Random KS Discussion

A forum for general discussion of the game: Open to all punters


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brythain
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Re: Random KS Discussion

Post by brythain »

Comrade wrote:Brythian. ever since i joined these forums you are the only person I ever saw sent there.
It must be a conspiracy! Kenji was right! The taciturn chef is behind it, together with the chief nurse and the science teacher!
Post-Yamaku, what happens? After The Dream is a mosaic that follows everyone to the (sometimes) bitter end.
Main Index (Complete)Shizune/Lilly/Emi/Hanako/Rin/Misha + Miki + Natsume
Secondary Arcs: Rika/Mutou/AkiraHideaki | Others (WIP): Straw—A Dream of SuzuSakura—The Kenji Saga.
"Much has been lost, and there is much left to lose." — Tim Powers, The Drawing of the Dark (1979)
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Re: Random KS Discussion

Post by Comrade »

and the scottish mafia
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Re: Random KS Discussion

Post by brythain »

Comrade wrote:and the scottish mafia
Oh no! We'll all be kilt!
Post-Yamaku, what happens? After The Dream is a mosaic that follows everyone to the (sometimes) bitter end.
Main Index (Complete)Shizune/Lilly/Emi/Hanako/Rin/Misha + Miki + Natsume
Secondary Arcs: Rika/Mutou/AkiraHideaki | Others (WIP): Straw—A Dream of SuzuSakura—The Kenji Saga.
"Much has been lost, and there is much left to lose." — Tim Powers, The Drawing of the Dark (1979)
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Re: Random KS Discussion

Post by Comrade »

brythain wrote:
Comrade wrote:and the scottish mafia
Oh no! We'll all be kilt!
The corner beckons
Founder and cheif librarian ofThe Yamaku Library, A Fan Fiction Archive
Vice president of the Yamaku Book Club
Sea wrote:Comrade, as Khan Bek has convinced me to give Democracy a try.
"French are just Spanish Germans, therefore Mexicans."
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brythain
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Re: Random KS Discussion

Post by brythain »

Comrade wrote:
brythain wrote:
Comrade wrote:and the scottish mafia
Oh no! We'll all be kilt!
The corner beckons
It must be this one… [LINK] — and a sorry Connor it is too, kilt and all. :(
Post-Yamaku, what happens? After The Dream is a mosaic that follows everyone to the (sometimes) bitter end.
Main Index (Complete)Shizune/Lilly/Emi/Hanako/Rin/Misha + Miki + Natsume
Secondary Arcs: Rika/Mutou/AkiraHideaki | Others (WIP): Straw—A Dream of SuzuSakura—The Kenji Saga.
"Much has been lost, and there is much left to lose." — Tim Powers, The Drawing of the Dark (1979)
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Atario
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Re: Random KS Discussion

Post by Atario »

Came for puns, got feels :cry:
NB: none of the above is a request

Mutou Gets Fired — a little one-shot fanfic I wrote
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FBOF
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Re: Random KS Discussion

Post by FBOF »

Just started playing Shizune's route, but man I had to struggle myself through chapter one. Since I had finished Emi's, Lilly's & Hanako's route and saw how heartfelt they were, I was curious what the other two girls had to offer (although I have 0 intrest in their personalities or how they treat Hisao).

With the guide in tow, I drudged through ACT 1 following Shizune's path to the letter. Heading into ACT 2, I pulled up the expanded Shizune walkthrough and the fact she only has a neutral & a bad ending stood out immediately. I'm a sap for happy endings so I wonder, is it really worth going through an entire playthrough with Shizune? Are both endings meaningful? I already had to work instead of play my way through ACT 1 since I couldn't stand her antics, I feel it won't improve seeing how it can only end in distraught in ACT 4. What's your advice guys? Continue on since the ending is profound enough to make it worth it or drop the playthrough if I have no connection with Shizune?
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Valjean Lafitte
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Re: Random KS Discussion

Post by Valjean Lafitte »

FBOF wrote:Just started playing Shizune's route, but man I had to struggle myself through chapter one. Since I had finished Emi's, Lilly's & Hanako's route and saw how heartfelt they were, I was curious what the other two girls had to offer (although I have 0 intrest in their personalities or how they treat Hisao).

With the guide in tow, I drudged through ACT 1 following Shizune's path to the letter. Heading into ACT 2, I pulled up the expanded Shizune walkthrough and the fact she only has a neutral & a bad ending stood out immediately. I'm a sap for happy endings so I wonder, is it really worth going through an entire playthrough with Shizune? Are both endings meaningful? I already had to work instead of play my way through ACT 1 since I couldn't stand her antics, I feel it won't improve seeing how it can only end in distraught in ACT 4. What's your advice guys? Continue on since the ending is profound enough to make it worth it or drop the playthrough if I have no connection with Shizune?

Would you settle for a bittersweet ending? The final act of the game is a bag of mixed feels for spoiler-ific reasons I cannot say, and while it technically does have a happy ending, it's not the kind of ending you've come to expect. In fact, I'll be blunt: it pisses some people off. Others end up enjoying the route much more in the final act. I'm somewhere in the middle of those two extremes as I never really hated Shizune to begin with. I actually liked her a good bit, but I wasn't thrilled with either ending. However, in my opinion there is more to love about her route than there is to hate, but your mileage may vary. You'll definitely understand her better by the routes end, but if you think you'll never be able get around her personality, well..

