!"
N "...And his physique…"
"I tune her out as she covers her profusely red nose."
"The less I can think of Naser’s body the better."
scene auditorium with dissolve
"We get to the auditorium once again and I look to the back row to find our spot."
play music 'audio/OST/Dragging on and on....ogg' fadein 1.0
"Empty?"
F "OVER HERE, ANON!!"
"Fang and Trish are sitting in the front row."
show fang happy at scenter
show trish neutral at tleft
"Next to them is Reed huddling behind a cart with the projector he’d fixed on it, messing with the cords."
show reed neutral flip at rright with dissolve
A "What’s the deal? Why are we sitting in the front all of a sudden?"
show reed explanatory flip with dissolve
Re "Uhhhh… Spears asked me to man the projector…"
Re "First I was like ‘say whaaaaat’, but then I was like ‘yeah, man, sure’."
Re "So here I am."
show reed neutral flip with dissolve
A "I.. see..."
show anon neutral with dissolve:
xalign 0.9
"I take my seat next to Fang."
A "They say if we’re here yet?"
F "Nope."
show trish unimpressed with dissolve
T "Since we’re seniors it’s probably some other stupid pep talk about ‘Our Futures’."
show reed explanatory flip with dissolve
Re "I bet it’s a fundraiser…"
Re "I’m like, good at selling things and stuff..."
A "I’m sure."
A "Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask."
A "What exactly is ‘carfe’?"
show reed shocked flip
Re "You don’t know man?"
Re "Carfentanyl. The wildest stuff a dino can get."
A "Really now?"
show trish explanatory
T "It was used in war by skinnies a while back. It’s a deadly tranquilizing agent."
show trish neutral
show reed unimpressed flip
Re "It’s only deadly when you make it wrong, man."
show reed neutral flip
Re "But yeah, it’s great stuff if you know how to do it."
A "Fang, have you ever tried any?"
F "Once."
F "Woke up hanging upside down from a tree with Naomi’s clothes on hugging a fake skeleton."
T "See, when I do it it just makes me a bit dizzy for a few hours."
A "Huh. Can I see some?"
show reed shocked flip with dissolve
show fang neutral with dissolve
Re "Absolutely not."
F "No."
A "Why not?"
T "That stuff’s a hundred times more powerful than horse tranquilizer."
T "It’d melt your skin."
Re "Make your heart burst."
F "I heard a human tried it once and exploded."
T "I bet."
A "Yeah, yeah, sure. You just don’t want to share."
"The last of the seniors trickle in and take seats near the front."
"Eventually Spears takes the stage."
"He pauses to make sure everyone’s covering their ears before beginning."
hide reed with moveoutleft
scene auditorium with fade
show spears neutral at scenter with dissolve
Sp "ALLLRIGHT!"
Sp "AS YOU ALL KNOW, GRADUATION’S COMING UP SOON."
Sp "WE’RE GOING TO GO OVER THAT WHOLE PROCESS,"
Sp "BUT FIRST THE STUDENT COUNCIL HAS A BRIEF PRESENTATION TO GIVE ON THE SUBJECT."
Sp "FLOOR’S ALL YOURS, STUCO."
hide spears with moveoutright
show naomi neutral flip at sright with dissolve
play music 'audio/OST/The Top of the Social Ladder.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Spears gestures his hand towards Naomi and Naser, who show up from behind the stage curtains."
"The Chiffon Czarina brings a wireless microphone to her snout."
"She begins reciting a well rehearsed speech in her usual snooty (heh) manner."
"More plastic than person."
show naomi happy flip
N "Why, thank you, Principal Spears!"
"The projector comes to life, displaying a basic slideshow title card reading"
A "Reed, how do you know when to move it forward?"
Re "It’s when she crosses her fingers. Check it out."
N "Now, this is a very important turning point in your life!"
"Ah, got it, It’s one of these. I needed a nap."
"As soon as I closed my eyes I felt a malevolent force looming before me."
scene black with fade
"Somehow, I felt like opening my eyes was a bad idea."
"But keeping them closed was an even worse one."
"At least there’s cute little designs on the slides."
scene projector1
"There’s a little penguin with a graduation cap…"
scene projector2
"There’s the school mascot in a party hat… even has the fogged up window..."
scene projector3
"A lineup of various graduates with a token human at the end for diversity. Typical."
scene projector4
"There’s some scientists and engineers holding hands…"
scene projector5
"There’s a triceratops holding onto a branch with the text ‘hang in there, baby!"
scene projector6
"There’s me two years ago when I photoshopped myself with an anime girl."
stop music
scene projector7
"..."
"..."
"..."
play music 'audio/OST/you can_t sage here.ogg' fadein 1.0
"What the fuck"
"HOW!"
"WHY!"
"The world’s stopped turning. No one around me is moving and there is no sound at all."
"Why is that here? How! I deleted everything! EVERYTHING!"
"So why the fuck is it here."
"My body feels like stone as I try to turn."
"To see if anyone else is seeing this."
"In the end I can’t bring myself to move at all."
"It doesn’t matter, I already feel their endless gazes."
"I feel lightheaded."
"There’s what feels like a lump of lead in the pit of my stomach."
"There’s dark spots forming in my sight."
scene black with fade
"When I finally breathe again the world restarts."
"The laughter hits first."
"A monstrous guffaw from behind, that’s joined by every other senior in the room."
Nas "REED CHANGE THE SLIDE, CHANGE IT NOW!"
Re "I-I am!"
scene projector8
"More pictures. So many more pictures."
"Each one more and more embarrassing than the last."
scene projector9
"I… oh god…"
Nas "Shit!"
scene black
"There’s a loud crash right next to me and the entire room becomes black."
"Did I faint?"
"Is this real life? Is this just fantasy?"
F "A-anon?"
"Still awake. Fuck."
scene auditorium with fade
show anon sad at acenter
"The lights come back on and my eyes burn."
"The projector is on the floor, lens shards scattered all over the floor."
"The laughter is even louder now."
Nas "Reed how the fuck did this happen?"
Re "L-look I just used the usb Trish said-"
Nas "TRISH?! Why would Trish-"
"Trish… wasn’t in her seat."
"In the corner of my eye I notice someone running for the entrance."
"It’s Trish. She’s making a mad sprint for the door."
Nas "Stop her!"
"She continues dashing towards the exit…"
"And right into Spears’ hand."
"Literally."
"His baseball mitt of a hand covers the… the… that fucking BITCH!"
"Covers her face entirely."
"Even lifts her up. By her face. With one hand."
Sp "ALL OF YOU GET YOUR ASSES BACK TO CLASS."
"Spears motions for me to follow him but I feel paralyzed by everything that just happened."
"I bury my face in my hands and just groan."
"This is Rock Bottom all over again."
show fang sad flip at sright
"Fang tugs at my arm, trying to get me to follow."
"I just can’t find the energy to move anything right now."
"Fang frantically looks around at the hysterical crowd, trying to come up with something."
"Eventually, I feel Fang put her arm over my shoulder as she tries to get me to stand."
"She drapes her wings across my back, creating a barrier between me and everyone else."
"Without saying a word she leads me out of a side door towards the principal’s office."
"What the fuck just happened?"
scene hallway
show anon neutral flip at aright
show fang sad at sleft
F "Hey…"
"How is this happening to me?"
F "...You gonna be alright?"
"How did Trish find those dumb pictures?"
F "Look, don’t listen to those pricks Anon."
"Was Reed in on it?"
F "All of them dumbasses."
"He couldn’t be, what would he gain from something like this?"
F "Like… This’ll all blow over."
"What would Trish gain from something like this?"
F "Like, none of them talk about our shitty concert."
"I know she doesn’t like me but this…"
F "And that was like, a fuckin’ month ago."
"...This is fucked up!"
"I’m going to rip her stupid horns off and give her a couple new holes to breathe with!"
F "It’ll be all good Anon."
"Think Fang’s dad had a thing going on with the golf clubs…"
"See if he can give me a couple of pointers."
F "Just needs some time to forget it happened."
"The squeak of sneakers catches my attention and I turn to see Reed approaching us down the hall."
play music 'audio/OST/Beach Chill Out.ogg' fadein 1.0
show reed unimpressed at rleft with moveinleft
F "Reed...? I thought Spears sent everyone back to class."
Re "Can't just sit in class while all my hombres are going through some pretty heavy stuff, y'know?"
Re "Got something I need to get off my chest, anyways."
A "What? Bit busy dealing with being doxxed here!"
"Wait..."
A "Wait, get what off your chest?"
A "Were… were you in on it?"
"Fang’s questioning glare makes Reed shudder."
Re "Wait, wait, no, don’t get the wrong idea, man!"
F "Reed… How did this happen?"
show reed explanatory with dissolve
Re "No no, it went more like…"
Re "I was getting the projector set up earlier, right?"
Re "Something was wrong with the lens, and I didn’t have enough time."
Re "...So I asked Trish to go get the thing from Naomi."
Re "I guess she must’ve, like… changed the slides before giving it to me?"
A "And you didn’t think to check?!"
show reed considering with dissolve
"Reed deflates."
A "...Damn it, Reed…"
Re "Look, man... Trish isn't a bad person."
A "Bitch sure has a funny way of showing it!"
show reed angry with dissolve
Re "Dude. I know you're still hurting from what she did but like-"
A "Yeah, what could have POSSIBLY given that away?!"
Re "BRO! Let me finish!"
"Reed's raised voice takes the wind out of my lungs."
"That's the first time I think I've ever heard him raise his voice."
Re "Trish messed up pretty bad, bro. Like massively, hugely messed up."
Re "Not gonna argue with that. She abused my trust too, dude."
Re "When she gave me the presentation from Naomi I didn’t think she’d do anything like that."
Re "But did you ever consider why?"
A "...Because she's a two-bit cunt?"
show reed considering with dissolve
"Reed sighs again, with a noticeable lack of smoke surrounding him."
Re "Dude... You and Trish have always been at each others' throats. But like, why even?"
"I open my mouth to answer but can't find the words."
"Or the reason?"
show reed angry with dissolve
Re "Did'ja ever stop to consider WHY Trish always gave you a hard time?"
A "...Not really..."
"Another sigh, this time with an expectant look from Reed."
Re "Did you ever even try, bro?"
A "..."
A "...No."
show reed unimpressed with dissolve
Re "And that's the problem, dude."
"Reed has a pained expression on his face, and a quick glance shows Fang’s is even worse."
Re "Like, I know it sucks. Trish tricked me and all too, and that hurts, y’know?"
Re "But maybe try and think why Trish did this, alright bro?"
menu:
"Not exactly in the introspective sort of mood right about now.":
"Trish can still burn in hell for all I care."
"I refuse to accept that I had any part to play in this debacle other than being the victim.":
"Trish can still burn in hell for all I care."
"I guess Reed might have a point…":
"Trish can still burn in hell for all I care."
scene hallway with fade
show anon neutral flip at aright
show fang neutral at scenter
show reed neutral at rleft
stop music
stop music fadeout 3.0
Sp "Three MONTHS!"
Sp "THREE MONTHS from graduation and you PULL A STUNT LIKE THIS?!"
#play music 'audio/OST/protestra_punk.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Spears’ stern voice grilling Trish in his office rips me from my thoughts."
"Good! She deserves it!"
Sp "I’ve half a mind to have campus security escort you out of here and send you to Reef City Continuation!"
show fang angry at scenter with dissolve
show reed angry at rleft with dissolve
"Fang and Reed both hiss at that."
"What the fuck does that mean?"
show fang neutral at scenter
show reed neutral at rleft
Sp "You have five minutes to explain why I shouldn’t do that right now."
"I couldn’t hear Trish’s full response through the door but she was obviously crying."
"After what SHE did?"
"Fang leaned in, trying to listen through the door to hear what the bitch was saying."
"Because of her arms I was pulled closer too."
"I heard the trollop’s whimpering and wanted nothing more than to really make her cry."
T "-all HIS fault-"
"My fault?! I did fucking nothing to that purple pole-smoker."
T "-didn’t know what else I could do-"
"Not fucking show half the school the cringiest thing I’ve ever done and commit what amounts to character assassination?!"
T "-some asshole from the sticks-"
"I’ll show that cunt some fucking sticks."
T "-driving Fang away!"
"...What."
"What does Fang have to do with any of this?!"
"She wasn’t the one bitching about every damn thing I do!"
"I glance over to Fang whose expression seems even worse now."
F "..."
"Looking at her this way makes a part of me feel even shittier."
"Like I did cause this."
"Fuck Trish though, she’s been an ass to me from the beginning!"
Sp "Anon! Will you please step into my office!"
"Spears’ voice shocks me from my eavesdropping."
"What am I supposed to say to Trish?"
"Fang tries to give a reassuring smile but it’s so fragile."
"Like this is all her fault and not that backstabbing bitch."
"Reed gives a silent nod. No thumbs up this time."
scene office spears with dissolve
"I enter Spears’ office and my eyes are immediately drawn to Trish sitting in front of his desk surrounded by crumpled up tissues."
show trish sad at tleft
show anon neutral flip at aright
show spears neutral at scenter
Sp "Trish, is there anything you would like to tell Anon?"
"I’ve never seen her like this."
T "It’s all your fault."
T "Who are you to come here and take Fang away!"
T "You’re just some nobody from the middle of nowhere who only cares about yourself!"
T "I helped pull Fang out of their shell."
"And made her a social pariah in the process."
T "My band was doing great before you came here!"
"I set up the only successful show you ever played."
T "And then you show up and start manipulating everyone!"
T "Because you’re a selfish control freak!"
T "Everything has to revolve around you!"
T "Fang and Reed and me were going to make it to the top!"
T "But you stole everything from me because you didn’t understand us!"
T "No one understands us!"
"Trish is cut off by a horrid sob, her head falling into her hands and new tears spilling from her eyes."
"Raptor Jesus on his cross of rock that’s a lot to unpack."
"It’s like you didn’t even try to understand me either."
Sp "Anon, is there anything you want to add?"
"Like how she’s not worth the oxygen?"
"But if this really is all about Fang…"
$ TalkedWithTrish = 0
menu:
"Talk with Trish":
jump TalkWithTrish
"Ignore Trish":
jump IgnoreTrish
label TalkWithTrish:
$ TalkedWithTrish = 1
play music 'audio/OST/fighter.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I turn to the pitiable purple punk-rocker."
Sp "{alpha=0.5}{i}You are not the only person in the world.{/i}{/alpha}"
"Maybe Reed was onto something."
"I… Think I finally get it…"
A "Look, Trish. Maybe we didn’t start off right. And yeah, I can be an asshole."
"She looks up at me, surprise written on her teary eyed face."
A "I didn’t mean to drive you and Fang apart or anything. I just want to be Fang’s friend."
A "But after what you fucking did. Fucking digging up my past? Airing it to every senior?"
A "And all for Fang? She’s outside the door thinking this is all her fault!"
"That got a response from Trish."
"Her head dipped down and her fingers curled into the hem of her hoodie."
A "Maybe it’s your fault for being such a bitch."
A "Maybe it’s mine. I don’t know."
A "But it sure as shit isn’t Fang’s!"
"Another choked sob racked her body and the tears started anew."
A "...I’m sorry for being a poor friend to you. But after what you did? I don’t know if I can forgive that."
"Spears nods in approval, a fatherly grin stretching his cheeks."
Sp "That was well said, son. You’ve come a long way since your first day."
Sp "You can leave. Take the rest of the day if you need it."
"I rise from my chair and make for the door."
"But I’m stopped by what Trish just muttered."
T "s’my fault… m’sorry."
"..."
A "You should tell that to Fang."
jump PostSpearsOfficeTrish
label IgnoreTrish:
play music 'audio/OST/protestra_punk.ogg' fadein 1.0
A "No, I’ve got nothing."
"Spears sighs like he expected me to add something more."
"What was I supposed to say?"
"Forgive her and act like nothing happened?"
Sp "Well, Anon, I can’t really say I blame you after all of that."
"Trish remains silent, her eyes locked on the floor."
Sp "You can go home for the day if you need to."
jump PostSpearsOfficeTrish
label PostSpearsOfficeTrish:
"Right before I clamp my hand on the doorknob, Spears speaks up."
Sp "Oh, and Anon. Don’t think I didn’t notice."
"Uh oh."
"I slowly turn back to him."
Sp "..."
A "..."
Sp "Your waifu is trash and your taste is shit."
Sp "My door is always open so I can share some quality anime."
"What."
"I open the door to see Fang again, expression complex, leaning against the door’s frame."
play music 'audio/OST/she_fucks_human_men.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Reed has taken my place beside her with a comforting arm around her shoulder."
"If this was any other situation I might have felt a bit jealous."
scene hallway
show fang sad at sleft
show reed considering flip at rright
show anon neutral flip at aright
with fade
F "Hey."
"A heavy sigh escapes my lips."
A "Hey."
Re "Doing okay, bro?"
A "I’d frankly like to just disappear right now."
A "... I think I’ll just go home."
F "I uh... can ditch. If you need me to come with."
"Fang looks at the door to Spear’s room for a bit, then back to me."
"Trish is probably having to call her parents right now."
"Fang probably heard everything in the office."
if TalkedWithTrish == 1:
menu:
"Wait for Trish to exit the office":
jump WaitForTrishToExit
"Go Home Early":
jump GoHomeEarly
else:
jump GoHomeEarly
label WaitForTrishToExit:
$ anonscore += 1
play music 'audio/OST/fighter.ogg' fadein 1.0
A "You worried about her, too?"
"Fang turns her head down to her shoes."
F "..."
F "How could I not tell something like this was happening?"
A "You know it’s not your fault."
F "Doesn’t mean I don’t feel guilty about it."
"She picks her head up to look me in the eye."
F "We should leave... you probably don’t want to see her when she gets out."
A "Actually, I think we should wait. Looks like you have something to say to her."
F "Well, yeah, but…"
A "There’s something else I wanted to tell her, too."
F "There is?"
Re "There is?"
F "You sure you should be talking to her when you’re still this upset?"
A "It’s nothing bad, promise."
Re "It’s a good call, dude."
F "Mmmmm…"
A "You can go first."
"Fang gives a small nod, and the three of us slide down the wall into sitting positions."
"The minutes pass."
F "What do I even say to her…?"
A "..."
"I’m not entirely sure either."
"Reed awkwardly toys with his tail in silence, suddenly a lot less contemplative than before."
"The clasped hands around my knees start to leave red marks on each other."
"I can’t find the energy to shift them."
"Aeons later, Trish emerges from the office."
show trish sad at tcenter with dissolve
"Her tears have become shiny trails reflecting the sterile light of the hallway."
"Hesitantly, Fang gets up to speak with her."
"That makes one of us."
"For a while, the two just stare at each other."
"Eventually…"
F "...Why?"
F "Why the fuck did you do this to Anon?"
F "Do you actually think I’d be okay with this?"
F "Anon is just as much my friend as you or Reed!"
F "That was something those douchebags who make fun of our band would do."
T "...I thought he was a bad influence..."
T "...On you… the band…"
T "Everything is changing, Fang, and I don’t like it."
T "All because of Anon."
F "Then why didn’t you just fucking talk to us?"
F "Anon isn’t some asshole trying to rip everything apart."
T "I know what you told me, Fang, but like…"
T "But you deserve better, he’s not-"
"I catch Trish throwing a glance my way as she cuts herself off."
T "Look, I’m sorry Fang. I'm just trying to look out for you."
F "Look out for me? I can make my own decisions, Trish."
"Fang sighs and rubs her temples."
F "...I’m taking a break from the band."
"I watch as Trish’s entire world shatters before her eyes."
"Reed’s lack of reaction tells me they discussed this while I was in Spears’ office."
T "W-what?"
F "I need time to think…"
T "Fang wait-"
F "Bye."
hide fang sad with moveoutright
"Fang turns away from Trish and starts walking away."
F "I’ll wait by the exit while you talk, Anon."
"Reed gets up as she passes by and begins to follow, giving me a thumbs up."
Re "Give you some privacy, amigo."
hide reed with dissolve
"..."
play music 'audio/OST/ballad_of_the_boot.ogg' fadein 1.0
"And now it’s just the two of us."
"I get up from my spot on the floor, pins and needles in my legs making it more difficult."
T "...Now what do you want?"
A "I fucked up too."
"That catches her off-guard."
A "This is my fault too, ya know? I played a stupid game with this instead of manning up and just talking about it."
"I stone the fuck up and finally admit it. To the world and myself."
A "I like Fang. I like her and I know that’s what you’re afraid of."
A "I was never out to break anything up, I just like Fang. I want to help her."
A "I never wanted to hurt anyone."
"Trish’s eyes glaze over and stare at something in the distance, as if all her worst fears came true."
"I guess in a way they did today."
A "I’m done, Trish. I’m not going to fight with you over this."
A "I won’t fuck with you, you won’t fuck with me."
A "I’m going home."
"I turn away from Trish as she buries her head in her hands again."
show anon neutral at aright
hide anon neutral with moveoutright
"Part of me wonders if she’ll use that against me, but right now it just feels good to get it out of my system."
scene hallway with fade
"As I begin looking for Fang, Reed stops me in the hallway."
show anon neutral at acenter with dissolve
show reed explanatory flip at rright with dissolve
Re "Made the right call talking it out, trust me dude."
"Reed shuffles his feet a bit and scratches his neck."
Re "Gonna give you a bit of space after dealing with that. Time to think things over, y’know?"
"Suddenly he leans in and lowers his voice."
Re "You should tell them, bro."
"With a cryptic wink he rushes off towards Trish, probably to give her the same kind of therapy."
"I throw a quick glance back to see him pull in Trish for a hug. His turn to deal with her now."
"What did he mean by ‘tell them’? Tell them wha-"
"..."
"Does Reed…?"
"How did he…?"
"..."
"So much for privacy."
"I shake the thoughts from my mind and head in the direction Fang went."
"That can wait."
scene black with fade
"I catch up to Fang near the front of the school as I mentally prepare myself for what’s coming."
jump WalkOfShame
jump WalkOfShame
label GoHomeEarly:
play music 'audio/OST/fighter.ogg' fadein 1.0
A "Sure, let’s get out of here."
show reed unimpressed flip with dissolve
"Reed lets out another heavy sigh."
Re "Gonna stick around. Try and talk with Trish n’all."
show reed sad flip with dissolve
F "Reed, I… I’m taking a break from the band."
"Reed’s expression shifts to one of sadness and shock."
F "I just… need time to think, alright?"
Re "Like, y’know that’ll crush Trish..."
Re "But can’t really stop you if you think it’s right, dude. Taking a breather and all..."
F "Thanks, Reed."
show reed neutral flip with dissolve
"Reed offers a weak smile as we turn away from the principal’s office."
Re "See ya, space cowboy."
"Wait, did he just...?"
"God damn it, Reed."
"We make our way to the front of the school as I mentally prepare myself for what’s coming."
jump WalkOfShame
label WalkOfShame:
play music 'audio/OST/you can_t sage here.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Time for the Walk of Shame."
scene hallway
show anon neutral at acenter
"As I make my way through the hall I do my best to ignore the passing jeers from teens I don’t even know."
"I guess it’s already spread to the lower years too."
"Fucking lightspeed capable rumor mill."
unknown "HEY DO THE NARUTO RUN."
unknown "Look at the pathetic weeb."
unknown "How’s your 2D girlfriend Anon?"
unknown "Hey Anon, need to borrow a jar?"
St "Your waifu is great and I love her!"
A "Not helping, Stella."
"I keep my head down, avoiding the looks from them all."
"Shouldering open the door I’m blinded by the morning sun’s glare."
scene outside school with fade
show anon neutral at aleft
show fang sad flip at scenter
"Within an hour I’ve fallen back to square one."
"Is it too late to transfer to another school?"
"Fang steps to the stairs, phone in hand."
F "I can call us a taxi or something, Anon."
"I nod at that, moving for the stairs."
unknown "HEY LOSER, THINK FAST!"
"I turn towards the voice, and the world slows down."
"My field of vision is filled with a soda can, and I freeze up like a deer in headlights."
menu:
"Duck.":
"The can smacks me in the forehead while I was mid-stride, and I shift my footing to try and regain balance."
"Dodge.":
"The can smacks me in the forehead while I was mid-stride, and I shift my footing to try and regain balance."
"Catch it out of the air.":
"The can smacks me in the forehead while I was mid-stride, and I shift my footing to try and regain balance."
"Except my foot catches on the edge of the stairlip and slips."
#[Falling animation and CGs here]
#scene imfreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeefaaaaaaallllllliiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
scene black with fade
"..."
A "uuurg."
unknown "Oh fuck, we need to split before the Caveman gets here!"
F "ANON!"
"My lungs feel like they’re on fire."
"I think my feet touched the back of my head."
"I peel myself from around the bollard, feeling every bone in my body creak painfully."
scene outside school
show anon neutral at aleft:
xalign 0.5 yalign 0.0 rotate -90
linear 1 rotate 0
with fade
A "Argh… Fuck."
F "Holy shit! You’re alive!"
A "Am I? Ow."
"Nothing seems to be broken… I’ve been in worse."
"Honestly my ego’s more injured than I am."
F "Can you walk?"
A "Yeah, sure, sure."
A "This’s nothing compared to field day back at my old school."
"I try taking a step and my knee involuntarily twists in a direction it’s not supposed to."
"Suddenly, I’m doing the seth mcfarlane pose again."
#Have you ever tried not being ironic for once in your life
scene black
F "Oh no. Ohhh no. Let me help you up."
scene outside school
show anon neutral at acenter
show fang neutral flip at sright
with fade
"She tucks her arms around my shoulder and pulls me to my feet again."
F "Let’s just get to the bench over there."
F "The taxi will be here in like five minutes."
play music 'audio/OST/west_coast_kicking.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Using Fang as a second foot, I eventually make it to the bench."
"I still can’t bend either leg, so I just sort of splay against the sidewalk."
"Fang sits on the other end and starts digging through her pockets."
F "Uhh… I think I heard somewhere that nicotine relieves a bit of pain... "
A "Yeah… I could use a smoke… right about now."
"Fang retrieves one of the cigarettes from the crumpled pack and sparks it to life with her pink lighter."
"She takes the first draw, then hands it to me."
"I inhale slowly, my chest aching as my lungs fill with wonderfully numbing nicotine."
"The minty taste and the cool sensation settling over my skin does help to relax my painfully tense muscles."
"Before I know it the cigarette in my fingers is nothing but a smoldering filter."
F "Looks like our ride’s here."
"A grimy beater of a taxi pulls up to the curb, driven by an equally grimy velociraptor."
"Clearly one of the three left operating in the city."
"Fang helps me to my feet and over to the cab, opening the door so I can shamble in."
D "...Shit, kid, you look like you got into a fight with a steamroller and lost."
A "Mmm."
scene taxi day
D "Now where’re you kids heading on a school day? Maybe the hospital?"
A "Home."
D "Sure thing kid. Got the address."
A "...Two-thirty-seven South St. Hammond street."
"The driver sucks in a breath through his teeth."
D "Skin Row, eh? Well I can take you s’far as the edge of the neighborhood, deal?"
A "Yeah, whatever. Just take me home…"
"The cab speeds off away from the school."
F "...I still can’t believe that Trish would do something like that."
"The cab driver lets out a laugh."
D "You got your ass handed to you by a girl, didn’t you?"
"I don’t bother responding while Fang kicks the back of his seat."
D "Yeah, yeah, I didn’t want a tip much anyways…"
F "Why doesn’t the driver want to drive all the way to your place?"
F "It can’t be that bad, right?"
A "Uhhh… That reminds me."
A "Hold this… for me."
"I toss my pocket knife into Fang’s lap, she looks at me with a nervous smile like she expects a punchline."
F "..."
F "...Oh."
A "Joking… kinda…"
A "Haven’t needed to shiv someone yet..."
"Talking hurts, breathing too."
"Each breath I take feels like my ribs are gonna shatter."
"Fang must have noticed since she kept silent after that."
D "Alrighty, end of the line."
D "That’ll be fifteen bucks even."
A "There’s still a few blocks we gotta walk."
play music 'audio/OST/Skinrow Soul.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I manage to limp out of the car and Fang drops a few crumpled bills in her seat and slams the door behind her."
"The car peels out and disappears around the corner."
scene black with fade
scene skinrow with fade
A "Well, no place to go but home."
F "Wait, you still can’t walk, right?"
"I can probably make it a good fifty yards."
F "Hang on, give me your shoulder."
A "No, don’t worry abou-"
"Ignoring my protests, Fang wraps my arm around her back for support."
F "Where are we going?"
A "Uhh… First turn is a right up here…"
"Wait… Fang is coming over to my place?"
"Fang is coming over to my place?"
"Fang is coming over to my place?"
"I don’t want her to see how I live!"
"..."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"Crap, did I leave Saturnia on?"
"..."
scene black with fade
#Chapter 11 Confession
play music 'audio/OST/appreciating_the_scenery.ogg' fadein 1.0
A "Hang on, lemme get my key…"
"I awkwardly fish around for it in my pocket, hand weighed down by some cheap first aid stuff from the nearby liquor store."
A "This stuff wasn’t nece-"
F "Shut up."
F "Open the door."
"I finally managed to find my key wedged between my leg and wallet."
"Fang takes the key from me and opens the door before I can think to throw it out the broken window nearby."
"Welp. No turning back now."
A "Welcome to Casa Del Shithole, occupancy a miserable weeb."
scene room anon day with fade
"Raptor Jesus threw me a bone at least."
"There’s no dirty dishes stacked in the sink."
"The trash is mostly empty save for a discarded box of cereal."
"And my monitor is NOT displaying something Saturnia related."
"The entrance isn’t big enough for both Fang and I, so I leave her supporting shoulder and limp my way to the twin-sized mattress on the floor."
show anon neutral flip at aright with dissolve
"It’s so tempting to just drop face-first like usual, but I don’t think I’d survive the shock of the fall."
show fang neutral at sleft with dissolve
F "...Nice place…?"
A "You don’t have to stay. I just wanna curl up in bed and sleep my sorrows away."
F "Anon it’s ten in the morning."
A "And?"
F "And you’re fucking hurt. At least let me try and patch you up."
A "You do-"
"Fang’s glare makes my mouth click shut."
"Fang sets the bag of ice packs, icy hots, and sabre balm on my computer desk when something catches her eye."
play music 'audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg' fadein 1.0
F "Is… Is that the phone roomba you bought a while back? You actually kept that thing?"
"Fang is standing over the shoebox I’ve been using to hold my ‘pet’."
"I’ve put in a few wooden blocks for it to bump around."
A "Uhh, yeah. Can you go ahead and feed him for me?"
F "...With this box of cornflakes?"
A "Yeah… Two or three will do."
F "...And you taped your railgun to the top of it."
A "If you look close I gave him angry eyebrows too."
F "Why?"
A "Mom never let me have a pet. And he’s cute."
F "He?"
A "Don’t make fun of metal gear RAYmba or else he’ll shoot you."
F "..."
A "He’s armed with tiny angry marine munitions."
F "..."
"Fang crumples up some of the flakes and pours the crumbs into RAY’s box."
"I can hear it happily ingesting breakfast from my bed."
F "You are such a dweeb, Anon."
"There’s no heat in her words."
"Fang turns to me, the small tub of disgusting green stuff in hand."
play music 'audio/OST/Fuck You I Like This Chick.ogg' fadein 1.0
F "Alright, let me see where you’re hurt Anon."
"..."
"No way in fuck."
F "Now."
"Shit. When did Fang learn the patented Mom Glare."
F "Take off your shirt."
A "Wait wha-"
F "Take it off or I’ll cut it off with your knife."
A "...Fine..."
scene wounds1 with fade
pause 2
scene black with fade
"I step into my tiny shower stall and turn on the water."
"The shower head sputters before it starts weakly spraying lukewarm water."
scene wounds2 with fade
"The temperature of the water doesn’t help the tension in my muscles or the bruises marring my skin."
"I stretch around and see massive blotches of purple and black splattered across my torso."
scene wounds3
"Each contusion is hot to the touch under my fingers and the pain is intense."
scene wounds4
"The worst is across my chest where the bollard hit me."
scene wounds5
"I eventually get finished examining my wicked wounds and step out of the bathroom. Fang is on her phone doing Raptor Jesus knows what."
scene wounds6
"Fang then pats the bed"
F "Come here"
"I walk over and lie down on my stomach"
scene wounds7
F "Jesus that's bad..."
"I then felt a cold cream and soft touch on my back, along with a massive jolt of pain"
A "FUCK!"
F "Shit, sorry! Are you okay?"
A "Yeah, just didn’t expect it to hurt that bad..."
F "Just try to relax."
"I sigh and try my hardest not to freak out when she touches me"
"She eventually finds a sweet spot of pressure to apply. It still hurts a little, but it doesn’t cause me to wince."
"Her hands are soft."
"I find myself relaxing under Fang’s ministrations."
F "Starting to feel better now?"
"I nod."
"My eyes feel heavy as the ointment begins to warm up, drawing away tension from my aching muscles."
"I can make out a steady thumping on my bed"
"My senses fade more until all I’m aware of is Fang’s fingers tracing circles over my sore back and the sound of thumping."
"I wonder what that is."
"Fang’s hands slow to a stop and eventually pull away, leaving me disappointed."
"The bed shifts."
F "Anon."
"There’s something in her voice, but I can’t discern it."
A "Hm?"
F "I need to do the front."
scene wounds8
"Oh."
"Okay then. I roll over onto my back."
scene wounds9
"And find myself face to beak with her."
"Dangerously close."
"I can feel her breath on my lips and I blush."
"It never even occurred to me that I could apply the ointment on myself."
"I want to look aside."
"Turn my face away to hide the growing blush."
"But I can’t."
"I’m entranced looking into Fang’s warm amber eyes."
"Millions of words flash through my head as I try to find something to say."
"Fang is looking right back."
"Eyes that seemed to glow with what little sunlight filling the room stared into mine."
"I wonder…"
stop music fadeout 1.0
"I hope…"
"Do you like me, Fang?"
scene wounds10
F "A-anon…"
"I’m pulled out of my thoughts by her voice."
"Fang’s blushing heavily too, now."
"And her tail is positively hammering away at my bed."
"Wait."
"Oh fuck."
"Did I?"
A "I- um… w-was that… did I say-"
F "Y-yeah…"
A "Fffffffffff-"
"My head sinks back into my pillow."
A "-fffffffffffuck."
"A snort escapes from Fang’s beak."
scene wounds11
play music 'audio/OST/west_coast_kicking.ogg' fadein 1.0
F "You’re such a fucking dweeb…"
scene wounds12
"Her fingers brush lightly across the largest bruise on my chest, without ointment."
F "You mutter from time to time. I didn’t start noticing til our… d-date…"
"I groan aloud."
"So the entire time…"
F "Yeah… It’s uh… kinda cute…"
A "Raptor Jesus on his cross of rock. So for months now-"
F "I’ve known. And…"
"Fang leans over me with her hand braced next to my head in support."
F "I… like you too…"
scene wounds10
"Fang’s hand moves back to my chest, resting just over my machine-gun beating heart."
"Her head slowly descends toward mine."
"And before we can start trying to figure out how Human-Dino tonsil hockey is played."
"Fang’s weight begins to press down behind her hand."
"Which is dead center of the most serious bruise on my chest."
scene wounds14
A "FUCK!"
F "Oh shit sorrysorrysorry-"
A "Haaaah."
scene wounds15
"I manage to catch my breath."
A "I’m okay. Just… ow…"
"My hand wraps around Fang’s."
A "M-maybe uh… something else?"
A "That won’t stress these."
"I nod at the blemishes across my chest."
F "Er… liiiiike…?"
A "Liiike…Hug? Maybe? I don-"
scene wounds16
"I’m cut off by Fang moving closer to me again."
"Her arm shifts, moving from my chest to my shoulder."
"Her wing drapes over both of us, becoming a soft and warm blanket of feathers."
"And her head lands next to mine, sinking into our now shared pillow until I’m eye to eye with her."
F "Cuddling it is."
"I smile and nod."
"Even if Fang is now laying atop my arm and I’m starting to lose feeling in it."
"The feel of her warm body pressed against my side is definitely worth it."
"And between that warmth and the plush wing-blanket, my eyes grow heavy again."
"Fang’s already started to snore, right into my ear."
"Ah, fuck it. I close my eyes and decide that sleeping with Fang is easily the best thing to happen to me."
"Ah, there… we… gooo…"
scene black with fade
"Zzz"
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
"..."
scene room anon day
show fang neutral at sleft
show anon neutral flip at acenter
with fade
"The next day I was about ready to get to school when Fang stopped me at the door."
play music 'audio/OST/to_swagger.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I told her I felt fine, but when I crumbled after she poked my ribcage I decided she had a compelling argument to stay."
"Fang and I ended up just watching movies and playing Xrox all day."
"I don’t think I’ve ever seen Fang this morose, though."
"Didn’t want to pry too much, even if we’re dating now."
"Although I have a distinct hunch it’s related to the band and Trish."
scene outside school with fade
show anon neutral at acenter
"Today though, I bit my tongue through Fang’s chest-poke test and she let me go."
"I know she’d stayed the day before to keep an eye on me, but she still didn’t want to go today."
"I made her promise not to start ‘preening’ again before I left."
"I know picking up her missed homework will cheer her right up."
"Now that I finally have some time to myself I can properly address something I’ve been meaning too."
"The alarms."
"{i}*ahem*{/i}"
"A GIRL IS STAYING IN MY HOUSE HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!"
"How did I go from never being in a relationship to having a chick sleep over in less than two days?!"
"Ohhhh fuck if anybody finds out…"
"Fang’s Father, Naser, Trish, all collectively splattering me on a wall."
"It’s not like I can ask for advice, either!"
"The only other people I can ask are all hopelessly single and probably living off government benefits!"
"My heartbeat doing Fang’s chest poke test from the inside is a good indicator I need to calm the fuck down."
"Just… get through today and check out some romance manga on the way home."
scene hallway
"The school is as rowdy as ever."
"Somehow, nobody confronts me about the events of two days ago."
"Man, the people here move on fast."
"Maybe I should take the side route, getting bumped would probably feel like getting gored."
"It’s a roundabout way to reach my locker, but I got plenty of time."
stop music fadeout 1.0
show naser angry at sleft with dissolve
show anon neutral flip at acenter with dissolve
Nas "There you are!"
play music 'audio/OST/punk_revamp.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I turn to see Naser pushing through the crowd of students towards me."
"At least I can talk to him about the whole situation."
"Or ask him for advice as well on how to handle Fang."
"Wait."
"Naser’s sister, Fang."
"The Fang who skipped school and is spending the day at my apartment."
"And never went home for the past two days."
"Suddenly I feel like a fish being circled by a very Naser-shaped shark."
"How do I even begin to explain to him?"
A "Uh, h-hey, Naser. What’s-"
scene hallway
show naser elbow at scenter
"Naser grabs me by the jacket and shoves me against the wall of lockers."
A "ARGH MY EVERYTHING!"
Nas "Where the hell is Fang?"
A "Woah, hey! I can-"
Nas "She ditched with you the other day and hasn’t come home since."
Nas "Do you know what I’ve had to put up with because of you? Everything you do with Fang is my fault for letting it happen!"
Nas "You’re lucky she texted me yesterday, Dad was about ready to file a missing person report for her."
A "Look, Naser. Let me explain."
Nas "You better, before I drag your ass home and make you tell it to my Dad instead."
"The terrifying prospect is enough to make me pause."
A "Fang is staying at my apartment, but-"
"Naser’s eyes shoot up like it’s the one answer he didn’t want to hear."
A "Let me finish! But it was her idea after I fucked up my chest during an express trip down the stairs."
A "She wanted to make sure I was alright and wouldn’t take no for an answer."
"Naser sighs and releases my clothes, but the scowl stays on his face."
show naser angry at sleft
show anon neutral flip at acenter
Nas "Is that all that happened, Anon?"
A "I mean, we played some video games but-"
Nas "ALL that happened?"
A "I don’t think- Oh. OH. We, uh, didn’t DO anything, if that’s what you mean."
Nas "Mmmm..."
A "I swear! She couldn’t even kiss me because of the stupid bruise…"
Nas "What?!"
"Oh look I’m getting shoved into my locker again."
"I hiss in pain as Naser’s fists press me against the locker."
Nas "Why would Fang kiss you?! Anon I swear to Raptor Jesus-"
hide anon
show naser elbow
A "I told Fang I like her!"
"Shit, I said that out loud."
show naser shocked with dissolve
show anon neutral flip at aright
"Naser freezes, and the color drains from his face."
hide anon
show naser elbow
"Then he shoves me back into the lockers as hard as he can."
A "FUCK!"
"A few students start turning their heads."
"Naser is still frozen in place, staring at his outstretched hands with a thousand yard stare."
unknown "Hey, isn’t that the track team leader?"
unknown "He’s beating on that loser from the presentation, right? Hilarious."
"I could visibly see Naser’s thoughts process on his face as he finally comprehends our current situation."
#--[/dev/non, have Naser’s facial expression change every half-second on this line]
show anon neutral flip at acenter
show naser shocked
pause 0.5
show naser smug
pause 0.5
show naser neutral
pause 0.5
show naser shocked
pause 0.5
show naser neutral
pause 0.5
show naser smug
pause 0.5
show naser shocked
pause 0.5
Nas "No, I…"
Nas "..."
hide naser with moveoutright
"He regains control of his legs and hurriedly rushes through the crowd, pushing aside a few students."
play music 'audio/OST/intercept.ogg' fadein 1.0
"One or two classmates glance at me again, then continue on their way."
"While I’m checking for any more broken bones my phone buzzes."
show anonphone at scenter with moveinbottom
"{i}Fang: Anyone beat you up yet :V{/i}"
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…"
"{i}Anon: No. On an unrelated matter, have you spoken with Naser recently?"
"{i}Fang: Told him i was staying here yesterday but havent checked his respones{/i}"
"{i}Fang: Why do i need to kill him or something <:V{/i}"
"{i}Anon: Not yet. Just thinking it might be a good idea to get in touch with him when you feel like it.{/i}"
"{i}Fang: I might feel like it after i stop raiding your fridge{/i}"
"{i}Anon: Die.{/i}"
"{i}Fang: >:V{/i}"
hide anonphone with moveouttop
"Glad to know she’s still holding up."
"Shit, now I’m not gonna have enough soda to last the week."
"I’ll worry about that when I get home."
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
label naserDrama:
"..."
scene black with fade
#Naser Drama
#THIS SECTION IS SCORE DEPENDENT
if anonscore >= 4 and fangscore >= 4:
#Sorting Things
scene hallway with fade
show anon neutral at acenter with dissolve
"Today needs to end. Now."
"I have a backpack full of missed assignments, including Mr. Tsuki’s essay on the history of typefaces."
"Who the fuck cares about typefaces?!"
"Worst samurai english teacher ever."
"My ribs are burning as I heave a sigh."
"At least I can go home now."
"Where my hot ptero Gee Eff is waiting."
"..."
"My hot ptero girlfriend who may or may not be having a mental breakdown in my apartment."
"And I have no idea what to do with a fucking girlfriend. All those hours of dating simulators have not adequately simulated dating in the least."
"Just as I exit the main doors of Volcano High my phone buzzes against one particularly bad bruise on my leg."
show anonphone at center with moveinbottom
"Fingers crossed it’s Fang."
"{i}Naser We need to talk{/i}"
"{i}Naser Meet me in the auditorium{/i}"
"I’m going to die."
hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
unknown "You’re gonna die weeb! Naser’s looking for your weeb ass!"
"... Best to get it over with now."
"I meander my way to the school’s auditorium."
play music "audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg" fadein 1.0
scene auditorium
show anon neutral at aleft
"Some of the lights are off when I get there, but I can make out Naser’s outline sitting alone in the front row."
"He doesn’t turn to look at me when I enter or walk down the aisle."
"He’s hunched over with his head resting in his hands, and glances at me from the side."
"Some of the lights are off when I get there, but I can make out Naser’s outline sitting alone in the front row."
"He doesn’t turn to look at me when I enter or walk down the aisle."
"He’s hunched over with his head resting in his hands, and glances at me from the side."
show naser neutral flip at ncenter with fade
A "You uh… wanted to talk to me?"
Nas "..."
"I fold down the seat next to his."
A "Funny, this is the same seat as the one I was in a few days ago."
Nas "Hm…"
A "... Why did you call me here?"
Nas "Just… Shut up. Let me think."
"He fixes his gaze at the stage curtains."
"I can see the gears in his head turning, but his expression is telling me he doesn’t actually know what he wants to do."
Nas "I shouldn’t have pushed you earlier."
Nas "Sorry. It was a moment of weakness."
A "Don’t worry about it, I can take a hit or two."
"He silently nods."
Nas "When you told me Fang could kiss you because you told her your feelings… I can’t really describe it."
Nas "Don’t take it the wrong way, but my mind just screamed at me ‘worst case scenario’."
A "Why’s that?"
Nas "Because it’s {i}my{/i} sister we’re talking about here."
A "So? Fang said she likes me too."
A "So we’re dating now. I think."
play music "audio/OST/intercept.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Naser clamps his hands up to his crest."
Nas "Dating, even…Sweet Raptor Jesus..."
A "Why are you so surprised, I told you months ago I liked her, didn’t I?"
Nas "Yes, you told me {i}you{/i} liked {i}her{/i}."
Nas "I never expected her to LIKE YOU BACK."
Nas "Explain yourself, now."
A "I… I don’t even really know how this happened- I-I mean, I’ve barely even had friends before, let alone something romantic!"
A "I don’t know how this happened!"
A "Why would someone, anyone want to go out with {i}me{/i}?! Me, Naser!"
A "I wouldn’t go out with me!"
A "I have no idea what I’m doing!"
"Naser leans back with a hand holding his beak."
Nas "Oh, man, you’re worse off than I thought."
Nas "Breathe, man."
A "I {i}am{/i}. It {i}hurts{/i}."
Nas "Geez, at this rate I’m going to be more concerned for you than Fang."
A "Like, thinking about being with Fang, a part of me is fucking exuberant to the point of being higher than Reed. Reed!"
A "But then I start thinking how I don’t KNOW how to date and get so worried that I feel like I’m going to vomit."
A "And then there’s my heart beating so hard and the fucking bruise and everything is fuck. Everything is fucking fuck, Naser."
Nas "BREATHE!"
"I finally notice the black spots in my vision and gasp."
"My lungs explode in pain and I falter back against my chair for support."
A "Is this a panic attack? Naser I think I’m having a panic atta-"
"My head snaps to the side and a fresh stinging pain blossoms on my cheek."
"I take the seconds of intense pain to focus and collect myself."
A "Did you just slap me?"
Nas "Yes."
A "..."
Nas "You calm now?"
A "Not really."
Nas "Would another slap help?"
A "I’m calm I’m calm."
Nas "You’ve got it bad, Anon."
A "Got what bad?"
Nas "You’re in love with Fang."
A "How is that bad?"
Nas "Fang. You {i}both{/i} need help at this point."
A "Now that’s just uncalled for."
Nas "It’s true. Last thing you need is to be romantically involved."
A "What if that’s exactly what we need?"
Nas "Just… Let me get this straight."
Nas "You have never had a girlfriend before."
A "Yes."
Nas "Ever?"
A "Yes, why?"
Nas "Aside from being sad, that just makes it really not a good idea to go for what seems like such a… poor combination."
A "That a challenge?"
Nas "Wha-are you even paying attention?"
A "I can be a great boyfriend, just you watch."
Nas "Oh my g-"
Nas "..."
Nas "You know what?"
Nas "You may be right."
A "Hm?"
Nas "Maybe just the thing Fang needs is someone to support her."
Nas "I clearly can’t do anything, and neither can our parents, or anyone we know."
Nas "But thinking back to a few days ago… she did shield you from the crowd and get you out of the auditorium."
Nas "I brushed it off but... it’s clear she cares for you."
Nas "So you know what Anon? I’ll trust you."
A "Dowha?"
"Naser gets up from his seat, motioning for me to follow."
play music "audio/OST/bayside_revamp.ogg" fadein 1.0
Nas "I’ll help you get to know Fang a bit better, and in return, you need to keep your promise of being a great boyfriend to her."
A "I- uh, yeah! Thank you, Naser. Uh, where are we going?"
Nas "You’re gonna need some supplies."
scene outside school with fade
"I follow Naser to the parking lot, where his half-beaten car awaits."
Nas "Listen up, because this is all I really know."
