|
Well this was an incredibly unfun update for the most part. Granvania is just the absolute worst at this point. We haven't quite reached Valkyrie Profile's level of "why am I even trying to save this world" yet, but the populace haven't proven themselves to be more than ingrates and jerks most of the time. In regards to the events themselves, this is what I've got to say. I'll see if I can improve over my usual vague ramblings into something more coherent: Alfie Alfie's event proves the townspeople are incredibly dumb. Maybe it's an issue on the Academy's side for possibly not being open about it enough, but I have a feeling they're just willing to believe anything if it justifies banishing Alfie. The townsfolk of Granvania just seem to be incredibly xenophobic given that they've been giving Itsuki hell for no reason. Arie Of course the game would end on a cliffhanger at Arie's event. They've been really dragging this out, and I suppose they'll be getting as much out of it as they can. Still, she was straight up with that confession. If she feels that bad about doing something that feels good, couldn't you just have reasoned that with that "helping others also makes you feel good"? I know the direction they were aiming with that, but it still makes it sound like she felt like she couldn't be happy in the slightest. Femiruna Femiruna's event just continues to prove this game is really pushing the wrong morals. Sure, I get they're playing the "she shouldn't use money and social class to solve everything," but she's being incredibly generous if you ask me. She's going far out of her way to contribute to the cause of saving Granvania, even if its partly because it's a gift for Itsuki. She directly acknowledges how much it'll help, so I really can't give the game any leeway here: they can't push the right morals. Ruka Still tsundere-ing, but slowly weathering away just as expected. The direction this is going in is intriguing though- it's not the way I figured it would be going. Not much else to say, unfortunately. Farun So basically, she seems to be bad with connections and communicating in general without wearing a "mask". She's been wearing them for so long and running for so long that she really doesn't know what to do when she doesn't have it up. Second or triple guesses their actions in conversation and flounders when faced with scenarios she failed to predict. drat it, that's eerily familiar. Thanks for reminding me, game I'm not even playing. Mirei Again, this game's morals suck, especially when Granvania's populace is factored into it. Mahiru The whole thing I've been getting from Mahiru for most of her updates is that she's really overdoing it when it comes to Itsuki. I mean, I suppose anyone would do that when their competition has just jumped by 1200%, but she's really overdoing it. I'd still like her a lot more if her characterization wasn't mistakenly two-sided and she wasn't a cousin. Yuzuha Her events don't seem like they're going in the direction I thought, which I suppose is a good thing. I suppose it told us a good amount about her though. Reone How long ago were her "street fighting days" anyways? It honestly sounds like these jerks are holding onto some grudges for way longer than they really should. Again, I'll agree, being a government employee and Star Maiden herself, she should know that she really should just tell the authorities. Maybe part of it is her not wanting people to lower their opinions of the Star Maidens any more than they already seem to be, but isn't basically blasphemous to be against them in the first place? If she told the higher-ups she was a street fighter, I'm pretty sure Shang would tell her that she should train Itsuki in it to see if it would help with his time in the labyrinths. Sue She's hard to describe now. Given this backstory, it does explain a lot about how she's been acting throughout her events. She seems surprisingly...innocent given her parents gave themselves to save her. There's always the probability she downplays it in her mind to minimize the grief, but I don't remember being told if she was raised by anyone else. The part that makes me think this the most, aside from the "went away", is the exchange about not wanting anyone to die: it and the attachment strike me as a childish in ways. Collette Minus the DO NOT READ part, I've seen nearly the exact same plot thread in Restaurant Empire. No, that's really about all I've got to say. Collette's never been very interesting to me, though I'm probably sure I've never given her a fair chance. Lilith Eh, it was an event. I suppose it's nice to see that Lillie didn't try to tear Itsuki's head off immediately or break straight into dialogue that strains the game's rating. I don't have much investment in these two, probably because Lillie's been such an awful person most of the time. Tarua You've got mail! Running is great! Hey, didn't you know running is great?! Mail! Allusion to clumsiness and insert recent anecdote about short lifespan boss. But seriously, they're setting up for what really looks to be obvious with the Boss's health. I only know as much as the summaries tell me, but we're far too into these stories to have learned so little about a character. Hell, I know of some games that adopted a glacial approach to character development and still felt like they went faster than this. I don't really have any investment in her story, either. ...Well, that was a lot more verbose than my usual complaining. Call me out on anything that seems off, I made this post pretty late at night.
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2020 08:06
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 28, 2024 14:29 |
|
|
The Granvanians sure ain't looking too good right now. Why did Shang want to come live here? It's looking more and more like Stockholm Syndrome. The writers are also kind of bad at getting their morals across. Like maybe if we came across Femiruna in the marketplace buying up a bakery's stock for a surprise party for Itsuki and there was a poor family trying to buy bread for dinner, maybe they'd have had a leg to stand on with the whole "troubling others" BS. It would be like hammering a nail with a sledgehammer, but they'd at least have a point. I'd bet there's also a bit of a culture gap here, where you're supposed to be thinking of the shop's other customers more than the owner themselves, but it just seems like a swing and a miss from our side of the ocean. Mirei's event too. Farun and Mahiru were definitely holding those swimsuits on with some sort of waterproof tape or glue. You could at least design clothing that it's physically possible for people to wear, SC. 
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2020 09:06
|
|
|
Holy poo poo, Arie. Why didn't they go all the way and call Mahiru's event 'In Vino, Veritas'?
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2020 16:29
|
|
|
Uhhh... I'd like to bring my hypothesis of classmating doing things to people's subconsciouses back to the table.
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2020 17:55
|
|
|
AnAnonymousIdiot posted:Uhhh... I'd like to bring my hypothesis of classmating doing things to people's subconsciouses back to the table. You can, although I still think you're off base with it. I think it's just a case of not getting as much time to properly build these story events compared to CII. Then again, all I do is theorize about stuff the game will likely never answer, so it's not like I have any right to talk about validity. Raitzeno posted:Why didn't they go all the way and call Mahiru's event 'In Vino, Veritas'? What I wonder is: Was Mahiru playing drunk as a way to get the chance to say whatever she wanted to Itsuki and judge his reaction? She appears to sober up completely and immediately when the topic changes to Itsuki wondering about Narcisstes. She goes from slurring her speech to speaking like the usual Mahiru at the drop of a hat. It's a little suspicious. Granted, the writers may have just forgotten that she was supposed to be drunk. Who knows. Either way, I like drunk Mahiru. That's probably her only appearance though. Commander Keene posted:The writers are also kind of bad at getting their morals across. Like maybe if we came across Femiruna in the marketplace buying up a bakery's stock for a surprise party for Itsuki and there was a poor family trying to buy bread for dinner, maybe they'd have had a leg to stand on with the whole "troubling others" BS. It would be like hammering a nail with a sledgehammer, but they'd at least have a point. I'd bet there's also a bit of a culture gap here, where you're supposed to be thinking of the shop's other customers more than the owner themselves, but it just seems like a swing and a miss from our side of the ocean. Mirei's event too. Femiruna's event could have easily worked. All it would have taken was Itsuki asking her to donate stuff like the bed, furniture, and food to the less fortunate. You could still have Femiruna getting upset about Itsuki not accepting the gifts, but you would also teach Femiruna the same lesson while having the shop owners maintain their sale of all that stuff. It could have easily been a win-win-win situation while achieving the exact same results. Or as you said, have a scene where Femiruna's little stunt caused direct and visible trouble for people (somehow). As it stands, we have Femiruna being made to feel guilty about causing trouble for other people despite the fact that she did it all as thanks to Itsuki as well as in the name of furthering the cause of stopping the Star Chaos. Not to mention that she did this by injecting a lot of cash into the local economy. Finally, we know what Femiruna is like, she wasn't popping down to the local Wal-Mart and buying all the food, leaving poorer citizens out of luck when it comes to cheap groceries. Femiruna was out buying up all the high quality expensive merchandise, which isn't going to inconvenience anyone except for maybe other rich people. As it stands, the only thing Femiruna did "wrong" was having an attitude of "I can have whatever I want and nobody can tell me otherwise." Other than that, I can't think of any possible negative effects her actions would have caused. She certainly didn't cause trouble for other people. The Flying Twybil posted:Arie For Arie: At the very least we should be headed for answers now. I can't see them finding a way to avoid showing us the room any more. Arie definitely has the resolve at this point and it would be hard to pull back from that given how sure of her feelings she seems to be. As for the part about countering her by explaining that doing good deeds makes you feel good as well, I think that would be a risky gamble. She might see the logic in it, or it might have just triggered an even deeper crisis in her. I think it was better that Itsuki kept the focus on just convincing her about Classmating. For Mahiru: You have the right idea with Mahiru trying too hard. I mentioned this before, but I believe this is what her original personality was built on. Original Mahiru was more caught up in her school idol aura. She's the one that brings all the boys to the yard and Itsuki is just kind of a nobody by comparison. It meant that Mahiru didn't really feel threatened at all. She could carry on with Itsuki the same as always and wait for him to finally awaken to his feelings (or fulfill that marriage promise that I'm positive was made during the Autumn Festival when they were younger). Getting pulled into Granvania changes all that for Mahiru. She's still the school idol/popular girl (the Academy boys are all after her judging by the love letters she gets), but Itsuki is no longer a nobody. He was given an incredibly important job and he has 12 other beautiful women giving him attention and being required to spend time with him. This is why Mahiru is getting gradually more aggressive. She already knows she has feelings for Itsuki, but she can't just sit on them anymore because there are 12 other ladies making inroads with him and building feelings of their own. It's an interesting view on a character, but as you said, the cousin thing is just too much of an obstacle here. Mahiru is still fairly popular in event voting, but I don't think that popularity will materialize in terms of the eventual ending vote. Even if you are somehow "okay" with them being blood related, there's still the fact that they have grown up together and live under the same roof (at least for the past 5 or 6 years or so). Even without the cousin hang up, the two of them still have a sister-brother relationship, which also makes romance a no-go. Maybe the thread will end up disagreeing with me when the time for an ending rolls around and think Mahiru should be top girl, blood relation be damned. I just don't think there are enough people in this thread willing to overlook that though.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2020 01:17
