Ren'Py Lessons in Love [v0.55.0] [Selebus]

[Hungnoxu]

2 fcking AM in the morning finishing "Artificial Love" and its the best event I've ever read in this game.
This event surprisingly showed me a different side of Niki, as well as the thoughts and feelings she has been enduring and keeping to herself all this time. Niki literally said everything I hate about Akira lol.

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Seriously, this event broke my heart. I hope things get better for her in the future. I used to care about whether or not shes currently the best girl and the most likely to be the one Akira love the most, but now, Idc, pls Sel, give this girl happiness she deserves. Shes literally an angel, u cant prove me otherwise. I cant stand seeing her cry anymore.

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I’ve realized that I see things differently from most people on this forum when it comes to many topics. "Niki/The event was underwhelming", "Niki not being angry is weird", etc. Maybe it’s because I’m Asian? Asians often view things differently compared to people in the West — cultural differences already play a big part in that. Through conversations, I understood her sadness, helplessness in this matter. When Norkiko walked out as if nothing had happened, I found it kinda disturbing and realized how hard it was being normal in this world. Espicially when everyone is accepting the fact that Akira having sex with his students is a normal thing now.

 

[givemeabeer]

2 fcking AM in the morning finishing "Artificial Love" and its the best event I've ever read in this game.
This event surprisingly showed me a different side of Niki, as well as the thoughts and feelings she has been enduring and keeping to herself all this time. Niki literally said everything I hate about Akira lol.

Spoiler

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Seriously, this event broke my heart. I hope things get better for her in the future. I used to care about whether or not shes currently the best girl and the most likely to be the one Akira love the most, but now, Idc, pls Sel, give this girl happiness she deserves. Shes literally an angel, u cant prove me otherwise. I cant stand seeing her cry anymore.

Spoiler

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I’ve realized that I see things differently from most people on this forum when it comes to many topics. "Niki/The event was underwhelming", "Niki not being angry is weird", etc. Maybe it’s because I’m Asian? Asians often view things differently compared to people in the West — cultural differences already play a big part in that. Through conversations, I understood her sadness, helplessness in this matter. When Norkiko walked out as if nothing had happened, I found it kinda disturbing and realized how hard it was being normal in this world. Espicially when everyone is accepting the fact that Akira having sex with his students is a normal thing now.

Niki is, by far, the most «adult» and responsible character in that game. The second is Rika, bytheway. And yes, that scene was great.

But, with Sel, I'm afraid that she will not stay «responsible». That would block the scenario and the sister threesome... so whether her memory will be reset, and thus won't remember what she saw (unlikely...), or she gonna accept what Sensei do and did.

 

[TheGoodPastor]

What i remember is Mangled Ami abusing and insulting ChaCha Maya on a leash in one of those events.
The point is, i do think that Sel was forshadowing their dynamic so long ago, and it might be worth going back to those events if there is more.
I don't think it's a coincidence that ChaCha Maya showed up in .51 now that Maya's and Ami's dynamic is put on focus.

Life of Prizes was the actual reset event I think so it'd be in 'Utinam Ne Illum Numquam Conspexissem' right after it, the last event of chapter 2. So yeah that does seem like he's had this in mind for a while lol

 

[TheGoodPastor]

I’ve realized that I see things differently from most people on this forum when it comes to many topics. "Niki/The event was underwhelming", "Niki not being angry is weird", etc. Maybe it’s because I’m Asian? Asians often view things differently compared to people in the West — cultural differences already play a big part in that. Through conversations, I understood her sadness, helplessness in this matter. When Norkiko walked out as if nothing had happened, I found it kinda disturbing and realized how hard it was being normal in this world. Espicially when everyone is accepting the fact that Akira having sex with his students is a normal thing now.

I dunno, I feel pretty much the same as you I think, it was a hard read for me.

