VN Ren'Py Eternum [v0.9.4] [Caribdis]

[Zegion101]

In general I agree that cliffhangers are overused in serialised fiction. I often equate them to either lazy/inferior writing, or lack of confidence from someone on the development team in the story alone being enough to make people return for the continuation—this applies mainly to season finale cliffhangers where the main story of the season as a whole is complete, but they set up the next season with a short introduction followed by a cliffhanger to hook you into the next storyline. Though in season cliffhangers can be as awkwardly constructed.

Good stories don't need cliffhangers to hold attention and bring people back for more. But they can work to build suspense, if plotted well so that it's uncertain how they will resolve, if the story has already built up sustained interest. I can find them satisfying if I would have continued to watch or read without them. And they don't need to be, and often the best ones aren't, about putting someone in danger.

Eternum's cliffhangers don't seem contrived to me. At least not more so than any other aspect. The story is full of common character archetypes and mythology. That's not by itself a bad thing. So was The Matrix, and that film worked. As does Eternum. The cliffhangers don't feel like they are supposed to be keeping your attention so you come back for the next installment. They don't even feel much like cliffhangers when you play the whole thing. I can't recall at which update I started, but it was not the beginning, maybe 0.3 or 0.4, and it felt seamless until the end of the then current content. As it did again when I replayed later after deciding I wanted to change my decision about the Founder's amulet, which I think I did when 0.7 was released. Someone wrote that Orion being shot could have been an important plot point within an episode. And that's how it plays to me if I view the story as a whole.

I think the same regarding cliffhangers, never really thought too much about them. This game is mostly linear with one true path and will ultimately gonna be played in one go for complete story, the end of updates are mostly just more recognisable break points as it is in development

 

[Leinad_Sevla]

Anybody have any guesses on what the scenes in the next update will be? I feel like I normally know who will be featured.

-Nancy is the only guaranteed one I can think of.
-Maybe Annie or Nova since they were skipped in the previous one?
-Orion has a meeting with Axel, so maybe Alex...though she's gotten a bunch in a row already, so maybe not. (But she's tied for my favorite, so I wouldn't be mad at all if she got another)
-No idea on who the fourth would be, if we assume both Annie and Nova get separate scenes. And one of them will probably be a threesome if following the current trend.

I think we will see the return of Annie, Nancy and Nova. Penny, maybe. Alex and Dalia are out for the next one, I think, they just had scenes in consecutive updates and Cari usually doesn´t do more than that.
As for the scenes, I think we will get another threesome, most likely Annie and Luna.
Nancy will probably get a solo scene. As for Nova, I´m still in doubt if it will be a solo scene or maybe a threesome with Penny. Because I think two threesomes in one update might be a little much and also because that threesome needs a little more build up, I think Nova will get a solo scene and then in 0.11 we will get a Penny/Nova threesome.

Or Cari just says "fuck it" and gives us two threesomes in an update. Or a foursome (I still think there´s room to have Nancy+Annie+Luna).

 

[FuckMe1234567890]

Numquam ponenda est pluralitas sine necessitate, you are putting too much unnecessary or groundless assumptions. Focus back to the story, your theory did not have enough evidence to support.
(Sorry for my bad English, I'm not native English speaker.)

First of all, mindless assumptions are reason why this site is popular I will be doing it again, and I advise you to do the same - it is fun (well, at least to me).
Second of all, the quote you chose to reply - actually, there is nothing groundless in that argument. Nancy seems like Mary Sue, so, Caribdis can write whatever about her and it will be believable. He can leave it like it is now too, and it will be fine too.
Third of all - let me backtrack a little, my theory was just byproduct of defending cliffhangers - I just indulged a little too much in possibilites, but, my arguments were created to defend the story. In fact, I agree with you on your point, and that was my point too - people shouldn't assume anything about Orion "dying" or "somebody else will die in 0.10", because next cliffhanger could be anything, even something what seems ridicoulus at first glance, like Nancy being double agent.
And last but not least, there were same arguments when Acting Lessons were being written people couldn't believe that story could be going in to dircetion of betrayal and death until it was a fact. So, never assume that creator want happy ending - he may not.

