VN Ren'Py Our Red String [Ch.14.1.4 Beta] [Eva Kiss]

[Socrambus]

Now he finds himself at the other end. Irony. View attachment 2979889
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"If mediocrity had a child with disappointment he'd have your face!", best one-liner in the game.

 

[fatpussy123]

It's rather presumptuous to say that it'd be the exact same romance path, given it doesn't even start the same way it does with GGGB. Regarding Mark and/or Jeremy, both are already potential options, neither of them is much of a playboy outside of their own mind, so i don't think trying to wrangle them in such a role would be very successful. Both have already demonstrated some questionable traits, and if i get it right, Jack would be option for people who decided they don't want either of them, based on those events or whatever.

Obviously the dialogue and other writing wouldn't be the same nor the artwork. But the general idea of taking Jack and giving him a romance where he becomes more caring is exactly what already happened in GGGB. I'd rather have ORS characters have unique arcs that are based on their circumstances for example Jeremy or Mark realising they're not built for a player lifestyle and becoming better people. It would be similar to Jack's arc, but not one to one.

Right now Lena has barely any good romances. Ian and Holly, that's it. Before Mike was a maybe, but with the epilogue he has shown that to him Lena is just another hoe. The reason is definitely not because a lack of options, Mike, Robert, Stan, Jeremy, Axel all have had 11 chapters to become decent but Eva chose not to focus on that. Coming in at the final hour with a recycled romance would be pretty shitty ngl.

 

[dolfe67]

I don't think Jack is the character to fix the problem most people have with Lena's love interests. I suppose he wouldn't be as abusive as Axel, but I wouldn't really call a relationship with him a particularly healthy one based of his GGGB characterization. Ian being Lena's only male LI that she can have a decent relationship with is, from my understanding, where most everyone takes issue. Perhaps she can "fix" Stan to not be such an incel, but... ehh it still doesn't feel good; at least in my opinion.

Thinking on it, Robert, of all people, could have actually filled this role nicely if some of his dialogue was altered slightly in the beggining of the game. Have Ian fight some throw away rando and remove the creepy stalking vibe when going out to get a drink with him in the first chapter, and then let Lena decide if she is going to fuck him to try and save her job be the trigger that turns him into the stalker / black mailer that people take umbridge with. If Lena makes the opposite choice and accepts that she's losing the job, then her relationship with Robert could have continued on be romantic with a more solid foundation.

Not "most everyone" takes issue with the males and their toxicity. Vanilla guys are boring and would make the game not very interesting

Ivy don't petty fuck anyone. Ivy likes to keep guys around her finger mostly for fun. She has standards unlike Lena in Slut path where she gobbles every dick in game. Also Ivy prefers Lena more than Ian but if Ian and Lena are dating or in relationship than Ian is more interesting to her as She can have him easily without making Lena jealous as Lena know how casual Ivy is about Sex. That's the reason IvyxIanxLena makes more sense but simply delayed by EK knowingly.

Ivy has as much standards as slut Lena, because she's one herself. Of course she won't fuck a rando, but slut Lena either. Though a threesome with them and chad Ian is very likely

 

[dolfe67]

if i remember correctly, her only action with male is blowing jeremy in dare game at chapter 7

That we see. She probably fucks guys off screen.

 

[MF_DOOM]

Holy f*cking shit, seing Emma in bikini way more hotter than Lena!!!
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She is hotter than Lena...If you are into fucking cows.

 

[CyberL4d]

if i remember correctly, her only action with male is blowing jeremy in daring game at chapter 7

if i remember correctly, her only action with male is blowing jeremy in dare game at chapter 7

That's the ridiculous thing about it. Although she is a character introduced as a slut, she does not interact with much men (except off-screen), including Ian. but for some reason she suddenly fucks mike. eva really doesn't know what to do with ivy and this is getting really annoying.

 

[fatpussy123]

Jack
Axel
Mark
Stan
Mike
Seymour
The cafe old fart
Jeremy
Marcel fr

.
.
To break this streak of garbage of Lena's li
Why not introduce Dave or buffed Eric I am sure they are better and favorable than Jack

I swear just introduce good love interests. GGGB characters already had their stories in GGGB, they should be used sparingly and to enhance already existing paths

 

[| Vee |]

...Ivy has as much standards as slut Lena, because she's one herself. Of course she won't fuck a rando, but slut Lena either. Though a threesome with them and chad Ian is very likely

If she was a Slut she would've had her way with Jeremy way long before and wouldn't ask Ian's opinion on Jeremy. Ivy clearly knows that every single person in ORS want's to be with her (at least once). And nope I don't agree with you sentiment that she is a Slut. but rather portrayed that way or a girl who is casual about sex. While Lena is what a Slut is as we see in Epilogue. And Yes! I agree with you that IvyxIanxLena is on the way but rather delayed by EK knowingly.