|
|
|
Psycho Knight posted:Maybe the thread will end up disagreeing with me when the time for an ending rolls around and think Mahiru should be top girl, blood relation be damned. I just don't think there are enough people in this thread willing to overlook that though. I highly doubt it when even setting aside her wonky, slapdash, flipflopping personality, you still have 12 (...or perhaps 11, Reone) candidates without that bitter incest aftertaste.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2020 05:59
|
|
|
Raitzeno posted:I highly doubt it when even setting aside her wonky, slapdash, flipflopping personality, you still have 12 (...or perhaps 11, Reone) candidates without that bitter incest aftertaste. Yeah. Despite her being less offensive than others in some ways and having some actual story relevance, I'd be hard pressed to consider Mahiru in the end. This isn't the antebellum of early 1800's America- some people might be able to overlook it, but the blood relation is a deal breaker for me. Even Yuzuha's "Big Brother" and Farun's "Big Sis" nicknames are more bearable for being exactly that: nicknames. We get the idea that for both characters they don't feel nearly as literally as Reone does, and aren't related by blood. What I'm saying is that Mahiru would have to become incredibly exceptional while everyone else takes a large fall for it to really be considerable.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2020 06:29
|
|
|
I mean, I'm more likely to vote for Mahiru than, say, Tarua or Lillith/Lillie at this point, but I'm also extremely likely to do what I did in the CII LP and just abstain from the ending vote. I don't really care about the romance aspect of the game and am more interested in the character arcs, which in CII were resolved by then. So if it looks like there's more to be seen character-wise at the end of this game, I'll vote, but otherwise I'm just gonna stand back and watch.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2020 08:09
|
|
|
The Flying Twybil posted:What I'm saying is that Mahiru would have to become incredibly exceptional while everyone else takes a large fall for it to really be considerable. Hey, don't count out that possibility. Knowing this game, it's entirely possible that 8 out of 12 Maidens could blow it near the end. Not saying the chances of that are high, but I'm also saying not to underestimate the writers ability to destroy a character's route. Raitzeno posted:I highly doubt it when even setting aside her wonky, slapdash, flipflopping personality, you still have 12 (...or perhaps 11, Reone) candidates without that bitter incest aftertaste. Of course, this is still the biggest obstacle to a Mahiru ending. Much like her character route, she's up against a lot of competition. Commander Keene posted:I mean, I'm more likely to vote for Mahiru than, say, Tarua or Lillith/Lillie at this point, but I'm also extremely likely to do what I did in the CII LP and just abstain from the ending vote. I don't really care about the romance aspect of the game and am more interested in the character arcs, which in CII were resolved by then. So if it looks like there's more to be seen character-wise at the end of this game, I'll vote, but otherwise I'm just gonna stand back and watch. And that's fine. Honestly, with how short the endings in CII were, I don't think it's going to matter much which one we wind up with. I also can't fill in new narrative to try and expand things because the Star Maidens don't have direct contact with Itsuki inside the Labyrinths. It's entirely possible that we could wind up with each ending just being a CG and 2-3 lines of dialogue. My line of thinking with Mahiru is related to the people lurking. I think the last Focus Poll got 230 votes or something, and I asked people to pick up to 6 choices. That means we're looking at maybe 40-50 different voters. There are maybe 10 or 12 of you guys that regularly post in the thread. So it's hard to get a good understanding of how much certain character things are bothering the LP audience. Since we're on the topic, let me pose a hypothetical on two characters. Knowing what we know now (in terms of their routes) where do you think Reone and Mahiru would stand right now if: 1. Mahiru was not related to Itsuki. Like, her parents were just close friends of Itsuki's parents which led to him being taken in by them. They'd still have the childhood friends angle, but no blood relation. 2. Reone's only mention of her brother was during that first event where she explains the picture. She tells us about him and that he died, but then she has completely moved past the topic for the rest of her route.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2020 14:46
|
|
|
I think both would be improved if those creepy angles were missing. Reone especially. I voted for her in the first round because she a) wasn't a little kid and b) seemed like her events would be fun to watch. Then the brother complex happened and even her street fighting backstory is not helping. Mahiru I'm not entirely sure about, her events have been a bit boring.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2020 16:29
|
|
|
Psycho Knight posted:1. Mahiru was not related to Itsuki. Like, her parents were just close friends of Itsuki's parents which led to him being taken in by them. They'd still have the childhood friends angle, but no blood relation. My opinion of them would jump a good amount. Mahiru would still have the characterization wonkiness, but the amount of pressure she puts on trying to get Itsuki to notice her becomes significantly less disturbing if they're not blood relatives. You know, honestly I'd be fine with her still being a cousin if her story wasn't even romance based, just based around them becoming better friends. Come to think of it, has any game done that before? A straight platonic route? Reone doesn't particularly have to forget about her brother, she just needs to stop thinking of Itsuki as her brother because that's incredibly creepy with how forward she is. Moving on from it entirely would definitely help, and she could still play the maturity card that she always seems to use. I'd imagine she'd jump up a pretty good distance, though I don't think she'd hit top 6 in my opinion.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2020 17:14
|
|
|
The Flying Twybil posted:Come to think of it, has any game done that before? A straight platonic route? The only thing that comes to mind is that the modern (3 and on) Persona games have an optional platonic route with each of the possible romantic interests.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2020 17:56
|
|
|
Raitzeno posted:The only thing that comes to mind is that the modern (3 and on) Persona games have an optional platonic route with each of the possible romantic interests.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2020 18:20
|
|
|
Psycho Knight posted:Since we're on the topic, let me pose a hypothetical on two characters. Knowing what we know now (in terms of their routes) where do you think Reone and Mahiru would stand right now if: Mahiru would probably be a bit more unpredictable; it would depend on how the plot goes. Another hook that jumps out at me is her occasionally ignoring her emotions, or burying them with childhood memories, nostalgia, and old habits in order to make them seem normal to her or just disassociate them from her. See the times Mahiru brushes off Itsuki's confusion at some of her more peculiar antics. She might be better, but it may be superficially compared to the others. Reone would be a lot more entertaining but I'd say that'd put her with Farun in that, even when we're told her backstory it seems like her mood or maturity may swing when we least expect it. Her route would be more like a roller coaster where assuming the writers are aware of it, show Itsuki being as confounded by the whiplash as we would be, and not being sure what her deal is.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2020 21:11
|
|
|
Commander Keene posted:3 does not, actually (unless you count the FMC route in Portable). You have to date every girl in the original release and FES. The only way to remain friends is not to progress the Link beyond Rank... I want to say 4? Maybe 5? Yeah, you have to stop before the max in order to remain friends, but by doing that you miss out on a true resolution to their arc (I think). Basically, in order for the MC to create the strongest social links with all of his closest allies, he has to slink around behind all of the girls' backs and cheat on them. However, Persona 3 Portable did add in option to keep the routes platonic (since it was done after P4). Unfortunately, I think those options are only for the FeMC. They didn't rewrite the Male MC's routes in order to add friendship options. So it seems like people generally think the two characters would benefit from it, but not to the point that they could realistically become a contender for the ending vote (at least not at this stage of their arcs). I was going to get into a little detail on everyone's opinions and all that stuff, but a dilemma has presented itself. ~The Conception PLUS SSLP: poo poo just went down, so what happens next?~ Here's the deal, I just recorded the next dungeon and story segments. As I was fast-forwarding through the story segment, something got in the way that forced me to stop and read some stuff. Without getting into a lot of detail, what I was afraid of has come to pass. Conception PLUS doesn't understand the concept of pacing all that well. After finishing a Star Labyrinth in the Summer Labyrinth (which is the only season we haven't seen yet), the game proceeded to burn through the rest of its main story events. Here's the layout of where the game is right now: 1. The Ophiuchus Labyrinth is open. 2. The game/story is giving the player the option of just bum-rushing the place right now. We could go straight into it and just finish the game right away. 2a. I don't know if blitzing the Ophiuchus Labyrinth will trigger a "Bad Ending" or not. The "Main" section of the events in the database only has 3 unknown entries left in it. Based on the order, one of them is most definitely the ending. The other two are all the way at the bottom of the list, which is where Maiden variations are (such as the Tri-Mating events we saw). I have no sweet clue what those two are doing there. There's a chance they are Alfie specific things, seeing as how they come after all the other Maidens. I don't think they are Endings, but there's always a chance that they are (they could be the "Good" and "Bad" endings for example). 3. The game is leaving it up to the player to decide what they want to do. Basically everyone is just telling Itsuki "Go do it, but only when you feel you're ready". That means we can still go and seal the other two thirds of the Star Sign Labyrinths before tackling Ophiuchus. 4. However, as far as the Main Story events are concerned, we've seen all of them (after this next update I mean). That means we won't get any more regular story breaks after beating the other dungeons. So, here's what I'm proposing. I'll leave it to the thread to decide. Do we: A) Finish the character routes (Bond Levels 4 and 5 are open now) and then just rush the Ophiuchus Labyrinth to put an end to the game. B) Stay the course. What I mean by this is, I will post the Star Sign Labyrinth boss fights and then replace the story segment that would have followed with side events (Starmas, Flower Viewing, Beach Party, etc.). There are 8 more Star Sign Labyrinths to seal and 3 "Japan Events", but then there's also smaller stuff like Valentine's Day and... whatever event Mana drags us into in the fall. I can also fill some post-dungeon updates with Anime Review segments, which... gently caress me, but I said I would do it and now the game is giving me space. I'm not holding a vote, I just want to see what people think of the situation. We're at a point where the main story has decided to peace out and wait for us at the ending. We can go with it right away, or we can fiddle around with side content and bonding updates. NOTE: Don't reply with "Whatever you think you'd like to do." I would "like" to do whatever the thread enjoys seeing (within reasonable limits  ). All that would happen to me if the thread wanted this game to be done with as quickly as possible, is that I would turn around and look into starting another LP, because I'm a lunatic.
Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 22:00 on Jan 29, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2020 21:53
|
|
|
I mean, as much as I complain about them, I'm mostly here for the character events. As long as we get to see them, I'll be fine with anything.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2020 22:14
|
|
|
I'm curious to see your Anime Review, so B's got my interest.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2020 22:47
|
|
|
The Flying Twybil posted:I mean, as much as I complain about them, I'm mostly here for the character events. As long as we get to see them, I'll be fine with anything. I figure most people want to at least see the character route resolutions. I just don't know how much side content people are enjoying. The more I think about it, I guess I could do the other seals regardless. That still leaves the question of how much side stuff to show. booksnake posted:I'm curious to see your Anime Review, so B's got my interest. I'm curious as well, since I haven't watched it. I've only seen two clips (First Classmating and a game show type segment). I have heard that it is bad. How bad, though? Not sure. Personally, I want to know if they kept the characterizations intact or if they had to mess with them in order to anime it up. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 22:55 on Jan 29, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2020 22:51
|
|
|
I mean we made it this far, right? Let's go for B.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2020 23:10
|
|
|
Go ahead and do all the labyrinths just in case it does something
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2020 00:08
|
|
|
Given what I've experienced with past games any time a game lets you do the final dungeon when there's still so much of the core gameplay loop to do almost always spells "BAD END", so I think you should do the remaining dungeons just in case. Maybe if we get a good ending we'll actually get some kind of satisfaction out of this experience. I also know that some people (read: me) use LPs like this as guides or for help so I also think we should complete as much as possible for those people (who in their right mind would be playing this specific game in the future is beyond me but  )
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2020 00:53
|
|
|
Seems like the trend is to show off more rather than less, which is what I expected since it's, well, entertainment. I just like to check with the thread in the off chance that a lot of people are like "side stuff is boring, just let us see the ending". Balache404 posted:I also know that some people (read: me) use LPs like this as guides or for help so I also think we should complete as much as possible for those people (who in their right mind would be playing this specific game in the future is beyond me but You say that, but one of my CII videos got a comment recently from someone who found it while looking for walkthrough/guide stuff and in turn started reading the LP, so it definitely happens. Not sure how my CII thread (or this one for that matter) helped anyone in terms of being a guide (these games have randomized dungeons and very constricted story segments), but hey, I'm not going to argue with it. Anyway, I'll probably stick to the current update order. The dungeons will mostly just be boss fights from this point on (we've cleared Floors 1-10 of every season, so now it's just 11-15 for the rest), but I'll space them out with side events and looks at the anime as well as the remaining Bond Events. I was also considering spacing things out by doing full events for everyone, but I think that's going too far. It'd slow things down right when the character routes are starting to wrap up.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2020 01:49
|
|
|
I say option B.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2020 02:00
|
|
|
Okay, so some of the regular posters in the thread are creating a growing consensus that I should go through as much side content as I can rather than just rush the final dungeon. I thought about it more this morning and here is what I think I will go with as far as a schedule: Offering 4: Dungeon only Offering 5: Bonding Event Level 4 Dungeon only Offering 6: Starmas Events Dungeon only Offering 7: Anime Review/Summary Episodes 1-3 Dungeon only Offering 8: Bond Event Level 5 (Finale of Character Routes) Flower Viewing Events Dungeon only Offering 9: Beach Events Dungeon only Offering 10: Anime Review/Summary Episodes 4-7 Dungeon only Offering 11: Dungeon Major story segment that triggered in Offering 4 Offering 12: Minor Maiden Events (Story Related) Anime Review/Summary Episodes 8-11 Dungeon only Final Star Maiden Vote (Determines Ending for the LP) Offering 13: Dungeon/End Boss Ending story events Finale Summary of the other possible endings Anime Review/Summary Wrap-up Final thoughts Etc. I will slot in stuff like Valentine's day wherever I feel it is appropriate (probably based on the in game season). The reason I shifted the last main story events back is because of pacing. Based on characters and CGs and stuff, it seems like a lot of poo poo gets dropped, so I don't want to do that now and then have us farting around for two or three months. It kind of ruins the drama/tension. I will keep the story events from the recent dungeon until we are closer to the 13th dungeon. As it stands right now (in terms of story), we're at a pretty good stopping point anyway since Mirei is doing her snooping and Mahiru seems to have taken a break from rumor hunting. If anyone wants to suggest shifting something around in that order, then feel free to say so. This is what I have in mind, but the thread might decide that they want both Bond Event sets to be back to back instead of farther apart, just as an example. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 18:14 on Jan 30, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2020 15:10
|
|
|
If Conception has a pacing issue and is going too fast, does that mean the plot is premature and might need you to conduct a c-section?  Also, yes, I wanna see everything you can stand to show us.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2020 17:50
|
|
|
I guess the idea was that you were supposed to do all of a season's dungeons one after another instead of opening up the next set of season's dungeons.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2020 20:55
|
|
|
Raitzeno posted:If Conception has a pacing issue and is going too fast, does that mean the plot is premature and might need you to conduct a c-section? Yes, but the thread is in the waiting room going "No, no, just leave it in there for a while. Let's see how this pans out." BlazeEmblem posted:I guess the idea was that you were supposed to do all of a season's dungeons one after another instead of opening up the next set of season's dungeons. You would think, but the game also has a system in place to encourage you to switch seasons rather than stick to the same one (enemies get a boost in strength if the in-game season matches the Labyrinth's. Mana even tells us to switch things up:  Hey now, let me finish. Basically, if you focus only on one season’s labyrinth at a time… Impurities may begin overflowing from the labyrinths of the other seasons. You gotta make sure you explore the labyrinths of all four seasons evenly! That’s what I was trying to say.The easy way to solve this is to tie story events to the number of completed dungeons rather than the season. But I guess they wanted to give the players the ability to skip 2/3rds of the game? Like I said, the pacing is horrible for this one. CII did a much better job matching the story content to gameplay.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2020 23:38
|
|
|
Update XI: Couldn’t see a thing but open skies Song Title Reference: Maybe I’m a Leo – Deep Purple (I’ll be honest, I’m reaching for this update title. I don’t have much to work with)  Here we go, it’s finally time to clear out the last Seasonal Labyrinth. From now on, the dungeon segments will only involve Floors 11-15 of whatever Star Sign I decide to tackle because we’ve already cleared Floors 1-10 in every season (remember, the Seasonal Labyrinths are the same up until Floor 10, which is where they split into 3 Star Signs).  Summer was getting a boost at the time I decided to start this, but I just decided to go in anyway since the enemies on Floors 1-5 are no threat to the current Star Children even with their seasonal stat boost. Once we hit Floor 5 and beat the boss there, Mana will drag us outside and the game will skip forward a week into Fall, so the boost isn’t going to stick around for very long anyway.  The Summer Labyrinth is about what you would expect. It looks really hot. Not a place I would like. I mentioned in the Winter Labyrinth that I’m a man of the cold. We’re still rocking the same group of Star Children and probably will be for some time. They’re doing a good job of ripping through everything in their path and responding to whatever elements come their way, so I’ll probably keep using them for at least two more Labyrinths after this one. Once we’ve cleared six different Labyrinths, we should finally get access to all Star Child classes. At that point, I’ll hold another vote and change up the teams once more (possibly for the final time in this LP).  Nothing much happens during the first five floors. Roy and Alberta snag lance upgrades which appear to be a stick with a boxing glove strapped to one end. I give it to Alberta, but I hold back on Roy since he has a Wind-element lance and the boost in attack that Glorious gives is not worth the loss of an attack element (especially in this Labyrinth, where there are a lot of Fire and Earth enemies).  No new enemies to show, so we jump right into the Floor 5 guardian. Watch for its tail. We’re not afraid of this thing. Come on, everyone! Go, Itsuki! Show it what you’re made of! We are definitely not afraid of this thing. Its stats are fairly impressive (granted I believe they are being boosted because it’s also Summer in Granvania) but they still don’t compare to our teams. Furthermore, it’s a Fire element enemy and Ice/Water are sort of Team Psycho Knight and Team Canada 2.0’s specialty.  It is fast, I will give it that though. Itsuki is the only one that can outrun it, but it doesn’t have the offensive output to really make use of that.   Team Canada 2.0 doesn’t even get to attack it with their Icicle Fang skill. Team Psycho Knight hits it with Absolute Zero and then Team A(wful) just finishes it off.  I’m glad you didn’t fall victim to that sharp tail. Eh. It was fast, but it’s nothing we couldn’t handle. I feel like I might have done too much grinding, although I guess the world is at stake so I shouldn’t be thinking of it like that. Itsuki! Up ahead is the Imperial Flame Labyrinth. The enemies are even stronger there, so don’t let your guard down. I know, I know. We should head back first, though. I want to give the Star Children a short break. Then do you wanna return to the surface to regroup? Yeah, let’s go.I only include this part because it’s the last time we’ll see these scenes. They’re generic, but I figured I should show them one last time.  Nothing going on back in Granvania this time as far as events go, but we did pick up a quest item during our short time in the dungeon. I’m pretty sure Templar’s Belt can be found fairly easily (considering I got it somewhere in Floors 1-5 of a Labyrinth), but I’ve also never turned in this quest before. Weird. There is an exclamation point next to the “Tavern” section of Granvania whenever you are able to turn in a new quest, so I doubt I just ended up selling all the Templar’s Belts I’ve gotten up to now. Maybe I really did just have terrible luck. Wouldn’t be the first time.  Anyway, the reason I point out this quest is because of the reward. Turning in the first quest opens up another one called Four Seasons’ Peak. I already had a pair of Tracker Gloves, so I turned this quest in right away. The rewards for these quests are a sword called “Enterbladement” and a staff called “Award Staff.” They have…   …interesting designs. Enterbrain is a Japanese publisher under Kadokawa Future Publishing, which is itself a division of the Kadokawa Corporation (a media group in Japan that has their hands in a lot of pies, as it were). I’ll only focus on Enterbrain, because Kadokawa has way too many franchises and properties under its belt to list here. Enterbrain hasn’t done a lot in terms of video games. They helped work on the RPG Maker series and have published a handful of titles, although I don’t think any of them ever saw an English release. Enterbrain’s main focus is on their magazine and light novel publications, although they’ve also released a few table-top games as well.  