A "Wait, should I be taking no-"
Nas "First thing is you should always have a giant bag of dino-nuggies in your fridge, with her name written on it with a sharpie."
Nas "Be warned, she counts them. You eat any and it’s all over."
scene nascar day with fade
"I climb into the passenger seat as Naser revs up the NasCar."
Nas "You’re gonna need some barbecue sauce too. And none of the bargain bin stuff, Fang ONLY likes top shelf dipping sauce."
"The car violently peels out of the parking lot."
"Naser continued to rattle off a checklist of do’s and don’ts for Fang, even as he takes me around various stores to stock up."
Nas "If she ever says she ‘isn’t hungry’, she is lying through her teeth."
Nas "Most places know what you need if you say ‘my girlfriend isn’t hungry’."
Nas "Next, either get a good supply of earplugs or say goodbye to your sense of hearing entirely. She can and will stay up until two a.m. listening to music on full blast."
"Naser tells me more information about Fang than I probably should have known."
Nas "And lastly, she will rip your shirt at least once. Have spares ready."
A "What?!"
Nas "Oh yeah. This is actually my fifth jacket this semester."
A "I-I see…"
"So that confirms Naser is just colorblind if he keeps getting these fuckugly jackets."
A "So… I’ve got your blessing?"
Nas "IF you help my sister, Anon."
A "Of course! I’ll be the best boyfriend."
Nas "You better. Because otherwise it won’t be me next time."
A "Wha-"
Nas "Dad needs a new caddy. He’ll probably ask you and then you’ll go missing."
A "..."
"Ah. Fuck."
Nas "Now tell me where your place is so I can drop you off."
"Naser hesitates when I give him my address."
Nas "Skin Row? You know I should have figured, but still…"
"He speeds off in the direction of my apartment with all the grace of a semi truck."
"Once we reach my neighborhood, his driving gets even more erratic."
"Never stopping at stop signs and staying just above the speed limit."
"Paranoid much?"
"Naser finally comes to a stop in front of my building to let me out."
scene skinrow
show anon neutral at acenter
with fade
A "Thanks for the ride, Naser. And the, er… Fang stuff, too."
"Naser’s gaze is fixed on the building’s doors instead."
Nas "So you’re going up to see Fang now, huh…"
A "You know you can come talk to her with me, if you want."
Nas "No! I mean, can’t leave my car alone in this neighborhood. Don’t want something to happen to it, right?"
"He tops it off with a less than genuine laugh."
A "Naser, your car has more dents than most of the ones around here."
A "Also, I need help carrying all this stuff."
Nas "What? There’s like four bags, you can carry it fine."
A "Not with these crippling injuries."
A "You slamming me into the locker didn’t help either."
A "Oww, It’s a {i}miracle{/i} I’m still able to breathe."
"Naser rolls his eyes."
Nas "Fine, I’ll carry the crap up. But only for a moment, I don’t want my car getting jacked."
"He gets all the bags from the backseat and I lead him up the stairs to my place."
show naser neutral at sleft
Nas "... Has Fang been doing alright here?"
A "Probably still a bit rattled."
A "Wasn’t in the best mood this morning either."
A "Probably a good idea to not get confrontational or anything, yeah?"
"Naser nods and I unlock the door."
scene room anon day
show anon neutral flip:
xalign 0.8 yalign 0.1
show naser neutral flip at nright
show fang neutral flip at sleft
with fade
"I hold the door open for Naser. He hesitates to enter so I look in to see Fang sat on my bed mashing away on The Duke furiously."
play music "audio/OST/punk_revamp.ogg" fadein 1.0
show fang shocked with dissolve
F "Naser?!"
A "Don’t freak out, he’s just here to- wait."
A "Why are you playing rockband with a controller?"
show fang surprised
F "You mean I was doing it wrong?"
A "And my account was locked, how did you even get that to start?"
F "Dude, your password was ‘RAYmba’."
show fang angry with dissolve
F "Who cares about that, why’s {i}he{/i} here?"
"Naser waves dismissively."
show naser unimpressed flip
Nas "Well, Anon, you’re welcome for the ride, I’ll just be going now."
show naser neutral
pause 0.4
show fang neutral
F "-Wait, Naser."
"He freezes halfway out the door."
F "... How much do you know?"
show naser neutral flip
Nas "Uh… Know?"
F "About me and Anon."
Nas "Anon filled me in earlier."
show fang shocked with dissolve
F "You what?!"
A "Fang, don’t worry, he’s cool!"
F "You weren’t planning on telling Dad I’m here, were you?"
Nas "... No, I wasn’t."
F "I’m serious, you can’t tell him, he’d kill Anon!"
Nas "No, really, I wasn’t going to tell."
show naser unimpressed flip
F "Please, Naser, I need to know for absolute sure."
show naser annoyed flip
Nas "God damn it, Fang!"
Nas "Why don’t you trust me with even this?!"
show fang sad with dissolve
"Naser inhales deeply and turns towards the door."
show naser unimpressed with dissolve
Nas "Sorry. I’m going now. I won’t tell, I swear."
F "..."
F "It’s not that I don’t trust you…"
"He pauses again with his hand on the doorknob."
show anon neutral
"Like Spears’ did numerous times in the past, I take hold of Nasers’ shoulder."
show anon neutral flip
"I offer a reassuring smile and nod back towards Fang."
show anon neutral
A "..."
show naser neutral
Nas "... Then what? Why do you hate me?"
F "... I don’t hate you…"
F "Every time I see… those…"
Nas "Those…?"
F "Your scars, I mean."
F "I just remember that day back then."
Nas "What does that have to do with anything?"
show fang hiding
F "I mean, It’s my fault, isn’t it?"
F "I lied to you, and you got hurt."
Nas "..."
F "But it’s like you don’t blame me, even though you should."
show naser sad with dissolve
F "Everyone depends on you, you’re the star player at school, but it’s in spite of your family instead of because of it."
F "You can’t even bring yourself to hate me…"
Nas "All this time, that’s what this was about?"
"Fang wipes away a tear with her wing and nods."
"Naser brushes my hand off his shoulder and turns around."
show naser sad flip with dissolve
Nas "I don’t hate you because I don’t blame you for anything, Fang."
show fang sad with dissolve
Nas "Back then, we were only kids, I was eleven? Twelve?"
Nas "I was always thinking I’d done something wrong because of how you acted differently since then."
Nas "I thought you hated me."
Nas "I mean, look at all the shit I’ve ruined for you."
Nas "Band practices, shows, parties, hell, dates even."
Nas "All I ever do is ruin things for you."
Nas "And when I did I’d always get told off by Trish."
"A part of me wants to groan at just the mention of her name."
show fang very sad
show naser unimpressed flip
"Oh… I think I did since both Naser and Fang are looking at me."
play music "audio/OST/Appreciating the Moment.ogg" fadein 1.0
A "Ahaha…"
show fang neutral with dissolve
F "Urgh, way to ruin the moment Anon."
Nas "Real smooth, man. Real smooth."
show anon neutral
A "Oh come on, you two were finally making progress."
show fang happy with dissolve
F "Remind me why we’re dating again?"
show anon neutral flip
Nas "Hey, he’s your boyfriend. Cut him some slack."
A "What’s that supposed to mean?!"
show naser happy flip with dissolve
"The siblings chuckle lightly at my expense."
"The things I do for people…"
"Once the laughter ends Fang looks at Naser."
F "Look, Naser, for all of Anon’s faults I do like him."
show fang sad
show naser neutral flip
with dissolve
F "Which is why I’d rather dad not arrest him and kill him."
F "I know I haven’t been a good… sibling…"
F "But I’m begging you here."
Nas "I told you before, I won’t tell."
Nas "Just be sure to come home later tonight."
show fang angry with dissolve
"Fang hisses and looks away."
show naser unimpressed flip
Nas "...You ARE coming home tonight, right?"
show fang considering with dissolve
F "Weeeeell…"
A "What-"
Nas "WHAT?!"
show fang happy with dissolve
F "I need to stay to look after my idiot boyfriend."
show anon fear with dissolve
A "I don’t need- AIIIEEE!"
"Fang withdraws her finger from the bruise on my chest."
show anon sad with dissolve
A "FUCK! God, again with the tests?"
show anon neutral with dissolve
Nas "What am I supposed to tell dad then? Hell, what have you been telling him?"
F "That I’ve been staying at Naomi’s place for a group project."
A "..."
Nas "..."
F "Well I can’t say I’m staying at Trish or Reed’s place."
Nas "But Naomi?"
F "If I told dad I was staying at Anon’s place in Skin Row what do you think would happen?"
Nas "...Okay, fair point."
A "Are you actually okay staying here though?"
"Fang shrugs and looks away."
show anon neutral
F "S’not bad. Just… boring when I’m all alone."
F "And there’s not much to eat here."
A "Well let’s fix that last part then."
"I get a questioning look from Fang as I take one of the grocery bags from Naser."
"Her eyes instantly lock onto the hefty back of dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets I take out."
A "You gonna stay for dinner Naser?"
Nas "I want to but-"
show fang surprised
show naser shocked flip
with dissolve
"The loud blaring of a car alarm has Naser drop the rest of the bags onto the floor and rush out the door."
Nas "Shit! The NasCar!"
hide naser with dissolve
A "Huh… Guess he wasn’t wrong about the carjacking thing."
show anon neutral flip with dissolve
"I turn back to Fang."
"Whose currently writing her name on the bag of tenders."
F "Mine."
A "Fang you can’t hog-"
F "*hiss*"
A "Did you just hiss at me?!"
F "Mine."
"We ended up watching Top Spear until midnight while Fang hogged her bag of nuggies."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
"..."
scene outside school with fade
play music "audio/OST/Fuck You I Like This Chick.ogg" fadein 1.0
"I was ready for an uneventful day of school."
"In fact I’d be extremely happy if it was."
"This entire week has been the most dramatic in my life."
"Even the walk to school was dramatic, with Fang escorting me as if she was Secret Service."
"In English class I’m still trying to catch up with the rest of the class."
"In any other class I’d have been caught up, but Mr. Tsuki is an absolute slave driver."
"My phone buzzes, and I try to tell myself it’s not worth getting distracted."
"The next question is on Serif’s history, however, and I decide it’s not worth it."
show anonphone at center with moveinbottom
"Fang: Ughh"
"Fang: Pleeeease tell me your morning is going better than mine"
"Anon: could be better, why?"
"Fang: I didnt even think of Trish"
"Fang: She hasnt seen me in two days and is trying to bother me with band stuff"
"Fang: Shes reeeaaaally not taking me taking a break well"
"Anon: oh. you serious about quitting music and all that?"
"Fang: What :V"
"Fang: Why would I quit music"
"Fang: Just taking off from the band for a while"
"Anon: ah."
"Fang: Think Trish gets the memo now"
"Fang: Apparently cold shoulder works wonders on her :V"
"Anon: you think that’ll work for long?"
"Fang: No lol"
"Fang: Will have to make distance at lunch"
"Fang: Lets eat on the roof or something"
"Anon: good idea"
"She doesn’t respond further so I turn my attention back to the assignment."
hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
" ‘{i}Serif fonts can be broadly classified into one of four subgroups: old style, transitional, Didone and slab serif, in order of fir-{/i}-’ Nope."
"Nope, just writing a review of BIIC: A PostPaleo RPG here."
"(I passed the assignment.)"
"After a torturous science period where Fang poked my bruises whenever she got bored lunch came around."
scene cafeteria
show fang happy at sleft
show anon neutral at aright
with fade
"Fang and I got plates of country fried steak and start heading up the stairs, chattering about possibly seeing a movie this weekend."
F "-seemed like a Kong fan."
A "Did Naser say that?"
F "Maybe… But c’mon, it looked like it’d be a great movie."
"Before I can retort I hear footsteps rushing in from behind."
show trish happy with dissolve:
xalign -0.2
show fang neutral with dissolve
T "Fang! I thought we’d be hanging out in the auditorium. Y’know, like usual?"
scene hallway
show fang neutral at sleft
show anon neutral at aright
show trish indignant:
xalign -0.2
with fade
"Fang doesn’t even bat an eye and continues up the steps."
hide fang with moveoutright
show trish indignant with move:
xalign 0.3
"Trish follows even as Fang starts taking the steps two at a time."
T "Fang! C’mon!"
"If the door was still there I’m pretty sure Fang would’ve kicked it open."
"Instead she quickly turns with a huff and starts to scale the ladder one-handed."
hide anon with moveoutright
"Before Trish can climb it I pull myself up the ladder awkwardly."
"Each step up a rung I need to pause, the rough movements causing bouts of pain across my chest."
"Trish growls as I take my time climbing up. Halfway up I’m able to hand Fang my tray of food and scale the ladder at a slightly faster snail’s pace."
"Once I’m at the top I swing my legs onto the ladder, blocking Trish from climbing up too."
show trish angry with dissolve
T "Asshole! Let me talk with Fang!"
A "Know any theaters with easily accessible fire exits?"
F "You kidding, of course I do."
A "Sweet, saves me some money."
T "Anon I swear to fuck!"
T "Fang, please! Just say something!"
"I can tell Fang is getting annoyed at Trish not taking the hint."
F "Trish, I just don’t want to see you right now, okay?"
T "But… why?! I’m your best friend!"
F "I still need some time away after what you did."
T "What about Reed? What about VVURM DRAMA? We can’t perform with just the two of us!"
F "I think you should leave, Trish."
T "I think you aren’t thinking straight!"
T "We {i}need{/i} you to come back to-"
F "Trish."
"Her voice is a calm fury, cold and collected and bitter."
F "I am trying to have lunch."
F "With my boyfriend."
F "That you just humiliated in front of everyone barely two days ago."
F "I am perfectly capable of deciding for myself if I want to take a break."
F "If and when I want to get back into the band, I will talk to you."
F "For now, all you’re doing is pissing me off and ruining our lunch together."
F "Leave."
show trish sad with dissolve
"Trish’s jaw hangs open, a barely audible squeak of protest escaping her."
"She wipes a tear away with her jacket sleeve and shimmies down the ladder."
T "... Sorry."
hide trish with dissolve
"Fang waits until her footsteps quiet before letting out a sigh."
scene roof day
show fang sad at sleft
show anon neutral flip at aright
with fade
F "... That hurt."
"Fang’s hand finds mine and grasps it."
"Her grip is feather light, and I can feel her shuddering breath as a shiver in her palm."
"I offer her silent reassurance, my fingers curling around her hand softly."
F "Anon, do you think I fucked up?"
"I consider for a moment."
"While Trish did mess up, big time, she’s still Fang’s best friend."
"It wasn’t all malicious. Just… Misguided."
"Maybe some time apart will help both Fang and Trish."
"Maybe… but y’know…"
"I know you can hear this, though."
"Fang simply rolls her eyes."
show fang happy with dissolve
F "Such a dweeb."
A "Yep."
"She held my hand the entirety of lunch."
"Which was nice."
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
"But it made eating my mediocre steak fucking difficult."
"..."
elif anonscore >= 3 and fangscore <= 3:
#Mending Things
scene hallway with fade
show anon neutral at acenter with dissolve
"Today needs to end. Now."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I have a backpack full of missed assignments, including Mr. Tsuki’s essay on the history of typefaces."
"Who the fuck cares about typefaces?!"
"Worst samurai english teacher ever."
"My ribs are burning as I heave a sigh."
"At least I can go home now."
"Where my hot ptero Gee Eff is waiting."
"..."
"My hot ptero girlfriend who may or may not be having a mental breakdown in my apartment."
"And I have no idea what to do with a fucking girlfriend. All those hours of dating simulators have not adequately simulated dating in the least."
"Just as I exit the main doors of Volcano High my phone buzzes against one particularly bad bruise on my leg."
show anonphone at scenter with moveinbottom
"Fingers crossed it’s Fang."
"{i}Naser We need to talk{/i}"
"{i}Naser Meet me in the auditorium{/i}"
"I’m going to die."
hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
unknown "You’re gonna die weeb! Naser’s looking for your weeb ass!"
"... Best to get it over with now."
"I meander my way to the school’s auditorium."
scene auditorium
show anon neutral at aleft
"Some of the lights are off when I get there, but I can make out Naser’s outline sitting alone in the front row."
"He doesn’t turn to look at me when I enter or walk down the aisle."
"He’s hunched over with his head resting in his hands, and glances at me from the side."
"Some of the lights are off when I get there, but I can make out Naser’s outline sitting alone in the front row."
"He doesn’t turn to look at me when I enter or walk down the aisle."
"He’s hunched over with his head resting in his hands, and glances at me from the side."
show naser neutral flip at ncenter with fade
A "You uh… wanted to talk to me?"
Nas "..."
"I fold down the seat next to his."
A "Funny, this is the same seat as the one I was in a few days ago."
Nas "Hm…"
A "... Why did you call me here?"
Nas "Just… Shut up. Let me think."
"He fixes his gaze at the stage curtains."
"I can see the gears in his head turning, but his expression is telling me he doesn’t actually know what he wants to do."
Nas "I shouldn’t have pushed you earlier."
Nas "Sorry. It was a moment of weakness."
A "Don’t worry about it, I can take a hit or two."
"He silently nods."
Nas "When you told me Fang could kiss you because you told her your feelings… I can’t really describe it."
Nas "Don’t take it the wrong way, but my mind just screamed at me ‘worst case scenario’."
A "It’s because I’m human, isn’t it."
Nas "Just picture the fucked up flipper ba- hey! Anon this is serious!"
"So much for brevity."
"Naser’s looking torn up over himself."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg' fadein 1.0
A "You blaming yourself for something?"
Nas "Uh, no… Sort of, I don’t know."
Nas "I was thinking only of myself, I wasn't being understanding and I just unloaded it all on you."
Nas "If you and Fang like each other then that's not my problem, right? You're a nice guy, really."
Nas "If she’s happy then I'm happy, right?"
Nas "I just want to know if she can forgive me for being harsh on you, I feel like it's one of those things she'd hate me for, right?"
"Naser’s smile could at best be called fragile."
A "I wouldn’t worry about it too much right now, she’s under a lot of pressure."
Nas "... Did something happen to her?"
A "Because of the stunt Trish pulled she broke off with her and the band."
A "Now she’s refusing to leave my place out of fear and stress."
Nas "..."
A "I’m honestly feeling out of my depth here, there’s really nothing I can do except be there for her."
Nas "..."
A "You’re in a much better position to help her, you’re her brother and all."
Nas "It’s… complicated. You know that. I suck at helping her."
Nas "Remember earlier this year? That concert? She told me to kill myself and the next day Trish came lashing out at me."
Nas "Telling ME how my own sibling feels about me. How she'd be better off if I didn't exist."
Nas "Now you’re here telling me she’s having a mental breakdown, which {i}I{/i} didn’t know."
Nas "Hell, even Reed tells me how she’s doing sometimes."
Nas "Fucking hell, Anon, tell me: Why do I gotta hear about how Fang feels from Trish, Reed, and now YOU? What's so POISONOUS about me she can't tell me this shit ''THEMSELF''?"
Nas "WHY do I aggravate ''THEM'' so much?"
A "Dude!"
Nas "Shut up for a second, man. Oh God..."
"I can only watch as Naser breaks down in front of me, hands on his head in emotional turmoil."
Nas "..."
Nas "What did I ever do to her…?"
A "I-er…"
Nas "What, do you know?"
A "I’m thinking the two of you might be in the same boat, actually."
Nas "Wh-shut up."
A "She told me a while back… she does want to reconnect with you, but…"
Nas "She’s afraid of me?"
A "Herself. She’s been beating herself up ever since that… Thing that happened."
A "Still thinks you blame her."
Nas "What thing?"
"I gesture to one of his scars."
Nas "What?"
Nas "You're not serious, it's over THAT shit? From fucking YEARS ago?"
A "She was in tears when she told me."
Nas "Holy shit, shut up."
A "Why don't you ask her yourself?"
Nas "I told you already, she won’t even glance my direction."
Nas "..."
Nas "Why would it be about that? I was just a little retarded kid then. I didn't blame her for one second."
Nas "Not for one second..."
"He turns his head aside."
Nas "You know what happened while I was at the hospital recovering?"
Nas "She never showed up. I don't know why."
Nas "Mom and Dad were always there with me but Fang never saw me in the hospital."
Nas "I wanted to see her the most."
Nas "I worryingly asked mom and dad every day where Fang was."
Nas "When I’d get restless, they had to keep telling me Fang was close by in the building, or at home, safe."
Nas "I didn't cry when I rolled down a cliff and broke every bone in my body, but every night when I was alone in that hospital room I cried like a baby thinking I had disappointed my sister by doing this to her."
A "You think it's your fault?"
Nas "Yes! It’s all I do! It’s all I’ll ever do! Ruin my sister’s life!"
Nas "..."
Nas "Man..."
Nas "where did it all go wrong?"
Nas "Do you remember your life four, five years ago?"
A "Rather not."
Nas "Things were simpler then though."
Nas "It was FINE. We hung out, we had movie nights, she'd bring her friends, we all got along."
Nas "Somewhere in there, shit just changed. Everyone just started talking about herbivores, genres and other shit..."
Nas "I didn't think of fighting Fang for it, but then she changed her name, started this whole non-binary thing, this pronoun thing took a while to get used to, but I was happy for her at first, going along because I didn't want to step on her toes."
Nas "I thought she'd be happier, but she only got more and more miserable and distant, I'd try helping her and everything would just get more insufferable everytime."
Nas "At some point Trish would just talk to me for her, and she would turn unbearable to talk to too."
A "Trish?"
Nas "Trish is not a bad girl, Anon. But goddamn if she didn't inculcate in Fang’s head ALL the wrong things."
A "Well, Fang needs you now to start putting the right things in her head again. Please, help her."
Nas "Anon, go away. I want to be alone for a second."
A "What do I tell Fang when I get home?"
Nas "JUST GO."
"I sigh, taking one last look at Naser as he sat motionless in the barely lit auditorium."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
"Between Naser not being any help and my injuries, my walk home feels like agony."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/Skinrow Soul.ogg' fadein 1.0
scene skinrow with fade
show anon neutral at acenter
"My knee is back to not liking it when I bend it too much and I’m taking careful breaths again."
"He was still upset when I left…"
"Man, I’m two for two now in terms of not being able to do anything."
"What could I have done more…?"
"I still have enough strength to get home without any major problems."
scene black with fade
A "Fang? I’m here!"
"My apartment door is locked..."
"...And I left my keys inside."
"Smooth."
"I bang my fist on the door."
A "Fang? You in here?"
F "I’m changing, don’t come in!"
A "Why?"
F "What do you mean why? I took a shower you dumbass."
A "But you wear the same things every day, what are you changing into?"
A "Wait, you’re not trying on my clothes again are you?"
"*BANG*"
"Was that one of her boots?"
"She seemed pretty cheery when she messaged me earlier, this isn't right."
A "Why can’t you change in the bathroom?"
"No response."
"I rustle the doorknob a bit before hearing it unlock from the other side."
"As soon as I enter, Fang starts pressing her fingers on all the bruises I had."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating the Atmosphere.ogg' fadein 1.0
scene room anon day
show fang sad at sleft
show anon neutral flip at acenter
with fade
"Worry is etched onto her face."
"She’s acting like I'm about to fall over, geez."
F "You ok?"
A "Whoa, calm down."
"That's close enough."
A "I'm fine, don't worry about me."
F "Good. I...I'm just a little tired. Think I’ll take a nap."
"I dropped my things on the corner of the room, went to the kitchen to check the food..."
A "Very funny."
"Fang wasn’t joking about raiding the fridge."
"All the salami is gone."
"It was good salami too."
"Guess I need to go out for more."
"Back in the main room, Fang lies down on my bed."
A "Are you really that tired? I figured we could go buy groceries..."
F "No..."
A "Fine, I'll just go by myself."
F "Nooooooo."
A "Don’t worry, I won’t push myself. Only getting a few things."
F "Anon, please!"
"She pulls me by my jacket so I’m sitting next to her on the bed."
"Fang carefully hovers her hands over me, a very different attitude from when she was poking my ribs earlier."
F "Is your arm still hurting? Don't fucking lie to me."
A "It doesn't hurt that much, only my other wrist… and knee."
F "Good."
scene room anon day with fade
show fangarm with dissolve
"She lays her head on my arm, very carefully. It was fast becoming her preferred pillow here."
"In any other situation I would find this cute but I totally lied to her and this hurts like crazy."
"I'm almost willing to have another go at the stairs if that keeps her from touching me like this."
F "You don't hate me, do you?"
"That’s not what I was expecting."
A "What? Why would I ever hate you?"
F "Because...it's all my fault, right?"
F "You didn't deserve all the shit me and the others gave you..."
F "Maybe we should just… start over?"
A "Nah, I like what we have now."
A "Maybe you do need some rest, Fang. I'll be back soon with the groceries."
"I gently slide my arm out from her grip."
F "No! God damn it, can't you just stay still for one second? You can't leave me here alone!"
A "What? I'm just going for groceries, what’s going on?"
F "I'm fine, I’m just… fucking dizzy."
A "What did you do?"
F "Don't leave, please..."
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/you can_t sage here.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I hold her by the shoulders. They feel scruffy."
A "Fang, what happened?"
F "Don't leave me here all alone..."
"I catch a speck of red on my hands as they brush against her wings."
"Oh fuck."
"Oh god damn it."
"First Aid kit! I need the First Aid kit."
"Fang grips my arm tightly as I get up from the bed."
F "Anon wait!"
"When I open the bathroom door a wave of humidity from the shower washes over me."
"A smear of blood on the shower stall wall."
"A feather behind the toilet."
"Another stuck to the seat."
"At least three in the bowl, one of them still has blood in it."
A "Fang…?"
"She huddles against the corner of my bed away from me."
"Now that I look at it, her wings do seem slightly thinner."
A "You were preening again?"
"She hesitates for a moment before nodding."
F "...Yes."
F "I couldn’t stop doing it… it got really bad, there was blood everywhere."
F "I spent all day cleaning it up."
"She looks like she’s on the verge of tears."
"I don't know what to do."
A "God fucking damn it."
F "Fuck. fuck shit."
A "Fuck."
"I make us both some microwave dino nuggets and we silently eat on the floor."
"Groceries will have to wait for now."
A "You think you’ll be able to go to school tomorrow?"
F "Nooo…"
A "But you’ll fall behind in class."
F "I’ll drop out."
A "Come on, Fang."
F "I don’t want to see anyone right now…"
A "What about Naser? I talked to him earlier and-"
F "Fuck him."
A "He can help you..."
F "He can go die."
A "Fang, this isn’t healthy. I can’t help you through this alone."
F "But you're good at it!"
A "Then take my advice, tomorrow we go to school, you sort this out with him."
F "Why not just get him to come here today?"
A "I uh… Don’t think he’ll come to Skin Row."
A "Why are you so against this? It’s Naser. Naser!"
"Fang’s head falls and she let’s out a shuddering sigh."
F "It’s… Trish…"
F "Trish will probably be there."
F "I blocked her number..."
F "She kept messaging me."
"Shit. I forgot about her."
"And if she’s been messaging Fang all day…"
"Trish’s last plan humiliated me in front of the entire school body."
"And all because I hung out with Fang."
"The fuck would she pull just to talk to Fang."
A "Okay, yeah, Trish. Fucking Trish."
A "Well. What about your parents? Have you even told them you’re here?"
F "No fucking duh. Dad’s mad. Big shocker there."
A "And your mom?"
F "I don’t know."
A "Maybe she can help then."
F "Fine, fine. I’ll text her. But I’m not going tomorrow."
A "Okay."
"Morosely she withdraws her phone from her pocket."
"Her fingers tap rapidly at the screen."
"What feels like an eternity of her writing, erasing, and rewriting a text message ends when she looks at me with eyes filled with worry."
"I shuffle close to her, arm carefully wrapping over her shoulder."
"Fang thumbs the send button and sighs."
F "There, happy?"
A "Tired actually. So uh, movie may-"
F "I just want to sleep, Anon."
"Sleep sounds good."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating her Company.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Fang gets up first before needlessly helping me up."
"I consider the option of changing to pajamas but I don’t think Fang would be impressed with my Master Grug onesie."
"Fang slips into my bed first, her wings carefully laid behind her."
scene wounds16 with fade
"I climb in to the space she left for me."
"Which she’s quick to invade."
"Her head settles on my shoulder and her wings once again act as a shared blanket."
F "Night Anon."
A "Night Fang."
"That night, laying together with Fang, I dreamt of us escaping all of our problems."
"If only."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
"..."
"Fang refused to leave again this morning."
"I originally told her I’d have to stay as well since I didn’t want to risk her hurting herself again."
"She ended up swearing on her guitar she won’t hurt herself again."
"I’ll need to pick up her assignments for today as well."
"How did things end up like this?"
"I can’t do anything about Fang on my own, and Naser…"
"Isn’t interested in helping, to say the least."
scene outside school
show anon neutral at aleft
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/to_swagger.ogg' fadein 1.0
St "-you see Fang’s brother beat on Anon yesterday?"
St "He’s the star of the school, right?"
Ro "I’ve heard Fang has eloped with An-on, she was not at school yesterday."
St "If that’s the case he’s changed his mind already. Hey, Anon!"
"I hadn’t noticed the two on the steps ahead of me."
"But Rosa noticed me, judging by her waving hand and overly cheerful smile."
menu:
"Guess I’ll say hi.":
"I’m not in a great mood today, but I should still say hi."
A "Good morning, Stella. Morning, Rosa."
"Don’t want to talk to them today.":
"Really don’t want to put up with Stella’s overly positive attitude today."
show stella neutral flip at scenter
show rosa neutral flip at sright
Ro "Oh, An-on, you do not look so happy. Why?"
St "Indeed, a dark haze hangs heavy over your heart."
"Rosa and I give the green stegosaur a flat look."
A "Don’t worry about it, just dealing with some heavy stuff right now."
Re "Oh dear."
St "Did you finish a good series and feel that post-finale depression?"
A "What? No."
St "Was it because that one pervy anime got canceled? I wouldn’t have pegged you as a fan of that kind of stuff."
A "No Stella, it’s not that."
St "Oh! Is it money related? Do you need money to get Fang a proper ring?"
A "What?! Why would I need to get Fang a ring?!"
St "Well I heard from a guy who heard from Mr. Carldewskii who heard from-"
A "Get to the point Stella."
St "I heard that you and Fang are getting married."
A "W-w-w-w-"
St "I wish you both a happy marriage!"
St "Come on, I’ll give you a reading here!"
St "I can tell you how your future life together will be!"
St "Let me get my cards out-"
A "Stella! I’m not feeling it right now, maybe later, okay?"
St "You shouldn’t go about your day without this sort of knowledge, it can really help show your path forward!"
A "STELLA, I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR STUPID READINGS!"
A "Please, just leave me alone!"
"Guilt hits me immediately when I see her shirk back."
Ro "Ay dios mio! An-on! What is the matter with you?!"
Ro "You are acting just horrible today!"
A "Sorry, Stella. Just… Don’t worry about it."
Ro "Please tell us, what has you down?"
A "Just Fang stuff. You know she hasn’t been showing to school lately."
A "She’s actually been refusing to leave my apartment."
St "You mean like-"
Ro "Now is not the time, Stella."
Ro "Is it really that bad?"
A "She... hasn’t been taking recent events well."
"That’s one way to put it."
Ro "I do hate to see friends in trouble, I know Fang is a good girl at heart."
Ro "Please, if there is anything we can do, Stella and I will try to be there."
"Rosa takes a piece of paper from her bag and hands it to me."
Ro "My number, An-on. If you do need it."
A "Thanks, Rosa. I’ll think about it."
St "Do… you want a reading now?"
"The school bells interrupt."
A "Sorry, Stella. Some other time."
St "Awww."
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
"We all enter the school and split off to our homerooms."
"In class it feels just like the beginning of the year."
"All alone."
"Naomi’s apparently busy with yearbook stuff."
"Trish and Reed have been ditching math."
"Not that I care honestly. I just want to get home and make sure Fang is okay."
scene cafeteria with fade
"Time passes so quickly that it’s lunch now and I already have my tray."
"I didn’t even realize I was walking up the stairs to the rooftop."
scene hallway with fade
show anon neutral at aleft
"My stupor is broken by the sight of Trish and Reed."
"Worry is etched in both their faces as they approach me."
"Worry that I do not want to be involved in at all."
"My feet carry me up the stairs quickly, and away from the two band members."
"I pass through the broken threshold to the roof and manage to climb the ladder one-handed to the top of the stair enclosure."
scene roof day broken with fade
show anon neutral at aleft
Re "-Doesn’t want to talk to us. See?"
T "Damn it, where’d that skinnie go!"
Re "Trish c’mon. You’re actin’ crazy."
T "It’s his fault Reed! If we can just get him to talk to Fang for us-"
Re "She doe-"
T "It’s THEY damn it!"
show anon sad with dissolve
"I hear a defeated sigh and retreating footsteps."
"I feel like Neo after dodging that."
"Maybe Fang had the right idea about not coming back to school."
"Who needs it, anyway?"
"Ugh, no, focus Anon."
"I hunker down on the rooftop and silently eat my meal."
"Just need to focus on Fang right now."
scene black with fade
"For the rest of the day I’m constantly on the lookout to avoid Trish."
"I want no part in whatever she’s looking for me for."
"Thankfully I reach the end of the day with no more triceratops-shaped incidents and hurry my way back home."
"Once I’m free from being intercepted on the school campus, my mind starts to wander back to my conversation this morning."
"Rosa and Stella seemed pretty willing to help Fang and Naser."
"But do either of them really understand what’s actually going on? It’s not like this is just some dumb argument."
"I’m not really sure what either of them could do to help, either."
"Rosa would just pull something out of the Bible to read, and Stella…"
"Stella would show them some anime about friendship or something."
"I guess it couldn’t hurt to talk to them though, right? At the very least they could point me in the right direction."
scene skinrow with fade
"Before long I reach my apartment building, once again lost in my thoughts around Fang."
"At least I remembered my key this time."
scene room anon day with fade
"Things seem normal enough when I enter."
"Fang is resting in my bed, her chest rising and falling."
"A quick look in the bathroom shows no gore splattered on the walls."
"Still, I should check on Fang myself."
"A closer inspection makes my heart drop like a rock."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/Summertime Synth.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Dozens of feathers are strewn about the bedsheets, most of them under Fang."
"I bite back a scream of frustration."
"They’re everywhere…"
"Fang’s wings are folded behind her, but I can’t see the damage at all."
"I gently lift one to try to see where she hurt herself."
F "Mmmng…"
F "Anon?!"
show fang shocked at sleft with dissolve
"She sits up with a jolt, a dozen feathers sticking to her side."
F "Oh, shh-"
"She quickly sweeps the feathers off of her and into a pile behind her."
F "Y-you’re home!"
A "Fang, why?"
A "You swore this morning you wouldn’t start again!"
F "Th-these aren’t mine! Look!"
"Fang stretches her wings out. Sure enough, there’s no fresh blood on them."
A "Then what…?"
show fang sad with dissolve
"My gaze shifts to my pillow."
"I pick it up and a chunk of down falls out a hole ripped in the side."
"I glance back to Fang in bewilderment, she’s cast her head aside in shame."
A "I mean… It’s not self-harm, but… Why?"
F "W-well, I was looking for something to watch online…"
F "And, and I was about to see a movie when I got a call."
F "It said it was Reed, and I remembered what you said yesterday…"
F "So I got myself ready to talk to him, since it’s what you’d want me to do…"
F "And…"
F "...It wasn’t Reed."
F "Trish used his phone."
show fang hiding with dissolve
F "I just couldn’t stop myself from ripping something, I’m sorry Anon."
A "Hey."
show anon neutral flip at scenter
"I scootch closer to her on the bed and put an arm around her."
show fang very sad with dissolve
"She turns and buries her face in my collar."
A "Don’t worry about the pillow."
A "I’m more worried about you."
A "You can’t just hide here forever, you know?"
F "..."
A "..."
A "How about going out for a good meal?"
A "We’re out of food here anyways."
A "Are you able to go somewhere if it’s with me?"
"I feel her head nod against my chest."
A "I’ll place a reservation at Moe’s, why don’t you clean the feathers off your arms?"
"She slowly lets go and gets up for the bathroom to get ready."
hide fang with dissolve
stop music fadeout 1.0
"When the door clicks I call Rosa."
show anonphone at scenter with moveinbottom
Ro "Yes?"
A "Yeah, I need your help with Fang."
Ro "I’ll be glad to help as best I can!"
A "This is a longshot, but…"
A "Can you get Naser to Dino Moe’s Pizza in Little Trudoon within the hour?"
Ro "Is that all? Of course I can!"
Ro "I will go get him now!"
hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
"She hangs up on me."
"The bathroom door swings open and Fang throws a fistful of down into the kitchen trashcan."
F "Okay… I’m ready."
A "Great, think we can catch the next bus in ten minutes if we leave now."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
"…"
"For all the heartache and mental anguish I’ve been through these past few days there’s one good thing to come of it."
play music 'audio/effects/chatter loop.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I’m on an actual date!"
F "Such a dweeb, Anon."
"I feel my cheeks warm up as Fang’s fingers interlock with mine."
label FangRosaDate:
scene moes pizza with fade
"We’re in Moe’s reception now. In hindsight I should’ve called Moe too."
show fang neutral with dissolve:
xalign -0.2
show anon neutral at acenter with dissolve
show moe neutral flip with moveinright:
xalign 1.3
Moe "Aye! My lil Lucy! Back again so soon?"
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/Venetian Values.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I can feel Fang flinch as her barrel chested uncle hobbles toward us."
Moe "And you brought Anon! Must be date night den!"
F "Y-yeah. Date night. Please don’t tell dad."
Moe "O’ course! I know ole Rip would jus’ keel over."
A "Thanks Moe."
Moe "No problem no problem. Nows let’s get you twos settled in. Jerry! Get dat table clean NOW!"
"We wait a little longer in the foyer as the overworked employee scrubbed the booth table clean."
Moe "So’s, you two official nows?"
"I notice a fluffy white wing slowly wrap itself over my shoulder."
"I now look like I have a feathered cloak hiding my Ptero girlfriend from view."
A "Y-yeah. We are, Moe."
"I don’t know if I’m wincing at the awkwardness or the pain from Fang’s claws digging into my hand."
"Probably both."
"Moe laughs regardless."
Moe "In dat case I’ll make sure dat your date night goes perfectly."
"The old t-rex lead us to our clean table and set about lighting the lone candle there with an extra long barbecue lighter."
Moe "Dere we go. Don’ worry ‘bout the menu, kids. I’ll set yous up right."
"When I take my seat across from Fang, she gets up to sit next to me and lays her head against my shoulder."
show black with fade
hide moe
hide black with fade
show anon neutral:
xalign 0.3
show fang neutral flip:
xalign 1.1
A "Wasn’t expecting it’d be free. Your uncle’s pretty nice."
F "Yeah, he’s nice..."
"We sit a while, listening to the soft music playing through the cheap speakers."
"It only now occurs to me Fang might not like the sudden appearance of her brother."
A "You holding up so far?"
F "Heh. I’m not that fragile, come on."
A "Certainly had me fooled."
"She bumps her elbow into my side."
A "Ow."
"My phone buzzes in my pocket. Probably Rosa."
show anonphone at scenter with moveinbottom
"I discreetly peek at the notification."
"She’s here already?"
hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
"I crane my neck around to see Rosa enter, dragging a horrified Naser by the arm."
"Suddenly my stomach tightens and I’m having second thoughts."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/Ramo de Rosas.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Rosa spots me through the lattice and her face lights up."
"I cover my eyes with one hand and slump in my seat."
show naser neutral:
xalign -0.4
show rosa neutral:
xalign -0.4
with moveinleft
show fang sad flip
with dissolve
Ro "An-on! Fang! What a happy coincidence to see you two here!"
Nas "Is- is this what you dragged me here for, Rosa?"
"Fang’s voice is an angry hiss in my ear."
F "What did you do?!"
A "I’m here with you, just give it five minutes."
F "I am so not buying you a new pillow."
show anon neutral flip with move:
xalign 0.9
show fang neutral flip with move:
xalign 0.7
show naser with move:
xalign 0.23
show rosa neutral with move:
xalign 0.0
"Rosa practically shoves Naser into the seat across from me and sits down herself."
Nas "Rosa I thought you wanted to talk about the gardening club budget!"
"He’s quick to turn his glare from the latina to me."
Nas "What’s all this about, Anon?"
Nas "I told you before, I…"
Ro "Hush, this was my idea."
Ro "You were just telling me in the car you were having struggles with your sister."
Nas "Yeah, but…"
Ro "Go ahead and try talking to Fang about it."
"Fang shifts in her seat to get up and I squeeze her hand to get her to stop."
F "Ngh."
Nas "..."
Nas "... Uh… Well…"
Nas "... I guess I want to say-"
Moe "ALRIGHT I BROUGHT BREADSTICKS FOR THE LOVELY COUPLE."
play music 'audio/OST/Venetian Values.ogg'
show moe neutral flip at rright with moveinright
"Rosa slams her head into the table."
Moe "Whoa, Nasah?!"
Moe "I sees you’ve finally dumped that strumpet!"
Moe "I’z told you she was bad for yous, I did!"
Moe "Do I know how to call ‘em or what?"
"Moe’s powerful jaw clicks shut when he notices our unenthused stares."
Moe "... Dis ain’t a double date, ain’t it?"
A "Thank you for the breadsticks, Moe, but it’s not the best timing."
"Moe drags over a chair with his tail and sits in it with his tiny arms on the backrest."
Moe "Nobody tells me nothin’ anymore from your family, you twos, but I got a good idea what this’d be about."
A "Moe, you really don’t have to-"
Moe "Don’t think I haven’t noticed how little Lucy there looks."
Moe "Even little Nasah looks like he’s had the shit kicked outta him."
Moe "Ol’ Moe can intuit what’s happenin’."
Moe "As for Nasah’s new lady friend and you, please give us a little privacy."
Moe "Family matters are best handled by da family."
show rosa neutral at sleft with move
"Fang turns a worried look my way as her claws once again dig into my hand."
"An old memory flashes in my head."
"If it worked for Naser…"
A "It’ll be fine, Fang. I’ll be nearby."
"I draw her into a hug and my cheek rubs softly against her long beak."
"I pull away to see Fang with a luminescent blush across her cheek."
show anon neutral at aleft with move
show rosa with move:
xalign -0.3
"I shuffle out of the booth and stand next to Rosa."
hide moe with moveoutleft
Moe "JERRY! GIT DESE TWO A TABLE AN’ SOME MOZZARELLA STICKS!"
"The overworked busman brought us to a small table on the opposite end of the restaurant."
"Guess this isn’t the first time this kind of thing has happened."
scene moes pizza
show rosa neutral at sleft
show anon neutral flip at aright
with fade
A "So uh… Now what Rosa?"
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg' fadein 1.0
Ro "Mr. Moe said it best. Family matters are solved by familia."
Ro "We just sit and wait now."
"She grimaces as her eyes sweep over the menu."
Ro "Is there any vegetarian options here?"
A "Why not the pasta?"
Ro "I am watching my figure, An-on."
"I hope Moe can solve this quickly."
Ro "You know, this is to help you too, An-on."
"What."
Ro "You yourself look like you are struggling with something."
Ro "Let me hear {i}your{/i} troubles, An-on."
"My troubles?"
"I look across the room to see Naser and Fang actually laughing with Moe."
"My heart clenches as I wish I was there with Fang."
Ro "Is it your new relationship?"
A "*sigh* That and a hundred other things."
Ro "Let it out, An-on. There is no need to bottle up these anxieties of yours."
show rosa considering with dissolve
"It was as if a bulwark broke."
"The words spilled from my lips at so rapid a pace I feared Rosa wouldn’t understand."
"I told her everything."
"From how I wound up at Volcano High, all my inner turmoil there, even my romantic failings."
"Time slipped by as I used this rare moment to finally vent about everything around me."
"And through it all Rosa simply smiled and nodded."
"Few times she would speak up, if only for clarification or to offer sympathy."
"Our meal came and went ignored."
"I just kept talking and talking until I couldn’t anymore."
"My throat is so dry now and my voice is hoarse."
stop music fadeout 1.0
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/she_fucks_human_men.ogg' fadein 1.0
"God how long was I talking."
"Rosa slides out from her chair and steps around it."
"Her fist rocks my shoulder back harshly."
show rosa bossy with dissolve
A "Agh! What was that for?!"
Ro "For being a stupid boy. Here, drink."
"I take the proffered glass of water and down it greedily."
hide rosa
hide anon
show rosa hug
with dissolve
"As soon as I set the cup down a pair of arms wrap around my head."
"Oh god oh fuck Rosa is actually gonna kill me."
Ro "You stupid boys. Always hiding away your own pain."
"Her heavy hand rubs my head gently as she cradles it against her chest."
Ro "Be sure you tell Fang of this, okay?"
A "...Okay…"
Ro "Good. Personally I think you two are absolutely adorable."
Ro "But my Lord on His cross of rock are you two dumb."
Ro "Always hiding away these pains you have from the world and your loved ones."
show rosa neutral at sleft
show anon neutral flip at scenter
with dissolve
"Rosa loosens her grip around my head and I sneak a glance over towards Fang and Naser."
"They aren’t trying to kill each other, so they seem to have made some progress."
"I almost think I just saw Fang actually smile."
"Right as I turn back to the table, my ears are assaulted by Moe’s Italian shrieking from across the restaurant."
Moe "AY! YOUS KIDS CAN COME ON BACKS NOW!"
show anon neutral:
xalign 0.2
show fang happy flip:
xalign 0.6
show naser happy flip:
xalign 1.0
show rosa neutral:
xalign -0.4
show moe neutral flip at rright
"The first thing I notice on the way over is how much more lively Fang and Naser look, like they had regained all of their lost energy."
"Before I can take a seat Fang gets up and wraps her arms around my head."
"I almost ask her what the deal is, but I can feel the icy stare she’s shooting at Rosa from here."
Ro "F-Fang, you know I didn’t mean it like that!"
"Fang lets out the laugh she was holding in."
F "I know, just messing."
"I let out a sigh of relief. Fang’s back to making jokes, that’s good."
Moe "It’s good to sees ol’ Moe could help to sets things straight. Don’t ever hesistate on coming right backs if yous needs it!"
Moe "And good job on gettin’ yousself a better half Nasah, she’s a better looker than your old lady friend."
Nas "Wait, Rosa isn’t my-"
Nas "Naomi and I are still-"
Moe "I knows, you’re probably all heart broken about da break up, but dun do it in front of yer new gal, Nasah."
hide moe with moveoutright
"Moe rushes off before Naser can finish his sentence, leaving the four of us alone once again."
"I promptly take my place in the booth next to Fang, feeling her clawed fingers lock with my own."
"Rosa on the other hand took a seat a conspicuous distance from Naser, and I’m not quite sure who looks more embarrassed."
scene black with fade
"The rest of the time at Moe’s goes by pretty well, whatever family trick up his tiny sleeve seemed to have worked."
"Fang is more calm than I’ve seen her in months, Naser is talking and laughing without having to walk through a verbal minefield."
"From everyone’s mood alone, I feel like a burden is lifted from my shoulders."
"Dinner is lively, and Rosa offers to take Fang and I home."
"Fang agrees to return to her place with Naser."
"She drops me off back at my place, and I return Fang’s backpack to her."
"After locking the door I collapse on my bed, completely spent."
"... I forgot to get a new pillow."
"..."
scene outside school with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating the Atmosphere.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Fang texts me while I’m walking to school the next day."
"Fang: i slept like a rock last night lol"
"Fang: you feeling better too?"
"Anon: Yeah. Were your parents upset?"
"Fang: im friggin"
"Fang: grounded from everything basically forever"
"Anon: Uh oh."
"Fang: my mom will forget in like a week lmao :V"
"Fang: see you in science as always, right?"
"Anon: Yeah, of course."
"Anon: What do you plan to do about your missing assignments?"
"Fang: naser stayed up to help me with them."
"Fang: i think he did most of it though lol"
"Warms my heart to see she’s back to normal."
"Wait, she still hasn’t spoken with Trish."
"I shouldn’t be worried."
"But… when she called, Fang…"
show reed explanatory flip at sright with moveinright
Re "Yo, Anon! Wait up!"
"I instinctively start picking up the pace."
Re "Wait, man! I need to talk to you about Trish!"
