"stiff controls" & "a lack of skill" & "early arrival of winter" [yume nikki]
title: Stiff Controls
rating: G
summary: Set pre-game, 100% headcanon. Masada-sensei decides to try playing Madotsuki's only game, NASU, though it may not be quite what he expected...
.stiff controls.
He hasn't played a lot of games before, but after a few minutes, Masada can conclude that NASU isn't a very good or very fun game. The graphics are pretty ugly with an unappealing color scheme, the music sounds awful and it's oh so subtly off beat by merely a fraction of a second or two. He can easily tell. He hasn't spent so much time and energy on music for nothing. But despite all that, the thing Masada dislikes the most about NASU is how incredibly stiff the controls feel. It's almost ridiculous. There are two things one does in this game; jump and move left and right . Nothing more, nothing less. So how is it possible for the controls to feel so incredibly stiff and unresponsive when the general concept is that simple?
Masada might not have played many games before, but he's pretty sure that none of them had controls as bad as these.
Lost in his thoughts, he misjudges the distance between the player controlled character and the falling eggplant on the screen, just barely misses it and before he knows it, that agonizing game over music plays again.
He sighs heavily, the exhale accompanied by the subtle flexing of long, long pianist fingers.
He exhales again, through his nose this time, focusing on the screen and the Famicom controller in his hands. He forces himself to not get distracted by the sound of Madotsuki shuffling around somewhere, probably in the kitchen.
Okay. Let's try this again.
The first eggplant falls and he catches it easily. The second one as well. That's… 20 points.
Oh! There's the third one! Oops, he gets dangerously close to missing it, but manages to catch it at the last second. 30 points! That's ten more than last time. And the time before that.
This is going really well.
Soon the fourth one will drop… Ah, but the flashing pink thing enters the screen! Gotta catch that one! It's an instant 300 points! But it's moving so fast and the player character moves so awkwardly and the game is so unresponsive and-!
Game over. Cue agonizing music.
Masada grits his teeth and his grip on the controller tightens considerably. What a stupid game. A really stupid game. A stupid, stupid game that doesn't deserve to be played by anyone. Madotsuki deserves a better game than this. Maybe they can go to Akihabara some day and see if they can find some cheap games…
Without really thinking, he presses the START button again and the game begins once more.
The first eggplant comes falling down.
Stupid addictive game.
title: A lack of skill
rating: G
summary: Set pre-game, 100% headcanon. Masada-sensei isn't much of a good cook.
.a lack of skill.
Masada-sensei really can't cook. Everything he ever makes just tastes odd. Of course, since he pretty much seems to live on air, water and the occasional cup of instant ramen, Madotsuki knows that expecting a mind-blowing meal is completely out of the question. The food he's made for her to have for lunch today is certainly no exception. It's strangely tasteless, almost like she's eating wet paper or something like that.
However, Madotsuki thinks to herself as she chews on a mouthful of noodles that could've used being boiled for another minute or two, this is more than her parents ever did for her. And that thought is enough to make it taste at least ten times better. In fact, just picturing yesterday evening when he went hunting for cooking utensils in the cupboards and sent her down to the convenience store to get whatever ingredients they could afford with only 1600 yen is enough to make her smile just a little.
Suddenly, she bites down on something that makes her whole mouth burn. Madotsuki coughs, turns her head to the side and spits several times. It's some kind of pepper. Or at least, that's what she thinks it is. Sure, she might have mentioned that she likes spicy food… But did he seriously feel the need to add pepper to this mess that can't even be called a 'dish'?
Gosh, he really can't cook.
She resolves to buy him a cookbook sometime. The kind that includes simple recipes that even he should be able to pull off.
Maybe they could cook something together.
That would be fun.
Madotsuki finishes her lunch in silence and makes sure to rinse out her mouth on the way back to class.
title: early arrival of winter
rating: G
summary: Set pre-game, 100% headcanon. Masada-sensei decides that this year's christmas will be different. It will be better.
.early arrival of winter.
It seemed that winter had decided to arrive early in Tokyo this year. It was so cold outside that Masada partly just wished he could stay inside all day and not bother with anything. He'd never been a fan of cold weather or even of the winter season in general. It was too expensive. Christmas celebrations, New Years celebrations, clothes that could prevent him from being frozen to the core by the cold winds… And then there was the cost of keeping his apartment warm. All those were things that he simply couldn't afford. Of course, he only truly had himself to blame for that.
However, this year would be different. This year he had something important that needed to be done. Something to focus on.
Madotsuki.
Neglecting to give her anything would just be plain tactless. Besides, she deserved to get something nice. Her parents probably weren't going to get her any thoughtful gifts (assuming they would get her any gifts in the first place), so taking matters into his own hands seemed like a solution that would be reasonable enough. But it would take time before he'd have enough money to afford a gift.