The reason for this in-game appearance is because Enterbrain published the Official Guidebook for Conception (the original PSP version) back in 2012. They didn’t do one for Conception PLUS, but I guess the developers decided to leave the items in anyway.  The weapons aren’t bad, but they probably would have been more beneficial to us if we had gotten them sooner. The Award Staff is 6 points better for MAT than the Planet Rod+ that I’ve equipped to every Sage, but the trade off is a huge loss of DEF and a not-insignificant hit to MDF. The sword is even less useful. Calamity+ barely edges it out for ATK and crushes it in terms of MAT/MDF boosts (Enterbladement has -546 MAT and -150 MDF compared to Calamity+). The only boost Enterbladement gives is a +75 to DEF, which is not worth it even with the Light element attack.  Still, I hang on to both of them since they are unique weapons. Meanwhile, back in the dungeon, we start running in to the elemental generic versions of that lizard we just froze to death.  In terms of new enemies, we’ve got these ladies. I’m fairly sure we haven’t seen Cassiopeiarus or variants of her before, but I could be wrong. Honestly, these things blur together when you’re tearing through these dungeons (and watching Youtube videos off to the side).  And of course there’s still floor traps. All of our teams have a skill called “Remove” which will block these traps from going off for a while, but the spell doesn’t last long enough to make it worth constantly reapplying. I think you can run through two rooms and the connecting hallway before it wears off.  Oh well, it’s not like we’re hurting for items at this point. Or cash (you may have noticed back in the first screenshot that we’re sitting at over half a million). Speeding through the entry portions of these Labyrinths in order to train up new Star Children will quickly leave your item bag overflowing with certain items, not to mention all the equipment you can get and sell. Money won’t be a problem anymore at this point. All the good equipment comes from scouring the Star Sign portions of the Labyrinths (the stuff that the shop in Granvania sells is horribly out of date) and you will quickly cap out on the Potion and Mana Stone items since they are the most common Treasure Chest items. Potions and Mana Stones will act as your out-of-battle healing, which will let you hang on to the more important Potion EX/F and Mana Stone EX/F. The only thing I spend money on anymore is Day Camp (I could be using Scavenger more, I guess. I just never remember to do it).  Floor 10 boss, here we go. The last common boss that we’ll see for the rest of the game, unless the final Labyrinth decides to throw mini-bosses in, I guess. And it’s even holding weapons! It’s just a spear, Mana. Calm down. We can take it. Go get ‘em, Itsuki! We’re only a few steps away from the deepest part of the labyrinth! Serpens has two of those Fornax skeleton floating things as back up, but they are earth based and therefore Team A(wful) will use Cyclone to sweep the floor with them. Serpens itself has good physical defence, but it’s lacking on the magic defence front. It’s also Fire element, which means-   Yeah. Serpens manages to hit Team Psycho Knight with Burning Fuse for about 1100 damage (slightly less than half their health), then promptly gets killed by them in retaliation. One helper is already gone thanks to Team A(wful) and the other helper was going for a charge attack that is about to whiff because nobody is standing in the attack zone and I can simply position Itsuki/the Star Children off to the sides. Everyone gangs up on the last helper and it quickly dies.  All Impurities will suffer the wrath of our overwhelming magical firepower! From here, you can go to the Cancer, Leo, and Virgo Labyrinths. The Impurities will be stronger than before. How about returning to the surface so you can regroup? I see a dimensional rift over there. Sure. The Star Children could use a minute to cool down.~Stardust Labyrinth Entrance~ Hm… Speaking of the Summer Labyrinth…You all know where this is going. I heard from Mahiru that on Sora, there’s a country called Japan… In the summer, you all supposedly go to the beach. I have a feeling that Mana came up with that last part. Doesn’t seem like something Mahiru would say. You even stay under the sun until you get burnt. Is that true? Well, technically that’s all true, to some degree. I’ve heard of nudist beaches before, and I guess tanning can cause burns. That’s not what people set out do to though. We just lay on the beach to get a tan from the sun to darken the skin a little. So it’s true?! Hmm… When Mahiru told me that, I thought she was just pulling my leg. Why would the humans of Sora do something to hurt themselves like that? You’re practically cooking yourself!It’s a beauty thing. Beauty things are usually painful or risky in one way or another. You’re overthinking it. The main reason to go is so that we can swim in the ocean. Don’t people in Granvania do that? It’s one thing to swim in lakes or pools, but there are dangerous creatures in the ocean.…What?  You’ll be fish food immediately.What the hell is swimming around in Granvania’s waters? In Conception II the ocean was dangerous because there were underwater Nests which spawned underwater monsters, but this world doesn’t really have that problem because the Impurities are (almost) entirely contained to the Labyrinths. So if it’s not Impurity monsters, then what kind of horrible Cthulhu beasts are down there? However! I really like the idea of tanning for some reason! It makes me wanna go to Sora.I was going to question why Mana would care bout tanning because she’s a racoon or tanuki or… whatever the hell she is, but then I realized that she’s probably interested in it because she can watch girls tanning in swimsuits. Speaking of… is there a particular name for a character that isn’t human but is still perverted and also seems to be attracted to dudes and chicks? That stuffed toy thing from Bleach is pretty close to Mana, but I don’t think he/she was ever down for the Y chromosome. But anyway, I wanna recommend this beach-going custom to the king. Now that people can’t get it on with each other, they need other forms of entertainment.  I’ll ask the king to make this beach going custom more widespread!Like, why would Mana even get turned on by the idea of the Star Maidens or Itsuki or any of that stuff? Is it all just a façade in order to screw with people because she finds it fun? Does she—Never mind, that’s going in a direction I don’t want the answer to. We already know more than we should about Mana. ~Palace Throne Room~  I heard from Mana. Narcisstes, I trust you will arrange for the people to go to the beach every summer. Understood, Your Majesty. You can do that?! Why the gently caress haven’t you already done it?! Why is everyone in this world so stupid?!  I hate Granvania! Oh, and when the time comes to go to the beach, you better ask a girl out. Maybe they’ll even invite you! Either way, go out and enjoy looking at the Star Maidens in their swimsuits.We’re going back to the Labyrinths. If we don’t do it now then I may lose my motivation and just not finish the LP, because then I can imagine that Itsuki never accomplished his mission and Granvania was cleansed of the rampant idiocy that infects it.  I pick Leo because whatever. Femiruna is highest in the polling for these three, I guess. Just get me back to killing things as quickly as possible.  The Leo Labyrinth appears to take a few cues from Femiruna’s stylist. The columns along the walls have her dress design and some of them are topped with wigs that look like her hair. Neat.  No new enemies, other than generic versions of Serpens. There’s another weapon upgrade for Alberta though. That’s nice.  Manitoba also finally gets a decent Bow upgrade.  I offer up an extra Champion Lance to a shrine at one point, and in return get a Royal Lance+. So Roy gets a lance upgrade. Roy picked up an upgrade to his Windus lance (called El Windus) somewhere along the way, but the ATK increase from Royal Lance+ is enough to justify losing the Wind-elemental damage (Team A(wful) still has Cyclone).  Alberta then gets another lance upgrade of her own. It’s a rifle with a bayonet on it, which is cool. Unfortunately it doesn’t actually shoot stuff though.  Then Manitoba gets another upgrade. Demon Wing+ has Dark element for its attack, which is much appreciated since that will bump his damage against the base elements.  Just before the Labyrinth Boss, Itsuki hits Level 38 and picks up the skill Terra.     It was surprisingly disappointing for such a late skill. It does attack from all four directions, so it has the potential to be very devastating (on enemies with more than one weak point), but I was expecting more. I guess it will be handy for enemies that have strong physical defence, though.  One last lance upgrade. This one goes to Alberta.  Okay, so I did collect another lance afterward, but I didn’t equip it. The SUM-Brella is actually pretty good (better attack than Royal Lance) and it has Water element attack, but the Bayonet+ that Albeta was using has much better ATK, so I give that to Roy instead.  The Leo Boss is looking pretty imposing. We must defeat it and enshrine the Leo Star Offering! Let’s do this! This is Giatores of Leo. It’s a Fire element Impurity God!Meaning that it’s already dead. It’s quick and its regular attacks deal massive damage! But it’s not good with magic attacks, and its regular defense is low!Watch: Giatores Boss Fight  Like Mana just told us, Giatores is strong and is a brick wall when it comes to physical defence. Unlike what Mana told us, it is not “quick”, at least not in terms of skill recovery time (you’ll see what I mean in a little bit).   Like every boss, Giatores is accompanied by elemental Crater enemies. Fire and Earth, just like the last Star God we faced. The same strategy applies here. Focus on smearing the support enemies first while trying to get Giatores to waste its turns moving around the battlefield trying to catch you. You should have enough of a Speed advantage that all of your teams and Itsuki will be able to get a turn before the enemies. This is important, because leaving one team behind to try and tank Giatores is not a great idea. I have Team A(wful) and Itsuki tackle the Earth Crater while Team Canada 2.0 and Team Psycho Knight take out the Fire Crater. Both are dead before any of the enemies are even able to move.  Giatores moves in behind Itsuki and Team A(wful), then Itsuki and Team Canada 2.0 swing around his back in order to start chipping away at his HP.  Giatores’ counterattack is brutally effective. Both Itsuki and Team Canada 2.0 need to be healed or they are going to bite it next turn. I have Team Psycho Knight heal Itsuki (since it’s game over if he goes down) and I leave Team Canada 2.0 to hopefully weather the coming storm.  I do this so that I can get Team A(wful) into position with Rite of Auras, which deals damage and also gives them a damage reduction buff.  The gamble pays off, as Team Canada 2.0 is able to hold on (Manitoba is somehow the only one to survive the hit, despite the fact that he’s the only “base” class in the group).  Unfortunately, Giatores isn’t done. Here is the caveat I mentioned in the boss intro. Despite Giatores not having great speed, he does benefit from having ridiculous physical attack. That means that he doesn’t really have to use any skills or spells in order to be a threat. Spells, items, and skills (the player's primary means of fighting) have a greater cooldown than regular attacks. Those of you that read through the CII thread will remember a certain character making great use of this battle feature by just standing in the middle and basically spinning in circles like a blender while the player desperately tries to stay healed and mount some kind of offense. Even if you are faster, a slower enemy can still outrun you if they stick to attacks with shorter delays than what you are doing.  