Ren'Py Lessons in Love [v0.54.0] [Selebus]

[shmurfer]

Unpopular opinion, but what Kirin did to Ayane is much worse than what Haruka did to Kirin.

True, but I'd argue for different reasons. Lack of charm is why no one likes Haruka doing it, in a very reductive way.



The biggest difference between the two is Ayane wasn't able to say no and back out of it, because Kirin had blackmail Ayane cared about as opposed to Haruka's attempt.
If Haruka had blackmail on Kirin, this would have turned into a chapter long thing where Kirin would have felt the depths that Ayane was feeling before Chapter 3. It would have just been another Ami and Maya from last cycle level of redundant but it could have happened

That's what makes the start of chapter 3 so powerful. Ayane learns the world is broken and this new perspective gives her new priorities to worry about. And one of the first things she does is get rid of Kirin's shadow.

Spoiler: Ayane would have forced Kirin out like Kirin left Haruka if she knew enough at the time

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

If Ayane wasn't worried about Sensei's reputation in Ch1 and just told Kirin to fuck off, maybe after some vag touching to equalize how far Haruka got the impact would have been about the same. Kirin wouldn't have been this big villain that people cheer for her suffering 3 chapters later, she'd have just been pathetic. It's made for a hell of an Ayane arc though.

Haruka is no different from Chapter 1 Akira by the way, the only difference being the negative Rizz and lack of plot handsomeness (She's hot, but she isn't Akira hot in a way that bends people's common sense)

As far as seeking sex, sure. But even Chapter 1 Sensei knew to respect boundaries. This new playthrough has kept certain things in fresh memory so you can compare how Haruka handled trying to seduce Chika vs Sensei doing it

Spoiler: near the end of the second Chika mall event

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

 

[SlidingSubject]

Spoiler: Speaking of ̷w̷i̷t̷c̷h̷ which: Haruka

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

I kinda see it tbh, as in, maybe she tried grooming other boys but never really got the immoral thrill of someone who was technically related to her (and probably really too).

 

[DangDing]

Haruka is no different from Chapter 1 Akira by the way, the only difference being the negative Rizz and lack of plot handsomeness (She's hot, but she isn't Akira hot in a way that bends people's common sense)

Not really. Akira knows how to court the girls first while Haruka is pushy and wants sex immediately. For example, after Rin confessed to Chika, Akira didn't take advantage of her when she cried on his laps and slept next to him till morning. If it were Haruka, she'd already try to molest Rin, like what she's about to do to Chika crying in this update. The way Haruka treats Kirin is even more telling of the contrast between Akira and her. She doesn't even bother to tell Kirin her name and ignores Kirin's request, such as going to a proper room instead of bathroom, unlike Akira who took Kirin to a love hotel for her first time..

 

[Moonflare]

Kirin situation. Red path Kirin. Haruka situation. Flawed Characters.

You quoted me so many times that I feel compelled to reply jokes aside, I feel happy that my ramblings have been useful.

Spoiler: Kirin situation

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

Spoiler: Red Path Kirin

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

Spoiler: Haruka situation

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

Spoiler: Flawed Characters

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

Wow, I wrote a lot. If not everything, I recommend reading either the "red path kirin" or the "flawed characters" part, because they offer a retrospective of both Kirin and Futaba.

 

[crustlord12]

I wish I made a save for the chapter beginnings. Using the AutoVN mode, skipping all text and after choices and it's still taken almost 30 minutes just to get to the first reset. That's with everything being played as fast as possible. Wtf.

 

[DeanNoriko]

Spoiler: LiL brainrot

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

 

[Pedro4545454]

Spoiler: Flawed Characters

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

Futaba’s real characterization makes me believe that Selly doesn’t know what to do with her, and ends up using her in ways that would work better if applied to other characters. He can’t truly improve her character because every arc involving her ends up serving primarily to develop someone else.

• Bullying arc: developed Yumi.
• Eating disorder arc: served more to show Rin caring about Futaba than to develop Futaba herself.
• Academy arc: once again focused on Yumi, with Futaba talking about Yuki with her, which ultimately led to more moments between Akira and Yumi.
• Book arc: developed Nodoka more than Futaba.
• Parents arc: I’d have to review it to be completely sure, but if it follows the same pattern, then it was also used to develop another character rather than Futaba herself.

She doesn’t have an arc that is genuinely centered on her. Everything about her always ends up being used to push someone else’s story forward instead of her own. It would be ironic if that’s truly Selly’s goal with Futaba."

 

[SlidingSubject]

It would be ironic if that’s truly Selly’s goal with Futaba.

You know, considering the talk of gods messing with the sandbox just to provoke a reaction from the last update, I wonder if that's where Sel will go with Futaba.

 

[TBone9]

I got this game to jerk off too

Found your problem right there.

