VN Ren'Py Hillside [v0.15 First Half] [DarkBlue]

[NewTricks]

I've been giving some thought to Suzi as a love interest. I'm not sure how I feel about it. There is something to be said for winning the heart of a disdainful lady. There is something like an Arthurian romance aspect to it. The protagonist, after all, fits that knight in shining armor model. But this story is already Charlie's story, and that has actually made significant progress. It is a better fit. So what would Suzi's story be? Why would Suzi fall for MC, and other than his admiration of her body what would MC see in her that would induce him to forgo potential happiness with Charlie, Lucy, Kayla... heck, it would probably even break the heart of Emma if her sister did it with her father figure. Unless the story and both of their attitudes change dramatically over the next couple of chapters and they are given some kind of bonding activity other than yelling at each other over the phone I just don't see that love story going anywhere.

Maybe it is just that at this point the relationship is stuck in a perpetual hamster wheel that I don't see it going anywhere. Even if the gods intervene so that they both slip on a banana peel and his dick accidentally goes into her vagina I just don't see anything other than perhaps temporary physical gratification ensuing. Some others have indicated that there is some evidence that Suzi may be a lesbian, which makes a potential love match even more unpalatable. It is a VN trope that the MC's dick is so magical that it can change a girl's sexual orientation, but I've never been a fan of that one and I think that the writer can do better. The scene with the roommate sending the nude to MC is a typical example of what is frustrating about the story so far. The roommate's motivation makes no sense other than her being a total agent of anarchy. Suzi is angry at the wrong person about the wrong thing as usual, and the MC is simply bemused instead of authentically interested.

So where the fuck is all this going? Nowhere, apparently. Maybe Suzi will be the only one to visit MC in jail because she is the only one who appreciates MC giving Carter the General Zod chiropractic adjustment treatment. Stranger things have happened, but more likely she would spend the entire visit pecking away at him like a chicken with pellagra. So as a reader, why are we to root for a relationship between MC and Princess Vespa? Something in the story needs to change, and change fast, because she is supposed to be a main love interest and she comes off like human sandpaper while the MC just kind of looks at her like a graphical representation of everything he doesn't want in a woman.

 

[Bendover885]

the General Zod chiropractic adjustment treatment

I thought of that exact scene too. Not sure MC will regret it like Supes did, but it was the right call in the moment all things considered.

 

[NewTricks]

I thought of that exact scene too. Not sure MC will regret it like Supes did, but it was the right call in the moment all things considered.

Despite people's strong feelings toward that scene, I find myself completely indifferent to it. Maybe it is my military background or just general pragmatism but until you are struggling for your life with someone who is trying to kill you and who has already wounded you you have no idea what you would do in that situation. Right or wrong, I have a feeling he is going to have to face some consequences for it. You don't get to kill a cop and just walk away, no matter if it was right or wrong.

 

[realjitter]

Despite people's strong feelings toward that scene, I find myself completely indifferent to it. Maybe it is my military background or just general pragmatism but until you are struggling for your life with someone who is trying to kill you and who has already wounded you you have no idea what you would do in that situation. Right or wrong, I have a feeling he is going to have to face some consequences for it. You don't get to kill a cop and just walk away, no matter if it was right or wrong.

You're absolutely right with everything you wrote, but you're asking for way too much=) I don't think there'll be any consequences at all... The story will just simply move on

 

[TheCrimsonRevenger]

Thanks all for the explanations. I guess the consensus is Carter was crazed out of his mind, and acting irrationally, and B it is needed by the script to wrap up all the impediments to the MC getting what he really wants, all in a single fast-moving scene.



It could have been a lot worse. Imagine the rage if the update ended with Emma and Zac holding hands and/or kissing in the movie theater, haha.

I think it's been explained.

Carter never intended to face the MC tonight. He intended for MC to find Emma's dead body. Her and Zac's murders were supposed to look like a random act of violence or mugging gone wrong.

His plan got thrown out the window when MC arrived at record speed.

Now he's cornered, and MC threatens that if he kills Emma, MC will immediately draw his gun and kill him.

As much as Carter hates MC, he wants to live.

Instead MC offers to face him in close quarters combat if he releases Emma. Carter likes this idea. Sure the MC is special forces, but Carter has a knife and he's got some training of his own. He thinks this gives him a good chance of winning, and then he can go kill Charlotte and Emma to get rid of the witnesses and stage the scene to his liking.

