Ren'Py Lessons in Love [v0.49.0] [Selebus]

[barglenarglezous]

The only characters without alliterative names are Nozomu Arakawa and Sekai Arakawa. Yeah, they are not present in the game well half of them, as many others - Rin's second mom, Nodoka's mom, etc. BUT! We do know their first and last names, and they do not fit. What can that possibly mean?

It means that Selebus learned from the Stan Lee School of Character Names -- alliteration makes them easier to remember.

As for why Nozomu and Sekai are outliers, they're the only two characters whose first names translate into something thematically relevant (Nozomu = Hope or Desire, Sekai = World). He was already locked in on Arakawa for their surname, and had to choose between finding symbolic A names that matched his themes or bypassing his alliteration structure.

 

[Ern The Skáld]

Yuu and Kyoko both showed up towards the end of Chapter 3, albeit in a supernatural-ish way, as we were seeing through them instead of Sensei:

Spoiler

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Kyoko was never actually in 'Nothing is Beautiful', though, albeit she's implied to have been intended to be eventually. Her and Ai, both. Still, besides her surname, she's implied to be Nodoka's mother in Chapter 4:

Spoiler

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Or at least someone's mother, making her somewhat as "real" as "Saki".

Both fair points, BUT! Both of these events are very Happy, so we can't quite rely on them in terms of wtf actually is real or not. Like those events kinda stick out to me outside of even the regular Happy shit, cause they are not in-universe, they seem like complete glitch trips. Even Amy is less glitchy. While Saki was mentioned by Yasu in The Cracking Of The Egg. Although the name of that event in brackets suggests the link as well.

So... Who the fuck knows?

 

[Moonflare]

As I was trying to power through the absolute fest of feeling uncomfortable that is the last halloween of chapter 3, I stopped to share this random tidbit: It hadn't dawned on me that Akira blames Sekai for leaving him. I mean, we all knew he never dealt with her death, but I didn't realise it was to the extent of blaming the victim of a car crash for leaving as if it was her choice.

Spoiler: Girls just want to have fun

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Also, Rin confession part 2, which is the single positive thing this whole "special":

Spoiler: rin

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get together already.

 

[Oopsy]

So I've been playing this game for a few weeks and just got to chapter 4 a few days ago....I just got to the event "Ten Tips and Tricks to Make Even Straight Girls Want to Fuck You" and everything from here on seems to have no imaging...just a black box that says "THERE IS NOTHING"....like....I rapid clicked for about 10 minutes to see if anything ever changed and aside from sound effects and images of the sky there really does appear to be nothing. Is this the end of the current content and should I stop playing until the next update? Seems silly to have all these events that aren't finished put into the downloadable version of the game so I'm just making sure my file isn't corrupt or incomplete or something.

Any input appreciated <3

 

[Moonflare]

So I've been playing this game for a few weeks and just got to chapter 4 a few days ago....I just got to the event "Ten Tips and Tricks to Make Even Straight Girls Want to Fuck You" and everything from here on seems to have no imaging...just a black box that says "THERE IS NOTHING"....like....I rapid clicked for about 10 minutes to see if anything ever changed and aside from sound effects and images of the sky there really does appear to be nothing. Is this the end of the current content and should I stop playing until the next update? Seems silly to have all these events that aren't finished put into the downloadable version of the game so I'm just making sure my file isn't corrupt or incomplete or something.

Any input appreciated <3

Following the wiki:

that event is still from 0.39, and seems to be the first in a long event-chain. So there's not only a lot from that update, but also from update 0.40 yet. I have never seen a black box saying there is nothing though. When you've played through a current update there simply are no more events, there's no visual cue.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a problem with your files.

 

[Oopsy]

Following the wiki:

View attachment 3677561 that event is still from 0.39, and seems to be the first in a long event-chain. So there's not only a lot from that update, but also from update 0.40 yet. I have never seen a black box saying there is nothing though. When you've played through a current update there simply are no more events, there's no visual cue.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a problem with your files.

