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Saki gets a nasty bruise when someone startles him and breaks his concentration.
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Mar 19, 2021 21:00
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 23:45 |
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Update XXXII: My precious!  I forgot to save after finishing the last recording. Son of a… Thankfully this game has an option under Skip Text for “All”, so I’m able to get through all of Stage 5 in about two minutes.  Okay, this time for real. Let’s start Stage 6.  Mmm… Is it morning already…? I opened my eyes and stretched. Sleeping on the floor had left me a little stiff, but it wasn’t anything serious. Yup, looks like I’m okay. The thought was nice, but I couldn’t let Urabe’s worrying keep me cooped up. Yes, please. I slapped my cheeks to wake myself up, and took another quick look around the room. Hm… Unfortunately, no escape routes had appeared during the night. If the previous day had been any indication, a piglet would show up eventually with my breakfast. (I would have had a better chance with Urabe to back me up, but I guess I’ll just have to make do.)You got this girl. You don’t need Urabe to juke a single Piglet. Granted, it would have been nice to have Urabe’s crystal ball nearby to use as a weapon. I’d say to use one of the fish tanks, but that would be a mean thing to do to the innocent fish. (Remember Inafune, you’re only gonna get one shot at this…) My one shot came earlier than I’d anticipated. (It’s here!) … Steaming hot you say… Excellent. (Just one…) It brought two trays the day before. It was a small, pointless thing, but suddenly I felt very alone. (No! Stop that! You can do this!) I pushed the worry and self-doubt out of my head, and focused on the piglet. … …! Thank you. I reached out for the tray… (This is my chance!)We get a choice between “Drop the tray” and “Trip him.” There are no affection points in play here, so I say we go for the slightly more tactical option. Oh gosh, I’m sorry! The moment I had the tray, I let it go. It clattered to the floor and the plate broke, splattering food everywhere. (Oh jeez, I feel kinda bad for wasting all that food.) …! …! It was walking very carefully, and looking back and forth from the floor to me and back again.Take the bait you bastard. Sorry… I’d clean it up myself, but I don’t have a towel or anything… …! Could you bring me a broom and a towel? Please? …! …! It nodded and rushed out of the room. All right, now’s my chance! I rushed to the door and grabbed the knob— No! It was locked tight. I’d failed.Patience, Saki. Patience.  …! It pointed to the pieces and shook its head vigorously, then gestured for me to get up and move away. Th-Thanks. Well, if it was going to give me the opportunity… I stood there while it started to gather up the pieces of plate, wrap them in a newspaper, then toss them into a plastic bag. Once it’d gathered up all the plate shards, it began to wipe up the spilled food. Its back was to me, and it seemed to be totally focused on cleaning up.Now’s the time! Go! Go!  …On second thought.  The piglet was focused on wiping the floor with its towel, and that meant that is guard was down. If I was quiet, maybe I could make it to the door… But I’d come too close to failure the first time. There was no room for mistakes now.No witnesses. …Here, let me help you. I reached down and picked up the tray. It was thick and sturdy. I had a feeling it could take some punishment.That tea tray from Alice Kart withstood a point back round from a handgun, so I’m sure this thing can do some damage fairly easily. … … The piglet handed me a towel and went back to cleaning. Slowly and quietly, I snuck up behind it. I raised the tray over my head, and took a deep breath. (Yah!) …And brought it down with all my might. The tray smacked into the back of the piglet’s head, knocking it flat onto the floor. I’m really sorry!I’m not! That was awesome! I want more of that Saki. Before it could move, I threw down the tray and ran for the door. Oh, we were under this place. Where am I…? Outside of the fish room, I suddenly found myself in what appeared to be some sort of gift shop. …What the heck? It’s all Hogstein… I looked around a little, and there wasn’t a thing in there that didn’t have his face on it somewhere. Who would buy any of this junk…?I don’t know, I think the plushies are pretty neat. It was just so… tacky. There was everything from stationary to bath soap; from kitchenware to electric lamps. And so many different colors… But I can’t imagine there’s actually any demand for this stuff…How hilarious would it be if this elaborate revenge scheme was also part marketing campaign for Hogstein to kickstart a merchandise industry? (Well, I guess I should expect weird stuff. Hogstein’s not exactly… well-adjusted.) I sighed and looked around for a clock. So they didn’t bother bringing Saki any breakfast this morning? Rude. That meant the game had already started! I need to hurry! Sticking to the shadows, I slowly and carefully made my way toward the entrance. It didn’t look like there were any piglets on lookout. When I finally reached the door, I hid behind a human-sized Hogstein, and peered out again to double-check. (All right, looks like the coast is clear.) I stepped out of my hiding place and was about to leave when something caught my eye. From inside the nostril of the giant Hogstein I could see the corner of a very familiar cell phone. I pulled it out. No question, it was mine.Why in god’s name is that hidden in there? (Wh-What the heck was it doing there?) Whatever. Now I can get ahold of my uncle, and the rest of our team! (Great! Time to move!) I slipped my phone into my pocket and strode out the door. The gift shop was apparently just part of a larger shopping mall. All around the mall were stores and restaurants. I peered into one of them, and just like the gift shop, everything was Hogstein-branded. Well, I guess I’ve gotta give him points for being, uh, thorough… I shook my head in disbelief and looked around. All right, I’m out. What now? Ideally, I would convince Urabe to rejoin the others, and we could all work together again. (But I don’t know where he is…)Also that’s a terrible plan. You should try and rejoin the group first. You can futilely try and convince Urabe to rejoin the others after they have been made aware that he had kidnapped you and is getting increasingly more insane. I rubbed absently at the beads on my wrist. (I haven’t really got my feelings about him figured out yet, but…) He’d said his spirit was in the beads, and as I touched them, they felt a little warm. I smiled. In a way, it felt like he was right there next to me.That should not be a good feeling considering the way you saw him acting yesterday evening.  (No, not “if”— when!) Thinking about Urabe made me feel a little better. Okay, I should probably start by figuring out what attraction the game is happening at today, and meeting up with everyone there. (So… start at the plaza, I guess?) All right! I took off at a run for the plaza. Just as I’d thought, there was a directory of all the attractions. I don’t think he’d use the same one twice… (So it would have to be one of the ones we haven’t been to yet…) Bazaar Planet had been empty, so I could rule that out, leaving me with three attractions I hadn’t visited. The question was… which one.We know that Moonlight OX can be ruled out, but Saki doesn’t know that in this timeline. With nothing else to go on, I figured starting with the closer ones was better. With that in mind, I decided to visit Moonlight OX. (Gotta hurry!) Now you’ve got the right idea. So, mind made up, I headed toward Moonlight OX. *Pant* *Pant* I wiped sweat from my forehead, and looked up at the attraction rising from some kind of fake crater. It looked like a launch pad for a rocket. I guess I can’t tell if the game is going on from out here, huh? In front of the door was a piglet. (Should I ask him…? But what if he tries to catch me?) In the end, though, there was only one way to find out. I took a deep breath and walked up to the piglet. Um, excuse me… …? (…I guess he hasn’t been told that I’ve escaped yet.)I mean, the only guy that would know you escaped has been beaned in the back of the head with a metal serving tray. It’s probably going to be a while before word gets out. Um, I was just wondering… Are they playing a game in there right now? … …! He shook his head. Apparently Moonlight OX wasn’t it. Can I ask you something else? … Do you know where they are having the game today? …? …? This time he wiped at his eyes like he was crying, and then looked down at the ground and sighed. (So he doesn’t know where they are…) Okay. Don’t worry about it, I’ll just keep looking. Thanks! ! (They all look the same, but it seems like they have different personalities… I haven’t thought of them as anything other that [sic] Hogstein’s minions, but… I wonder if they’re actually just good people in a bad situation?)Well, they’re all supposedly hypnotized. Hard to tell if they are all “good people.” I’m sure one of them was a criminal or tax dodger or something. I waved to the piglet, and he waved back. Then I turned toward the next attraction and began to run. The light had turned grey and oppressive by the time I arrived at Round Table Colosseum Knights IV. The attractions looked close to one another on the map, but the park was actually really big. By the time I arrived, I was out of breath. I stopped and took a couple deep breaths. The sky was making me uneasy.Storm’s a comin’. …I need to hurry. (There’s no time to waste!) I peered around a corner to have a look at the entrance. Just like before, a piglet was guarding it. Fortunately, he also didn’t seem interested in capturing me. I let out a quiet sigh of relief, and walked up to him. … The piglet shook his head. No luck. If they weren’t at Moonlight OX or the Round Table Colosseum, then that left only one thing… (Band Animal Family!)Do we finally get to see that game in action?! Thank you! … He gave me a small nod. Apparently they weren’t all as “talkative” as the last one. I’d memorized the map earlier, so I already knew how to get to Band Animal Family. All right! I spun around to leave, but stopped short. Dammit… I wanted to see Band Animal Family… Also, gently caress you Kimimaro. I just spent two hours not that long ago creating new expression portraits for you. I’m not going to keep doing that every time you pop up with a new one you haven’t used before. There’s like 1 chapter left in your route, we’ll make do with what we have. Wh-What…? How…? … He looked sad and disappointed. I was very clear. I told you to remain in that room. Urabe started to walk toward me.I think this is a good time to run, Saki. Not sure what Kimimaro’s cardio game is like, but I have a good feeling that your booty shorts will give you an advantage over his restrictive kimono. How did you know where I was…? Oh, you dirty little poo poo. …Huh? All that was there was the prayer beads he’d given me. …Did I not tell you? His smile slowly faded away. Stop doing that! It’s creepy!  His voice had turned cold. W-Wait, are you saying… The beads that had his spirit in them… (I guess it wasn’t just his spirit…) He must have put some sort of tracker in the beads, so that he would be able to know where I was. (So he even knew I’d escape…?) My legs trembled and then collapsed, dropping me, stunned, to the floor. I looked up at Urabe, and he gave me a small, cold smile. A chill ran down my spine. (How am I going to find the others now…? …Will Urabe even hear anything I say…?)No! That’s why you should be running! What is wrong with you?! A drop of rain hit the ground next to me. …Are you all right, Saki? He knelt down and grabbed me. ! I jumped as he touched me. He paused for a moment, his hands on my arms. Then he seemed to make up his mind, and pulled me into a tight embrace. If only you had returned to the room after finding your phone… (Wait… so Urabe stuck it in Hogstein’s nose…?) …We were apart for mere hours, but I’d already grown worried… I… I thought I might never see you again… The rain rolled down my cheeks like tears. I was so fortunate to meet you, and you’ve become so precious to me… I… I thought all of this might end before I could hold you in my arms… Oh, god. Not again. ! I felt his breath on my ear.   His voice was quiet but determined. This right here? This is the exact moment where at least one teenaged girl who played this game realized that they had made a gigantic mistake by picking this route.  I’m okay with here after that last CG. Here is nice and safe and doesn’t have mentally unstable conmen creepily fondling us. I’d escaped, only to be caught and brought back.*We fade to black here* (I’m tired…) Perhaps it would be better to just do what Urabe wanted and wait. Supposedly Hogstein had promised to keep me safe. I could even sleep and eat. (But…) …Not to mention betraying all my friends, and my uncle. (I know! If their game’s over, maybe I can get a hold of them on my phone!)Game, you insisted on using “ahold” earlier. Either commit to it or admit that it’s stupid upfront.  I pulled it out… (Oh shoot. No reception.) I’d apparently gotten a text message at some point, though. (It probably came in while I was running around, so I didn’t notice it… Oh, hey, it’s from Uncle Keiji!) How are things going? I haven’t heard from you in a while, so I’m a little worried. I’m sure things are tough for you right now, but there’s something I want you to remember, no matter what happens. ”Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.”   If you’re tired, it’s okay to take a breather. Just stop and rest. No shame in that. But no matter how bad things look, you can’t run away from your problems. If you face them head-on, I’m sure you’ll find a way to solve them. I believe in you.Yeah, facing the problem head-on didn’t really work out. Running away would have definitely been the better call just now. A swing and a miss on this advice, Force Ghost Keiji Inafune. Oh jeez… I felt my heart warm. (He’s right. I can’t run away from this. I have to confront Urabe.) I clasped my phone to my chest. My mind made up, I allowed myself to go to sleep.And that’s it! Yes, that really was the entirety of Stage 6. I was kind of expecting more, to be honest. At least some new backstory information or something. Still, I guess it beats that time Kouta and Saki wasted an entire day sitting around in a room doing nothing. Well then, I guess next time on Sweet Fuse we wrap up Urabe’s route. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 18:38 on Mar 20, 2021 |
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Mar 20, 2021 18:34
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Obsessive lover isn't exactly a rare archetype in these VN, but the game sure is nailing all (and only) the negative aspects! It really doesn't help that this CG looks like a death scene where Saki is getting backstabbed. CremePudding fucked around with this message at 22:44 on Mar 20, 2021 |
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Mar 20, 2021 20:55
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Psycho Knight posted:Update XXXII: My precious! aaaaaaa quote:
aaaaaAAAAAA quote:
AAAAAAAAAA quote:
RUN the gently caress AWAY SAKI
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Mar 20, 2021 22:34
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At least now the game seems to be aware that there's something wrong with this guy!
