Nov 10, 2016  Traveling Thoughts on Katawa Shoujo (Rin Route) November 10, 2016 November 17. The smoking scene, the exhibit opening, and her h-scene are all good indicators of actions speaking louder than words, and I feel the art did a great job of containing the weight of those scenes. ©2007-2013 Four Leaf Studios. Follow @fourleafstudios.

The software installer includes 41 files and is usually about 235.98 MB (247,447,944 bytes). 3d models for daz studio. The program is built using the Nokia Qt cross-platforms native C framework. In comparison to the total number of users, most PCs are running the OS Windows 7 (SP1) as well as Windows 10.

Keep plot details out of your submission titles.Released on January 4th, 2012Spoiler Tags (work in your inbox): spoiler(/s '1+1=2')results inYou will be banned if you choose not to mark relevant posts as NSFW.What counts as NSFW in this community?People might have different ideas of what NSFW means, but. we should set the standard at skimpy or revealing outfits, lingerie, and characters in advanced states of undress.Hate the way I run things?:.Is your comment not appearing? Did you include a link to a file-sharing site or image host? See for details.

A lot has happened in the public space concerning mental health, sexual health, and consent since Katawa Shoujo was released in 2012. The public consciousness, as well as the quality and content of public discourse, has shifted markedly in just 5 years. KS occupies an interesting space within the modern discourse concerning these issues, and Hanako's h-scene, I think, says a lot of necessary (while uncomfortable) things about sexual relationships and mental health that are hard to discuss in the current climate for fear of repercussion or error.I've experienced Hanako's route twice in the past 5 years: once in 2012, and once in 2017. I think that Hanako's scene illustrates the difficulty in creating clean, easily transferrable rules about consent, especially in relation to young people, sexually inexperienced people, and those with mental health concerns; while it's not impossible, the complications that these things can bring to a sexual relationship requires a more nuanced approach to consent.All of the h-scenes in KS are written from the perspective of a high school senior with no sexual experience of his own.

That's important for a few reasons. The first is that, while the protagonist is Japanese, the writing is in English, done by a team of predominantly English-speaking developers. That makes it inevitable that a Western interpretation of sexual relationships will have found its way into the scenarios. Some of these interpretations are shared with Eastern cultures, but not all of them are. In addition, all of the possible routes are strictly hetero-monogamous; this is worth saying because Kenji is not available as a valid route (his path leads to death, which is something for another analysis), and while Misha shows signs of bisexuality, it is not possible to have a poly-amorous relationship with her and Shizune (which is relevant because Misha shows sexual and romantic desire for Shizune during the route). Harem routes are also unavailable. While some of these can be chalked up to the limited resources of a self-funded, self-run, amateur game studio working within the constraints of a well-developed genre's standard tropes, the fact that these options were not made priorities may have been influenced by biases inherent to the views the developers may have had on human relationships; that possibility needs stating, if only for comprehensiveness.This is all relevant because Hanako's h-scene has a tone and content that is vastly different from any other scenes in the game.

Some of it is due to differences in the various storylines' conceits: Hanako is easily the hardest character to interact with and get to know. However, Hanako's scene feels distinct from the other scenes in the game precisely because the writers know information that the player is not privy to, and additionally, the information that was purposefully omitted from the player creates a particular atmosphere of discomfort, both for the player and the player character.As the scene begins and Hanako decides to undress for Hisao, there are no sexual undertones to the scene at all. I distinctly remember the first time I played that, as Hanako undressed and began to explain her scars, I thought 'this is an important scene, and there will be a lot of emotions here; there's no way that this is the h-scene. Certainly, Hanako and Hisao will grow closer from this experience; I bet that is the spark that starts their romantic relationship'. I was, as we know, partially correct. I think that, based on Hanako's demeanor and the description of her movements, she did not think there were sexual undertones to her actions, either.