Gotcha....well guess I'm going to redownload and copy my save file to another folder and see if that fixes the issue. Thanks because I was going to be pretty upset if there were still that many events that are just unplayable due to lack of imagery. I mean....the story is the important part anyway but if I wanted that I'd just go buy a book....

 

[Nadekai]

As I was trying to power through the absolute fest of feeling uncomfortable that is the last halloween of chapter 3, I stopped to share this random tidbit: It hadn't dawned on me that Akira blames Sekai for leaving him. I mean, we all knew he never dealt with her death, but I didn't realise it was to the extent of blaming the victim of a car crash for leaving as if it was her choice.

Spoiler: Girls just want to have fun

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Also, Rin confession part 2, which is the single positive thing this whole "special":

Spoiler: rin

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get together already.

... too soon ...
... she needs to get heartbroken 4 more times before that ...

Spoiler

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Also... when will Sana peg us...

Spoiler

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[DeSkel15]

As I was trying to power through the absolute fest of feeling uncomfortable that is the last halloween of chapter 3, I stopped to share this random tidbit: It hadn't dawned on me that Akira blames Sekai for leaving him. I mean, we all knew he never dealt with her death, but I didn't realise it was to the extent of blaming the victim of a car crash for leaving as if it was her choice.

Spoiler: Girls just want to have fun

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Also, Rin confession part 2, which is the single positive thing this whole "special":

Spoiler: rin

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get together already.

It does seem like Sensei's actual problem with Sekai was her breaking her promise to him, by dying:

Spoiler

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[Moonflare]

So, during Ami's creepy taking care of Akira, there is this narration:

Spoiler

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A minor rant I guess, feel free to skip:

Spoiler: overwhelming supernatural stuff

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I don't know, am I alone in this? I hope everything eventually connects, but sometimes it feels like less would be more. Unless most of this stuff doesn't even exist, then it would be whatever I guess.

 

[Detective Dc345]

It does seem like Sensei's actual problem with Sekai was her breaking her promise to him, by dying:

Spoiler

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Spoiler: Sekai's promise should've been...

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[corsair101]

Gotcha....well guess I'm going to redownload and copy my save file to another folder and see if that fixes the issue. Thanks because I was going to be pretty upset if there were still that many events that are just unplayable due to lack of imagery. I mean....the story is the important part anyway but if I wanted that I'd just go buy a book....

Whenever you get a weird screen like that in this game, hold CTRL (default bind), it's the force fast-forward command in Ren'Py. There's a few spots where it tries to throw you with that. One particular spot coming up soon for you pops a message saying your save is corrupted, but you can either leave it for a while or fast-forward to get through the timer.

 

[Fire Lord Zuko]

Akira and Wakana: *minding their own business*
Imani: We're friends now!!

Spoiler

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I fucking love Imani so much, dude. Her positivity is contagious, and between Akira and Wakana, they reeeeally needed some of that in their friend group. So glad Imani and Wakana are both getting events in 0.41 too. Yet another reason to look forward to July.

 

[DeSkel15]

So, during Ami's creepy taking care of Akira, there is this narration:

Spoiler

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A minor rant I guess, feel free to skip:

Spoiler: overwhelming supernatural stuff

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I don't know, am I alone in this? I hope everything eventually connects, but sometimes it feels like less would be more. Unless most of this stuff doesn't even exist, then it would be whatever I guess.

We may have been fed lies or been gaslit throughout the game by various things, so what is said or thought to be true could simply be false or only partly true.

Pareidolia, especially, seemed to be trying to mess with the facts a lot, and it doesn't help that Sensei hallucinates and is delusional on top of that so what he sees or hears is questionable at best. There's memory alteration that can make facts false, then there are just straight up lies, with Maya Prime herself acknowledging she lies all the time:

Spoiler

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Basically everyone can be caught in a lie at some point. So, one has to wonder:

Spoiler

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And even then, there doesn't seem to be much stopping the truth we know, from changing into a lie. "it changes with the light".