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Mar 21, 2021 00:20
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CremePudding posted:Obsessive lover isn't exactly a rare archetype in these VN, but the game sure is nailing all (and only) the negative aspects! It really doesn't help that this CG looks like a death scene where Saki is getting backstabbed. Yelling at the screen like you're watching somebody walk into a creepy basement in a horror movie is half the fun of those routes, if you ask me; I'm all for the strongly negative portrayal here. Space Kablooey posted:aaaaaaa Yeah, exactly like that. 
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Mar 21, 2021 02:13
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Maybe in this path’s good ending Saki will leave him.
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Mar 21, 2021 06:31
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I am now nostalgic for the pop idol, hot drat. I am kind of sorry we went for Ryusei first, because I think we might have peaked with him.
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Mar 21, 2021 07:12
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It would be hilarious if the game went meta and suddenly there was an option for the player to scream WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU at Saki for apparently thinking this is fine.
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Mar 21, 2021 13:52
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Taberquol posted:I am now nostalgic for the pop idol, hot drat. Therein lies the problem. We always want to go after whatever looks best first, only to regret it when what follows is a downhill ride. Also, to be fair, we never really got a choice in route order due to the way this game decided to handle important information. Sure, I asked you guys which one of the guys we should chase after first and you overwhelmingly demanded Ryuji, but once it became apparent that only 3 routes had any decent backstory information in them the choice was largely taken out of everyone's hands (mine included). I mean, the alternative would have been that we kept Ryuji for last and ended the LP on a big wet fart because the game had already told us every bit of important story information and all the mysteries were put to bed. gegi posted:It would be hilarious if the game went meta and suddenly there was an option for the player to scream WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU at Saki for apparently thinking this is fine. I would love this, partially because it would mean that there exists one of those "lightning" reactions for Saki. I think it's a shame that everyone else gets one of those, but not her. BurningStone posted:Maybe in this path’s good ending Saki will leave him. Hah! You're funny. We all know how this "Good Ending" is going to go. If there was any chance of Saki wising up and learning that Urabe is someone she should be actively avoiding, then we would have already seen her push back against his weird poo poo. Now the "Bad End", that could be interesting. I want to know if Urabe goes full Yandere in his Bad End and just outright kills Saki under the typical "If I can't have you, then no-one can" reasoning. Bloody Emissary posted:Yelling at the screen like you're watching somebody walk into a creepy basement in a horror movie is half the fun of those routes, if you ask me; I'm all for the strongly negative portrayal here. At the very least it's something different. As creepy as it is, at least we're engaged with it. I was always looking forward to this route purely based on the possible backstory information it could provide, but part of me was dreading that this was just going to be a route where Saki talks at Urabe for long enough that he just caves in and becomes a good guy again. She would just convince him to come to his senses, he'd go "You know, you're right about everything", and then the two of them would go rescue the hostages. gegi posted:At least now the game seems to be aware that there's something wrong with this guy! You'd think so, but this is his route. I still think this one ends with Urabe dodging prison, suffering no consequences, or otherwise getting no treatment for his creepy behaviour. Space Kablooey posted:RUN the gently caress AWAY SAKI The game sort of implies that she's literally too scared to move, but it doesn't help that there is a weird sudden time skip which returns her to normal. It almost felt like the writers put themselves in a corner and had to brute force their way out of it. "Okay, she's scared. She's so scared that her legs give out and she won't even try to run. Urabe is able to just calmly approach her and grab her." "He's supposed to be one of the love interests, right? How are we supposed to write Saki's reaction to that when we are about to pull the route together into a happy ending?" "...Uh... Just cut the scene, stick her back in the aquarium, and pretend it didn't happen. Whatever, the players will come up with their own justifications." CremePudding posted:Obsessive lover isn't exactly a rare archetype in these VN, but the game sure is nailing all (and only) the negative aspects! It really doesn't help that this CG looks like a death scene where Saki is getting backstabbed. Right? In any other game, the camera would have panned down to show a knife in Saki's back. That is precisely the look of that CG.
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Mar 21, 2021 14:33
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Yeesh, I intensely regret being initially drawn to him. Kimi, you creepy gently caress. Also how loving short is Saki?!?
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Mar 21, 2021 16:46
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Astrofig posted:Yeesh, I intensely regret being initially drawn to him. Kimi, you creepy gently caress. Also how loving short is Saki?!? It's hard to tell because we don't get a good idea of how tall everyone else is. I think Ryuji, Ayumu, and Shidou are the tallest out of the dudes. If you want to believe in Wikipedia sources, then the average height of Japanese women is 5' 2" and the average height of Japanese men is about 5' 7". Based on the intro scene from Update 1, which is all we really have to go on right now, I would say that Ryuji/Shidou/Ayumu are probably above the average. Somewhere around 5' 10" or 11", maybe. Judging by the CGs we see where Saki and the guys are sort of standing straight up (like kissing CGs), it wouldn't surprise me if Saki was only 5'. I would definitely not put her down as being anything over 5' 4". Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 17:32 on Mar 22, 2021 |
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Mar 22, 2021 17:25
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Jesus, Urabe's expressions seem to bounce between a "I can never unsee this" haunted look and "I want to hug/stab you" complete with unsettling smile. Still, this is probably the most interesting route so far if nothing else than because Urabe is completely batshit.
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Mar 23, 2021 07:40
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If Saki were to actually acknowledge "this guy is pretty hosed up, I should get as far from him as possible and ask my police friend to give me custody 24/7" it'd save the route for me because every update makes it more and more clear that Urabe is tremendously unhinged, this one was very direct about it, but it really did not want to acknowledge it until the last update and even with it, it's sure that Saki will end up in love with him anyways.
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Mar 23, 2021 14:17
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'You don't get it! I can *fix* him! Only my love can save him!' It would be kind of interesting if in this route the endings were flipped; good ending saw Urabe suiciding by cop or at least getting the law thrown at him and Saki getting intensive therapy, bad ending having him get away clean and Saki give in to at least a manipulative, if not outright abusive, relationship with him.