Certainly, she understood that you usually only get naked in front of your doctor or your lover, but the circumstances of her relationship both with Hisao and her own body did not make me think that Hanako honestly thought she was going to bed Hisao after her revelations.Hisao, however, thought differently. As is usually the case with adolescent boys, nudity means sex time, and he initiates sexual contact with Hanako under the pretense that she must want sex because, well, she got naked in front of him. We know after the fact that Hanako was open to the idea (for less than healthy reasons), but Hisao doesn't know that; he even remarks later that he never actually confirmed Hanako's intentions or desire, nor did he confirm her consent.

In any other context, and certainly in stories written in 2017, this would be where the conversation ends: Hisao didn't receive enthusiastic consent from someone he knew had mental health concerns, and therefore this was a clear act of coercive sexual assault. This is why it feels so uncomfortable to watch this scene and the aftermath in 2017: Hisao's lack of confirming consent with Hanako is a huge issue.

Again, Hisao himself confirms this later on in the story.However, what Hisao and the player don't know is that Hanako does feel genuine love and affection for Hisao at the time of this scene, even if she can't verbally articulate it yet. Her given reason for continuing sexual contact is that she felt that it was what Hisao wanted, and she wanted to give him what he wanted because she felt that it was the best way to deepen their romantic relationship.

In essence, Hanako had learned from somewhere (we're not told where, so the likely candidate is simply culture writ large) that people who love each other have sex, and people in relationships have sex, and she wants to love Hisao and be in a relationship with him, therefore they need to have sex. As players, we understand that this is putting the cart before the horse, at least from the perspective of the writers: the actual order of things is to be in a loving relationship with someone you care about, then once that foundation is established, you have sex.This is reinforced throughout all of the other routes: every time Hisao has sexual contact with one of the girls before their romantic relationship is solidified, it leads to strife and conflict. Emi, for instance, uses sex as a way to keep Hisao at bay, and can do so because they don't yet understand each other emotionally; therefore, sex is a distraction that she can use to manipulate the distance in their relationship. Similarly, Shizune's first h-scene with Hisao only serves to cause strife because he doesn't really understand why she initiated and wasn't really an active participant because Shizune didn't actually care for that at the time; this not only clouds his relationship with Shizune, but also causes Misha strife and clouds her relationship with both Hisao and Shizune herself. This is, I think, the closest we can come to saying the writers had something to say about sex and relationships.

If there is an underlying sexual philosophy in KS, it's that sex outside of the bounds of a healthy and understanding emotional relationship is at minimum problematic, and at most actively unhealthy.With this framework, what does that say about Hanako's relationship with Hisao (and herself) and how consent plays a role in their sexual relationship? We would expect that it would cause serious damage to their friendship; in fact, this is almost a perfect setup for a 'Bad Ending'. We could easily imagine a route in where, after Hanako undresses, the player is presented with a choice, and sleeping with Hanako here causes her to withdraw from Hisao and reject his friendship outright. In fact, I would argue that, were the game made in 2017, that's exactly what we may have gotten. However, Hanako's route outright rejects this thinking; it's the one h-scene in the game that runs counter to the writer's otherwise consistent views on sexual and emotional health.Hanako isn't clearly into it, but at multiple times throughout the scene, she is shown reassuring Hisao. There are multiple mentions of her eyes and face showing willingness, and as the scene ends, she's deliberately shown happy and smiling; contrast this to Misha's scene, where throughout the entirety of the scene, she is shown to be very uncomfortable, and after it is concluded, she's upset and unhappy.

Why is this the case, then? And, what does this say about the writer's views on consent?I think that the intention of this scene is to illustrate that it's not always possible to verbally consent enthusiastically, even if consent is there, and that this is particularly an issue for those with underlying problems concerning communication and trust. Certainly, Hanako desires a meaningful and deep emotional relationship with Hisao.

However, she also wants to be viewed as a complete person, without the need to be coddled and protected. She wants to be Hisao's equal, in every sense. As with everything, though, she lacks the words to communicate this, nor does she have the ability. Hanako's trauma is deep, and part of the reason for that is because her lack of self-worth is being constantly reinforced by everyone treating her like a china doll. She's not a self-actualized person, at least as far as she can tell. In this way, we have echoes of Mutou's lesson to Hisao in Emi's route: sometimes, the only way you can detect something is via its effect on something else.

