Ask!

[300BillionDegrees]

I wonder how many Scots would call themselves British, or would correct you if you called them British, though?

[TerraceArchimedes]

During Rin's route Hisao describes the book he's reading as being about "three guys drinking beer for two weeks straight and doing little else". I wonder what that is because I have not been able to find any information on what that book could be. Could the author of Rin's route have made it up or were they referencing something obscure that no one seems to get? The only book I think of that vaguely matches that description is the original MASH book, although if you were to describe it you would probably talk about three surgeons in the army rather than about three guys, and it lasts a lot longer than two weeks, and Hisao mentions soon after they are drinking in an apartment. MASH would be appropriate though seeing as how it is set in a hospital and sets up a contrast between the limbless and injured of MASH against the disabled Yamaku students - but that's reading too deep for a throwaway reference that's probably wrong anyway

If you are confused as to how MASH could be related to a random events plot about three guys drinking beer the film is closer to the original source in that it's mostly about the boredom of army life as well as the suffering of the patients. The TV show was a lot more heartwarming.

Anyway, I'd like to hear some thoughts on possible books that it could be, because a missed reference bugs me to no end. If anyone ever has the chance to ask the author or has asked them I will name my children after you.

[Munchenhausen]

I wonder how many Scots would call themselves British, or would correct you if you called them British, though?

You say that as if anyone can understand them in the first place

[Munchenhausen]

You could always ask yourself Aura pretty much owns the Ask Thread, and he wrote the Rin route, didn't he?

I don't know many books, and I think I've only actually read one of my own accord.
It was a book parodying Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

The closest I can think of is The Kilburn High Road, or something to that nature. I haven't read it, but I'm sure it's about three Irish blokes who moved to America to find work, but wound up being stuck there for legal reasons. One of them dies and the story takes place with the two remaining guys reminiscing on the memories they all had.
There would no doubt be quite a bit of drinking involved. They are Irish (;

[d2r]

The Tome of Eternal Darkness.

[Aura]

I don't answer that question because it's intentionally left vague and I've not seen anyone get it right yet.

[Xolf]

I wonder how many Scots would call themselves British, or would correct you if you called them British, though?

Strident Nationalists may take exception to being called 'British' and insist on 'Scottish' alone - but I think it's fair to say that most Scots will identify as Scottish-and-British, or British-and-Scottish, and if a foreigner calls them 'British' will be sufficiently impressed that you didn't call us 'English' as to give you a pass.

(Speaking as a born-and-bred Scot living in the capital!)

[Munchenhausen]

I don't answer that question because it's intentionally left vague and I've not seen anyone get it right yet.

Chronicles of Narnia, I know it!

[TerraceArchimedes]

I don't answer that question because it's intentionally left vague and I've not seen anyone get it right yet.

That reminds me of a Someguy2000, a mod author in New Vegas. He got so disappointed that no one noticed that in all of mods no one noticed he'd made every hand of cards a Dead Man's Hand (and this was just clutter lying around in the game), then he just spouted it out during a mod review. But you just like to mess with us don't you?

By the way, I'd like to say that after finishing Rin's route I felt like I was reading something out of Lovecraftian fiction. God she's hard to understand, but when it came to the final choice of what to say there wasn't any doubt in my mind what to say. I felt the most like Rin because she wanted to be understood through her art but could only display it in an art gallery, but that's not the same as being understood. When she asked what Hisao thinks the town dreams about at night I had a whole imaginary conversation in my head about Makato Shinkai's film The Place Promised in our early days and the distance between Rin and the world. These are just some personal compliments to the chef

[TerraceArchimedes]

You could always ask yourself Aura pretty much owns the Ask Thread, and he wrote the Rin route, didn't he?