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Mar 24, 2021 08:58
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This update is super short. Finals are approaching, so I’m going to be caught up prepping for that over the next week or two at least. I’ll finish Urabe’s route up as soon as I get my free time (and sanity) back. As a bonus, please enjoy a little distraction that I tinkered with, since there’s a decent probability I’ll never actually follow through on it and it will turn into a complete waste of time since nobody actually saw it. It’s linked in a test post at the end of the update. Update XXXIII: And the whole world has to answer right now, just to tell you once again  God fuhhh… Sorry, that had nothing to do with me sizing up this update and questioning the life choices that led me here. I’m cursing myself for fiddling with my OBS settings in order to workshop a new LP. Now I can’t remember what the output resolutions were set at for Sweet Fuse and I’m fairly certain that these screenshots are now blurrier than they were before. That’s what I get for not writing this poo poo down. Ugh… I’ll try and figure it out for the next route. Pretty sure this LP is going to wind up rotting on the forum at this rate. Archive-ready it most certainly is not. Mm… Morning already? Anyway, Saki tried to escape last time and meet up with the others, but she ended up getting caught by Kimimaro who had slipped a tracking device into the prayer beads he had given her. This was the day. I was ready to go. …Well, no time like the present. I took off the beads Urabe had given me, and pulled a large rock out of one of the fish tanks. Hah! The rock slammed into the beads, shattering them. (That ought to do it.) Moments later, I heard footsteps from the other side of the door, and it swung open. Urabe rushed in, his face concerned. It looked like I’d been right about the prayer beads. This… He saw the shattered beads on the floor, and let out a small sigh of relief. You did this, I take it? Yeah. I had a feeling you come [sic] running in if I did. I didn’t know how else to get your attention. I just want to talk. He frowned for a moment, then reached over and slowly shut the door. Thank you! I sat down across from him, and explained what I’d been thinking about the night before.*And then there’s a fade-to-black wipe for some reason* After you brought me back, I had a lot of time to think.See? You’d think the fade would signify that Saki explained a bunch of stuff off screen, but she didn't. Why do a wipe transition if no time has passed and there’s been no change in location? I understand why you want to keep me here, and it’s sweet of you, but… … He frowned again, and his expression grew a little harsher. (I can’t stop now!) I remembered what my uncle had said. (No running. Face him head-on.) Well, that depends on the affection points. Let’s hope you’ve got enough. …I want us to go back together. We can beat this game, all seven of us. But he slowly shook his head. I’m afraid I cannot do that. I could not bear to expose you to danger, and I do not deserve to return to the others. Once a traitor, always a traitor. They don’t feel like that!They aren’t aware that Kimimaro was actively planning to kill them! I’m pretty sure their forgive-and-forget attitude would be in question upon learning that Kimimaro fully intended for them to die. How about you go and explain to them how Kimimaro’s traitor plan was originally to help only half the group escape from Bloodstained Hospital? Let’s see how they feel after hearing that. Nobody died! You actually saved all of us! You know we were all looking for you before the hotel showed up that night?! If they didn’t think you were one of them, why did they do that?!Personally? I’d be doing it in order to make sure the traitor was dead and wasn’t out there somewhere continuing to plot against me.  … He looked down at the floor bitterly. For several long seconds the only sound in the room was the soft bubbling of fish tanks. He stood, and walked toward the door. Where are you going? …It is too late for me. I told you that I struck a bargain with Hogstein to save your life. He turned back to look at me, and I could see pain in his eyes. …What? Wait, what… what are you saying…? I am going to die. Wh-Why would you do that?! During the next game, I will conceal my identity and fight the other participants. I will lose on purpose, and that loss will kill me. Once the battle is concluded, Hogstein will reveal my identity. His hope is that this will… rattle them. That was the nature of my bargain. …! I didn’t know what to say. Had he really agreed to die to keep me safe? You… you must live. I wanted to grab him and keep him from leaving, but I couldn’t move. My legs shook like trees in a hurricane. (No!) He turned away from me again, and walked slowly toward the door. (Why is he doing this…?) I felt anger boil up in my stomach. (How many times has he talked about how worthless he thinks his life is?! He says he’s doing this for me, but has he ever once thought about how I feel, or what I want?!)No. And that is a prime reason for why you should not be romantically involved with him.   What’s wrong with you?! *Also affection point up* …Don’t throw your life away like this. You care about my life, right? Well, I care about yours.For some reason. It’s not worthless. It’s worth a lot. If you can’t live for yourself, then do it for me, if you really care. B-But… I tried to wipe some of the tears off my face as Urabe struggled to find his words. But I made this deal to keep you safe… If I betray Count Hogstein again, that guarantee of safety is forfeit…There’s also no guarantee that he won’t simply kill you just for doing it. I think it’s a tad optimistic to think that betraying him a second time will just result in everything going back to the status quo. (Why is he still just thinking about me?! Does he really think I could live with myself if I knew he’d died to save me!?)Wait, are we really doing this again right away? (He’s being ridiculous!)Uhh… okay, I guess. I’m fine with freaking out at him a second time.   M-My apologies…*Affection point up* If Hogstein wants to hurt me, why don’t you just protect me from that? What…? Instead of locking me up and ignoring my feelings, why don’t you face the problem head-on and deal with it yourself? …And when you’re in danger, I’ll do the same for you! ! Th-That… He fell to his knees, his face pale. (He still doesn’t get it?! You’re not alone, Urabe!) All right, now it’s going too far. You’re wearing out one of the best segments in this game, Sweet Fuse. What’s wrong with you?! M-My apologies…*Another affection point increase* Ah, I see what this is. You’re trying to cram all of the affection point choices into 10 minutes because you realized that Saki barely interacts with Urabe in the common route. If you’ve done bad stuff, then turn yourself in and pay for what you did. As long as you’re alive, you can start over! I hugged him. I’ll stick with you, no matter what. O-Oh… Saki… I felt him slump down in my arms, defeated. Big, wet tears began to stream down his face. Goddammit, would you show a decent kissing CG just once? Saki looks like she’s trying to kiss his philtrum… which I guess is romantic in a way since philtrum is from φίλτρον, which supposedly means “love charm” in Ancient Greek… I stand by my original complaint. Stop doing weird half-kisses. (Kimimaro…) Our lips touched, and I closed my eyes. …Thank you. He didn’t bother to wipe away the tears streaming down his face. I wrapped my arms tighter around his shaking body. But… I cannot.*The screen shakes* ?! Oh well, we tried. Looks like Kimimaro is simply an rear end in a top hat through and through. Wha… why…? I curled around my aching stomach as my vision began to blur. Gently, carefully, he lowered me to the floor. I am truly sorry, but I cannot allow you to put yourself in danger. This is the only way. Only barely conscious, I heard him speak. (Kimimaro…) I had tried my best, but I couldn’t change his mind. I felt anger and sadness well up in my chest…  Where… where am I…?[Doctor]: Ah, you’re awake. For a split second I thought the man next to my bed was Kimimaro, but… When he turned, I saw he was only a middle-aged doctor in a white lab coat.[Doctor]: Don’t worry. You’re in a hospital. A… a hospital…? Why? What…? I blinked slowly. I was… where…? Then suddenly, my memories flooded back. Kimimaro had punched me in the stomach when I’d tried to stop him. That must have knocked me out… But what had happened to the others? Nngh… Before I could swing myself out of the bed, the doctor ran over to push me back in.[Doctor]: You’ve been through a lot. It’s better if you just rest for now. What…? He turned away from me. Suddenly I remembered Kimimaro’s face in the room full of fish tanks. [Flashback Kimimaro]: Once the battle is concluded, Hogstein will reveal my identity. His hope is that this will… rattle them. That was the nature of my bargain. (Oh no… Then Kimimaro… and everyone else… Am I the only one left…?) … I closed my eyes as tears began to roll down my face. Okay, so you’ve probably figured out that that was actually Kimimaro’s bad end and not how his route is actually supposed to end. Yes, in Kimimaro’s bad ending, everyone except Saki dies. Kimimaro presumably goes through with his end of the Hogstein bargain and is killed during Colosseum Knights IV. The other guys are broken by the revelation that they killed someone and without Saki there to act as the heart of the team, they fail to come together and complete the game. The hostages don’t get mentioned, but there’s a chance that Hogstein killed them as well, meaning that everyone Saki knows and loves is gone (with the exception of her school friends and possibly her parents). Unlike everyone else so far, Kimimaro’s Bad/Good end happens very early on into his route’s Stage 7. For every other bad end (at least, out of the routes we’ve been through so far), Stage 7 proceeds as normal regardless of affection points. It’s only just before the credits where there’s any noticeable change. But for Kimimaro’s route, Stage 7 will split as soon as that kiss CG disappears. If you don’t have enough affection points, then there’s that whole dialogue we just read above. If you do have enough affection points, then Stage 7 continues beyond that CG for another… *checks recording* 16 minutes. For reference, the material I just covered only took up 4 minutes of my recording. There is an entire update’s worth of material that you don’t see if you missed a certain number of affection points. There are only 13 affection points available in Urabe’s route, and 3 of those are during that “Get mad” montage. I’m not sure what the exact cut-off is, but if you missed some of Urabe’s early ones (like in the common route), then you could get locked into this fairly easily.  At least it was a bit of a curveball. We’ll finish up Kimimaro’s route next time by picking up here. If you are locked into the good ending, then Saki and Kimimaro will instantly be in the plaza once the kiss CG fades out. ---------------------------------------------Bonus--------------------------------------------- Check it out! I spent a full day working on something that may never see the light of day instead of working on the thing all of you actually come to this thread for!
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Mar 28, 2021 18:11
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Haha that ending almost owns. gently caress you, everyone's dead! Thanks for playing!
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Mar 28, 2021 19:03
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The only way this could get any worse is if he used the crystal ball instead of his fist.  That aside, this segment made me realize why these Angry Saki scenes feel so weak and lame even for the angry anime girl cliche - the receiving characters always apologize (with an exaggerated reaction sprite) before she says anything meaningful. Then when she actually says something beyond her initial outburst, nothing actually sinks in, best exemplified here where she get a gut punch from Urabe. As for the other game.... I can't really fault games for being horny, but something about the protagonist being there on false pretenses on top of being horny makes this feel unusually gross.
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Mar 28, 2021 19:27
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Astrofig posted:'You don't get it! I can *fix* him! Only my love can save him!' I don't know, having Saki go on the run with him and be in a relationship (even if it is emotionally abusive or disturbing) would probably still strike at least some of the game's audience as "good", for the exact reason of "I can redeem him!" If you are still on board the Urabe train by this point, then any ending where Saki is still with him would probably be considered "good", not matter how much evidence there is to the contrary. FalloutFan56 posted:Jesus, Urabe's expressions seem to bounce between a "I can never unsee this" haunted look and "I want to hug/stab you" complete with unsettling smile. Still, this is probably the most interesting route so far if nothing else than because Urabe is completely batshit. It's a nice shakeup from the other routes which have been very straightforward. Meoshi had the zombie apocalypse route, but unfortunately that petered out very quickly (I was excited more at the possibility of them having to escape literal hordes of zombies, rather than simply wandering around some dark hallways and occasionally seeing a single one roaming around). Blaze Dragon posted:If Saki were to actually acknowledge "this guy is pretty hosed up, I should get as far from him as possible and ask my police friend to give me custody 24/7" it'd save the route for me because every update makes it more and more clear that Urabe is tremendously unhinged, this one was very direct about it, but it really did not want to acknowledge it until the last update and even with it, it's sure that Saki will end up in love with him anyways. This is even more true now that we have seen the bad ending. Urabe did indeed have every intention of getting people killed. He is so obsessed with Saki that he agreed to get himself killed while knowing that it would almost certainly result in everyone else going down with him. As long as Saki was safely locked up, he didn't care. Hell, he was even willing to gut punch her hard enough to knock her out, even though he could have easily slipped out the door and locked her in (she clearly wasn't willing to force her way out). "I will protect you from harm, even if I have to harm you to do it" is peak unhinged thinking. CremePudding posted:That aside, this segment made me realize why these Angry Saki scenes feel so weak and lame even for the angry anime girl cliche - the receiving characters always apologize (with an exaggerated reaction sprite) before she says anything meaningful. Then when she actually says something beyond her initial outburst, nothing actually sinks in, best exemplified here where she get a gut punch from Urabe. This is true sometimes, but not all the time. Ayumu does back off and apologize when Saki chews him out for getting ready to hit Mai (and never gets angry at Mai again afterward). Shidou also makes a genuine apology for his white knighting/sexist attitude and maintains this through the common route. Of course, both of those things happen even if Saki holds herself back, so I guess you could argue that her anger moments don't actually have any weight from a meta perspective. In terms of Urabe, you are fully correct. No matter what Saki shouts at Urabe, he basically ignores it not two seconds later, making the outburst feel completely meaningless. CremePudding posted:As for the other game.... I can't really fault games for being horny, but something about the protagonist being there on false pretenses on top of being horny makes this feel unusually gross. I can understand that. The protagonist gives off a vibe of only being there to live out whatever fantasies he has of Japan in an "Everything I know comes from high-school anime" kind of way. That's not exactly a compelling or likable protagonist, unless the game is going to take a hard right into "Now let's watch as we completely shatter his delusional ideas about Japan". It definitely isn't going to do that. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 19:55 on Mar 28, 2021 |
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Mar 28, 2021 19:31
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Okay alright I wasn't expecting a literal gut punch with Saki on the receiving end from this game. Props for that, I suppose.