For Hanako, she can't ask directly what people think of her as a person, but she has inklings because of how they treat her in other contexts.We might say that, from Hanako's perspective, she would expect that Hisao wouldn't need to ask her if she was consenting, if they were truly equals; if they understood each other well enough, they'd be able to tell wordlessly. That's what she wants: complete and total understanding of another, while they completely and totally understand her. So, in a way, Hanako has decided to 'fake it until she makes it': if she can act as though they are equals, perhaps that's enough to make it so.

This actually does end up being why Hanako confesses her love to Hisao at the end of her route, and why Hisao is motivated to do so as well. If they had not had sex, neither of them would have come to their independent realizations about each other, and their relationship wouldn't have deepened.However, at the time of the h-scene, Hanako is literally unable to form the words to consent to sex. Her illness restricts her capabilities.

This, I think, is the crux of what the writers think about the sexual relationships of those suffering from mental illness.Hanako wants a relationship, thus she wants sex. But, she's ill, and can't consent the way others can. Does that, therefore, mean that we, as healthy people, MUST deny her a sexual relationship to fulfill an arbitrary definition of consent that may be fundamentally incompatible with her needs and abilities? Must one be mentally 'healthy' (whatever our definition means) before a person has access to sex? And, does that mean that people who don't meet that definition of healthy must necessarily be denied sex by those who are healthy, in order for us all to be ethical?I think that the writers reject this view.

In showing us this scene between two, frankly, children (neither of which is really 'ready' for sex by an adult's definition) honestly and earnestly, I think they are arguing that sex is an experience that should not be denied because of a value judgement made by others. We, as outside observers, may judge that neither Hanako nor Hisao are really ready to have sex with one another: Hanako has definite issues she's still working out, and Hisao doesn't have the wherewithal to even properly check in with his sexual partner. But, we're not them. We, ultimately, have no right to judge their decisions. Had Hanako come to a conclusion later that she made a mistake, that's fine, and that bridge could have been crossed. But, at the time, Hanako had the closest thing she could have had to desire and consent, and for her, it counted.

In fact, it was enough to be the impetus that caused her to come to terms with a number of her traumas.This may be how others with mental health issues view themselves; it's possible that this is something that people with Down Syndrome, autism, Asperger's, or PTSD deal with on a regular basis. However, it's problematic if we, as self-proclaimed 'healthy people', declare that it's not right for these people to have sexual relationships.

After all, we all may be closer to each other than we think; Hisao may have been more of an equal to Hanako emotionally than either of them realized, due to his inability to deal with his own emotional baggage.What do you think? What do you think Hanako's h-scene says about sex and consent, and do you think the writers were trying to convey something of your own? Thoughts?. SPOILER. Well, this is certainly a.detailed philosophical essay.I'm not quite as capable of delving into the same detail you did, but I will say that I think it boils down to the fact that they are both teenagers (both Hisao and Hanako are only 18 years-old) and neither seems to fully comprehend what to do in the situation.

Hanako gives herself to Hisao because that is what she feels is necessary to do in a relationship while Hisao just presses forward without thinking enough. It's because of that that this H-scene comes off as so awkward. It does work out for them in the end, after all, but it seems that some miscommunication happened along the way. Thank you!:) I put a lot of thought and work into it, for sure.I absolutely agree that a lot of what makes the scene is that both Hisao and Hanako are completely inexperienced 18 year old kids who really have no clue what they're doing, both in terms of sex and relationships in general. If anything, I think that's really what makes both this scene and the stories of the whole game work so well.Let's assume that nothing about this scene changed, except for the ages of the characters.