Giatores is thankfully limited to only being able to hit from 1 or 2 directions as opposed to all directions at once, but he can still catch you in a tricky situation. I had Itsuki defend that attack, which was risky, but it paid off. Team Canada 2.0 goes down, but Team Psycho Knight (who are safely out of harm’s way in another part of the battlefield) immediately revive them with a full revive. Itsuki then pops a heal of his own before Giatores takes another swing.  However, the brief stalling has worked, and I’m finally put into a good attack position. Everyone proceeds to dump on Giatores and Team Canada 2.0 takes sweet maple-flavoured revenge for their recent KO’ing by nailing the boss with an Icicle Fang-  Sorry, I mean a Critical Icicle Fang that hits the damage cap. The battle is over at this point, but I take the cautious route and have Team A(wful) use their turn to heal Itsuki. Giatores ends up turning away from Itsuki and swipes at Team A(wful) instead, but nobody goes down as a result so I don’t regret taking the safe route. I already took an unnecessary risk in this fight with Itsuki, so I didn’t want to press my luck and have something go horribly awry at the clutch moment. If Team A(wful) had somehow missed or otherwise failed to finish off Giatores in their turn, then he definitely would have ended Itsuki during his turn. Then I’d be complaining about how bullshit every RPG with an “MC defeat=instant game over” condition is as I march back through the last five floors in order to start the boss fight over.  Then I’d proceed to look over at my wall of games and remember that I’ve played Persona 3-5, Nocturne, Resonance of Fate, SaGa Frontier, Infinite Space, Conception II and Valkyria Chronicles which all had that same stipulation and which I all got pissed off at at some point or another for the exact same reason. What were we doing again? …Right, we killed Giatores or whatever the hell it was. Leo Labyrinth is now sealed and the same cutscene plays where Itsuki throws a thing into the big screw in the ground and Mana celebrates, then we go back to the surface and- Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 15:51 on Feb 10, 2020 |
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2020 17:05
|
|
|
Bonding Update XIV: Ophiuchus, Aries, and Leo + Summaries of Virgo, Pisces, and Scorpio + An explanation of what happened to story updates Okay, so you might be noticing something odd about the updates from this point on. We just finished a dungeon, so where’s the story segment and the goofy rumor hunting and all that jazz? Well, here’s the deal. Conception PLUS doesn’t know how to pace a story. Remember when Mana told us that we should be switching Labyrinths often because enemies get a boost and focusing on only one season at a time could cause the others to overflow with Impurities and all that garbage?  Turns out that main story segments are tied to the Seasonal Labyrinths. By going through the Leo Labyrinth, we have completed one Star Labyrinth from each season. So after Leo was sealed, the game proceeded to dump the rest of the main story events on me all at once. The Ophiuchus Labyrinth appeared, it looked like a bunch of serious story things were happening, and there was some kind of confrontation. I fast-forwarded through the dialogue to avoid spoiling myself, but I still picked up on a scattered detail just based on context. Yes, that means that we could totally skip two thirds of the Star Offerings and just complete the game right now. Ophiuchus is open and we are free to run in there and gun it straight for the final boss. After posing this situation to the thread, there was a consensus among the readers (or at least among the users that post on a regular basis) that I should avoid the final dungeon and focus on showing off as much side-content as I can while also beating the remaining dungeons. I don’t think this game has a ‘Bad’ and ‘Good’ ending, but some users felt like it was better to be safe and just finish all the dungeons (which I do agree with, as this set up is perfect for a Bad/Good or Normal/True ending divide). So even though the next main story event has happened, I’ll be pushing back the actual update that shows it off until after the 11th or 12th Star Offering. We’re just going to pretend that the Ophiuchus Labyrinth isn’t sitting right there and instead stay the course with Bonding Updates, Japan Events, and… well, you’ll see when we get there. It’s not something I’m pumped for, but we have a bunch of empty space to fill now that the story has dried up so I may as well do it.  With that long explanation out of the way, let’s all get ready to sit on our hands for the next 20+ updates as we busy ourselves with side-content and character building and all that good stuff. We’re looking at Level 4 Bonding Events first. ~Granvania Shopping Center~ *sigh* (I’ve been patrolling the streets ever since the Bond Eater appeared, but still nothing. Even with the heightened security there still hasn’t been a sighting…)~Day Camp~  (Hmm? Alfie? Why is she freaking out at Mirei?) Alfie, calm down. Pull yourself together the next time I visit you.*Mirei then wanders into frame… Or Itsuki approaches, it’s hard to tell how these scenes work* Hm? Oh, it’s you, Itsuki. Doesn’t sound like the making up with Alfie thing went very well. I could hear you both from down the street. I didn’t exactly have to sneak up on you both. You should tell Alfie to be more cooperative. What are you talking about?*Alfie then appears*  Mirei! I’ll never agree to it! Hey, Alfie. What’s going on? G-God’s Gift! So you were here… You were yelling more than usual. What’s happening? It’s all Mirei’s fault… That’s a good thing. That’s what should be happening. What’s your problem with that? Really? You mean, with the Star Children? After that incident, the town has been placed on high alert… But should that Impurity appear, it would lead to a large scale war. But all we can do is stall it until you arrive.Where the gently caress are all the Star Children we made? On top of the previous teams, I know for sure that there’s like 12 more out there that were leveled up just for City Experience purposes. Just hire them on to patrol the city streets. I’m sure they can hold off the Bond Eater until Itsuki gets there. Hell, the last Thread Teams could probably beat the drat thing on their own. To prevent unnecessary sacrifices… we must find it as soon as possible so you can defeat it swiftly. That’s why I want to form a search party, and for that, I need the help of the Star Children. I need their power to fight that Impurity off. Alfie, you know better than anyone that Star Children are created exactly for that purpose. What’s the deal here? You don’t understand, Mirei… You just don’t get how powerful that Impurity really is. I should ask you the same. Do you know who that Impurity is truly after? I keep telling you! Just use me as bait! Wait, what? Itsuki, you heard her. Ever since that incident, she’s been insisting on this plan of hers. Alfie, I really don’t like that idea. But… at this rate… You said it yourself. Even if a Star Child is defeated, they’ll just return to their Matryoshka. Right? They’re made for this kind of thing. What do you mean?Great, what kind of bullshit new power did this thing pick up between this event and the last? The Bond Eater can devour a Star Child’s Matryoshka. This is why the elite mages will be a part of the search party. I promise you that we will defend the Matryoshkas with our lives. Alfie, I’m sorry, but I agree with Mirei on this one. Even knowing that the Bond Eater can do that, it’s still riskier to use you as bait. God’s Gift…I mean, they’re right. I’m normally okay with the bait plan, but in this case the Bond Eater really just needs one good lunge and that’s it. There’s no guarantee that Itsuki or the Star Children waiting in ambush will be able to respond in time. Hunting it down sounds like a better plan, assuming we take strong Star Children with-   You don’t have to worry! We’ll beat down the Impurity that’s bullying you!Oh, for god’s… Listen, guys. I like the bravado, but I was thinking more along the lines of a few Hunters for tracking, some Paladins to surround it and box it in, then maybe some Astromancers and Sages to nuke the thing with magic. Possibly some Berserkers or Lancers in case magic doesn’t work. The point is, base classes are not going to cut it for this one. You guys… Alfie, you and the other Star Maidens all helped to create these Star Children. We can believe in them. I understand…Hell, I wouldn’t even need to make new ones. I’m sure the current Thread Teams would work just as well. We’ve got an Archer, a bunch of Sages, a Berserker and some Magic Knights for offence, plus a Paladin/Blacksmith/Lancer/Ranger to fill out various needs. It seems we have the permission of God’s Gift and the drill sergeant then.But no, of course we’re going to use a Monk, Magician, and Fighter that are all probably level capped. Good. Why don’t you try making up with Alfie while your at it, then? Wh-Why are you getting so upset…?I think it’s because Mirei can’t admit when she’s wrong. It’s pretty typical of the “smart person” character. Mirei… please take care of the Star Children… You have nothing to worry about.  …What was that last part? Yes… 10 years? What are you talking about? That’s Alfie’s life expectancy. She… Alfie only has 10 years to live? Itsuki? Is something wrong? Is that… true? She doesn’t look particularly broken up about that… But… You told me that you would be like everyone else.*Flashback time!* Oh… It’s nothing to be sad about! I just became the same as everyone else.*End of flashback time!* I received the same lifespan as all those who have lived. Then the kiss… I… I cut your life span? This weirded me out a little at first, but when you think about, a Star Child’s life span is probably only a few years. They disappear or return to Star God or whatever the hell they do when their job is done. Alfie is the only Star Child that’s ever lived long enough to grow up, so to her 10 years probably seems like the 70-90 that humans are used to. Alfie… I’m sorry… Itsuki? Why are you apologizing? Itsuki, calm down… What the hell did I do?! I said, calm down! … Alfie’s lifespan is not the same as a human’s. It may seem short to you, but it isn’t for her. Mirei… Did I say something bad? No, you’re not at fault here. Itsuki… Okay, hold up a little bit now. There’s a complex web of blame to go around for this. It’s not entirely on Itsuki. First of all, Alfie is being pretty cavalier about only having 10 years to live and not understanding why that might upset Itsuki. If you recall, she mentions how painful it is for her to watch everyone she cares about eventually pass on while she continues to live. Second, Mirei didn't mention anything about 10 year lifespans, so what other perspective does she think Itsuki can see this from? He doesn't know about the ins and outs of a Star Child's life cycle. Apologies, Alfie, but can I have you take care of the rest? I must work through the formalities to set up the Bond Eater search party.*Mirei leaves* Itsuki… When I see you sad like that… You make me just as sad along with you… I’m… I’m sorry, Alfie. I don’t want you to feel down. Thanks for worrying about me. I’ll be okay. Good… I’ll need to work even harder in order to get ready for the Bond Eater. So will I! …Alfie? Let’s do this together. Yes, Itsuki!