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Mar 29, 2021 05:56
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Repeatedly shouting “What’s wrong with you?” seems all too appropriate. It’s a shame the other routes don’t have the OMG moment of finding they’ve killed Urabe.
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Mar 29, 2021 06:51
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BurningStone posted:Repeatedly shouting “What’s wrong with you?” seems all too appropriate. I was originally waiting for it in Ryuji's route. Once I saw how the game was handling routes, I thought "Okay, so I'm sure there will be a shock moment soon where one of the other guys turns out to be dead, right?" I know it's a T-Rated game, but still. When you get onto a route in this game the other guys are basically expendable. Why not have a designated death for each of those? You know, just to spice it up a little. Space Kablooey posted:Okay alright I wasn't expecting a literal gut punch with Saki on the receiving end from this game. Props for that, I suppose. I expected Urabe to die in his bad ending (based on the leadup), but I wasn't expecting to see everyone get killed off. The other bad endings have been pretty tame, but "only the heroine survives" is a pretty big leap from that.
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Mar 29, 2021 13:23
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The "What's wrong with you?!" scream should go at the writers at this point. What the hell was this segment? Several of those in a row that accomplished nothing, more completely unearned love and now with physical violence added in, and an ending that, fine, at least isn't out of place (though it's quite weird that Hogstein apparently did keep his part of the bargain this time). On the next game, wow, the game sure isn't making me like any character in it. The idea of using a visual novel to teach the player Japanese isn't bad, but the English in it is already dubious and if it's only going to get worse, I imagine that's going to affect the quality of the teaching segments a lot.
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Mar 29, 2021 18:04
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also are we overlooking that hogstein had enough merch ready to go to fill at least one entire store, in addition to weapons and ammo for his zombie apocalipse?
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Mar 29, 2021 18:09
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I'll admit I'm curious what Urabe's good ending will be like. As for the other game, well I guess it might be an interesting ride and (dubiously) educational. Hopefully we don't get Ms. Saito since they just brought up that you're staying in her husband's room and I'm not a fan of NTR.
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Mar 30, 2021 20:38
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Sorry for the long wait on the end of Urabe's route. It's a busy month for me, so I haven't had time to work on this. Update XXXIV: Jailbait Wait  Okay, let’s try that again. This is what’s actually supposed to happen, assuming you believe that the “Good” endings are the canonical ones. Personally, I’ve been coming around on the idea of the “Bad” ending we just saw being established as canon. I’ve been getting progressively more fed-up with these characters. Today’s attraction is supposed to be Round Table Colosseum Knights IV.Oh, right. I mentioned it at the end of the last update, but the good ending route for Kimimaro kicks in the second that kissing CG disappears. If the CG fades out and Saki is still in that aquarium place, then you hosed up somewhere along the way and don’t have enough affection points. Okay, let’s go! Kimimaro took my hand, and we headed off toward the Colosseum. He had cried for a while, surrounded by the soft glow of the fish tanks. When he finally lifted his face, his eyes were red and his cheeks were wet. But his face was calm, and there was a sense of peace there that I hadn’t felt before. (Wait… when did I start calling him “Kimimaro”?)Here we go again.  Nothing embarrassing about it. I want to throw out some quote or proverb at this point about not trusting a man who doesn’t cry, or “A heart of stone can't shed tears”… But that would imply I’m reassuring Kimimaro and think he’s an alright dude, which I do not. Instead, I will laugh and call him a little crybaby. We were on our way to the final showdown. Oh, don’t be silly. I’m just glad you’re here with me. Yes. I am glad to be here as well. His smile was more warm and open than I’d ever seen it. (Gosh, I still kinda can’t believe that actually worked…)I don’t think any of us can believe it. You just shouted at him a few times and now he’s completely abandoned all of his goals. You only succeeded because the game is running out of screen time and needs to wrap this poo poo up quick. Well come on, let’s hurry! They’re waiting! I gripped his hand tighter, and ran faster. ?! Suddenly Hogstein and several large piglets appeared in front of us. Once a traitor always a traitor, hm? Pretty ironic, wouldn’t you say?I’ve applauded your foresight in the past, but in this case we all know you won’t actually do anything, so whatever. Y-You… Oh yes, I heard everything! Oink oink! Well, I heard most of it but you started getting so sappy I had to turn it off. I’d say “Get a room,” but… Wait… what did—! But before I could finish, he cut me off with a murderous glare.This sounds a little mysterious, but by this point in the game we can safely assume that Hogstein meant he was possibly jealous at Saki and Kimimaro having each other to love, while he has no one (since his family was killed). At least, I hope that’s what it was implying. Please don’t tell me that Hogstein has a creepy stalker crush on Saki as well. Anyway. If you’re going to try and stop my game, I’m not going to let you off easy. …! I felt Kimimaro’s hand tighten around my own as his eyes narrowed, but he didn’t move. Let us end this. I will turn myself in, and confess to everything, even my father’s transgressions. The law can judge me for both our sins. No! Are you…? It’s way too late for that! And that moment was the completion of some crappy video game theme park commissioned by Keiji Inafune? What the hell do you think kept me alive all that time?! He sounded furious, and even the way he talked had changed. (Is this how he usually sounds? Jeez, something must have really set him off… What happened to him twelve years ago?) Now if you think you, of all people, are going to get in my way…! He pulled out a gun, and pointed it straight at us. Stay behind me. Kimimaro moved to put himself between me and Hogstein. We wish only to re-join it, as participants. I do not recall any rules that might prevent us from doing so.Technically Saki broke the rule about not harming Hogstein or his Piglets, since she clubbed one over the back of the head in order to escape the aquarium. That gives Hogstein the all clear to kill the hostages, pursuant to rule 7. Are you serious? You selfish, conniving, arrogant… He laughed, and cocked the gun. … Let’s go, Saki. What? B-But he…! (Oh no, I hope he’s not going to try and sacrifice himself again.) …It’s going to be all right. He gave me a soft smile. I felt my nervousness melt away. Shall we? Okay… We walked slowly toward Hogstein, his gun still trained on us. Well, at least the characters are finally acknowledging that Hogstein is ineffective. Hogstein glared at us, but showed no sign of moving out of our way. If all he wanted to do was kill us, then why make a game? Why set rules? I nodded as we walked past Hogstein.And then Hogstein shot both of them and the game ended with the lesson: Just because Jigsaw-chan gets his rocks off by watching you suffer through convoluted death games does not in any way mean that he won’t simply kill you when you stop being entertaining.  That was the last thing I heard him say as we left the plaza.I wish. Instead, Hogstein once again wimps out and erases whatever threat he was supposed to bring to the table from a narrative standpoint.  Whatever, we already learned that about him back in Meoshi’s route. Seriously, he was willing to shoot Ryuji back during that route. He didn’t succeed (except in the bad ending), but he sure as hell went for it. What the hell happened to that antagonist? This is…Oh, right. We’ve got a new background CG. The first room inside of the attraction looked like an old Roman arena. Nobody’s here… True, but I see a door. Perhaps we can catch up to them.Booo, we already missed the first part of this game. When are we going to see the guys engaging in a round of Soul Calibur? We still haven’t gotten to see them play Band Animal Family either. Okay! We headed for the door. We’ve seen this area before. It’s where Saki and Towa were locked up in that route. Do people fight here too…? Why is it so dark? …This is where I was meant to fight. Really? By altering the image, it would be a simple thing to obscure who one [sic] was really fighting. Oh… And then once they were beaten, Hogstein could reveal who you’d just killed… Look, another hallway! Excellent. Shall we? We made our way around the stage, and through the doorway. Another new area! Will we be passing by this one too? After a little more walking, we found ourselves in a throne room. In front of the throne was a large stone with a sword stuck in it. Bright lights surrounded them.[???]: You’re okay?! Huh? Funny story, see Kimimaro here decided to go batshit in—  Maybe they were right behind us. Gah! Don’t scare us like that! About that “hero” thing, Kimimaro sorta kidn— There they were, all five of them. Well, it would seem we have caught up. Yeah! I gently let go of his hand and ran over toward them. I’m so glad you’re all safe… Ehh, sort of. I mean, Saki was imprison— When Shidou spoke, I saw everyone’s eyes shift over to Kimimaro. … He looked down, awkwardly. (Oh…)Okay, that’s good. Seems like everyone is rightfully suspicious of Kimimaro. Well then, time to come cle— For a moment I froze, but I was worried for nothing. Good to have you back. … We’re about to solve the last puzzle. More people on the team is always better.…We’re in the wrong timeline. We saw the good ending, and it was when everyone but Saki died. Yes. We are going to completely ignore the fact that Kimimaro kidnapped and held Saki against her will for like two days. Shidou… Yeah, we finally got the band back together! I… I apologize. Well, I’m glad you’re okay.He was still intent on letting all of you die as of like, 30 minutes ago. In a separate timeline, he actually helps make it happen! Just FYI.  Ready to kick some tail? …Yes. Shidou smiled and patted Kimimaro on the shoulder while Mitarashi yelled and pounded his chest. Wakasa pretended to pout while Meoshi grinned, and Shirabe offered Kimimaro one of his snacks. Yes, they are all stupid. To be fair, though, it’s possible that they wouldn’t be as trusting or forgiving if Saki or Kimimaro had actually told the truth. Everyone else is still operating under the assumption that Kimimaro had some “good” reason for being a traitor, instead of the actual reason which was “I want to kill my father and I don’t particularly care that all of you are going to be caught in the crossfire.” I… Welcome back. Both of you. Everybody else joined in. (Oh jeez, I think I’m going to cry.) I looked up at Kimimaro, who was blinking rapidly against very watery eyes. Sorry we were late, then. This is the puzzle, right? Yeah. There was an announcement about it a little while ago. What was it? Mitarashi grinned from ear to ear and took a deep breath.  