As for the body, the Xoanon pulled out of the water, that may be Nodoka. She seems to be the one drowning in the 'Mother's Milk' Happy Event, and she's apparently been a little off lately:

Spoiler

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Could be wrong, though.

Sana seemed to be HOPE's intended sacrifice, but Sensei didn't fuck her, so it didn't count and this may have been HOPE's last thoughts about her:

Spoiler

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Whether the sacrifices are actually required or simply comparable to showing respect, I'm not sure. HOPE seemed annoyed that Sensei never gave it anything:

Spoiler

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So, when he failed to, at the end of Chapter 3, after being warned time and time again, HOPE seemed to take its Light (which may have been the "Everything" HOPE referred to), and left him to fend for himself. This happened after the Sana Sekai stuff, so it seems like that really was the last straw for Yasu's god.

As for all those new gods, they may be more like one god pretending to be more than it is. Presumably, there's a fourth force that needs to be everything:

Spoiler

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This is possibly referring to USER4, or simply something like The World Itself which may be the same thing. The recent gods could all be parts of this being given form.

Of course, we won't know, until we know, but based off Possessed Tsuneyo claiming it all started in a house near a lake, and Yasu mentioning the Well has nearly dried, then Nao-chan and Sensei ending up in that room, surely things will be getting revealed rather soon.

 

[DeSkel15]

There is one thing that somewhat confuses me about the lore, now that I think about it.

Ayane.

Based off what we've been given on Sensei's feelings for her pre resets:

Spoiler

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Sensei simply didn't seem to harbor romantic feelings for her. Sexual feelings? Well, based off New Maya implying she's roleplayed as Ayane before, probably. (He'd basically fuck anything)

Still, even after years of having sex with Ayane, Sensei doesn't really seem to hold her to the level of love that Ami, Maya, Noriko, Niki, and maybe even Chika and Makoto have risen to. Yet he still mentions her alot, cares about how she feels, and even defends her against Maya. He's at least acting like he loves her.

There's just something off about his feelings for her, even for Sensei. The Shapeshifter stuff, and Ayane making it to the roof for some reason, makes things even more strange.

I could just be over thinking things, but at the moment, I kind of see where Ami was coming from here:

Spoiler

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It's definitely harsh, but Ayane does seem like an anomaly, even in this game.

This does remind me, though, I wonder how these girls are going to tolerate eachother going forward. Ayane isn't going anywhere and Ami isn't either. I also wonder if that whole slapping Ami thing is going to come up? And what Sensei is going to think about it... Ayane seemed to be trying to hide it from Sensei:

Spoiler

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But after seeing Ami butchered and the whole 2 months away stuff, I'm not really sure what their relationship even is, now.

 

[Leoxsama]

There is one thing that somewhat confuses me about the lore, now that I think about it.

Ayane.

Based off what we've been given on Sensei's feelings for her pre resets:

Spoiler

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Sensei simply didn't seem to harbor romantic feelings for her. Sexual feelings? Well, based off New Maya implying she's roleplayed as Ayane before, probably. (He'd basically fuck anything)

Still, even after years of having sex with Ayane, Sensei doesn't really seem to hold her to the level of love that Ami, Maya, Noriko, Niki, and maybe even Chika and Makoto have risen to. Yet he still mentions her alot, cares about how she feels, and even defends her against Maya. He's at least acting like he loves her.

There's just something off about his feelings for her, even for Sensei. The Shapeshifter stuff, and Ayane making it to the roof for some reason, makes things even more strange.

I could just be over thinking things, but at the moment, I kind of see where Ami was coming from here:

Spoiler

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It's definitely harsh, but Ayane does seem like an anomaly, even in this game.

This does remind me, though, I wonder how these girls are going to tolerate eachother going forward. Ayane isn't going anywhere and Ami isn't either. I also wonder if that whole slapping Ami thing is going to come up? And what Sensei is going to think about it... Ayane seemed to be trying to hide it from Sensei:

Spoiler

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But after seeing Ami butchered and the whole 2 months away stuff, I'm not really sure what their relationship even is, now.