"Ugh. Well, I don’t have a beef with Reed, can’t hurt to talk."
A "What?"
show anon neutral at aleft
show reed sad flip
with dissolve
Re "Trish’s been, like, super beat up over everything that’s happened."
A "So I’ve heard."
Re "So, you wouldn’t mind if, uh…"
A "No, Reed."
show reed shocked flip with dissolve
Re "Huh?"
A "I’m not going to lure Fang into meeting Trish so she can try to fix their abusive relationship."
show reed considering flip with dissolve
"Reed winces."
show reed neutral flip with dissolve
Re "Read me like a book, huh?"
Re "Come on, man. Trish’ll be better this time, I know it."
Re "Just give it a chance, what’s the worst that could happen."
"I hear the desperation in his voice."
"Hesitating, I sigh and roll my eyes."
A "...Fine. But I’m going to be there and we’re leaving the split second I can tell it’s not going well."
Re "Oh man, you’re a lifesaver! Just bring her over into the auditorium for lunch, I’ll make sure Trish doesn’t flake!"
"Reed excitedly jogs away to his homeroom."
hide reed with moveoutleft
"That’s the most relieved I’d ever seen him."
"Guess Trish really is sorry."
"I give Fang the memo as I duck into class moments before the bell."
"Fang: i dunno…"
"Fang: youll be there right? <:V"
"Anon: Of course I will."
"Fang: ill try not to get too worked up in anticipation then. :V"
"I sigh and glance at the clock."
"I feel like my mood’s been put in a guillotine now."
"And Trish and Reed are the ones in the black hoods."
"The anxiety’s returned, making time crawl by so slowly now."
"Even in science, where Fang and I could at least sit next to each other and talk didn’t alleviate it."
"But Math…"
"Mr. Carleciidewski was unconscious at his desk, once again being of no help."
"Reed is now sitting behind me, and every time I glance back he smiles and nods."
"Trish is nowhere to be seen."
"The ticks of the clock’s second hand are a countdown to doomsday and I’m at the epicenter of it."
"The lunch bell blares loudly and I shuffle out from behind my desk."
scene cafeteria with fade
show reed explanatory flip at rcenter
show anon neutral at aleft
"A powerful arm wraps around my shoulder, dragging me to the door."
Re "C’mon man, sooner we get our food the sooner we can put all this behind us."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/sadist.ogg' fadein 1.0
"There’s an edge of something to Reed’s voice, making his words sound unnatural."
"My phone vibrates in my pocket."
"When I reach for it Reed bumps me."
Re "Whatcha want for lunch?"
A "I uh… what’re they serving?"
"Another buzz in my pocket."
Re "Well I think it’s mystery meatloaf and pizza today."
"And another."
A "One sec-"
Re "Yo the line’s moving."
"I’m bumped forward in line by Reed."
"My phone is vibrating nonstop now."
A "Reed what’re you-"
Re "Just trying to get us some grub before we see Trish and Fang. Don’t wanna do this on an empty stomach right?"
"I get my phone out at last to see-"
Re "Yo so the pizza right? Let’s get the pizza."
A "Reed what is with you right now?!"
"I glance at my phone’s screen to see ten messages all from Fang."
"Reed pushes me forward and my phone hits the floor."
A "God damn it Reed!"
Re "I got it Anon."
"He scoops up my phone and pockets it."
Re "Food first, man, c’mon."
A "Reed seriously what the fuck is up with you!"
Re "What? Nothing, man, just us two getting some food. Right?"
A "... Give me back my phone, Reed."
Re "..."
Re "......"
show reed considering
Re "Sorry."
"I drop my tray and make a break down the hall towards the auditorium."
hide anon neutral with moveoutright
hide reed with moveoutright
"Reed is chasing close behind only a few feet behind me."
scene hallway
show anon neutral at acenter
Re "Anon, wait!!"
"Think I’m managing to outpace him."
"Just need to turn the corner and it’s on the other end of the hall."
"I hear Reed’s footsteps get further away, and stop for a split second."
"Did he give up?"
play sound "audio/effects/firealarm.ogg" volume 0.3 loop
"What the fu-?!"
"Water sprays from the ceiling and the halls are quickly crowded with screaming students running for their lives, the teachers trying fruitlessly to keep them calm."
"Reed, you dirty bastard!!"
"I’m shoved aside from all angles by the student body."
"Just a dozen more feet to the door-!"
"I finally manage to get my hand on the handle and-"
show reed choke at scenter
hide anon
A "*Glk-!*"
Re "Sorry, man."
"He’s got me in a chokehold with one arm."
stop sound
Re "Convenient."
"Reed opens the door with one foot to look in."
Re "You’ll see, man. It’s all going well."
"I can only watch the scene before me unfold."
label TrishFangArgument:
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/ballad_of_the_boot.ogg' fadein 1.0
scene hallway
show trish angry at tleft
show fang sad flip at sright
with fade
T "{i}WHY{/i} don't you want to talk about it?"
T "Please talk to me, {i}PLEASE{/i}."
T "It's been days, didn't you have enough time to think about it already?"
F "Fuck off from my life, already!"
T "No, Fang, I won't! I helped you, remember? I wanna keep helping you."
show fang angry flip
F "You USED ME. YOU BETRAYED ME."
T "I did not! You couldn't deal with yourself, you weren't happy with how things were going."
T "I HELPED you achieve a new YOU, you've embraced something beautiful, I was proud of you!"
F "I don't NEED a NEW me-"
T "I don't UNDERSTAND, would you PLEASE tell ME what's so WRONG?"
show fang sad flip with dissolve
F "Please Trish, stop talking to me."
show trish indignant with dissolve
T "BUT WHY?"
F "STOP YELLING."
T "What about the other guys? What about the band?"
F "You ruined everything! It was supposed to be fun!"
show trish unimpressed with dissolve
T "How? Please tell me."
F "You just took control of everything, we were doing what you wanted all the time."
show trish indignant with dissolve
T "We VOTED to know what to do next!"
F "And we only did what you wanted!"
T "Because I THOUGHT you'd be ok with it, if you didn't agree with anything I did then you should've just TOLD ME"
F "You should have known!"
F "You're confusing me!"
show trish fury with dissolve:
yalign 10.0
T "IT WAS {i}YOUR{/i} IDEA."
T "YOU WERE THE ONE WHO WANTED US TO TAKE THE BAND MORE SERIOUSLY- AND I DID"
T "I WAS JUST DOING WHAT YOU WANTED BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WOULD HAVE MADE US HAPPIER."
show fang hiding flip with dissolve
show trish sad at tleft with dissolve
F "..."
T "..."
"Reed’s chokehold is making my wounds flare up again. Can I just die? Right here?"
T "You didn't answer about the band, what about Vvurm Drama?"
stop music fadeout 10.0
show fang very sad flip with dissolve
F "I don't know Trish. It's over, ok?"
show trish fury with dissolve:
yalign 10.0
T "I was HOPING you were just taking a time-off to cool off and RECONSIDER-"
T "WHAT'S HAPPENING TO YOU, FANG?"
F "I don't know who you are anymore, Trish. You did something that's making me question YEARS of my life- WASTED YEARS."
show trish fury point with dissolve:
yalign 10.0
T "Because of him? That's what it is?"
T "You're really just gonna THROW AWAY our entire life together, since we were kids - up until now- just as we're about to make it-"
F "Trish, no, I didn't mean it- I-"
T "Everytime I offered you a shoulder to cry on, the songs we wrote, the stories we came up with, all gone? Is that it?"
T "And for fucking what?"
T "For a fucking bum you met a few months ago? Is this what you want, to become a trailer wife?"
show fang ear cover flip
T "To do absolutely fucking NOTHING all day inbetween getting beaten up and feeding little brats to the benefit of some penniless NOBODY?"
T "I was always here for you, we do EVERYTHING TOGETHER, and THIS is how you thank me? By kicking me out of your life to become a CUM DUMPSTER for this worthless PRION?"
T "do you NOT see what's wrong here?"
show trish sad at tleft with dissolve
T "..."
T "You told me when the year started you were scared shitless you weren't gonna amount to anything in life."
T "Are we in this together or not? If not you'll dive headfirst into exactly THAT, you'll be a nobody!"
T "Remember? I still HAVE THE MESSAGES, LOOK."
T "You KNOW I'm right. I'm always right!"
T "Answer me, Fang!"
scene hallway
show reed unimpressed at rleft
show anon neutral flip at aright
with fade
"Reed lets go of my neck completely."
"He wordlessly puts his hands in his pockets and withdraws my phone."
"The phone is dropped limply in my palm and Reed turns away silently."
show reed unimpressed flip at rleft with dissolve
hide reed with moveoutleft
"I only caught a glimpse of it, but I saw the disappointment in his eyes."
Re "..."
scene hallway
show trish angry at tleft
show fang ear cover flip at sright
show anon neutral flip behind fang at acenter
with fade
"I stand back up and throw the door open."
"Silence washes over the room."
"Eventually Fang takes a deep breath and lets it out, before facing Trish again."
show fang very angry flip with dissolve
F "Fuck."
F "Off."
F "Just fuck off from my life, Trish."
T "..."
"Trish shoots me another of those petty glares before dashing out the side door."
hide trish with moveoutright
"Fang folds a seat down and sits in it with her knees to her chest, covering herself with her wings."
show fang hiding flip
show anon neutral
with dissolve
"I sit next to her and she starts silently weeping into her knees."
"I reach through the wings and find a hand to hold."
"The lunch bell comes and goes, as does the tardy bell for music class."
scene black with fade
"We ended up ditching the last few classes and just go back to my apartment again."
"..."
elif anonscore <= 2 and fangscore <= 2:
#Breaking Things
scene hallway with fade
show anon neutral at acenter with dissolve
"Today needs to end. Now."
"I have a backpack full of missed assignments, including Mr. Tsuki’s essay on the history of typefaces."
"Who the fuck cares about typefaces?!"
"Worst samurai english teacher ever."
"My ribs are burning as I heave a sigh."
"At least I can go home now."
"Where my hot ptero Gee Eff is waiting."
"..."
"My hot ptero girlfriend who may or may not be having a mental breakdown in my apartment."
"And I have no idea what to do with a fucking girlfriend. All those hours of dating simulators have not adequately simulated dating in the least."
"Just as I exit the main doors of Volcano High my phone buzzes against one particularly bad bruise on my leg."
show anonphone at center with moveinbottom
"Fingers crossed it’s Fang."
"{i}Naser: We need to talk{/i}"
"{i}Naser: Meet me in the auditorium{/i}"
"I’m going to die."
hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
unknown "You’re gonna die weeb! Naser’s looking for your weeb ass!"
"... Best to get it over with now."
"I meander my way to the school’s auditorium."
play music 'audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg' fadein 1.0
scene auditorium
show anon neutral at aleft
"Some of the lights are off when I get there, but I can make out Naser’s outline sitting alone in the front row."
"He doesn’t turn to look at me when I enter or walk down the aisle."
"He’s hunched over with his head resting in his hands, and glances at me from the side."
"Some of the lights are off when I get there, but I can make out Naser’s outline sitting alone in the front row."
"He doesn’t turn to look at me when I enter or walk down the aisle."
"He’s hunched over with his head resting in his hands, and glances at me from the side."
show naser neutral flip at ncenter with fade
A "You uh… wanted to talk to me?"
Nas "..."
"I fold down the seat next to his."
A "Funny, this is the same seat as the one I was in a few days ago."
Nas "Hm…"
A "... Why did you call me here?"
Nas "Just… Shut up. Let me think."
"He fixes his gaze at the stage curtains."
"I can see the gears in his head turning, but his expression is telling me he doesn’t actually know what he wants to do."
Nas "I shouldn’t have pushed you yesterday."
Nas "Sorry. It was a moment of weakness."
A "Don’t worry about it, I can take a hit or two."
"He silently nods."
Nas "When you told me Fang could kiss you because you told her your feelings… I can’t really describe it."
Nas "Don’t take it the wrong way, but my mind just screamed at me ‘worst case scenario’."
A "I don’t follow."
Nas "Like, uh… I told you a while back how I can’t do anything to help my sister."
Nas "That frustration has just been getting worse."
Nas "I’m not even sure it’s anything wrong with Fang at this point, like, it might be me getting upset over what I don’t understand… Something like that."
A "I wouldn’t worry too much about Fang, she tells me she’s fine."
A "She might come back to school tomorrow, even."
Nas "She bounces back well."
A "Still a bit on-edge about everything though."
A "But that’s her business, right?"
Nas "Sure…"
Nas "I still just can’t shake the feeling…"
Nas "I just can’t find the right words."
Nas "..."
A "Does Fang and I going out bother you that much?"
Nas "It’s not that exactly, but…"
A "But?"
Nas "..."
"I’m lost."
"Is he asking me to say something for him? That’s dumb."
"I’m not a mind reader."
Nas "Er…… I mean…… Ugh…"
Nas "..."
Nas "......"
A "Well, if that’s all, I’m gonna leave. I have homework and stuff to do."
"Naser sighs."
Nas "Yeah, sure. Sorry…"
A "Text me if you figure it out, I guess."
Nas "Yeah…"
Nas "See you."
"Naser looks back ahead at the curtains and doesn’t get up to follow me out of the auditorium."
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
"..."
scene room anon day with fade
"I fish the key from my backpack and unlock my door."
"My place is as drab as ever, and Fang is laying in my bed paying close attention to whatever she’s doing on her phone."
"She looks like she hasn’t slept in days, how long has she been on her phone?"
A "Yo, I’m home. You feeling better?"
scene room anon day with fade
show anon neutral at aright
"The loud sound of chewing and a thumb up was a good enough reply."
show fang neutral at sleft with dissolve
A "You didn’t really miss anything today."
A "Mr. Fernsworth basically gave everyone the day off."
"She finally finishes whatever she raided from my fridge with a massive gulp."
F "Aaaaah."
F "Nice, so no homework to catch up on."
A "So, uh…"
"C’mon Anon, relationships shouldn’t be this hard."
A "What’ve you been doing?"
F "Nothing."
A "O-oh."
F "Ate all your salami. Tried playing a game but I don’t know your password."
"Thank fuck. She didn’t see any Saturnia."
A "My bad, I guess it slipped my mind to give it to you."
"What else can I-"
A "Oh, and Naser wanted me to meet him."
"Fang looks up from her phone."
F "He did? Why?"
A "Yeah, he ended up just mumbling a lot about the two of us, so I left."
F "Ugh, what a weirdo."
F "Can’t he stop getting into my business for, like, a week?"
F "Sickos. Him and Naomi."
"I sit on the bed next to Fang."
A "Hey, forget about them."
A "How about we actually do something fun now?"
F "Sure. Like what?"
A "We could play some party games or something."
F "...Oh…"
A "Can be something else if you want."
F "I just thought you were going to say we should go out somewhere or something…"
A "Er, I’m trying to save money for a new game that comes out in a few weeks, so…"
F "That’s alright."
A "Got anything you want to play in mind?"
F "No, I’m fine watching. Still have a lot to think about, y’know?"
"I get the feeling I just stuck my foot in my mouth."
play music 'audio/OST/intercept.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Or maybe she’s just not telling me something?"
"Not really my place to pry."
A "... If you say so."
"I load up Towervania: Melody of Melancholy , and Fang’s phone buzzes."
F "Oh, snap."
F "Something happened, I gotta go."
A "Someone get hurt?"
F "No, nothing that serious, but I should still be going."
F "Don’t want to overstay my welcome here, and all."
A "Oh, alright."
"Fang gives a quick hug goodbye and waves as she goes out the door."
hide fang neutral with dissolve
A "..."
"I return my attention to the game and end up playing until nightfall."
"..."
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
else:
#>>Doomer, no naser
"..."
#Anouncement
label endingFigure:
play music 'audio/OST/to_swagger.ogg' fadein 1.0
"April first."
"Fang and I have been together for a month now."
if anonscore >= 3 and fangscore <= 4: #tradwife
label tradwife:
$ tradwife = True
"Things are going pretty well. When we discount Trish’s weekly attempt to talk with Fang."
"Rosa and Stella have helped with that."
"In fact they’ve done a lot for our relationship."
"Between distracting Trish and giving us a space to just be together on the weekends away from everyone."
"Only downside to it is all the fucking gardening we have to do during our alone time."
"Still, things are good."
"And right now I’m gonna win our prank war."
"She may have gotten me with that stupid kiss prank."
"How the hell she found a mouse trap that small I’ll never know."
"But I got her a special Pachy treat for her today."
"For once I can use my weebiness for the greater good."
scene classroom
show anon neutral:
xalign 0.2
show fang neutral flip behind anon:
xalign 0.7
with fade
A "Hey Sweet Tooth."
show fang considering flip at sright
"Fang groans at the pet name. Honestly that hurt me to say too."
"I considered using her mom’s pet name but after the last time, I didn’t want to tempt her."
"Phase one complete, she’s too distracted to check the box in my hand."
A "Wanna play the pocky game?"
show fang neutral flip at sright
F "How do you play that?"
A "Well, I hold one of these,"
"I take one of the green sugary sticks from the box and hold the plain end by my teeth."
A "bhetween mah teef. Den joo haff too take it wiff yer lips."
A "an’ try an’ bite as ‘uch as joo can wiffout touchin’ my fashe."
"Fang narrows her eyes in suspicion, and then cautiously moves her head towards mine."
A "It’sh jush shocola’e!"
"She moves in and crunches down on the pocky stick centimeters from my face."
"Jackpot."
"Her face contorts almost immediately and she spits it out on the floor."
show fang angry flip at sright
F "...What the fuck is that?! Where did you even get those?"
"I barely contain my laugh as Fang downs the rest of her coffee to get the taste out of her mouth."
A "Let’s just say Stella gets all sorts of weird snacks from Japan."
A "...Like wasabi pocky sticks."
"Fang looks ready to strangle me but I still have one card left to play."
A "Hey, I have amnesty for today, April Fools! Payback for the mousetrap from the other day."
"She growls at that and jabs me in the shoulder. I guess I deserve that much."
play music 'audio/OST/we just turned on the microphone in our programmers_ house.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Before I can make my retort, an announcement comes in over the speakers."
show fang neutral flip at sright
Sp "ALRIGHT EVERYONE LISTEN UP!"
Sp "NEXT MONTH! WILL BE WHAT IS POSSIBLY THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR TIME HERE AT VOLCANO HIGH!"
Sp "PROM! THAT’S RIGHT I SAID IT! TOMORROW WE WILL BE SELLING FUCKING TICKETS TO PROM!"
Sp "SO GET THOSE FORMAL FUCKING OUTFITS READY!"
"The P.A. system’s ending chime ushers in a moment of complete silence."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"Then, all at once the chatter starts."
unknown "Ohmanohmanohman, I gotta ask him to go with-"
unknown "-I even have a dress good enough for-"
unknown "-tickets are pretty expensive, I’ll pass this-"
"Everyone seems excited about the sudden news."
"Prom, huh…"
play music 'audio/OST/Summertime Synth.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I guess I wouldn’t mind going if it’s with Fang."
"What would she wear?"
"Actually, scratch that, what would I wear?"
"I can’t afford a decent outfit… Maybe I’ll mail home and ask Dad for his old suit."
"Couples tickets are like a hundred bucks, too."
"I’m sure I could make it work if I needed to."
A "Hey Fa-"
Drf "Settle down students!"
Drf "There will be plenty of time to scheme your night of debauchery later!"
Drf "We still have the lesson to get through, finish this and then chatter all you need."
"The class collectively throws their heads back to groan."
Drf "Oh, fiddlesticks. It’s only two pages of particle physics."
F "You have a spare railgun in your backpack?"
"Professor Fernsworth passes out the assignment and returns to his desk for a quick nap."
"Particle physics isn’t too hard, more tedious than anything."
"I should finish pretty quickly unless something comes up."
F "Anon, remind me, what’s a quark again?"
"Oh right."
"Lab partners."
"..."
#Ending Deciding
#11 to ending is all a big if statement, just smooth sailing and Copy/Paste from here.
if anonscore >= 4 and fangscore >= 4:
label golden:
#Announcing a Show | Golden
#le inconsistant indention has arrived
play music "audio/OST/Appreciating her Company.ogg" fadein 1.0
"About fifteen minutes into the assignment, the two of us are just about done."
"We’re making surprisingly good time."
F "Uhm… and you said that the electrons hold the negative charge, right?"
A "Yeah, yeah."
F "Can’t imagine when I’d be using this crap in real life."
A "You never know, you might shrink one day."
show fang happy behind anon with dissolve
F "Yeah, and you might stop pretending you’re livestreaming on Yousnoot."
A "As far as you know I might be giving you incorrect answers, you know."
F "Mhm, sure."
"The teacher is making his rounds checking on the students and gets to our desks."
show farnsworth at sright with moveinleft
Drf "Hello, Anon. Fang."
Drf "Are you two getting along well?"
AnonAndFang "Yes, Mister Fernsworth."
Drf "Great to hear."
Drf "You know, I’m real proud of you two."
Drf "I remember at the start of the year you were at each other's' throats."
Drf "And now look at you!"
"The two of us cringe."
A "Uhh… Yeah, thanks."
Drf "At any rate, you two understand the material, right?"
A "Oh yeah, Fang and I are fine."
A "I was just helping them with a few problems."
"Phew, remembered it this time."
Drf "Good, good."
Drf "I won’t keep you any longer then."
hide farnsworth with moveoutleft
"Fernsworth meanders to pester the next few students."
A "Anyways, where were we?"
show fang happy flip with dissolve
"I turn back to Fang and her mischievous grin."
A "What?"
"Her grin only grows."
A "What?! What’s with the look?"
"She shakes her head and holds up her wrist."
A "Uh… it’s ten thirty-seven? Why is that funny?"
F "Anon you ignorant slut."
F "Notice something missing?"
A "...Why do you have feathers on your elbows anyway?"
F "Gawd! No! I’m not enbie, Anon."
A "Oh… Still, why do you have feathers on your elbows?"
"Fang rolls her eyes and digs her feathered elbow into my side."
A "Alright alright, I get it."
A "Just joking around."
F "Shame your jokes suck."
"We chuckle together."
A "So, like, I can say you’re my girlfriend now?"
"Fang blushes a little."
F "You always could. Dummy."
"The blush becomes contagious and I find myself looking back at the worksheet."
"... Girlfriend…"
"Suddenly I’m feeling squeamish all over again."
"I mean, we went on dates before, but she’s never straight up said she’s my girlfriend…"
"Now I’m on the spot."
"It only makes sense that I ask her to prom, right?"
"Why am I getting so worked up again all of a sudden?"
"This is ridiculous, I’m just going to ask."
A "Hey, Fang, you-"
F "We’re going to prom together, right?"
A "O-oh, yeah. Totally."
A "I was gonna ask if you wanted to go at all."
F "Of course I do, but do you want to go?"
A "I mean, only with you?"
F "Yes or no, dork."
A "Yes."
F "That wasn’t so hard, was it?"
A "Like plucking feathers."
"She playfully elbows me again."
"I think I get the feathers on the elbow thing now, because those things fucking dig in. Ow."
F "Do you even have something to wear?"
A "I was going to ask my dad for his old clothes."
F "You sure? I could ask Naser for his old stuff."
A "Tail and wings."
F "Right, right."
A "What about you?"
A "You actually gonna wear a dress?"
F "I’ve got this sick looking dress shirt…"
F "Naaaah, shirts suck."
A "Wings again?"
F "Wings again. At least I can wear a backless dress."
"I cup my chin and try to picture the dress."
"The heat"
"I grin and nod approvingly."
"And earn a third elbow to my side."
A "Wait, hold on."
A "Do you still go by Fang, at least?"
F "Why wouldn’t I?"
A "Cool, just checking."
F "Taking it one step at a time, you know?"
F "There’s only about ten minutes left of class, are we gonna have enough time to finish the assignment?"
A "Shit, yeah. Forgot."
"I flip over the page to reveal the entire second half of the assignment."
A "It’s gonna be close though."
"Fang scoots her chair closer to me."
F "No time to waste then, yeah?"
"Splitting the questions between us, Fang and I are able to finish the assignment seconds before the bell."
"Somehow."
play music "audio/OST/to_swagger.ogg" fadein 1.0
"We walk through the hall together, at least until we have to split to our separate classes."
scene hallway with dissolve
show anon neutral at aleft
show fang happy at scenter
A "Hey wait, you did the word search bit this time, right?"
A "I thought you said you were terrible at those?"
F "And you’ve believed me up to this point."
A "I feel used."
F "That’s because I used you."
A "I’ll get you fo-"
Sp "Ah, Fang! There you are, a moment please."
"We turn to see Principal Spears trailing behind us."
F "Yes?"
show spears neutral flip at sright with dissolve
Sp "Fang, I was planning on asking you during your next class, but since I found you here…"
Sp "I’m embarrassed to say we’re missing one event slot during prom. Scheduling error."
Sp "And your teacher, Mr Jingo, recommended you for your musical talents."
Sp "I’m not asking you to make your decision right now, but if you’d consider helping out by performing a musical number or two that would help monumentally."
F "Oh!"
A "Fang’s going to play for the school?"
Sp "If Fang agrees to."
F "Well, uh… Sure!"
F "Yeah, I’d love to do some songs for prom."
Sp "Fantastic news, Fang. When you can, please swing by the office."
F "Thank you, Principal Spears. I’ll come after school today."
"Spears nods and heads off."
hide spears with moveoutright
F "Shit, now I really need to get a good dress."
A "I thought you had one?"
F "A party dress isn’t a performance dress!"
F "It’s like- you know what I mean."
A "I guess?"
A "You don’t seem as excited as last time you got somewhere to play."
F "I know, I mean... last time I had a whole band to play with."
A "You sure you’ll be alright playing solo?"
F "Probably."
F "I’ll also need to practice a lot more…"
F "You’ll help me, right?"
A "Of course."
A "As long as you don’t need me up on stage with you."
F "I’m trying to keep the crowd from throwing things this time around, actually."
A "Bite me."
F "Speaking of. I’ll see you at lunch, right?"
A "Yeah, of course."
"Fang pecks me on the cheek and starts down the hall to her next class."
hide fang neutral with moveoutright
"I feel my lips spread into a grin. It’s kind of weird to think of it, but I’m actually excited for prom."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"Man, I hope dad’s suit has actually been to the cleaner, I don’t wanna disappoint."
"..."
scene black with fade
pause 3
#Let's all go to the Aquarium
label LetsAllGoToTheAquarium:
play music "audio/OST/west_coast_kicking.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Every day after school for the next few weeks I would join Fang to help her practice."
"Some days we would go to her place, and other days her father was home early."
"Those days Fang would ‘politely ask’ Naser to drop her off at my place."
"The bribes to keep it from her dad stopped being necessary after the third time."
"The practice sessions themselves were long and arduous."
"Sessions would go on until either her dad kicked me out or sundown."
"Fang would play for hours on end, occasionally stopping to let me try and to take a break."
"Despite my warnings, she’d play until her fingertips were red and raw."
"I decided it was time for a real break once I ran out of band aids."
"My great idea was to take out the map of the city I’d had since I moved in and throw a dart at it to decide where we’d go for the day."
"There’s lots of neat places in the city for dates, the mall, the arcade, a local amusement park."
"...And the dart landed in the ocean over the dock."
"The look from Fang told me she wasn’t stepping anywhere near a tuna boat."
"The Aquarium it is."
scene aquarium with fade
"So here we are inside after paying admission."
"I’d suggested she wear some gloves, just to protect her hands."
"I don’t think she understood the second part, because they were fingerless."
"The Aquarium is a large marble building on a marina."
"The various exhibits sprawl out to make the place turtle-shaped from a birds-eye view."
"It’s a nice place, but I still need to make this entertaining to Fang."
"She already looks bored."
"Looking through one of the map kiosks, I try to make a mental plan for the trip."
show anon neutral at aleft
show fang neutral at sright
A "Uhh… They got exhibits for the deep sea, the gulf of Mexico, the dopefish, tropical reefs…"
A "... Eenie meanie mini-"
F "Really?"
A "Sea turtles it is."
"I take Fang’s hand and lead her through the lobby into the cmber labeled ‘Sea Turtle Conservatory’."
scene aquariumexhibit
F "Anon, are you sure you want to spend the day here? If you wanted to go to the mall or somethin- omigawd."
"A little sea turtle swims out of hiding in the tank right in front of us."
"Immediately Fang breaks free of my arm and presses against the glass."
F "Look at these cute little shits, I love them!"
show fang adorable at sleft
show anon neutral at aright
A "Yeah, I see them."
"I peer into the tank and see a few more hatchlings bob out of the decorative grass."
"The hype becomes contagious and I find myself pressed against the glass as well."
Attendant "Please avoid touching the glass, it stresses the little guys out."
A "Oh, sorry."
A "Come on Fang, there’s more stuff to see."
F "Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnno."
A "There’s more here than just those baby turtles, you know."
F "Doesn’t matter."
A "You’re just going to stay here all day then?"
F "Yyyeeeep."
A "What’ll you do for lunch?"
F "Bring me something from the cafe."
A "Allright, here I am going off without you."
A "Oh look, a Dumbo Octopus."
F "Whereisit?"
"In a snap Fang’s moved from pressing her face against the turtle tank to pressing it against the octopus tank."
scene aquariumexhibit
show fang happy at sleft
#confirmed that fang has autism
Attendant "Ma’am, please refrain from-"
show fang adorable at sleft
F "OmigoshAnonlookatit."
F "It’s like a living egg yolk with button eyes."
A "Is that the first analogy you can think of…?"
F "And what’s over there? Are those seahorses holy crap I have to take a video of this."
"I shrug apologetically at the attendant who has given up entirely."
"But watching Fang zoom between the exhibits to gush over each oddly cute sea animal was just too much."
"Subtly my phone finds its way into my jacket pocket, already set to record."
show anonphone at scenter with moveinbottom
"She’ll probably kill me if she found out."
"But it’d be a good death."
"Wait, where’d she go?"
hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
scene aquarium with fade
show fang happy at sleft
"I round the corner to see the next room has a large group of school children hovering over a stingray touch tank."
"That is, a large group of school children and Fang, towering above the rest."
"She does have the act down though."
scene stingray pool with dissolve
A "Oh, cool, a stingray pool."
A "You plan on touching one?"
F "Touch?"
A "Yeah, you can put your hand in and they’ll slide against it, watch."
"I roll up my jacket sleeve and push my hand into the water, splaying it out."
"Fang and the children lean in intently."
"The water’s cold, but sure enough, a few of the playful things make their round and slide up right against it like a cat begging for scratches."
A "See?"
"Several in the crowd start jumping with excitement and put their own hands in the water to try for themselves."
"Fang doesn’t seem completely convinced, though."
F "You sure they’re alright to just touch like that? Aren't those dangerous?"
A "I mean, it’s a bit slimy, but there’s a hand sanitizer thing on the wall right there."
F "That isn’t what I meant."
A "Come on, I’ll make sure they don’t bite."
"Fang reluctantly grabs my dry arm and I lead her to a spot not occupied by ankle biters."
"I put my hand back in and motion for Fang to do the same."
"She hesitates with her hand raised just above the waters’ surface, then plunges her hand down next to mine."
"It doesn’t take long for a few rays to make the corner and brush up against our hands."
F "Eep!"
A "You alright?"
F "Yeah, no, it’s just… You were right about them being slimy."
A "Well, I have yet to hear of a dry fish."
F "Shut up."
"After a few more rounds of rays, Fang decides she’s had enough."
scene aquarium
show anon neutral at aleft
show fang happy flip at sright
with fade
A "See, that wasn’t terrible, right?"
A "Actually, you got all your fingers right?"
F "I dunno, wanna check?"
show fang flip off happy flip
"Her cheeky grin and raised middle finger confirm her hand’s integrity."
show fang neutral flip
F "So uh…"
F "Which exhibit are we checking next?"
"I check the aquarium pamphlet to see where we haven’t been yet."
A "Well… if we go outside we can see the dolphin pools. That way it loops back through the deep sea exhibits."
"With Fang in agreement I lead her towards the exit marked with a large dolphin sign."
scene aquariumoutside with dissolve
"Upon exiting the building my nose is assaulted by a mix of salty air and the smell of raw fish."
"Somehow it’s even fishier than inside the aquarium."
play music "audio/OST/Bayside Bumming it.ogg" fadein 1.0
show fang happy at sleft
show anon neutral flip at aright
with dissolve
F "Ooh, smells like lunch."
A "It says they should be feeding the dolphins pretty soon."
"The walkway circles around a large pool with several dolphins swimming around, and I can make out the trainer holding a hoop with a bucket of fish by their feet."
"One of the dolphins jumps straight through the hoop and is rewarded with a fish caught out of the air."
F "Would you jump through a hoola hoop for me if I had treats?"
A "..."
"I notice the trainer has traded the hoop for a large brush and is getting one of the dolphins to open its mouth."
"The trainer starts brushing the Dolphin’s teeth and showing off the rows of neatly spaced cones."
"I make a show of craning my neck down to get a view of Fang’s teeth from below."
"She raises an eyebrow for a second and then realizes."
"An elbow jams into my shoulder and her other hand covers her snout."
A "So that’s how you brush your teeth!"
show fang considering with dissolve
F "...I don’t need someone to bribe me at least."
A "Well if you ever need help I’m sure I can get them to lend me one of those brushes."
show fang neutral with dissolve
"And that gets me a jab to the ribs this time."
A "Oh come on, you have to admit they look a bit like you..."
F "Ehh, I don’t see it."
"The dolphin beside her nods in agreement."
"...Right then…"
show fang happy at sleft
A "So, how bout we hit the last spot and then go grab our own lunch?"
A "Unless you want to have some tuna with your clone there."
"Fang rolls her eyes at that."
"Her dolphin duplicate did too."
A "You’re fucking with me, aren’t you."
F "What’re you talking about?"
"Fang’s aquatic doppelganger makes a laugh-like chirping and finally swims away."
"..."
A "So Deep Sea then!"
scene black with fade
"We leave the dolphin pen, following signs back towards the building."
"The floor slopes slowly until we reach a door labelled as the sub-level to our destination."
"Pushing through, we find ourselves in an oversized hamster tube beneath the water."
"Oh, I didn’t realize they had one of these."
scene aquariumtube with fade
"From within the glass walkway we’re surrounded by a myriad of colorful marine life swimming around us."
show fang surprised at sright
show anon neutral at aleft
"Fang’s eyes are wide as she tries to follow the different schools of fish that dart to and fro about."
"I’m more mesmerized by the water filtered light cascading off Fang, casting her in a gentle glow that illuminates her white feathers."
"God. So glad I’m recording this."
F "Recording what?"
show fang neutral flip with dissolve
A "The uh… The shark! Yeah, that cool looking shark over there!"
"I point to the shark that’s currently lazing about, casually drifting by the walkway."
show fang adorable with dissolve
"Fang turns to gush at the shark, giving me the opportunity to quickly stop my phone and see that my battery is near dead and storage near full."
A "Ah, there’s the last exhibit."
show fang happy with dissolve
"I hold open another set of doors, the room within near pitch black."
F "Is it closed?"
A "Hm?"
F "The lights…"
A "Oh! Nah, the room is dark because the things inside aren’t used to light."
F "O-oh."
A "Wait… are you sca-"
F "No! I just… Wasn’t expecting it, is all."
"I offer her my hand."
"Despite her claim otherwise I can feel how tense she is by how her fingernails dig into my hand."
scene black with fade
"I lead her into the darkened room, what little light there is coming from the various animals within."
play music "audio/OST/Beach Chill Out.ogg" fadein 1.0
"The aquariums within are packed with bioluminescent jellyfish, illuminating the darkened room with an ethereal glow."
scene jellyfishroom with fade
F "Whoa. This is…"
A "Beautiful."
F "Yeah… that…"
"I wasn’t referring to the exhibit."
"Fang’s grip on my hand eases, and her fingers work to intertwine with mine."
"With what little light there is I can make out Fang’s smile."
"My eyes have adjusted enough that I can see Fang’s eyes locked onto mine, the gossamer light making them glow."
"My lips press softly onto Fang’s beak-end in a chaste peck."
F "eep!"
F "Oi! G-give me a warning next time!"
A "Mmmm… Naaaah."
"I laugh even as her hip bumps me roughly."
"Our interlocked fingers prevent her from using her preferred elbow tactic."
A "So… had fun?"
F "Mmmm… Maaaaybe…"
F "I’ll say yes if you delete that recording."
A "Awwww, but you were so cute!"
F "Sh-shut up! I’m sexy damn it! Not cute!"
A "Why not both?"
"She glowers."
A "Feel rested?"
F "A bit. I’ll feel even more rested after some lunch though."
A "Sounds like a plan."
scene aquariumoutside with dissolve
"The rest of our rest day was spent just relaxing on the pier."
"Snacks on the boardwalk."
"A bad sunburn on my neck."
"And a very relaxed girlfriend."
"Overall, mission successful."
"Except the sunburn."
"Ow."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"..."
scene black with fade
label PromIsMemorable:
#Prom is Memorable
scene black with fade
"-One Month Later-"
play music "audio/OST/Appreciating the Moment.ogg" fadein 1.0
"It’s prom night."
"My old man was kind enough to send over his old tuxedo from his time at high school."
"It took a bit of sewing, but I got it looking pretty good."
"Judging by the wine stains on the sleeves, Dad’s made a lot of important announcements in this tuxedo."
"Gives it a bit of history, I guess."
scene home fang outside night
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show naomi prom neutral flip at sright
with fade
"When I arrive at Fang’s place with a cheap corsage I see the Pomegranate Parasite waiting outside the front door."
"Great."
"And dear god, how can she move in that dress."
"It looks like it’s been shrink-wrapped to her body."
N "Oh, I already knocked Anon."
N "Naser will be out in a moment to invite us in, I’m sure Fang will be getting ready too."
N "I’ve heard the two of you are going to prom together!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, the next Sherlock Holmes."
A "No, I just happen to be here in a suit to go golfing."
"I ignore her, focusing instead on not stabbing my palm even more on this flower’s thorns."
"Fuck it, free is free."
"And nothing more free than a five finger discount from the neighbor’s yard."
N "You and Fang just make the cutest couple! Did you two sign up for prom king and queen?"
A "Nah. She said something about the ‘fascist sexist monarchy system’."
N "Well, Naser and I have entered and we are going to be prom royalty. Ooooh, I can not wait to wear that beautiful tiara, I picked it out and everything and the crown for Naser-"
show naomi prom happy flip
"I’ve already tuned her out."
show naser prom neutral at ncenter with dissolve
"Naser opens the door."
"Well if that isn’t the fanciest jacket I’ve seen in a while."
"It’s certainly better than the background of Avatar he always wears."
Nas "Sorry to keep you waiting, Naomi."
Nas "This thing is a nightmare to get over my wings."
show naser prom happy flip at ncenter with dissolve
Nas "Oh, Anon! Come on in, didn’t know you were already here."
"He waves for the two of us to enter, pecking Naomi on the cheek when she passes."
scene home fang night
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show naser prom neutral at ncenter
show naomi prom neutral at scenter
with fade
"Fang’s Mother speaks up from the kitchen."
show fangmom neutral flip at sright with moveinright
FM "Oh! Oh! Is that Anon?"
Nas "Here we go."
"The small pterodactyl comes out, a bowl she’s struggling to stir in her arms."
FM "My, aren’t you handsome."
FM "Pictures! I need to get pictures of you and Lucy!"
"She sets the bowl aside on the coffee table to frantically search for a polaroid camera."
FM "To think Lucy would have such a wonderful young man to take her to prom!"
FM "Aha! Found it. Hold still, dear."
scene black with fade
"ARGH! Like getting slapped in the face by the sun’s dick!"
"I blink the blindness away. So that’s why Naser has those fucking aviators."
scene home fang night
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show naser prom neutral at ncenter
show naomi prom neutral at scenter
show fangmom neutral flip at sright
with fade
FM "Lucy will be downstairs in a bit, she’s just getting the last of her makeup on!"
hide fangmom with moveoutleft
FM "In the meantime, take a seat! I’ve got some cookies in the oven that are almost ready!"
A "Er, yes, thank you ma’am."
"I take my seat in the usual spot, sinking in and feeling the pillows conform around my spine."
hide anon with moveoutright
scene black with fade
scene home fang night with fade
show anon prom neutral flip at aright
"This thing must cost a fortune."
"Fang’s dad is a police commissioner if I recall."
"That explains the luxurious furnishings."
"Now that I think about it, I’m surprised I haven’t seen him yet."
show fangdad neutral at sleft with dissolve
FD "So…"
"I hope I didn’t just ruin these slacks."
A "Good evening, sir."
A "I didn’t even see you in your chair, sir."
A "My apologies."
FD "Don’t sweat it, son."
FD "Thing about humans, as well as many charnivores, is that their vision is based largely on movement."
FD "You’d be surprised how useful staying quiet and stationary can be."
FD "How close you can get to someone without them knowing-"
show fangmom unimpressed flip at fmcenter with dissolve
FM "Sweetheart."
FM "No. Intimidating. The Suitor."
"The big guy deflates a bit in his chair."
FD "Point is, don’t get any funny ideas."
A "Yessir."
hide fangdad with dissolve
show naser prom neutral at nleft with moveinleft
N "We’re all taking the NasCar, right?"
Nas "Yeah, yeah."
Nas "Once Fang gets down we’ll skedaddle."
A "So until then we just sit and chill?"
show naomi prom happy at sleft with moveinleft
N "We could take more pictures!"
"Please no."
show fangmom neutral at fmcenter with moveinleft
FM "Oh! I would love to make this a little photo op!"
scene black with fade
"Thirty photos later and I never want to see another camera again."
"Fang’s mom decided to take pictures of every possible combination of us."
"I don’t know which was worse, having to pose with Naomi or Fang’s dad digging his murder claws into my shoulder."
"I’ve lost nearly all feeling in that arm."
"Pretty sure that’ll leave a bruise worse than my accelerated hug with the stair bollard last month."
"At least the pics with Naser were a nice reprieve."
"We ended up looking like the blues brothers, standing side by side in fuck ugly suits."
"Just as I was about to resign myself to premature blindness from the camera flash, my saviour arrives."
F "Oh, Anon, you’re already here!"
scene home fang night
show fang d prom happy flip at sright
with fade
F "Nice suit! Did ya get it from the suit store?"
play music "audio/OST/Fuck You I Like To Shitpost.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Fang leans over the railing of the staircase."
"Holy shit, she can really rock that dress."
"Fang's Dad" "Ahem."
show fangdad neutral at sleft with moveinleft
"Ah. Shit."
F "Daaaad. Stop scaring Anon!"
FD "I’ll scare who I want in my home."
show fangmom neutral at fmcenter behind fang
"Fang’s mom saves me, taking the mountainous pterodactyl by his head crest."
FM "Now now, dear, Anon is a lovely guest."
FM "Come on down and pose for pictures with everyone, Lucy!"
A "Actually, stay up there so we can all rest."
F "Har."
F "Best thing to do is get it over with."
FM "That’s right. Alright everyone, group together, this one’s going on Christmas postcards for sure!"
scene home fang day with fade
show anon prom neutral:
xalign -0.1 yalign 0.1
show fang d prom neutral behind anon:
xalign 0.1 yalign 0.1
show naser prom neutral flip:
xalign 0.9 yalign 0.1
show naomi prom neutral flip:
xalign 1.1 yalign 0.1
with fade
"Kill me."
F "Later."
"The onslaught of flashes continues as the four of us are directed to stand and pose together in every possible combination."
"After a millenia Fang’s mother is satisfied, or her camera ran out of storage."
"Naser and Fang both crash onto the couch rubbing their photo-bleached eyes, Even Naomi is holding her eyes closed."
"The whole thing left me parched."
A "Hate to bother, but do you guys have any water?"
F "The fridge dispenses water."
Nas "Cups are in the cabinet closest on the right."
A "Thanks."
scene kitchen
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show naomi prom neutral flip at scenter
with fade
"While pouring my glass of water Naomi walks in after me."
A "Oh, you need a cup too? I’ll grab you one."
N "No thank you."
N "Actually, Anon, can I speak with you for a moment?"
"Oh boy."
A "Go ahead."
N "I’m very happy that you and Fang are together now, but…"
"I take a long, slow sip."
A "But what?"
show naomi prom angry flip at scenter
N "But, I mean… Just look at her."
N "The school year’s almost over and she’s barely changed from being that weird punk-goth type."
"Siiiiip. Aaaaah. Refreshing."
A "So?"
N "I mean, I thought you would try to make her… Presentable, you know?"
"Mmm, love me some water."
A "Could you elaborate?"
N "But it’s like you aren’t even trying to fix her."
"Damn, now I need a refill."
N "Could you stop that, I’m being serious here."
A "No no, keep going, I’m listening."
"A quick top up and I’m good to go."
show naomi prom neutral flip with dissolve
N "Well I figured you would help her become more ladylike."
A "I understand. How does that make you feel?"
N "Well, to be honest, I’d rather Fang not be a problem to me at all."
N "I’ve tried everything, too, but even getting her a boyfriend doesn’t work."
N "It’s harsh to ask, but when we go to prom tonight I’d like you two to avoid us."
N "It’s supposed to be a special night."
A "I see."
N "Oh, really? That’s grea-"
A "And how does that make you feel, Fang?"
play music "audio/OST/punk_revamp.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Naomi goes white as a sheet."
show fang d prom happy flip at sright with moveinright
F "Well since you’ve asked, Anon, I’d be glad to share."
N "O-oh, Fang, I d-didn’t see you there."
show naomi prom neutral with dissolve
F "You’d be surprised how useful staying quiet and stationary can be."
F "How close you can get to someone without them knowing you’re even there."
N "I-I see. Very impressive."
F "Why do you look so surprised? Isn’t me being invisible exactly what you want?"
N "W-well, n-no, I was only planning-"
show fang d prom unimpressed flip with dissolve
F "Oh, right! Your ‘plan’!"
F "I’ve known for months now you were up to something retarded, but not what."
F "But I totally get this, it’s exactly something only you would come up with."
F "Down to the whole thing crashing and burning."
F "I mean really, how could you mess this up?"
F "Literally all you had to do was get some poor schmuck and get him to do everything for you."
F "Hey…"
F "You can’t get even one person to do what you want?"
F "Pretty sad, right Anon?"
A "I could do that in seconds on a certain website."
F "Man, even Anon can do it better. Huh."
F "So basically, fuck your stupid plan, fuck your prom crown, and fuck you."
"In a flash Fang strikes Naomi right across the face."
hide anon
hide fang
show naomi slapped:
xalign 0.5 yalign 0.4
with dissolve
#Johnny test whip sound effect
F "...And your dress sucks."
F "Anon, you’ve got the taxi number right? We’re gonna need to leave like, right now."
A "Yeah, I’ll give him a call."
A "Bye Naomi, enjoy your hat."
"We leave a speechless Naomi fuming in the kitchen and head towards the front door."
scene home fang night
show fangmom neutral at fmleft
show fang d prom neutral at sright
show anon prom neutral at acenter
"...And are promptly intercepted by Fang’s mother still holding her camera."
"I guess she found another card for it."
FM "You two look so darling together! We need more photos!"
A "...I think we’re gonna be late if we take any more pictures."
F "Yeah mom, we need to leave early so I can get everything all set up."
"And to avoid being anywhere near Naomi."
"To my surprise, she seemingly relents to Fang this time."
FM "Oh fine, you’ll be happy you have them when your own children are going to prom!"
"An image flashes in my mind of me and Fang as parents."
"A bit early to think of something like that, and the blush on Fang’s face tells me she’s thinking the same thing."
F "MOM!"
FM "Make sure to have fun at prom, you two!"
"I glance over and Fang’s dad catches me dead in the eyes."
FD "Home by midnight."
"I manage a nod as Fang grabs my hand and leads me out the door with her guitar in the other."
scene home fang outside night with dissolve
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show fang d prom neutral at scenter
A "Let me call the taxi…"
"I dial the number for the taxi service."
D "City taxi service."
A "Yes, can you come to the bus stop at-"
D "Got it."
"*click*"
F "Did he hang up on you?"
A "I dunno, maybe-"
"The taxi skids around the corner, barreling towards the bus stop."
"In the last ten feet it slows to a graceful stop in front of us."
"The window rolls down and it’s the same velociraptor driver from before. Of course it is."
D "Yep. Still got it."
A "How did you get here so fast?"