Let's say that they were both 30 years old. That would actually make this scene a lot darker and would make Hisao's actions far less understandable or excusable. Even if you are 30 years old and have no experience with relationships, one would presume that just by watching TV, talking with others, and absorbing ambient information from society by osmosis, one would be knowledgeable and understanding enough to be way more careful in asking if your partner actually wants to have sex. We can excuse these mistakes and misunderstandings when teenagers do them. We have a much harder time, however, excusing these mistakes in a full grown adult.Hanako and Hisao's ages, therefore, give this scene in particular an incredible amount of depth that would not be there otherwise. And, I think that both this scene and Hanako's story as a whole is made richer for it.

I do kind of wonder about the age factor that you mentioned. While 18 is certainly young enough to not completely understand relationships, it doesn't seem unreasonable they both Hisao and Hanako would have some concept of consent at that age. I mean, I certainly remember having some sex-related education even when I was in middle school and certainly by high school I understood that certain lines were not to be crossed. Yes, it may have worked in Hanako's good ending, but it could've easily gone a different way.We can excuse these mistakes and misunderstandings when teenagers do them.I really question the validity of this statement. Having sex with someone without consent, even as a teenager, isn't really some petty mischief that can be easily forgiven.

^ Pearson, Craig (29 August 2012).

After all, having sex and pursuing that sort of relationship can have serious repercussions. In the worst of situations, the law may become involved. I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to say here. I do kind of wonder about the age factor that you mentioned. While 18 is certainly young enough to not completely understand relationships, it doesn't seem unreasonable they both Hisao and Hanako would have some concept of consent at that age. I mean, I certainly remember having some sex-related education even when I was in middle school and certainly by high school I understood that certain lines were not to be crossed. Yes, it may have worked in Hanako's good ending, but it could've easily gone a different way.I honestly wish I had lived in a state that offered sex education.

TT As it so happened, my first sexual encounter was with someone who didn't actually ask for explicit consent, and while I didn't say no, I sure as hell didn't really feel like saying no was an option. Now, that's not to say I was raped or assaulted; she misread the situation, and I was too timid, afraid, and ashamed to correct her. I take full responsibility for that. But, I partially blame a lack of good sex education, as well as the Southern US culture of 'no real man turns down sex', for that encounter and how it turned out.

So, I actually empathize with both Hisao and Hanako a lot here.In addition, we're STILL working out what consent really means, and by that I mean adults who have relatively well-formed understandings of the subject. Sure, both Hisao and Hanako, I'm sure, would have understood that no means no at their age, but I think it's also reasonable to expect that two kids with no actual experience and who have a history of being, let's say, a tad reclusive may not have a full grasp that a lack of a 'yes' could also mean a lack of consent, in addition to a 'no'.I really question the validity of this statement. Having sex with someone without consent, even as a teenager, isn't really some petty mischief that can be easily forgiven. After all, having sex and pursuing that sort of relationship can have serious repercussions. In the worst of situations, the law may become involved. I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to say here.I should clarify, then.

I don't mean 'lack of consent' as in 'one person said no'. I mean to say less than clear consent in a situation where no one was impaired. We adults (I presume you're an adult here, sorry if I'm projecting) may be harsher than kids are towards each other in this regard; two peers under 18 with less than fully formed understandings of sex may be more lenient with each other when it comes to 'I need a forceful and enthusiastic yes before we continue'. Some of that may be due to shame at not having a full understanding, and some of that is cultural, and certainly women are expected to be more understanding than men. But, I don't think kids who are peers are calling the cops over misunderstandings very frequently; that's probably a parent. And, I don't think even that is super frequent, or at least it wasn't when I was a kid (which, granted, was over 10 years ago; I'm sure things have changed, just not sure in which direction).

So, not to diminish the significance of non-consentual sex. Just to say that I don't think we jump to arms quite so readily when the two people involved say it was a misunderstanding versus when one of them clearly says 'I was forced / didn't consent, and that's not ok with me'.

I honestly wish I had lived in a state that offered sex education. TTWell, I'm from Connecticut and though it has been a while since I've been in high school, students are generally taught the basics, why using a condom is important, etc.