Personally I just think the difference is people here are very horny with the game and I'm not at all. Quite a few people just seemed happy Noriko got a sex scene and that she'll have more to come but I couldn't care less about that, and I love Niki so the whole event was just kind of miserable for me lol I hope we do find out there's some magic going on at the beach because as is with Noriko's reaction (or lack of) to the whole thing I just kind of can't stand her now.

And the really miserable thing is it's probably the best we'll see in terms of a reaction to Akira's actions, Sel's probably not gonna want Niki to move on or get revenge or anything so inevitably we'll probably just see her come to accept things somehow sooner or later and come back into the fold hornier than ever.

 

[arkhamtheknight]

Puzzle guide on first page should help.

I did what was said but the issue is that I die instantly after like one attack because apparently I have no health.
I do the first attack and it does no damage so the boss kills.me instantly and it's game over.

 

[SlidingSubject]

2 fcking AM in the morning finishing "Artificial Love" and its the best event I've ever read in this game.
This event surprisingly showed me a different side of Niki, as well as the thoughts and feelings she has been enduring and keeping to herself all this time. Niki literally said everything I hate about Akira lol.

Spoiler

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Seriously, this event broke my heart. I hope things get better for her in the future. I used to care about whether or not shes currently the best girl and the most likely to be the one Akira love the most, but now, Idc, pls Sel, give this girl happiness she deserves. Shes literally an angel, u cant prove me otherwise. I cant stand seeing her cry anymore.

I felt it was a very defining moment for the reader's opinion of Nikki. Up until then, she was a bit of a parody. The girl who never stopped pining for you, who will always be by your side. Even if the fact that it was a parody has been thrown in your face before.

Spoiler: GET REAL, FUCKER

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Even if, in my opinion, most of Chapter 4 has been somewhat of a parody of LiL, time will tell if it was intentional or an unforeseen consequence. I do agree with you, though, Niki is definitely an angel.

Spoiler

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I’ve realized that I see things differently from most people on this forum when it comes to many topics. "Niki/The event was underwhelming", "Niki not being angry is weird", etc. Maybe it’s because I’m Asian? Asians often view things differently compared to people in the West — cultural differences already play a big part in that. Through conversations, I understood her sadness, helplessness in this matter. When Norkiko walked out as if nothing had happened, I found it kinda disturbing and realized how hard it was being normal in this world. Espicially when everyone is accepting the fact that Akira having sex with his students is a normal thing now.

I think a simple and too average summary of said cultural differences would be that western players in general, despite any affection or care they may have for the characters, approach games in a callous way, and our devs also tend to reflect that on the writing and atmosphere, which is why most games of this kind need to have some immediate gratification to it, or at least end with it. Meanwhile, asian players, in a way, could be considered to be concerned with the stories and worlds present in the media, and their devs also cater to that. It's why JRPGs are a whole different category than regular RPGs (and why Clair Obscur is a western JRPG, but that's another story), the mentalities are too foreign. Of course, this is just to be taken as an oversimplication of the entire thing.
Maybe I'm giving Sel too much credit, but, again, I feel Chapter 4 is actually a parody of LiL itself (at least since the beach event) by design, and that, one way or another, the next beach event is going to solve all this.

 

[Moonflare]

I dunno, I feel pretty much the same as you I think, it was a hard read for me.

Personally I just think the difference is people here are generally horny with the game and I'm not. Quite a few people just seemed happy Noriko got a sex scene and that she'll have more to come but I couldn't care less about that and I love Niki so the whole event was just kind of miserable for me lol I hope we do find out there's some magic going on at the beach because as is with Noriko's reaction (or lack of) to the whole thing I just kind of can't stand her now.

And the really miserable thing is it's probably the best we'll see in terms of a reaction to Akira's actions, Sel's probably not gonna want Niki to move on or get revenge or anything so inevitably we'll probably just see her come to accept things somehow sooner or later and come back into the fold hornier than ever.

