1st Sign - Video

[alwaysoutspoken]

[Oh look some serious-looking glasses girl staring at the webcam like she has a problem with it. She is probably going to start yelling at you all. She looks like she wants to yell at you all, or at least say things very sternly.

Instead she starts waving her arms and hands around.]

[Hello. My name is Shizune Hakamichi, and it seems I'm one of many people captive here. Personally, I find this whole situation unacceptable. While I admit the Exaclan system sounds a little fun, considering it's being forced upon us, as well as the player-weapon system, it's just atrocious. Having a majority of the population being subject to the whims of the few who can grant them rights is practically a tyranny.] [Her impassioned "speech" is such that you can hear her arms cut through the air as she swishes them around while she signs] [And worst of all, our very minds themselves have been violated! I'm finding myself unable to recall important parts of my life, and who knows what else I'm not even aware I'm missing. And on top of what's happening here, what about at home? I'd just come back from a vacation, so Student Council matters were already piling up, what do you think is going to happen if I'm gone even longer? I trust Hisao and Misha to manage admirably in my absence, but the burden is simply too much to bear without my leadership.] [A pause] [Well, I'd love to be proven wrong on that statement, but that's beside the point. I have a lot more important things to do than be fooling around with some kind of inter-school rivalry in an overly-complex and admittedly fun-looking high-stakes but probably rights-violating game over memories that shouldn't be missing in the first place. I demand to speak with whoever is in charge!]

[And now that she's done waving her arms around like the conductor of the world's most indignant orchestra, she types up a text version of what she justHAHAHA NO SHE DOESN'T. SORRY, IF YOU DON'T KNOW SIGN LANGUAGE, ALL YOU'RE GETTING FROM THIS IS SOME ANGRY CHICK WAVING HER HANDS AROUND LIKE A MANIAC. Feel free to text her back though.]

Comments

[pennypincher]

Um... what is this? Some kind of interpretive miming?

[alwaysoutspoken]

[Do you understand sign language at all?]

[video, btw]

[pennypincher]

[ Staaaare ]

[knightime]

omg
you get snagged out to some crazy world where people can whip weapons out of your chest
like its practically normal
and youre worried about student council bullshit
seriously
is that really the first thing to worry about???
anyways
the memory crap
idefk if thats something the people here can fix
its just apparently a thing that happens
like grass growing
sky being blue
weapons being pulled out of your chest because you wore a stupid glove
you can get them back
i should know
five weeks and i like to think i actually know a little bit about this place
but in all seriousness
complaining to anyone here will do jack shit
nor attempting to attack them
that usually ends in really pissed off people and a lot of pain
so
uhh good luck with that

[Oh, Dave understood you. But he rarely uses any functions on his PDA that isn't text. Getting him to sign is a nuisance. Getting him to sign using video functions is even harder to pull off.]

[alwaysoutspoken]

[YOU UNDERSTOOD HER. SHE IS NEVER TEXTING YOU EVER.]

[I have a responsibility to my school! Of course my own safety is a concern, and the situation is bizarre, but I have a duty to the rest of the student body as well.

So who is it that's in charge, then? Just because previous attempts have failed doesn't mean I can't try.]

[knightime]

[Oh god damn it.]

i dont even know if time runs the same here as it does anywhere else
this place is kind of stupid
in terms of staying chronologically aligned with anything
but considering i have like two best friends
spoiler
same guy
two of him
its kind of really weird seeing two of him
but i doubt you have to worry about home
at least thats what you hope
that depends
theres the mayor
but idk if you can ever really get in contact with her
there are headmistresses
but once upon a time
they were just like us
so they cant take you home or anything
they just say to play the game and win
whatever that means

[Hello, I am Dave and I talk a lot via bright red text.]

video.

[smupette]

Yeah good luck with that. There isn't much we can even do about the memories. The only thing we can do is hope someone has a memory charm for you and hope for the best in your battles.

[ding sing, someone signed back.]

[alwaysoutspoken]

[Good you are also on the never compromising list oh also they are roommates?]

[So you've resigned to obeying the rules of this system?]

[smupette]

[She could be. She's never in the room enough. Her bed is usually made and neat. She's only there for showers and clothing changes. She's pretty content with sleeping outside.]

Not at all. I spend most of my time at Fortitude watching over people. Not spying. I just don't condone thirteen year olds fighting one another on a more than daily basis.

Basically I do everything to get on the prefects and headmistresses nerves.

video, computer room I guess!

[savedbyasong]

Hello Shizune Hakamichi. My name is Shion. How are you?

[And yep all he understood was your first seven words and that there is the full extent of his sign language knowledge!]

[alwaysoutspoken]

[She can tell he's a beginner by how he signs, so she'll go easy on him... though yeah, you've signed up for "never getting text ever from her". But yes, she's signing rather deliberately and not as fiercely as before]

[Hello, Shion. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm fine, other than the fact that I'm here instead of at home.]

[savedbyasong]

[He picked up bits of that, Hello. His name, meet you. That she was fine, and the sign for home. That didn't tell him much.

I hope she doesn't mind very very broken signing.]

Good meet you. I sign little. Sorry. [He is really scraping the barrel of what he knows now...]

[isur2ndprincess]

[Yuki only understands the first seven words as well]

Welcome, I'm Yuki Yagizawa.

[she switches to text]

Forgive me, I don't know much sign language.

[alwaysoutspoken]

[BORDERLINE oh well she'll switch to text too]

That's fine; it's not exactly a common skill.

I'm Shizune Hakamichi. I just arrived here, as I'm sure is obvious.

[And she didn't catch what Yuki said before, so she doesn't realize the girl understood any of her speech. (unless that first part was signed???]

[isur2ndprincess]

[wow, yes, that was totally signed. Totally.]

There are a few people here who know how to sign, there is even a class on the weekends that I've been attending. I hope I can learn enough to communicate with those who can't speak in ways other than text.

[aka she'd love to have a signed conversation with Dave]

text

[greenspaces]

hi
i am jade :)
i do not speak a lot of sign language but i understood your name
and also your friends names i think
they are not here, so they are probably at home......

[alwaysoutspoken]

Hello. As I guess you picked up, I'm Shizune Hakamichi. It's pretty good you caught that much; I don't usually meet a lot of people who can sign.

I didn't see them getting off the train, so I guessed as much...

[greenspaces]

dave and john taught me
they are really cool

sorry :(
maybe they will show up one day

text

[overthroen]

i'm told that i was just witness to an impressive display of limb-based language.
which, unfortunately, i'm unable to either perceive or comprehend.
but whoever you are, know that you're in good company. at the very least, two of my friends communicate in a similar fashion.

[alwaysoutspoken]

Told? Is that so.

I'm Shizune Hakamichi. I just recently arrived. I'm surprised you have friends like that.

[Even with their personal differences aside, Shizune has found getting along with her cousin to be trying at best given their differences in abilities...]

text

[greenspaces]

oh
i could teach you the alphabet....

[chariotprince]

[ SHE'S JUST WATCHING.... SO CONFUSED ]

Woah.... Are you all right?

[alwaysoutspoken]

[I'm guessing you don't understand this?]

Text

[mysterioustransferstudent]

I'm afraid I didn't understand any of that, and if Rakuen City is anything like my home world, most of the other residents can't either. Perhaps you could write it out? It looked important.

[alwaysoutspoken]

I sort of figured as much; where I come from isn't any different. But I wanted to see who I could speak with normally first.