~Church Spirit Chamber~ The God’s Gift way back when influenced me to learn more about Sora. I had plenty of time, so I studied up on it quite a bit. Yes, aaaannnddd….? Come on, where’s the realization about why Itsuki feels sad? Well, I think medicine has extended that a bit, but I guess that was probably the case 30 years ago. Dogs and cats live for 10 years, while tortoises live for 100. Never mind, she’s not going to get it. That’s why I want to do the same thing with the 10 years I have left. Life is precious because it’s so finite.Listen, she’s got the right attitude and everything. I just can’t believe that she doesn’t seem to understand the issue here in regards to Itsuki. She explained exactly why living longer than others sucked. I guess you could say she was explaining that from a position of immortality, but still. A protagonist spoke those words in a movie I saw previously, and I agree with them. Yeah… you’re right, Alfie… Listen, thanks for spending the precious time you have left with me. If you don’t mind, you can use all of it. Because our time and fate… is entwined with Granvania’s…*Slightly somber Classmating happens. Also the event ends. Got a feeling I’m not going to like how this route ends either* Anyway, that’s all for Alfie for now. Let’s try and find something a little more upbeat, shall we? Like Arie! She’s got a secret room that we’re tantalizingly close to seeing the inside of. Doesn’t appear to be anything that could lead to some heart wrenching revelation. ~Church Spirit Chamber~ Are you ready to do Classmating, Arie? Are you not going to pray this time? I’ll be fine. I already did so I’d be ready whenever you asked. Um, Itsuki… I have a request for the ritual today. Oh, really? What is it? …I’d like to take the lead. Which is… where exactly? I think the only ones we’ve ever seen are Mahiru’s (cheek) and Reone’s (left breast). Actually, in Reone’s case I’m not even sure that’s a Star Brand. I think that might just be a tattoo or something (it’s a little unclear if Star Brands are always visible or just when their power is being used). Okay… Don’t force yourself to do this, though. But I’m not. Sorry, I just assumed. You’ve never been this forward about Classmating before. I’m just being more honest with myself now. You told me to do that, Itsuki.She’s got you there. Oh, right. I guess I did do that. I don’t dislike Classmating with you. I very much enjoy it. So I’m not forcing myself. Well, it’s good to hear that. Itsuki… Come closer to me… Um… okay. Great… now I’m getting really nervous. Please… Let’s hurry and Classmate.*Classmating with unrestrained passion happens* …Phew. Take a cold shower, Arie. Just like I told Ruka: Everybody only gets one of these at a time. No, that was great Arie. Thanks. I see… How unfortunate. If you need me again, please don’t hesitate to call out to me. Uh, right. I’ll make sure to ask again soon.We may have gone a little too far with Arie. Oh well, at least we get to see the room. Right? Where are we on that? Yes, please.  It makes me think our hearts are connected. That means that you… It means that I what? Um, Itsuki… how was I today? It was a bit embarrassing, but I think I was finally honest with my own feelings. Oh, that’s why you were so aggressive today. Y-Yes… It was quite embarrassing.  I showed you a part of me I’ve never shown anyone else. Do you… dislike me now? Of course not. I’m happy you felt that you could show me that. Do you think… that women who have no restraint are unladylike?Eh, that kind of depends on what the range is. You not having any restraint? I think it helps you be more fun. Lillie without restraint? No. Honestly, I’d probably hate Lillie even if she had Arie’s level of restraint. I don’t like Lillie is what I’m trying to say. Not especially. You’re usually really hesitant, but you opened up a lot today and I think it was fun. Oh, really…? You’re too kind, Itsuki. I suppose to you… Yeeesssss. You’re hiding something else? To tell you the truth… yes, I am. Itsuki, can you come to the church the next time we meet? I will show you my secret then. The Church, right. I got it. I hope you won’t hate me after hearing what I have to tell you…That heavily depends on what’s in there. Please don’t, Itsuki…You heard me.  Finally! I think the only other “secret” we’re still waiting on at this point is what the hell happened between Farun and her hometown/parents. Also I guess the promise that Itsuki made to Mahiru at the Autumn Festival when they were kids, but I’m still positive that it was a childhood marriage promise, so that’s not much of a secret. ~Star God Academy Church~  Really? Yes. We made a promise, didn’t we? Did you forget? Oh, right. You said you were going to tell me about your secret. That’s correct. I’m glad you remember. It’s taken me some time to prepare myself. I’ve made a decision to tell you about it. Okay. What is it that you want to tell me about? You see… I knew it was a kink dungeon! This is about a hobby? Yes, that’s correct. It’s a secret I’ve not even told to the priest or the children. I want to only have eyes for you, Itsuki.  And every time you come to see me, I find myself falling for you more.Wait… what are we talking about? Why does Itsuki’s physique have anything to do with this? I-I see… Are you sure?Official Itsuki says something like “You’ve been falling for me?”, which, DUH. She already freaking told you that she loves you. Pay attention Itsuki! …Or do a better job, translators! One of you get your poo poo together. Yes. Or rather, for what you have on you. I was falling for what was with you.Huh? What I have with me…? You mean my sword?Oh lord, please no.  Well, that’s kind of the only thing I keep on me. Unless you’re talking about my pants or shirt or something. … Uh… Arie? You okay? Come this way, Itsuki.I’m not sure if we want to. H-Hey, Arie! Hold on!*And Arie pulls Itsuki into the secret room* Wait, isn’t this that forbidden room you mentioned? I’ve hidden my secret inside. You keep it in here? Yes. Let me turn on the lights. Weapons? You’ve got so many of them… Itsuki, to tell you the truth… I’m a weapons enthusiast.…Okay, well that’s not all that bad. Not what I was expecting anyway. What are you, like a history fanatic or something? An enthusiast? Yes… The gleaming blades… The reflection of my face on the edge… I love it all so much… Uh, Arie? Are you sure you should be touching them like that? The edge has been dulled, so it’s safe. Ahh, it’s so beautiful… Coming here in between my services to the church is my little hobby. I couldn’t tell anyone that I had this hobby despite serving the lord. I see… This is kind of a surprise. Not going to lie. Itsuki, do you hate me now?Hate is a strong word… Optimistically cautious is what I would go with. It’s not as weird as I was thinking, but I’m curious to see where this little hobby goes from here. Of course not. It’s just a hobby. How did you manage to collect so many of them, though? I secretly went to towns far away to buy them, and I also had some delivered. No one would think I would have this hobby, so no one has found out yet. Itsuki, you are the only one who knows. So please, don’t tell anyone. Don’t worry. I’ll keep your secret. Thank you. There’s just one more thing I’d like to ask… Can we go out together the next time we meet? Sure, I guess. Where are we going to go? Can we…? Really getting flashbacks to CII here, Itsuki. Maybe think about this a little? Sure, I don’t mind.You reckless bastard. Man, why do ladies that I like always have some weird connection to weaponry? …Some self-reflection may be in order. Great. It’s a promise then. The next time we meet, let’s go out with just the two of us.Well, that sure was a thing. Not sure how I feel about that discovery just yet. I mean, I still really like Arie, but I’m on the fence now with the multitude of ways that this route could go. Oh well, we’ll get a better understanding of that the next time. It’s Femiruna’s turn now. ~Church Spirit Chamber~ We’re Classmating today, Femiruna. Oho… It appears you have become more assertive when attending me. Well, you kind of told me to do that. I never told you such a thing.  Ordering me to Classmate with you would be something I normally refuse.Liar. If you say so. Let’s just get to it. Ooh… Y-Yes… Thanks, I’m glad that… Huh? Hey, what happened to your finger? Why is there a bandage on it? Why won’t you tell me what happened? I never thought I’d ever see you get hurt like that.Except for that time she ran straight at an Impurity and nearly got killed. I mean, I get that she’s pampered, but she’s also clearly reckless. Not a huge surprise that she would get hurt somehow. N-Never mind that! Let us hurry along and do the Classmating ritual!*Change of topic Classmating happens* Hmph… Are you going to tell me how you hurt your finger now? You are such a nag. Who cares about such trivial matters? Tell me. Now. I was… practicing my cooking in the kitchen… to learn how to prepare lunches… You were cooking? Really? P-Preposterous! I would never do anything of the sort!You just said you were doing it. If you think you can make me submit just by being assertive, you have another thing coming! That’s definitely not what I think… Regardless, Itsuki. Do you not want to express your thanks to me? …Why? If you have even a sliver of gratitude in your heart, you should express it with action. What, you mean like when we went to the shopping center? Should you insist, I would not mind going out another time. Oh, well that’s fine with me. I don’t mind going into town with you again. There are only so many places we can eat in town… A-And my lunch… It would be too embarrassing if others saw what I made. You made lunch for us? So you were cooking. B-Besides! I would prefer a more open space with less people and no food! Is this going to be a survival hike or something? Can’t we do something a little more relaxing, like a picnic? A picnic… Th-Then I choose that. You sound pretty happy about that. Of course I am. I can finally show the fruits of my labor… What did you just say? You can look forward to that on the day of… Oho, I cannot wait. I-I mean, I am in no way looking forward to it!Compelling stuff. Most of that conversation was Itsuki responding in the form of a question. Anyway, let’s just get on with it. Femiruna has something in mind for Itsuki that presumably didn’t inconvenience anyone. ~Star Academy Field~ Come, Itsuki. Today is the day of the picnic you promised me. Oh, right. You seem pretty excited about it. I am no different than I always act. Now let us go. We must arrive at the destination before noon!  Come, Itsuki. Hurry up.She’s not going to have some kind of crazy banquet set up on the lakeshore, is she? ~Outskirts Lake~  Huh… Everything looks pretty normal. She really is scaling it back. It is quite a new experience to be going on a picnic with you, Itsuki. What sort of picnics do you normally have? I always have at least five servants with me. One for serving, for horse duty… It is far too many people for one to simply enjoy the great outdoors.I believe they call that “glamping.” You bring all those people with you just for a picnic? I assume you are enjoying this as well? Of course. It’s nice to be out here with just you. What?! The way you said that is not fair… It truly is crafty and cunning.Calm your petticoat, Femiruna. He said it was nice, he didn’t take a knee and bust out a ring. Because you are like that, I will not be able to be honest with you. What are you mumbling about over there? Nothing! Well, it’s almost noon. We should stop and take a break here. R-Right… Um… Itsuki, here. A lunch box? So that’s what you’ve been carrying around with you. It is proper manners to eat sandwiches elegantly for picnics. Speaking of food… The bandage you had over your finger the other day… Was that because you were making this for me? I-It would be an insult if my servant could do it but I could not. But you told me that you never cooked before. I-I can do it if I am so inclined. In fact, this one was quite easy. Femiruna… Thanks for putting so much work into this. I-I did not. I said it was easy. You hurt your finger in the process though. The injury was nothing but the result of an unfortunate accident. …I’m afraid to ask, but how did the kitchen knife go flying across the room?I like to imagine that Femiruna misunderstood how you cut bread and just assumed it was like a sword technique. So she was tossing the bread into the air and swinging at it. A-Anyway, will you take it or not? Of course. I love food. Good… It’d be pretty bad if I didn’t accept a gift like this. B-But… When I gave you a gift last time, you refused to accept it… So if it does not cause others any trouble, then you will accept it? That’s what I said. It’s why I like this gift so much more.I don’t. I wanted those weapons. Thank goodness… Oh… but I may have caused some trouble actually… Hm? How? Mahiru knows you well, so I interrogated her about your food preferences.  What eggs? I see a few sandwiches in there, half a sub sandwich, an apple, some… whatever the hell those red things are, and what appears to be half a basket of lettuce. …And Arie taught me how to cook. She took her time to teach me. Sounds like you got a lot of help from the others. Perhaps I was troubling them… B-But they did not appear to be troubled by my asking them for help… Why would they? You were being earnest and going to them for help. They wouldn’t think of you as a nuisance. N-Naturally! Now I hope you will savor the food I went through the trouble of making. Sure thing. It feels a little weird to have you devoting so much of yourself to me. I-I am only doing this to thank you for the other time! Devote… So this is how it feels to devote oneself… Itsuki, when I see you happy, I receive this warm feeling deep in my heart. I have never felt this way before. Is this… happiness?Either that or heartburn. … Wh-What?! Why are you grinning like that?! No reason. Anyway, thanks for lunch. It was great. I made quite many, so you may eat your fill. Here is your tea. Well that was certainly sweet. Sort of stole the idea from Arie, but whatever, I won’t argue with a nice picnic scene. ~Bottom 7 Summaries: Virgo, Pisces, and Scorpio~ 7.  