D "Was in the neighborhood."
play music "audio/OST/bayside_revamp.ogg" fadein 1.0
"The driver turns his head and looks over at us."
D "Ay, it’s my favorite couple again! How’s the leg, skinnie?"
"The driver chuckles at his own remark."
"I briefly consider calling a different cab, but decide to give him the benefit of the doubt."
A "It’s fine now, thanks for asking."
"This guy must stake out wherever we go."
"Aren’t there {i}any{/i} other taxi drivers in this town?"
"I open the door for Fang and we climb in the back, fitting her guitar behind the driver’s seat."
scene taxi night
D "So where’re you two lovebirds heading dressed all snazzy like that?"
A "Volcano High, it’s prom night."
"The driver gives a whistle in response."
D "Prom, huh? Sounds like one romantic night."
"With that he speeds off away, leaving Fang’s house a shrinking spot in the rear-view mirror."
"The drive back to school is rather calm, despite the driver going at least thirty miles over the speed limit the whole time."
"In the rear-view mirror, the driver makes eye contact with me."
"The bottom of his eye curls, and I know exactly what he’s thinking."
"His hand darts to the radio knob."
A "Don-"
"The way I dance with youuuu~"
"Fang’s heel digs into the back of the driver’s seat, making him yelp."
D "Sheesh, no wonder they call them stilettos."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"The driver kills the radio, a smug grin of victory spreading across Fang’s face."
"Eventually the cab pulls up to the school gymnasium, illuminated by the celebratory decorative string lights."
"I reach for my wallet to pay the toll and the driver just gives me a wave."
D "Y’know what? It’s on the house this time, kids."
D "Just have fun, you two."
scene outside school night
play music "audio/effects/prom chatter loop.ogg" fadein 1.0
"We climb out the back of the cab and the driver gives me a wink before the taxi screeches away in a cloud of carbon monoxide."
"I offer to carry Fang’s guitar from here which she gladly accepts."
"The students strung up various strings of lights along the overgrowths of vines around the school."
"A rather impressive mural of King Rex is spray painted on the wall outside by the ticket booth."
"You could tell how recent it was by how there was smoke leaking out of the eyes and mouth."
"I think about getting a picture with Fang by it, but I think I’ve developed a serious case of photophobia."
"The line to get in isn’t too long, and it only takes a few minutes to get inside."
scene prom
"Inside is about as well decorated as outside."
"More lights hang from the greenery and even the ceiling."
"Those nerdy little chinese lanterns are strung about from wall to wall."
F "Gotta wonder who picked decorations that go perfectly with her dress."
show fang d prom neutral at sleft
A "Perks of the job."
show anon prom neutral flip at sright
"Fang leads me to the temporary stage on the other side of the gymnasium where a curtain had been set up."
"Thanks to her guitar lessons I feel like I can actually help get her set up instead of standing around doing nothing."
"We slip behind the curtain and come face to face with King Rex, smoke billowing out of his mouth."
show reed king rex flip behind anon:
xalign 1.3 yalign 0.0
Re "...’Sup?"
"Reed must be helping Spears with the sound system."
F "Oh good, Reed’s here."
F "You can get everything set up like you usually do."
Re "You got it, amigo."
"With a mock salute, Reed takes the guitar case from my hand and promptly disappears behind one of the speakers."
"Only to return moments later with the guitar, now with a cable trailing behind him."
"Damn, he works fast."
F "Yeah he does, there’s a reason he handles all this sort of stuff."
"The MUMBLING."
"Reed dusts off his hands and lets out a sigh, releasing another mushroom cloud of smoke from the costume."
Re "Man… I haven’t talked to you guys in ages, y’know?"
Re "Not since the whole… projector thing."
A "...You know I sit two seats away from you in math, why didn’t you just talk to me then?"
Re "Bro, I would but like… don’t wanna leave Trish alone."
Re "She’s still suuuuper beating herself up over it, don’t wanna isolate her even more, y’know?"
menu:
"I’m sure Trish’ll be fine soon enough.":
Re "Fang, why don’t you try talking to her sometime?"
"Weren’t you going to talk to her about it, Fang?":
A "Weren’t you going to talk to her about it, Fang?"
show fang prom d sad with dissolve
F "I’ve… been meaning to, but…"
F "It’s just sort of awkward, you know…"
F "I’ll try talking to her soon, I promise."
Re "Trish is here… somewhere."
A "She bought a ticket? Does she even have a date?"
Re "Took advantage of my ‘plus one’ deal for deejaying tonight, dude."
Re "Don’t think she wanted a dance with King Rex though..."
"Reed’s shoulders slump a bit inside the costume."
A "I can imagine."
show fang prom d neutral with dissolve
F "Think everything’s set up now, so we can just enjoy ourselves for the next ninety minutes."
Re "You guys going out?"
A "Yeah, see you later Reed."
"He waves his goodbye and turns his attention back to the mix table."
hide reed king rex with dissolve
F "You getting hungry?"
A "Yeah, actually."
F "I saw there was a pretty big food table on the way in, come on."
scene black with fade
"Despite the selection of food being rather diverse and professional, Fang piles her plate with barbecue."
"I myself end up with a bit of this and that, bites of sushi, various meats, a few of those tiny party sandwiches, and a few things I don’t recognize but look tasty enough."
scene prom
show fang prom d neutral at sleft
show anon prom neutral at aright
with dissolve
F "Spears told me Rosa helped cook most of this."
show anon prom neutral flip with dissolve
A "Wh-how? This has got to be at least a month’s worth of food."
F "I dunno, she just did it."
A "Is she here now?"
F "Probably in the kitchen working her tail off making more."
"We sit against the back wall to wolf down our servings, and Fang makes me go back to get her seconds."
"Eventually she decides the black hole in her esophagus is satisfied."
F "Man, were these tickets worth every penny or what?"
A "I’m not sure what those things filled with melted cheese were, but they were great."
F "Let’s go see what other crap there is to do here."
A "How much time do we got?"
F "Spears told me I should head back once the slow dances start."
F "Probably another hour or so."
F "You know what, speaking of dances, we should go hit up the floor while they’re still playing the good stuff."
A "What, you don’t like slow dances?"
F "What I like are the bones in my feet."
A "Woooooow."
play music "audio/OST/its_footloose_now.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Fang takes my hand and leads me into the crowd of dancing teenagers."
"Reed actually has a pretty good selection of music going."
"Instead of whatever garbage was in the weekly top-forty list, he’s been playing real music."
"Fang’s already lost in the music, grooving along with the other students."
"Now would be a good time to mention I can’t dance in any capacity, not just slow dancing."
"I can’t just stand here like a sperg, need to think of something fast…"
F "Stop being a dweeb, Anon."
"When in doubt, improvise."
$ i = 0
show anon prom neutral flip with move:
yalign 0.0
linear 0.3
yalign 0.1
linear 0.3
repeat
"I bob my knees to the fast rhythm of the music."
"And my hands mimic the reload animations from various first person shooters I’ve actually played."
"For good measure I spice it up with a couple dragon punch moves from some fightan cabinets."
show fang prom d happy with move:
"Fang seems glad I’ve joined in, she even tries to mimic a few of my ‘moves’."
"Then she raises an eyebrow and her smile curls a bit more."
F "Wait, Anon, are you…?"
F "BAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAAH!"
A "I’m not sure what you were expecting."
F "Yeah, no, that’s great, keep doing it."
F "Holy shit you’re weird."
"At least I’m not flossing like some of the faggots here."
show reed king rex behind fang with moveinleft:
xalign -1.1 yalign 0.1
show anon prom neutral flip at aright
show fang prom d neutral with dissolve
"Reed wades through the crowd and grabs Fang’s shoulder from behind."
F "Yah! What the-"
F "Reed, why aren’t you on stage?"
Re "Autoplay, don’t worry about it."
Re "Something’s come up, we’re gonna need you a bit early."
show fang prom d considering with dissolve
"Fang hesitates."
show fang prom d sad with dissolve
F "Damn it, sorry Anon, I don’t mean to leave you like this."
A "Things happen, go ahead and fix whatever Reed tripped over."
show fang prom d neutral with dissolve
Re "How did you- nevermind."
Re "Come on, there’s no time!"
A "Good luck, Fang."
hide reed king rex with moveoutright
"Fang gives me a brief hug before following Reed out of the crowd, leaving me alone amongst the sea of sweaty teenagers."
hide fang d prom neutral with moveoutright
"..."
"I should go get more of those cheese things from earlier."
"It’s nice to eat like an actual human for once."
"On my way over to the catering table something catches the corner of my eye."
show trish prom neutral at sleft
"Sitting alone at a table in the back is Trish, blankly staring at her phone and not touching the plate of food in front of her."
play music "audio/OST/Appreciating her Company.ogg" fadein 1.0
"I really don't pay any mind to her, my focus solely on getting to the buffet table."
Re "{alpha=0.5}{i}She’s still suuuuper beating herself up over it, don’t wanna isolate her even more, y’know?{/i}{/alpha}"
"God… damn it, Reed."
"I really don’t feel like playing therapist again, especially at prom."
"...But if she’s still hung up on what happened then the least I can do is talk to her, right?"
"After getting another plate of tiny greasy delights, I begin to approach Trish."
"Worse case scenario I get gored on her horn, and it’s not as threatening as staircases."
show anon prom neutral flip at acenter with move
A "Is this seat taken?"
"Trish looks up from her phone and her face flies through a myriad of emotions."
"At first confused, then fucking pissed, then aroused, then back to fucking pissed, all in the space of an attosecond."
A "Hey… Lookin’ good in that dress."
T "Y-you too…"
"Okay, operation confused trigga is off to a good start."
"I hold out the second plate of morsels to her." #Isn't she a fucking vegan?
A "I snagged these for Fang, but she had some last minute stage issues to deal with."
T "O-oh. Uh… Thanks?"
"I sit down next to her and tuck into my meal."
T "Aren’t you supposed to be with Fang? Why are you here?"
A "Well, she’s got something to deal with and I’m hungry."
T "No! I mean here!"
A "To… eat?"
"For emphasis I show her my half finished plate."
T "Oh my fuck, no! As in right here!"
show trish prom indignant with dissolve
A "Oh!"
A "Because it’s prom-"
"Before her hands can reach for my throat I finish."
show trish prom neutral with dissolve
A "And you’re looking lonely."
"Ah, there we go."
"Trish locks up completely."
"Looking closer I can see just how dry her eyes are."
"Man, she must’ve been crying a lot."
T "I wasn’t!"
"God damn it mouth."
A "Alright, alright. I was just thinking."
A "And like. How do I say this."
"Trish is focused completely on me now. Okay brain, help me out here."
A "I saw you sat here. No date, no friends, no nothing."
"Ah, bad choice, Trish’s face sunk at each word."
A "I was thinking ’bout how lonely you were."
A "Which is something I know quite well."
A "Being alone and all."
A "So!"
A "Since I’m by myself now, and you were looking lonely, I’d figured we could be lonely together."
A "Make sense?"
"Trish lets out a sigh."
show trish prom sad with dissolve
T "...Why are you doing this?"
T "After everything I did, you should hate me for it."
"I sigh."
A "Yeah… I mean, I still get called names and stuff."
A "And Stella keeps trying to get me to watch shit with her."
A "But fuck it. I won’t have to see those fuckers ever again in a few weeks."
A "That shit’s gonna be in the past."
A "But…"
F "{alpha=0.5}{i}I’ve… been meaning to, but…{/i}{/alpha}"
A "But it’d crush Fang if she never talks with her best friend again."
play music "audio/OST/Appreciating the Moment.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Trish’s eyes widen."
A "So. Peace?"
"I hold out the second plate of food to her again."
"Trish takes the proffered plate. Her dry eyes start to water and a fragile smile grows on her face."
show trish prom neutral with dissolve
T "Peace."
A "Cool. Also speaking of, that food’s probably cold now, too."
"It’s a bad joke, but it works in getting a simple laugh out of the triceratops girl."
"I make quick work of the rest of my pot stickers, noting how Trish is ravenously devouring them."
"Huh, I guess she was looking a little thin. This month must have been hell for her."
"We sit in silence until the music changes to something much slower."
"Definitely not my kind of music."
"I peer over and see Trish staring longingly at the couples dancing."
"Guess no one’s bothered to ask her."
T "Reed has."
A "Then why not dance with him?"
T "I am NOT dancing with King Rex."
"Poor Reed."
A "Well, how ‘bout with me?"
T "...Do you even know how to dance?"
A "I can improvise?"
T "Let me rephrase that. Do you even know how to slow dance?"
A "There’s a difference?"
"Trish sighs in frustration."
T "The things I put up with…"
T "Alright, I’ll teach you."
A "Wait wha-"
T "I want to dance, and so help me Raptor Jesus I’m getting a dance."
play music "audio/OST/Skinrow Soul.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Trish grabs me by the elbow and pulls me to the dance floor."
scene black with fade
"When Trish finds a spot she’s satisfied with, away from most of the other couples and open, she turns back to me."
scene prom with fade
show trish and anon cuck fang:
xalign 0.5 yalign 0.5
pause 3
T "Left hand on my hip. Now!"
"Oh wow, she is short as hell."
"I need to actually reach so my hand plants itself on her hip."
A "Okay, next?"
"Trish’s left hand takes my right, and her right hand is placed on my left bicep since she doesn’t want to stand on her toes. Or mine."
T "Now just step to your left."
show trish and anon cuck fang:
linear 1.0 xalign 0.9 yalign 0.5
"My left foot moves left."
T "And bring your right foot next to it."
"Okay. That’s one step."
T "And that’s it."
"..."
"Wow, dancing is simple."
"Slowly I find myself getting into the rhythm of the dance."
show trish and anon cuck fang:
linear 1.0 xalign 0.4
pause 3
linear 1.0 xalign -0.2
pause 3
linear 1.0 xalign 0.4
pause 3
linear 1.0 xalign 1.0
pause 3
repeat
"Occasionally Trish would give instructions for a new step or move."
"One song and dance grew into three or four, I lost track."
"But as we ease into the next song, I realize that Trish is starting to smile at last."
play music "audio/effects/prom chatter loop 2.ogg" fadein 1.0
"*GRRRRRRRRRLLLL*"
"Trish’s face goes bright red."
A "What was that?"
T "Uhh… I think I was hungrier than I thought."
A "Wanna head back to the food table?"
T "Er- yeah. Sorry."
A "For what? Come on."
scene black with fade
"I lead Trish out of the crowd back in the general direction of the buffet."
scene prom with fade
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show trish prom neutral flip at tcenter
A "Thanks for teaching me to dance."
T "I’m coming for you if I hear Fang’s got a broken toe."
A "Noted. You go ahead, I’ll wait at the bench we were at before."
"I gesture towards the tables of food."
T "Oh, sure. Gimme a bit."
"She heads off and I go sit in the same spot on the bleachers as before."
hide trish with moveoutright
"Well then. Got some time to kill, time to shitpo-"
"*THUNK*"
A "Whoa, Trish, warn me before you jump into the chair."
show spears neutral flip at scenter with dissolve
Sp "My bad."
A "Oh ffff-flint, hello Principal Spears."
A "Is Fang doing alright?"
Sp "Yeah, she’s still getting everything ready."
Sp "I just wanted to have a word with you. Got a minute?"
A "Sure."
Sp "When you first got here I noticed you were a bit on the egotistical side, if I may say so."
Sp "You’ve since become a fine young man."
Sp "You were in a muddy situation and were able to get this much out of it."
Sp "I can tell you’re going places, son."
A "I-I see. Thanks."
"Principal Spears leans over and places one of his gargantuan hands on my shoulder."
Sp "I’m real proud of you."
"He pats my shoulder out of its socket and gets up."
Sp "I won’t keep you any longer, I have my own business to attend to in a moment."
A "Giving Naomi and Naser their crowns?"
Sp "Heh. It’s a bit obvious, but I won’t ruin their moment."
Sp "Alright, be seeing you."
A "Later, Principal Spears."
"He marches away to get ready for the announcement."
scene prom with fade
show anonphone with moveinbottom
"I check my phone to make my post."
"hey fagets guess whos at prom? later virgins"
"pic rel is my date :^)"
"I attach a picture I took of Stella earlier when her date was in the restroom."
"How did she end up with the football captain, anyway?"
"Whatever."
"Three… Two… One…"
"Refreshing…"
"Forty replies AND revenge for that soda can."
hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
show anon prom neutral at aleft with dissolve
show trish prom neutral flip at tcenter with moveinright
T "Alright, sorry, I’m back."
"Trish slides into the chair Spears just left from."
T "Did someone bend this…?"
A "Spears."
T "Oh."
"She puts her plate down."
"It’s a veritable bake sale."
A "Hey, you can’t have dessert for dinner."
T "Piss off."
"The music fades until all that’s left is chatter."
"Spears takes to the stage with mic in hand for once."
scene prom
show spears neutral at scenter
Sp "Alright everyone. Before we end tonight’s prom we have a couple of items to take care of."
stop music fadeout 1.0
Sp "First thing is-"
"The principal pulls a tiny gold sheaf envelope from his lapel and holds it up for the audience to gawk at."
Sp "to announce prom King and Queen."
"Well this is a foregone conclusion."
"A few students are already congratulating Naser as he’s led by the arm by his handler."
Sp "A drum roll, please."
"Reed steps onto the stage with a small block in his arms."
"He smiles and nods, pressing one of the myriad of buttons on the block."
"A mediocre recording of the drumline plays over the speakers as Spears clears his throat and tears open the envelope."
Sp "And your winners."
Sp "For the one Mil."
Sp "Twenty-twenty class."
Sp "Aaaaaare…."
Sp "Naaaaaser aaaaand Naaaaoooomiiiiii!"
"He tosses the paper over his shoulder and yanks out the crowns from a pocket inside his jacket."
show spears neutral with moveinleft:
xalign -0.2 yalign 0.0
show naser prom happy at sleft with moveinleft
show naomi prom happy flip with moveinleft:
xalign 0.9 yalign 0.0
"Spears backs out of the spotlight, giving a polite applause to the pair as they rush onstage to accept."
"The rest of the class is in a celebratory uproar."
"Spears offers the crowns to Naomi, who puts the larger one on Naser’s crest to droop off, and then dons the tiara.."
"The whole moment is picturesque, just like Naomi wanted."
N "Thank you all so much, Volcano High!"
N "This is such an honor to receive."
N "My, I don’t really have a speech prepared. But…"
N "In just one short year, we-"
Sp "Alright, alright, let’s stay on schedule."
show naser prom neutral with dissolve
show naomi prom neutral flip with dissolve
Sp "I promised your parents we’d be out of here by ten."
hide naomi with dissolve
hide naser with dissolve
Sp "To close off this wonderful night, I’ve asked a student to play one final song for us."
Sp "Now I know she’s played before with… mixed results, but please give her a second chance."
Sp "To finish up, please welcome Fang!"
hide spears with dissolve
show fang d prom happy at scenter
"Spears puts the microphone up and gives a welcoming applause as the cheap curtains draw open."
"Fang is standing onstage front and center, guitar."
unknown "Wait, who?"
unknown "She was there last time, wasn’t she?"
unknown "I’ll just start recording…"
"She scans the room, a nervous look creeping onto her face."
scene prom
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show trish prom angry at scenter
with dissolve
T "Those dicks!"
"I start waving my arms in the air, trying to catch Fang’s attention."
"Trish sees what I’m doing and whistles with her thumb and index finger."
unknown "Who the-"
unknown "-that the weeb?"
unknown "Only he would-"
unknown "-match made for losers-"
"Fang notices us and some of the nervousness melts off her face."
play music "audio/OST/Amberlight Brilliance - Demo.wav" fadein 1.0
"She takes a deep breath and starts strumming the first notes of her song."
scene fang d ending preformance 1
"It took half a year but she finally completed the song from the roof."
play music 'audio/OST/Amberlight Brilliance - Live.wav' fadein 1.0
"The cascade of chords is a slow build that increases tempo gradually."
"Thinking back over all the practice sessions, Fang fretted over what exactly she would play."
"Turns out, a rock ballad fit perfectly."
"Both as a final song for prom."
"And as a summation of Fang."
"After all, as she plays her heart out on stage to the growing surprise and cheers of the crowd, this song is the best representation of her."
"Trish and I cheer Fang on loudly."
"The lyrics we composed together were a mix of her, admittedly, overly flowery and edgy poetry from her wall and my own shitposting."
"Surprisingly it mixed well."
"Apparently the rest of my classmates thought so too."
"I spin around to get a better look at all the cheering students and immediately fix my eyes on Naomi."
"And she looks pissed."
"Naser looks like he’s enjoying the show, however."
"Not wanting to let the moment go to waste, I get my phone out and zoom in as stealthily as I can."
"I snap a picture of the seething prom queen before she stomps off, probably complaining how her perfect night was ruined."
"Shame that someone other than her gets the spotlight for once."
"Satisfied that Fang will enjoy seeing the picture, I begin pushing and squeezing my way towards the front of the crowd."
"As soon as Fang’s eyes lock with mine, I catch a look of unreserved glee on her face."
"That same look she had during their concert at Moe’s, or when we even found Moe’s in the first place."
"She is finally in her element, and loving every second of it."
"Fang’s voice is beginning to grow hoarse as she nears the end of her song."
"As the song reaches its crescendo, her final lyrics are echoed by the crowd and reverberates throughout the hall."
F "GOODBYE"
F "VOLCANO"
F "HIIIIIGH!"
"Her voice shakes as the words trail off, delivering a meteoric finale to her show."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"The guitar echoes for several seconds before applause begins to fill the air, cheers that I didn’t initiate this time."
"I begin to join in, but take notice of Fang’s utterly stiff posture."
"Eyes wide, wings pressed against her back, legs locked like a statue."
"She looks like she’s about to faint from shock."
"I realize I have an opportunity here and stone the fuck up."
"God damn it, I’m going to take it."
"I push my way through the crowd and jump up on the stage, taking the nearly catatonic Fang into my arms."
"Standing in an embrace on stage, my mind barely registers the crowd of students in front of us."
"Fang gasps and snaps back to reality."
"I can see the embarrassed mirth playing across her beautiful eyes."
scene fang d ending preformance 4
"No thought at all, I press my lips against hers."
"Behind me I can hear the audience’s cheers grow louder."
"I can hear Rosa and Stella’s wolf whistles inside the crowd."
"I can even make out Naser, Trish and Reed’s own supportive calls."
"It’s a picture-perfect moment."
"Wait. Missing one thing."
"I extend one arm out toward Naomi, who I know is suffering from rectal-ragnarok by now, and raise one finger in particular at her."
"There, picture-perfect."
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
"..."
label FastTimesAtVolcanoHigh:
#Fast Times at Volcano High
"-Two Weeks Later-"
scene beach with fade
show anon neutral at acenter
play music "audio/OST/Skinrow Soul.ogg"
"Time seemed to fly after prom, honestly."
"Probably the stress of finals."
"And graduation rehearsals."
"And graduation itself."
"I nearly gouged out my eardrums having to sit through Naomi’s speech."
"Of course the bubblegum blockhead was the valedictorian."
"Her speech, as rehearsed as it was, still sounded like we were at a funeral."
"Even now I think she’s still seething from prom night."
"Or maybe it’s the photo of her face that’s currently circulating a certain Albanian Car Trading chatroom."
"Infinitely better than any reaction I could’ve made."
"About a week after, Fang came to me with news that Trish got the idea for a celebration and Naser was organizing it."
"Naser organizing any party meant that he’d make sure nobody had any real fun, so Fang convinced him to split up the work between the rest of us."
"It was Fang’s job to get the pizza."
"I, the broke fuck that I am, was put in charge of the fire and finding a good pit for it."
Nas "{i}You people are good at making fires, right Anon?{/i}"
"I wonder if I can sue him for hate speech."
"That aside."
"The party is at St. Hammond Beach, which is just below the cliffs that make the town’s namesake."
"The sun has already set when we get there, the starry sky illuminating the whole place in a pale blue."
"I got to the site a bit earlier and got to set up an impressive firepit with meticulously set stones surrounding it, and logs set in an ideal tower for an overnight blaze."
"Everything is ready, so where is everyone else?"
"We agreed to meet at seven, right?"
"Right as I reach into my pocket for my phone, a van chugs onto the sand from the distance."
"It stops right in front of me and Trish flies out the side door, gasping for breath."
show anon neutral flip at aright with move
show trish neutral at scenter with moveinleft
T " *huff*, *huff*..."
A "You look like you just got choked out by Spears."
"She just points back to the van."
"The drivers’ door opens, letting out a gust of smoke from within."
"Reed emerges from the cloud as if nothing’s wrong."
T "Reed... *huff*... Your car.... *huff*..."
show reed explanatory at sleft with moveinleft
Re "Oh yeah, you like it? It’s an electric!"
"Trish collapses in the sand."
"Before I can check if she’s still breathing, a stereotypical mariachi car horn catches my attention."
"I swing around and catch Stella and Rosa exiting a hot pink Prius, each with a pair of phone speakers in their hands."
"Waving to them, my focus returns to Reed now helping Trish off the ground."
show reed with move:
xalign -0.55
show trish with move:
xalign -0.05
show anon neutral with move:
xalign 0.25 yalign 0.0
show fang neutral behind anon with moveinright:
xalign 0.45
show naser neutral flip with moveinright:
xalign 0.85
show rosa neutral flip with moveinright:
xalign 1.05
show stella neutral flip with moveinright:
xalign 1.05
Re "Need a light, amigo?"
"Before I can respond, he reaches into his pocket and fishes out a lighter which is promptly tossed my way."
"Catching it out of the air, I only briefly catch the words ‘FUCK COMMUNISM’ engraved in its side when I hear yet another car approaching."
"Recognizing it by sound alone, I see the NasCar glide to a halt next to Rosa’s car."
"That name might still be dumb as hell, but I gotta admit it’s growing on me."
"Fang emerges from the backseat and waves at me."
"She hunches into the car to get out the pizza boxes and starts striding towards us."
Nas "...c’mon babe, please. You know she didn’t do it on purpose!"
show naser neutral flip with move:
xalign 1.25
show rosa with move:
xalign 1.35
show stella neutral flip with move:
xalign 1.25
"Naomi erupts from the car in a frothing rage, her shirt noticeably stained an orange-red."
show naomi angry flip behind naser with move:
xalign 0.70
F "Ha! Wish I did."
F "Oh yeah, the box on top is a bit messed up. Long story."
N "How on *EARTH* did you throw a pizza on me from the backseat and get it back in the box?!"
Re "Naser, bro... you were driving the whole time, right?"
Nas "Yeah, why?"
Re "Just a feeling."
N "This stuff has been happening ever since that picture of me was posted online."
show naomi sad with dissolve
Nas "Relax, babe, it’s the start of summer."
Nas "Here, take my jacket."
"Naser starts sliding the jacket off his back and…"
"What the-...?"
"What is this noneuclidean bullshit I see before me."
"Why is there a second jacket below the first…?"
show naomi neutral flip with dissolve
"Reed taps my back and pulls my eyes away from the spatial anomaly."
Re "Hurry up and start the fire, man…"
Re "I got the booze all ready."
"Once the bonfire was set ablaze Stella and Trish started setting up the speakers around in a radius."
Ro "Are you sure these will be loud enough?"
Ro "They’re only a few dollars at the supermarket."
Re "Oh yeah, those’ll be louder than the carfe this time."
Ro "Why would coffee be louder than a stereo?"
show rosa considering flip with dissolve
Re "Anyway!"
"Reed drops the ice chest he was holding in the sand."
Re "Went all in man, got the name brands and everything."
A "I’m surprised you got Naser to let you bring this stuff."
"Naser returns to the rest of the group, wearing his jacket again."
show naomi neutral flip with dissolve
Nas "Got me to agree to what?"
show reed neutral with dissolve
Re "About that..."
show naser shocked flip
show naomi shocked flip
with dissolve
Nas "You brought alcohol?!"
Re "I mean, I usually call it liquor, but…"
Nas "Darn it, Reed!"
Nas "We’re all underage, you know even if I were to agree Naomi would pitch a fit!"
Re "Dude, we all just graduated…"
Re "If now isn’t the time to live a little, then when?"
"Naser hesitates."
Re "Besides, I did think of you and Naomi."
Nas "Huh?"
show reed happy with dissolve
Re "Yeah, I got a special brand just for the two of you. Great beginner stuff."
show naser annoyed flip
show naomi neutral flip
with dissolve
Nas "You… Whatever, I’ll try to keep Naomi from calling the police, fine."
Re "You’re a real bro, man…"
show naser neutral flip with dissolve
Re "If everyone’s ready then let’s get started!"
show black with fade
"Soon enough the pizza and booze are passed out and we’re all sitting in the sand around the blazing fire and the weekly top-forty list playing on the speakers."
play music "audio/OST/Beach Chill Out.ogg" fadein 1.0
show reed neutral
show rosa neutral flip
show stella explanatory flip:
xalign 1.2 yalign 0.0
"Everyone is conversating amongst themselves."
scene d01 with fade
T "-are totally in! Come on, you’d look great in it!"
F "No fucking way that’s fucking real! ‘Beach maid’?! Have you been sneaking Reed’s stash again?"
N "And-and-and another thing!"
N "Her song wasn’t even that good! *hic*"
N "Why was it us who gets *hic*, gets the short end of the stick?!"
Nas "I mean, I mean, I liked it…"
N "You’ve said that a dozen times already…"
Re "Y’know, I’m something of a gardener myself."
Ro "Oh! Really? You should have joined the gardening club back at school, we had the loveliest little poppy bed."
Re "Poppies, you say? The coincidences keep piling up, don’t they…"
St "-And the robots are powered by their blood! Super cool right?!"
"Oh right, Stella was talking to me. Forgot why I was zoning out for a bit."
A "Sure, yeah."
St "Great, I’ll get my copy and we can watch it at your place sometime."
St "Oh! Bring Fang too! She’d love this movie too!"
"Did I just agree to something?"
St "Oh, oh! Enough about Escaflowne, I want to show you something neat!"
"She brings a small box from her front pocket."
St "I got a new set of tarot cards! You want to be the first to use them?"
A "I don’t see why not."
"Stella shifts to a criss-cross position and fans out all the cards for me to pick from."
"I pull one out and turn it over."
A "The lovers…?"
"The illustration depicts a human and pterosaur in embrace."
"I raise an eyebrow at Stella."
St "What’s that look for?"
A "Oh come on."
St "Oh, you know, the heart of the cards and all that."
St "Go ahead and keep that one."
"I sigh and tuck the card into my jacket pocket."
A "You did that on purpose, didn’t you?"
"Stella’s not-so-innocent smile tells me all I need to know."
Ro "I think it’s so cute!"
"Rosa and Reed apparently finished their botanical conversation and were listening in on Stella’s entire ‘fortune’."
Re "Ooh! Do me next, man."
#show stella unimpressed flip with dissolve
St "Maybe later, Reed."
"Reed deflates a bit and my attention returns to the inebriated couple behind him."
#show anon neutral flip with dissolve
A "What did you even give Naser to get them that wasted?"
"Reed glances behind him before throwing his head back in laughter."
Re "Little party trick, bro…"
"He grabs one of Naser’s empty cans and tosses it in my lap."
"Holding it up to the light, I barely make out the words ‘NON ALCOHOLIC’ written in microscopic font."
A "So you mean they’re-"
Re "Totally sober, dude."
"It’s my turn to laugh at the pair making fools of themselves when Fang suddenly gets up and starts walking towards the parked cars."
#show anon neutral with dissolve
F "Got something I want to do, be right back."
#hide fang with moveoutright
"I give her a smile and turn back to Reed."
Re "We can still mess with them, man. Watch this."
Re "Hey Naser! What’s your plan now that you’re, like, out of school?"
"The two virgin drunks turn their attention to us, Naser clearly ‘deep’ in thought."
Nas "Aw, man, like… I’m gonna be- gonna go and be a nur- nyros- sturgon."
#show naomi neutral with dissolve
N "My bad boy’s soooooooooo smart!"
"Gross."
"I lean towards Reed and lower my voice."
#show anon neutral flip with dissolve
A "Should we tell them?"
Re "Nah, dude. Naomi’s having fun for like, the first time ever."
A "...So tomorrow then?"
Re "Definitely tomorrow, bro."
"Reed lets out a sigh and turns back towards me."
Re "So, like, for real though... what are you gonna do now that school’s over, man?"
menu:
"Go to college":
A "Well… Spears convinced me to send out a couple application letters for college."
A "I’m thinking of doing something with music… maybe becoming a sound engineer?"
"Not certain just yet":
A "I’m not sure yet."
A "I’m thinking of doing something with music… maybe becoming a sound engineer?"
Re "Oh nice, dude! You can be the band’s sound technician when you’re done!"
#show reed explanatory with dissolve:
# xalign -0.55
A "Yeah, something like that… What about you?"
Re "Me? Flow with the go, dude. Like the dinos of old, gotta get in sync with the universe first, y’know?"
A "Riiiight. What about-"
T "I’m gonna get my cosmetologist license and open my own horn salon!"
"The miniature triceratops bursts out from the other side of the bonfire, catching me off guard."
T "We’ll do hair and horns and piercings and- oh! Engravings too! Fang even said-"
F "That I’d be your first customer, I’ve told you a million times by now"
"Fang returns from wherever it is she went, now carrying an object in her hands."
#show fang neutral flip with moveinright:
# xalign 0.45
"The flickering light of the bonfire is enough to illuminate the cover of the school yearbook she’s holding."
"Without a word she walks in front of us, conspicuously carrying the yearbook right towards-"
A "You’re not going to burn your yearbook, are you? That thing was like, eighty bucks!"
F "What? No! How drunk are you, you dork?"
A "This many."
"I hold up three fingers, though why is it suddenly nine?"
"Hmmmm… Gonna need some more beer to fix that."
F "God, Anon, I was thinking we could all… I dunno… sign it? I saw a lot of others doing that."
A "Oh…"
"I always thought it was a silly tradition."
"I think back to all the yearbooks I have back home."
"And how they’re all blank inside the cover."
"Totally just a silly tradition."
F "Why else would I even have one of these things?"
A "Your mom-"
F "Aside from my mom."
T "Me first me first!"
"Trish is already fumbling through her hoodie pocket for some writing implement."
Ro "Yes! I would love to, Fang!"
St "Oh I know exactly what to write! First let me do a palm reading!"
Re "Heh… I’ll sign it too."
N "WOOOOOOOOOO!"
"The yearbook makes its way around the fire, each of us leaving some meaningful message on it’s inside covers."
"I’m the last to receive the book and I look at what each of our friends wrote."
"{i}You’ll always be my best friend, no matter what happens, Lucy. - Trish{/i}"
"Lucy? Heh, nah, Fang will always be Fang to me."
"{i}Stay frosty. - Reed{/i}"
"Wow, he even drew King Rex, complete with ‘fire breathing’."
"{i}Even the most wilted flower flourishes under God’s light. -Rosa{/i}"
"I think reading that one counts for my next few church visits. Amen, Raptor Jesus."
"{i}The future is something that you build by yourself. - Stella{/i}"
"So close to kneecapping her with this book. Fuckin’ Sailor Moon."
"I can’t decipher either Naser or Naomi’s. Naser’s looks like a bunch of chicken scratched scribbles, while Naomi’s looks like her chickens went to college and got a doctorate."
F "Anon? Hellooooo. You’ve been staring at the page for the past five minutes."
A "Right right. Just uh… thinking of what to put."
"Okay, Anon, something meaningful. Something that’ll remind Fang of you every time she reads it."
#show anon neutral flip with dissolve
$ renpy.input("What will you write?")
"Perfect."
"I hand the yearbook to Fang."
"She skims the page and then shakes her head."
F "Really Anon? You’re such a dweeb."
A "It was very fitting if you ask me."
"As the night draws on and the temperature falls we move closer to the fire."
"My fingers find themselves interlocked with Fang’s, and her wing drapes over my shoulder as a natural blanket."
"I can’t help but smile as we slowly drift off to sleep around the campfire."
"I can regret the hangover tomorrow, right now I want to just enjoy the night with my friends."
"..."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
label tink:
"-Six months later-"
play music "audio/OST/Appreciating the Moment.ogg" fadein 1.0
"After prom night and graduation life slowed down."
"I’ve been accepted to a college a few states away for a degree in sound engineering."
"No worries about school except for the lunch card I still had to pay back."
"Moe had been kind enough to give me a summer job to help with that."
"Though I don’t think I can talk about some of the things I’ve seen."
"I’ll never be able to look at marinara the same way."
"But pasta-based trauma aside, it’s now the day after Christmas."
"I’m sitting in my bed, looking through one of my favorite presents."
"Fang’s mom was right, I am happy about all those photos."
"As I look through the scrapbook spread across my lap I can’t help but reminisce about the best year of my life."
F "*SSSSNRRRRRRK*"
"I have to contain my laugh, but Fang looks ridiculously cute curled up beside me in my bed."
"Curled up around my pillow, suckling on her thumb."
"And my present to her still hung around securely on her neck."
"I go back to the scrapbook, enjoying the memories I’ve shared with my friends."
"And to think I wanted to stay a loner when I first got here."
"*Beep boop beep*"
"*VRRRRRRRRRMMMM*"
F "‘M UP!"
play music "audio/OST/west_coast_kicking.ogg" fadein 1.0
"The loud noise of Trish’s present makes Fang bolt upright."
A "OOF!"
"And sends me tumbling onto Reed’s present."
scene room anon day with dissolve
"The new Metal Gear RAYmba Mk.II bumps against my face, turns, and continues eating the crumbs off my new carpet."
"Even from the floor I can say that both were really thoughtful gifts."
"Reed was right, the carpet really helped to tie the room together."
F "...Anon? You here?"
A "On the floor."
"Fang’s face appears over the edge of my bed."
F "Why are you on the floor?"
A "...Yoga?"
F "Riiiiight."
show anon neutral at aleft with moveinbottom
"I sit up from the floor and shiver."
"Volcadera Bluffs may not get snow, but the cold air and the ocean definitely make the town cold as shit."
"I crawl back on to my bed and try to find my spot that I warmed."
A "Fang you stole my warm spot!"
"In fact she’s taken up the entire bed. Her wings are spread wide and all of my blanket has been piled over her."
F "Mine!"
A "Come on, you gonna let your boyfriend freeze?"
F "Yes."
A "That’s just cold of you."
"She groans at my pun but acquiesces, holding open the blanket and shuffling over."
F "Hurry up! You’re letting the warm escape."
"I slide into the blanket next to her, my arms automatically wrapping around Fang’s waist and drawing her against my chest."
hide anon neutral dissolve
scene black with fade
F "Mmmm."
"Her beak rubs against me as she hums."
"Aw yes. Cuddles. Best way to spend a cold day."
F "Damn right."
"I chuckle and reach for the scrapbook."
F "You’re looking at that again?"
A "...Yeah?"
"Her face glows a soft pink in embarrassment."
A "D’aaaaawww… Someone’s embarrassed."
F "And someone is about to be on the floor again."
"*VRRRRRM* *Beep boop beep*"
F "I think Mark Two would like the company."
A "Sheesh, you’re always so grouchy in the morning."
"I laugh even as her elbow digs into my chest."
"Fang crawls on top of me and puts all her weight down on my lungs."
"I only laugh more."
"Not like Fang can do what a staircase could."
F "Stop. Cuddles now. Scrapbook later."
A "Hahahahalright. Cuddles it is."
"She squeals when I roll us on to our side, bringing us face to face."
"I can feel my own face glow as warm as hers, but I also have the same smile as her too."
"I place a chaste kiss on the end of her snoot, eliciting some giggles from Fang."
F "What did I say about that."
A "Bout what?"
F "Kissing that!"
A "Mmmm gonna need to be more specific."
F "Kissing my nose!"
A "Oh! You mean this!"
"I kiss her snoot again."
F "Ugh, stop messing with the snoot."
"I chuckle again."
F "Fuck!"
A "I made you say it."
F "Fucking insufferable."
"I kiss the snoot one final time and get another elbow as my reward."
F "In.suf.fer.a.ble."
"I snatch the scrapbook at last."
"Fang groans and hides her face in my chest."
F "Why do you like that thing so much?"
A "Because your mom was right."
"Fang groans again."
A "Come on, there’s some embarrassing pics of me in here too."
F "Like you making out with an anime girl again?"
A "Okay not that embarrassing."
"I turn onto my back and Fang adjusts herself to lean on my shoulder."
play music "audio/OST/appreciating_the_scenery.ogg" fadein 1.0
"The rest of our morning is spent cuddled in my bed, going through the scrapbook together."
"When lunchtime rolls around, I have to face reality and make something to eat."
"Especially since no restaurant in the city will deliver to this neighborhood."
A "Alas, I must leave the warmth of the bed to make lunch."
A "...This is gonna suck."
F "Wear the thing."
A "I’d rather just carry the blanket around."
F "Mine."
A "Pfeh."
"I reach under the bed to retrieve the bag I tried hiding, and I pull out the jacket from within."
"Two expertly stitched gorilla heads stare back at me, with the text ‘MNKY 4 LYF’ embroidered in gold thread."
"I still don’t know if Naser is racist or if he really is just that clueless."
A "This is great."
F "It looks freaking fantastic, I don’t know why you don’t want to wear it."
A "And you don’t see anything wrong with this?"
F "Nope."
A "...You realize last month was Homo History Month, right?" #lol homo
F "What’s that have to do with an ugly jacket?"
"I’ll sue them later."
A "Alright, here I go."
scene room anon day
"I zip the abomination on and step out of bed, the wall of cold stinging my toes."
show anon monkey at aleft with dissolve
A "Carbonara sound good?"
F "Why do you make it so weird? Most people just use tomato sauce."
hide anon with moveoutright
A "...Don’t ask questions you aren’t prepared to know the answer to."
"I crack four eggs, separating the yolk from the whites and saving them in a tupperware for later."
"Maybe a simple custard pudding for dessert later."
"I grab some bacon, cheese and milk from the fridge, grating a healthy handful of cheese into the yolks and mixing with a splash of milk before dicing the bacon."
"Boiling some water in the kettle to save time, I measure out the appropriate amount of spaghetti and toss it in the pot with the water and some salt before grabbing a pan and setting it on the stove."
F "Stop acting like you’re on the cooking channel, Anon."
"I start frying the bacon to render out the fat before adding in some pre-chopped garlic, sauteing until it’s fragrant."
"When the bacon turns crispy, just in time for the spaghetti to finish cooking, I remove the pan from the heat while throwing in some of the pasta water to bring down the temperature."
"The final step was to add the yolks, cheese and milk to the bacon and garlic with some more pasta water and toss it with the spaghetti until it all came together as a creamy, salty and delicious lunch."
"All in less than ten minutes."
A "It’s all ready."
A "Alright, RAYmba, nap time."
A "Move to the rug so we can eat."
show fang christmas neutral at sleft with dissolve
"Fang grumbles and starts shifting in the bed, so I turn my attention to making the plates."
show anon monkey flip at aright
"I grab a few sodas from the fridge and place everything on the new rug for an indoor picnic setup."
"Fang’s moved from being wrapped up on the bed to being wrapped up on the rug, laying on her stomach."
"Her feet wagging back and forth in a pair of plush green dino slippers." #we had a guy on our dev team who had a fetish for massive animal slippers, I blame him for this line.
A "Better hurry, in this weather this’ll get cold in minutes."
A "Then again, the computer’s right there, I could always try running the snootcoin miner." #based;snoot coin on the ETH network will come out soon
F "That sounds like it’ll only work once."
A "True."
"We both start eating the pasta."
"While I take the classic approach of just slurping the noodles, Fang has a harder time and resorts to just twisting the fork around and eating a whole clump at once."
A "You plan on enjoying any?"
show fang christmas happy with dissolve
F "It’sh good. Like the uh, cheese."
A "Why thank you."
"Eventually lunch is reduced to greasy plates and crushed soda cans."
show fang christmas neutral
"Fang moves her trash aside and rests in her arms."
A "Oh, I just remembered."
A "I have something else for you."
F "Another christmas present?"
A "You’ll see."
"I take my phone from my pocket and lay it face-up on the carpet."
F "Your phone?"
A "Hold on."
"From under my bed, RAYmba Mk1 hums to life and instinctively makes a beeline for the phone."
"It struggles a bit due to the small package strapped around it like it’s a pack mule."
"Fang has to raise her arm after it bumps into her to let it pass."
"It reaches my phone and starts happily scraping the dust from it."
show fang christmas happy
F "Impressive."
F "You get Reed to make it do that for you?"
A "Maybe, however..."
A "That’s not what I wanted to show you."
scene d02a with fade
"I remove the small package from the robot and hand it to Fang."
A "Go ahead."
"She examines the box carefully before removing the paper packaging."
"Sliding the box open reveals an amber pendant on a silver chain."
scene d02b
"I take the necklace from the box and hold it up for both of us to inspect."
"As the amber dangles in the air, it catches the light from outside and glows the same brilliant orange as her eyes."
F "Anon… it’s beautiful."
A "Here."
scene black with fade
"I take the pendant from her hands and hold it open to put around Fang’s neck."
"She holds her hair up for my hands to reach across."
"I try to fumble with the clasp, it’s a bit tricky with the wings getting in the way…"
"The tip of her beak is mere centimeters from my face."
F "..."
A "..."
A "...There."
scene d02c with fade
"Fang lets her hair down again and holds up the pendant."
F "This is… thank you, Anon."
A "The moment I saw it, I knew it would have been the perfect present."
F "Speaking of presents…"
scene room anon day
show anon monkey flip at aright
show fang pendant happy at sleft
with fade
"She gestures her snout to the ukulele resting against the corner of the room."
F "You gonna try playing that?"
A "I could, yeah."
F "Do uh... do that song I taught you."
"I happily oblige and rip off the bow still wrapped around the small instrument."
A "I’m not singing for you, you know that, right?"
"Fang giggles as I begin plucking away at the tiny little strings, producing a very familiar melody."
"She starts thumbing her new pendant absentmindedly."
"My shrill rendition more resembled that first time Fang played it on the rooftop than her energetic performance at prom."
"Despite my occasional fumbling, it still possesses that same nostalgic tone it always had."
"When Fang begins humming along, I soon find myself joining in to make the song sound complete."
"I wish moments like these could last forever."
"But just like the music in the air, they always do and before long we reach the end of the song."
"A comfortable silence fills the room after the notes fade."
F "...I love that song."
A "I hope so, you wrote it after all."
F "Yeah, but you know we-"
show fang pendant shock with dissolve
"Her thought is interrupted by a knock at the door."
show fang pendant neutral with dissolve
F "You expecting company?"
"I give her a puzzled look in return before getting up and heading to the door."
show anon monkey with dissolve
"My momentary fear of it being a potential addict or murderer are quelled upon opening the door, revealing-"
A "Principal Spears? What are you doing here?"
show anon monkey with move:
xalign 0.7
show spears neutral flip behind anon with moveinright:
xalign 1.3
"Our ex-principal is squeezed into the narrow hallway, holding a delicately wrapped gift in his hands."
Sp "Anon, I trust that you had a good Christmas?"
Sp "Normally I wouldn’t visit a former student like this, but I intend on making light of my offer during the school year."
"He extends the gift towards me and I cautiously accept, beginning to open the wrapping paper."
"Inside is a box set of some anime I’ve never heard of before."
A "...’Rurouni Kenshin’?"
show spears happy flip with dissolve
Sp "As I said, I am always open to giving some quality anime suggestions."
Sp "I think you’ll find this quite enjoyable."
A "I, uh… thank you, Principal Spears."
"Spears gives a fatherly smile as I shake his hand."
Sp "I hope you and Fang enjoy the rest of your holidays."
A "Thanks, yeah. I’ve had fun exchanging gifts with my friends."
Sp "I can see you’re wearing a new jacket now-"
show spears neutral flip with dissolve
"He stares with a certain thinly veiled disgust creeping on his face."
Sp "Anon, I get that we live in a postracial world and all…"
Sp "But come on, have a little pride in yourself."
show fang pendant happy with dissolve
"Fang struggles to keep her laughter in behind me."
A "No it’s cool, Mister Spears."
A "I’m taking monkey back."
show spears happy flip
Sp "If you say so."
Sp "At any rate, I shouldn’t keep you too long."
A "You sure? I have some leftover lunch if you want to stick around a bit."
Sp "I really appreciate the offer, but I have my own plans for lunch with my family."
A "Alright. Thanks again for stopping by."
play music "audio/OST/Appreciating her Company.ogg" fadein 1.0
Sp "Had to do it at least once before you leave next month."