 

[suntzu]

For that ''Nancy is an NPC and could betray Orion'' debate... I'd sooner buy that Nancy is Idriel then I'd buy Nancy betraying Orion

 

[fromcsabi]

Because it isn't an incest game?

Not until Dalia&Penny 3some. Just what I'm waiting for.
Hell, you can add Nancy too for a full family reunion and her stating to MC: "get into bed and accept our love"

 

[FRVN]

Not until Dalia&Penny 3some. Just what I'm waiting for.

You're gonna be waiting a while

 

[raghrgiHFGgh]

Anyone else feel like even though this was the biggest update ever, there was a lot of "filler" and the plot didn't move that far forward? There was practically no "Eternum" content apart from Hyril'ar.

 

[quorkboy]

Where did the idea that Nancy doesn't age come from?

As for her achievements in Eternum... I'm not sure that's worth addressing in detail, so I'll only say that she took over the WRE by punching one sad pathetic man who only had power because people let him. That's it. And she is smart, dedicated enough that she probably studied military strategy in her spare time once she was in charge, and—this part is important—this is a fantasy story in which multiple people who all happen to know one another to one degree or another form one of the most powerful groups in Eternum, with one of them having 100% compatibility and incredible powers he got by existing.

She does not "work for the Founder". And the "super important guy (who) is getting in to her lab every week", she doesn't have anything to do with him other than that she orchestrates a plan to hack into the guy's laptop to steal vital information. That seems like something someone conspiring with the Founder would do?

There is zero possibility one of the heroes turns out to be a villain. Wild speculation is one thing. Theories which would require Cari to be abducted and replaced by an evil replica in order to become reality are another.

 

[Henchmen13]

I don't imagine Nancy being NPC or related to the Founder. At least not initially, i think her age was more of gimmick, but it would be interesting if it's incorporated into the story and turned out that she is non-fully-human so she and her daughters don't die within the normal human lifespan. Otherwise the ending will possibly involve how Calypso at the bare minimum outlive them em, with Orion possibly staying around longer than normal but still not indefinitely. ... I am not sure if Eternum is truly afterlife because if it was so, as opposed to some realm that just exist, where are all the Elfs that have died in Caly's home? It's interesting to consider that the Founder possibly pillaged hundreds of worlds before Earth, in order to full Eternum with NPCs.

On the topic of Nancy betraying Orion, given how the character herself said she will do so if Orion harm her daughters. I am anticipating secret or mini ending where Orion didn't just not date them, but fucked up spectacularly, leading to Nancy making good of her threat.

 

[quorkboy]

I don't think there will be an option to fuck up that badly. Who would choose it if there were?

And Nancy would wait until after they save the world(s) before exacting her vengeance on Orion for hurting Penny and Dalia. She's super protective, not evil.

(Also, still confused about the age thing. Fairly certain she's a perfectly normal human age.)

 

[FuckMe1234567890]

Where did the idea that Nancy doesn't age come from?

As for her achievements in Eternum... I'm not sure that's worth addressing in detail, so I'll only say that she took over the WRE by punching one sad pathetic man who only had power because people let him. That's it. And she is smart, dedicated enough that she probably studied military strategy in her spare time once she was in charge, and—this part is important—this is a fantasy story in which multiple people who all happen to know one another to one degree or another form one of the most powerful groups in Eternum, with one of them having 100% compatibility and incredible powers he got by existing.

She does not "work for the Founder". And the "super important guy (who) is getting in to her lab every week", she doesn't have anything to do with him other than that she orchestrates a plan to hack into the guy's laptop to steal vital information. That seems like something someone conspiring with the Founder would do?