Even on my college campus there are constant reminders that having sex without consent, or any other form of sexual assault/harassment, is really bad, to say the least.I presume you're an adult here, sorry if I'm projectingIndeed I am, if that makes any difference.I think I see what you're saying and I also think that that was one of the points of the story. As I said earlier, both Hisao and Hanako are inexperienced and don't know what to do. It's just part of their development both as individuals and together, I suppose. I mean, hanako wanted to sleep with him since they got drunk. The leasr cuddle, and the most fucking. People never bring that up in this shit.But her only sex scene, she planned it since she found her in the library.

Her, rin and misha are the only one to come to him and they randomly start fucking. But the signs are all there that its going down to fucking.Sex is awkward for a lot first timers, and this one captures one aspect of it. Where a girl isnt sure if this is the right thing but fears shell lose him cause she thinks he only wants her for sex or whatever from her and leave her for another broad to fuck.

Her scene has been done a shit ton of times in teen dramas. Most people probably dont understand that these routes of been told many times over the years.Bottom line, they both love each other or some shit, and they fucked. Additionally, it's easy to do the classic PC thing of victimizing someone who doesn't feel like a victim (and IRL it often ends up convincing them). Hanako had an agenda; a reason for sleeping with Hisao whereas Hisao just wanted to be intimate with her.

She relinquishes control willingly, and it's clear in the final park scene that she only felt (very) embarrassed by it and nothing worse. Hisao on the other hand feels really awful, as anyone would. He's the more naive one in that situation, interestingly enough. (the fanfic Sisterhood brings up this point)Hanako is by far the strongest character in this world, and her issues are not a part of her. Traumas can seize control from someone as an outside force created by other people, taking away their rationality and ability to make their own decisions. Every time she's in control, she makes rational, correct decisions. The sex scene was no exception.

Hisao even confirms her theory (in the final park scene) that he saw her as someone he needed to protect before they got intimate. In other words, she made the only right choice for their relationship to progress. It was yet another incredibly strong and insightful move from her.

Honestly, I think the reason it's not brought up often is because there's simply not enough textual evidence to support that reading of the scene in a confident way. We, as the player, only have as much info as Hisao has (it would undermine many of the stories, but especially Hanako's, if we had more info than Hisao). Even if we can put together the pieces faster than him (really, dude, how did you not know Emi's dad was dead?), we're never told anything that Hisao can't know (for instance, we're never given a monologue by any of the girls; all we know is what they say in front of Hisao).Knowing that, why would Hisao assume that Hanako wanted to sleep with him when they were drunk? Hanako is shy, reserved, and most of all, cripplingly lonely.

When she says that she wants him to stay the night with her, there's no reason to think she means anything other than that she's lonely and wants his company as one of her closest friends. Perhaps she is falling for him, but he has no evidence for anything more than that. The primary reason that he doesn't stay is because A ) she's drunk, and B ) it would look REALLY suspicious if he didn't come back to Lilly's room, and he clearly doesn't want her to think that he's taking advantage of Hanako.You're absolutely right that this scene captures the awkwardness of a first time very well; the only scene I'd argue does it better is Emi's anal scene because that's, well, just the epitome of 'we have no idea what we're doing'. And, you're right, this kind of story HAS been done before.But, as with much of Katawa Shoujo, what's notable and impressive here is that they're trying to tell this very human and relatable story with characters that have various illnesses, which is rare. And, even rarer is that it's done with care. And even rarer still is that it's done with care in regards to mental health.

So, while the framework is as old as the love story, the specifics are what give the story its special qualities. That's why I was so taken with KS when I first played it, and I'm sure others here agree that the level of care and respect the team shows towards characters with varying degrees of physical and mental illnesses is commendable and impressive. We're STILL discussing how to tell stories about the mentally ill (for instance, the discussion around Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice).So, yes, they love each other and they fucked. But, the specifics around that are still interesting and tell and interesting story about love, sex, growth, and mental illness, and thus is worth analysis. And, it's really not as simple as it seems at first glance; that's the depth of 4LS' storytelling. So I like that you've taken the time to write such a thoughtful and articulate piece about an important topic. And I generally agree with you, both about the shift in public awareness of consent issues and how thinking more proactively about those issues affects how we read this scene and this game.