 

[yuvce]

Jack is alpha, maybe even more than axel and not that toxic as him

Jack is pretentious and thinks he get whatever he wants just because he can. But it's all good, he's a good person underneath because a girl he liked cheated on him with his scumbag brother, am I right? /s

 

[Blurpee69]

If i remember right Jack can be a "good end" for Ashley and is actually a decent guy at heart. Perhaps this is a path where Ashley ultimately betrayed him and chose his brother (or they never got together, if Good Jess is in the game) so maybe he can be a decent outcome for Lena in this one.

As for Robert, he continues to show he's a dick who blows up at the smallest opportunity even in this epilogue. His role is to be a loser, and he's embraced it wholeheartedly.

I agree Robert is a loser, he is supposed to be in this narrative, and there is nothing wrong with that from a story telling persepctive. I'm just saying with a little tweak in the begging of the game there is a world in which Robert could have filled that roll of boyfriend to Lena so she can have a healthy male relationship with someone other than Ian.

While we're on the subject of Robert being a loser though. Something that I've have always felt was a missed opportunity is Lena's and Ian's reactions to the Robert fight at the museum. Ian always regrets the fight, even if he initiates it with a shove or taunt, when it could have been used as to solidify his increasingly "alpha chad" mindset. It's kind of what the Milo fight ended up being, but to a much less effective extent. Or Ian could have spent more effort trying to talk Robert out of the fight, but Robert's pride or ego basically forces the fight and Ian could have delt with him again in a similar, but more effective way to Milo. Ian spending an extra dialogue option trying to talk Robert out of the fight goes a long way to show that he's a more mature and responsible person, worthy of a good Lena or Holly.

Then on Lena's side of the chapter. Lena mocking Robert for not being "man enough" to win a fight against a "writer" would have made for a more satisfying break up in the moment, as well as emphasizing how manipulative and bitchy hooking him up with Holly is later. Holly then later dumping Robert for similar reasons in a future chapter or epilogue can also re-enforce just how much of a loser Robert is and how far the claws of Lena and Ivy have dug into Holly. Lena telling Ian how exciting she found it afterwords could also work towards explaining why Ian and Axel start to square up in chapter 10 rather than attempting to talk it out. Or if the player lets Ian lose, Lena mocking him about not being man enough could sow the seeds for the cuck path later. A more decent Lena could berate Robert or Ian for starting the fight, giving her an exit from either relationship, or can help deepen her relationship with Ian if Ian spent that extra dialogue option trying to talk his way out of the fight earlier in the chapter.

I don't know it was just such a dramatic high point in the story, and very little seemed to come from it.

 

[ffive]

I'd rather have ORS characters have unique arcs that are based on their circumstances for example Jeremy or Mark realising they're not built for a player lifestyle and becoming better people. It would be similar to Jack's arc, but not one to one.

I wouldn't exactly call realizing one is a failure as a playboy so they give up on it "becoming better people". Becoming better would be giving up on something they can have but choose not to follow. But the bigger problem here is that these guys already shown themselves to be pretty shitty. It's a tall order to require for the player to stick with them in hope they get better, it reeks of the "i can fix them" which is absolutely not unique and you could easily argue GGGB had its fair share of it, too (hi, Jess)

Right now Lena has barely any good romances. Ian and Holly, that's it. Before Mike was a maybe, but with the epilogue he has shown that to him Lena is just another hoe. The reason is definitely not because a lack of options, Mike, Robert, Stan, Jeremy, Axel all have had 11 chapters to become decent but Eva chose not to focus on that. Coming in at the final hour with a recycled romance would be pretty shitty ngl.

Technically it'd be in the final third of the game, not the final hour. So i feel it'd be quite ok if it's introduced at this point. I think quite a few VNs have such come-late character, for people who found themselves not liking the flavor of early options. Personally i like it if the game doesn't dump everyone on the player upfront, because front-loading creates this sense of static afterwards, with no new developments.

 

[monk_56]

Moo.

Hasn't the tracing things been an issue for many updates? It used to be just Ian who was getting copy pasted scene content with the other wimpier men though. Minor character that he is . Ian got copied content with Robert / Mike / Mark quite often historically. But, now she is copying the other minor characters- OH NOES!

It does kinda feel like Eva is just low-key over the project and nose diving to the finish line though. Maybe she wants to start something new. Her player base isn't interested in the stuff she spent a ton of time working on writing- they just want their BBC content ect. She sounded so fucking over it when she was talking about the poll results for Mr. Bouncer vs Grandpa non-con manipulator.

It is kinda nuts how long she is dragging out some plots that have enough development like Holly/Lena/Ian or Ian/Ivy when she just throws out other shit that had zero build up ad hoc as fan-service like it makes even a modicum of sense in the story she has developed. It feels slash and burn.