In Mahiru’s Classmating scene, she brings along a few bottles of perfume to wear for the ritual. Itsuki says that it’s weird for Mahiru to be wearing perfume and Mahiru replies that it’s something she learned about in class. Supposedly if the Star Maiden is wearing a scent that God’s Gift likes, it will lead to a higher chance of stronger Star Children. She says that apparently there were God’s Gifts in the past that were like Mirei… which I guess means that they were intellectual types that researched this? The statement just kind of stands on its own and Mahiru doesn’t explain it, so I’m just assuming that’s what she means.  Anyway, Mahiru explains that she has two types (animal based and plant based). God’s Gifts that like the animal fragrance are supposedly wild and aggressive in the ritual. The plant based perfume means the God’s Gift is more relaxed. Itsuki just says that going au natural is better because smelling Mahiru as she normally is would be more comfortable. Mahiru seems pleased with that response, even though she also points out how creepy that would be for anyone else hearing it. Classmating happens and then Mahiru and Itsuki talk a little about how tiring the ritual is and how they should try different things and all the stuff we keep hearing about but never actually see explained. Itsuki makes an attempt to revive the “Promise” topic, but Mahiru still insists on forgetting about it. In Mahiru’s first full event, the two of them start talking about walking home together and that leads to another trip down memory lane. Mahiru mentions something about a “Keychain Man” that’s on her bag and Itsuki talks about how she’s always had it on there since Itsuki won it for her from the target shooting range at the carnival. Mahiru says that “Keychain Man” looks a lot like Itsuki when he was a kid. While Itsuki is reminiscing about how he spent his entire allowance to win it for Mahiru even though she told him it was fine, he mentions that he wanted to grant Mahiru’s every wish when the two of them were kids. This leads to Itsuki remembering an incident involving a rabbit jumping out of the bushes at the temple and both he and Mahiru chasing it into the forest. Mahiru tries to bury the Autumn Festival memories again, but Itsuki is insistent on knowing about the promise this time. Mahiru caves and gives Itsuki a hint: After losing sight of the rabbit they chased after, Mahiru got scared while in the forest and was looking up at the moon through the trees. Itsuki took her hand and the keychain and promised her something.  Itsuki finally remembers the promise (called it, by the way. I knew it was a Childhood Marriage Promise). Mahiru feels stupid for being so stubborn about an innocent promise made between children. Itsuki starts beating himself up over the fact that he forgot about a promise that was so important to Mahiru and that he leeched off her family the entire time. Mahiru then takes her turn on the “I suck” wagon by talking about how the bullies beat Itsuki up and the time she sent him to the hospital with food poisoning. Itsuki says that Mahiru started distancing herself from him when they got to High School, but Mahiru fires back that Itsuki was the one avoiding her all the time. Itsuki says that it’s because he didn’t want to cause her trouble and Mahiru says the same thing. The two of them then realize that they are both idiots that caused a misunderstanding to alienate them from each other. There a bit of talk where Mahiru is upset about Itsuki doing the ritual with 11 other girls (12, actually) and Itsuki questioning her about whether that means she likes him.  You know the deal. The event ends with the two of them making a promise to go to the hot spring together next time. 8.   Yuzuha’s Classmating Event is largely more of the same. She’s concerned about how she’s doing with the ritual and wonders what the other Star Maidens would think of her. Yuzuha also gets embarrassed about the possibility of someone hearing her raise her voice during the ritual, but Itsuki says that he wants to hear her voice. Classmating happens and Yuzuha wonders if Itsuki was satisfied with it as well, which causes Itsuki to ask if that means Yuzuha was satisfied with it. The event ends with Yuzuha wanting to walk home with Itsuki holding hands. There is really nothing to this one we haven’t already seen.  In Yuzuha’s first event, Itsuki drops by just as Reone is getting ready to leave. When she does, Itsuki asks Yuzuha why Reone was visiting and Yuzuha replies that Reone brings her medicine. Yuzuha says that her health isn’t great, so she needs the medicine. She says that there’s not really anything specifically wrong with her, she’s just generally not very healthy. Yuzuha then pivots the topic to Reone and what Itsuki thinks of her. Itsuki thinks that she’s beautiful and Yuzuha agrees. Yuzuha then starts wondering if Itsuki is that interested in Reone. She says that a fight is breaking out in her mind since part of her wants “Big Brother” to be happy, but (she trails off, but it’s clear that the other part of her wants in on that Itsuki action herself). The conversation shifts when Itsuki says that he doesn’t think of Yuzuha as his little sister. Yuzuha wonders if that means he sees her as an individual girl or just another Star Maiden, but Itsuki reassures her that he meant he sees her as her own person. Yuzuha is happy about that, but she also says that being Itsuki’s little sister just feels right for her.  Yuzuha also talks about how she’s hesitant to get too close to Itsuki even as a little sister, because she knows that he’ll leave her behind one day. Itsuki reassures her and says that for now, he’ll keep treating her as his little sister. The event sort of peters out there. #9.  In Reone’s Classmating Event, she seems uncharacteristically down about Itsuki picking her for Classmating. She insists that she’s happy, but that she feels there’s nothing left she can teach him because Itsuki has quickly surpassed her (I want to remind everyone that Reone has no previous Classmating experience before Itsuki. She’s just as new to this as he is). Itsuki says that’s because of Reone that he’s gotten so much better and Reone responds that she feels like a teacher seeing off her student. She then corrects herself by saying that it feels more like an elder sister seeing her younger brother become an adult (Yes, we’re still doing this creepy brother thing).  But then, a miracle! Reone finally, mercifully, gets past her loving Itsuki=brother fixation. Classmating happens and the event quickly ends after a few lines where Reone talks about her heart feeling fulfilled when she does the ritual with Itsuki.  Free from the chains of a brother complex, we move into Reone’s first Level 4 event. Itsuki finds her looking a little sleepy and asks what’s going on. Reone says that she was busy gathering funds to buy the land for the hospital. Itsuki feels a little conflicted about paying off the thugs, but Reone says that it’s only one step to rebuilding the slums and there’s no point in holding on to personal grudges. The conversation then shifts to Reone’s brother (but not in a creepy “Itsuki looks like him” way this time) and how this is Reone’s atonement for his death. Itsuki asks her what she means by that and Reone says it’s not a fun story, but Itsuki insists that he wants to know more about her. Reone initially starts to brush him off, but changes her mind when she realizes how much of a man Itsuki has grown into compared to when she met him. Reone tells the story of how her brother always wanted to become a doctor. There were a lot of epidemics in the slums and a lot of people died every year. Reone’s brother wanted to save them and had the smarts to tackle the palace physician hiring exam. However, before the exam could take place, Reone was hit by one of the diseases in the slums when she was injured during a street fight. Reone says that it was a result of her ignoring her brother’s warnings to get check-ups. Her brother nursed her back to health when she was standing at death’s door, but in the process of doing so wound up getting infected with the disease himself and dying shortly after.  Reone blames herself for his death and wishes that she had followed his advice. This is what led to Reone becoming the palace physician instead and carrying on his will to build a hospital in the slums. Reone puts herself down a little, but Itsuki reassures her that she’s become a great doctor. Itsuki insists on going with her when she goes to meet the thugs because there’s no telling what they might try. Reone finds it a little amusing that Itsuki wants to be her bodyguard, but Itsuki rightfully points out that he’s sort of shouldering the fate of an entire world, so she shouldn’t be thinking so little of him. Reone caves and admits that she feels reassured knowing that someone will be by her side. She says that she had forgotten what it felt like to not be alone. The event wraps up there. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 19:07 on Feb 23, 2020 |
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2020 17:07
|
|
|
That secret room was something. I'm not really sure what. Still, I'm forced to admit it wasn't by the numbers or cliché. I really wasn't expecting that reveal.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2020 18:15
|
|
|
Okay, that wasn't nearly as exciting as I'd expected from Arie's secret room, but "good" news: any room can be a kink dungeon if you're kinky enough. If weapons are her kink, and it looks like that's the case, that armory is definitely a kink dungeon. Holy crap Femiruna, that was a great event. I can see this arc showing up in a much better game. I'm not sure I buy Reone getting over her poo poo all of a sudden, and either way, I don't think she's worth having to put up with the journey there. She's still low on my list. Mahiru didn't even bother with a twist. They changed her character entirely and she's STILL boring. Blegh. E: also, eggs in sandwiches is not THAT uncommon. Raitzeno fucked around with this message at 18:35 on Feb 2, 2020 |
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2020 18:31
|
|
|
Psycho Knight posted:
Alright, the jig's up, Marion. I don't know how you managed to cross into an entirely different game/universe, but I knew something was up from the start. Though I can't really blame you, I want to leave VC2 behind as well. --- Jokes aside, my guess is that these little red things are possibly grape tomatoes. They're from Asia after all.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2020 18:32
|
|
|
Arie's secret room had me worried before we knew what was in it, because I thought it might be something that most people would consider normal, and she was just stressed about people seeing it for nothing. Her loving weapons as much as Marion from VC2 was a welcome surprise.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2020 20:44
|
|
|
Arie secretly has hours of videos of herself awkwardly slicing water bottles in half with a claymore while wearing a Phish t-shirt.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2020 21:08
|
|
|
