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

[jamdan]

I think Emma acts fairly realistically considering she is very sheltered, very shy and generally very naïve too (which is related to the previous two things). I doubt she has even saw anyone naked IRL, besides her sister and mom. I think it's virtually guaranteed that she is a virgin who has never had a BF too. I can't even imagine her watching porn unless her sister showed it to her. She acts so young because she hasn't actually done anything to make her not act so young, partially because she is just that innocent and partially because she is protected so strongly by her family.

Now, she isn't dumb. She knows something is going on, she asks MC what he does and knows something isn't quite right with her mom. She'll probably figure it out before anyone tells her. Being naïve doesn't mean someone is totally oblivious to what is going on. I just hope she figures it out before running into that creeper when he is creeping around at night.

 

[Havik79]

The only dumb person is her mother, so worried about her kid, but won't put her career on hold, and still gets drunk.

 

[Ragnar]

The only dumb person is her mother, so worried about her kid, but won't put her career on hold, and still gets drunk.

Charlotte isn't dumb either, she has good reasons to be afraid of men in Hillside, as we can see in the game.
Trying to protect her daughter, which is being stalked, is the natural thing to do.

 

[Havik79]

Charlotte isn't dumb either, she has good reasons to be afraid of men in Hillside, as we can see in the game.
Trying to protect her daughter, which is being stalked, is the natural thing to do.

Sorry but no, the smart thing to do would be to tell her daughter so she knows, and can be on the lookout and help protect herself, maybe even go get um shit, you know learn to fight stuff, and even see a shrink.

Keeping secrets and lying to Emma is only going to make things worse.

 

[Holy Bacchus]

The only dumb person is her mother, so worried about her kid, but won't put her career on hold, and still gets drunk.

Why should she put her career on hold? Nobody should stop living their life because of the actions of another. Giving in to them means that they win and she's showing great strength in being able to carry on through all this adversity. She has to remain strong for her daughters to not only give them a positive role model but also to provide for them.

Also, you can judge it all you want, but alcohol is how many people cope with tough situations and sometimes it can go too far, but that's life.

Sorry but no, the smart thing to do would be to tell her daughter so she knows, and can be on the lookout and help protect herself, maybe even go get um shit, you know learn to fight stuff, and even see a shrink.

Keeping secrets and lying to Emma is only going to make things worse.

This is called being a parent. She's trying to protect her daughter and shield her innocence because telling her could do more harm than good. She doesn't want to panic Emma, she doesn't want Emma to live in fear, to be constantly looking over her shoulder and worrying about every interaction she ever has with another person. That's something every good, decent parent would do for their child and that's exactly what Charlotte is doing here.

 

[Trapezio]

Sorry but no, the smart thing to do would be to tell her daughter so she knows, and can be on the lookout and help protect herself, maybe even go get um shit, you know learn to fight stuff, and even see a shrink.

Keeping secrets and lying to Emma is only going to make things worse.

When I was 20 my mother had surgery because of cancer. She might have survived the surgery as well as she might have not survived it. I didn't know it: she told me that everything was going to be all right. Now I know it and I think about it every now and then.

Now I'm asking you: did she make the right choice?

 

[Havik79]

OK I am not going to lie, due to circumstances beyond my control, I have persistent health problems with no meds/treatment for it, so I have chosen to be responsible and not have kids, so I will give it to you who are parents.

What I am, is an adult whose parents loved me, and nothing is worse than being lied to, more so by my own family.

By lying which is what Emma's mum is doing, it stops Emma from making informed choices, like running off at the beach, maybe choosing to go do self-defence, maybe speaking up about the text messages, and maybe seeking professional help to deal with it.

Emma clearly knows something is wrong, and lying and keeping secrets never help anyone.

You know what else I can tell you, my mum and dad told me he would be fine when he went into the hospital 8 years ago, and you know what, I never went and saw him even as it went past a months stay everyone said he will be fine, guess what, he died just before 5 am in the hospital so he was alone, and I regret everyone saying he will be fine and come home and he didn't.

So now I don't know what it's like to have kids, I do know how fucking much it hurts to be lied to.