Whoa, that was pretty good. You sounded just like it! Right? I’m all sorts of awesome! He puffed out his chest as Wakasa clapped politely. I felt myself smiling, and looked around to see everyone else doing the same. (Shidou’s right, though. We can’t let our guard down just because this is the last puzzle. We still have to be careful and think it through.)Uh… did I miss something? When did Shidou talk about letting guards down? All he said was “More people are better.” I took a deep breath. Just as I did, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and looked up to see Kimimaro smiling softly down at me. My anxiety melted away. But it looks like it’s stuck in there pretty good. Shidou took a close look at the sword. He poked at the blade and grabbed the handle, then shook his head. …It’s solid metal. As far as I can tell, it’s extremely heavy. There’s nothing on the throne. He and Meoshi had been examining it. So it’s not the throne, and it’s not the sword. That leaves… He stared at the stone. Right. I think it’s safe to assume we need to do something with the stone. I wonder what these mean…You can solve this puzzle right now using only this picture and the name of the attraction. I’ll fight the urge to simply spell it out right now. The characters will no doubt be taking the next 20 minutes to solve it. …It looks rather like a clock. He was frowning in thought at the top of the stone, his voice barely above a mumble. Hm… I hadn’t noticed it until he mentioned it, but… it did look kind of like a clock. It doesn’t have any hands, though. Perhaps more like a sundial… You mean one of those things where the shadow shows what time it is? Yeah. Look over there. See how the light is hitting the sword at an angle and casting a shadow?None of this is relevant. You literally just have to stop and think about the attraction you are in and the loving SWORD IN THE STONE you are currently looking at. Come on, Shirabe! You’re the historian of the group. Are you telling me that you’ve got nothing to say about all of this?  You’re right! Just like he’d said, the shadow was pointing to 12. He tapped his watch as he spoke. Right. And if this really was a sundial, then the shadow would have to move, but… Yeah, we can’t really move the sword, huh? …Maybe there’s a switch somewhere that will move the light?*Black-wipe here. Not sure why because we’re only skipping over a few minutes* It sounded reasonable, so we split up and looked. But after several minutes of searching, we’d turned up nothing. We’re out of clues… Damnit! This is a pain in the rear end! He swore under his breath and stalked over to the sword and the stone.  Oh yeah? Well if I don’t we’re dead anyway, so why the hell not? If you wanna sit around and wait to blow up, be my guest. He grabbed the sword by the hilt and started to heave and grunt. That sure looks productive. Let’s run over that announcement again. We were going through it word by word when Mitarashi suddenly spoke up. He began waving urgently, and we all looked up. I thought this thing was way too heavy to move, but… I think it does. What?! Shidou leapt up and ran over. The rest of us followed. See? Look. He grabbed the hilt and pulled on it with all of his weight. The sword moved. (Whoa, he’s right!) I’m not the only one who saw that, right?! You think if we all pull maybe we can get it out? Yeah! You think we can beat it that way? …No. He shook his head. Who. The. gently caress. Cares? Out of all the times where the protagonists circumvent Hogstein’s rules through loopholes to win, now is the time where we’re all suddenly concerned about principles? I think it best to solve this puzzle, not circumvent it. Heh. I agree. Looks like we’re on the same page.”You didn’t say we couldn’t use a wireless earpiece to secretly communicate.”  ”You said we just had to get out of here. You didn’t say anything about having to beat the game.” But this? No, this is apparently against the loving spirit of gamesmanship or some garbage. He gave Urabe a small grin. …Look! We all turned to look at him. The shadow has moved! What?! He was right: The shadow was pointing to 1, not 12. What did you do, Mitarashi? Huh? I didn’t do anything, just trying to pull this stupid thing out… As if to demonstrate, he yanked on the sword again. …Of course! What is it? Let me see that. T-The stone! As Shidou pushed, the sword and stone began to slowly rotate. Ah… of course. Huh? Hey, c’mon guys, what’s going on? We aren’t supposed to change the direction of the light… …We just rotate the stone, and that changes where the shadow lands on it. Oh! So when Mitarashi was messing with it, he rotated the stone! Correct. Whoa, whoa, you’re making it sound like I just stumbled onto it! I put in a lot of hard work! Oh, I’m sorry. Thank you! Right! …Good boy. Hey! Don’t get smart!Don’t worry. Nobody here is in any danger of that happening. Shirabe rubbed his beard thoughtfully. Yeah… All we have to do is figure out what number to set it to, and we’re in like Flynn. Well, it’s a normal 12-hour clock, so we’ve got twelve choices… Then the wisest option is to check them one by one. Shidou, if you could?You just took some dumbass moral stand against brute forcing this game, Kimimaro. Don’t you dare start with this “The wisest move is to just IRL save-scum it!” crap. He nodded to Kimimaro, and began to slowly rotate the stone. At each number he would stop, and I could hear a quiet “click.” Unfortunately, nothing else happened. We tried stopping on the actual current time, but nothing happened. That’s because it’s got nothing to do with time, you morons. The fact that it resembles a sundial does not tie into any part of the theming of this attraction, except for maybe the fact that this takes place in a colosseum. It’s just a red herring. He frowned. Do you think just putting in a specific number isn’t enough? Traditionally the announcements have given us some manner of hint… Right. But nothing in there seems to indicate a number… So we’re stumped again. Hey man, we’ve still got time! Don’t give up yet! I’m sure there’s just something we missed.Yes. You are missing everything. It was a nice sentiment, but it didn’t change the fact that we were still stuck. I frowned, and wracked my brain for… anything.A quick aside: Do you think of the spelling in that phrase as “rack” or “wrack”? Merriam maintains that both variations are acceptable, but they also make a point to highlight that the words (in noun form) are distinct in origin and meaning. I prefer “rack” in the context of that saying. I’ve always connected it with “torture rack”, since your mind is being stretched/pushed to its limit.  Please don’t let Towa be the one that figures this out.  Oh! Oh oh oh! I think I might have figured it out! Good job, kid! What is it?! Well, remember in Alice Kart where the Queen of Hearts card had a Q on it? This time we’ve got a king, so maybe it’s K? No, that wouldn’t work… The number for K would be 13, and the dial only goes up to 12.They’re getting closer, but I hate how they are getting there.  Oh… right. Shoot, I thought I was really onto something, but I guess we’re back to square one. (Wait… Hold on, Wakasa…) We already tried stopping on each number from 1 to 12. That means it can’t be one of those numbers… (Then… that would mean…) Finally, we can get this over with. (All right, first I neeed [sic] to go over what’s happened so far. There are 12 numbers on the stone, and we did a full rotation but none of them did anything. Then Wakasa realized that one of the words from the announcement might correspond to a number. On playing cards, “King” would be “K,” and it would correspond to 13. …But the dial only goes up to 12, so we can’t move it to 13. On the other hand, 1 through 12 didn’t work. It has to be something else… Somehow. So how are we going to get it to the right number…?) Honest to god with these characters. That makes sense! Maybe if I… I grabbed ahold of the sword and tried to rotate the stone. Hnngh…! But it was too heavy. Right? But it’s so heavy… Please, allow me to assist you. He stepped forward and placed his hand on the sword just above my own. We both took a deep breath and pushed. (If I’m right, this should do it…!) We pushed until the shadow had made a full circuit and kept going. Stop it here! Of course! It’s so simple! That’s the 13th position! The stone ground to a stop. With a cheerful “ding,” some mechanism began to push the sword up and out of the stone. It slid out of the top, and fell to the floor with a clang. Thank you, merciful god. Please, get me out of this route now. I’m ready for it to end. [Announcer]: Stage seven is complete. You have been granted an audience with the Count. Shidou ran up to us before the echoes of the announcement had faded. Excellent work! He he. Thanks, but I was just— Saki, you… you—! ! A-Ah…!Okay, so I guess we’re not going to explain the reasons for why that worked then? Screw you, Sweet Fuse. I’ll do it. If our protagonists hadn’t been single-mindedly focused on the sundial resemblance, they would have started thinking about the attraction they are standing in: Round Table Colosseum Knights IV. They would also start thinking about how this final puzzle involves pulling a sword from a stone in order to claim the King’s throne. It’s Arthurian legend for god’s sake! Sure, the exact number of Knights that King Arthur had at the round table is all over the place. Some texts describe there being as many as 1,600 seats (Brut in Caligula A.IX), and some say there were as few as 12. Perceval puts the number at 13. Generally, whenever the number is put higher than 13, it tends to be 50+. 