I don't know many books, and I think I've only actually read one of my own accord.
It was a book parodying Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

The closest I can think of is The Kilburn High Road, or something to that nature. I haven't read it, but I'm sure it's about three Irish blokes who moved to America to find work, but wound up being stuck there for legal reasons. One of them dies and the story takes place with the two remaining guys reminiscing on the memories they all had.
There would no doubt be quite a bit of drinking involved. They are Irish (;

I knew some of the authors were active here I just didn't know who wrote the routes, thanks.

What was this parody book called anyway? Sounds interesting enough if it can get even an illiterate to read, haha. Actually fallen behind on reading quite a lot, but I don't really care, it's just enough that I have them next to me. Knowing I can read them if I wanted to, but I'm not.

[300BillionDegrees]

I'm not sure how many Americans even know that England =/= Britain, but then I'm not sure how many Americans can even find our own capital on a map

Anyway, I think the Satou's are obviously in the Scotch business, stealing secrets and sending them back to Japan. After all these years, it's finally paid off!


And to get back on the topic of asking stuff, have any of the 4LS staff been contacted by people insisting Kenji's feminist conspiracy theory is real? Seems like a stupid question, but then again this is the internet, and in light of recent events...

[Silentcook]

That reminds me of a Someguy2000, a mod author in New Vegas. He got so disappointed that no one noticed that in all of mods no one noticed he'd made every hand of cards a Dead Man's Hand (and this was just clutter lying around in the game), then he just spouted it out during a mod review.

My personal opinion is that if you feel the need to do such a thing, you've failed. There's nothing wrong with trying to be clever, as long as your cleverness isn't detrimental to your main project. But if you feel the need to explain your clever stuff - or even worse, if people NEED to get what you were driving at and don't - then either you end up looking conceited or the audience ends up looking stupid. Neither is a good result.

(Also, there's been a bit of thread merging - don't panic).

[Atario]

That reminds me of a Someguy2000, a mod author in New Vegas. He got so disappointed that no one noticed that in all of mods no one noticed he'd made every hand of cards a Dead Man's Hand

That's just misreading his demographic. Only the older players would even know to notice, and most of them probably just didn't care to mention it and/or even get involved in the fandom anyway.

[TerraceArchimedes]

That reminds me of a Someguy2000, a mod author in New Vegas. He got so disappointed that no one noticed that in all of mods no one noticed he'd made every hand of cards a Dead Man's Hand (and this was just clutter lying around in the game), then he just spouted it out during a mod review.

My personal opinion is that if you feel the need to do such a thing, you've failed. There's nothing wrong with trying to be clever, as long as your cleverness isn't detrimental to your main project. But if you feel the need to explain your clever stuff - or even worse, if people NEED to get what you were driving at and don't - then either you end up looking conceited or the audience ends up looking stupid. Neither is a good result.

(Also, there's been a bit of thread merging - don't panic).

To be fair he was also under a lot of stress at the time finishing a big project, and after a some years he might just want to point out a little in-joke that kept him awake during the long hours of modding. I don't think it mattered to him that much since he says he mods drunk and throws in stuff when he feels like it. I like his style because he doesn't treat the player like an idiot and doesn't let the references get in the way of enjoying the game, it's just an added bonus. The cards are a little piece of clutter that you can't even pick up as loot (pretty much how world-building is done in the game, blood on the walls, a few skeletons huddled together over a fire, a body in bed surrounded by needles and a straight razor, etc.) Unfortunately his love for this little secret was like diarrhea - He just couldn't hold it in.

[Aura]

And to get back on the topic of asking stuff, have any of the 4LS staff been contacted by people insisting Kenji's feminist conspiracy theory is real? Seems like a stupid question, but then again this is the internet, and in light of recent events...

No. This is because people would be similarly crazy don't have any access to the context Kenji is building his theories on, that is, the student life at Yamaku.

But yeah, in light of the gamergate nonsense looking back at Kenji is pretty funny. Back when he was created and written none of this stuff was even close to being relevant within the audience KS has. The new wave of internet social justice movement is just a few years old, and the countermovement that now has spawned gamergate is even younger. A22 is basically a prophet.