 

[Maviarab]

Emma isn't a kid...she's a young adult and deserves to know the truth. The MC in the VN is right...it can only help her protect herself. Charlotte, while I understand her concerns, is actually doing more harm than good, and this is very systematic of many modern parents. Life is hard, the world ain't fair...sooner people understand that the easier their life will be.

Closeting your kids from the dangers of the world isn't going to do them any favours in the long term. We wonder why so many teens these days are the way they are?

 

[Trapezio]

OK I am not going to lie, due to circumstances beyond my control, I have persistent health problems with no meds/treatment for it, so I have chosen to be responsible and not have kids, so I will give it to you who are parents.

What I am, is an adult whose parents loved me, and nothing is worse than being lied to, more so by my own family.

By lying which is what Emma's mum is doing, it stops Emma from making informed choices, like running off at the beach, maybe choosing to go do self-defence, maybe speaking up about the text messages, and maybe seeking professional help to deal with it.

Emma clearly knows something is wrong, and lying and keeping secrets never help anyone.

You know what else I can tell you, my mum and dad told me he would be fine when he went into the hospital 8 years ago, and you know what, I never went and saw him even as it went past a months stay everyone said he will be fine, guess what, he died just before 5 am in the hospital so he was alone, and I regret everyone saying he will be fine and come home and he didn't.

So now I don't know what it's like to have kids, I do know how fucking much it hurts to be lied to.

Dude, I told you: I think about it every now and then, and I really don't know what to think about it. We never talked about it and I think we will never do it.

I just want to say that sometimes we don't know the right answer.

Luckily, Hillside isn't real life. This is good fiction.

So, I think the point is NOT: did Charlotte make the wisest choice?

The point is: did the Author make a - narratively speaking - smart choice? is the story better this way? would have been the story better or more coherent if the Author decided that the girl must know right now?

I don't think so. I think that the story is better this way.

 

[Ragnar]

Well the self defense training can be a good thing to do with the MC even if she doesn't know about the stalker.
MC can teach Charlotte too giving us the excuse to spend time with her and bond them together.

 

[Trapezio]

Emma isn't a kid...she's a young adult and deserves to know the truth. The MC in the VN is right...it can only help her protect herself. Charlotte, while I understand her concerns, is actually doing more harm than good, and this is very systematic of many modern parents. Life is hard, the world ain't fair...sooner people understand that the easier their life will be.

Closeting your kids from the dangers of the world isn't going to do them any favours in the long term. We wonder why so many teens these days are the way they are?

If Charlotte would have agreed with MC there wouldn't have been drama. The story would be much weaker.

Everything must come when it must come. Same reason why the Author removed the bathroom nude scene.

 

[Trapezio]

Emma not knowing what's really happening is adding drama to the story. Sooner or later she will know.

What would you think if we already knew who's the stalker?

 

[Maviarab]

If Charlotte would have agreed with MC there wouldn't have been drama. The story would be much weaker.

Everything must come when it must come. Same reason why the Author removed the bathroom nude scene.

There I disagree. The story wouldn't be weaker. As for the bathroom scene, you do know why it was removed yes?

 

[Havik79]

Well that's the thing, it may just be a game but we are coloured by or experiences and put them into/onto the characters.

Is it the right choice, depends, if it is to make us hate the mother, sure, if it means Emma finding out her mother is lying to her, and drinking and endangering her own child, which then makes Emma want to stop being treated like a child and maybe even rebel and start chasing the MC, sure.

If it's to do that reality tv stuff where they pick a bitchy person to just add more drama for drama's sake, then fuck no.

 

[Pudthumper]

my mom used to have magazine cut out's of Tom cruise on the wall in the late 90s early 2000s and she watched Ghost and dirty dancing almost every week, hell even now if id have to describe my mom id says shes dangerously naive and people always try and take advantage of her. some women are like that regardless of age. I will agree that it's not common but i think it makes sense that Emma behaves like she's younger that she is. her mom is SUPER paranoid, clutching to her like its her life line, literally not letting her grow up.

Your comment about your mom brought back a memory. At some point after my dad died my mother started crushing on Patrick Swayze. She watched Dirty Dancing over and over and even acquired somehow one of those life-sized cutouts of him that she mounted on the back of her bedroom door. It was kinda cute to see her acting like a lovestruck teenager in late middle age.