150 knights is one of the most common numbers, for example. Point is, they arrived at the correct answer by pure chance instead of thinking through the puzzle using the clues around them. They solved this puzzle by thinking about a completely different attraction that they went through 5 days ago. This, after Kimimaro made a big deal about not circumventing the puzzle and solving it the right way. They stood around in a theme park attraction based on “King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table” and went “Sundial? Something about time? It’s definitely a sundial though. Oh, hey, remember when we went through Alice in Wonderland and there were playing cards? The answer must be related to that!” You are an incredible person. I have been truly blessed to meet you. Kimimaro… So mad right now… Oh, and Ryuji? They hooked up when Kimimaro creepily decided to impri— Was it on the third night, after you left to go look for him? …Or maybe it took you a couple days to get close? More likely it’s both, wouldn’t you say? I mean, it’s clear they got up to something…I don’t care anymore… this update is exhausting. Just put me out of my misery already and end it. Whoa, hold on there! Nothing like that happened! We just… talked, and got to know each other… Is this true, Urabe? She’s pretty smart and she’s got a good heart, but she is a high school student. Piss off, Shidou. Not that I’m on board the Urabe express (far from it), but English-version Saki is 18 and in Japan that means she can make whatever poorly thought out decisions she wants when it comes to relationships. Honestly, I think even Japanese-version Saki at 17 is free to do what she wants as long as Kimimaro isn’t in a position of power over her… which now that I think about it he kind of was, seeing as how he had her locked up as a prisoner for a few days… You know what? I changed my mind. Keep the handcuffs ready, Shidou. Oh come on, seriously Shidou? I’d be surprised if they’ve even kissed. ?! K-K-Kissed?! Urabeeee! I-I did nothing of the sort! We haven’t yet kissed!Based on the pathetic excuse for a kiss CG we saw, he’s sort of telling the truth. Yet?! Uh oh… We beat the game, but it looks like Urabe’s not going to make it out alive… G-Guys, come on! This is all just a misunderstanding! Whoa! It’s open! We all went silent. We did it… we beat seven days of games… Yes… yes, we did! But no more kissing until she graduates!That’s not how age-of-consent laws work, but okay. You’re the cop, I guess. Oh lighten up, Detective. It’s not like she’s your daughter. Just let ‘em be happy. Besides, time we were getting the hell out of here. I still need to go grab Mai and let her know we’re all right. Man, you guys are making me a little jealous! Maybe once we finally get out of here I’ll see if I can snag myself a wife! Probably a little too early for me to be looking for a wife, but I wouldn’t mind a girlfriend… Hard to find a cute girl like you, though… Let’s not say anything we don’t mean, Kouta. Listen, I am in no way saying that Saki is not cute, but even if you compare her just to other Otome protagonists, well… she ain’t coming out on top of any character poll, let me tell you. I mean, have you seen the lead characters of the Code: Realize series? …Maybe I should leave the house once in a while… They made their way out the door one by one until just Kimimaro and I were left. Shall we? Okay! I took the hand he offered, and together we stepped through the door. …That’s where we’re going. The castle? Yeah, I’m not gonna feel better till I’ve buried a boot in his rear end! Then you had better hurry. Hurry? Why? Wait… what? Do you hear that? We all went silent, and in the distance I could hear the faint sounds of sirens. If the police were here, then that meant the hostages must have been released. We’re not going to let him get away! C’mon! Hell yeah! Kimimaro looked at the others as they headed off toward the tower and sighed sadly. I’m afraid I cannot accompany you. I must leave for the entrance immediately. …What are you planning to do?He’s making a run for it! Cuff him! I will turn myself in to the authorities. I must make amends for my crimes. Everyone stopped in their tracks and turned around. He bowed slightly, and everyone stared in silence. Kimimaro… I put one of my hands on his shoulder. He looked over at me and smiled. I wouldn’t be going to face Hogstein either. Your mind is made up? Yes. I will tell them everything. Yes. Yes he does. He was a co-conspirator in a plot to kill people and blow up a theme park. I mean, Hogstein’s the bad guy, right?! You helped us out a bunch! Doesn’t matter. He was in on the plot, that means he’s liable.Finally, a voice of reason. But, but, he and Saki just got together! If he turns himself in they’re gonna get slip up!Good. That is exactly what needs to happen. Kimimaro has a very unsettling attraction to her. We went through a lot of stuff together. Urabe’s one of us… Wakasa… He patted Wakasa on the back. Now dry those tears, be a man, and say good-bye. Wh-What?! I-I’m not crying! He’s going to be okay. In this case I think they’ll probably take extenuating circumstances into account. I doubt he’ll be locked up for too long.What might those extenuating circumstances be? Kimimaro doesn’t have an excuse for his actions. “No, see, my dad is terrible person and is guilty of crimes… probably. I was only going to help blow up a theme park and kill dozens of people because I wanted to see him suffer and die. But I saw the light and changed my mind after kidnapping a …I hope not. What the hell are you guys freaking out about? They’re just throwing you in the drunk tank, you lush. We’re talking about prison here, not jail. It’s a whole different story.”A pretty-boy like Urabe? They’ll eat him alive in there.” …I understand why you did what you did, Urabe, but I think you know I can’t condone it. Yes. …But you seem to want to do the right thing, and I admire that. So until you get out, we’re not going to consider any of this finished. Shidou… We’re friends. You know that. Yes! Shall we? Of course. I waved good-bye and then, together, we walked toward the entrance. He stopped. I could see a semi-circle of police cars beyond the front gate. I nodded. If… if it isn’t too much to ask… Will you wait for me? I nodded. You don’t need to ask. I already promised. Remember? I’ll stick with you, no matter what. Ha ha… Yes, you’re right, of course. He smiled, and hugged me one last time. I could never forget you…Well, that’s something we agree on. Obviously for different reasons, though. Our kiss tasted a little bit like tears.*And we fade out momentarily*  It hadn’t felt anywhere near that long. The events of the park had been quickly picked up by the media, and all of us had gone through a lot as a result. Yeah, like I’m going to believe that the media lost interest in the weird poo poo we just witnessed because the CEO of some local construction company got busted for racketeering or something. At best, that CEO will turn up five years from now on an episode of some daytime “investigative”/crime show that bored housewives love to watch. A theme park created by Keiji Inafune getting taken over by a mad bomber dressed as a hog that involved seven people competing in death games in order to win their freedom? The movie rights for that were already sold by the time Alice Kart got started. The following investigation had turned up the truth behind a number of old, unsolved cases. Still, he had been told to serve time.Ugh… I guess I can’t be too upset with this. At the very least Kimimaro did get sent to prison. That’s way more than I was expecting. I thought for sure that he’d got off scot-free. He hadn’t been allowed to take his crystal ball into prison of course, but he’d still managed to practice his trade inside, and it had made him popular. Well, c’mon. Let’s get going. Oh, right! I heard my uncle call from downstairs, and leapt up from the sofa to open the door. Today was a big day… Kimimaro’s coming home. Well, go on. H-Hey! I can see you’re dying to run over there and hug him. Just do it. …Okay, fine! My uncle gave me a friendly nudge, and I ran. Kimimaro! I appreciate the fact that Saki’s appearance was changed a little bit to account for two years having passed. Kimimaro still creeps me out in these “tender” CGs, though. I leapt into his arms. He looked thinner than he had when he’d gone in, but he still caught me with ease. You’ve come to pick me up. I hugged him harder, and he laughed. Not that I don’t appreciate your affection, but e-everyone is looking… No way! I’m not letting you go until I make up for the last two years! Once our life has calmed down somewhat, you can trust that we will both have ample opportunity to make up for lost time… among other things.Gross. O-Okay… I felt his breath on my ear as he whispered, and my cheeks went red. O-Oh, yeah. I almost forgot… He’d already turned to go, but I tugged on his hand and pulled him back. I stood on tiptoe to whisper into his ear. Welcome home, Kimimaro. …It’s good to be home, Saki.Thank god we’re done… I think, at least personally, that Kimimaro’s route delivered a little more than I bargained for. I was looking forward to more details on backstory and stuff, but I was not prepared for him to turn into a creepy stalker or be presented as someone who was fully on board with Hogstein’s plan, murder and all. I thought for sure we’d be getting some kind of blackmail subplot where Kimimaro had no choice but to go along with Hogstein. But nope! He was totally okay with everything and only changed his mind when he realized that there was a cute teenaged girl involved. We saw that with the bad ending, where he totally follows through on the plan. Next time, we move on to… Ayumu, I think? Pretty sure Shidou is last. Either way, we have two routes remaining (kinda).
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Apr 11, 2021 20:41
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Ugh, what a horrendous story. I'm just as glad it is over. Nothing in it was good, ultimately the game wants you to accept the loving creep/potential mass murderer is a good person which...gently caress no, no matter what, no. And him being sent to jail is hardly a fitting punishment, he did two years for some really heinous crimes. I'm pretty sure that's way less than he should've gotten. And everyone's all forgiving...what? No, no, no. He gets a happy ending too, gently caress that poo poo.
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Apr 12, 2021 01:32
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"Very serious charges". Seriously, they couldn't even write up something concrete for Urabe's father when it's supposedly so integral to his character. And the whole thing ended up on a wet fart again - Saki and Urabe had a weak confrontation with Hogstein about getting back in the game, then they meet up with the team and do an insignificant puzzle, then Hogstein and the whole affair got off-screened casually. Did they, like, fire all the writers before the routes are finished?
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Apr 12, 2021 10:16
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Either that or they only really cared about Shidou and Subaru's routes. They better be really really good to make up for the others.Psycho Knight posted:A quick aside: Do you think of the spelling in that phrase as “rack” or “wrack”? Merriam maintains that both variations are acceptable, but they also make a point to highlight that the words (in noun form) are distinct in origin and meaning. I prefer "wrack" myself, mainly for two reasons. Firstly, in my ESL head, the primary association I have with "rack" is the TV shelf. Secondly, "wrack" is basically meaningless to me outside of this particular saying (as in I thought it was one of those words that only existed for this phrase or something) . Also I didn't even knew "rack" was an acceptable substitute in this phrase (TIL!). Space Kablooey fucked around with this message at 14:21 on Apr 12, 2021 |
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Apr 12, 2021 12:10
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Yeah, I'm regretting saying I looked forward to this so I could get some plot advancement.Psycho Knight posted:A quick aside: Do you think of the spelling in that phrase as “rack” or “wrack”? Merriam maintains that both variations are acceptable, but they also make a point to highlight that the words (in noun form) are distinct in origin and meaning. If I was writing it myself I'd probably put wrack but I don't really think anything of it if I see either of them on paper.
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Apr 12, 2021 13:44
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Aged up Saki actually looks pretty good. Kind of wish that that was the default appearance. Also Urabe is still a creep and I'm surprised Inafune is totally okay with his niece dating a guy who almost killed him and his guests and blew up his park. I also prefer "wrack", just seems right to me.