Sp "Be seeing you. Fang."
"Fang throws a handwave back at him."
hide spears with dissolve
"Spears clambers out the door and shuts it behind him, leaving just Fang and I in the room again."
show fang pendant sad with dissolve
F "... That’s right, you’re leaving next month…"
"Fang curls up in the blanket."
show anon monkey flip with dissolve
A "...Yeah…"
"I sit next to her on the ground and wrap an arm around her shoulder."
F "Do you really have to go?"
F "Can’t you just go to community college here in the city?"
A "You’ve seen the acceptance letter, Fang."
A "I got a scholarship to stay there at a fraction of the cost. I can’t just pass that up."
F "But five years?"
A "You got plans of your own, don’t you?"
F "Yeah. So…"
A "So…"
F "We’re still gonna talk."
A "Obviously."
F "But…"
"Fang takes a deep breath."
F "I’m not doing a distant relationship."
"Oh…"
"Oh wow…"
A "Is this a break up?"
"Because ow, my fucking heart."
show fang pendant neutral
"Fang shakes her head from side to side slowly."
"Oh thank fuck."
F "I don’t want to break up, Anon."
F "But I was thinking…"
F "You’ve been helping me ever since you got here."
A "Yeah, and you’ve helped me too."
F "I know."
F "But you’re leaving for college."
F "So…"
F "I… Want to do some thinking."
A "More thinking? Wow, that’s new for you."
"The plastic plate bounces off my head harmlessly."
show fang pendant happy with dissolve
F "...Ass…"
"Fang giggles as I fake like I’m on a soccer pitch."
show fang pendant neutral with dissolve
F "I want to do more thinking. Self-reflecting."
F "This entire year has been one of the best in my life."
F "And I want more of them like this."
F "But with you gone I gotta make them good on my own, ya know?"
A "I get you."
"I pull Fang closer, my chin resting atop her head."
A "So, not breaking up."
F "No, just…"
A "A break?"
"She giggles again."
show fang pendant happy with dissolve
F "Yeah. A break sounds right. Not breaking up, just taking a break."
A "Plus, I’m not leaving for a few weeks."
"Fang perks up."
F "True. That’s a few weeks to cram in all the cuddles I’ll be missing."
A "Cuddles or cuddles?"
"Fang’s grin is just shy of mischievous."
F "On the bed. Now. I’m collecting on those cuddles right now."
A "Yes ma’am."
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 4.0
pause 6
"..."
"-Five Years Later-"
"July seventeenth."
"Year 201M2025 BC."
"Volcaldera Bluffs."
"Weather conditions; hot as tits."
"The evening sun is boiling hot and I’m reminded of one of the myriad of reasons why I first loathed living here."
"The sweat dripping in my eyes makes it difficult to see anything five feet in front of me."
"Like a runt of a tree planted in the sidewalk that I swerve to avoid."
"The air is hot and humid, and I can feel my body grow heavier as I get closer."
"I can’t determine if it’s from the sweat soaking my clothes or the welling trepidation inside me."
"It’s been five years since I’ve seen anyone here."
"I’ve kept in touch with all of them."
"But to see them again in person?"
"It’s the sounds that reach me first. The chatter of people milling about."
unknown "Bro"
unknown "It’s been too long!"
unknown "It was only five years *Giggle*"
"I can make out the building now. I use the sleeve of my shirt to wipe the sweat from my eyes and brow."
"I look at the name written on the arch over the entrance."
scene outside school fog with fade
"Volcano High."
A "Still the perfect setting for a horror game. Or maybe a shitty WAD."
"The attempt at humouring myself just made me feel more anxious."
"A check of my phone says I’m thirty minutes early. Wonderful."
"I move to the entrance, only to see all of the steps occupied by twenty-somethings waiting."
show anond neutral at aleft with dissolve
A "Yo, this the line?"
show reed future explanatory flip at rright
Re "Anon?"
play music "audio/OST/Those Other Two Weirdos.ogg" fadein 1.0
"A hobo raptor at the top of the steps pulls his oversized shades down to peer at me."
Re "Ayyy Anon, what’s up dude?"
"I immediately recognize his voice."
A "Hey Reed, what’s happening?"
A "You seem to certainly have uh… changed."
A "Why do you look like uh… I don’t want to sound rude or anything, but…"
A "You look homeless, Reed."
Re "Whaaaat?"
Re "Duuude, I’m not a hobo! I’m the richest raptor in the world, guy!"
"I think Reed’s lost it."
Re "What’d you say, man?"
A "What? Nothing. No idea what you’re talking about."
A "So, how did you get to become the 'richest raptor in the world'?"
Re "You wouldn’t believe it, man!"
Re "See, it all started with…"
"Reed proceeds to run his mouth off about a bunch of gibberish."
"I cannot understand anything he's saying."
"I think I heard ‘pharmaceutical business’ at one point?"
Re "...and then I was brought here by the birds, dude."
Re "So what’ve you been up to, man?"
Re "You look like you haven’t changed a day."
A "It’s not as exciting as your story, honestly."
A "I just went off to college, got my bachelor’s, and now I’m just a sound engineer."
Re "Sounds pretty sweet, dude."
show reed future neutral flip with dissolve
"We stand there for a moment in the blazing heat."
show reed future explanatory flip with dissolve
Re "Dude, it’s fuckin’ hot out here, you wanna get inside?"
Re "They got drinks n’ shit!"
A "Definitely, I need some air conditioning."
"We quickly moved along to the gymnasium."
scene reunion with fade
A "Man, it really hasn’t changed. Takes me back."
show anond neutral at aleft
show reed future explanatory flip at rright
with dissolve
Re "Yeah, takes me back too, man."
Re "Hold on, have you signed in yet?"
A "No, didn’t know I had to."
"Reed gestures to the sign-in table."
scene reunion with fade
show anond neutral at aleft
"The clerk is crouched behind the table sorting through a box."
"I go over to write in my John Hancock and the person behind the counter stands up."
"Seeing her in person now is like witnessing a possessed barbie doll."
show naomi future at sright
N "Oh!"
N "Anon, you made it!"
A "Yeah, I did."
A "Life been treating you well?"
N "Oh yes, just last year I moved in with my dear Kanyesaurus."
"What the fuck is this world anymore?"
A "Real shame about his last presidential run."
N "Oh, he got over it."
N "There’s always 2028!"
N "Presidential yeezys shall rise again, he says."
"WHAT THE FUUUUCK"
A "That reminds me, have you seen Naser’s college posts?"
A "He got top marks on his last exam."
N "No, I lost touch with him about three years ago."
A "Oh, sorry. How about work, then?"
N "I haven’t been working, mostly staying back at home and looking after the kids."
A "Sounds like you got a pretty good deal going on."
"I turn around to see a short line forming behind me."
A "Sorry to keep you so long, I’ll get out of here."
N "Thanks for catching up, Anon. When I’m done here we can chat more."
scene reunion
show anond neutral at aleft
show reed future neutral flip at rcenter
with fade
"I go rejoin Reed and we enter the gymnasium together."
"The setup is rather similar to that prom night all those years ago, albeit without the foreign decor."
"Young men and women mingle with small drinks and party foods across the floor."
Re "Man, those look good. Come over here, I’ll get you a drink, on me."
"I follow him over to the minibar. Trish is sitting in one of the seats, huddled over an empty glass."
show rosa future at scenter with dissolve
play music "audio/OST/Ramo de Rosas.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Rosa is pouring drinks for the few other drunkards when she spots us approach."
Ro "Oh! An-on, it is great to see you after all this time!"
Ro "Please, sit and talk awhile!"
A "Trish, glad we found you here!"
show reed at rright with move
show rosa future flip at sright with move
show trish future neutral flip at tcenter with dissolve
"She looks up from her sulking and her face lights up at the sight of us."
T "Anon! It’s been years!"
A "Trish, Rosa, glad we found you here!"
Re "Come on man, we’ve been texting this whole time."
"Reed flashes two fingers at the barkeeper, who sets out a few glasses."
A "Yeah, good to see you too."
A "Why’re you looking so gloomy over here?"
Ro "She has been telling me about how it is the end of her world."
T "It’s nothing that serious, just workplace drama."
Re "What, your employees raise another beef with the concept of horn piercings again?"
Ro "No, this time it’s with the engraving tools."
T "They’re telling me people would rather go to the dentist with all the drills we use."
T "And mostly with my designs for hollowed-out horns."
"Rosa instinctively rubs her own horn."
A "H-hollow?"
T "Of course, I even got in contact with a sculptor and figured out how to make them whistle in the wind!"
"Reed leans in to whisper in my ear."
Re "One of the designs sounds like Road Warrior."
"I shudder at the image."
show trish future smug flip
T "Don’t knock it, my satisfaction rate is a clean one-hundred percent!"
Ro "The only problem is getting people to be willing to try it."
A "Sounds like there’s a lot of risk there, yeah."
T "It’s not even that bloody, I only hire the best."
A "B-bloody?"
T "What, never had a piercing before? Same thing."
"Reed shakes his head."
Ro "Anything more than a regular piercing is an abomination before our Lord."
show trish future unimpressed flip
"I finish my drink and Reed downs his in one shot, tossing a few dollars on the counter."
"I look up to see the one person I’m most anxious and excited to talk with again approaching."
play music "audio/OST/That Monochromatic Weirdo.ogg" fadein 1.0
A "Fang! You’re here!"
show fang d shock with dissolve:
xalign -0.6
F "Wha- I- dammit Anon, I told you to stop calling me that!"
Re "Isn’t that the name Lucy used back in senior year?"
T "Yeah, I think it was."
A "Come on, you’ll always be Fang to me."
"Lucy covers her eyes with her hands."
show fang d happy with dissolve
F "You haven’t changed a bit, I swear."
play music "audio/OST/she_fucks_human_men.ogg" fadein 1.0
scene d03 with fade
Re "C’mon, get over here. I’ll order us all another watchamacallit of drinks. It’s on me, the richest raptor in the woooorld!"
"Reed cheerfully throws his arms up as he shouts out a prolonged ‘world’"
F "Sure, thanks. I can’t have too much though, I’m the event organizer and all."
A "Sounds like a tough break."
A "Wait, I thought you were the music teacher here."
#show fang d neutral with dissolve
F "I’m getting there. Still working with Mister Jingo until he retires next year."
F "Until then I’m a teachers’ assistant."
A "Oh, alright, I see."
"I take a quick glimpse around the room and fail to see any large ape-man."
A "I feel like we’re missing someone."
A "Where’s Spears? I could have sworn he would be here."
Re "Nah man, he’s gone. I saw him on TV the other day, though."
A "Was he giving a speech or something?"
Re "Sort of, he does commercials for car dealerships now."
Re "He’s built a reputation for his gimmick of wrecking a car every ad he does."
A "I… I see."
"Oh god I thought that was a joke about slamming people into cars."
"The hours reconnecting with my old friends pass surprisingly quickly, and the time eventually comes for everyone to go home."
"Lucy excuses herself from the group to go give the closing speech."
scene reunion with fade
show anond neutral at aleft
show reed future at rright
show rosa future flip at sright
show trish future neutral flip at tcenter
with dissolve
"She goes up onstage and tests the microphone, getting everyone’s attention."
F "Alright everyone, it’s been a wonderful night."
F "You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here."
F "Please start finding your designated drivers or calling up the taxi driver left."
F "We will be locking the doors at three."
"She puts the mic back on its stand and jumps offstage."
show fang d happy with moveinleft:
xalign -0.6
"Reed pats my shoulder."
Re "You got a ride home man?"
A "I can walk, but thanks."
"Lucy returns to the minibar and starts raiding the fridge for the last of the alcohol."
T "There it is."
Re "Alright, great seeing you guys. I’ll bounce."
T "We should all meet again for lunch sometime!"
A "Yeah, absolutely. It’s been forever since I’ve been in town, would love to get a tour of what’s new."
Re "You got it, man. See ya."
hide reed future explanatory with fade
A "Bye, Reed."
hide reed future explanatory with moveoutleft
T "Actually, I should get going, too."
T "I don’t want to get stuck in traffic."
hide trish with dissolve
A "You’ve had the most to drink out of all of us, you gonna be alright?"
"She raises a smug eyebrow and starts walking to the exit."
T "See you guys."
Ro "Come visit me too, An-on. Stella and I would love to have you."
hide rosa with dissolve
"More people trickle out of the room until it’s just Lucy and I."
"Naomi gives a thumbs-up to Lucy through the door to signal that everyone else has left."
F "Thanks, Naomi, couldn’t have organized this without you."
N "Oh, don’t worry about it! It was nice getting to act like a class representative again."
"The Plastic Persimmon waves and lets the door swing closed with an echoing *clang*."
A "Sooo… Just the two of us…"
F "Damn you Anon and damn you Bill Withers."
A "Ha! Still got it."
F "Yeah yeah."
"Lucy holds up a plastic bag that *clink*s with each shake."
F "I was gonna offer you the last of these… Buuuut…"
A "Hey now, let’s not let those go to waste."
"Her smug grin and laugh says enough."
A "Rooftop?"
F "Rooftop. Now."
"She leads the way through the darkened school hallways and stairwell."
scene black with fade
"I can picture all the old posters from my time here along the walls."
"Oh hey, they finally replaced the door."
label kino:
scene roof night
show fang d neutral at sleft
show anond neutral flip at sright
"The door is booted open and the night air has finally cooled down to something breathable now."
"I turn to the ladder on the side of the stair enclosure and climb up."
"Lucy hands me the bag and makes her own ascent."
"From our new vantage point we can see all of the town lit up."
play music "audio/OST/Skinrow Soul.ogg" fadein 1.0
"And with the stars above and no moon I would say the view is picturesque."
F "Oi, you gonna hog the drinks?"
"I take out a pair of bottles, using one to pop the cap off the other."
F "Show-off. They’re twist-offs, ya know."
"To prove her point she takes the capped one and simply twists it’s top off."
A "Ow. My ego."
show fang d happy with dissolve
F "Pfffft. Anyways."
A "A toast!"
F "To adulthood!"
A "To stable employment!"
"We tap our bottles together and chug the sweet ambrosia down."
F "Aaaaah. I needed this."
A "Oh?"
"I’m already handing her a second bottle, knowing that she’ll finish her first with her next chug."
A "I guess you’ve been busy."
show fang d unimpressed with dissolve
F "Dealing with teens is a fuckin’ nightmare."
F "There’s this one brat, Kenny. The little shit has broken two trumpets already."
A "Can’t be that bad."
F "Well you see, it happened during band camp-"
"Lucy’s rant went on for what felt like an hour."
"Though judging by the pile of beer bottles, it couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes."
F "-at the fucking dance of all places."
A "Snrk."
show fang d neutral with dissolve
F "What!"
A "Sounds like us, honestly."
F "Bullshit."
A "For real! You were just as bad!"
"Lucy’s elbow finds it’s familiar spot in my side."
F "Nuh uh."
A "Yeah huh. Faaaaang."
"She groans and hides her face in her knees."
F "Why the fuck was I so edgy?"
A "Trish."
F "Mrrrr… Okay, so maybe we were that bad."
A "That’s life for ya."
"She sighs and relaxes. Her legs stretch forward and she leans back on her arms."
F "Yeah…"
F "That’s life…"
"I mimic her pose and find myself staring at the small dots spreading across the night sky."
stop music fadeout 5.0
A "Teacher at your alma mater. Wasn’t really expecting that, ya know."
F "And you as a sound engineer? Pffft, I figured you’d be making a sexbot or something."
A "The self-cleaning subroutine never worked right."
show fang d happy with dissolve
"We chuckle together."
play music "audio/OST/Amberlight Brilliance.wav" fadein 1.0
A "Hey, Lucy…"
"I keep my eyes on the stars, even when Lucy turns to look at me."
"I can feel heat creep across my face."
A "I got a contract with a studio here. I’m thinking…"
A "Since I’ll be here for a good while, how about we get some dinner sometime."
A "Y’know… together…"
"I look at Lucy at last."
"Her face is turned back to the sky, but there’s a dusting of pink across her cheeks."
F "I would… I totally would, Anon…"
F "But I’ve got work like you wouldn’t believe."
show fang d neutral with dissolve
A "O-oh. Well, if it’s too mu-"
F "However!"
show fang d happy with dissolve
"Something covers my hand."
"I quick glimpse down and I see it’s Lucy’s atop mine."
F "I’ve got time in the morning."
F "So how bout breakfasts?"
"I smile."
A "Is that a date then?"
F "I don’t know, is it?"
"Lucy turns back to me and smiles."
A "It is, then."
F "You’re such a dweeb."
A "I know."
scene d04b with fade
"That didn’t stop Lucy from shuffling closer until our legs were pressed together."
"That didn’t stop Lucy from leaning her head on my shoulder."
"I grin and wrap my arm around her shoulder."
"Feels just like old times, honestly."
"Like no time has passed since I left Volcadera Bluff."
"I guess I never did say goodbye to Volcano High."
F "Thanks, now my face is forever stuck in a cringe, Anon."
A "...Way to ruin the moment Fang."
F "You ruined it first with your mumbling."
A "Fix it then."
F "You ruined it, you fix it."
A "Fine I will."
scene black with fade
"My hand cups her cheek gently."
"Lucy smiles and leans in."
"Ah, I missed this feeling."
"Our lips meld together as we embrace just like we were teens again."
$ quick_menu = False
window hide
scene 4of4 with fade
stop music fadeout 15.0
pause 16
scene black with fade
pause 1
jump ending
elif anonscore >= 3 and fangscore <=4:
#Announcing a Date | Tradwife
show anon neutral at aleft
show fang neutral at scenter
play music "audio/OST/Appreciating her Company.ogg" fadein 1.0
"About fifteen minutes into the assignment, the two of us are just about done."
"We’re making surprisingly good time."
F "Uhm… and you said that the electrons hold the negative charge, right?"
A "Yeah, yeah."
F "Can’t imagine when I’d be using this crap in real life."
A "You never know, you might shrink one day."
show fang happy behind anon with dissolve
F "Yeah, and you might stop pretending you’re livestreaming on Yousnoot."
A "As far as you know I might be giving you incorrect answers, you know."
F "Mhm, sure."
"The teacher is making his rounds checking on the students and gets to our desks."
show farnsworth flip at sleft with moveinleft
Drf "Hello, Anon. Fang."
Drf "Are you two getting along well?"
AnonAndFang "Yes, Mister Fernsworth."
Drf "Great to hear."
Drf "You know, I’m real proud of you two."
Drf "I remember at the start of the year you were at each other's' throats."
Drf "And now look at you!"
"The two of us cringe."
A "Uhh… Yeah, thanks."
Drf "At any rate, you two understand the material, right?"
A "Oh yeah, Fang and I are fine."
A "I was just helping them with a few problems."
show fang sad flip with dissolve
"Phew, remembered it this time."
Drf "Good, good."
Drf "I won’t keep you any longer then."
hide farnsworth with moveoutleft
show fang hiding with dissolve
"Fernsworth meanders to pester the next few students."
A "Anyways, where were we?"
"Turning back to Fang, her hands are trying to cover her face."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/appreciating_the_scenery.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Except the frown that’s impossible to hide with her long beak."
A "Fang? You okay?"
show fang happy flip with dissolve
"An embarrassed smile forms as she begins to shake her head."
show fang neutral flip
F "Yeah. I'm good. Just, was reminded of something embarrassing."
A "What?"
F "Trish."
A "Trish?"
show fang sad flip
F "I can't help it, I see her everyday. We tried signing up to as many classes together as we could and now I regret it."
F "And every time I do I’m reminded of… this whole thing."
A "I’m not good at the pronoun game, Fang. What whole thing?"
F "THAT, the pronoun thing!"
F "Now things are… different."
F "And, I wish I hung out with Naser more than..."
F "...her."
"There's some disdain in the way she said it."
"Now that they mentioned it, Trish has been very weird lately."
"Should I mention to Fang the fact that every day in Math period I try to check if there's a bomb under my seat?"
F "you're the one I see the least. It's such a shame."
"Fang started stroking my hand on the table."
F "Now though…"
F "I’ve been thinking and…"
F "And… I wouldn’t mind..."
F "Wouldn’t mind if you called me Lucy."
F "I… I’d like it, in fact."
A "I… A-are you sure?"
F "Mhm."
"There’s a fragility to her voice. A stiffness in her nod."
"But if Fa-"
"If Lucy would like it then…"
A "Alright then... Lucy."
show fang happy flip with dissolve
"She blushes again and looks away."
"I test her name a couple times. It’s a nice name. Really sweet. But..."
"Fang fits her more in my mind."
Lucy "Only you, though."
Lucy "I don’t know if I’m comfortable with anyone else saying it yet."
A "I-I see."
A "Thank you for sharing that with me."
"Now both of us are blushing."
"...Well, if we’re already in the moment, I may as well ask."
A "A-anyways, Flucy."
Lucy "Don’t stress yourself over it."
show fang happy flip with dissolve
A "Right, right."
A "Anyways, uhh."
A "Prom, right?"
"Fang’s amber eyes zero in on mine."
"Her pleading gaze bores through to my soul and I feel the unstoppable urge to comfort her in any way possible."
A "... You uhh, wanna go with me?"
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/Fuck You I Like To Shitpost.ogg" fadein 1.0
"I watch as Lucy’s face slowly grows redder and redder."
"Her lips turn from a thin line to an impressively massive grin."
show fang hiding flip with dissolve
"She tries to cover up her face with her hands."
"When that fails to hide her growing excitement her wings engulf her upper body."
"A squeal of elation penetrates the feathered cage, accompanied by the staccato beat of boots stomping rapidly on the ground."
show fang happy flip with dissolve
"Once the sounds of jubilation die down Lucy lowers her wings."
"She takes a calming breath and shrugs nonchalantly."
F "Sure, could be cool."
"The whole class is snickering and I have to fight back my own."
"Sadly it was a foe far greater than I."
A "Pfffftttahahahaha."
F "Up the shut fuck."
Lucy "You’re my date. I’m allowed to be happy."
"While her voice was petulant there was an underlying tone of cheer in it."
"I reassured Lucy with a smile, which she responded by lowering her wings until they folded neatly behind her."
A "Yeah. Though I should warn you that I can’t dance for shit. Your feet have been warned."
Lucy "That’s fine."
Lucy "I’ll just step on your feet instead."
"Crap, I need a suit."
Lucy "You’re mumbling again. And uhmm."
Lucy "I could ask Naser for his old one."
A "I was thinking something like that, but I’ll probably just ask my dad for his old tux."
A "His is tailored for humans, after all."
A "Be pretty silly to be walking around all night with the wingholes exposing my undershirt."
Lucy "That’d be pretty silly, yeah."
Lucy "And then there’s the tail."
A "Oh god no."
A "But yeah, my dad’s suit would work nice, even if it’s a bit old."
A "He used to tell me about the parties he went to when he was about my age."
Lucy "Sounds like he was a lot of fun."
A "Anyways, you got anything to wear?"
Lucy "My mom’s already probably bought the 'perfect outfit' for me."
A "But the announcement for prom was just earlier this period."
Lucy "And?"
A "Sounds like it’s a date, then."
"Fang’s smile is cherubic."
"And before I can fully memorize it,"
"*DING-DONG, BING-BONG*"
A "Crap, the assignment."
Lucy "We were mostly done with it anyways."
"I look at our mostly done sheet."
"Flipping it over, the backside has twice the questions and four times the blank spots."
Lucy "M-mostly half way?"
"I simply sigh and drop the sheet."
A "Finish it at my place?"
Lucy "Sounds like a second date."
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
"..."
scene room anon night with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/its_footloose_now.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Later at my hovel of a home…"
show anon neutral at aleft
A "Almost finished."
show fang neutral flip at sright with dissolve
F "I wish I could get some help for the other periods, this took way too long."
F "Fuck, man. Trish keeps staring at me during class expecting me to talk to her, I gotta avoid Reed and Stella now because they're always around her too, it's agonizing!"
F "I keep having these dreams where she mans up and I'm forced to talk to her again! They feel more like nightmares now!"
F "Rosa is too busy to help - with the exercises, I mean - but I hope the camping trip will be fun."
A "Well it's done. All of it."
F "Thanks, Anon. You're a pretty cool guy."
A "No problem, I just like helping you, I guess."
F "...and without asking for anything in return."
F "..."
hide fang
hide anon
show kissu1
with fade
F "You're so good to me."
A "Thanks. F- Lucy."
F "Is there nothing you really want from me?"
A "You mean repay? I don't know, things are too good now, though."
F "More naps?"
F "or perhaps hugs?"
F "Hand holding?"
"I'm sweating profusely."
F "Or maybe...a kiss?"
A "Kiss? With that huge snoot?"
F "Why? Are you afraid? Have you never kissed a dinosaur before?"
A "No?"
F "Not even a human girl?"
A "Uhhh..."
F "So I'm your first? That's exciting."
A "This is so weird, I don't know how I'm feeling right now. Don't you feel weird too?"
F "I've kissed shorter snouts, yours can't be that different."
F "Uh...look Anon, if it doesn't work out..."
F "...It won't change anything. Right?"
A "Promise?"
F "Of course I promise! Get over here you fucking pussy!"
A "O-okay."
F "I won't bite, though I've never had human before..."
A "Okay, here it goes..."
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
"..."
A "Well?"
F "T-that’s just the lips!"
"..."
F "T-the tongue, come on."
"..."
F "What are you doing?!"
A "Your mouth hinges way back, I have to hang my jaw."
F "Don’t do that, it’s stupid!"
A "Wait, {i}you{/i} open wide now."
F "That’s even sillier."
"..."
F "*glug* *hack* *urk*"
A "Oh god how long is your tongue?! I think I reached your tonsils!"
F "*cough* Oh god *cough* I think I almost threw up."
A "Shit sorry sorry sorr-"
F "No no. It’s fine. Let me think."
F "Let’s try the other one again."
A "O-okay…"
"..."
F "Don’t open as *mnph*... wide."
"..."
F "Wait…"
"..."
F "Tilt to the side… like this."
"..."
"..."
"..."
A "I don’t know… I’ll probably never get the hang of this."
F "Really? I uh… think it was… nice."
A "Wait seriously?"
F "Y-yeah. You’re not a *bad* kisser."
A "Bullshit."
F "Seriously, here."
"..."
"..."
F "Don’t be shy now…"
A "Lucy."
"..."
scene room anon day
show kissu2
with fade
F "See? Getting better."
A "Mmm…"
F "I can feel your heart beating. It’s so loud."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
A "Y-yeah, same."
"..."
#Let's all go Campin
#stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/Dino Destiny Reader.ogg" fadein 1.0
"It’s been a few weeks since I asked Lucy out to prom."
"Gotta say, things are looking up for me right now."
"Lucy has really taken to helping Rosa with the school gardens."
"Rosa doesn’t force me to help anymore, but I still frequently lend a hand."
"Just earlier today Lucy and I were planting some hydrangeas that were set to bloom in just a few weeks."
scene campsite
show anon neutral at acenter
with fade
"And now I’m setting up a pair of tents."
"Alone."
"Despite being in a group of four."
scene garden with fade
"{i}Stella’s chattering with me about the esoteric while the school delinquents get the Orwellian treatment from Rosa, who swaps between helping Fang plant some kind of exotic flower I don’t know and barking orders."
"{i}I understand maybe a third of what Stella’s saying and mostly just nod along."
St "{i}-nights really important because the moon will be in perfect alignment for my divinations."
A "{i}Right, right. Lunar eclipse. Is that the one where you can’t see the Moon or the one where you can’t see the sun?"
St "{i}*sigh*{/i}"
St "{i}It’s also called a Blood Moon for its color?{/i}"
St "{i}It’s a very important night for me, Anon.{/i}"
St "{i}I feel as though my divinations will be at their best under it’s crimson glow."
A "{i}But camping?{/i}"
Ro "{i}Oh, yes!{/i}"
Ro "{i}My backyard is very big. Long bus ride to school.{/i}"
Ro "{i}But I see the stars at night so well, so Stella has slumber parties often!{/i}"
F "{i}Anon! We should go to!{/i}"
A "{i}Wait what why?{/i}"
F "{i}We can go stargazing Anon. Just imagine it.{/i}"
A "{i}But camping? Can’t we just-{/i}"
F "{i}C’mon Anon. Don’t you want to watch the stars together with me?{/i}"
"{i}Lucy’s pleading eyes lock onto mine.{/i}"
A "{i}Alriiiiiight. As long as we have tents. I don’t wanna deal with insects.{/i}"
A "{i}As long as we have tents.{/i} Me and my stupid fucking mouth."
scene campsite
show anon neutral at acenter
with fade
"Finally I manage to get a post to stick into the soft soil."
"One down. Nineteen to go."
"Ugh, and now Lucy’s gonna use those cute sad eyes whenever she wants something."
"And no alone time with her, since all the girls are working at the grill."
A "Hey, you guys aren’t just making dinner with that gross herbivore meat, right?"
Ro "Of course! I’m always prepared to serve guests."
St "Wait, which ones were which again?"
A "Wha- If I bite into even a single bug your cards are going into the campfire."
Ro "Hey! Camping is supposed to be relaxing! Relax!"
Ro "Also, when you’re done with the tents you need to start the campfire."
A "Wait, why me?"
"Rosa and Stella flinch and exchange glances."
St "Just… figured you’d know, is all."
A "Why would I… Hey!"
St "The principal fits the bill so well."
Ro "Guess that’s just him."
F "Come on, quit teasing him."
F "Who cares if he hasn’t evolved to fire yet?"
"I trip into the tent and tear the whole thing down."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/Fuck You I Like This Chick.oggs" fadein 1.0
"By the time I get both of the tents standing, the sun is nearing the horizon."
"My back already hurts from setting everything up."
"Luckily Lucy carries around a lighter for her cigarettes so I was able to start a small fire."
"I slump on one of the logs around the firepit and try to massage my shoulders."
show rosa neutral flip at sright with dissolve
Ro "Hello, An-on."
A "Oh, is the food ready?"
Ro "Stella and Lucy are getting some plates to use."
Ro "Just taking a seat for a minute."
A "Thanks for inviting Lucy and I to camp back here."
Ro "Oh, don’t thank me, I am very happy to have friends over!"
Ro "Although normally I struggle with making the tents stand."
Ro "So really I must thank you for setting it up for me!"
A "Oh, uh, it was nothing."
"Stella calls out from the back door to Rosa’s house."
"She’s returning with Lucy, both holding extra utensils and snack foods."
"Rosa waves them over."
show stella neutral:
xalign -0.1
show fang neutral at sleft
with moveinleft
show anon neutral flip at acenter with dissolve
Ro "I never pictured Fang coming over."
Ro "Lucy really is lucky to have you."
"Stella struggles to separate the false shish kebabs from the real meat before handing me a plate."
"Lucy gets that look in her eye and snatches the bigger one right off."
St "Eventide draws near. I believe it best we sojourn from the fated ones, Rosa. My scrying glass awaits."
"What."
show fang neutral flip
F "Er, what? I don’t speak… whatever the fuck that was."
Ro "*giggle* I believe Stella means that the sun is setting and we need to go set up her telescope."
A "Then why didn’t she just say that?"
"Rosa and Stella take their plates of imposter kebabs and start walking to the other end of Rosa’s yard."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/middle_of_nowhere.ogg" fadein 1.0
hide rosa
hide stella
with dissolve
"Fang shrugs at me and starts devouring her food."
"With nothing to do but wait for night time I also begin to remove kebab."
F "Bleh. I think Stella undercooked this. Gimme some of yours."
A "No way, you have your own."
F "Well I want yours too. You’re supposed to share with your girlfriend."
"Damn her and her filthy ptero-logic."
A "Fiiiiiiiiine. You can have a bite."
"I hold out the meat on a stick for her."
"She grins wickedly."
"I realize my mistake as I watch her maw widen and engulf the entirety of my kebab."
"Once she pulls away I’m left holding a crispy yet clean wooden stick."
F "Mmmm… Stolen food is the best food."
show fang happy with dissolve
A "Well that was uncalled for."
F "Here, take the gross one."
"Lucy hands over her undercooked kebab."
A "Whatever, I like it rare anyways."
F "You should be thanking me, then."
"She leans her head into my shoulder."
"Yuck, this really was undercooked."
"I hold the stick over the fire to char a bit more."
F "That’s just going to burn the outside."
A "Can’t be harder than roasting a marshmallow, right?"
F "Did Rosa bring any?"
A "Think so. Save your kebab stick for them."
F "Think I’d rather use a regular stick off the ground than get a greasy marshmallow."
A "Heh."
"Lucy and I listen to the crackling of the fire for a few minutes."
"Somewhere in the distance I hear Stella yelling at Rosa about leaving the telescope cap on."
F "..."
F "Rosa said earlier that I’m lucky to have you."
A "You feel lucky? I’m thinking it’s the other way around."
F "I do."
F "Rosa was right, I wouldn’t have thought about going camping back in first semester."
F "Guess I really have been changing a lot."
F "... Your kebab’s on fire."
A "Huh- Shit!"
"I blow out the now burnt chunks of meat."
A "Uhhh… Flambe?"
"Lucy snorts."
"Chewing down on this, it’s not the worst thing I’ve eaten."
A "Still want a piece?"
"She just holds her mouth open."
"I put the stick in biting range and she gnaws the chunk off."
F "Yeah, It’s not undercooked anymore. That’s for certain."
A "Looks like I poured jet fuel on it."
"Lucy leans back into her arms staring up at the night sky."
"I finish off the stick and join her."
"Stella was right, the stars look great out here."
"Reminds me of home."
F "The stars do?"
A "Hm? Oh. Yeah, there wasn’t a lot of light pollution around Rock Bottom."
A "In the brief time I was in scouts, I got to look at the constellations a bit."
F "Name a few."
A "I don’t remember now, this was like a decade ago."
A "... Orion’s belt?"
F "Anyone can name Orion’s belt."
A "Uh… big spoon and lil spoon?"
F "You mean the dippers?"
A "Also yes."
"Lucy hums and scoots close enough so I can wrap an arm around her shoulder."
"Her head leans on my shoulder and I can’t help but smile."
F "Something like this, then?"
A "Eh, close enough."
A "I think you can see Mars too, it’s supposed to be the red one."
F "Uh… I think that’s the moon, Anon."
A "..."
A "It’s been a while, okay? Cut your boyfriend some slack."
"I feel her head shake as she withholds a snicker for my sake."
A "Still managed to get my badge though."
F "Aren’t you the big strong man."
A "... Fuck it. A compliment’s a compliment."
"We gaze up at the night sky in companionable silence."
F "Oh! Look!"
"Lucy points to the sky at a shooting star."
A "Well hey, you got a wish?"
F "That’s not a shooting star, dork."
A "It isn’t?"
"I look again."
"The star is joined by several smaller dots trailing behind, in the sky for only an instant before disappearing over the other horizon."
A "Whoa, a meteor shower."
"Stella’s incomprehensible excited gibberish breaches our ears."
"Lucy lays down on her back to get a better view."
"A little dirt on my clothes is worth the moment."
"Man, being here with Lucy, after such a wonderful night…"
"I feel like no matter what, everything’s going to be just fine."
F "...I feel the same."
"I’m just going to start biting my tongue."
F "Thank you for being here with me, Anon."
A "I mean… This was all you. And Rosa and Stella too."
F "No, you big dweeb… I mean…"
F "You’ve always been there for me even when I was so mean to you."
F "I don’t know what kind of road I was going down when you met me, but…"
F "But I know it wasn’t a good place to be. I don’t know where I was going to end up if I never found you."
F "You saved me, Anon. And I’ll always be grateful for that."
"She sits up and looks down to me with that warm smile of hers."
"Hearing her put it that way…"
"Maybe I did ‘fix’ Lucy after all."
"She seems so happy with how things are, it doesn’t matter if it was all part of someone’s stupid plan."
"Lucy’s fingers dance across my cheek."
"Slowly, slowly, ever so slowly."
"Her eyes lid as she leans forward, her head tilting and her mouth opening slowly."
"It’s taken a month for us to figure this out, but now that we’ve had practice…"
"I raise myself up, my own mouth meeting her’s in a slow and soft connection."
"Her tongue slides along mine and this time she manages not to gag me with it."
"Our first through fourteen kisses never went this smoothly."
"And it’s utter bliss as we savor each other’s lips."
"And while I would stay like this forever if I could."
"Air is very much a necessity for life."
"We separate just as slowly as when we connected."
"Lucy’s eyes open as she smiles impishly at me."
F "I love you."
"Yeah. Me too."
"She giggles and lays down. Her head resting on my shoulder and her wing becoming a blanket as we look back to the stars."
"We stay laying a while longer, keeping the red moon company."
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
"..."
pause 3
#Prom is Suprising
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/Appreciating the Moment.ogg" fadein 1.0
"-One Month Later-"
"It’s prom night."
"My old man was kind enough to send over his old tuxedo from his time at high school."
"It took a bit of sewing, but I got it looking pretty good."
"Judging by the wine stains on the sleeves, Dad’s made a lot of important announcements in this tuxedo."
"Gives it a bit of history, I guess."
scene home fang outside night
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show naomi prom neutral flip at sright
with fade
"When I arrive at Fang’s place with a cheap corsage I see the Pomegranate Parasite waiting outside the front door."
"Great."
"And dear god, how can she move in that dress."
"It looks like it’s been shrink-wrapped to her body."
N "Oh, I already knocked Anon."
N "Naser will be out in a moment to invite us in, I’m sure Fang will be getting ready too."
N "I’ve heard the two of you are going to prom together!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, the next Sherlock Holmes."
A "No, I just happen to be here in a suit to go golfing."
"I ignore her, focusing instead on not stabbing my palm even more on this flower’s thorns."
"Fuck it, free is free."
"And nothing more free than a five finger discount from the neighbor’s yard."
N "You and Fang just make the cutest couple! Did you two sign up for prom king and queen?"
A "Nah. She said something about the ‘fascist sexist monarchy system’."
N "Well, Naser and I have entered and we are going to be prom royalty. Ooooh, I can not wait to wear that beautiful tiara, I picked it out and everything and the crown for Naser-"
show naomi prom happy flip
"I’ve already tuned her out."
show naser prom neutral at ncenter with dissolve
"Naser opens the door."
"Well if that isn’t the fanciest jacket I’ve seen in a while."
"It’s certainly better than the background of Avatar he always wears."
Nas "Sorry to keep you waiting, Naomi."
Nas "This thing is a nightmare to get over my wings."
show naser prom happy flip at ncenter with dissolve
Nas "Oh, Anon! Come on in, didn’t know you were already here."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/Dragging on and on....ogg" fadein 1.0
"He waves for the two of us to enter, pecking Naomi on the cheek when she passes."
scene home fang night
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show naser prom neutral at ncenter
show naomi prom neutral at scenter
with fade
"Fang’s Mother speaks up from the kitchen."
show fangmom neutral flip at sright with moveinright
FM "Oh! Oh! Is that Anon?"
Nas "Here we go."
"The small pterodactyl comes out, a bowl she’s struggling to stir in her arms."
FM "My, aren’t you handsome."
FM "Pictures! I need to get pictures of you and Lucy!"
"She sets the bowl aside on the coffee table to frantically search for a polaroid camera."
FM "To think Lucy would have such a wonderful young man to take her to prom!"
FM "Aha! Found it. Hold still, dear."
scene black with fade
"ARGH! Like getting slapped in the face by the sun’s dick!"
"I blink the blindness away. So that’s why Naser has those fucking aviators."
scene home fang night
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show naser prom neutral at ncenter
show naomi prom neutral at scenter
show fangmom neutral flip at sright
with fade
FM "Lucy will be downstairs in a bit, she’s just getting the last of her makeup on!"
hide fangmom with moveoutleft
FM "In the meantime, take a seat! I’ve got some cookies in the oven that are almost ready!"
A "Er, yes, thank you ma’am."
"I take my seat in the usual spot, sinking in and feeling the pillows conform around my spine."
hide anon with moveoutright
scene black with fade
scene home fang night with fade
show anon prom neutral flip at aright
"This thing must cost a fortune."
"Fang’s dad is a police commissioner if I recall."
"That explains the luxurious furnishings."
"Now that I think about it, I’m surprised I haven’t seen him yet."
show fangdad neutral at sleft with dissolve
FD "So…"
"I hope I didn’t just ruin these slacks."
A "Good evening, sir."
A "I didn’t even see you in your chair, sir."
A "My apologies."
FD "Don’t sweat it, son."
FD "Thing about humans, as well as many charnivores, is that their vision is based largely on movement."
FD "You’d be surprised how useful staying quiet and stationary can be."
FD "How close you can get to someone without them knowing-"
show fangmom unimpressed flip at fmcenter with dissolve
FM "Sweetheart."
FM "No. Intimidating. The Suitor."
"The big guy deflates a bit in his chair."
FD "Point is, don’t get any funny ideas."
A "Yessir."
hide fangdad with dissolve
show naser prom neutral at nleft with moveinleft
N "We’re all taking the NasCar, right?"
Nas "Yeah, yeah."
Nas "Once Fang gets down we’ll skedaddle."
A "So until then we just sit and chill?"
show naomi prom happy at sleft with moveinleft
N "We could take more pictures!"
"Please no."
show fangmom neutral at fmcenter with moveinleft
FM "Oh! I would love to make this a little photo op!"
scene black with fade
"Thirty photos later and I never want to see another camera again."
"Fang’s mom decided to take pictures of every possible combination of us."
"I don’t know which was worse, having to pose with Naomi or Fang’s dad digging his murder claws into my shoulder."
"I’ve lost nearly all feeling in that arm."
"Pretty sure that’ll leave a bruise worse than my accelerated hug with the stair bollard last month."
"At least the pics with Naser were a nice reprieve."
"We ended up looking like the blues brothers, standing side by side in fuck ugly suits."
"Just as I was about to resign myself to premature blindness from the camera flash, my saviour arrives."
F "Oh, Anon, you’re already here!"
scene home fang night
show fang c prom happy:
xalign -0.3
show anon prom neutral flip at acenter
with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/Beach Chill Out.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Lucy comes downstairs in a white dress."
"The back of the dress trails down the stairs behind her."
"Can’t say I’d imagined she’d ever willingly wear one of these."
A "Yeah, been here a while."
A "Your dress looks great, Lucy."
show fangmom neutral flip with dissolve:
xalign 1.4
FM "Oh, doesn’t it?"
FM "When I got the school’s email, I knew right away that the precious little getup I saw shopping the day before would be just perfect, and I even got Nasers’ outfit while I was at it!"
show fang with move:
xalign -0.7
show anon prom neutral flip with move:
xalign 0.0
show naser neutral prom flip with dissolve:
xalign 0.8
show anon prom neutral behind fang with dissolve
Nas "I would have been fine just going in church clothes, for the record."
FM "Oh, hush. The two of you look just like your Father and I when we met at a school dance!"
"We all look at Nasers’ rather colorful getup for a moment."
"It was somehow still less loud than his usual jacket."
A "Come again?"
FM "Oh yes, I remember it fondly. Right dear?"
"Lucy’s father hasn’t moved from his seat."
FD "I don’t know. Do I?"
FM "Oh yes, I remember you in that snazzy zoot suit."
FM "You saw me by the punchbowl, strode right up, and offered a dance-"
show fang c prom considering with dissolve
F "Mom, stooop!"
show fang c prom neutral with dissolve
"I’m trying to create the mental image."
"Nope, can’t do it."
"That look her Dad is giving me…"
"It’s saying ‘You’ll be upgraded to a putter if you never speak of this to anyone.’"
"I can see where Fang gets her temper from now."
"Fine by me."
FM "Awww. But Lucy, you look so precious in that dress."
FM "Oh! We need more pictures!"
"The tiny pterosaur tries to push Lucy next to her father, fighting with the duo to pose properly."
"I glance at Naser, who seemingly resigns himself to countless more photos."
A "Uhh… I think we’re going to be late if you take any more pictures."
"Both Lucy and Naser nod in agreement to that."
FM "Oh, just a couple pictures! You’ll be able to show these when your own children are going to prom!"
"A bit early to think of something like that."
"I feel a tug on my arm and spin around to Naomi giving me a look of…"
"Unfiltered frustration."
FM "Oh Lucy, there's a string coming out of your dress! Where are the scissors?"
N "I’ll get them! Anon, come with me."
A "Why, I don't even live here?"
N "It's uh… the scissors are kept on the top shelf and I can’t reach!"
"She pushes me towards the kitchen, I don't even know how Naser doesn’t catch on to what she’s doing."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/The Top of the Social Ladder.ogg" fadein 1.0
scene kitchen
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show naomi prom angry flip at sright
with fade
A "What’re you up to, Naomi?"
"She pinches the bridge of her nose and exhales slowly."
N "Look, normally I would be thanking you from the bottom of my warm heart for fixing Lucy and Naser's relationship, they're siblings and that's how it should be--"
A "Then what's the big fucking d--"
N "Let me finish."
N "However, I don't think Lucy is COMPLETELY fixed. She's still not talking to me, she just runs away from everyone at school now, and Naser keeps texting her-"
N "I had to call him out on it that he was slacking on his school duties, behaving like a crass idiot like you, JUST like you. What have you done to them both?"
A "The only thing I’ve ‘done’ is support her. I didn’t do it for you or your stupid plan."
A "I just want to have a good time with Lucy without any more bullshit."
N "Anon, I swear to God almighty, if my night with Naser is ruined because of Lucy’s-"
show naomi prom happy flip with dissolve
"Naomi’s sneer vanishes, replaced with her usual false smile."
N "But okay!"
N "Of course! You two deserve it after everything you’ve done."
"Suddenly I feel another tug on my arm, this time Fang’s mom dragging me back into the middle of the room."
scene home fang night
show anon prom neutral flip at scenter
show fangmom neutral at fmleft
with dissolve
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/appreciating_the_scenery.ogg" fadein 1.0
FM "No need for scissors anymore! Oh Anon, I never got any pictures of you and Lucy yet!"
"Oh please god no more pictures."
A "Fine but we really should get going if we want to-"
FM "Just a couple! I can even send these ones to your parents, I bet they’re just as proud of you as we are of Lucy and Naser!"
scene home fang night
show anon neutral prom at acenter
show fang c prom happy at sleft
with fade
"I’m sure they’re just as surprised that I’m actually going to prom."
"Posing with Lucy is nice, but I make sure to be extra careful where my arms go in front of her dad."
"The searing strobe lights finally end and I can {i}feel{/i} my early onset of blindness."
FM "These photos need to have a special album all their own. Honey! We need another photo album!"
F "MOM!"
FM "Oh fine, make sure to have fun at prom!"
"I glance over and Lucy’s dad catches me dead in the eyes."
FD "Home by midnight."
"I only manage a weak nod as Lucy rushes me towards the door."
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
"..."
scene nascar night with fade
"The ride in the NasCar is awkward and uneventful."
"Naser didn’t chuck his jacket to the backseat as a divider, so Lucy and I can sit next to each other this time around."
Nas "I heard that Spears might be giving a little musical number tonight."
N "Naser, stop spreading rumors from the junior class."
A "So that was just a rumor? Damn."
Nas "What, you want to hear him sing some opera?"
A "I’d certainly pay to see him try."
F "Good lord, no. My ears take enough abuse from him during the school day."
Nas "He won’t be singing, but we did get Reed to be a DJ for the night."
Nas "His only condition was that he got to wear that mascot costume, which is rather odd, but whatever."
"Everyone aside from Naser involuntarily sighs."
Nas "What?"
Nas "Was it something I said?"
"..."
scene outside school night
show naomi prom neutral:
xalign -0.2
show fang c prom happy:
xalign 0.9
show naser prom neutral:
xalign 0.1
show anon prom neutral:
xalign 1.1
with fade
"Pulling into the school’s parking lot by the gym, I take in the view."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/effects/prom chatter loop.ogg" fadein 1.0
"The students strung up various strings of lights along the overgrowths of vines around the school."
"The line to get in isn’t too long, and it only takes a few minutes to get inside."
"Inside is about as well decorated as outside."
"Those nerdy little chinese lanterns are strung about from wall to wall."
scene prom with fade
show naomi prom happy:
xalign -0.2
show fang c prom happy flip:
xalign 0.9
show naser prom happy:
xalign 0.1
show anon prom neutral flip:
xalign 1.1
with fade
N "Oh! Oh! They go with my dress!"
"Wow, it’s almost like the person who planned the entire event has insider information on the decor? Color me surprised."