 

[Chronos169]

May i threw a few cents in this discussion and why i think MissC is NOT this (*edited*) " overprotective" Mother some people are seeing in her.

Replay slowly the beginning, when Emma and MissC watching this glorious Movie called "Poolboy" together.
She is thinking smth like:

"Oh finally she shows some interests in boys."

"She has become so self sheltered, maybe she will open up."

Similar reaction when she noticed that Emma changed her hairstyle

For me this isn't the behaviour from a complete Psycho Mom, then she would hide her in the basement and throw the key away.

I'll give the point with the food, but DarkBlue did (imho) a good Job with the explanation, that a Supermodel has constantly to look after her weight and/or what she could eat and what not, so it is for me logical, that she would cook more "healthy food".
And also she knows that Emma has "secretly" some junk food hidden and where it is.
Did she threw it away?
No, she is fine with it as long she doesn't "overeat" it.

So the case, that the Father left her and the Kids early, and she was maybe focussing at that time on her career and not on a new relationship so taht both kids has no "real Fatherfigure" in their life...should we blame now every Single Mom raising kids alone??

Yes for sure she is struggeling in her life and what happened to her, but ask alot of Vets or other people with PTSD and how deep the impact can be having this shit.
I have some sort from them myself, seeing my Mother in the Coffin (cancer) when i was 14, then during my Military Duty we were carrying wounded (and dead) civilian from the Military Plane to the waiting ambulances...and i have seen alot, kids without arms, legs, eyes, women, men with horrible wounds, some were dying in my arms...this can hit deep, really really deep and from time to time i have still nightmares from that even if it was 30 years ago.

 

[Maviarab]

May i threw a few cents in this discussion and why i think MissC is NOT this evil, possessive Mother some people are seeing in her.

Replay slowly the beginning, when Emma and MissC watching this glorious Movie called "Poolboy" together.
She is thinking smth like:

"Oh finally she shows some interests in boys."

"She has become so self sheltered, maybe she will open up."

Similar reaction when she noticed that Emma changed her hairstyle

For me this isn't the behaviour from a complete Psycho Mom, then she would hide her in the basement and throw the key away.

I'll give the point with the food, but DarkBlue did (imho) a good Job with the explanation, that a Supermodel has constantly to look after her weight and/or what she could eat and what not, so it is for me logical, that she would cook more "healthy food".
And also she knows that Emma has "secretly" some junk food hidden and where it is.
Did she threw it away?
No, she is fine with it as long she doesn't "overeat" it.

So the case, that the Father left her and the Kids early, and she was maybe focussing at that time on her career and not on a new relationship so taht both kids has no "real Fatherfigure" in their life...should we blame now every Single Mom raising kids alone??

Yes for sure she is struggeling in her life and what happened to her, but ask alot of Vets or other people with PTSD and how deep the impact can be having this shit.
I have some sort from them myself, seeing my Mother in the Coffin (cancer) when i was 14, then during my Military Duty we were carrying wounded (and dead) civilian from the Military Plane to the waiting ambulances...and i have seen alot, kids without arms, legs, eyes, women, men with horrible wounds, some were dying in my arms...this can hit deep, really really deep and from time to time i have still nightmares from that even if it was 30 years ago.

I don't think anyone has called her evil or even possessive. The people who closet their kids are also probably not this, they believe they are doing it in their kids best interests.

That aside, sorry to hear of your issues.

 

[Chronos169]

I don't think anyone has called her evil or even possessive. The people who closet their kids are also probably not this, they believe they are doing it in their kids best interests.

That aside, sorry to hear of your issues.

You are right, i'll change it to "overprotective".

And thank you , i am fine and it wasn't that often with repetitive Nightmares, maybe once or twice every few months.

 

[Havik79]

Well on the other side of the coin, I was in a car crash and developed PTSD severe anxiety and agoraphobia (fear of open places), and the few years after the crash pretending fuck all happened did nothing for me, seeing my doctor and shrink did.

Which is why I keep saying Emma should be informed about the stalker and if need be get help to deal with it, nor ignore it and become a drunk like the bad mother.

 

[Tragic Princess]

Seems like there's always an annoying friend in these games smh.