 

[DeanNoriko]

You quoted me so many times that I feel compelled to reply jokes aside, I feel happy that my ramblings have been useful.

Spoiler: Kirin situation

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

Spoiler: Red Path Kirin

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

Spoiler: Haruka situation

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

Spoiler: Flawed Characters

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

Wow, I wrote a lot. If not everything, I recommend reading either the "red path kirin" or the "flawed characters" part, because they offer a retrospective of both Kirin and Futaba.

As per usual, I agree with essentially everything you mentioned.

And you are right that unfortunately there are a lot of inconsistencies in Sel's writing.
Ultimately, I believe it stems from his initial reluctancy to tell a kinetic story. He already made it clear that he intended the story to be told the way he wants to, but felt forced to indulge his players in giving them the option to diverge from certain paths, avoiding LIs and uncomfortable situations.
This, in turn, spiraled into a main story that, unless played exactly the way intended by the writer, is getting further and further riddled with plot holes, contradictive character behavior and missing content.
And we know that it can only get worse from here.

To top it off, as you mentioned, some story arcs turn out to be nothingburgers or, at the very least, seemingly conclude in unsatisfying ways that lack the expected narrative impact.
From what I remember him mentioning at times on Discord, it's most likely just him changing his mind or realizing he isn't able to wrap it up the way he intended to due to some other plot developments or new ideas he has and just drops it like a hot potato.

It isn't great, but to be fair to him, a VN isn't exactly a book. It's not a finished work of art that can be reviewed from beginning to end and adjusted with hindsight to polish it and tie up loose ends and fix some logical errors due to last minute changes to the story.
It's more comparable to TV shows in my opinion and how some of them have amazing first seasons, only to disappoint with later ones when it becomes apparent that the writers don't actually have good and creative ideas to close the loops within the plot and provide answers to the questions and conflicts that they themselves created (many such examples).

In that context, I'm still content with how Sel managed to keep the story plausible and relatively coherent, even despite those issues that mostly come from having differing story paths. Or at least to me it's easier to forgive him for that.
Because, on the topic of flawed characters, he might be the most flawed one of them all

 

[Bingoogus]

This is basically what I imagine Sekai to have been like when she first dipped her toes into the waters that is child abuse. It has been shown already how she started to convince Akira in similar ways, though much less clumsily than Haruka. But do we really know that she hasn't had previous victims?
I'm not an expert on the topic, but I would imagine that this kind of sick affinity just doesn't get triggered randomly when spotting a hot little boy (I just shuddered simply writing this expression, ew) but that it is something that has been boiling inside a person for some time before they decide to take action for the first time. And while I vaguely recall her claiming that she only ever did such a thing to her beloved Akira, I in no way trust that ghost to be a reliable narrator and not lie to his and our face to sate her disgusting desires.

Whilst you're right in that we don't truly know, a lot of the pieces we have point to Sekai becoming infatuated with Akira when he was just a baby (peekaboo stops working at around a year old at the latest), and given her age, it's highly unlikely she could've even been classed as a predator as she isn't 20 years his senior... i think she would've been a young teen when he came along... but actually, i'm gonna call on the theorycrafters to try and nail this one down, or it's upper and lower bounds at least... still, Akira would seem to have been her first and all indications point to only.

 

[Pedro4545454]

I honestly feel that revealing Sekai did this with other characters, regardless of whether they were boys or girls, would break her character somewhat. If that happy event was real and Sekai was willing to move and live a life with Akira in another place, just the two of them (which I'm now starting to believe showed another world and not a memory of Akira), it shows that she truly "loved" him and that this was something exclusive to him. So I think revealing that she did this with several little boys or girls would really kill part of the character in my view, especially since, as far as I remember, it was never mentioned that Sekai could have other victims (Wakana, as far as I remember, said that Sekai's poems always mentioned a specific boy and never a different one).

And no, I'm not saying this because it's NTR or anything like that (For goodness sake, let's not start that discussion). I'm saying it because the "love" that Sekai felt for Akira, and the fact that she would truly dedicate herself to him, seems to be one of the only things that slightly "humanizes" her character. I think removing that would leave her as just a bad character and nothing more; everything that could have tried to humanize her would have been thrown away, and I don't really like that type of character.

 

[throwawaysponge]

not to be the guy but wtf is happening there lmao. I don't know enough about koikatsu but is that a random guy posing as her ass?

 

[hcguy]

not to be the guy but wtf is happening there lmao. I don't know enough about koikatsu but is that a random guy posing as her ass? View attachment 5492300

I think she has a sweater or something tied around her waist.

 

[throwawaysponge]

I think she has a sweater or something tied around her waist.

oh true they all do, lets go with that answer

 

[FireCazador]

Spoiler: I would make a whole football team if someone looked at me with this face

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

Spoiler: No way

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

Spoiler: Haruka dilema

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

Spoiler: I guess Sensei wasnt paying attention

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.