 

[fatpussy123]

Slut Lena can blow Jeremy, bang Axel/Jack i, and go home with Mark all in the same night. Talk to me when Ivy does something similar.

 

[Tony Redgrave]

Since everyone is talking about the lack of good LIs for Lena - I feel like some of that is also due to the lack of dynamics in the 'relationship'. With Ian there is potential for different kinds of relationships, even a bit of a switch relationship since this chapter, where Lena can tease Ian and tell him he likes her being mean, but then Ian can turn it around and be rough with her, choke her and make her cum, and be in charge.

With other characters Lena is always just calling herself a 'slut' in inner dialogue and likes 'to be used' and generally is always looking to please.

I want my Lena to have sex with different characters, that's why I think the open relationship is handled poorly, but right now it feels like if I want to see a sex scene with Lena and a man other than Ian I have to make her act completely unlike I play her and envision her for the rest of the game. If Lena can tell Axel, Robert and Seymour to fuck off and stand on her own two feet, she should be able to have sex with men and take charge and be in control in those encounters, even when she likes it to be different with Ian, who is someone she feels she can trust.

And I know there are some qualities in her that are outside of our control and determined by her backstory and so on, but if those factors are that unavoidable other choices don't make sense to me.

Basically I'm mad, because I wanted her to have sex at the club in a way that made sense, and without her becoming completely devoid of agency as soon as a man has sex with her, and I had the (obviously unrealistic) wish of Lena just domming everyone but Ian

 

[ffive]

Slut Lena can blow Jeremy, bang Axel/Jack i, and go home with Mark all in the same night. Talk to me when Ivy does something similar.

For Ivy, that's Tuesday.

(she just doesn't advertise it)

 

[fatpussy123]

I wouldn't exactly call realizing one is a failure as a playboy so they give up on it "becoming better people". Becoming better would be giving up on something they can have but choose not to follow. But the bigger problem here is that these guys already shown themselves to be pretty shitty. It's a tall order to require for the player to stick with them in hope they get better, it reeks of the "i can fix them" which is absolutely not unique and you could easily argue GGGB had its fair share of it, too (hi, Jess)


Technically it'd be in the final third of the game, not the final hour. So i feel it'd be quite ok if it's introduced at this point. I think quite a few VNs have such come-late character, for people who found themselves not liking the flavor of early options. Personally i like it if the game doesn't dump everyone on the player upfront, because front-loading creates this sense of static afterwards, with no new developments.

Again if we want new options for the late game, why do they all have to be from GGGB. With Mark and now Jack it feels like a sitcom with guest characters, all its missing is live audience cheering in the background. I'd rather the existing options get beefed up.

The order in which I'd prefer fixes to the male mcs:
-Fix the current ones
-add new ones
-continue how the game has previously handled them
-do what is suggested with Jack

 

[ffive]

Again if we want new options for the late game, why do they all have to be from GGGB.

But they aren't. The epilogue introduced three new characters, two guys and one girl, and Lena can flirt with either and every of them. Only one of these characters is from GGGB and yet he's the one everyone talks about. If anything, this can only reinforce it for EK that despite all the complaints bringing the old cast back is the way to go.

 

[fatpussy123]

But they aren't. The epilogue introduced three new characters, two guys and one girl, and Lena can flirt with either and every of them. Only one of these characters is from GGGB and yet he's the one everyone talks about. If anything, this can only reinforce it for EK that despite all the complaints bringing the old cast back is the way to go.

I was under the impression that those were cameos since Eva mentioned there being a lot of cameos in the epilogue. If they are more than that great. Id especially like to see more of the Eli girl. She seems to give Jeremy the cold shoulder but is responsive to Lenas flirting, maybe finally a purely lesbian character?

 

[| Vee |]

But they aren't. The epilogue introduced three new characters, two guys and one girl, and Lena can flirt with either and every of them. Only one of these characters is from GGGB and yet he's the one everyone talks about. If anything, this can only reinforce it for EK that despite all the complaints bringing the old cast back is the way to go.

Didn't this look like she is bringing GGGB audience to ORS when both were(not anymore) completely different in dynamics and story elements? Designing a new character shouldn't be much of a problem as she designed 3 new characters for Epilogue of course it would've taken more time.

 

[ffive]

PilotLara afraid the fix for the boutique kind of blew up sideways -- if you visit the mall with Emma then trying to go there after you're done shopping now produces a crash:

I'm sorry, but an uncaught exception occurred.

While running game code:
  File "renpy/common/000statements.rpy", line 604, in execute_call_screen
    args, kwargs = a.evaluate()
  File "game/scripts/story/chapter_11_epilogue.rpy", line 1156, in <module>
NameError: name 'v11boutique' is not defined

I'm guessing the path with Lena going alone will work, though i haven't tried it. Though probably worth to keep in mind, calling ch.10 routine while on the date with Emma might cut off the latter part of the date, with visiting sex toy shop etc.