That's the eternal issue that I have with stories where a character acts in a horrible manner, and the author doesn't follow up with actual realistic consequences.

If you won't follow up, then you should step back from horrible acts. But what especially irks me when Selebus does this is that LiL has an excuse for the characters to literally turn murder hobo because they can be fixed by the following reset, and yet Selebus only does this ONCE with Makoto and never again.

In my opinion, that should have been happening every chapter with multiple and an increasingly number of people. My take is that he doesn't do it because Akira is a bad protagonist. He probably wouldn't be able to take it.

Were I to write a similar story, I'd have an ACTIVE protagonist that goes hard on the "the world will fix them for me" and starts to lose himself more and more in what he can do to people, until eventually someone DOESN'T get reset. That's it, they're dead for real. And then you start to create the second act of the story - but the protagonist should mostly be active imo.

 

[givemeabeer]

That's the eternal issue that I have with stories where a character acts in a horrible manner, and the author doesn't follow up with actual realistic consequences.

If you won't follow up, then you should step back from horrible acts. But what especially irks me when Selebus does this is that LiL has an excuse for the characters to literally turn murder hobo because they can be fixed by the following reset, and yet Selebus only does this ONCE with Makoto and never again.

In my opinion, that should have been happening every chapter with multiple and an increasingly number of people. My take is that he doesn't do it because Akira is a bad protagonist. He probably wouldn't be able to take it.

Were I to write a similar story, I'd have an ACTIVE protagonist that goes hard on the "the world will fix them for me" and starts to lose himself more and more in what he can do to people, until eventually someone DOESN'T get reset. That's it, they're dead for real. And then you start to create the second act of the story - but the protagonist should mostly be active imo.

Or, at least, some consequences from the protagonist actions... the only consequences Sensei get so far, was the death of Maya (and recovering his memory, but since some of them get back without us knowing they are (the abuse from his brother), we can't be sure of how they affect him), so, not much consequences...

And I do not agree about the active parts, even if I understand why its necessary in this story. The protagonist can be a «red string», a vessel who don't act but allow the reader to see a world, a point of view. A good novel, know by the name «La Vingt-cinquième Heure» by Virgil Gheorghiu, was like this, but I don't think it was translate into other language.
Anyway, in our case, Sensei got a definition, a story, and he can be active, but he's not. And that's frustrating.

That's why I keep calling him «Sensei» and not «Akira». I refuse to see him as a character, just as a «red string». It's less frustrating that way.

 

[shmurfer]

Someone wrote, iirc, that with .52? we'll get to know if Akira really did fuck Molly during Lavenders Green part?, like in Sekai's version, or if it was just "hardcore petting" like we got to see at first.
Yeah, no.
Sel already created ambiguity for that within Nodokathon 2 on the green route.
Don't think Akira spared Molly of impalement in that just because Sana was on top.

People were saying it's another chance to find out, because there hasn't been onscreen molly dicking outside of 1 very weird dreamlike sequence. He's shown a lot of explicit Sana dicking even if you can't dick her in her invites. It could be Sel being a dickhead to theorists, or they might be right.

So, leaving a post on a Sel positive note? (Not that i'm hellbound on bashing him where it's not due.)
Can't tell you the exact event. Memories are a bit blurried.
"A life of pizes"
Don't know if this was the sole or first event where Mangled Ami and ChaCha Maya (Maya2?) show up together, it's at least one of those events.
What i remember is Mangled Ami abusing and insulting ChaCha Maya on a leash in one of those events.
The point is, i do think that Sel was forshadowing their dynamic so long ago, and it might be worth going back to those events if there is more.
I don't think it's a coincidence that ChaCha Maya showed up in .51 now that Maya's and Ami's dynamic is put on focus.

