What Would Each Minor Character's Route Entail?

[SpunkySix]

If we want to count Meiko as a plausible option over her fair maiden of a hatchling, I believe somebody here used "Can you break your rules?" as her route's tagline.

[Forever_ambivalent]

As always, no love for the male characters
Let's say that the main character is a female (if you can't stand homosexuals) or that Misha is the main heroine.
Takashi's route would be a pretty dramatic story. MC would try to cheer him up perhaps since he is always shown to be grumpy. Trying too hard would lead to a bad end similar to Hanako's bad end. It would be pretty sad to see him have a bad tinnitus attack (or however they work. I don't know much about tinnitus). I think it would be pretty similar to Hanako's route.
Tagline could be: Can you hear what I hear?
If we go for the Misha (or some other girl) is the MC than perhaps there could be a Hisao route. This would be offtopic though since Hisao isn't a minor character.


For the girls I think Miki's tagline could be "Can you lend me a hand?". Miki seems to disregard her left hand and doesn't seem to happy with it. It's a common phrase and fits in with her physical disability.

[Munchenhausen]

I quite like Takashi I have tinnitus myself, albeit mildly, so I can poke my nose in like the pretentious bugger I am with personal experience!

Tinnitus can be sporadic, temporary or constant and in either one or both ears. How loud it is varies. Luckily, like I said, mine isn't really too loud. If he's going to Yamaku for it, I'd assume it was constant and very intrusive.
From my experience, the closest you could get to a 'Tinnitus Attack' would be if it finally gets under your skin to the point where you explode. Once you notice it, it's quite hard to unhear it.

I'd propose the tagline "Can You Hear Me Out?" since in my headcanon I see him as someone who is always annoyed and irritable, but though no fault of his own. He just wants someone to listen :3

[Potato]

If we want to count Meiko as a plausible option over her fair maiden of a hatchling, I believe somebody here used "Can you break your rules?" as her route's tagline.

Which rules? The "no MILFs" rule?

@Munch: Tinnitus sucks. I couldn't tolerate it being bad enough for Yamaku.

[SpunkySix]

If we want to count Meiko as a plausible option over her fair maiden of a hatchling, I believe somebody here used "Can you break your rules?" as her route's tagline.

Which rules? The "no MILFs" rule?

Probably the "no banging your friend's mom" rule.

[Guest Poster]

although Akira actually has a disability (that you touched on) - alcoholism.

I don't recall any evidence from the VN that even hints at that. We know Akira likes a beer from time to time. So do millions of other people. That doesn't make them alcoholics. Even people with an above-average alcohol consumption aren't necessarily alcoholics.

[Atario]

Each of the official girls has some kind of Aesop overshadowment.
Hanako's is to not white knight

Ohhh, you sonofabitch, listen here, I'll…

Emi's is to never try Buttsex, etc. etc. you know what I mean.

…oh, you're joking. Well, ok. Just watch it, mister.

I imagine Ritsu's route could involve her being depressed at her newfound inability to play drums, maybe moreso if playing the drums was what caused it

Whoa. I just realized I've watched one of the cameos' source material in the time since I got to know the game. Ritsu-chan! You were there all along!

Also, for Taro, I'd like to propose "Can you go out on a limb?"

[bhtooefr]

although Akira actually has a disability (that you touched on) - alcoholism.

I don't recall any evidence from the VN that even hints at that. We know Akira likes a beer from time to time. So do millions of other people. That doesn't make them alcoholics. Even people with an above-average alcohol consumption aren't necessarily alcoholics.

OK, OK, part of that might be fanon, although most people that have control of their alcohol consumption (and I'm writing this post with a Left Hand Milk Stout next to me, I hardly count as a teetotaller) don't go out to a public park to drink...

Also, given Akira's size (she's about Hanako's height, and of thinner build, although I suspect she's more muscular than Hanako, and therefore probably weighs about the same, or a little more), I'm pretty sure she's driving with a BAC well above .03%, the legal limit in Japan, or even above .08% (the legal limit here in the US).

[SpunkySix]

although Akira actually has a disability (that you touched on) - alcoholism.

I don't recall any evidence from the VN that even hints at that. We know Akira likes a beer from time to time. So do millions of other people. That doesn't make them alcoholics. Even people with an above-average alcohol consumption aren't necessarily alcoholics.

OK, OK, part of that might be fanon, although most people that have control of their alcohol consumption (and I'm writing this post with a Left Hand Milk Stout next to me, I hardly count as a teetotaller) don't go out to a public park to drink...

Also, given Akira's size (she's about Hanako's height, and of thinner build, although I suspect she's more muscular than Hanako, and therefore probably weighs about the same, or a little more), I'm pretty sure she's driving with a BAC well above .03%, the legal limit in Japan, or even above .08% (the legal limit here in the US).

I believe drinking alone is a warning sign of alcoholism.

[Guest Poster]

OK, OK, part of that might be my headcanon, although most people that have control of their alcohol consumption (and I'm writing this post with a Left Hand Milk Stout next to me, I hardly count as a teetotaller) don't go out to a public park to drink...

Akira didn't go to that park to drink either. She went to that park to meet up with Hisao. It took him some time to walk all the way down from Yamaku, so she had a beer while waiting for him. People who really can't control their alcohol consumption are often still smart enough to retreat to the privacy of their own home before drinking themselves into a stupor. They wouldn't do it where everyone can see them.