Lucky for MC, the skill difference between them was bigger than Carter estimated but....all things considered...Carter made the smartest choice he could make in that moment.

MAYBE he should have drawn his own gun and tried to kill the MC but then it becomes a quickdraw contest and he might not have liked his odds in that sort of fight. It also becomes an accuracy contest and cops don't spend as much time on the shooting range as you might think.

He also might not have had his gun on him. Unlikely, but possible. He also might not have had a gun at all. As others have mentioned there are many hints suggesting this story is set in the UK, or some other Europe-inspired country. Many European countries don't provide guns as standard issue weapons to their police

Knife Vs Barehands was his best chance of winning. But it was still only a chance. A chance that did not land in his favor.

 

[jaw1986baby]

It seems like the only choices will be Charlotte, Lucy, Kaylah, or no one. Emma thinks of MC as 'daddy' and Suzi is a lesbian.

You may be right about Susi, but the jury is far from in. As for Emma, she may have thought of the MC as daddy yesterday, but with Zak dead and the MC as her savior who knows how she'll think of him tomorrow? DB has maintained that Emma and Susi are LIs, so we just get to wait and see what develops.

As he himself said in another thread
Never believe anything DIKDIK says

Emma is absolutely a future LI

I cannot speak about Suzi as I have not cared enough to pay attention (I always hate Tsundere shits)

I do believe Hannah will be a fuck and forget but you may have to search for confirmation on that.






PEACE

 

[Sexcultist]

It's been a while, but I managed to track down an older version of the game (0.4) ...

Although, It should be noted that DB must have had reason for removing/editing this scene, and seeing this probably goes against the author's intentions for how you are meant to experience the game.

Nevertheless, for those who are curious:

Spoiler

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Link?

 

[Havik79]

Please, don't forget Charlotte's fine ass.

I already have, never had, nor will I have interest in her, putting that aside, she has only just admitted to having feelings, Kaylah has been ready for breeding for a long time, fucking Charlotte Emma or Suzi ain't happening any time soon.

 

[TheCrimsonRevenger]

It is a VN trope that the MC's dick is so magical that it can change a girl's sexual orientation, but I've never been a fan of that one and I think that the writer can do better.

Hey don't be too quick to dismiss a trope. They become Tropes for a reason. Speaking to a truth that a vast and overwhelming majority of people can recognize, on some level or another. Exaggerated sometimes, sure...but they still resonate for a reason.

As the saying goes, every woman is Bi. You only have to figure out if it's "polar," or "sexual".

Suzi seems to be a bit of both. lol

 

[NewTricks]

Hey don't be too quick to dismiss a trope. They become Tropes for a reason. Speaking to a truth that a vast and overwhelming majority of people can recognize, on some level or another. Exaggerated sometimes, sure...but they still resonate for a reason.

As the saying goes, every woman is Bi. You only have to figure out if it's "polar," or "sexual".

Suzi seems to be a bit of both. lol

I'm not against Tropes in general. Although I do get tired of some of them eventually. It really depends on how you use them. Execution is important.

 

[UncleFredo]

...
...
MAYBE he should have drawn his own gun and tried to kill the MC but then it becomes a quickdraw contest and he might not have liked his odds in that sort of fight. It also becomes an accuracy contest and cops don't spend as much time on the shooting range as you might think.
...
...

Carter is at an extreme disadvantage trying to draw his gun. His knife is in his strong hand. Emma is in the way and occupying his "free hand". If he stabs her the MC will have his gun out long before Carter can drop his knife or clear Emma's body. Carter's wearing a heavy overcoat. There is no sign of a shoulder holster, so it's most likely that he's carrying it in a belt holster behind his hip. To draw you swipe the coat back and draw as your hand comes forward. So once Emma is out of the picture, whether released or stabbed, Carter has to toss his knife, clear the coat, draw and fire. Dropping the knife would be the MC's signal to act.

 

[UncleFredo]

Despite people's strong feelings toward that scene, I find myself completely indifferent to it. Maybe it is my military background or just general pragmatism but until you are struggling for your life with someone who is trying to kill you and who has already wounded you you have no idea what you would do in that situation. Right or wrong, I have a feeling he is going to have to face some consequences for it. You don't get to kill a cop and just walk away, no matter if it was right or wrong.

Killing a cop who was acting in the performance of his/her duty is very different from killing a rampaging murderer who happens to be a cop, while defending yourself from a lethal assault. The first is felony murder, the second is self defense. What happened in the story can not and should not be equated with a simple volitional cop killing.