Yeah it's after the life of prizes reset puzzle, but before the actual reset. I'll point out it also implies Ami created Maya for the purpose of helping Ami make him love her more, and now she has to wait even longer.
I wouldn't put too much stock in Maya2's appearance meaning much in 0.51, before that her last appearance was behind a door to steal your shampoo if you had it, and then doing it again could give you a profile outfit once you didn't have a shampoo.

Spoiler: Long posting about Niki in chapter 4 again.

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[SlidingSubject]

Were I to write a similar story, I'd have an ACTIVE protagonist that goes hard on the "the world will fix them for me" and starts to lose himself more and more in what he can do to people, until eventually someone DOESN'T get reset. That's it, they're dead for real. And then you start to create the second act of the story - but the protagonist should mostly be active imo.

That'd just be an edgy Groundhog Day. As in, I'm sure someone with more talent than any of us here can make it work (or at least make it marketable), but otherwise it'd just feel like an edgefest. EDIT: And yes, this post is because I loved that movie and I don't see ANYONE making it better.

Long posting about Niki in chapter 4 again

See, here's the thing. Despite my earlier mentions of Niki as a parody, that's her character, and she's been surprisingly consistent in her parody. Because she's a bit crazy too, as long as it wasn't some in-your-face thing like what ended up happening, she probably would've forgiven or excused. Anything short of her being in closet like that one Noriko scene with Ami wouldn't make her leave him. And that's what her scene shows, the conflict between her conscience and her wants. She's obsessed with Sensei, and until that event, nothing would've changed that. Also, the image you posted also shows Sensei's usual behaviour trying to destroy anything good in his life.

 

[shmurfer]

Also, the image you posted also shows Sensei's usual behaviour trying to destroy anything good in his life.

Possibly, but the last couple of lines is supposed to me talking to Niki. "Because it'd be hard for me to see you as anything but an idiot, and I don't want you to ruin my image of you."

 

[SlidingSubject]

Possibly, but the last couple of lines is supposed to me talking to Niki. "Because it'd be hard for me to see you as anything but an idiot, and I don't want you to ruin my image of you."

He IS being destructive. He knows she's at a low point in all senses, and decides to trample on her even more.
I'm willing to bet that conversation, in another world, is the start of the Niki route, and I'll wait 4 years to see if I'm right.

 

[fdsasdf_p]

I’ve realized that I see things differently from most people on this forum when it comes to many topics. "Niki/The event was underwhelming", "Niki not being angry is weird", etc. Maybe it’s because I’m Asian? Asians often view things differently compared to people in the West — cultural differences already play a big part in that. Through conversations, I understood her sadness, helplessness in this matter. When Norkiko walked out as if nothing had happened, I found it kinda disturbing and realized how hard it was being normal in this world. Espicially when everyone is accepting the fact that Akira having sex with his students is a normal thing now.

I don't think the majority of the underwhelming feeling from others necessarily come from "Niki responding to Akira's despicable stunt incorrectly"; me at least. The denial, despair, and regret; all of them make sense and are spot on. It's a heart wrenching event well done. Regardless, the feeling of underwhelming persists despite all that, and this is because, with how the shit storm is through and concluded, most of us has one simple question: "Now what?"

With previous examples like Maki the Oblivious and Sara the Accepting, we have not been shown a sign that an adult knowing the truth will drastically change how the story progresses; it feels like the direction isn't nudged even just a tiny bit. I'd be perhaps both pleasantly and unpleasantly surprised if the next Niki event is her last and she will afterwards exit the game forever, but what are the odds of that happening? What are the odds of this summing up to another NothingBurger instead? With Akira the Shitbag continuing to be incapable or unwilling to try and be less shit, the same woman-scarring ordeal is almost expected to keep happening, but again with how Ch4 unfolds, we really are not convinced that this is going to mean something substantial. And if it is not going to mean something and Akira will most likely keep literally fucking around, what the fuck do I do with the pain I felt for Niki?

Edit: Niki won't leave as I feel like I am witnessing someone not being able to leave their DV abuser. Understandable and sorrowful to know, but goddamn irritating to watch it develop as a spectator.