There is zero possibility one of the heroes turns out to be a villain. Wild speculation is one thing. Theories which would require Cari to be abducted and replaced by an evil replica in order to become reality are another.

She is 39 years old, and there are multiple people saying that she looks similar for last 20 years, including Orion. Also, u saw her tits, right? How many women you met that looks like that when they are 40?
She punched one man, true, but she was put in position that allowed her to punch him because some convoluted prophecy - in story, in which magic and astral projections are real prophecy seems like a big deal, or at least could be.
By definition she works for Founder, because her job is owned by Ulysses.
Founder plays long game, and he started playing it before Orion could say gugu gaga. Is this sufficent enough evidence to suggest that Nancy is his pawn - of course not, but as I said already, it is fun for me to theorize.

I don't imagine Nancy being NPC or related to the Founder. At least not initially, i think her age was more of gimmick, but it would be interesting if it's incorporated into the story and turned out that she is non-fully-human so she and her daughters don't die within the normal human lifespan. Otherwise the ending will possibly involve how Calypso at the bare minimum outlive them em, with Orion possibly staying around longer than normal but still not indefinitely. ... I am not sure if Eternum is truly afterlife because if it was so, as opposed to some realm that just exist, where are all the Elfs that have died in Caly's home? It's interesting to consider that the Founder possibly pillaged hundreds of worlds before Earth, in order to full Eternum with NPCs.

On the topic of Nancy betraying Orion, given how the character herself said she will do so if Orion harm her daughters. I am anticipating secret or mini ending where Orion didn't just not date them, but fucked up spectacularly, leading to Nancy making good of her threat.

Fucking finally, somebody who gets it. Thank you man - some good fucking food.

 

[gino.pilotino]

For me, xenomorphs are the spermatozoa of Thanatos. What I can't explain is: why did he go and masturbate only on Andromeda and not on other servers too?

 

[FuckMe1234567890]

For me, xenomorphs are the spermatozoa of Thanatos. What I can't explain is: why did he go and masturbate only on Andromeda and not on other servers too?

That's because there was another prophecy - "the one named after the Greek god will shit out his hideous offspring onto the universe, and their number will be enormous"
Trust me, I was there, 3000 years ago

 

[Big_I_Guy]

As for her achievements in Eternum... I'm not sure that's worth addressing in detail, so I'll only say that she took over the WRE by punching one sad pathetic man who only had power because people let him. That's it.

There was also a prophecy that a woman with red hair and green eyes would lead the WRE to victory.

I've got a pet theory that a lot of the coincidences like that are actually the Syndicate or Idriel (or both) manipulating events. The beggar who asks the MC for money for his daughter in Semper Invicta is probably in the Syndicate.

 

[quorkboy]

She is 39 years old, and there are multiple people saying that she looks similar for last 20 years, including Orion. Also, u saw her tits, right? How many women you met that looks like that when they are 40?

Really? That's your evidence?

This is a very common fictional trope. The older woman who looks young enough to be her daughter's sister. It's not to be taken seriously.

She punched one man, true, but she was put in position that allowed her to punch him because some convoluted prophecy - in story, in which magic and astral projections are real prophecy seems like a big deal, or at least could be.

Don't know what your point is here, but it doesn't contradict anything I wrote.

The whole story is a riff on the boy who finds their destiny as they are coming of age and embarks on a great quest with his band of heroes fantasy. A prophecy fits right in.

By definition she works for Founder, because her job is owned by Ulysses.

This is not even close to how corporations operate.

Theorise all you like. But I'm not taking theories seriously if they entirely disregard everything we know.

 

[Big_I_Guy]

At least not initially, i think her age was more of gimmick, but it would be interesting if it's incorporated into the story and turned out that she is non-fully-human so she and her daughters don't die within the normal human lifespan.