Weren't there theories floating around last year about how Ayane was going to betray Maya or something? How's that looking?

 

[LessonsInDissonance]

There is one thing that somewhat confuses me about the lore, now that I think about it.

Ayane.

Based off what we've been given on Sensei's feelings for her pre resets:

Spoiler

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Sensei simply didn't seem to harbor romantic feelings for her. Sexual feelings? Well, based off New Maya implying she's roleplayed as Ayane before, probably. (He'd basically fuck anything)

Still, even after years of having sex with Ayane, Sensei doesn't really seem to hold her to the level of love that Ami, Maya, Noriko, Niki, and maybe even Chika and Makoto have risen too. Yet he still mentions her alot, cares about how she feels, and even defends her against Maya. He's at least acting like he loves her.

There's just something off about his feelings for her, even for Sensei. The Shapeshifter stuff, and Ayane making it to the roof for some reason, makes things even more strange.

I could just be over thinking things, but at the moment, I kind of see where Ami was coming from here:

Spoiler

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It's definitely harsh, but Ayane does seem like an anomaly, even in this game.

This does remind me, though, I wonder how these girls are going to tolerate eachother going forward. Ayane isn't going anywhere and Ami isn't either. I also wonder if that whole slapping Ami thing is going to come up? And what Sensei is going to think about it... Ayane seemed to be trying to hide it from Sensei:

Spoiler

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But after seeing Ami butchered and the whole 2 months away stuff, I'm not really sure what their relationship even is, now.

That's because the love and lust that every girl feels for Akira is fake, and it's meant to be that way because those feelings were implanted by the Gods, the Gods want them to love him, they were "meant to be"

An example of this is Sana, and how angrily whoever it is that controlled her to like you gets, when you refuse to plap her.

Ami's love seems unnatural, she keeps hearing voices and they might be the ones steering her into fake love. Touka's love seems unnatural, she thinks Akira is disgusting at the beginning and somehow by being even more perverted she develops sexual feelings for him, it doesn't make sense to me. Maya's love seems unnatural (to me at least) as well, no matter how much you say to me that well "she has been trying to find the real akira for thousands of years" fake love can last for this long too, many girls' love feels unnatural the way they dont think much of him and then all of a sudden want to fuck w him out of the blue. Wizard Noriko and Maya just developing feelings at such a young age and wanting to plap Akira from that young is also unnatural, this simply does not happen and I just feel like they are all manipulated. They are "meant to be" manipulated.

Ayane for me is the only person whose love feels natural (despite it being obviously wrong) but whos to say that you can't love someone even if it's wrong? From the start of the game, she's the one character that has been declaring her unconditional love for him, she's the first character you commit a sexual act with inside the game (Akira was already plapping Wizard Maya way before the game's start, but for US she is the first one) She's the only one who would put up with ANYTHING Akira does, from having him cheating on her, to having to endure Kirin, to having to share him with Chika all to please him.
And while you can claim that Maya or Ami or many other girls know about his polygamy and don't want to share him, not a single one of them reacts the same way Ayane has. They are all either annoyed, angry or even accepting, which is not a genuine reaction to having your feelings hurt, not a single one of them acts truly heartbroken as Ayane has. All they want is to be loved by him by any means and that's not because they are putting aside their feelings, it is because it's their utmost influenced GOAL. They will get angry and will seek him out again anyway.
She's also the only girl in the game that has told you exactly when she fell in love with you, no other girl has done it, or can do it, because they don't possess such memory. The game has been practically screaming at you since the very beginning that AYANE LOVES YOU.

She was not "meant to be" because her feelings were never "meant to be" real, which ironically makes her the one Meant to be.

 

[JelF547]

Weren't there theories floating around last year about how Ayane was going to betray Maya or something? How's that looking?