F "Mumbling."
"Fuck."
Nas "I think I’ll hit up the catering first."
Nas "What about you guys?"
A "I’ll pass, I can’t afford any fancy food."
show naser prom neutral
show naomi prom neutral
show fang c prom neutral flip
with dissolve
F "What?"
N "What?"
A "What?"
Nas "The price of the food is included in the tickets, man."
Nas "How poor are you?"
A "I live in Skin Row, remember?"
Nas "Sorry, forget I asked."
show naser prom happy
show naomi prom happy
show fang c prom happy flip
with dissolve
"The thought of being able to eat like an actual human for once already pushed Naser’s apology out of my mind."
A "In that case, I’ll go get food for both me and Lucy."
A "Waddaya want?"
F "Uhh, get me the closest thing they have to barbecue."
N "Oh, Naser if you’re getting food too, could you get me a plate of kappamaki."
"Wrong country."
"Naser slugs me on the shoulder."
A "Ow."
Nas "Looks like we’re playing waiters for a bit."
A "Seems that way."
scene prom with fade
show naser prom neutral flip at nright
show anon prom neutral at aleft
"I follow him to the food table."
"I don’t even recognize most of these dishes."
"I get a heaping plate of seven or eight different dishes for Lucy, and pick out a steak for myself, grabbing a few nice looking sandwiches from the other end of the table."
"Wait, I have to get drinks, too."
"Fuck, my hands are already full."
Nas "You got everything?"
A "Don’t got drinks."
Nas "We can always do a return trip."
A "I guess."
A "Hey, is this what Lucy would want?"
Nas "Honestly man, you could probably get her to eat a rock if you told her it came from a cow."
A "I see."
"Naser starts heading back to where we left the other two."
"He suddenly stops halfway through and I have to catch myself from dropping the plates."
A "What’s wrong?"
"Naser gestures forward."
scene prom
show naomi prom neutral:
xalign -0.2
show fang c prom neutral flip:
xalign 0.1
show naser prom neutral flip:
xalign 0.9
show anon prom neutral flip:
xalign 1.1
with dissolve
"Naomi is attempting to talk to Lucy, overwhelming her with questions"
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/west_coast_kicking.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Lucy's looking on edge, I should probably intervene quick."
N "-dress is very nice, Lucy, we should go out together clothes shopping sometime!"
F "I-I uh…"
Lucy "Oh, come on, you’re in need of new friends right now, right? Why don’t we-"
A "Heyyy, we’re back, and we have food."
"Naomi turns her attention to the plates Naser and I are carrying."
N "Oh! Naser, did you get the sukiyaki?"
show fang c prom sad flip with dissolve
Nas "Oh, guess I forgot, sorry. I’ll go run and get it."
N "That’s fine! I was getting to be friends with Lucy and-"
hide fang with moveoutleft
"Lucy pushes herself away from the table and strides away."
N "O-oh?"
hide anon prom with moveoutleft
"I leave the plate behind and chase after her."
scene prom with fade
"Lucy has retreated to a back corner of the gym."
show anon prom neutral flip at acenter
show fang c prom sad at sleft
with dissolve
F "I just can't, Anon."
A "Then don't."
F "God, I'm doing it again, everyone just wants to have a good time and I'm ruining everything."
A "It's alright."
"I caught a glimpse of Naser and Naomi away at their seat enjoying themselves, I think Lucy saw the same thing because she snapped back to me and wrapped her arms around my waist."
F "You know what, no need to be upset. Naser and Naomi aren't my prom dates, just you."
"She breathes in and lets out a comforting sigh. I looked around for any witnesses, feeling very smug."
F "...but that suit does kinda stink."
"Confidence shattered."
show spears neutral flip at sright with moveinright
Sp "Oh, there you two are."
show anon prom neutral with dissolve
"Our principal strides over to us, signing off a few papers on a clipboard he has."
show fang c prom neutral with dissolve
Sp "Lucy, there you are. That ‘surprise’ you wanted is about ready."
F "Surprise?"
Sp "Yeah, the one you filed papers for a few weeks back."
Sp "Everything’s ready for it."
A "Is the surprise you giving an opera number?"
Sp "I’m on a pretty tight schedule tonight, Anon, don’t have a lot of time for jokes."
Sp "Follow me."
scene black with fade
"Spears leads us around the crowd to behind the temporary stage set up at the other end of the gym."
scene prom
show spears neutral at sleft
show anon prom neutral at acenter
show fang c prom neutral at sleft
with fade
A "You signed up for something?"
F "I don’t think so…"
Sp "Alright, you’re on in ten or so minutes."
show fang c prom shock with dissolve
"Lucy freezes."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/Summertime Synth.ogg" fadein 1.0
A "On?"
show trish prom bass flip at sright
show rosa prom neutral flip at sright behind trish
show stella prom neutral flip behind trish:
xalign 1.155
with moveinright
T "Surprise!"
A "Oh no. Oh nooooooo."
"Trish, Rosa, and Stella are carrying around various instruments and equipment."
"Trish is visibly exhausted and stressed."
F "..."
Sp "I'll leave you to it, you'll get in after Reed's done with his DJ bit."
hide spears with moveoutright
show fang c prom surprised with dissolve
A "What the hell is this?!"
T "So… Fang?"
T "Fang, we get to play at the prom!"
F "..."
T "We have all the instruments ready, I brought in a regular guitar for you to play, I don’t mind!"
T "We can play whatever you want!"
T "What do you say?"
"Lucy is completely catatonic by this point, unable to respond."
A "I-- what?"
T "Oh, Anon! didn't see you there! You look less dorky with a suit on, let me tell you haha."
T "You came with Fang? That's sweet."
T "Reed's also coming! I don't know if he'll manage in the costume but he'll play the drums!"
T "What do you say?"
A "Whose idea was this?"
Ro "It was a group effort!"
St "We’re here to help, right?"
Ro "We’ve noticed Lucy’s been struggling by herself!"
"The expectant stares of the trio snap Lucy from her stupor."
show fang c prom sad flip with dissolve
hide fang with moveoutleft
show anon prom neutral with dissolve
"She flinches a bit, then bolts out of the backstage area."
show anon prom neutral flip
show stella prom sad flip
show rosa prom closed flip
with dissolve
"Rosa and Stella look as though they’re only just now thinking this was a bad idea."
show anon prom neutral
show trish prom sad flip
with dissolve
"Trish’s smile melts from her face."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/ballad_of_the_boot.ogg" fadein 1.0
A "What were you thinking?!"
Ro "E-eh?"
T "Anon, please tell me, is Fang fine?"
A "She {i}was{i\} fine, Trish. Now look what you’ve done."
A "Where do you think you're going?"
"Trish tries to leave but I manage to grab her shoulder."
T "I'm-I’m going after her!"
Ro "Wait, Anon!"
hide trish with moveoutleft
"Damn it, Rosa pulls my arm free, letting Trish run after Lucy."
Ro "Let them solve this, I'm sure Lucy's at a point where she can deal with this."
A "She most definitely is NOT, Rosa."
A "God dammit, why’d you have to pull this stunt {i}today{i\} of all days?"
A "Couldn’t you have tried this bullshit any other time?!"
Ro "Who are you to say I didn't? I've been talking to Lucy for a while trying to get her to make amends with Trish."
A "...?"
A "She never told me."
St "I drew her The World and The Sun, past this night she'll achieve completion, fulfillment. It's a good thing, Anon!"
A "For your sake I hope they were upright."
Ro "Does it matter if they're upright?"
St "What do you mean?"
St "I flipped the cards after I got back from the bathroom, Rosa what did you do?"
Ro "I peeked, The world was upside down, so I fixed it."
A "..."
St "Anon, go get Fang."
"No need to tell me that."
"I leave the incompetent bunch behind to look for Lucy."
show anon prom neutral flip at acenter
hide anon with moveoutleft
Ro "Is that important, Stella? I thought it was just for play."
scene prom
with fade
"Back in the gymnasium I find Lucy huddled in a corner."
"Her hands are on her head as she tries to block out Trish."
"Trish for her part is only shouting even louder."
"Loud enough for me to hear as I make my way to my girlfriend."
show fang c prom hiding:
xalign -0.6
show trish prom indignant flip at scenter
with fade
T "You never thought about me all this time?"
T "Seriously, say something!"
F "Trish, I can't even look at you anymore"
T "Why?"
T "Is it still what I said?"
T "I accept you and Anon, seriously! You and him are cute together or something, I didn't mean any of what I said about you two!"
show fang c prom angry with dissolve
F "It wasn't just that, it was everything else, shit you did and said - making me question YEARS of my life."
T "What are you talking about, Fang?"
T "Come on, let's play! This’ll be VVURM DRAMA’s biggest show to date!!"
F "I! Don't! Want! To!"
T "Come on, let's go!"
F "NO!"
show anon prom neutral flip at aright with dissolve
A "Trish!"
show trish prom indignant flip at scenter
"My shout shocks the desperate triceratops away from Lucy."
show trish prom happy with dissolve
"I glower as she turns a sickeningly sweet smile towards me."
T "Anon, if I did or said anything that hurt you then I'm sorry."
T "But please tell Fang I'm sorry too, this isn't right!"
A "..."
"I hear footsteps behind me and I already know it's the rest of the loser patrol without looking."
Ro "Lucy, you have to give Trish one more chance, if you're not gonna do it for her then at least do it for me."
St "Please Lucy, you need to hear her out!"
show trish prom happy flip with dissolve
T "Me and Reed miss {i}us{/i}! Together, shooting the shit, playing songs, making fun of Naser-"
F "NO! FUCK OFF!"
Ro "Lucy!"
St "Come on..."
A "Guys, you're overwhelming her, back off for a sec-"
show fang c prom hiding with dissolve
show trish prom angry with dissolve
T "Stay out of this!"
show trish prom neutral flip with dissolve
show anon prom neutral with dissolve
A "Rosa, Stella. Take a look around. At this current situation."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/Many Such Cases of Being So True.ogg" fadein 1.0
A "Once you realize what you’re doing, please just leave us alone and don’t bother us for the rest of the night."
"The two shut up and sheepishly back away a few steps."
show trish prom angry with dissolve
T "What, are you two flaking on me as well?!"
Ro "Trish, I’m thinking An-on’s right here… We shouldn’t be intruding on their special night…"
St "Er, yeah, my reading was wrong, soo…"
show anon prom neutral flip with dissolve
T "I can’t believe you two!"
T "Fang, we’re playing now. I’m not asking again."
show trish prom angry flip with dissolve
"She takes hold of Lucy’s forearm and moves to take her back to the stage by force."
show anon:
xalign 1.0
show trish:
xalign 0.75
show fang prom angry:
xalign 0.4
with move
show rosa prom closed flip with moveinright:
xalign 1.3
"Rosa blocks her way long enough for me to grab her wrist."
show anon behind trish
show trish prom angry with dissolve
T "Wh- Rosa, hey!!"
show fang prom sad with move:
xalign -0.4
"Trish glares at me with murderous intent."
A "Try again another time."
"She yanks her hand away from me in disgust, glancing between Stella and Rosa’s disappointed stares and Fang’s baleful leer."
T "I guess that’s it then."
hide trish with moveoutright
"She backs off into the crowd."
show anon prom neutral flip at acenter with move:
show rosa prom closed flip with move:
xalign 0.7
show stella prom sad flip with moveinright:
xalign 0.8
A "Lucy, are you alright?"
F "Yeah… I think I need to get away from the crowd…"
hide stella
hide rosa
with moveoutleft
"I wave off Stella and Rosa and lead Lucy away into the hallway."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/Skinrow Soul.ogg" fadein 1.0
scene hallway
show anon prom neutral flip at aright
show fang c prom sad at sleft
with fade
"We find another corner near the bathrooms unpopulated aside from a few students passing by for smokes."
"Lucy looks like her entire world has crumbled."
A "Are you alright? Let me help you-"
F "Anon, please..."
F "I just want to move past it."
A "Okay then."
F "I don't wanna see or talk to anyone anymore, not even Rosa or Stella, just us."
F "I just wanna see you."
F "Only you."
A "It's alright. You won't see anyone else anymore tonight."
show fang c prom soft smile with dissolve
"Lucy’s chuckle is choked back as she offers me a strained smile."
F "There, I did it again, I ruined everything for everyone again."
"How do I respond to that?"
A "None of this is your fault."
"She sighs."
F "I need to go to the bathroom."
A "It's ok. I’ll go get some water or something while you’re in, won’t take a minute."
F "Yeah, sure."
A "Okay."
scene prom
show anon prom neutral at acenter
with fade
"I watch her enter the restroom and reenter the gym."
"Think there’s lemonade and stuff by the food tables."
show trish prom neutral flip at sright
T "Hey, you."
"Raptor Jesus on His cross of rock, give me strength."
A "Hey."
T "Is Fang...ok?"
A "No."
T "Tell me about Fang, are they happy?"
A "I'd say so, she and Naser are on speaking terms."
T "Did Fang say anything about me? Would they ever forgive me?"
A "Look Trish, this shit? It ends now."
A "She said she would have constant nightmares of you wanting to talk to her."
show trish prom sad flip with dissolve
A "Maybe this could’ve been sorted out, but not today."
A "You're doing more harm by staying here, though. I advise that you stay clear of her for now."
"Trish is getting teary, I better shut up, now."
T "It's ok. Tell Fa-- Lucy, I only want her to be happy. I won't be a bother anymore, she'll never see or hear from me again. I told Spears to cancel the performance, I'm going home."
A "Maybe there will be another chance sometime."
T "Bye Anon."
hide trish with moveoutleft
"She left. Oh well."
scene hallway with fade
show anon prom neutral at aleft with moveinleft
"I get the drinks and return to Lucy."
"She downs the whole glass in one shot."
A "You good?"
show fang c prom happy flip at sright with moveinright
F "Yeah! Fuck! Splashing your face with water works wonders, I’m good to go."
"I look at the crowd gathering around the stage."
"Principle Spears moves to the podium set there and taps on the microphone."
A "Yeah, good to go… speaking of."
A "I uh… wanna get some fresh air?"
"Finally I see a real smile from Lucy."
F "Yeah. Fresh air sounds pretty good right now."
"I hold my hand out and Lucy’s hand links with it."
scene outside school night with fade
show fang c prom happy at sleft
show anon prom neutral at acenter
"Walking out of the stuffy gymnasium we’re met with the cooling evening air."
"I feel all the tension leave my body as Lucy’s body presses close to my side."
A "Cold?"
F "A little. I’m uh… not used to wearing these things."
"My hand leaves hers. Before Lucy can balk I wrap my arm around her."
A "How’s this?"
F "I can one up this."
"Right, wings."
"Her wings wrap around both of us as a feathered cloak of warmth."
A "You want me to call a taxi or something?"
F "Nah, we can walk home…"
"It’s a fifteen minute walk to her neighborhood, which is filled with comfortable silence for most of the way."
"I guess Lucy is as glad as I am to put everything that happened tonight behind us."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/Tracy was fired from her real job.ogg" fadein 1.0
"As we round the corner past the bus stop, I let out an audible groan as my eyes land on a particular cart."
"It’s that same hot dog vendor from before, illuminated under a street light in the same spot."
"She notices us almost immediately and begins wildly waving."
F "Does she know you?"
"I shrug and shake my head as we as continue to approach the vendor."
show tracy neutral:
xalign 1.1
SV "Well if it isn’t my favorite skinnie! And you brought your lady friend!"
A "It’s like ten at night, you can’t get that many customers this late, right?"
SV "Hey, you’re here, aren’cha? Now what can I get for you two lovebirds? Nothing says date night like some steamin’ hot franks!"
A "I think we’re good, we were just on our way back and-"
"{i}*GRRRRRRRRRLLLL*{/i}"
show fang prom neutral with dissolve
"Fang’s face glows bright red as she grasps her stomach."
F "Er… we left before we could eat, didn’t we?"
A "Oops. Well, nobody ever misses Prom food, right?"
show tracy tease with dissolve
SV "Prom?! Oh man, I was the life of the party at mine! Tell me you kids got Reef City’s dumb mascot?"
"We shake our heads."
SV "WHAT?! Well you at least spiked the punch, right?"
"More shaking."
SV "Seriously? {i}Please{/i} tell me you egged the principal’s car."
A "No, we, er…"
F "Got into a fight…"
show tracy unimpressed with dissolve
"The vendor winces, but just as quickly puts on her smile."
show tracy neutral with dissolve
SV "They could be yours too, y’know."
A "Riiiight. I don’t think it will be."
F "Look, can we just like, get some food? Our night’s been a fuckin’ wash."
SV "Night’s still young, though."
"I listen to the sizzling meat as we wait."
SV "Look kids, Prom? It’s not that special if you ask me."
SV "What makes something special is on you. For me I think back to the shit I can actually remember."
SV "Carfe’s a helluva drug."
SV "I’m getting off-topic. Point is, the night isn’t over yet."
"She motions to the table for us to sit at."
SV "Enjoy your ‘dogs, think about something to do with the rest of your night."
SV "Make it something worth remembering."
SV "I’m gonna start packing for the night though, so that’s enough chatter from me."
A "Thanks."
hide tracy with dissolve
show anon prom neutral flip with dissolve:
xalign 0.55
"Lucy and I sit at the plastic folding table with our artery-clogging grease tubes."
F "Dad grills these sometimes, but I’ve never had one that wasn’t just ketchup and mustard…"
F "Actually, I can’t even tell what’s all on this, there’s so much junk dumped on."
A "They’re just plain chili-cheese dogs."
A "Been a hot minute since I had one, figured why not?"
F "Mm…"
F "..."
A "She made a good point, what {i}should{/i} we do with the rest of the night?"
"Lucy chews contemplatively."
"Not sure if she heard me or is giving a silent review."
F "..."
F "Whatever we do, I want to get out of this dress first."
F "It’s freezing."
A "Think your dad will let us watch some movies or something?"
F "Dunno, maybe. We only have cop movies and hunting documentaries, though."
A "I’m down for it."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene home fang outside night
show anon prom neutral flip at acenter
show fang c prom happy at sleft
with fade
"After finishing we wave goodbye to the vendor and start down Lucy’s neighborhood."
"Oddly enough there’s no cars in the driveway when we arrive."
A "Your folks get groceries this late at night?"
F "They probably took the opportunity to go on a date themselves."
F "Don’t remember the last time they took the occasion though. Been maybe… Three years?"
"Lucy kicks over a rock in the walkway and gets the key taped under it."
A "Your parents put it there instead of under the doormat?"
F "Nah, I put this here. They don’t know about it."
F "Get kicked out for the night one too many times, you find ways back in on your own."
"Lucy stretches when we walk in."
scene home fang night with fade
F "I’ll change back into normal clothes, hang here a while, kay?"
show anon prom neutral flip at aright with dissolve
"I nearly sit in my normal place on the couch when I notice the armchair."
"The now vacant armchair."
"That’s for Lucy’s Dad only."
"Oh how it calls to me…"
show fang happy at sleft with dissolve
F "{i}Phew{/i}, that’s better."
F "... Anon?"
A "Lucy, what are you doing up this late at night?"
A "You better not be listening to that ratchet again."
F "Oh my G-"
F "Anon, get out of there before you leave your scent."
A "Scent? You can’t be serious."
F "Hey, it’s your head on the line."
F "Naser sat there once and he ended up with a new scar."
"Suddenly, I find myself seated in my normal spot after all."
F "Think they actually are on a date. If that’s the case the house is ours for at least an hour."
A "Oh, sweet. We gonna raid your dad’s liquor cabinet then?"
F "He doesn’t have one. Mom won’t let him."
"Damn it. He really is whipped."
A "So, movie night then?"
F "Well, I was thinking…"
"Lucy took hold of the coffee table in the middle of the room and started pushing it aside."
A "Er… Why are you doing that?"
"With the living room now more open Lucy approaches an antique stereo in the corner."
F "I was really looking forward to dancing with you tonight, Anon."
"Double damn it. Thought I managed to get out of that."
"But the look in Lucy’s eyes…"
"I nod my head."
F "Yes! I’ve always wanted to try out mom’s lights."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/its_footloose_now.ogg" fadein 1.0
"The music playing from the stereo sounds positively ancient."
"Probably one of her parents’ CDs. If it even uses CDs"
A "Wait what was that about lights?"
"Lucy practically skips to the light switch and dims them."
scene home fang dim
show anon prom blacklight neutral flip at aright
show fang blacklight happy at sleft
with dissolve
"She then flicks a hidden switch that casts the room in a hazy violet glow."
"My eyes are drawn to the glowing marks all across her."
"Wow."
F "Like what you see?"
"She turns back to me and the anticipation in her eyes makes me feel more nervous."
"Shit I just remembered."
A "Just so you know, I can’t dance."
A "And I mean, I REALLY can’t dance."
A "Like, quadraplegic with down syndrome can’t dance."
A "But-"
F "Yes! I’ve been waiting since forever!"
show fang blacklight happy at scenter with move
show anon prom blacklight neutral flip with move:
xalign 0.7
"Her hand clasps mine, and Lucy doesn’t seem bothered at all with how moist my palms are."
"We move to the impromptu dance floor hand in hand until we manage to find an open space."
A "Right, okay. Like this?"
"Right hand on her hip I think."
"I try to take her right hand with my left, but Lucy shakes her head."
"Both of her arms wrap loosely around my neck."
"Lucy’s body is pressed against mine, the contours of her lithe frame fitting very well with mine."
"Oh hey, those alarms aren’t broken."
"My left hand lands on her hip too and now I can’t stop thinking about how Lucy molds against my body near perfectly."
F "J-just follow my lead, okay? Mom gave me some lessons."
"I nod stiffly."
show fang:
xalign -0.4
show anon:
xalign 0.2
with move
"Lucy mutters a one-two count before taking a left step back."
"My right foot follows and lands on her toes."
show fang blacklight neutral
F "OW!"
A "Sorry!"
F "Nonono. Don’t worry."
F "Just uh… slowly, okay?"
A "Y-yeah, okay."
show fang blacklight happy at scenter
show anon prom blacklight neutral flip:
xalign 0.7
with move
"Lucy repeats the step back. I step forward and manage somehow."
"She then steps to the side and I try to follow."
"Our awkward steps continue like this."
"A couple successful steps and then I ruin it with a heavy step on her dainty toes."
"But slowly those failures are less and less common."
"By the third song Lucy and I are finally managing a basic waltz."
show anon:
linear 1.0 xalign 0.2
pause 3
linear 1.0 xalign 0.7
pause 3
linear 1.0 xalign 1.2
pause 3
linear 1.0 xalign 0.7
pause 3
repeat
show fang:
linear 1.0 xalign -0.5
pause 3
linear 1.0 xalign 0.3
pause 3
linear 1.0 xalign 1.25
pause 3
linear 1.0 xalign 0.3
pause 3
repeat
"By the third song Lucy and I are finally managing a basic waltz."
"As the night goes on, the dance becomes more natural."
"In the light of the various strobes I’m able to relish the moment being this close, face to face."
"Whenever one of the lights passes directly through her eyes they glow with the luster of cut amber, and her diamond pupils soften."
"There's no one else in the room right now. Just us."
A "You think it’s going well?"
F "What?"
A "Our Prom night."
F "It didn’t go as planned… but I like where it’s taken us."
F "I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else right now."
A "Me neither."
"The last song slowly fades away, leaving us in a comfortable silence in each other’s arms."
show fang:
xalign 0.5
show anon:
xalign 0.7
with move
"Under the blacklights I can fully take in Lucy’s beauty."
"I felt humbled that she’d consider this horrible night to have still gone well."
"Lucy’s eyes become lidded as she leans in towards my face."
"I meet her half-way, our mouths melding together."
"For all that happened tonight and still Lucy enjoyed it…"
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
"..."
#Volcano Highschool Musical
"-Three years later-"
scene park fair with fade
play music "audio/OST/west_coast_kicking.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Volcadera Bluffs. New duty station. Recruiting teens to suffer just like I did."
"Good times, good times."
show anonc neutral at aleft
"With my rucksack on my back and a cheap rolling case at my side I make my way down to my old stomping ground for some cheap living."
"Three years. I wonder if Lucy still lives here."
"There’s new buildings in the Galleria. Not to mention it’s gotten even more labyrinthine."
"The sun reflecting off the mirror polished windows are baking me alive in my JDUs."
"Thinking back, I think there’s a park nearby that has a decent vending machine."
scene park fair
show anonc neutral at aleft
with fade
"Mentally retracing my steps from my senior year I manage to find the park."
"Looks like they’re holding some kind of festival, with all the booths set up and tyranno tykes running around."
"There’s an unoccupied picnic bench, miraculously, so I set my heavy bags carrying my entire life down and pop open my water bottle."
"Sitting here, I can’t help but reminisce about the last time I was here."
"There’s an awful lot I left behind here."
"Like my highschool sweetheart."
"The dicks in my old platoon never did believe me."
"Then again I didn’t want to show that photo album her mom gifted me."
"Raptor Jesus, I miss her."
"I wonder if she remembers that promise."
stop music fadeout 1.0
Lucy "Anon?"
"Hm?"
"I look up to see a pterodactyl in a floral print dress running full tilt towards me."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/intercept.ogg" fadein 1.0
Lucy "ANON! YOU REMEMBERED!"
scene c02
"What."
"I stand up and prepare to take her down."
"I am poorly prepared however."
"She lunges at me and before I think to grab my cheap ass kabar her beak mashes roughly against my lips."
"What."
"I curse my instincts as my hands reflexively hold my amorous attacker by her hips."
"Wait."
"I pull back, both for air and to figure out if this is who I think it is and not some well dressed sexual harassing lady-hobo."
A "Lucy..?"
scene park fair
show fang c happy flip at scenter
show anonc neutral at aleft
with fade
Lucy "You remembered our promise!"
"Right. Right."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/to_swagger.ogg" fadein 1.0
A "That I’d come back and be with you. How could I forget?"
"I finally have a chance to take Lucy in."
"Gone is the halter top, torn jeans, and spiky hornband."
"In their place, a simple golden sun dress and a large red ribbon tied around her head crest, looking for the world like a pair of red bunny ears."
"Her hands remain on my shoulders, and I can see that she’s checking me out now."
"I’m proud to say I’m no longer a lanklet, especially with how my uniform blouse’s rolled up sleeves feel like they’re cutting off the blood flow to my hands."
Lucy "You’ve really changed since I last saw you, Anon!"
Lucy "I’m so glad you’re safe after all these years!"
Lucy "I got so worried for you, what if something happened overseas…"
Lucy "What if you got lost or hurt..."
Lucy "What if you never returned at all…"
A "Hey, have more faith in me."
A "I still got all my limbs, right?"
A "I didn’t get bruised too bad."
A "Like uhh, remember that time I fell down the stairs?"
A "I’m pretty indestructible, yeah?"
"...Maybe I’ll wait before showing her my scars."
Lucy "Wow, you’re pretty amazing…"
A "What’ve you been up to?"
Lucy "Oh, I got my Associates and then-"
unknown "MIIIISSSS LUCCYYYYYYYY!!!"
"Fang shrugs."
Lucy "And then this."
"A little T-rex runs up to the table."
unknown "MISS LUCY!! MISS LUCY!!"
Lucy "Now Vince, there’s no need to yell this close."
Lucy "What’s wrong?"
Vince "I was playing with Jared and he said, he said that earthquakes happen when my mommy gets out of bed!!"
Vince "Tell him it’s not true!!"
A "Tell him that his mom has a secret daddy she doesn’t tell anyone about."
Lucy "Anon!"
Vince "Okaaay!"
Lucy "Oh no you don’t."
Lucy "JARED, GET OVER HERE."
hide fang c happy flip with dissolve
"After clearing up the squabble, Lucy slumps over the picnic table again."
show fang c happy flip at scenter with dissolve
A "Want me to get you a water bottle or something?"
Lucy "No thanks, I had lemonade earlier."
Lucy "The fair’s some annual town hunting celebration, this year the people in charge had extra funding."
Lucy "So today they’re letting the local schools have a field trip here free of charge."
A "... Need another chaperone?"
Lucy "I’d love to, but parents get really upset about this sort of thing."
Lucy "You have to be qualified and certified to look after these guys."
A "Oi naehd a choild moindin’ loicence, yeh? Pray-ay bonkahs, yeh."
"I chuckle aloud at my own silly accent. Lucy’s giggles echo my mirth."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"Lucy’s giggles slowly melt away and a trickling tear leaves from her eye."
show fang c sad4 flip
Lucy "You’re really back…"
"Her arms wrap around me tightly, as if afraid I’ll disappear at any moment."
"My hand rubs comforting circles across her back, soothing her."
A "Yeah. I’m back, Lucy."
A "I’m surprised you waited for me here."
Lucy "Of course. That promise means the world to me, Anon."
"We stay embraced in the hot sun for just a moment longer before I let go again."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/Beach Chill Out.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Lucy’s gaze lingers on the children, her eyebrows knit together in contemplation."
show fang c happy flip with dissolve
F "Look at them, Anon."
"Fang points toward the kids screaming and falling over each other."
F "We were all like this at some point."
A "Stupid?"
F "Yeah- no, I mean careless. Innocent."
A "Suppose we were."
"She lets out a sigh."
F "One day they’re gonna start thinking and doing all the wrong things we thought and did when we were teenagers..."
F "I wish I could stop it from happening. They're perfect just like this."
A "Kids can be, Jack mean to each other."
F "But not cruel. The world makes them cruel."
F "Until then...they're free. We gotta protect their freedom. Save them from our mistakes."
"That’s quite a statement to hear from her."
A "You've changed."
"I think now would be a good time for a segue."
A "I'm glad to see you're doing good. How’s everyone else?"
F "Everyone else?"
A "Y’know, Naser, Trish, Naomi, Reed, all those guys?"
F "Oh! Naser went to medical school..."
"She closes her eyes as though trying to recall a lost memory."
F "I haven’t seen Naomi, though."
A "And the others?"
F "Haven't seen them since either."
F "But you’re here now!"
F "And now that you’re back, I’m never letting you go again."
A "I’m not going anywhere… Sweet Tooth."
"Lucy rolls her eyes."
F "You know, if you had said that back then I’d have hit you."
A "Yeah, and then I’d have just done it again because you’re cute when you’re annoyed."
A "I guess we’ve both changed since then."
F "Oh yeah? How so?"
A "I mean, when I first enrolled I had every intention of just laying low and not sticking out."
A "I didn’t care about making friends as long as it suited that goal."
A "As long as I didn’t get bullied any more, I was glad to just blend in."
F "Guess that plan fell apart."
A "It did, yeah."
A "I kinda blame you for that development."
F "Ha, I made you care about people."
A "You did."
"A few kids chase each other around the table."
A "You get any break time today?"
A "I'd love to check out the town, see what else is different."
F "I’d love to! I’ll go ask, I might get a few minutes to step away."
A "Yeah, and we could go and check Volcano High again, for old time's sake."
show fang sad3 flip with dissolve
"She freezes for a second."
F "I-I’d rather not Volcano High. Too many bad memories."
scene black with fade
"Lucy ended up getting the rest of the day off from her supervisors, I was surprised by how understanding they were once they saw me."
scene park fair with fade
show fang c happy flip at scenter with dissolve
show anonc neutral at aleft with dissolve
F "They said I deserve it after a hard day's work."
A "You do look exhausted dealing with the ankle biters."
F "Not at all! Truth be told, Anon. I love doing what I do."
scene black with fade
"..."
scene c04 with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/effects/beach loop 2.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Catching up with Lucy was the happiest I felt in years, the memories came rushing back as we walked under the hot sun."
A "So you don’t know at all how Reed and Trish are doing?"
F "OH! ...When was the last time I spoke with them…?"
A "Hope Trish is alright, the two of you were friends for the longest time."
F "I guess I… Didn’t feel the need to see them again?"
F "Looking back, they were terrible influences."
A "I guess so..."
A "And Stella and Rosa?"
F "Haven't seen them either."
A "Seems weird, considering Rosa was of such help to us."
F "Don't get me wrong, Anon. I love what Rosa did for me, Naser and you, but I guess I...just didn't need to see her anymore."
F "I didn't want to see anyone else, for that matter."
F "You must've had friends in the army, back at rock bottom, or even before that, right?"
F "They're gone from your life too, there's nothing wrong with that."
A "Haven't you looked for them?"
F "I don't want to."
"The scenery here seems familiar..."
"Oh, this is my old path to school. Maybe I will get to see it after all."
F ":-let's turn away. To Moe's, or somewhere."
A "Aww, I wanted to see the school again though."
F "NO, Anon."
A "..."
F "Seems like we just repeat each other, I get upset over nothing, and I apologize."
F "Sorry, I just… don't want to remember Volcano High, I just…"
F "I did too much dumb stuff there, you know?"
F "I just want to forget all that happened."
A "Moe’s is fine, too. I do want to see how that fossil is doing."
F "Er, actually, Moe retired! He sold his franchise."
A "Oh. Well, we can still go check it out."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene outside moes
"It took a while to get there, getting to be nearly five when we arrived at Moe's, we ordered our usual and picked a table."
scene moes pizza
show anonc neutral at aleft
show fang c happy flip at sright
with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/effects/chatter loop.ogg" fadein 1.0
"I can see the old piano in my peripheral vision."
A "I’ve been asking so much about what you’re doing now, but what happened while I was away?"
F "I remembered your promise."
show fang c sad flip with dissolve
F "I tried improving myself, like, really tried."
F "But things kept getting difficult. For a while I gave up."
F "There were times I’d cry. I would think back to when you were here and miss you so much."
F "I...don't wanna worry you with the details of what I did during that time, but…"
F "I guess I realized something."
F "All this time I was a huge dick to my family, I idealized things too much and lashed out at them for not being on the same page as me."
F "I wanted to be a rockstar, so I wanted them to behave a certain way I think it would fit for that lifestyle."
F "I was being unfair and unrealistic towards them, I wanted them to hate me and somehow that was gonna further my career."
F "Looked like it worked for a lot of famous people."
F "I didn't want to make my family sad anymore, so I just did what I've always should have done and learned to love them, to thank them for all they did for me."
A "So you kept playing? I'd love to see what else you've composed over the years. I'm sure it's great."
show fang c sad2 flip with dissolve
F "No...I just gave that up."
A "What? Really? It was such a huge part of you!"
show fang c sad3 flip with dissolve
F "I didn't need it anymore, plus it reminded me too much of Trish, I've put away the instruments somewhere and never played anything ever again."
A "Then what have you been doing all these years?"
show fang c sad4 flip with dissolve
F "Dad needed help with a charity event, he bought food and he needed me to help him carry it around since Naser was away in college."
F "I thought it was just going to be a boring evening with a bunch of brats, but I saw something..."
F "I saw the children, they ran around me, they offered me toys to play with, I joined them."
F "I lifted them from the ground, some clung to my legs as I moved about-"
F "No one ever played with me like that, no one ever approached me like that, it was so pure, so innocent."
A "Should have shown them a picture of you in your high school clothes"
show fang c happy flip with dissolve
F "THAT would be hilarious."
F "But yeah, I enjoyed my time with the children so much...I asked around in my church and eventually I got a gig dealing with preschoolers."
"She looks so happy right now. I feel like I would ruin the mood to bring up Trish, Reed and the others again."
A "Y’know, part of me expected you to forget about the whole promise."
A "That I’d come back and some lucky dino guy had already swept you off your feet."
"She just smiles and gives a small laugh."
F "The amount of guys I had to tell that my boyfriend was -- a Navy SEAL who knew over 300 ways to kill them with his bare hands just deployed and coming home soon…"
"She begins stroking my hand on the table."
F "Anon, I’d never forget about you or our promise."
"Part of me is glad she's saying this to me, but I still have too many questions."
"It's weird because I know she’s happy, she looks happy in her work, and she's glad I'm here..."
"But something deflates the moment, I don't know what it is."
"I look towards the decorative piano Moe always had in the corner."
A "Look Fang, the piano."
show fang c neutral with dissolve
F "What about it?"
A "You think they’d let us play it?"
F "I don't know, it's probably out of tune..."
A "Might be worth a shot, come on."
F "But you can't play..."
A "Then {i}you{/i} play."
stop music fadeout 30.0
scene c05 with fade
"As we sit by the piano, I think she understands why I'm teasing her like that."
"I open the lid, the keys look rather pristine."
F "Anon, I-"
"Her fingers lightly roll across the keys"
"She retracts herself."
F "I haven't played in a long time...I don't know if I can still do it."
A "I bet you still remember how to do it."
"She positions her hands just above the keys."
F "I haven't done this in years. I don't even know which song to play."
A "I wanna see you play, that's all. I wanna hear you after all this time away."
F "Alright."
"She gave out a sigh, but then..."
F "What to play?"
"Her eyes seem to glimmer for a moment."
F "I know."
play music 'audio/OST/Amberlight Brilliance - Piano.ogg' fadein 3.0
F "Remember this?"
F "It was our song, remember?"
F "We made it together."
F "Ha! I still got it!"
F "I always thought of this melody when I thought about you..."
F "Guess I never forgot how to do it. Thought I'd be rusty with the piano."
stop music fadeout 1.0
A "You play beautifully."
F "...Thank you..."
"I sit closer to Lucy, she rests her head on my shoulder. Her hands are still resting on the keys, eager to play again."
A "You shouldn't have abandoned music."
F "..."
"We talked about what we would do now, especially since it was getting dark outside and the street lights were coming on."
"We walked our way back to where we started, near the park."
scene park night
show anonc neutral at aleft
show fang c sad flip at sright
with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
F "I don't know, Anon! It's just so WEIRD! A music teacher?"
A "I don't know, Fang, it could be cool if you tried."
"Fang is shivering, the colder air setting in."
A "Here, this'll get you warmer."
hide anonc
hide fang
show c06 at center
with dissolve
"I draw Lucy close to my chest."
"She snuggles up to me."
F "Thank you."
"She's precious. Being taller now, I guess the animal part of my brain is telling me to protect my smaller and more fragile mate."
A "Little by little, I'll get you back to music, your friends, I'm sure it'll work out fine towards the end."
"Lucy stirs. She doesn’t like the idea."
F "Anon...please don't ask me to do that. I'm not ready."
A "How are you not ready?"
F "I lied, Anon. Ok?"
F "I lied, I disappointed you, I promised I would get better, but you're clearly not happy with how I turned out."
A "Nonsense, you have no idea how proud I am of you."
F "I'm still broken, Anon."
F "I’ve even started preening again because I had no one, but remembering I promised you and Naser I wouldn't do it anymore hurt even more so."
F "But that was years ago. I swear, I tried getting better."
F "Forgive me."
"I'm the one sighing this time."
A "..."
F "You wanted me to live my own life, be this great person you wanted me to be, yet I'm here doing menial church tasks and dealing with children."
F "I got no friends, no new songs, nothing going on for me."
F "I know I needed to be a famous musician to make you happy, I know I needed to have forgiven Trish and the others, but it just didn't work out. I couldn't do it."
F "I'm lonely, Anon. You're all that's left for me."
A "You didn't need to be all that to be happy, I still think you're the best."
A "Forget it, Lucy. What's done is done. We're here."
A "That's all it matters."
hide c06
show c07
with dissolve
"I embrace her, I could tell she was getting tense, but slowly she relaxes in my arms."
"When I said that we're being together was all that mattered, she hugged me back."
A "I'm here."
F "And I still can't believe it."
"Lucy is shaking with excitement in my arms now."
F "I already am thinking up all kinds of things we could do!"
F "Fuck, just knowing I won't see you until tomorrow already hurts me."
F "I can take you to see Mom and Dad! Right now! They would get a kick out of seeing you like this."
A "Ah! Not right now. That would be too much for them to take in."
A "And I have to unpack too, I got a little room in a motel for now."
F "Would you like some help?"
"I thought to deny her, but Lucy’s eyes are pleading with me to say yes."
A "I’ve got quite a bit, you sure Lucy?"
F "All the more reason for me to help!"
A "...Alright then. My motel isn’t too far from here."
play music "audio/effects/apartment loop.ogg" fadein 5.0
scene apartment morning with dissolve
"I wasn’t kidding when I said I had a lot to unpack."
"Between all the luggage I had brought back with me."
"And the heavier memories of my time spent in the arid deserts."
"I saw and felt a different side of Lucy I’d partially forgotten."
"Her tender hands rubbing soothingly across the scars now littered across my chest."
"We stayed up til the warm morning glow of dawn lit up the messy motel room."
"Clothes, paperwork and useless knick knacks I’d collected were scattered everywhere in an organized chaos."
"And yet I’ve never felt more rest and at peace with the world than with Lucy cuddled up next to me."
"A peace shattered by my stomach demanding sustenance loudly."
A "Mmm… How about we get some breakfast? My treat."
F "A breakfast date sounds nice."
F "Say, how about we invite my family. I’m sure mom would love to see you again."
"Probably would, too. However…"
A "I’d rather spend it with just you, Lucy."
"I grin as I watch Lucy’s face turn beet red."
F "You were never this smooth a talker, Anon…"
F "Fine. But I definitely want them to see you."
A "Tomorrow then?"
F "Tomorrow."
F "I'll tell them first! Get them hyped to see you!"
A "That would be great. So...tomorrow then?"
F "Tomorrow, yes."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene city morning with fade
play sound "audio/OST/Amberlight Brilliance.wav" fadein 5.0
"We made our way towards her car door, but before getting in, she once again embraces me, This time a little stronger."
show c09 with dissolve
A "Urgh-- it's ok, Lucy."
F "I was so lonely, Anon."
A "You don't need to be alone, you know."
F "I'm so glad you're here. I missed you."
A "I missed you too, Lucy."
"Though I miss the old Fang, I'm elated. I love you, Lucy."
$ quick_menu = False
window hide
scene 3of4 with fade
stop music fadeout 15.0
pause 16
scene black with fade
pause 1
jump ending
elif anonscore <= 3 and fangscore >=3:
#>>doomer | Announcing Nothing Important
play music "audio/OST/Appreciating her Company.ogg" fadein 1.0
"About fifteen minutes into the assignment, the two of us are just about done."
"We’re making surprisingly good time."
F "Uhm… and you said that the electrons hold the negative charge, right?"
A "Yeah, yeah."
F "Can’t imagine when I’d be using this crap in real life."
A "You never know, you might shrink one day."
F "Yeah, and you might stop pretending you’re livestreaming on Yousnoot."
A "As far as you know I might be giving you incorrect answers, you know."
F "Mhm, sure."
"The teacher is making his rounds checking on the students and gets to our desks."
show farnsworth flip at sleft with moveinleft
Drf "Hello, Anon. Fang."
show anon neutral flip at acenter with dissolve
Drf "Are you two getting along well?"
AnonAndFang "Yes, Mister Fernsworth."
Drf "Great to hear."
Drf "You know, I’m real proud of you two."
Drf "I remember at the start of the year you were at each other's' throats."
Drf "And now look at you!"
"The two of us cringe."
A "Uhh… Yeah, thanks."
Drf "At any rate, you two understand the material, right?"
A "Oh yeah, Fang and I are fine."
A "I was just helping them with a few problems."
hide fang neutral
show fang happy flip at sright
"Phew, remembered it this time."
Drf "Good, good."
Drf "I won’t keep you any longer then."
"Fernsworth meanders to pester the next few students."
hide farnsworthflip
show farnsworth
hide farnsworth with moveoutleft
A "Anyways, where were we?"
show anon neutral at acenter with dissolve
"I turn back to see Fang giving me a raised eyebrow and a smug grin."
F "So…"
A "Hm?"
"Fang’s wrist hovers before my face."
"With the weird non-binary bracelet."
"Wait wha-"
F "Heh. See, you can learn, Anon."
"Oh."
"OH!"
"Oh god she’s still on about that?!"
"...She does seem pretty serious about it."
"We’ve been friends long enough…"
"I guess it’s the least I can do to start going along with it."
F "I didn’t realize you were Pan, Anon."
A "Pan? Wait, what does a Raptor William’s movie have to do with this?"
F "No, dummy! You’re Pansexual!"
A "I’m sorry, what?"
F "You’re Pan!"
F "That means you’re willing to date people regardless of identity!"
"Do I come off as that desperate…?"
#I knew someone who would say shit like this and it was a great pain ~ Programnon
F "I’m an enbie, you recognize me, we’re dating, therefore you are Pan!"
"Fang deserves a gold medal at the mental gymnastic olympics."
"Even the French would give that routine a ten outta ten."
"Aaaaanyways…."
F "Mumblin’ again."
A "...Prom! You uh.. Wanna actually like… go? Together?"
"Ugh, which is worse, the panny stuff or prom?"
F "mmmm… naaaaah."
F "Prom is like… so lame, ya know?"
A "O-oh. Yeah, I get ya. Not to mention a waste of money."
F "Yeah. Money better spent on actual good stuff."
A "Like carfe?"
"In the distance I can hear Reed rebuffing my attempt to try his product."
F "Yeah. And booze."
A "Yeah totally. Like, prom cash is way better spent on fun stuff like liquor."
F "In fact, we totally should."
A "Should what?"
F "Have our own prom! Just the two of us! With booze!"
"I consider the idea for a moment."
"Just Fang, me and a few dozen cans of beer somewhere."
A "Fuck yeah!"
F "Fuck yeah!"
Drf "Quiet down, you in the back."
A "Oops."
A "Crap, the assignment!"
F "You’re still worried about that?"
"I flip the page over to reveal the second half, which we only have about ten minutes to finish."
F "It’s just the one assignment, and there’s already no way you can finish, right?"
F "Just relax, take a break now and then."
"I worriedly glance at the page again."
"Maybe she’s... they’re right."
A "Alright, sure."
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
"The two of us continue making plans up to the bell, and I toss the paper out when I leave."
#Let's all go to a Concert
"..."
scene room anon day
play music 'audio/OST/intercept.ogg' fadein 1.0
"The saturday after next I’m laying in bed, scrolling through various feeds of worthless information."
"God this Sandanistan post-modern graffitist RSS feed’s become a dumpster fire. Fucking tourists."
"I got an open can of soda, the lights are out, and I can hear RAYmba bumping around his box."
"This is the life."
"I’m about to reply to some guy claiming that he is most definitely angered in the posterior, but my phone buzzes, throwing off my answer."
"It’s a text from Fang."
"Fang: heyyyyyyy you got any plans later today?"
"Anon: who do you take me for"
"Anon: why do you ask?"
"Fang: ive shown you some songs from my favorite band right?"
"Fang: ‘Bigly Die’?"
"I vaguely recall Fang’s phone bugging out occasionally, was that supposed to be music?"
"Anon: think so yeah"
"Fang: theyre coming into town for tonight only!!!!!!!"
"Anon: cool, you plan on buying a ticket?"
"Fang: no need >:)))))"
"Fang: i won them in a raffle!"
"Anon: now when you say ‘them’..."
"Fang: of course i want you to go dork"
"Anon: oh. cool."
"Anon: wait"
"Fang: ill come pick you up at six tonight, dont forget!"
"Anon: alright, see you then"
"My hand falls to my side, dropping the phone onto the mattress."
"A concert…"
"On the one hand, I get to spend time with Fang doing something they love."
"On the other, concert."
"Who am I kidding, of course I’m going."
"I should go run and buy some earplugs just in case…"
stop music fadeout 1.0
"..."
scene skinrow
show anon neutral flip at aright
with fade
play music 'audio/OST/protestra_punk.ogg' fadein 1.0
"As I wait in front of my building for Fang I can’t help but feel a bit nervous."
"I’ve never been to a proper concert before."
"The closest was Fang and the band at Moe’s place."
"That counts, right?"
"Before I can continue that thought, I spot the NasCar speeding towards me."
"I feel myself cringe a bit for even thinking of that name."
"I move to the back before the car comes to a complete stop and open the door, Fang sitting on the other side."
F "Get in, dweeb."
"I can tell Naser is a bit nervous driving in this part of town with how he’s constantly looking around the car."
scene nascar day
"The door barely shuts when he speeds away from my apartment building and back towards civilization."
Nas "So uh, Anon…"
A "Yeah?"
Nas "That’s where you live?"
"Essentially asking ‘are you that poor’."
A "Nah, I just sleep there, keep all my stuff there, and hang out there most of the time."
"That elicited a laugh from Fang and a confused look from Naser."
"Can’t win them all I guess."
A "So this band-"
F "Bigly Die."
A "Bigly Die. Where are they playing at?"
F "Some club on the other side of town called the Lava Lamp."