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Apr 12, 2021 14:22
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FalloutFan56 posted:Aged up Saki actually looks pretty good. Kind of wish that that was the default appearance. Also Urabe is still a creep and I'm surprised Inafune is totally okay with his niece dating a guy who almost killed him and his guests and blew up his park. I also prefer "wrack", just seems right to me. I dunno, I've taken a liking to Saki's weird spherical head. Normal-haired Saki looks weird to me. And yeah, that part weirds me out too. Keiji's niece is now dating the guy that had no qualms about him and a bunch of other park executives getting iced for the sake of personal vengeance. A man that is also now a convicted felon. I could maybe see anime Keiji Inafune begrudgingly accepting his niece's decision as being something that isn't his business. But I find it super hard to believe that he would be perfectly okay with it to the point that he's willing to escort Saki to the detention center to pick Urabe up on his release. Polsy posted:If I was writing it myself I'd probably put wrack but I don't really think anything of it if I see either of them on paper. It stood out to me because I thought this was another case of American/British vernacular. "Wrack" looked strange to me, but is apparently accepted as a spelling when used in this context (verb usage, not noun usage). It's not something I've ever really put much thought into though, since this is one of the only times I think I've ever seen the phrase "(w)racking my brain" actually written down. My immediate assumption was that it was a spelling mistake on the part of the game. Space Kablooey posted:I prefer "wrack" myself, mainly for two reasons. Firstly, in my ESL head, the primary association I have with "rack" is the TV shelf. Secondly, "wrack" is basically meaningless to me outside of this particular saying (as in I thought it was one of those words that only existed for this phrase or something) . Also I didn't even knew "rack" was an acceptable substitute in this phrase (TIL!). I never really thought of it that way. It's true that "wrack" is not a word that is commonly used these days, unless you're a seafarer of some sort I guess (and even then, I don't know how common it is in modern times). So it would be easy to assume that the spelling relates specifically to that phrase in order to differentiate it from "rack." I suppose you could argue that to an ESL student, "racking my brain" reads like someone is bashing their head in with a toolshelf. These days, most of the meanings of "Wrack" are more commonly expressed with other words: Wreckage, Ruin, Destroy, Raze, Wreck, Nori (for Dried Seaweed). Meanwhile, "Rack" is still commonly used for referring to shelving (storage, cooking), a specific torture device, food, antlers, in the game of Pool, and as a slang term for breasts. CremePudding posted:"Very serious charges". Seriously, they couldn't even write up something concrete for Urabe's father when it's supposedly so integral to his character. It is pretty stupid that they decided to use the very vague "serious charges" statement. If the player is supposed to convinced that what Urabe was doing was just, then it would really help if we knew exactly the kind of thing that his father got busted for. So far, the only evidence we have against Urabe's father is Urabe overhearing the tail end of a conversation where his dad seems to imply that he's putting out a hit on a nosy journalist. Other than that, we (so far) haven't been shown any evidence that proves Urabe Sr. was some kind of despicable monster. Hell, we still don't know for sure whether that accident that killed Hogstein's family was deliberately orchestrated or just unfortunate tragedy. Is Urabe Sr. still a gigantic rear end in a top hat for being happy that the journalist died? Absolutely. But that's not any kind of crime. "Very serious charges" could easily be tax fraud or some other white collar crime. Terrible? Yes. Grounds for Urabe to sacrifice dozens of people just to kill that one man? Nooooo. At the very least I feel like the game could have thrown in one or two examples. Like, "Urabe's father was convicted of accessory to murder/murder by proxy/drug dealing." Blaze Dragon posted:Ugh, what a horrendous story. I'm just as glad it is over. Nothing in it was good, ultimately the game wants you to accept the loving creep/potential mass murderer is a good person which...gently caress no, no matter what, no. And him being sent to jail is hardly a fitting punishment, he did two years for some really heinous crimes. I'm pretty sure that's way less than he should've gotten. And everyone's all forgiving...what? No, no, no. He gets a happy ending too, gently caress that poo poo. I also think the sentence was too light. I'm not sure what the minimum sentence is in Japan, but for here in Canada attempted murder will usually get you 4 years at least (and could go up to a life sentence). Given Japan's legal system, I highly doubt it would have been difficult to get Urabe convicted on attempted murder considering that he openly admitted to wanting to kill his father and willingly participated in a plot to make it happen (while understanding that unrelated people would also likely die). I have a hard time believing that he got away with 2 measly years. That said, it was still a hell of a lot more than I expected from this ending. I said it a few updates ago, but I was sure that Urabe was going to be let off the hook for everything simply because he's a love interest that eventually shows a shred of remorse. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 15:19 on Apr 12, 2021 |
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Apr 12, 2021 15:14
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I don't want to say that the game is really disappointing because I don't want to undermine what enthusiasm OP has left but... yeah. And I would always use wrack for that. I guess somehow my language instinct thinks 'wrack' sounds more... twisty? Like I'm wringing my brain like a sponge to squeeze ideas out, or wrestling with it to achieve victory?
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Apr 12, 2021 15:48
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Space Kablooey posted:I prefer "wrack" myself, mainly for two reasons. Firstly, in my ESL head, the primary association I have with "rack" is the TV shelf. Secondly, "wrack" is basically meaningless to me outside of this particular saying (as in I thought it was one of those words that only existed for this phrase or something) . Also I didn't even knew "rack" was an acceptable substitute in this phrase (TIL!). Wrack is also used in the phrase "wracked with guilt." The word has fallen out of usage and you can't really use it for brand-new constructions anymore, but it hangs around in a handful of old idioms like these two.
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Apr 12, 2021 17:29
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I meant to mention earlier before the unfortunate "aquarium timeout corner" section that Urabe seemed like the discount version of Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho. And then the aquarium scene happened and I thought, "Ah. He's just a yandere. Cool cool cool. Saki, go find an empty fish tank and break it. Gotta be prepared." My sibling happened to see the latest update while I was scrolling through it and didn't get why anyone would dress up like Hogstein. I fully agree with xir, which then made me think about how hot it has to be in that suit. Also, apparently xe thinks Urabe is still Discount Kurama, as "that's what happens when you don't have a balanced characterization." Also we've now both decided to use Urabe's creepy "devotion" line whenever we complete a small task for each other. All this to say that I've been lurking and enjoying the LP. 
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Apr 16, 2021 01:36
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Kobanya posted:I meant to mention earlier before the unfortunate "aquarium timeout corner" section that Urabe seemed like the discount version of Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho. And then the aquarium scene happened and I thought, "Ah. He's just a yandere. Cool cool cool. Saki, go find an empty fish tank and break it. Gotta be prepared." The costume probably is unbearably stuffy, but given how Hogstein spends most of his time as an overseer, I'd imagine he has plenty of opportunities to get a breather by taking it off. The only reason we don't catch him out of costume when Towa and Saki are hiding in his secret control room is because they had just returned from doing something out in the park and Main Hogstein was about to sound the alarm and possibly go live on the air. If it wasn't for that, Towa and Saki could have probably remained hidden just a little longer and Hogstein likely would have taken the costume off (remember that he had his voice modulator turned off at the time, so his guard was definitely down). As for your sibling's question of why someone would dress up like that, I'm pretty sure it has to do with the theme park. As much as I joke about Hogstein's true identity going out of his way to create a line of merch, it should be fairly obvious that the Hogstein persona was a planned part of this theme park by Keiji Inafune. There's an evil castle devoted to him at the very center of the park and the gift shops have a bunch of plushies and trinkets with his image on it. I think the idea was that Count Hogstein was supposed to be the antagonist to KANE DE BOO (who is the park's actual mascot).  Saki has a little keychain of KANE DE BOO and also talks about how Hogstein resembles KANE but looks a little off. It's kind of like how Star Wars theme parks will have Darth Vader (Count Hogstein) and Stormtroopers (Piglets) walking around. They are the faceless goon squad that kids can pretend to be battling against. The good/evil angle would have probably been more obvious if the localizers had bothered to be consistent with their localizing of names. KANE DE BOO is the mascot in the Japanese version as well (Its name is still written in English), but "Count Hogstein" in the Japanese version is actually ワルドブー (WARU DO BU). I know that "ワル" can refer to evil or bad (Kanji - 悪), although I'm not sure what ドブー is supposed to stand for ("Double" maybe? As in "Evil Double"?). "Kane" can refer to a type of Japanese bell. Whatever the case, there appears to be some kind of "polar opposite" dynamic at work. My guess is that the theme park was going to be centered on the idea that the kids would come in and visit the different attractions to beat them, with the goal being that once you have a sticker or some crap from each attraction then you'd be able to go in and defeat Hogstein/Rescue KANE DE BOO. Whomever is dressed up as Hogstein likely did so to capitalize on the scarier appearance (and because the huge supply of Piglet costumes made for easy disguises to hide the fact that a bunch of hypnotized people are helping out). Now, if your next question is "Okay, but why does this theme park about video games rely on pigs as mascots?" That, I have no answer for. Maybe it's simply because Keiji Inafune is a weirdo. Finally, I'm glad you're following along. The more the better. Bloody Emissary posted:Wrack is also used in the phrase "wracked with guilt." The word has fallen out of usage and you can't really use it for brand-new constructions anymore, but it hangs around in a handful of old idioms like these two. gegi posted:And I would always use wrack for that. I guess somehow my language instinct thinks 'wrack' sounds more... twisty? Like I'm wringing my brain like a sponge to squeeze ideas out, or wrestling with it to achieve victory? Apparently I stand alone on the "rack" vs. "wrack" topic. Strange, I kind of figured it would at least be roughly even.
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Apr 17, 2021 15:48
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Psycho Knight posted:The good/evil angle would have probably been more obvious if the localizers had bothered to be consistent with their localizing of names. KANE DE BOO is the mascot in the Japanese version as well (Its name is still written in English), but "Count Hogstein" in the Japanese version is actually ワルドブー (WARU DO BU). I know that "ワル" can refer to evil or bad (Kanji - 悪), although I'm not sure what ドブー is supposed to stand for ("Double" maybe? As in "Evil Double"?). "Kane" can refer to a type of Japanese bell. Whatever the case, there appears to be some kind of "polar opposite" dynamic at work. Despite the spelling the intended pronunciation is the same apparently, so presumably they just meant KANE DE BOO, except he's WARU (bad). But yeah the localisation kills it regardless. 
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Apr 17, 2021 16:55
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Phew, glad we're done with Urabe. I didn't remember it being so bad, but I did remember the good ending. Except now we're on to Shirabe....well, at least we should get some mystery out of him.
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Apr 22, 2021 19:41
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Polsy posted:Despite the spelling the intended pronunciation is the same apparently, so presumably they just meant KANE DE BOO, except he's WARU (bad). But yeah the localisation kills it regardless. Yeah, that's something else that's weird. They spell it differently but pronounce it the same. He's the nega KANE DE BOO, so just switch the KANE to a WARU and be done with it. Zaphiel posted:Except now we're on to Shirabe....well, at least we should get some mystery out of him. Actually, I think we're doing Shidou next. I mixed them up in the last update, apparently. I went back and consulted "Superstition Ain't the Way", and I said Urabe->Shidou->Shirabe in that. Not sure if that's better or worse than getting Shirabe done with sooner. Anyway, sorry for the delay on that. Exams are almost done, so I should be able to get back to work on the weekend. We're nearly done, and I still intend to see this through to the bitter end. I also took a  request from someone and ended up doing a 3-part casual LP of something called Together BnB, so that took up about two days. I felt like I needed a little distraction, though.