Oh well. It would be worth it in the end, he thought to himself as he put on that worn-out coat of his, picked up his keyboard and made his way outside onto the crowded street.
rating: G
summary: Set pre-game, 100% headcanon. Masada-sensei decides to try playing Madotsuki's only game, NASU, though it may not be quite what he expected...
.stiff controls.
He hasn't played a lot of games before, but after a few minutes, Masada can conclude that NASU isn't a very good or very fun game. The graphics are pretty ugly with an unappealing color scheme, the music sounds awful and it's oh so subtly off beat by merely a fraction of a second or two. He can easily tell. He hasn't spent so much time and energy on music for nothing. But despite all that, the thing Masada dislikes the most about NASU is how incredibly stiff the controls feel. It's almost ridiculous. There are two things one does in this game; jump and move left and right . Nothing more, nothing less. So how is it possible for the controls to feel so incredibly stiff and unresponsive when the general concept is that simple?
Masada might not have played many games before, but he's pretty sure that none of them had controls as bad as these.
Lost in his thoughts, he misjudges the distance between the player controlled character and the falling eggplant on the screen, just barely misses it and before he knows it, that agonizing game over music plays again.
He sighs heavily, the exhale accompanied by the subtle flexing of long, long pianist fingers.
He exhales again, through his nose this time, focusing on the screen and the Famicom controller in his hands. He forces himself to not get distracted by the sound of Madotsuki shuffling around somewhere, probably in the kitchen.
Okay. Let's try this again.
The first eggplant falls and he catches it easily. The second one as well. That's… 20 points.
Oh! There's the third one! Oops, he gets dangerously close to missing it, but manages to catch it at the last second. 30 points! That's ten more than last time. And the time before that.
This is going really well.
Soon the fourth one will drop… Ah, but the flashing pink thing enters the screen! Gotta catch that one! It's an instant 300 points! But it's moving so fast and the player character moves so awkwardly and the game is so unresponsive and-!
Game over. Cue agonizing music.
Masada grits his teeth and his grip on the controller tightens considerably. What a stupid game. A really stupid game. A stupid, stupid game that doesn't deserve to be played by anyone. Madotsuki deserves a better game than this. Maybe they can go to Akihabara some day and see if they can find some cheap games…
Without really thinking, he presses the START button again and the game begins once more.
The first eggplant comes falling down.
Stupid addictive game.
title: A lack of skill
rating: G
summary: Set pre-game, 100% headcanon. Masada-sensei isn't much of a good cook.
.a lack of skill.
Masada-sensei really can't cook. Everything he ever makes just tastes odd. Of course, since he pretty much seems to live on air, water and the occasional cup of instant ramen, Madotsuki knows that expecting a mind-blowing meal is completely out of the question. The food he's made for her to have for lunch today is certainly no exception. It's strangely tasteless, almost like she's eating wet paper or something like that.
However, Madotsuki thinks to herself as she chews on a mouthful of noodles that could've used being boiled for another minute or two, this is more than her parents ever did for her. And that thought is enough to make it taste at least ten times better. In fact, just picturing yesterday evening when he went hunting for cooking utensils in the cupboards and sent her down to the convenience store to get whatever ingredients they could afford with only 1600 yen is enough to make her smile just a little.
Suddenly, she bites down on something that makes her whole mouth burn. Madotsuki coughs, turns her head to the side and spits several times. It's some kind of pepper. Or at least, that's what she thinks it is. Sure, she might have mentioned that she likes spicy food… But did he seriously feel the need to add pepper to this mess that can't even be called a 'dish'?
Gosh, he really can't cook.
She resolves to buy him a cookbook sometime. The kind that includes simple recipes that even he should be able to pull off.
Maybe they could cook something together.
That would be fun.
Madotsuki finishes her lunch in silence and makes sure to rinse out her mouth on the way back to class.
title: early arrival of winter
rating: G
summary: Set pre-game, 100% headcanon. Masada-sensei decides that this year's christmas will be different. It will be better.
.early arrival of winter.
It seemed that winter had decided to arrive early in Tokyo this year. It was so cold outside that Masada partly just wished he could stay inside all day and not bother with anything. He'd never been a fan of cold weather or even of the winter season in general. It was too expensive. Christmas celebrations, New Years celebrations, clothes that could prevent him from being frozen to the core by the cold winds… And then there was the cost of keeping his apartment warm. All those were things that he simply couldn't afford. Of course, he only truly had himself to blame for that.
However, this year would be different. This year he had something important that needed to be done. Something to focus on.
Madotsuki.
Neglecting to give her anything would just be plain tactless. Besides, she deserved to get something nice. Her parents probably weren't going to get her any thoughtful gifts (assuming they would get her any gifts in the first place), so taking matters into his own hands seemed like a solution that would be reasonable enough. But it would take time before he'd have enough money to afford a gift.
Oh well. It would be worth it in the end, he thought to himself as he put on that worn-out coat of his, picked up his keyboard and made his way outside onto the crowded street.