"Can’t say I’ve really been to a club either."
A "...And what genre is their music exactly?"
F "They’re a Post-Extreme Neo-Indie Experimental Hardcore-Mathcore-Grindcore Industrial Heavy Punk Metal band."
"...What."
F "With an emphasis on creative expression and a down-to-earth worldview that just really speaks to me."
F "It’s the kind of stuff I wish we could have played in our band but Trish never thought it was ‘marketable’ enough."
A "English?"
Nas "Blender noises."
A "Thanks."
F "Oh, fuck both of you."
"Fang pouts, or as they put it, was in ‘silent protest against the world.’"
"Really, the way Fang crossed their arms and pointedly looked away from the two of us made me chuckle at the cute angry act."
A "So, word salad genre aside, they sound pretty big."
Nas "Not really."
F "They’re pretty underground, honestly."
"Fang passes my ticket over so I can see."
"Oh wow."
"The venue can hold double what Moe’s could."
"...Does that make it a big venue? Trish said Moe’s was small."
F "The place shouldn’t be too packed."
F "I know you don’t exactly like crowds, Anon."
"Awww, she does care."
"When we get there Naser stops me before I get out."
Nas "You need earplugs bro?"
A "Oh, I brought my own actually, but thanks."
F "Bunch of pansies. Both of you."
scene nightclub
show anon neutral at aleft
show fang neutral at scenter
with fade
"Naser smiles again and drives off, leaving Fang and I in front of the building."
"The place is a warehouse shed three stories tall, with graffiti staining nearly every inch of it."
"I’ve always wondered how people get up there."
"Already I can hear the bass rattling my eardrums."
play music 'audio/OST/The Top of the Social Ladder.ogg' fadein 1.0
"A man by the entrance checks our tickets and lets us pass."
A "This place must be pretty nice if they have to use a bouncer."
F "Oh yeah, the band makes plenty. They can afford some neat stuff like that."
"Painted signs in the lobby point to a stairwell leading down into the basement."
"The temperature rises a good twenty degrees on the trip down."
scene concertlobby
show anon neutral at aleft
show fang happy flip at sright
with fade
A "Jeez, do they have a furnace going down here?"
F "Concerts are usually hot, Anon."
F "Didn’t I tell you to bring a water bottle or something?"
A "No?"
F "Oops."
F "Well, there was a water fountain back up in the lobby. Not sure if you want to actually drink from it though unless you have a lead stomach lining."
A "I’ll keep that in mind."
"The music’s starting to sound like a gaggle of pissed-off cats being dropped into lawnmower blades, so I pop in the earplugs I got earlier."
"I was starting to hear animalistic chanting combined with the arrhythmic bashing of drums and what could only be described as the unholy fusion of squealing feedback and an unmaintained generator running on overdrive."
"Fang rolls their eyes and gestures to the open door to the concert hall."
F "The preshow’s almost done, we got here just in time."
"As soon as we open the doors, we’re almost blown back by the wall of sound that blasts past us."
play music 'audio/effects/chatter loop.ogg' fadein 1.0
scene biglydie
show anon neutral at aleft
show fang happy at sright
"The earplugs were not helping. At all."
"I’m pretty sure I just went deaf."
"There are about a hundred to a hundred fifty of the concert-goers, give or take."
"Most of them are thronging the stage while a few hang back and nurse their beers, waiting for the show to start."
unknown "THANK YOU MOTHERFUCKERS FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT!"
"The crowd responds with a collective roar of approval, Fang adding her voice to the cacophonic chorus."
unknown "It was an honor to open for the main show tonight, and they’re in for the gig of their lives judging by how brutal you guys were in the pit!"
"Another roar rips from the audience at the bare-faced flattery, probably the leftover adrenaline in their systems."
unknown "Alright… It’s time. Are you guys ready?"
"The crowd is practically foaming at the mouth as they scream unintelligibly yet again."
unknown "Come on, is that all you fucking got?! ARE YOU FUCKING READY?!"
"I thought that they couldn’t possibly have been more ready, but they somehow manage to scream even louder."
"I think I even saw some guy get punched as the person next to him thrust his fist upward while he yelled."
unknown "Now that’s what I like to hear. Let’s welcome… BIGLY DIE!"
"The crowd goes absolutely nuclear, people jumping up and down screaming their heads off as the band walks up onto the stage."
"Without another word they launch right into their opening song."
play music 'audio/OST/Many Such Cases of Being So True.ogg' fadein 1.0
"A flurry of instruments meet my ears in something vaguely resembling music."
"I still don’t quite understand the appeal, but the energy of the moment is getting to me."
"Before I know it I’m jumping and fist swinging along with everyone else."
scene black with fade
"Fang sees me join in and their beaming smile intensifies."
"Soon enough I’m elbow deep in the pit screaming as wildly as the crowd."
stop music
"...Then a stray elbow clocks me out early."
"..."
"Urgh…"
"Guh… Fuck piss cunt shit…"
unknown "How the fuck are you so heavy?"
"Wha…?"
"Someone’s dragging me?"
F "Oh, you’re back!"
"Fang lets me down onto my back, and I sit up straight."
scene concertlobby with fade
show fang happy at scenter
play music 'audio/OST/to_swagger.ogg' fadein 1.0
"We’re back in the lobby of the building, only it’s a lot quieter than when we first arrived."
show anon neutral flip at sright
"A dull pain rings through my head."
F "Are you alright?"
A "What happened?"
F "No idea, after the show I just found you laying on the ground."
F "You’re pretty lucky no one jumped on you. Everyone’s got good ole steel toes."
A "I was out the rest of the show?"
F "That’s the concert experience, right?"
F "Isn’t it great?"
A "It… certainly is a different experience, yeah."
A "Argh, my head…"
F "Yeah, you’re gonna want a rag or something."
F "Your lip’s pretty busted."
"I feel around my face, and sure enough a new pulse of pain shakes me."
"My fingers are covered in blood as I register my new cleft lip."
A "Do you got one?"
F "No… Sorry…"
"I bunch up the front of my shirt and hold it to my mouth."
F "Naser always keeps a first-aid kit in his trunk, he’ll be here in ten or so minutes."
F "You’ll look like ass at school for a few days but it can’t be that much of a change."
"Fang laughs at their own joke and I try to join in before my splitting headache kicks in."
F "Can you get up or do I have to drag you all the way out the door?"
"My legs are a bit wobbly but I manage to stand up with some assistance from Fang."
scene nightclub with fade
show anon neutral at acenter
show fang happy flip at sright
"They lead me out the front of the building and we sit on the curb to wait for Naser."
F "You doing okay? The bleeding stopped."
A "I feel like my head’s about to explode but I’ll be fine."
A "Better than last time this happened at least."
"Fang reaches into their pocket and retrieves their lighter and pack of cigarettes."
F "...You want a smoke?"
A "You know me too well."
"I take them from Fang’s hand and light my own cigarette for once."
"Taking my first draw and it’s almost enough to ignore my migraine."
F "You seem to really like those."
A "Yeah…"
F "You should get around to scraping enough pennies to get your own sometime."
A "Yeah, I’ll start buying my own when they cost less than my monthly rent."
F "So until then you’re gonna keep getting your teeth kicked in just to get one of mine?"
A "That’s the plan!"
"We chuckle, and Fang shifts closer to me, hugging my arm."
F "Dweeb."
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
#Prom is For Suckers
"..."
"-One Month Later-"
play music 'audio/OST/west_coast_kicking.ogg' fadein 1.0
"It’s prom night."
"The night Fang and I set aside for our own little party."
scene home fang outside night
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show naomi prom neutral flip at sright
with fade
"When I arrive at Fang’s place I see the Pomegranate Parasite waiting outside the front door."
"Great."
"And dear God, how can she move in that dress."
"It looks like it’s been shrink-wrapped to her body."
N "Oh, I already knocked Anon."
N "Naser will be out in a moment to invite us in, I’m sure Fang will be getting ready too."
N "... You, uh… Don’t seem very dressed for prom?"
A "Not going."
N "But you and Fang just make the cutest couple! You could have signed up for prom King and Queen!"
A "Nah. She said something about the ‘fascist sexist monarchy system’."
N "Well, Naser and I have entered and we are going to be prom royalty. Ooooh, I can not wait to wear that beautiful tiara, I picked it out and everything and the crown for Naser-"
show naomi prom happy
#[Naomi keikaku here]
"I’ve already tuned her out."
"Naser opens the door."
"Well if that isn’t the fanciest jacket I’ve seen in a while."
"It’s certainly better than the background of Avatar he always wears."
Nas "Sorry to keep you waiting, Naomi."
Nas "This thing is a nightmare to get over my wings."
show naser prom neutral flip at ncenter with dissolve
Nas "Oh, Anon! Come on in, didn’t know you were already here."
"He waves for the two of us to enter, pecking Naomi on the cheek when she passes."
scene home fang night
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show naser prom neutral at ncenter
show naomi prom neutral at scenter
with fade
"Fang’s Mother speaks up from the kitchen."
FM "Oh! Oh! Is that Anon?"
show fangmom neutral flip at sright with moveinright
Nas "Here we go."
"The small pterodactyl comes out, a bowl she’s struggling to stir in her arms."
FM "Oh! Anon’s come over too!."
FM "Are you two going to prom as well?"
A "No, I’m just visiting for a bit. Fang doesn’t want to go."
A "Where are they?"
FM "Lucy will be downstairs in a bit, she’s just getting the last of her makeup on!"
FM "In the meantime, take a seat! I’ve got some cookies in the oven that are almost ready!"
hide fangmom with moveoutleft
A "Er, yes, thank you ma’am."
hide anon with moveoutright
scene black with fade
"I take my seat in the usual spot, sinking in and feeling the pillows conform around my spine."
scene home fang night with fade
show anon prom neutral flip at aright
"This thing must cost a fortune."
"Fang’s dad is a police commissioner if I recall."
"That explains the luxurious furnishings."
"Now that I think about it, I’m surprised I haven’t seen him yet."
show fangdad neutral at sleft with dissolve
FD "So…"
"I hope I didn’t just ruin these jeans."
A "Good evening, sir."
A "I didn’t even see you in your chair, sir."
A "My apologies."
FD "Don’t sweat it, son."
FD "Thing about humans, as well as many carnivores, is that their vision is based largely on movement."
FD "You’d be surprised how useful staying quiet and stationary can be."
FD "How close you can get to someone without them knowing-"
show fangmom unimpressed flip at fmcenter with dissolve
FM "Sweetheart."
FD "Oh come on, you can’t expect me to believe he’s only here for a visit on the school’s prom night!"
FM "No. Intimidating. The Suitor."
"The big guy deflates a bit in his chair."
FD "Point is, don’t get any funny ideas."
A "Yessir."
FM "Oh Naser, you just look so cute with Naomi in that dashing little jacket!"
FM "Pictures! I need pictures!"
FM "Oh, we should get a new scrapbook just for this!"
"Naser worriedly looks at me as though I’d let him down somehow."
"My phone buzzes and I check to see who it is."
show anonphone at scenter with moveinbottom
"Fang: got out through the window, meet me at the bus stop"
"Anon: why didnt you have me wait there in the first place???"
"Fang: forgot dad wouldnt let us leave on our own in a million years"
"Fang: just make something up and get out of there"
hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
"I shift a bit in my seat, and Fang’s father notices my face has a gone a bit pale."
FD "Something wrong, son?"
A "Uhh, yeah."
"I get up from the sofa and start inching towards the door."
A "Sorry, I gotta go early."
"He squints distrustfully."
FD "Already? Lucy hasn’t even come downstairs yet."
A "Yeah, sorry. Emergency came up."
A "I uhh, y’know… Gotta go feed my pet roomba."
"I powerwalk to the exit, his chilling voice freezes me when I grab the doorknob."
FD "Hold it."
A "..."
FD "Roomba?"
A "That’s my dog’s name, yes."
"It is an absolute blessing that I’m facing the door."
"Cold sweat is pouring down my face, threatening to drip off my forehead."
"If it wasn’t for my suit jacket he would definitely see the spreading patches around my armpits."
FD "..."
A "..."
FD "..."
A "..."
FD "...Sorry to keep you then. Safe trip home."
A "Thanksyoutoobye."
"The door slams behind me and I make record time out of the block."
scene skinrow with fade
show anon prom neutral at aleft
"My calves are on fire but I only care about getting as far away as possible."
"Fang is sitting on the bench by the bus stop."
"They jump when they see me."
show fang neutral flip at sright
F "Jeez, anon, you look terrible!"
A "*huff* yeah... I *huff*... don’t feel great…"
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/bayside_revamp.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I take a moment to catch my breath."
A "...Don’t put me that close to death again, please."
F "Sorry, I forgot…"
F "I hate him so much sometimes…"
F "You gonna be okay?"
A "Yeah, I’m fine."
A "Are we taking the bus to the beach?"
F "I’ve called up a taxi."
F "It’ll be here any minute."
"I notice they’ve got a backpack with them."
A "The beer in there?"
F "Loads. Also some fireworks."
A "Rad."
"I sit next to Fang on the bench to wait."
"-Three Minutes and Twenty-Seven Seconds Later-"
"The Taxi comes barreling down the street, drifting into a turn and coming to a graceful stop in front of Fang and I."
"The window rolls down."
"It’s the same driver from before."
D "Yep. Still got it."
"The driver turns his head and looks over at us."
D "Ay, it’s my favorite couple again! How’s the leg, skinnie?"
"The driver chuckles at his own remark."
"I briefly consider calling a different cab, but decide to give him the benefit of the doubt."
A "It’s fine now, thanks for asking."
"I open the door for Fang and we both climb in the back."
scene taxi night
D "Where am I takin’ you?"
F "Take us to the beach."
D "Sounds romantic, anywhere in particular you got in mind?"
"I throw a look at Fang, not really having anywhere in mind."
A "Just anywhere I guess."
D "I think I know just the spot."
D " And it’s the scenic route too, so it works out for everyone!"
"He peels out from the school to whichever beach he’s taking us."
"Fang locks their hand in my own and rests her head on my shoulder during the silent drive."
"In the rear-view mirror, the driver makes eye contact with me."
"The bottom of his eye curls, and I know exactly what he’s thinking."
"His hand darts to the radio knob."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/its_footloose_now.ogg' fadein 1.0
A "Don-"
"The way I dance with youuuu~"
"Fang throws their head back in disgust."
F "UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHH."
F "Man, you hate getting tips, don’t you?"
D "I get something much better, take my word for it."
"Two songs and thirty ran red lights later we reach wherever it was he took us."
D "Here we are, best point at the beach."
D "Twenty-seven bucks and eighty cents."
"I pay the toll in crumpled fives, ones, and exact change."
D "Oh yeah. Skin Row, that’s right."
D "Anywho, have fun, you two!"
scene beach with fade
"We climb out the back of the cab and the driver gives me a wink before the taxi screeches away in a cloud of sand and carbon monoxide."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/effects/beach loop 1.ogg' fadein 1.0
"We have to be the only two who ever ride in that thing."
"Now it’s just us. Alone."
"I take Fang by the hand and we make our way down to the beach."
"There isn’t a single other person in sight. Perfect."
"..."
"I have no clue what the fuck I’m doing right now."
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show fang neutral flip at sright
F "How about we find a spot to sit then?"
A "Y-yeah. Sounds like a plan."
"The waves have receded far back, letting us walk along the soft sand more easily."
"After some time we find some kind of hidden shoal, only now revealed thanks to low tide."
F "This looks like a good place."
"Fang drops the backpack in the sand and promptly unzips it, retrieving two beer cans from inside."
"I take one from their extended hand and pull the tab open."
F "To all those fucking losers who went to prom."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/protestra_punk.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I take a sip and my face immediately contorts. It’s been a while since I’ve drank this shit."
show fang happy flip with dissolve
"Meanwhile Fang chugs half of their can and laughs at me."
F "Come on, Anon, don’t tell me you’re a lightweight."
"Fang wants to go? Let’s go."
A "No, fuck you!"
"I grab a fresh can and ram my pocket knife in the bottom, raising the hole to my mouth as I pull the tab."
F "Woohoo!"
"I finish the can and look up to see that Fang now has a firework in their hand."
"They plant it a few feet away and light the fuse way too close to the base."
"It zips off seconds later and explodes in a red burst after a few moments."
A "Oh hell yeah! This is way better than prom!"
A "Whaddya think they’re doing there anyways?"
F "Pffft, who cares?"
F "Naomi got her stupid crown and is probably sucking Naser’s dick in the locker room or something."
"That’s… specific."
"Fang sighs as I take another can from their bag and crack it open."
F "Y’know, Trish had this big idea when we started VVURM DRAMA."
"Fang sits down in the sand and I feel obligated to take a seat next to them, suffering the moist sand seeping into my clothes."
F "We were gonna play a show at prom and everyone was gonna love us and it was gonna be our ‘big break’ like she always said."
F "Now… fuuuck. Now Trish went and did all that to you and now none of that’s happening."
A "Eh, fuck her."
F "You know, part of me thought you two would just hatefuck and be done with it."
"..."
A "I er… that’s not happening."
"I finish the beer and toss the can into the sand."
"Better keep this party going."
F "I just wish everything could go back to the way it was before all that bullshit."
"Fang takes a sip from her can as I grab another."
A "Ha, you shaid it."
F "Pffft, are you already drunk? Looks like you are a lightweight after all."
A "It’sh all a bunch of bullshit. Shkool is bullshit and promf is bullshit and err’thang is bullshit."
A "Not you though, you- you- you’re not bullshit."
A "Err’thin was great ’til fuckin’ Trish done did me dirty and turned it into Rock Bottom two point oh."
A "I ackshually had frens ’n life ‘n shit."
A "’n not come off as a fuckin’ retard for once."
A "Fuck Trish n’ fuck Naomi too."
F "Yeah, fuck that bitch Naomi."
"Fang downs the rest of her can and reaches for another."
A "Yeah, fuck that bitch."
F "Controlling freak, probably does Naser’s homework."
"I bring my can up for another swig but it’s empty."
"Fuckin’ bitch. Even stealin’ my booze."
"I reach my hand… two hands… four hands?"
"I reach into the bag and find more liquid sustenance and pop the top and chug it all at once."
A "Fuck her stupid fuckin’ plans n’ try’na fix people."
F "Ha! Now you’re wasted!"
"The fuck I am."
"I bring my can up for another swig but it’s empty again."
"How does that pink bitch keep doing it?!"
"Always puttin’ her nose into everythin’. ‘How’s Fang, Anon?’ ‘What have yoush and Fang been up to?’"
"Whatta bitch."
F "That pampered princess. Always acting like she’s right. And how she’s got Naser just… wound up around her stupid finger."
"Yeah. Poor fuckin’ Naser. Even if his head looks like a perfect circle."
F "Hah!"
"Why is she laughing?"
"Meh. Musta thought somethin’ funneh."
A "Yeah, poor Naser."
"How the fuck did he even hook up with her ‘nyways?"
A "He’s soo worried about everyone, I always see him fretting about you."
A "You wouldn’t believe how much that pisses Naomi off."
"I can just imagine her now."
A "‘Nooo stop paying attention to Fang, waaaah’."
"The fuck’s her deal anyway… tryna ‘fix’ Fang…"
"Like… s’not her shit to fix…"
"S’not mine either…"
F "Fix?"
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/effects/beach loop 2.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Hm?"
A "Y’say somethin’?"
F "You said Naomi was trying to ‘Fix’ me?"
A "Fuuuuuuuuck…"
A "Well, uhhh…"
A "Y’know what, we’ve been together long enough…"
A "You promise not to kill me?"
F "I… what? Sure."
A "So Naomi right, she’s buggin’ me constantly when I first got here about dumb stuff."
F "As she does, yes."
A "Yeah, yeah. You fuckin’ hate her and she fuckin’ hates you and all, and she uhhhhh…"
A "She got me to start dating you, she thought I was some super cool magic guy that would make you normal or whatever."
F "Wait… Naomi put you up to dating me?"
A "She tried, yeah…"
A "Somethin’ about wanting all of Naser’s attention because he thinks you’re a screwup."
A "Shows what she knows, right?"
A "Probably couldn’t fix you if I tried."
"Fang’s eyebrows furrow."
F "You think I need fixing?"
A "I mean, no more than anyone else."
A "Everyone’s got their problems, y’know?"
A "Like me, I’m too nice to people. Too nice."
A "And you do that weird thing with the pronouns for attention."
show fang sad flip with dissolve
F "A-a-attention?!?"
A "We just gotta live with our faults sometimes, yeah?"
A "You can trust me, I know about this sorta thing…"
show fang angry flip with move:
xalign 1.3
"Pain blossoms across my cheek."
"Fang cradles her palm."
"If it feels anything like my face right now she’s gotta be hurting."
F "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
F "How could you say this is for attention!"
F "What attention? You know this is who I am!"
A "What, a girl with daddy issues?"
F "Y-y-you know I’m not a girl!"
A "You sure are fuckin’ acting like one…"
show fang very angry flip with dissolve
"Fang visibly pales."
"Her eyes harden."
F "Did you ever care about me or were you just ‘fixing’ everything Naomi didn’t like?"
F "Like the fucking tool that you are."
A "You serious? The way you’re going it seems anyone cares more about you than you!"
F "I can’t believe I ever thought you were better than any of the other fuckheads at school!"
F "That I ever opened up to you thinking this time would be different!"
F "...That I actually stuck up for you and broke off with my friends!"
F "But you’re still the same bigoted dumbass as the day I met you."
A "You should be glad I’ve put up with your shit as long as I have, I deserve a fuckin’ prize or something."
A "Not like anyone else would put up with a mentally ill schizo like you."
F "Mentally ill?!"
show fang ultra angry flip with dissolve
F "I AM NON-BINARY."
#TODO make a prom angry sprite and put it here
show anon prom neutral with dissolve
A "YOU DON’T EVEN MAKE A PASSABLE FAGGOT."
F "SHUT UP!"
"I try to step closer."
#TODO make a prom socked sprite for here
show anon prom neutral with move:
xalign -2.0
hide anon with dissolve
"Her palms thrust roughly into my chest."
show fang angry with dissolve
"The momentum from her shove and the soft footing beneath me send me sprawling back."
hide fang with moveoutright
"I splash into the shallow water, the stinging salt burning my eyes."
"From my resting spot in the shallows I see Fang’s silhouette shrink into the distance."
"I sit up, rising out of the pool of ocean water to see her halfway up the beach."
"She stops for a moment and turns back."
F "Anon…"
"I can barely make out her voice from so far away."
F "Trish was right about you."
"Her wings shift, hiding her completely as she slips away into the night."
"I lean back, resubmerging into the black sea water."
"The pain, from my cheek, and in my eyes, brings sobriety and clarity to what I’ve just done."
"Her parting words echo in my head and I can’t help but agree after I realize just what exactly happened."
"Surrounded by the salty air and soft waves, the alcohol finally gets to me and I drift out of consciousness."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
"..."
#Anon and the Infinite Sadnes
label clusterfuck:
"After Fang broke up with me everything just fell apart."
"I couldn’t be bothered with school anymore, instead shutting myself in my room and replaying old games."
"Naturally, I flunked out."
"With time on the lease running out, I had to make a decision soon.."
"College isn’t an option, so my choices were…"
"Minimum wage job, military, or going homeless."
"I’d rather not have stuck around town, and being homeless wasn’t very appealing either."
"So that November I signed up for the Navy as a PACT Seaman."
"The worst mistake of my life, and that’s really saying something considering how I got here."
"I was sold on the idea of picking a real job and getting training."
"Instead I was at the mercy of brutal Boatswain's Mates."
"I have the pig and chicken shit tattooed on my feet to prove it."
"Or at least I did, until I sold my battlestation to get them removed."
"I never want to touch a paintbrush in my life again."
"Though every day since I’ve been eying rope…"
"For four years my life was suffering."
"And now I’m back here."
"Plane ticket to anywhere."
"And I picked Volcadera Bluff."
"What the fuck was I thinking?"
"There was a simple answer to that."
"I wasn’t."
"Just like I wasn’t thinking on that beach."
"People don’t change, after all."
"I managed to get my old apartment in Skin Row back and it’s somehow even more of a shithole than it was four years ago."
"Only good thing out of the Navy was the monthly check."
"Fucking ladderwells. The steps finally got me in the end."
"Once I got my general discharge papers I vowed to never step foot on a ship again."
"Instead I’ve locked myself away in this room."
scene room anon dark with dissolve
play music 'audio/OST/Skinrow Soul.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Just listlessly drifting through life."
"Just like I always wanted."
"The trash from all the deliveries has turned it into a small landfill."
"I’m out of smokes, I’m out of liquor, my apartment smells like a shallow grave."
"I really need to go out for once."
"I vaguely recall there being a pizza place nearby, some chain on the edge of Skin Row."
"Pizza always helps. And it’s cheap."
"And there’s a smoke shop nearby."
"With that plan settled I grab the jacket that I haven’t worn in weeks."
"I give it a quick smell check before putting it on and heading for the door."
"As I walk through the front of the building I feel the burning bright light of the setting sun searing my eyes."
A "Argh, fuck! It’s like getting skullfucked by one of Stony’s light bars!"
show doomeranon01 with fade
"After stumbling around like Helen Keller for a few moments, my eyes finally adjust to the sunlight and I start to make my way down the street."
"Pizza time here I come."
"..."
scene doomeranon02 with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/effects/chatter loop.ogg' fadein 1.0
"It’s morose and gray out, clouds hang heavy and blots the sun out."
"The homeless litter the street more than usual in this part of town."
"Even outside the dingy pizza place I found."
"There’s only a few people inside the joint when I enter."
"The entire place could be described as ‘slow’."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/The Top of the Social Ladder.ogg' fadein 1.0
"A cashier leans on one arm over the counter, the customers’ pizza already looks cold on their plates, an ambient track plays at a molasses pace."
"Time itself seems to be dilating in here."
"I order two slices to go and wait by the counter for the cashier to meander to the back for a new stack of boxes."
"Out of the corner of my eye I notice that the place has a small stage tucked into the back."
"Oh, so they have live music?"
"The current song ends and they shift amongst themselves to get the next one ready."
"The drummer taps his drumsticks together and starts a basic percussion line."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"After a few beats the dreary singing begins and I feel my heart drop."
"No matter how much of my memory I repress, I could never forget that voice."
"I throw an inconspicuous glance across the room and confirm my suspicions."
scene doomeranon03
play music 'audio/OST/The.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I can barely recognize Fang."
"A part of me denies that the person up on stage could have been her."
"My more rational side however clarifies that it’s Fang up there, singing a song I know by heart."
"The years have not been kind to her."
"Her long gray hair is now totally shaved off and she has tattoos down both of her arms."
"The thick black eyeliner makes her once bright amber eyes seem dull."
"And the expression on her face is one of absolute misery."
"The other two don’t look any better off either."
"I don’t think Fang’s seen me yet."
"Or doesn’t recognize me."
"We’re a few years older now, a few years wiser."
"Maybe just a bit worse off."
"The cashier returns with some cardboard boxes and packs my order into a neatly-folded package."
"I stay and wait. Watching her."
"Hoping for her to look at me."
"Recognize me."
"That I’m the only one here who cares to watch her play here."
"Finally, her eyes cast over the audience, looking over them."
"Looking over me."
"Her gaze just passes me by, even though I’m the only one looking."
"She doesn’t recognize me."
"It’s sobering."
"I guess that was it, it was fun pretending this might go somewhere."
"She recognizes me, drops her instruments and comes to my arms, and we date again."
"We forgive ourselves, and we start over."
"I let out a small sigh."
"I hesitate with the box in my hand."
"Fang is right there."
"I could take everything back. Everything that went wrong all because of that fight."
"If {i}I{/i} try talking to her, she might forgive me."
"Give us both a fresh start."
"Things could go back to the way they were, back before..."
"Before…"
F "{alpha=0.5}{i}Trish was right about you.{/i}{/alpha}"
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/Beach Chill Out.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I…"
"I really should go get those smokes."
"I take one last look of Fang, to further cement in my mind I’m making the right choice."
"I couldn’t save her. Why would I save her? In her infinite talent can’t she see she’s a dump?"
"I saw it, she’s smart, I’m a dope. Yet why does she do that to herself?"
scene doomeranon04 with fade
"The bell on the door jingles it’s farewell, and I open the box to eat the first slice."
"As the taste of cardboard fills my mouth I try to erase the last few minutes from my memory."
"But I know it won’t ever leave."
"None of my memories will."
"I can just picture Fang, looking like a junkie like she does now in that pizzeria, playing to an audience of nobody: judging me and how I’m living from now on."
"And I’ll say: \"Yes Fang. I live on a pension alone in my apartment, playing games and watching movies and sleeping. it’s all I could ever want because I don’t want much in the first place.\""
"And she’ll probably scream at me, unload her frustrations on me, call me selfish, and I’ll just say \"goodbye, Fang.\""
"It could’ve been a painful way of going our own way…"
"...after some possibly pleasant time playing catch-up…"
"....but the thought of coming back to my apartment alone with my pizza, watching a movie on my tv, undisturbed, with no judgement for my appearance or the place I live, it fills me with relief."
"It’s all I ever wanted."
"It’s all I’ll ever need."
"Goodbye, Fang. It was nice seeing you again, I suppose."
"Because I haven’t changed."
stop music
scene black
"People never change."
$ quick_menu = False
window hide
scene 2of4 with fade
pause 5
scene black with fade
pause 5
jump ending
elif anonscore <= 2 and fangscore <= 2:
label shooter:
#Announcing a Plan | shooter
show anon neutral at aleft
show fang neutral at scenter
"I help Fang through the first few questions until she says she has a good grasp on the concept."
"Eventually I’m able to focus on my own work again, making steady progress through the remaining problems."
"My mind wanders back to the idea of going to Prom."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"I honestly don’t feel like going."
"Maybe Fang will feel the same about skipping prom and just going to the beach or something."
play music 'audio/OST/That Monochromatic Weirdo.ogg' fadein 1.0
A "Hey Fang. Do-"
"Something’s off with Fang, she’s gazing vacantly into space."
"Her worksheet lies untouched in front of her."
A "... Fang?"
F "... I’ve decided."
A "Huh?"
show fang happy flip at scenter
F "VVURM DRAMA has to play for the school at prom."
F "It’s the only way that everyone will finally see our talent."
A "Wait, your band? But I thought you broke off last mon-"
F "Oh, don’t worry about that."
F "Trish called with the idea last night and I apologized!"
A "I-wait, you apologized?"
F "Thinking about it again, leaving the band was something of an overreaction on my part."
A "Overreaction? But she-"
F "Trish has been my friend for a long time, and I shouldn’t have been so harsh on her."
A "Uh… ye-"
F "So the band’s back together!"
F "Isn’t that great!?"
A "I-I, uh, sure?"
F "So you’ll go to prom to help us play, right?"
"So much for avoiding it. Fuck me."
A "Guess I don’t have much of a choice."
A "You sure about Trish though?"
A "She proba-"
F "Oh, you can apologize to her at lunch today."
stop music
A "Wh-buh… What?!"
play music 'audio/OST/ballad_of_the_boot.ogg' fadein 1.0
A "Why in the seven fucks would I apologize to her?"
A "The janitors have stopped washing my locker since it just gets more dicks drawn on it every day!"
A "There’s more dicks on my locker than in a pride parade for fucks sake!"
F "It’s easier than just letting it boil, right?"
F "You should be more willing to forgive people."
F "Come on, we both have limited friend groups."
F "We can’t afford to burn bridges when we can just accept things, right?"
"..."
"When she puts it like that…"
A "I… Whatever. Fine."
"But how she put it."
"Maybe it’s just me, but she seems a little…"
"Frantic."
F "Ohh, thank you so much Anon!"
F "I’ll start looking for a good suit to wear!"
"Fang yanks her phone out and starts looking through an online catalogue of androgynous formal wear."
"Well, this can’t be a good sign."
"Highlight of our time here at Volcano High indeed."
stop music fadeout 1.0
#Lets all go to the Museum
scene black with fade
scene room anon dark with fade
play music 'audio/OST/to_swagger.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Later that night after school Fang texts me."
"Fang: Alright i got a plan"
"Anon: a plan?"
"Fang: To make sure the concert goes off without a hitch"
"Fang: First we need to learn right from the source"
"Anon: the source?"
"Fang: Theres an old museum of fine arts doing a special exhibit on music next week"
"Fang: Lots of stories of bands pulling through last minute right?"
"Fang: If we study from those old guys we’re guaranteed to do great!"
"Anon: is it really that simple?"
"Fang: Sure!"
"Fang: Were gonna learn how old bands did well, were gonna play our music at prom, everyones gonna love us, and its gonna be great."
"Anon: that’s a lot of ‘gonnas’"
"Fang: And youre gonna come with me"
"Anon: what about trish and reed?"
"Fang: Sending them to a bunch of old record shops to cover more ground"
"Fang: So itll just be the two of us"
"Anon: sounds like a plan."
"Fang: Meet me at the galleria at three alright?"
"Anon: i’ll be there."
"I put my phone down and look around my room."
"Do you need to dress special to go to museums…?"
"... Not sure if that would be good enough."
"It’s probably fine, I shouldn’t be getting so worked up."
"I get to spend the whole day with Fang, after all."
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
"..."
scene museum
play music 'audio/effects/chatter loop.ogg' fadein 1.0
"The fine art museum turns out to be a relatively modern building right in the middle of the galleria."
"Exactly the last kind of place I would expect Fang to be seen at."
"I almost regret my decision not to wear my dirty dress clothes before seeing Fang already waiting for me by the entrance."
"Seeing me approach, she drops her cigarette and grinds the butt to ash under her heel."
F "Took you long enough."
show anon neutral at aleft
show fang happy flip at sright
with dissolve
"Here’s your one chance Anon don’t fuck it up."
A "Kept you waiting, huh?"
F "God, you’re such a dork. C’mon, the music exhibit is inside."
"Thankfully admission to the museum was free."
"She leads me by the hand through the front doors, and I immediately feel the temperature fall at least ten degrees."
"Are museums always this cold?"
scene museuminside
show anon neutral at aleft
show fang happy at sright
"The music exhibit is all the way in the back of the museum, past several rooms of abstract modern art."
F "What a bunch of junk."
A "What, you don’t want to buy a painting made with dino egg yolks and whites for ten million?"
F "What a steal!"
A "What about a sheet of paper with an url to a picture of a fridge for fifty grand?"
F "You’re messing with me."
A "It’s true, I’ll show you when we get out of here."
"We reach the exhibit hall with the big words ‘THE STYGY MOLDRIX EXPERIENCE’ hanging over the door."
"Despite it being a limited time event on the life and times of a famous musician, there’s only a few dozen people here."
F "Finally!"
F "Alright, Anon, get ready to take notes!"
A "Notes…?"
"Fang grabs me by the forearm and rushes the two of us into the exhibit."
"Once inside, she gives me her phone."
F "Take pictures of everything for me, okay?"
A "Dowhatnow? Uh, okay, sure…"
F "Let’s start with… Uhh…"
"She scans the room briefly before pointing giddily to a guitar hanging inside a case."
"Despite being several decades old, the guitar was clearly well looked after."
"The lacquer on the wood gleamed under the spotlights and the metal didn’t have a speck of rust on it."
F "OH! OH! That!"
A "What is it?"
"She sprints over to the case and I have to catch up making sure I don’t drop her phone."
F "It’s Stygy’s famous guitar!"
F "It’s actually a right handed piece, but Stygy was left-handed but couldn’t afford a lefty guitar, so he re-strung a regular one so he could play it."
F "This guitar was the one he used on his last show at an informal gig in some jazz club in London, a few days before he bit it while OD-ing on drugs."
A "Yeah, that’s pretty cool."
"I caught maybe half of that."
"Either way, I snap several pictures from various angles while Fang continues her sermon."
F "Alright, what’s next?"
"She drags me along to the next display case, a few vacuum-sealed pages with various scribblings on them."
F "And these are some letters he hand-wrote to his father! If my dad wasn’t such an asshole he could have pulled some strings and let us play in the precinct!"
"I try keeping up with her ramblings while taking pictures, but somewhere along the way I lose her in the twisting corridors."
A "Oops."
"I stand in place looking around a bit, but she’s nowhere in sight."
"She can’t have gone far, guess I’ll keep taking pictures of things."
"My eyes are drawn to a monitor on the wall playing documentary footage."
"It was a clip of Stygy playing the national anthem as a protest song or something."
"It sounded kinda cool, I’ll give him that much."
F "Ooh, that’s a good find, Anon!"
"Fang’s voice makes me jump as she reappears out of nowhere."
F "Maybe we could play something like that, show us as a champion of the common man!"
A "...Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Glad I could help."
F "I saw some good stuff in the next row over we can go check out. too."
"She drags me away from the screen to whatever it is she wants to take ‘inspiration’ from."
play music 'audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I’m glad she’s having fun and all, but…"
"I wish this was more of a date than a research assignment."
"But I guess she’d feel the same way if I bombarded her with anime."
"She has her interests and I have mine."
"Maybe after this I can take her to a restaurant."
"We’re in a city, but there’s bound to be something relatively cheap nearby."
"It’d be nice, talking about the pictures and things we’ve been taking over some burgers."
"It’s only four-thirty now, it’ll be about dinner time by the time we get out, too."
"Pretty decent timing, sounds like a good plan."
"Fang drags me around a few more exhibits, cataloguing the various paraphernalia and stopping occasionally to obsess over some minor detail."
"Eventually we loop back around to the entrance."
"Fang looks back at the room we just came from."
A "You about ready to go?"
F "Maybe… Just trying to think if we missed anything…"
A "I’m pretty sure we got everything, you could probably reconstruct the entire exhibit using only these pictures I took."
F "I guess… Just can’t have this part of the plan go wrong, you know?"
A "About that, I’m still not sure what your plan is meant to-"
F "OH WAIT!"
"She dashes off back into the room we just came in, leaving my words dangling from my mouth."
"While I’m gone her phone buzzes."
play music 'audio/OST/Summertime Synth.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Trish: hey r u rdy to mt up lik u sad we wud?"
"What…?"
"It says these ebonics come from Trish, but I didn’t know they were meeting later…"
"This’ll throw a huge wrench into my plan earlier…"
F "Alright, sorry, I’m back."
A "What was that about?"
F "Sorry, had to hit up the gift shop."
A "Oh."
"That explains the fuck-ugly tie-dye monstrosity tide around her headcrest."
A "You uh, got a text from Trish, I think."
"I hand her back her phone."
F "Oh! That’s right, I told her and Reed that we’d meet up after we were done with everything."
A "...I see…"
F "Right, so I’ll tell her we should meet at-"
A "Actually, Fang, hold on a second…"
F "Hm?"
A "Before we all meet together, do you want to stop by a restaurant or something, just the two of us?"
"She thinks to herself for a moment and smiles."
F "Of course, I dragged you along this whole time after all."
A "Don’t worry about it."
A "I think I can get us something from that taco truck I saw on the way in."
F "Alright, I’ll tell Trish to wait a bit."
"Instead of Fang dragging me through the museum, we walked out casually hand in hand."
"I think I saw that truck a block east from here…"
A "By the way, do you take pollo or asada or what on your taco. Please don’t say leng-"
F "Wait!!"
"She stops dead in her tracks, head jerked to the side."
A "Huh?"
F "Look!"
"I peer at where she’s pointing."
"Some poster on the museum wall, it’s an advertisement for a documentary playing in the museum’s mini theater."
"And… It’s a documentary on Stygy Moldrix."
F "I didn’t see this on the way in, we have to see that too!"
A "But what abou-"
F "I know, I know, I’m sorry Anon…"
"Her eyes plead with me for mercy."
F "Just bear with me a while longer?"
"I…"
"Well, it’s not like the truck’s going anywhere, at least."
A "... Fine. Let’s go…"
F "Oh, thank you Anon!"
A "Yeah, I know this means a lot to you."
F "Come on, the next showing is in five minutes!"
"Already I’m being dragged back inside."
"I guess seeing a movie with Fang isn’t the worst thing in the world."
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
"..."
scene theater with fade
"Well this sucks."
"I feel my stomach grumble for what feels like the fiftieth time, once again regretting not even buying an overpriced bag of popcorn."
"Stealthily as I could, I check the time on my phone before the light can distract anyone else."
"It’s been thirty-six minutes since the documentary started, only a few more to go before I can escape."
"I glance over at Fang, who has been so engrossed in the film that she hasn’t so much as looked at me this entire time."
"Resigning myself to my fate, my eyes return to the screen which is currently going on about Stygy’s fourth unfinished studio album."
"How exciting."
"I would have just slept through it if I knew Fang wouldn’t be upset with me."
"Not just because of how interested she is in Stygy Moldrix, but because I wouldn’t be taking notes."
"As the screen fades and the lights turn back on, I silently thank Raptor Jesus for ending my forty-minute torment."
F "That was really good! A lot of ideas for the band!"
A "Er… yeah, it was cool I guess."
"Just please get me out of here."
A "Now about that food truck…"
F "Oh! I told Trish and Reed that we could meet at the Galleria food court, we can get something to eat there."
"Really not looking forward to being anywhere near Trish but food is food."
"Part of me just wants to call the date here and go home."
"Not that it was ever much of a date to begin with."
A "Alright, let’s go then."
"At least I can talk to Reed about Rock Ring or something."
"Fang smiles and leads me back out of the museum and towards the food court."
"I still think this is a bad idea, I’m still not over what Trish did and I doubt her mind has changed much either."
F "Stop being grumpy, Anon, you’re just hungry."
"For fuck’s sake."
A "Fang, someone filled my locker with a shit-ton of hentai they printed out last week. It’s not okay."
F "That’s just some dumbass at school, we can get some food and it’ll be fine."
scene foodcourt
show fang neutral at aleft
show anon neutral at aleft
with fade
"We round the corner and I immediately lock on to a certain triceratops."
show reed sunglasses flip at rright:
show trish neutral:
xalign 0.8
with dissolve
"Trish and Reed were already eating at one of the tables."
"Fuck that."
A "I’m gonna go get something to eat first… You want anything?"
F "Nah, I’m good. Not that hungry."
"Extra order of fries it is."
"I split off from Fang to find a place to get food from."
scene foodcourt
show anon neutral flip at aleft
with fade
play music 'audio/OST/sadist.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I glance over my shoulder to see Fang saying something and hugging Trish, both of them turning to look over at me."
"Trish looking significantly less enthused than Fang. No surprise there."
"I stand in line for a Cretaceous Fried Chicken stand and order my food, savoring every moment I wait and don’t have to interact with Trish."
"The moment doesn’t last long and I walk over to the table, food in hand."
scene foodcourt
show fang neutral at aleft
show anon neutral at aleft
show reed sunglasses flip at rright:
show trish neutral flip:
xalign 1.1
with dissolve
"I take the seat between Fang and Reed, which puts me straight across the table from Trish."
"Of fucking course."
"I place the basket of fries in front of Fang and she immediately starts digging in. So much for not being hungry."
"Reed gives me a thumbs up, wearing his giant oversized sunglasses again."
"While Trish is making a face somewhere in between judgemental and open contempt."
show trish smug flip
T "So what took you so long? He wasn’t wasting your time again, was he, Fang?"
show trish neutral flip with dissolve
"Welp time to clock out of that conversation."
"I’m sure they can have a riveting discussion without me."
"It’s just one meal after all, I can ignore Trish for an hour and then Fang and I can leave."
"Digging into my basket of chicken tenders, I pull out my phone and head straight to the armenian graphic design forum."
show anonphone with moveinbottom
"There’s another Grugsnax thread I can shitpost in to pass the time."
"Every once in a while I look up from my phone and catch Trish giving me a death glare before turning to look back at the others."
"Before long my train of thought is broken by Fang saying… something."
F "...so Anon, what do you think?"
hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
A "Uh, yeah. That sounds good?"
F "Great! We can try Trish’s new song in the next rehearsal!"
show trish smug flip with dissolve
"Trish looks smug. What did I agree to?"
T "I’m surprised you agreed to that, I would have thought you wanted us to play some anime song instead."
"She’s just loving this, isn’t she."
Re "Hey man, that sounds kinda fun."
"Reed is qualed by Trish’s sneer."
"Know what. I don’t care anymore."
F "Maybe… But let’s talk about that later. I’m cravin’ a milkshake now."
hide fang with dissolve
"Fang gets up and turns to a nearby smoothie booth."
"Leaving me here."
"To deal with this. These."
T "So, Anon…"
"Her grin is just short of vicious."
T "So happy you agreed to my idea."
T "Guess you’re starting to get some good taste."
T "Better than any of that weeb-pop trash you’ve got on your phone."
"I pointedly ignore her. She’s trying to get a rise out of me."
T "Maybe I’ll make a somebody out of you too."
T "Maybe…"
"My fist clenches tightly beneath the table."
menu:
"It's not worth it.":
"I can see it now."
"I've had about enough of this.":
"Just before I get up I think through it one more time."
"Her stupid horn jammed right in her eye."
"I sigh."
"My fist unfurls."
A "Yeah, sure, whatever."
"God this was a waste of a day."
"Normally I would love just spending time with Fang, but she’s been so preoccupied with the band lately."
"I don’t even know why she needed me today when all she did was drag me around."
"And now being anywhere near Trish is the cherry on the shit sundae."
"Fang returns a few moments later with a milkshake in her hand."
show fang happy at sleft behind anon with dissolve
F "What’d I miss?"
T "Just talking to White Knight about his taste in music."
"Fuck this."
"I can’t deal with this anymore."
A "Shit, I just got a text from the post office. Says my dad’s prom suit came and I wanted to get there before it closed."
A "Sorry to do this Fang, I gotta go. See you at school tomorrow."
"I hate lying to Fang this way but I just can’t stand being around Trish any more."
show fang sad with dissolve
F "O-oh, it wasn’t anything I did, was it?"
A "Everything’s fine, I just want to be ready for prom and your show."
show fang neutral with dissolve
"That seemed to put her at ease."
F "Alright… we still have a bunch to talk about for the show. See you tomorrow, then."
show reed happy sunglasses flip with dissolve
Re "Peace, dude."
"I give Fang a reassuring hug and promptly head towards the bus stop, not missing Trish’s dumb smug face as I pass her."
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
"God damn it."
"..."
scene home fang day
show fang a prom happy flip at sright
show fangmom neutral at fmleft
show naomi prom neutral at scenter
show anon prom neutral flip at aright
with fade
#Prom is Complicated
scene black with fade
"-One Month Later-"
play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating the Moment.ogg' fadein 1.0
"It’s prom night."
"My old man was kind enough to send over his old tuxedo from his time at high school."
"It took a bit of sewing, but I got it looking pretty good."
"Judging by the wine stains on the sleeves, Dad’s made a lot of important announcements in this tuxedo."
"Gives it a bit of history, I guess."
scene home fang outside night
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show naomi prom neutral flip at sright
with fade
"When I arrive at Fang’s place with a cheap corsage I see the Pomegranate Parasite waiting outside the front door."
"Great."
"And dear god, how can she move in that dress."
"It looks like it’s been shrink-wrapped to her body."
N "Oh, I already knocked Anon."
N "Naser will be out in a moment to invite us in, I’m sure Fang will be getting ready too."
N "I’ve heard the two of you are going to prom together!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, the next Sherlock Holmes."
A "No, I just happen to be here in a suit to go golfing."
"I ignore her, focusing instead on not stabbing my palm even more on this flower’s thorns."
"Fuck it, free is free."
"And nothing more free than a five finger discount from the neighbor’s yard."
N "You and Fang just make the cutest couple! Did you two sign up for prom king and queen?"
A "Nah. She said something about the ‘fascist sexist monarchy system’."
N "Well, Naser and I have entered and we are going to be prom royalty. Ooooh, I can not wait to wear that beautiful tiara, I picked it out and everything and the crown for Naser-"
show naomi prom happy flip
"I’ve already tuned her out."
show naser prom neutral at ncenter with dissolve
"Naser opens the door."
"Well if that isn’t the fanciest jacket I’ve seen in a while."
"It’s certainly better than the background of Avatar he always wears."
Nas "Sorry to keep you waiting, Naomi."
Nas "This thing is a nightmare to get over my wings."
show naser prom happy flip at ncenter with dissolve
Nas "Oh, Anon! Come on in, didn’t know you were already here."