 

[NewTricks]

Killing a cop who was acting in the performance of his/her duty is very different from killing a rampaging murderer who happens to be a cop, while defending yourself from a lethal assault. The first is felony murder, the second is self defense. What happened in the story can not and should not be equated with a simple volitional cop killing.

I see where you are coming from, but it isn't a matter of right or wrong. It is a matter of who's the boss. Who has the power. Who does the investigation? Who collects the evidence? Who gets to decide what evidence miraculously shows up and which conveniently disappears? Moreover, who has a lot of guns, a lot of friends, a lot of time, and are all indoctrinated into a culture of corruption where it is us against everybody else. You don't get to kill a cop and walk away. Get it?

 

[Ottoeight]

I see where you are coming from, but it isn't a matter of right or wrong. It is a matter of who's the boss. Who has the power. Who does the investigation? Who collects the evidence? Who gets to decide what evidence miraculously shows up and which conveniently disappears? Moreover, who has a lot of guns, a lot of friends, a lot of time, and are all indoctrinated into a culture of corruption where it is us against everybody else. You don't get to kill a cop and walk away. Get it?

That's why the last lines in this chapter are granted to Charlotte wondering what's going to happen. I don't think she tells these words because she's shocked by the fact that MC killed a man - I think she's considering the consequences of this act.

Charlotte is asking herself: what's going to happen now that MC just killed a cop. We're wondering too.

 

[UncleFredo]

I see where you are coming from, but it isn't a matter of right or wrong. It is a matter of who's the boss. Who has the power. Who does the investigation? Who collects the evidence? Who gets to decide what evidence miraculously shows up and which conveniently disappears? Moreover, who has a lot of guns, a lot of friends, a lot of time, and are all indoctrinated into a culture of corruption where it is us against everybody else. You don't get to kill a cop and walk away. Get it?

Were it you or I we'd certainly be put through the wringer. However, Charlotte Lloyd is not you nor I. She's the top model on the planet. If you look at the women who achieve that, they are uniformly worth hundreds of millions of dollars. She commands a massive media presence. The strength of legal representation that she can bring to the defense of the man that saved her and her daughter lives, from Zak Prince's killer, is beyond anything you or I can imagine. That legal representation by definition will be connected to the local and national power structure. All facets of law enforcement know this. The scrutiny over the investigation, evidence, witnesses, etc will be intensive. The lawyer(s) handling the case will be on a first name basis with the DA. The investigators employed by those lawyer(s) will have personal relationships with the investigating law officers. However unofficially or casually, they will be able to get "inside" how law enforcement is handling the case. Breaches in procedure will be known to the defense team as they happen, so they won't happen.

Plus this mess stinks. Carter was a murdering psychopath, who killed Zak, kidnapped Emma, held her at knife point (assault with a deadly weapon), assaulted the MC and attempted to murder him. Not every cop in Hillside is corrupt. Not every lawyer in the district attorney's office is corrupt. Emma is an innocent 18 year old girl, some members of law enforcement are going to have a difficult time with an attempt to rail road the man who saved her and her mother. Even the corrupt cops and officials can be influenced to "do the right thing" if there's a seven figure retirement plan in the end. Plus media coverage will make the OJ trial look like a park opening.

So your reasoning would apply to you or to me, but not in this case. In this case it's self defense, and in the real world it never gets to trial. Charlotte's lawyer(s) agree not to sue the city, and it ends with a conversation between the DA, the head detective, and the MC's lawyer who agree to dismiss any charges with prejudice and permanently close the case. Get it?

 

[warlock4vr]

You're absolutely right with everything you wrote, but you're asking for way too much=) I don't think there'll be any consequences at all... The story will just simply move on

I'd like to think so, however I feel the FBI agent intro in this release will have something to do with it, she was also at the hot dog stand when Carter and the MC met.

The fact that Emma was last seen with or Zak's friends know he went out with the night he was gutted, may also play into it ?