Yasu offered Ayane to take Maya's place somewhere around crhistmass on beach. The theory is that Himawary talked Ayane into sealing this deal during beach wars, presumably without understanding consequences

 

[DeSkel15]

Weren't there theories floating around last year about how Ayane was going to betray Maya or something? How's that looking?

Yeah, a few were probably mine, lmao. If you hadn't caught up though, you probably shouldn't read this.

Yasu implied that taking Maya's place was something Ayane wanted:

Spoiler

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Ayane also seemed confident when it came to her future:

Spoiler

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Shortly before she more or less replaced Maya in Chapter 4. And she had almost immediately implied she thought Maya was unnecessary for the Resets, after surviving one at the start of Chapter 3:

Spoiler

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Ayane has also always been...a little concerning:

Spoiler

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I would have to respond with a yes if Ayane asked me this:

Spoiler

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That smile doesn't help...

 

[LessonsInDissonance]

Yeah, a few were probably mine, lmao. If you hadn't caught up though, you probably shouldn't read this.

Yasu implied that taking Maya's place was something Ayane wanted:

Spoiler

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Ayane also seemed confident when it came to her future:

Spoiler

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Shortly before she more or less replaced Maya in Chapter 4, and she had almost immediately implied she thought Maya was unnecessary for the Resets, after surviving one at the start of Chapter 3:

Spoiler

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Ayane has also always been...a little concerning:

Spoiler

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So, I would have to respond with a yes if Ayane asked me this:

Spoiler

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That smile doesn't help...

I will stand by my theory that Ayane is the only one whose feelings weren't implanted. Maya doesn't hold any official position, she is just the person that Akira is infatuated with the most, that is THE position that Ayane wants to replace. She is confident because she has a supernatural daughter with him that might be a clue for them ending together somehow. (Unfortunately having children with someone doesn't necessarily mean you will end up together)

Also, just because she is the one meant to be, it doesn't mean that she will end with Akira anyway. It is entirely up to him to sober up and pick up the pieces or double down and fall into the endless, infinite void of perversion and addiction.

 

[Moonflare]

Yeah, a few were probably mine, lmao. If you hadn't caught up though, you probably shouldn't read this.

Yasu implied that taking Maya's place was something Ayane wanted:

Spoiler

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Ayane also seemed confident when it came to her future:

Spoiler

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Shortly before she more or less replaced Maya in Chapter 4. And she had almost immediately implied she thought Maya was unnecessary for the Resets, after surviving one at the start of Chapter 3:

Spoiler

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Ayane has also always been...a little concerning:

Spoiler

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I would have to respond with a yes if Ayane asked me this:

Spoiler

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That smile doesn't help...

A possible detail on all of this is that when Himawari meets Ayane there's a clear moon.

Spoiler: flowerchild

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As Himawari said, perhaps Ayane wasn't meant to survive that forest. I think there are conflicting plans regarding Ayane and that Himawari was sent to do something there, and ended up doing another. How does that factor in Yasu's offer I have no idea.

This whole event is complicated because it's in summer, but it's also when Pareidolia connects, and there's the wildcard aka Himawari. Then Maya stops feeling the reset coming, but it's not like only Ayane feels it, it's both Ayane and Akira - and then there's Yasu saying that this is the end for Akira (so I don't think HOPE had any plans other than for him to be factory reset this time). But both Maya and Ayane make it to the roof no problem (which Maya didn't much before Ayane had been "chosen" or whatever).

Then Pareidolia advised Akira to not open his eyes until he was at the roof, or he would break, that's what he ended up doing and instead the one who got broken was Maya. Pareidolia also says he's the one that took her from him, and he was not going to give her back either (nor anyone else was around to help with that). Oh, and he seemed to prefer Ayane to Maya, when she arrived at the roof.

I don't know, I feels like there's a lot going on and we really need another reset in order to compare. I doubt HOPE was involved in any of this though, due to Yasu's last advice during the Halloween party. Sekai being missing from the whole thing is also unsettling (as is Wires not trying to connect during the reset, even though it was supposed to be his season).