My advice would be to finish Act 2 at least, and if you're not enjoying it more by then perhaps you should move on.
Last edited by Valjean Lafitte on Wed Oct 08, 2014 10:35 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Random KS Discussion

Post by FelOnyx »

FBOF wrote:Just started playing Shizune's route, but man I had to struggle myself through chapter one. Since I had finished Emi's, Lilly's & Hanako's route and saw how heartfelt they were, I was curious what the other two girls had to offer (although I have 0 intrest in their personalities or how they treat Hisao).

With the guide in tow, I drudged through ACT 1 following Shizune's path to the letter. Heading into ACT 2, I pulled up the expanded Shizune walkthrough and the fact she only has a neutral & a bad ending stood out immediately. I'm a sap for happy endings so I wonder, is it really worth going through an entire playthrough with Shizune? Are both endings meaningful? I already had to work instead of play my way through ACT 1 since I couldn't stand her antics, I feel it won't improve seeing how it can only end in distraught in ACT 4. What's your advice guys? Continue on since the ending is profound enough to make it worth it or drop the playthrough if I have no connection with Shizune?
I rarely see her ending being called neutral. Most people call it the good ending, because it is. It isn't quite a perfect happy ending, but it's a few notches more happy than bittersweet, in my opinion.
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Re: Random KS Discussion

Post by Comrade »

Personally i thought the whole route was boring and unfulfilling.
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Re: Random KS Discussion

Post by brythain »

Atario wrote:Came for puns, got feels :cry:
When I think of Lilly after the neutral ending, I think of Wordsworth's 'Solitary Reaper':
Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.
And I, sad. :cry:
Post-Yamaku, what happens? After The Dream is a mosaic that follows everyone to the (sometimes) bitter end.
Main Index (Complete)Shizune/Lilly/Emi/Hanako/Rin/Misha + Miki + Natsume
Secondary Arcs: Rika/Mutou/AkiraHideaki | Others (WIP): Straw—A Dream of SuzuSakura—The Kenji Saga.
"Much has been lost, and there is much left to lose." — Tim Powers, The Drawing of the Dark (1979)
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FBOF
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Re: Random KS Discussion

Post by FBOF »

Valjean Lafitte wrote:
FBOF wrote:*snip*
Would you settle for a bittersweet ending? The final act of the game is a bag of mixed feels, so while it technically does have a happy ending, it's not the kind of ending you've come to expect. In fact, I'll be blunt: it pisses some people off. Others end up enjoying the route much more in the final act. I'm somewhere left of the latter extreme, as I never really hated Shizune to begin with. You'll definitely understand her better by the routes end, but if you think you'll never be able get around her personality, well..

My advice would be to finish Act 2 at least, and if you're not enjoying it more by then perhaps you should move on.
Much appreciate the input. I wonder what ACT 2 has left in store... If I fail to convince myself, I can always have a peek at what Rin has to offer. Reckon her apathy will make it as difficult to rely feelings & emotions as it was during the Hanako route due to her shyness/broken mindset but it won't hurt to try. At least she won't be as brash as Shizune is I bet.
FelOnyx wrote:
FBOF wrote:*snip*
I rarely see her ending being called neutral. Most people call it the good ending, because it is. It isn't quite a perfect happy ending, but it's a few notches more happy than bittersweet, in my opinion.
Hmm, don't mind bittersweet endings. They're usually more thought-provoking to me than a happy ending would, although I will get more enjoyment out of the latter. I appreciate the input, it gives me a new reason to play the story out!
Comrade wrote:Personally i thought the whole route was boring and unfulfilling.
Hence the post, I'll see what ACT 2 brings and go on from there.
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Re: Random KS Discussion

Post by Mahorfeus »

Funnily enough, I've been working my way through Shizune's route again. I still agree that the route is easily the worst of the bunch, but oddly, I've found that I actually really like Shizune as a character. The bossiness and bitchiness I thought I saw the first time around didn't really surface during my rereading...
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Re: Random KS Discussion

Post by brythain »

Mahorfeus wrote:Funnily enough, I've been working my way through Shizune's route again. I still agree that the route is easily the worst of the bunch, but oddly, I've found that I actually really like Shizune as a character. The bossiness and bitchiness I thought I saw the first time around didn't really surface during my rereading...
That's possibly why some people have said a second reading makes it a lot better. It's not an easy read. She raises the hackles of many post-moderns very easily.
Post-Yamaku, what happens? After The Dream is a mosaic that follows everyone to the (sometimes) bitter end.
Main Index (Complete)Shizune/Lilly/Emi/Hanako/Rin/Misha + Miki + Natsume
Secondary Arcs: Rika/Mutou/AkiraHideaki | Others (WIP): Straw—A Dream of SuzuSakura—The Kenji Saga.
"Much has been lost, and there is much left to lose." — Tim Powers, The Drawing of the Dark (1979)
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Re: Random KS Discussion

Post by dewelar »

*nods* The first time I played through Shizune's route, it definitely felt like a slog. While writing Developments, I've read through Shizune's route a couple of times to make sure I was keeping as close to canon as I could. In the process, I've come to appreciate the layers of depth that exist therein. A22 may be a right bastard, but I can't fault his skill at writing. I still think reading through it all at once is a bit of a slog, but IMO if you take it slowly and take breaks now and then to think about things and let them sink in, you'll be highly rewarded.

Also, try not to let the Hakamichi family get to you. They tend to be quite polarizing themselves :wink:.
Rin is orthogonal to everything.
Stuff I've written: Developments, a continuation of Lilly's (bad? neutral?) ending - COMPLETE!
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