 

[NewTricks]

Were it you or I we'd certainly be put through the wringer. However, Charlotte Lloyd is not you nor I. She's the top model on the planet. If you look at the women who achieve that, they are uniformly worth hundreds of millions of dollars. She commands a massive media presence. The strength of legal representation that she can bring to the defense of the man that saved her and her daughter lives, from Zak Prince's killer, is beyond anything you or I can imagine. That legal representation by definition will be connected to the local and national power structure. All facets of law enforcement know this. The scrutiny over the investigation, evidence, witnesses, etc will be intensive. The lawyer(s) handling the case will be on a first name basis with the DA. The investigators employed by those lawyer(s) will have personal relationships with the investigating law officers. However unofficially or casually, they will be able to get "inside" how law enforcement is handling the case. Breaches in procedure will be known to the defense team as they happen, so they won't happen.

Plus this mess stinks. Carter was a murdering psychopath, who killed Zak, kidnapped Emma, held her at knife point (assault with a deadly weapon), assaulted the MC and attempted to murder him. Not every cop in Hillside is corrupt. Not every lawyer in the district attorney's office is corrupt. Emma is an innocent 18 year old girl, some members of law enforcement are going to have a difficult time with an attempt to rail road the man who saved her and her mother. Even the corrupt cops and officials can be influenced to "do the right thing" if there's a seven figure retirement plan in the end. Plus media coverage will make the OJ trial look like a park opening.

So your reasoning would apply to you or to me, but not in this case. In this case it's self defense, and in the real world it never gets to trial. Charlotte's lawyer(s) agree not to sue the city, and it ends with a conversation between the DA, the head detective, and the MC's lawyer who agree to dismiss any charges with prejudice and permanently close the case. Get it?

A very elaborate explanation, negated by an itchy trigger finger and a police union lawyer. Or a corpse thrown in the reservoir in the middle of the night. Or a busted tail light on a random car stop that turns into a probable cause search that "discovers" a murder weapon. Cops are a gang. The biggest, baddest gang in the city. Money and fame might shield the wealthy, but it doesn't do shit for the help.

 

[UncleFredo]

A very elaborate explanation, negated by an itchy trigger finger and a police union lawyer. Or a corpse thrown in the reservoir in the middle of the night. Or a busted tail light on a random car stop that turns into a probable cause search that "discovers" a murder weapon. Cops are a gang. The biggest, baddest gang in the city. Money and fame might shield the wealthy, but it doesn't do shit for the help.

Whether wealth and fame does shit for the "help" in this case is solely up to Charlotte. If you think she's going to throw the MC to the wolves in this case, you see her in a very different light than I do. Sure anyone can be assassinated, but where is the win for the cops killing the MC in this case? As for constructing a fake murder charge, as long as Charlotte stands by the MC, that kind of "police work" faces the same level of difficulty as tampering with the current facts. Time, place, motive, and opportunity all have to match. Finding a random piece of potentially incriminating evidence won't be enough.

Hillside cops may well be a gang. We know there is a lot of corruption in the system. But, unlike other gangs, the cops operate "under the color of the law". That is their greatest strength, but it also restricts some of their freedom of action. The MC didn't challenge the gang. He's not "taking on the cops". He killed a rogue cop in self defense. If Charlotte's wealth and fame are sufficient to prevent the system from screwing over the MC, there is no reason nor benefit for the cops to go further. The corruption in Hillside flies below the radar. Overt actions put that cover at risk. Carter's not worth it to anyone. At least no one we've seen to date.

 

[Ottoeight]

Were it you or I we'd certainly be put through the wringer. However, Charlotte Lloyd is not you nor I. She's the top model on the planet. If you look at the women who achieve that, they are uniformly worth hundreds of millions of dollars. She commands a massive media presence.

You'd be right, BUT Hillside is not the real world.

In the World Darkblue is depicting us a fucking asshole has just ordered to murder "the top model on the planet" without even blinking. The most important top models are mincemeat for millionaires in this world.

 

[UncleFredo]

You'd be right, BUT Hillside is not the real world.

In the World Darkblue is depicting us a fucking asshole has just ordered to murder "the top model on the planet" without even blinking. The most important top models are mincemeat for millionaires in this world.

We know that Charlotte is wealthy. We're told that early in the story. Emma's former best friend's parents are both movie stars who are even richer than Charlotte, but her wealth compares to theirs. So without question, in the world of Hillside, Charlotte is wealthy. We don't know the exact magnitude of her wealth, but more than enough to deploy the resources needed to defend the MC.

A studio head or mover and shaker in that world's entertainment industry, can get angry, lose his shit, and order Charlotte's death. Achieving that goal is quite a different matter. He's a wealthy psychopath. Biggest danger to Charlotte is her unwillingness to face the reality of the threats around her. Perhaps the MC will help illuminate them for her.