 

[Null Void Abyss]

is this compressed if yes please send the link

 

[Hungnoxu]

Long posting about Niki in chapter 4 again.

The part about the "proof" is actually pretty interesting. When I read Sana's event, I just thought the whole thing with Niki leaving to take a shower and then Sara having sex with Akira feels like a pretty standard trope in H-games — one character steps out for something, two others do “it,” and when the first comes back, they’re completely clueless. I remember Akira having similar situations with someone else where the others didn’t notice, so I didnt think much until u talked about this.

It makes me think that either the gods affect which events will happen, how ppl act in this world… or maybe Niki’s actually an idiot. Either way, I really liked that part of your take, and if this actually plays out in 0.50.0, it’s going to be pretty interesting to see.

 

[Hungnoxu]

And if it is not going to mean something and Akira will most likely keep literally fucking around, what the fuck do I do with the pain I felt for Niki?

We keep on suffering. Because I've been hating on how insufferable Akira is and wating for consequences but as we can see, nothing happens. With how everyone seems to accept that teenagers having sex with Akira has become normal now, it might be best if Niki just disappeared so that she wouldn’t have to suffer anymore because of him.

 

[ericade]

We keep on suffering. Because I've been hating on how insufferable Akira is and wating for consequences but as we can see, nothing happens. With how everyone seems to accept that teenagers having sex with Akira has become normal now, it might be best if Niki just disappeared so that she wouldn’t have to suffer anymore because of him.

Next update, sensei in horny jail , jail bottom bitch edition fixes ALL of these complaints

 

[jjprime]

Im only 14 hours into this game but I gotta compliment selebus on the beach event with the juxtaposition of

Spoiler: spoil

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. That really hit me hard. Because you, as the player know something is wrong when she leaves early but you dont know what. And it being revealed like that... its just.. amazing storytelling.

Maybe I will actually read the happy events now instead of ctrl-skipping them lmao

 

[TheGoodPastor]

Maybe I will actually read the happy events now instead of ctrl-skipping them lmao

That would be a good idea lol especially if you're the type of person who likes to do more than one playthrough. Either way they tend to provide a lot of insight into the world/Sensei or hints about things.

 

[harrytrumankr]

The part about the "proof" is actually pretty interesting. When I read Sana's event, I just thought the whole thing with Niki leaving to take a shower and then Sara having sex with Akira feels like a pretty standard trope in H-games — one character steps out for something, two others do “it,” and when the first comes back, they’re completely clueless. I remember Akira having similar situations with someone else where the others didn’t notice, so I didnt think much until u talked about this.

It makes me think that either the gods affect which events will happen, how ppl act in this world… or maybe Niki’s actually an idiot. Either way, I really liked that part of your take, and if this actually plays out in 0.50.0, it’s going to be pretty interesting to see.

wouldn’t it be more like Niki trying to willfully ignore everything that presents Akira in an awful way? probably because she knows deep down that if she acknowledges the fact that Akira is actually fucking his students and daughter, she’d have no choice but to leave/give up. so if there’s any plausible deniability at all or if there’s any sign that Akira is salvageable at all, she’d rather believe Akira is being somewhat lovable over anything else, that and Akira claiming to want to be a father gives Niki an impression of ‘hey he’s trying, so I have reasons to be here to help’. Basically she has been in that delulu the whole time, think about a loving wife blocking out every obvious hint that her husband is cheating and that might just be the idea.

that’s why it took Ami nudging her to face Akira X Noriko to actually confront the possibility of Akira being a depraved mofo. she wasnt going to make Akira face consequences or anything, she’s just trying to find any reason to stay with the man she’s been chasing her whole life imo. ffs i recall she became an idol just so that she could find Akira too, too much of her feelings are tied to him, she’d sleep on a bed of nails before she gives up the love of her life