Omobono posted:That secret room was something. I'm not really sure what. Raitzeno posted:Okay, that wasn't nearly as exciting as I'd expected from Arie's secret room, but "good" news: any room can be a kink dungeon if you're kinky enough. If weapons are her kink, and it looks like that's the case, that armory is definitely a kink dungeon. BlazeEmblem posted:Arie's secret room had me worried before we knew what was in it, because I thought it might be something that most people would consider normal, and she was just stressed about people seeing it for nothing. Her loving weapons as much as Marion from VC2 was a welcome surprise. This is my feeling on it. I mean, it could have been worse and it also could have been really stupid (if she was ashamed about some incredibly normal thing like a pet or something). I'm not sure what to make of this. I guess it kind of depends on where things go from here. She's luring Itsuki out into the forest for some purpose or another. Also there's a question now of whether she really does love Itsuki or if she was just focused on his sword (she's definitely not obsessed with his sword at the very least, since she clearly has moments where she cares for him as a person). I guess my opinion of her hasn't necessarily changed for better or for worse, but it is now much more vulnerable to change. If this takes some weird swing into Penultimate Narika Event territory then I might rethink my vote. Raitzeno posted:Holy crap Femiruna, that was a great event. I can see this arc showing up in a much better game. Right? Femiruna's character arc has been a surprise. I still don't like her noblewoman shtick, but I'm impressed that the writers have kept the focus on her improving as a person. Usually the "Rich Girl" character is a dominating type or the comedic relief that keeps trying to flex her money. She pushes hard for the main character, but she's rarely the victorious one (unless the player/reader is given control). This isn't a fresh new characterization, but it's a lot more welcome than what I initially thought we would get. My most optimistic guess near the beginning was that Femiruna would learn to be a little more considerate or less reliant on her family. I didn't think for a second we'd get her this determined to change her attitude. My only complaint at this point is that it seems the little bit about Femiruna wanting to make friends has been dropped. I'm glad she's becoming a better person, but right now it looks like the only reason she's doing it is because she wants Itsuki's approval. I think the route would be going a lot better if there was still those moments where she tried to make real friends. And I know eggs in sandwiches are a thing, I'm actually just about to have an egg sandwich for dinner, but I'm not seeing any eggs in that CG. Those sandwiches look like they've got lettuce, some form of meat, and then cheese. Unless the cheese I'm seeing is the egg. The Flying Twybil posted:Alright, the jig's up, Marion. I don't know how you managed to cross into an entirely different game/universe, but I knew something was up from the start. It's really become a thing with me. I like Marion, she's one of the few characters in VC2 that I was fond of. I also really like Narika in Conception II, even though other people seemed to think she was boring and flat. I immediately took a liking to Arie because I like her design and how she was one of the few "normal" characters in this game. And what do they all have in common? Weapons. I mean, in Narika's case she was technically possessed by a demon pendant when she tried to stab Wake to death on the roof, but still. They always have some connection to knives or guns or weapons of some variety (I mean, a connection to them outside of simply using them as tools). Also, I knew there was a name for those things, but I didn't know it. I really dislike vegetables and fruits, so I'm not familiar with the names of them outside of the basics like Banana or Apple or Lettuce. megane posted:Arie secretly has hours of videos of herself awkwardly slicing water bottles in half with a claymore while wearing a Phish t-shirt. Oh god, that is a thing she would do. Maybe Itsuki should try and reel her impulses back in just a tiny bit before she decides to go public with it. Next thing you know she's walking around town in a trench coat and carrying a katana everywhere like that dude from the infamous news clip.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2020 21:20
|
|
|
Say what you will but if this was CII Wake would be all over that poo poo.  I feel like she really gets it, ya know?Reone's event was actually alright. Development! megane posted:Arie secretly has hours of videos of herself awkwardly slicing water bottles in half with a claymore while wearing a Phish t-shirt. It's this. Seraphic Neoman fucked around with this message at 22:20 on Feb 2, 2020 |
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2020 22:14
|
|
|
Psycho Knight posted:It's really become a thing with me. I like Marion, she's one of the few characters in VC2 that I was fond of. I also really like Narika in Conception II, even though other people seemed to think she was boring and flat. I immediately took a liking to Arie because I like her design and how she was one of the few "normal" characters in this game. I'm not sure on how I feel about the weapon enthusiasm, but given that I do a lot of studying on martial weapons myself (I'm a history buff) I have no room to complain even if I wanted to. No matter how initially startling Marion might be in VC2, she's comparatively harmless to the rest of the cast which is varying combinations of violent, self-absorbed, moody, and/or cliche. I find that when surrounded by a cast of strange characters, I always find myself liking the "normal" one more often. Though I'm fond of every character in RF3, the most normal character is my favorite one. This works vice versa as well for me as the majority of RF4's cast is rather normal (I'd go as far to say dull, even,) the stranger characters are where my interests fall. I've done a good bit of planting and gardening in my spare time, so I've picked up some stuff on various plant related things. Tomatoes are basically a staple where I come from, and though I really don't like their taste by itself, I can say for certain that smaller breeds of tomatoes make some drat good salsa. I used to eat a lot of fruit, but I can't really have very much sugar in my diet anymore. Most vegetables I had to learn to like- I still can't stand the taste of spinach no matter what form I try to eat it in. Psycho Knight posted:My only complaint at this point is that it seems the little bit about Femiruna wanting to make friends has been dropped. I'm glad she's becoming a better person, but right now it looks like the only reason she's doing it is because she wants Itsuki's approval. I think the route would be going a lot better if there was still those moments where she tried to make real friends. I really wish it does bring back the part about wanting to make friends, because my opinion of her has really jumped over time. I can't say for sure how close she was with any of the other Maidens initially, but given how they all helped her out in preparing for this last event, I'd say she's made some. "Psycho Knight" posted:
...Even if she doesn't realize it yet. The Flying Twybil fucked around with this message at 01:34 on Feb 3, 2020 |
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2020 23:50
|
|
|
Psycho Knight posted:Official Itsuki says something like “You’ve been falling for me?”, which, DUH. She already freaking told you that she loves you. Pay attention Itsuki! …Or do a better job, translators! One of you get your poo poo together. I'm willing to pin this one on Itsuki/the original writers. She doesn't literally say 'I love you' in the previous event but something like she has feelings for him so he shouldn't be surprised at her saying she's falling for him. Meanwhile they seem to have abandoned trying to write around Mahiru's personality and are straight up writing new scenes. Honestly this is probably for the best. (the promise is still cleared up although it's exactly your prediction, 'When we grow up, let's get married' rather than what we got here) Glad we're getting mysteries cleared up across the board, anyway.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2020 00:50
|
|
|
SSNeoman posted:Say what you will but if this was CII Wake would be all over that poo poo. You have a point.  I miss Wake.The Flying Twybil posted:I really wish it does bring back the part about wanting to make friends, because my opinion of her has really jumped over time. I can't say for sure how close she was with any of the other Maidens initially, but given how they all helped her out in preparing for this last event, I'd say she's made some. Oh, I’m sure she's bonding with the other Maidens to some degree. Them helping her isn't a particularly good indicator of that, though. Mahiru likes to play leader and is also Class President or whatever of the Star Maidens, so she obviously wouldn't turn away Femiruna if she were coming to Mahiru for genuine help. Likewise, Arie is a nun. She's not going to turn Femiruna away either, regardless of what her motivations are. You could make an argument for Sue, although Sue does sell her animal produce to the school, so she wouldn't be overly reluctant to send a little Femiruna’s way. Basically, I want to see more of Femiruna trying to build friendships with NPCs, because that requires a little more effort and understanding. The other Star Maidens have kind of eaiser to form friendships with, because they all share at least one common thread. Polsy posted:I'm willing to pin this one on Itsuki/the original writers. She doesn't literally say 'I love you' in the previous event but something like she has feelings for him so he shouldn't be surprised at her saying she's falling for him. "I love you" did sound a little strong for that stage of the route, but "I have feelings for you" is still pretty explicit, to the point that Itsuki still should not be surprised by Arie saying "I'm falling for you." It's a weird reaction for him to have no matter which way she says it. Let's not even get into the fact that she’s also been talking about how much Classmating excites her and has been referring to Itsuki as her "Star God." Itsuki might be dense, but he hasn't given any indications of being that dense (at least not until this event). Also, be careful what you say about Mahiru. I'm pretty sure I recall the screen blacking out 3 or 4 times during Mahiru’s next event and that is not an exaggeration. Unless there were a bunch of time skips happening, then we could be in for a lot of "writing around Old Mahiru." I need to go back and check when I get the chance, but I'm sure it happened somewhere. Edit: There are about 8 or 9 "fade-to-black" moments in her next event, but I think that's because there are a lot of location changes. It's hard to tell from a glance if any of them are the result of cut lines. When I read through it in detail for Part 2 I will highlight any moments of hers that seem to stand out as possibly being cuts. The other thing we have to keep in mind is that we're a lot farther in to Mahiru’s route now (and we're basically done with the main story), so we've reached the point of the game where Old Mahiru's character growth has kicked in and she's become kinder to Itsuki, so the writers don't need to do as many (or any) cuts anymore. Which sort of bums me out, because I greatly enjoyed hearing about Old Mahiru cuts that were made. Oh well, maybe we can squeeze a few more of those moments out of side events. I can only hope. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 02:55 on Feb 3, 2020 |
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2020 02:31
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 28, 2024 14:29 |
|
|
Psycho Knight posted:Oh, I’m sure she's bonding with the other Maidens to some degree. Them helping her isn't a particularly good indicator of that, though. Mahiru likes to play leader and is also Class President or whatever of the Star Maidens, so she obviously wouldn't turn away Femiruna if she were coming to Mahiru for genuine help. Yeah you've got a point. They're all stuck in this together, and Mahiru and Arie would definitely be the types to help. If we factored our current relationships into the equation, though, I'd almost have to say it's indicative of friendship with Mahiru. Aside from her wanting to be a leader, she's also seriously invested in Itsuki so far with that competitive side. I'd imagine they're good enough friends if she's willing to set aside any feelings of rivalry regarding him to help a potential rival. Well, that, or she could've framed it as a thank you gift or something. Sue's contribution makes perfect sense when you think about it. She's already admitted she wishes she had ears like Femiruna, and she seems to have a serious investment in that hobby- I think it'd be only natural she'd help Ms. Cat Ears. Back to the point at hand, though, it would still be nice to see her reaching out. I mean, there has to be some nice people in Granvania, right?
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2020 02:55
|
|