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Apr 23, 2021 01:08
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Update XXXV: An itty bitty waist and a round thing in your face We’re doing Shidou’s route this time! Yes, I know I implied that Shirabe was next. I went back to one of my previous posts where I laid out what was going to happen in the future and discovered that the route order was actually Urabe->Shidou->Shirabe. Not sure if that’s more or less exciting for those of you following along live. If you’re catching up with this LP sometime in the future, then I guess you can always just skip this part if it bothers you so much. (Well, I’m feeling pretty tired after all that adventure… Maybe I’ll have something with some punchy to it.)If you consider hypertension to be “punch”, then sure. I headed off after Shidou. Yeah. What are you going to get? Well, I’m trying to decide between the twice-cooked pork and the chinjau stir-fry.Shouldn’t that be “chinjao”? Hmm… Not an easy choice…It is for me. I generally dislike peppers.  Wait, is Hogstein making you guys pay for this stuff? I think that would be the most evil thing he’s done so far. *The correct choice here is to ask* Well, then why don’t I order the pork, and you get the stir-fry? Huh? Why? If we split them, then you can eat both things. The best of both worlds! O-Oh…*Affection point up* I’ll order them, then. …You’re a weird one, you know. Huh? What? Did I say something? Aww, he’s still ashamed of his random sexism. Oh… Well, I was being kind of stupid. But I should be thanking you. I mean, not for that, but… What are you talking about? You got Hogstein to promise to release the hostages. I forget, was that common knowledge at this point of the game? It’s been a long time since we’ve actually gone through Stage 1.  Okay, so Saki does mention this during Stage 1, but she doesn’t specifically say it’s her uncle. All other mentions of her uncle that I found in the Day 1 update are just Saki thinking to herself. It’s not a big deal, of course. I’m just pointing it out because it’s minor knowledge that Shidou shouldn’t have. Yeah. When I saw they had him, I had to do something… That was why I volunteered. But I don’t know if that pig will actually let them go.That said, when I think about that a little more, I realize that Shidou really should have that information. If he was responsible for event security then he should know some of the major attendees. You can argue that he can’t be expected to remember the name of every single relative of every staff member, but knowing that the niece of the park’s owner will be attending seems like a major detail worth remembering. There’s also the fact that this girl shares the family name of the dude who owns the park and announced himself to the audience earlier in the day. Of course, Shidou knowing who Saki is right away would cause a plot hole in itself, since Shidou would know the reason for Saki volunteering and no longer have a reason to be suspicious of her.  …! He nodded with determination, and I smiled back at him. He wouldn’t be giving up, I could see that much. Shortly afterward a piglet returned with our food, and we headed back toward the others.And that’s it for Shidou Event 1. On to Break Time 1.  (Shidou seems to be kind of a natural leader.) I decided to go see if I could talk to him. Yeah, I kinda can’t… You too, hm? He gave me a strained smile from the sofa in the lobby he was sitting on. You can’t sleep either? I sat down on the sofa as I spoke. Yeah, I’ve been thinking. About my responsibilities. My duty… In his hands was a pistol. Looks like Shidou is one of the fancy pants detectives that gets the new service pistols instead of the good ol’ Nambu revolver. Is that… Hopefully I won’t have to use it.You’re doing pretty good so far, considering that we’ve been through 4 routes and it seems like everyone except you has had a chance to wave that thing around. Yeah. What’s wrong? You keep staring at it. Is it really that strange? W-Well yeah, of course it is. I thought so. A good, responsible citizen like you should never have to see something like that. … I felt like his words were as much for him as they were for me. …I apologize. I imagine this is pretty… boring. I don’t know that I’d say it’s boring…It beats Kouta’s route, where we spent nearly 2 days sitting around a single room and then redid the same game from Day 3.  Huh? Oh… He ruffled my hair experimentally and frowned. Head back to your room and dry it right this time. And make sure you get some rest. You’re going to need it. Okay. You get some rest too, all right? Soon. I’ll be here for a little longer, I think.*Affection up* He didn’t say anything more, but I could tell he wanted to be alone. (I should head back…) Still, I felt like I’d gotten to know him a little bit better.And so we leave Subaru to his deep contemplative self-reflection… which involves staring at a loaded gun. I’m sure that’s fine.  The next Subaru specific scene is during Alice Kart, but we’ve already been through it before. The only three options for the Alice Kart event are Subaru, Meoshi, and Shirabe. We chose Subaru during Ryuji’s route. Of course, the difference this time is that we choose to agree with Subaru’s lame pacifism. *Affection up*  Everything else is the same, so let’s fast-forward to Break Time Event 2. Oh, Shidou! I could ask you the same thing. Are you having trouble sleeping? I just felt like looking at the stars. Don’t you think looking up at a clear sky like this is relaxing?Not in the slightest. It scares the existential crap out of me. Yeah, I know what you mean. I nodded, and moved over next to him. The night was clear, and above us I could see the moon, surrounded by billions and billions of stars. The moon’s pretty tonight too, huh? Look at it reflect off the water’s surface… The moment felt almost… romantic.PK’s Super Otome Romance Break Corner: “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” in Japanese can have romantic connotations. It’s a bit outdated these days (the reference is probably more easily lost on modern young people), but it can be used as a very subtle way of confessing your love to someone. Subtle in the sense that the mood is perfect (such as being alone on a clear night with the person you’re attracted to) and you’re looking to be a fancy-pants about it. The origin of this use of the phrase is attributed to the famous Japanese writer, Natsume Sōseki. Sōseki traveled to the United Kingdom to study and teach around 1900. Supposedly (and I stress “supposedly”, because the story hasn’t been verified as actually having happened), an English student at one point translated “I love you” into Japanese as “われ君を愛す” (ware kimi o aisu). Mr. Sōseki explained that such a translation is far too direct and not something Japanese people would practically use. Keep in mind he lived back in the Meiji period of Japan. Nowadays, phrases like "あいしてる" (ai shiteru - I love you) have become much more common compared to over 100 years ago. Instead, Sōseki reportedly suggested “月が綺麗ですね” (Tsuki ga kirei desune) or “The moon is beautiful, is it not?” as an example of a more elegant and less direct way of confessing love. Essentially, "The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" is the poetic equivalent of nudging someone you like and going "So, uh... this is pretty romantic, huh?", then hoping to god that they don't just respond by laughing at you or going "Yeah, I guess it would be for a couple. Anyway~" (I should probably tell him about Shirabe, but…) It wasn’t as if I’d seen anything that was solid proof. I just had suspicions. Wh-What?! Heh. Thought so. I won’t try to force it out of you, but… if there’s anything I can do… W-Well… Just then, the boat rocked suddenly from side to side.We’re in a moat. How the hell are there waves on a calm night? *The screen shakes a bit* Aaah! Whoa! I found myself thrown against Shidou. When I looked up, our faces were very, very close together. Th-Thanks! Oh, uh, of course. I’m just glad you’re okay. (He’s… really close…) Um, Inafune, your… Y-Yes…? …Not what I would have gone with for a compliment, but hey, what do I know about flirting? Huh? Subaru? You okay there, buddy?*The screen shakes again* Hey! Hands to yourself! I backed away from him, but Shidou kept staring at my face. A-And stop staring! That’s creepy…Oh screw you, Saki. This is creepy but all the poo poo Urabe said and did was fine?  Oh, of course. I’m sorry. I… I didn’t realize…*Affection up* (Is he going to try and rub my head again…? I need to be careful.) (You shouldn’t say that to a girl, though. Who wants to be told she’s “round”?)In 2012? Probably not many. I think round is currently in vogue though, as of the time of this LP. Well, at least when it comes to specific body parts. Still, it seemed like, in a strange way, he’d meant it as a sort of compliment. Was he really that socially inept…? (I’m… not sure how I should feel about this…) What’s wrong? Oh, uh, nothing… Besides, the moon is round too, and everybody likes looking at the moon.And so ends Break Time 2. Now it’s time to skip past a whoooole lot of— Aaaah! Oh, never mind. Shidou has a brief unique scene during the Terror Maze part of Bloodstained Hospital. There’s a CG involved as well, so we’ll pause our fast-forwarding for a minute to take a look. This part kicks in just as we hear the mysterious (it was Mai) scream for the first time, but only if Subaru has the highest affection score. Gah! Are you all right? Y-Yeah… I-I just… My legs were shaking like a pair of leaves, and before I could finish my terror gauge began to go off. (Oh no!) If there had ever been any doubt in my mind as to what it felt like to have my legs fall out from under me, that moment cleared it up. It’s going to be all right. If you’re frightened, you can hold onto me. Huh…?! Suddenly I felt Shidou’s arm around my shoulders. What we just heard was Wakasa. Huh…? That means it must have been one of us who screamed. Go on, just imagine Towa crying like a baby while he’s running away from a zombie.I approve of this thought exercise. Hm… Isn’t it pretty funny? I mean, I do feel a bit bad for him, but still… I closed my eyes and imagined Wakasa screaming. Hm… He he… Shidou smiled and patted my head. Thanks! Right! (I wonder if other kinds of, um, excitement can set off the alarm…?) In any event, if I was able to think things like that, then I must have calmed down. I couldn’t keep relying on Shidou, though. I needed to work on handling problems myself.From that point on, the event continues as normal.  Similar to the other routes, the explosion scene at the end of Day 3 will involve the guy with the highest affection points at that time. Shidou’s scene is very similar to Ryuji’s in that he pulls Saki up and tries to shield her with his body. Time to wrap things up. Here’s the final Break Time Event in the common route.  I opened the door to find… Are you all right? Oh, Shidou. What are you doing here…? Really? I was, uh, just thinking about that too… Not surprising. We’ve been through a lot today. Yeah… I’m sure everything’s going to be fine. Don’t let yourself worry too much. Thanks. We do! They were stupid and also do not in any way absolve him of his guilt. Well, what I’m trying to say is that I know how easy it is to worry when a man goes off the radar. I’ve been there, and it’s tough, but we have to keep moving. Yeah… I see what you mean. Good. Then I think we both need some rest. Ten-four, officer. You get some shut-eye too. Heh. Will do. Good night. He gave me a small grin, turned, and disappeared down the hallway. There we are. That takes care of the Shidou focused scenes in the common route. Next time we’ll get into his route proper. Psycho Knight fucked around with this message at 16:48 on Apr 27, 2021 |
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Apr 27, 2021 16:20
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