It's a pretty common theory (that I also believe in) that there's some sort of timeloop shenanigans going on in the story. Plus time in Kredon seems weird; the weather is bizarre and Annie mentions that hair grows really quickly in Kredon. I sometimes wonder whether Kredon isn't just an Eternum server and the whole cast are NPCs. I think the MC himself is clearly brainwashed in some capacity, he's got suppressed memories and keeps repeating "I hardly ever dream in the first place" every time he has a dream.

I think the timeloop (if it exists) erases memories but not emotions, so they get reinforced each loop.
- In the sex scene with Nancy in the elevator she says she's wanted to have sex with the MC since she saw him in the park, which is a little odd.
- In the blowjob scene with Dalia in the Cove she mentions the MC's cum tastes exactly as she imagined, which is also a little odd.
- In the latest update if you romance Calypso the MC will mention that kissing her felt like something that was meant to happen.
- The MC knows stuff about the love interests he should have no way of knowing (favourite foods, movies, etc), Dalia even calls him out about knowing her favourite movie is the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

On the original point about Calypso outliving everyone, I guess the easiest answer would just be to say that everyone aren't humans, but are instead human looking "eldari" like the ones she said were in the story about Queen Anima.

 

[quorkboy]

There was also a prophecy that a woman with red hair and green eyes would lead the WRE to victory.

I've got a pet theory that a lot of the coincidences like that are actually the Syndicate or Idriel (or both) manipulating events. The beggar who asks the MC for money for his daughter in Semper Invicta is probably in the Syndicate.

It's believable to me that the Syndicate is behind a lot of things. I don't know if Idriel has much power to directly influence events—else why hasn't she shown it instead of directing Orion with vague hints and riddles—but planting a prophecy seems within the bounds of reason.

 

[gino.pilotino]

It's believable to me that the Syndicate is behind a lot of things. I don't know if Idriel has much power to directly influence events—else why hasn't she shown it instead of directing Orion with vague hints and riddles—but planting a prophecy seems within the bounds of reason.

We have at least four years to figure out which theories make sense and which don't. I hope I'm still alive in four years and can find out who was right. How old is Cari?

 

[friedkeenan]

I am not sure if Eternum is truly afterlife because if it was so, as opposed to some realm that just exist, where are all the Elfs that have died in Caly's home?

I'm not sure either, but I will say that Luna's grandma's sister, who could speak with the dead, apparently said that each person gets their own personal "heaven" where some are hanging out with others that they loved or whatever, and others are more alone. It could maybe be that Eternum is just the Founder capturing and repurposing these afterlifes, and turning the dead people living there into NPCs. Again though, I'm not sure.

Hyril'ar could possibly have fewer aggregate deaths because the elves are all very long-lived and don't give birth very often. I don't recall ever seeing an elf NPC, but Alex has her robes that were apparently created by elves, maybe she did see some elves wherever she got them. Though of course, the NPCs can be made to look even like werewolves and such, so it could be that humans were made to look like elves in the places where one would see them in Eternum. But the inverse of that could also happen, that dead elves are made to look like humans as NPCs. Or maybe elves just can't be repurposed into NPCs. There are possible explanations.

 

[Big_I_Guy]

It's believable to me that the Syndicate is behind a lot of things. I don't know if Idriel has much power to directly influence events—else why hasn't she shown it instead of directing Orion with vague hints and riddles—but planting a prophecy seems within the bounds of reason.

In the latest update, if the MC gets killed by the elves (e.g. not counter attacking the treacherous guard) you'll see a shot of Idriel and hear the sound of a coin flip before the game resets to before his death. This seems consistent to me with what she said to the MC in the alley, she couldn't help him because there's "no coin here, no reset". So I think she's intervening to keep him alive in Eternum.

Another time I think she intervenes is in the hunter's village when the MC is deciding whether or not to follow the girls to the werewolves or the vampires. He leaves it up to a coin toss, then you get a shot of Idriel imprisoned in Limbo, then the coin lands to tell the MC to leave the village.