"He waves for the two of us to enter, pecking Naomi on the cheek when she passes."
play music 'audio/OST/Dragging on and on....ogg' fadein 1.0
scene home fang night
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show naser prom neutral at ncenter
show naomi prom neutral at scenter
with fade
"Fang’s Mother speaks up from the kitchen."
show fangmom neutral flip at sright with moveinright
FM "Oh! Oh! Is that Anon?"
Nas "Here we go."
"The small pterodactyl comes out, a bowl she’s struggling to stir in her arms."
FM "My, aren’t you handsome."
FM "Pictures! I need to get pictures of you and Lucy!"
"She sets the bowl aside on the coffee table to frantically search for a polaroid camera."
FM "To think Lucy would have such a wonderful young man to take her to prom!"
FM "Aha! Found it. Hold still, dear."
scene black with fade
"ARGH! Like getting slapped in the face by the sun’s dick!"
"I blink the blindness away. So that’s why Naser has those fucking aviators."
scene home fang night
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show naser prom neutral at ncenter
show naomi prom neutral at scenter
show fangmom neutral flip at sright
with fade
FM "Lucy will be downstairs in a bit, she’s just getting the last of her makeup on!"
hide fangmom with moveoutleft
FM "In the meantime, take a seat! I’ve got some cookies in the oven that are almost ready!"
A "Er, yes, thank you ma’am."
"I take my seat in the usual spot, sinking in and feeling the pillows conform around my spine."
hide anon with moveoutright
scene black with fade
scene home fang night with fade
show anon prom neutral flip at aright
"This thing must cost a fortune."
"Fang’s dad is a police commissioner if I recall."
"That explains the luxurious furnishings."
"Now that I think about it, I’m surprised I haven’t seen him yet."
show fangdad neutral at sleft with dissolve
FD "So…"
"I hope I didn’t just ruin these slacks."
A "Good evening, sir."
A "I didn’t even see you in your chair, sir."
A "My apologies."
FD "Don’t sweat it, son."
FD "Thing about humans, as well as many charnivores, is that their vision is based largely on movement."
FD "You’d be surprised how useful staying quiet and stationary can be."
FD "How close you can get to someone without them knowing-"
show fangmom unimpressed flip at fmcenter with dissolve
FM "Sweetheart."
FM "No. Intimidating. The Suitor."
"The big guy deflates a bit in his chair."
FD "Point is, don’t get any funny ideas."
A "Yessir."
hide fangdad with dissolve
show naser prom neutral at nleft with moveinleft
N "We’re all taking the NasCar, right?"
Nas "Yeah, yeah."
Nas "Once Fang gets down we’ll skedaddle."
A "So until then we just sit and chill?"
show naomi prom happy at sleft with moveinleft
N "We could take more pictures!"
"Please no."
show fangmom neutral at fmcenter with moveinleft
FM "Oh! I would love to make this a little photo op!"
scene black with fade
"Thirty photos later and I never want to see another camera again."
"Fang’s mom decided to take pictures of every possible combination of us."
"I don’t know which was worse, having to pose with Naomi or Fang’s dad digging his murder claws into my shoulder."
"I’ve lost nearly all feeling in that arm."
"Pretty sure that’ll leave a bruise worse than my accelerated hug with the stair bollard last month."
"At least the pics with Naser were a nice reprieve."
"We ended up looking like the blues brothers, standing side by side in fuck ugly suits."
"Just as I was about to resign myself to premature blindness from the camera flash, my saviour arrives."
F "Oh, Anon, you’re already here!"
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene home fang night
show fang a prom neutral:
xalign -0.3
show anon prom neutral flip at acenter
with fade
"Fang comes downstairs in a fancy getup."
play music 'audio/OST/ballad_of_the_boot.ogg' fadein 1.0
"It’s certainly… Less traditional than mine."
"No less flattering though."
"Legs for days and days."
show fangmom unimpressed flip at fmright
FM "Oh, I was hoping you would wear the dress I bought you sweetheart."
F "Mooooom. This is better, it’s gender neutral formal wear!"
"Looks more like she took some dickies and made them into some booty shorts."
"Not that I’m complaining."
"The word plump is quite apt right now."
show naomi prom neutral flip with moveinright:
xalign 1.2
N "Oh, Fang…"
N "That’s an… Interesting outfit you’re wearing."
"Naomi side-eyes me a dagger."
N "I thought you’d be wearing some kind of dress…"
F "Nah, dresses aren’t my style."
N "I-I see…"
N "Well your outfit certainly… pairs well with Anon’s."
show fang a prom angry
with dissolve
F "Oh I love your dress too, you look just like a giant pink dildo!"
show naomi prom angry flip with dissolve
FM "Lucy!"
F "What did I say about that! I already told you, my name is Fang!"
"Fang’s mom just sighs."
FM "Okay, sorry, Fang. But please, you don’t need to use that kind of language towards guests!"
F "...Whatever…"
A "Maybe we should just go…"
F "I’m not sharing a ride with her."
N "Well, if you insist, Fang. Before you go… Anon, can I speak with you for a second?"
"Before I can even say anything, Naomi’s dragging me by the shoulder into the kitchen."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene kitchen
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show naomi prom angry flip at scenter
with fade
"She gives me a death stare for what seems like a solid minute before she begins yelling at me"
N "What the hell is your problem, Anon?!"
"I think it’s the first time I’ve ever heard Naomi raise her voice, or even swear."
N "How in the fuck did you manage to make Fang worse?"
A "I… What the hell are you talking about?"
"Naomi begins to somehow look even more earth-shatteringly mad."
N "I thought you were gonna make her better!"
A "What the fuck do you mean, ‘make her better’?"
N "It’s like you didn’t even try to help her."
A "I did the best I could, okay!"
A "I certainly did more than whatever you’ve ever done for her."
A "And you know what, she’s her own person! If she’s happy, I’m happy."
"Naomi’s face of sheer anger quickly turns to disgust."
N "I can’t believe you. You really don’t get it."
"Naomi sighs and walks away, shoving into my shoulder on the way out, completely disregarding my presence."
N "Just go, get out of here."
N "This conversation is over."
hide naomi with dissolve
"I can hear Fang arguing with her parents in the other room with Naomi not yelling at me anymore."
"I place my hands in my pockets, turn around, and head back into the foyer."
"My walking slows, and the hall feels like it stretches onwards for miles."
"Could Naomi be right? About Fang?"
"No, no, she can’t be right!"
"Fang is happy with herself, for once."
"The arguing from the other room quickly and very loudly breaks my train of thought and I stride back to where everybody is gathered."
scene home fang night
show fangdad unimpressed at sleft
show fang a prom angry flip at scenter
show naomi prom angry flip:
xalign 1.3
FD "...That is no way to talk to your mother, young lady!"
F "I’m not a fuckin’ lady, dad!"
"Naomi’s leaned against a wall next to the entry to that hall."
"She turns to me, with an expression of very intently restrained rage on her face."
"Did I really do this, Naomi?"
N "Maybe you should leave before this turns into a fight."
"Naomi’s words were cold but probably true."
show fang a prom angry with dissolve
"Fang looked ready to set her house on fire until she caught me in the corner of her eye."
hide fang with moveoutright
"Without a word she grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me through the front door, guitar in her other hand."
scene home fang outside night with fade
show fang a prom angry at sleft
show anon prom neutral flip at aright
F "…’mme call a taxi or something."
"We sit on the curb in silence until our ride arrives."
"It’s the same velociraptor driver from before. Of course it is."
"I open the door for Fang as she fits her guitar in the back seat."
scene taxi night with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
D "Ay, it’s my favorite couple again! How’s the leg, skinnie?"
"The driver chuckles at his own remark."
A "We’re doing fine, take us to Volcano high"
D "Prom I’m guessing? Ya’ two high school sweet-hearts should stay safe out there! Crazy worl’ out there innit’?"
A "Yeah I guess..."
D "Not too much party in you. You sure you guys are going to prom?"
A "We’re sure."
D "Well, if you say so."
"The cab starts down the street at what was easily twice the speed limit."
"The engine is surprisingly quiet, and leaves the silence awkward between the three of us."
"In the mirror, the Drivers’ eyes start showing a bit of concern."
"He glances towards the radio."
A "Please don’t."
D "Mmm."
"He gives a disappointed look through the reflection."
D "..."
D "You kids uh…"
D "You feel like stopping by a restaurant or something by any chance?"
D "I know a good Chinese place around here…"
D "I can wait outside if you two want to, y’know… I won't even add onto the bill..."
F "I’m on a schedule."
F "We’ll pass."
A "No Thanks."
D "Sure, sure."
"The Driver sighs a little"
scene outside school night
show fang a prom neutral at sleft
show anon prom neutral flip at aright
with fade
"Eventually the cab pulls up to the school gymnasium, illuminated by the celebratory decorative string lights."
"Fang opens her wallet to pay the toll."
D "Uhh… Y’know what, it’s on the house this time, kids."
A "Wait, really?"
D "Sure, yeah."
D "Just have fun, y’know, and uhh…"
D "If you need a cab again, you know the number."
F "We know, we know."
F "Get lost."
A "See you."
"The taxi pulls away from the curb and rounds the corner back onto the main road."
play music 'audio/OST/ballad_of_the_boot.ogg' fadein 1.0
F "We still got about an hour before Spears told us to be on."
A "Sounds like we got plenty of time."
F "You’d be surprised. Come on."
"I considered carrying the guitar case for her, but Fang is already a couple yards ahead power walking to Prom."
"Fang leads the way to the school’s gymnasium. Her shoulders are tense and her wings are raised higher than usual."
scene hallway
show fang a prom neutral at sright
show anon prom neutral at aleft
with fade
"I pick up the pace to try and catch up, but Fang’s long legs only moved faster."
A "What song are you going to play?"
F "Just something simple me and Trish wrote up, why?"
A "Just curious about what's going to knock the prom out of the park, what about Reed?"
F "He was busy."
scene prom
show fang a prom neutral at sleft
show anon prom neutral at aleft
with fade
"The two of us go up to the entrance, the room filled with seniors, strobe lights and a very suspicious smelling fog."
"Reed and Trish were over in a corner, both with red solo cups."
"I didn’t need to question what was in Reed’s."
"Reed noticed us first and waved us over."
show trish prom neutral flip at tright
show reed sunglasses flip at rright
with dissolve
Re "Yooo buddy, how's it going? Ready to see us kill it up on the stage?"
A "Yeah man! Fang said you guys were going to keep it pretty simple with what's up there?"
Re "Yeah, don’t want to do something super complex, just wanna keep it simple and cool for these guys."
A "When are you guys starting?"
Re "Forty-five minutes."
F "Forty-five? Shit I thought we were later than that, we need to start getting prepped."
scene bandroom
show fang a prom neutral at sright
show anon prom neutral at acenter
show reed sunglasses at sleft
show trish prom neutral at tright
with fade
"We hauled ass to Mr.Jingo’s room, where the band had stored their gear."
"Reed’s drumset was in pieces and I helped him reassemble it while Trish and Fang tuned their guitars."
stop music
"{i}*TWANG*{/i}"
show fang a prom angry with dissolve
F "SHIT!"
show trish prom sad flip with dissolve
"I drop the snare drum I was holding."
"Fang’s guitar string had snapped."
play music 'audio/OST/Many Such Cases of Being So True.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Trish and Fang look devastated."
A "Don’t you have a spare?"
show fang a prom sad with dissolve
F "...At home…"
T "There’s got to be some here! Reed! Anon! Look arou-"
F "We don’t have time!"
A "What? But-"
Re "A spare guitar, maybe?"
F "We do not have the time!"
A "Look me and Reed can-"
show fang a prom angry flip with dissolve
F "ANON YOU’RE NOT HELPING!"
F "Look Anon, we just need to focus right now."
F "Just go outside so we can figure something out."
"Her words cut straight through me."
"She’s really kicking me out right now."
show fang a prom neutral flip with dissolve
F "Please, Anon?"
"Reed is silent and I catch a glimpse of a smirking speciesist triceratops."
"I begin to formulate a response, but just manage a small nod."
A "I- Yeah… sure…"
stop music fadeout 3.0
hide anon neutral with moveoutright
scene prom
show anon prom neutral at sleft
with fade
play music "audio/effects/prom chatter loop 2.ogg" fadein 3.0
"Fang hasn’t yelled at me like that since… the beginning of the semester."
"But playing at prom seemed pretty important to Fang and who am I to interfere with that?"
"I didn’t even want to be here in the first place, but…"
"But I’m following Moe’s advice and supporting Fang, right?"
"The music slams into me as I reenter the room, grating on my ears and thrumming roughly in my chest."
"A quick pass of the punch bowl and I find the ideal spot."
"In the darkened corner, where I can support the wall with my back and sip on my cheap punch."
"My feet grow sore as I observe the other seniors having fun."
"Every now and then one of them would point at me and snicker."
"I simply hide my face behind my solo cup and try to drown out their judging eyes behind sugary water."
show spears neutral flip at sright with moveinright
Sp "Enjoying yourself, Anon?"
"I nearly choke on the fruit punch."
A "P-principal Spears! Uh… You’re chaperoning?"
Sp "I wouldn’t ask any of the faculty to look after you lot."
A "Hm…"
Sp "You enjoying your prom?"
menu:
"Could be worse":
A "Could be worse."
"Going great, actually":
A "Going great, Actually"
Sp "Where’s your date, I thought I saw the two of you enter."
Sp "Weren’t you all getting ready in the music room?"
A "We were…"
A "Something came up… She asked me to leave."
Sp "Fang did?"
A "Yeah, I was just getting in the way."
Sp "I see."
"The two of us stare into the crowd’s mindless frolicking in silence."
Sp "Seems there’s something else on your mind, Anon."
Sp "I can tell these things."
A "Not really, it’s just that I’m respecting her boundaries."
Sp "..."
Sp "Are you sure that’s what’s really going on here?"
"Ugh, here we go."
Sp "Back when I was in the game, I learned a thing or two about-"
"I sigh and tune out the massive man standing next to me."
"I swirl the punch in my cup around before chugging the last of it."
"...I just want to go home…"
Sp "-ake responsibility and take it seriously."
Sp "Relationships are a give and take sort of deal."
Sp "Got it, Anon?"
A "...Sure, sir. I’ll keep that in mind."
"The principal sighs and leaves me."
hide spears with moveoutleft
"Everyone moves out of his way as he cuts his way across the room to the small stage."
"The music fades until all that’s left is chatter."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"Spears takes to the stage with mic in hand for once."
scene prom with dissolve
show spears neutral at scenter
Sp "Alright everyone. Before we end tonight’s prom we have a couple of items to take care of."
Sp "First thing is-"
"The principal pulls a tiny gold sheaf envelope from his lapel and holds it up for the audience to gawk at."
Sp "to announce Prom King and Queen."
"Well this is a foregone conclusion."
"A few students are already congratulating Naser as he’s led by the arm by his handler."
Sp "A drum roll, please."
"Reed steps onto the stage with a small block in his arms."
"He smiles and nods, pressing one of the myriad of buttons on the block."
"A mediocre recording of the drumline plays over the speakers as Spears clears his throat and tears open the envelope."
Sp "And your winners."
Sp "For the one Mil."
Sp "Twenty-twenty class."
Sp "Aaaaaare…."
Sp "Naaaaaser aaaaand Naaaaoooomiiiiii!"
"He tosses the paper over his shoulder and yanks out the crowns from a pocket inside his jacket."
show spears neutral with moveinleft:
xalign -0.2 yalign 0.0
show naser prom neutral at sleft with moveinleft
show naomi prom neutral flip with moveinright:
xalign 0.9 yalign 0.0
"Spears backs out of the spotlight, giving a polite applause to the pair as they rush onstage to accept."
"The rest of the class is in a celebratory uproar."
"Spears offers the crowns to Naomi, who puts the larger one on Naser’s crest to droop off, and then dons the tiara.."
"The whole moment is picturesque, just like Naomi wanted."
N "Thank you all so much, Volcano High!"
N "This is such an honor to receive."
N "My, I don’t really have a speech prepared. But…"
N "In just one short year, we-"
Sp "Alright, alright, let’s stay on schedule."
show spears neutral at scenter with moveinright
hide naomi
hide naser
with moveoutright
Sp "I promised your parents we’d be out of here by ten."
Sp "To close off this wonderful night, I’ve asked a student band to play a few bops for us."
Sp "They’ve had their trials earlier in the year, but I think everyone deserves a second chance."
Sp "Please welcome, VVURM DRAMA!!!!"
"The audience’s applause decreases noticeably."
hide spears with moveoutright
unknown "Wait, again?"
unknown "He was there last time, wasn’t he?"
unknown "I’ll just start recording…"
"Feh. Screw ‘em."
"Fang’ll show them how much they’ve all improved."
"I should be memorizing their faces now to make their dumbstruck expressions that much sweeter."
"I know Fang can pull this off."
"Reed wheels the drumkit onstage on a dolly, and Trish follows with her bass."
"And then Fang comes on with her bass as well."
play music 'audio/OST/you can_t sage here.ogg' fadein 1.0
scene prom
show anon prom neutral at scenter
"Wait."
"Wait no."
"They couldn’t find a new string?!"
"They’re just going to repeat the first concert?!"
"What were they thinking?!"
"The three finish making last minute preparations and give an anxious look at one another."
"For a brief moment, Fang looks me right in the eyes."
"I think we all know what’s about to happen."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"The band doesn’t bother introducing themselves. Instead Trish begins plucking her bass."
"It all went tumbling down from there."
play music 'audio/OST/its_the_piece_of_shit_you_asked_for.ogg' fadein 1.0
scene prom fang fuck up a ending with fade
"Just like before, Fang’s bass sounds horrifically wrong, far too heavy. She’s a guitarist using a fucking jazz bass, so of course it sounds horrid."
"And then the vocals kicked in. Reed’s lyrical expertise was not on display here, no these sounded like they came from an edgy teen’s twitter page."
"It’s horrific screeching, combined with the amelodious shredding on a bass creating a cacophony equal to hundreds of cats ritualistically sacrificed."
stop music
unknown "PFFFT AHAHAHA THEY STILL FUCKING SUCK AFTER SIX MONTHS!!"
"The crowd’s cautious cheers were long gone, replaced by a symphony of ridicule."
"The band’s already accepted their fate, both basses hang limply from their shoulder straps."
"Then a few students start chucking balled up tissues at their heads."
"Reed puts his hand on Trish’s shoulder and the two duck out."
scene prom fang freak out a ending with fade
"Fang stays a moment longer, the despair on her face manifesting through hot streams of tears."
scene prom with fade
"She turns to leave as well, trying to maintain a calm composure."
"Then a student throws their red plastic cup of punch upstage."
"It splashes against her head, drenching her suit in red dye and making her smash onto the floor."
"A few more food articles follow while Fang scrambles to get up."
"Shakily, she tries walking offstage again, only to be met with another makeshift water balloon."
"The back of her suit shines a dull red in the stage lights, and she struggles to not slip again."
show spears neutral at scenter with moveinleft
"Spears rushes onstage and throws his coat over Fang."
"Naser was about to jump off the stage and tackle someone."
"Except Naomi had her arms around his waist."
show spears angry at scenter with dissolve
Sp "ENOUGH!"
"The room goes completely silent aside from the sounds of Fang’s sprinting footsteps and sobbing."
"Spear’s lazer gaze is directed at me."
scene prom
show anon prom neutral at scenter
with fade
"He jams his thumb in the direction of the exit Fang just took."
scene black with fade
"I slip out the side door towards the music room once again."
"Trish and Reed were sitting in the far corner of the room, and Fang was nowhere to be seen."
scene bandroom
show trish prom sad flip at tright
show reed sad flip:
xalign 0.75
show anon prom neutral at aleft
Re "Hey, man…"
T "Great, what do YOU want?"
Re "Fang’s not here, dude."
A "Where’d she go?"
Re "Probably the auditorium."
Re "To be alone."
T "We’re doing fine too, not that you care. Asshole."
A "You’re right, Trish."
T "I, whu-"
A "I don’t care, I need to find Fang. Now."
show reed angry flip with dissolve
Re "That was uncalled for, man."
A "And so is this."
scene black
"*SLAM*"
"It felt so satisfying to slam the door in their useless faces."
"I turn around and leave, flipping off Trish through the window as I go."
"She probably blames me for this show going wrong too."
"That I sabotaged Fang’s guitar because it would make Trish look bad or something."
scene door auditorium with fade
"I run to the auditorium with only the sound of my footsteps echoing through the hallway."
"I stop at the foyer to catch my breath."
"My hands rest on the door, ready to push it open."
"What do I even say to her?"
"‘Just bear with it?’ ‘You still have friends?’"
"All of that’s terrible."
"At the same time, I can’t just stall here."
"I push open the door softly."
"The light spills through the foyer into the darkened chamber."
"Spear’s jacket is thrown over one of the seats near me."
"The door shuts behind me, leaving me in the dark."
scene black with fade
"I can only stand in the night-veiled room for my eyes to adjust."
"From somewhere in the room, a faint sobbing echoes."
A "Fang? You alright?"
"Great opener. Fantastic."
A "I mean, are you gonna be alright?"
"The sobbing continues for a bit longer."
F "... Nooo…"
"I slowly follow her voice down the aisle, using the chairs as my guide."
"By this point I can vaguely make out Fang sitting at the bottom of the stage."
A "Fang?"
"I’m standing before her now, and my eyes have adjusted just enough to make out some details of Fang’s face."
"Such as her eyes looking… off…"
A "Uh… Fang?"
F "I didn’t fuck up."
A "Huh?"
F "I didn’t fuck up. Right, Anon?"
A "...Nah… You did your best up there."
"Fang’s voice started to take on a hiss."
F "Yeah… Yeah… it’s all their fault. Right?"
A "Whose?"
F "Who the fuck else! Naser and that BITCH!"
F "Fucking Naomi. She ruined this. She caused this all."
F "If she had never come into my life."
F "If she was never around Naser."
F "If-"
A "Fang!"
"That startles Fang, making her mouth click shut."
A "Look, forget all of that. It doesn’t matter. None of it matters."
F "I-"
A "Naomi doesn’t matter at all. She and her stupid plan don’t fucking matter."
F "..."
"My eyes have finally focused enough to make out the smashed bass at Fang’s feet."
"I ignore it, instead reaching out for Fang’s shoulder."
A "Hey…"
A "I want you to do something for me, alright?"
A "Just repeat after me."
A "Alright?"
"She doesn’t look at me, but nods her head a bit."
A "It doesn’t matter."
F "...it… It doesn’t matter."
F "It doesn’t matter."
"The hiss is back but I ignore it."
F "It doesn’t matter."
A "See? Feel better, right?"
F "Y-yeah. I guess."
F "Thanks, Anon."
A "Good."
A "So."
A "Uh."
F "...I don’t wanna be here."
A "Oh."
A "... Do you need me to walk you home?"
F "..."
F "Actually…"
F "I uh…"
F "Can I…"
F "Stay at your place?"
F "I… Don’t want to see Naser right now…"
"I can feel my face practically glow at that thought."
A "S-sure. Of course!"
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
A "Come on, let’s go home, Fang."
"..."
scene room anon dark
"When I enter my apartment I remove my suit jacket and toss it on the floor unceremoniously."
"I loosen the tie, but don’t bother to take it all the way off."
"Fang collapses in my cot without a word."
"Guess I’m sleeping on the floor tonight."
A "You going to sleep already?"
F "...Nooo…"
"I frown as I see her hair sticky and clinging to her dumb dress shirt."
A "Maybe you should take a shower. At least rinse the punch off."
F "..."
A "I’ve uh… I think I got some clothes for ya."
F "...’kay…"
"Fang gets up from my bed and trudges over to my bathroom."
"Right. Clothes."
"I open my closet and look at all my identical jackets."
"Bulk buying seemed like a good idea at the time."
"I take an older black hoodie I have. It’s super baggy even on me."
"I think this was from that time I tried to cosplay."
"I shudder at the memory."
"I take that and some board shorts from my closet and kick it shut."
"Okay I think this should… wait."
"Wings and tail."
"..."
"Some minutes later with my knife and I hear the shower sputter to a stop."
"I knock on the door and set the custom cut outfit on the floor for her."
A "I set a change of clothes for you. Yell if you need me to do some more cutting."
"With that I go back to my bed and consider what to do next."
"Maybe a movie or something?"
"Fuck. What would cheer her up."
F "...Thanks…"
scene roomthrash1 at Pan((0, 610),(0, 0), 30.0)
"Fang plops down next to me, the hoodie falling down to her knees and hiding the shorts I gave her."
"If only she wasn’t so depressed she’d look really cute right now."
A "So… Wanna do something?"
F "Play a game or something, I dunno…"
F "I don’t want to sleep yet."
A "Uhh… Sure…"
"Fuck me sideways, what do I have that’s presentable to someone else…"
"I got uhh… Kingdom he-no…"
"Dark so-no…"
"Senran- I feel retarded for even considering it, FUCK NO…"
"Screw it, I'll just go with Rock Ring. That always calms you down."
"Don’t get many opportunities these days to use The Duke, anyways."
"I boot up the XROX and insert the Rock Ring 2 disc."
scene roomthrash2 with dissolve
"Fang flips over to see the TV as I take my spot on the floor sitting next to her."
A "This one’s my favorite Rock Ring story."
"I let the campaign intro play and turn to Fang."
"She is just blankly staring at the screen, probably still thinking about earlier."
A "You uhhh… wanna play first?"
A "Might help take your mind off prom…"
"Fang lets out a muffled sigh."
F "I can just watch…"
"I decide to skip the cutscenes and get right into the gameplay."
"Repelling a bunch of dinosaurs from the volcano caves, easy enough."
A "Playing with a torch and rock combo is the easiest way to kill enemies."
A "Takes more skill than using a spear thrower at least."
F "Yeah, cool…"
F "Hey, Anon… You said something about Naomi having a ‘plan’ earlier. What did you mean by that?"
stop music fadeout 1.0
"Shit."
"Uh oh, gotta tread real carefully here…"
A "Thing is, uh… you know when I just transferred in and everything?"
F "Yeah?"
A "Well uh, Naomi kept… No, it’s nothing. Forget I said anything."
"Fang sits up and is eye level with me."
F "It’s not nothing. What. Did. She. Do?"
A "Now’s not a good time, we should talk about it lat-"
scene roomthrash3 with dissolve
"Fang grabs me by the shirt collar with shaking fists."
F "Tell me!"
A "I-I-I can’t! Fang, get a hold of yourself!"
scene roomthrash4 with dissolve
"She jumps to her feet, carrying my shirt with her and lurching my head with it."
F "DAMMIT ANON, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN PLANNING WITH NAOMI?!"
"Her free hand raises into a slashing position, clenched into a claw so her nails protrude like razors."
F "TELL ME OR I’LL-"
A "SHE PUT ME WITH YOU!"
scene roomthrash5 with dissolve
"All at once, Fang loses all energy in her body."
"Her grip on my collar loosens and her clawed hand lowers."
"All the tension has moved directly to her face."
"I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a look of hopeless despair."
"After what feels like a year of silence, I get the courage to stand again."
A "..."
A "...Naomi made it so the two of us were together."
A "Naser’s always worrying about you, so she wanted to get his full attention…"
A "...By trying to have someone ‘fix’ you."
"Fang’s hands cradle her head, as though squeezing it hard enough would wake her up from this nightmare."
A "Fang, I didn’t have any control over it…"
A "You know I really do have feelings for you, I genuinely like you."
A "It doesn’t matter what Naomi’s stupid ‘plans’ are, we still-"
"Out of nowhere Fang’s energy returns into a fit of unrepressed rage."
scene roomthrash6 with dissolve
F "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"
F "THAT STUPID BITCH!!"
F "THAT, THAT, THAT GODDAMN SLUT!!"
A "Fang! Calm down!"
F "SHUT THE FUCK UP!!"
F "YOU LITERAL, ACTUAL TOOL!!"
"Fang, with no intention to vent her frustrations verbally, resorts to the next best thing."
"Physical therapy."
"The bedsheets are quickly discarded to the other side of the room in a clump."
A "Fang, please!"
"Fang is convulsing as though possessed, frantically looking for other things to ruin."
"With a swift kick, the Duke is catapulted into the bathroom."
A "Calm down! Don’t break anything!"
"She starts kicking and punching the nearby shelf with all her might."
A "Fang, stop, you’ll hurt yourself!"
"My pleas are ignored, instead all I get are continued desperate grunts as she tries to pummel the wooden door."
A "Fang, really, you need to stop-"
"With one last scream, she punches clean through the shelf’s cabinet door, leaving a hole about the size of a football."
A "THAT’S ENOUGH"
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene roomthrash7 with dissolve
"While Fang is recoiling, I take the moment to grab her by the wrists and rush her over to sit on the bed."
"Tears are streaming down her face as I shift my grip to her arms."
F "I can’t even fall in love without HER interfering with it!"
F "You don’t like me, you just wanted to change me to something I’m not to get Naomi off your back."
scene roomthrash8 with dissolve
A "That’s not true! Fang, listen to me. I do lo-"
scene roomthrash9 with dissolve
"The force makes me stumble back several feet."
"Luckily, I manage to regain my balance before falling on my ass."
"I raise my hands in a basic CQC stance."
scene roomthrash10 with dissolve
F "You took me away from my friends! You ruined our band!"
A "What the hell are you talking about? I haven’t done any of that!"
F "Well, Naomi is, and, and…"
F "You’re just doing whatever Naomi wants!"
A "Well then maybe Naomi had a point!"
"A deafening silence permeates the room."
"The malice radiating from Fang is as tense as a razor."
scene roomthrash11 with dissolve
"Eventually, the weight of the situation causes her to collapse into the bed completely."
"Between sobs Fang tries squealing out more of her argument."
F "Just-just shut up… I don’t…"
F "I…"
A "Here’s the reality, Fang."
A "There are things about you that need fixing."
A "That much I can agree with Naomi."
A "And clearly, I can’t help you there."
F "..."
A "..."
"Fang’s body tremors with her sobs."
"Shit, was I too harsh on her?"
A "Fang… I’m sorry."
A "*sigh*"
A "You’re right, I took you away from your friends and all that."
A "I caused all this."
F "No."
F "You wish."
F "That would be too much of an honor for you."
play music "audio/OST/Beach Chill Out.ogg" fadein 1.0
"The phrase cuts to the bone."
"I retrieve the bedsheets from the floor."
A "Look…"
A "You're tired, I'm tired, let's just sleep and think it over tomorrow"
"As I drape the blanket over her shoulders, she reaches out to squeeze my hand."
A "... I do love you, Fang."
F "..."
A "..."
F "..."
"She lets go."
A "... Goodnight."
"Fang curls into my blanket, staring at the wall away from me."
scene room anon dark with fade
"I hit the light switch and lie down across the room from the bed."
"I’d use the felt blanket that exists in every house, but I’d frankly rather just sleep in my clothes."
"The moonlight leaking through the curtain gives enough visibility for me to see Fang still silently weeping."
"I watch from afar until her breathing becomes slow and rhythmic, the sort only achievable in a deep sleep."
"What am I supposed to do about her?"
"I’ll talk with her more about it in the morning…"
"For now I’ll just try to get some shut-eye."
"My heavy eyelids practically glue themselves shut, and I’m asleep within five minutes."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
"..."
scene room anon day
label BowlingForVolcanoHigh:
#Bowling for Volcano High
"I wake up the next morning with my head cradled in my arms."
play music "audio/OST/Appreciating the Moment.ogg" fadein 1.0
"My back aches from the lack of proper bedding, but that’s hardly anything new."
"Groggily, I pull myself to my feet."
"I pull back the curtain to reveal that a thick sunday fog had rolled in overnight."
"What time is it…?"
"Guess I’ll check my phone…"
show anonphone at scenter with moveinbottom
"Ten AM, huh…"
hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
"Damn, I slept a while."
"...Did Fang sleep well?"
A "Fang, you up?"
stop music
"The bed is empty."
A "Oh."
"Wait a second."
"My phone has seventy missed calls and over a hundred texts from Naser…"
"That’s right, my phone was on silent last night for Prom."
"He’s probably just worried about Fang, but by Raptor Jesus’ right nut man."
"I open the most recent voicemail."
FD "By Raptor Jesus’ left testicle if Fang is not home within the hour I will hunt you down and mount your head on my trophy wall! You will RUE the day that-"
"Whoa."
"Next one…"
FD "Maybe I didn’t make myself fucking clear. You will be sleeping with the fishes if Lucy is not home in the morning. I have a particular set of-"
"I’m starting to get the idea."
"All the texts are written in a similar vein."
"I try texting Fang to see if she got home safe."
"Anon: hey, you alright?"
"Anon: just noticed your dad was pretty livid last night"
"Anon: he mustve been writing all night long"
"...No immediate response."
"Well, she’ll see it when she sees it."
"S’not like I can do much else for Fang right now."
"I take note of the mess that Fang created, a reminder of how badly I fucked up."
"Fuck me. So this is what they mean by Prom Night disasters."
"I always thought it was just a euphemism for teen pregnancies."
"There’s laminate… something, splinters all over the floor from my dresser."
"And a check inside my bathroom reveals that The Duke managed to crack my porcelain throne."
"Shit. No way am I getting my deposit back now."
"I check the controller carefully, only barely relieved that there’s no damage."
"After I’ve swept up the bits of broken dresser I find I have no real clue what to do."
"A check of my phone again shows that Fang’s at least seen my texts."
"I sigh."
"How do I make this up to her?"
"I feel like a fucking heel right now."
"It’ll take my mind off things at least."
scene black with fade
"..."
"Master Grug, you mind telling me what you’re doing on that boat?"
"Ooga booga, finish this fight."
"Guess I’ll play the next one, I really don’t feel like doing anything else today."
"..."
scene room anon night with fade
"Wake Grug when you need Grug."
"Really wish I could just float away in an iceberg like Master Grug after last night."
show anonphone with moveinbottom
"I glance at my phone and realize I spent ten hours playing Rock Ring."
"My mind was turned off for most of that, guess I just lost track of time."
hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
"I’m shaken from my thoughts by a knock at my door."
"The door I forgot to lock."
"Oh god, I’m gonna be murdered, butchered, my body parts sold on the black market and turned into some disgusting rhinorex’s sex toys."
"Hopefully in that order."
"Before I can search for my knife, the door opens to reveal…"
show anon neutral at aleft
show fang neutral flip at sright
with dissolve
play music "audio/OST/appreciating_the_scenery.ogg" fadein 1.0
F "Anon? You- oh! Hey…"
F "Uh… Why are you huddled in the fetal position?"
A "Fang? Oh thank fuck."
"I deflate, slumping lifelessly on my bed."
A "I thought your dad was here to kill me."
F "Ah. Yeah. Sorry."
"Fang sets her backpack down on the kitchen table."
F "So…"
show anon sad with dissolve
"Shit. Should have actually thought about what I should say to her."
A "Fang, about last ni-"
F "It’s fine."
show anon neutral with dissolve
A "-ight.. What?"
F "It’s fine, Anon. I don’t blame you for what happened."
"What."
F "In fact, I’m sorry for overreacting last night."
"There’s something about this all that is setting off alarms in my head."
"I don’t know what kind though. Or why."
A "I… What?"
F "I said I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have blown up on you like last night."
A "Even if it was my fault? I should have-"
F "It isn’t, Anon."
A "But-"
show black with fade
"My words are cut off. My mind goes completely blank."
"Fang’s hands grip my dirty dress shirt tightly as her beak presses against my parted lips, her tongue invading my mouth."
"She pulls away abruptly, leaving me confused and lightheaded."
A "I..wha...Fang?"
"Her hands guide me down onto my bed and she straddles my lap."
stop music fadeout 1.0
show black with fade
"..."
"Sometime in the night the bed shifts."
play music "audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg" fadein 1.0
"I hear the bathroom door close so I pay it no mind and drift back to sleep."
"Eventually my internal clock wakes me up."
scene room anon day with fade
"Stretching and yawning, realize that it’s a lot brighter than normal."
"Did I sleep in?"
"The alarm clock on my table has been unplugged…"
"I reach over to grab my phone to check the time."
"Nine-o-two AM?"
"Oh shit, Fang and I are beyond late."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"Wait, where is Fang?"
"Her backpack is gone, too."
"Oh come on, she went to school without me?!"
"I rush to put my clothes on and get out the door as soon as possible."
stop music fadeout 1.0
"About halfway there my phone buzzes in my pocket."
"Unread texts from Fang?"
"{i}Fang: ♪ Control over my life you denied, And now death approaches from the sky, Why'd it be me you had to vilify? I guess this is Goodbye, Volcano High ♫{/i}"
"The cryptic message stops me in my tracks."
"Something is definitely wrong."
"This almost reads like…"
"The adrenaline pushes my feet back into a desperate bolt towards the school."
scene outside school fog
show anon neutral at aleft
with fade
"The whole time my mind floods with horrid worst-case scenarios."
"I tell myself I’m just worrying, but my mad sprint betrays the lie."
"As I approach the school, I notice a crowd through the haze."
"Surely it’s just a drill."
"The deceit is shattered when I see the crowd consists of students huddling and crying, with teachers quietly making sure everyone is accounted for."
"...Where’s Fang?"
"She has to be in this crowd."
"There’s just a fire in the school that scared people."
"She’s in this crowd somewhere."
scene a02 with fade
T "YOU!!"
"The voice calls out through the silence for all to hear."
"Trish moves to stand a dozen feet in front of me on the pavement."
"A shaky finger directing malice towards me."
"She’s redfaced, streams of tears running the mascara down her face."
T "WHY DID YOU COME HERE?!?"
"Blurred heads turn to the commotion."
T "YOU BASTARD!!"
T "WHY COULDN’T YOU JUST LEAVE US ALONE?!"
T "NOW JUST LOOK WHAT HAPPENED!!"
T "LOOK WHAT YOU’VE DONE!"
T "ARE YOU HAPPY?"
"I can’t say anything."
"Is this really happening?"
T "LEAVE US ALREADY!!"
T "YOU SHOW UP, GET THEIR ATTENTION, AND NOW… AND NOW…!"
"She chucks her phone through the air."
"It misses by inches and smashes on the ground somewhere behind me."
T "I WAS RIGHT ABOUT YOU THE WHOLE TIME!!"
T "I WAS RIGHT ABOUT YOU!! YOU!!"
"By now her tirade becomes incomprehensible screaming."
"A teacher has to hold her back and try directing her to a nearby curb to sit."
scene black with fade
"...I don’t have time for this."
"Where is Fang?"
"I gotta get in that building."
"I turn around and dash away into the fog as Trish is being consoled by a group of students."
scene hallway with fade
"The side door is still unlocked, and I’m able to slip in without being noticed."
"The halls are silent, despite it all."
"My footsteps clatter through the empty halls."
"It’s third period now, Fang always talks about having to deal with Naomi in Econ."
"That’s not on this floor, fuck!"
scene black with fade
"I pause when I reach the stairwell upwards."
"I can’t say for sure what, but my instincts are screaming at me to not go up, to turn back now."
"... I can’t."
"My hand lightly glides along the handrail while I cautiously cross the stairs to the second floor."
"The first thing that hits me is the smell."
"That electric, almost metallic stench of wet ozone."
"I’ve never been in a real fight before, but even so…"
"It’s a smell everyone instinctively knows."
"I couldn’t tell what sound I made, because I frankly don’t remember."
"All I will ever remember from this is the sight of my former classmates splattered across the halls like bags of waste."
scene a04 with fade
"The spills and trails of blood tell the story of their final moments."
"Two were trying to run and still remain face down in their final resting places."
"One slumped from a locker, smearing his remains all the way down like a puppet string."
"And the last one, who tried fighting back, now clumped in the middle of the hallway soaked in the collective pooling blood."
"It was Naser."
"This isn’t real, none of this is real."
"I’m just having a nightmare after last nights’ episode."
"Things are just fine, I’ll return to reality soon…"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Please…"
"...God...Damn it..."
"...Where is Fang…?"
"I just need to find her."
"There’s one open door in the hall, the one closest to the battlefield."
"I already know I’m not going to see her."
"Fang hasn’t been in that room since she started."
"The only thing in there is the huddled corpse of our student council president."
"...Guess she didn’t get that ‘perfect highschool life’ in the end."
"..."
scene black with fade
"The stairs."
"There’s only one place she can be."
"One place where she’d go."
"When I turn back to the stairwell, something makes a wet thud behind me."
"Somehow, Naser’s still alive."
"He’s moved his arm in my direction, and still has the strength to move a bit."
"His eyes meet mine for a moment."
"Disappointment."
"Sorrow."
"Mourning."
"..."
"I can’t focus on him."
"He’s got seconds left, anything I tried would just be a waste of time."
"His hand makes a wet slap against the hard tiles one last time while I start up the stairs."
"Somehow, the remaining two flights of stairs have gained another several hundred steps."
"I haven’t seen who it was yet, it might not be her."
"You know well it can only be her."
"How could I have known this would happen? This isn’t my fault..!"
"You had just as much a hand in this as she did."
"Fang isn’t here. She’s at home being grilled by her father for seeing me again."
"She’s behind that door with a loaded gun."
"...How long have I been standing here, staring at the doorknob?"
"...How much longer could I get away with putting it off?"
"As it is, it’s not the worst case scenario."
"Even if Naser and Naomi are gone…"
"There’s a chance it’s not Fang up here."
"I’d rather just stand here forever."
"Relishing in the possibility that there’s some hope left."
"However."
"Time stops for no one."
"Not even me."
"The police sirens have been outside for a while."
"I can’t ignore them any longer."
"I owe Fang this much at least."
"..."
"The doorknob is still cold on my hand."
"I turn it and exit to the rooftop."
"In the dense morning fog the only thing to stand out is the silhouette."
"One that I easily recognize."
scene a10 with fade
A "Fang."
"She’s silent. I can’t even tell if she’s looking at me or not."
A "Fang, please. Say something."
"My legs feel leaden as I approach her."
A "Fang. Come on. T-this is all…"
"Slowly more and more details come too."
"The revolver that hung limply from her fingers."
"The splatter of blood on her pants."
"Her wings with multiple bald patches on them."
"And the sound of her ragged breaths."
A "Fang…"
"My fingers brush against her shoulder."
scene black
play sound "audio/effects/shot.ogg"
A "ARGH!"
"Hot, searing pain."
"My left leg crumples under me."
"As I fall I see Fang’s beautiful amber eyes."
"They’re red and puffy, with makeup-less tears running freely down her cheeks."
F "A-Anon… WHY ARE YOU-!"
A "Aaaah… haaaah… Fang… Why…?"
F "Y-you weren’t supposed to be here!"
F "You shouldn’t have come here!"
A "Fuck… Because… Because I love you! Haaaaaah."
scene a10 with fade
"I struggle to balance on my left leg. The hole in my shin dribbles blood down to the floor."
"I don’t care though."
"I hobble forward."
"Fang steps back."
F "S-stay back!"
"The revolver clatters against the concrete, spent on ammo."
A "Fang… please…"
"A painful step forward."
"She takes another back."
F "Anon!"
A "Just come downstairs with me… It’s not over, it doesn’t have to be this wa-"
"With a crunch, my shin gives out completely, lurching me forward onto my hands and knees."
scene black with fade
"I have to keep going."
"Even if it’s on my knees."
"I can feel myself slowing."
"My thoughts cloudy."
"The blood loss..."
"The pain is so intense, however."
"It brings some clarity to my mind."
"Enough that I can drag myself forward."
A "Please, come down with me."
F "Oh-oh god. Oh my god. S-stop…"
"The sharp bone pokes and tears through my leg muscle."
"I briefly look behind me, the trail is spilling out and making my other leg wet."
"Bile rises up my throat at the sight."
"I swallow hard and look back to Fang."
"I have to reach her."
"I can still fix this."
"I can still save her."
"Fang keeps backing away as I try to get closer, remaining out of my reach."
"Fang stops and catches her balance."
"Her foot is halfway over the edge."
"We’ve reached the edge of the rooftop."
"End of the line."
A "Fang."
A "Look at me."
scene a11 with fade
"Her head shakily turns from the concrete below to meet my eyes again."
A "Back away from there, please."
F "I-I… I…"
A "It’s not over."
A "Stay with me here, please."
F "I…"
A "Don’t leave me alone."
"We stare for an eternity, all through the police’s screaming below."
"Fang looks below once more, down the three story drop to the walkway below."
"The walkway we’d passed through so many times to get to classes without a second thought."
"The walkway we crossed daily with our friends through all our trials."
A "Please…"
"She looks to me again, less shakily this time."
"The sides of her mouth curl into a warm smile."
"The last of her tears falls."
scene a12 with fade
"She jumps."
A "Fang!"
"I can’t look over."
"I don’t want to see it."
"The authorities betray my final wish of death by bursting through the door at that exact minute."
"I drift into unconsciousness when they start wrapping my leg."
scene black with fade
pause 5
"..."
"Three weeks pass."
"Probably."
"All I can remember is the sterile hospital room and an endless lineup of reporters."
"The whole incident made national news."
"Apparently I had become ‘the brave soul who took a bullet to stop a school shooting.’"
"But to everyone I know I’m just the one who caused all this."
"After I refused to answer the constant pestering enough, I was finally left in blissful solitude."
"I expected a visit from Spears, or Reed, or Stella or someone."
"But they never came."
"I got discharged just yesterday."
"I’ll need to stay on a crutch for a few months, but that’s hardly the wound I'm worried about."
scene a13 with fade
"...Her funeral was today."
"I wasn’t invited, of course."
"But I can’t just leave it either."
"So I wait out of sight several hundreds of feet away for the remaining family members to trickle out of the crowd and go home."
scene a14a with fade
"The last figure lingers for over an hour."
"If anyone, he’s the one who deserved this the least."
"He was right the whole time, about me."
"And here I am, defiling her grave with my presence."
"Eventually, he too leaves."
scene a15 with fade
"The alternations of footsteps and the crutch make me feel more mechanical than human."
"Then again, that may be true regardless of having a crutch."
scene a14 with fade
"The two graves are right next to each other."
"Various flowers pollute the fresh mounds."
"In memory of Naser. Loving son and brother."
"... I’m sorry, man."
"I hobble over to the other headstone."
"{i}Here lies dearest Lucy. Heaven restores you in light.{/i}"
"God damn it."
"This is all my fault."
"None of this would have happened if I noticed something was wrong."
"If I just supported Fang more instead of getting into a fight."
"If I never got between her and her friends by telling her how I felt."
"If I never bothered Fang and just stayed to myself."
"...If I never moved to Volcaldera in the first place."
"Fuck."
"And because of me Naomi and Naser and Fang and the others are gone."
"Because I’m too fucking stupid to see any of the warning signs."
"I should be crying right now."
"I should be screaming to the world why I should have died instead."
"But I instead I just feel…"
"My final plea to Fang races through my head."
#fade in wind blowing here
play sound "audio/effects/wind.wav" loop volume 0.3
"{i}Don’t leave me alone.{/i}"
"I just feel completely and utterly and hopelessly alone."
"The sprinkling rain stops."
"Seems the world is tired of my monologuing."
"Like Trish said, I’m just some nobody from the middle of nowhere."
"And the only person I ever cared about is gone."
"The split second I thought I was somebody, I ruined everything."
"So now, I’m back to being nobody."
"..."
"It’s better this way."
$ quick_menu = False
window hide
play sound "audio/effects/wind.wav" loop volume 0.2
play music "audio/OST/Sad!.ogg" fadein 1.0 volume 2.8 noloop
pause 20
stop sound fadeout 1.0
scene black with fade
pause 30
scene 1of4 with fade
pause 15
$ renpy.quit()
else:
#>>ERROR HANDLING OH SWEET BABY JESUS SHIT HIT THE FAN
St "FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK"
A "What?"
St "Some dipshit developer made broken code and this is the error handling message..."
A "What?"
St "Basically the if/else statement that handles this shit has failed at catching the score, and someone fucked up."
A "Shit... what does that mean?"
St "Well... the games broken and will end soon"
A "Does this mean that the 3 fucks speedrunning have an easy way to beat the game?"
St "Yes, but you have to have something wrong with you to speedrun a visual novel beta"
"/dev/non" "well shit. Please do report this bug and all the choices you made that lead to this point. Something fucked up real bad"
jump ending
#just liek maek gaem
label ending:
play music "audio/OST/Dino Destiny Reader.ogg"
scene credits at Pan((0, 0),(0, 7400), 61) with fade
pause 1200
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 3.0
pause 5
if tradwife:
scene c10 with fade
pause 20
return
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