Also, given Akira's size (she's about Hanako's height, and of thinner build, although I suspect she's more muscular than Hanako, and therefore probably weighs about the same, or a little more), I'm pretty sure she's driving with a BAC well above .03%, the legal limit in Japan, or even above .08% (the legal limit here in the US).

What does that have to do with alcoholism?

[forgetmenot]

I believe drinking alone is a warning sign of alcoholism.

At the risk of derailing this topic entirely, let me just say that I have known both heavy drinkers and alcoholics, and the difference between the two is so vast you might as well be comparing someone who is an avid swimmer to a drowning man. Heavy drinking, while it might be bad for you physically and come with the occasional hangover/blackout/poor decision, is nothing compared to the disease that is alcoholism, which destroys lives and families by rewiring its victim's very brain. Make no mistake, alcoholism is a physical disease, with actual symptoms. So much so that there are studies that have shown certain people are genetically predispositioned to it, similar to cancer or heart disease. When it happens, it's an awful, awful sight to behold... but you need to make the distinction that just because someone drinks (even heavily) does not mean they are an alcoholic. Or that they are even in danger of becoming one.

Sorry for the rant. I had a friend's father succumb to alcoholism a few years ago. He was a great man, even in the throes of his disease. The world is a little worse for having lost him.

BACK ON TOPIC:
I always wondered about the feasibility of a Miki route. I could see it going one of two ways: either she's her perky self that appears in the VN with no problems and it's an incredibly boring read, or some sort of melodrama is shoehorned in around her character and rings false. I suppose that's why I decided on an OC for my writing instead of another (failed) Miki route. I guess the ideal scenario would be a little of column A, a little of column B. Enough drama to keep it interesting, while still being lighthearted and amiable.

[brythain]

I believe drinking alone is a warning sign of alcoholism.

At the risk of derailing this topic entirely, let me just say that I have known both heavy drinkers and alcoholics, and the difference between the two is so vast you might as well be comparing someone who is an avid swimmer to a drowning man.

Exactly. I have to say my Akira is NOT an alcoholic. She just drinks a bit too much too often, and she carries the Satou fragile-X gene.

BACK ON TOPIC:
I always wondered about the feasibility of a Miki route. I could see it going one of two ways: either she's her perky self that appears in the VN with no problems and it's an incredibly boring read, or some sort of melodrama is shoehorned in around her character and rings false. I suppose that's why I decided on an OC for my writing instead of another (failed) Miki route. I guess the ideal scenario would be a little of column A, a little of column B. Enough drama to keep it interesting, while still being lighthearted and amiable.

I think a Miki route could work. The other characters carry their own backstories, Shizune in spades and Emi in hearts, Rin in clubs and Lilly in diamonds. Hanako's is obviously traumatic, Misha's traumatic in a different way. But looking at Miki in comparison/contrast shows us that it's not really shoehorning to give her a dramatic turn; it's only that we have never experienced her fleshed out as a major character. And as fanfic authors, we can try to give her that.

I would begin by how she got her injury. It's either recent, hence the bandages, or it's one of those rare non-healing injuries. Another possibility is that it's one of those which is so horrible that bundling it up into shapelessness works best. Miki's build actually suggests a swimming background—broad shoulders and a tan. Without a hand, that's going to be difficult. I'd go through her decreased sense of self-worth (thinks of herself as can't swim, looks abnormal, only attractive to cripple-fetishists) and offer Hisao choices that allow him to work with her through those issues. Perhaps he gets her as running-mate instead of Emi. Perhaps they end up in aquatic therapy together.

[Oddball]

It's suggested that Miki's wound isn't a new one. My take on why she still keeps it bandaged doesn't have anything to do with the severity of the issue. It's a psychological thing.

With a bandage, she gets reactions more like Oh, god. You got hurt. You poor thing. I feel so sorry for you.
Without it, she's just a freak missing a limb.

[Munchenhausen]

I would begin by how she got her injury. It's either recent, hence the bandages, or it's one of those rare non-healing injuries.

IIRC, I think it was written-but-never-officialised somewhere that she lost her hand in a powertool accident.

I can imagine a Miki route would probably subvert the trope of a tragic freak accident by making her ailment caused by just a silly mistake that could have been easily avoided, rather than a heart-wrenching sob story that had all the odds against it. Something like 'she went to lean on an active bandsaw, without thinking'. Just a mental slip-up with dire consequences.
but that's boring

…oh, you're joking. Well, ok. Just watch it, mister.

:3

Whoa. I just realized I've watched one of the cameos' source material in the time since I got to know the game. Ritsu-chan! You were there all along!

Same infact, I actually started watching K-On! because I had nothing to do after finshing Katawa Shoujo

[Rhodri]

What goes on in my head is thinking that in the event of a minor character suddenly getting a route, who is their partner in crime? Who is their best friend who appears route in their other's half route to give insight, advise, compliment the personality of their friend or are just there so you can comfort them while everyone else back is turned. In game with have Shizune/Misha, Lilly/Hanako and to a lesser extent, Emi/Rin. Unless I'm mistaken, but thanks to Scissorlips, the dynamic duo of Suzu/Miki has become firm fanon and I'm not sure where it originated beyond their connection in the newspaper club, there's Naomi/Natsume, but their fanon relationship tends to be beyond friends. So what about the other guys and gals? Do they have a confidant? A friend to help support them? Do they even need a significant other to help flesh out a character and their route?