VN Ren'Py STWA: Unbroken [Book 1 Steam] [STWAdev]

[cxx]

What a good VN, how did I only discover it now?

this is mostly known if played the author 1st (not needed since this is it's own game besides prev. game mc and his loved one appear briefly at start).

 

[DevinHesi]

Now that she can be officially lewded

 

[ImSenjou]

About Elspeth, the pacifist facade is her wall, I kind of understand because when I was younger I also liked to fight, it was fun, I watched the Pride fights, my cousin always got vhs tapes of the fights in Japan (I'm Brazilian, and many Brazilians fought there at the time).

I liked to fight with my cousins and my friends, until I hurt my brother, I think I blocked part of the memory, but if I'm not mistaken with a kick I "punctured" one of his kidneys, he had to have surgery, even before I had already broken his arm on another occasion, but this time it was more serious, my family was all worried, and from then on everyone started to look at me differently, they started to judge me in a bad way, they called me names that I dont 'want to say.

So I just stopped, I became repressed, I stopped fighting, over time I stopped going out with these friends, I stopped watching fights, my relationship with my brother was never the same, since then I started to hate him, thinking about it now I see it's silly of me, but that's how I acted, and even today I consider myself someone with anger issues, but who suppresses it, I had to put up with a lot of shit from a lot of people, until I couldn't take it anymore, lost my temper and acted violently again, and in the end I always blame it on my "anger issues."

So looking at Elspeth, and reading some of the comments here, I see part of myself in Elspeth, someone who likes to fight, but who hurt people close to her, lost people and had to put on a facade to be accepted.

 

[TimHawk]

About Elspeth, the pacifist facade is her wall, I kind of understand because when I was younger I also liked to fight, it was fun, I watched the Pride fights, my cousin always got vhs tapes of the fights in Japan (I'm Brazilian, and many Brazilians fought there at the time).

I liked to fight with my cousins and my friends, until I hurt my brother, I think I blocked part of the memory, but if I'm not mistaken with a kick I "punctured" one of his kidneys, he had to have surgery, even before I had already broken his arm on another occasion, but this time it was more serious, my family was all worried, and from then on everyone started to look at me differently, they started to judge me in a bad way, they called me names that I dont 'want to say.

So I just stopped, I became repressed, I stopped fighting, over time I stopped going out with these friends, I stopped watching fights, my relationship with my brother was never the same, since then I started to hate him, thinking about it now I see it's silly of me, but that's how I acted, and even today I consider myself someone with anger issues, but who suppresses it, I had to put up with a lot of shit from a lot of people, until I couldn't take it anymore, lost my temper and acted violently again, and in the end I always blame it on my "anger issues."

So looking at Elspeth, and reading some of the comments here, I see part of myself in Elspeth, someone who likes to fight, but who hurt people close to her, lost people and had to put on a facade to be accepted.

First of, brave of you to share all that, thank you, it was a great read and also great insight.

Whenever I come back to Unbroken I get this weird feeling, that there is one piece of the puzzle, that we are still missing as far as Els is concerned, and I obviously don't mean the big reveal, I'm pretty sure we won't get that one untill one of the last few Episodes.

I understand a pacifist facade in your case, but Els, especially given that she is a genius who never seems to do anything carelessly or without a reason, doesn't even try to hide the fact that it's just a facade.

She runs a Veteran shelter and the group sessions, so being around violence or the recollection of violence is her 9-5. On top of that she spars and rolls, so her facade is kinda made out of paper, there is just something missing, it's just not a mistake Els would make.

She recieved martial arts training in her youth, so one would think any latent desire for violence would've shown itself much sooner.

I wish we would know how dark the developer wants to go with Unbroken, because maybe violence is just a trigger by proxy and it's killing that she got hooked on. It's entirely plausible that, unlike violence, the first time she had to take a life was during her time in the military.

Episode 6 was a big help in answering some questions, so I hope Episode 7 will continue that trend.

 

[RoryTate]

She recieved martial arts training in her youth, so one would think any latent desire for violence would've shown itself much sooner.

I think Els's desires did show at a young age. In the scene with Els's Dad, when the MC says that Els is a pacifist, he begins to dispute/question this description, but Els interrupts him and doesn't let him finish. So I think she did show this tendency towards violence when she was young, and her Dad is aware of it. Knowing that character trait could also be why, when her Mom suggests that Els could be the one to enlist after her brother dies, her Dad says: "It's a bad idea. Anybody would be better than her.". I think he might have understood from his own experiences in the army how the horrors of war could affect her, given her fascination with violent imagery (horror movies, etc) and extreme emotions. These questions still remain to be resolved, so this could be wrong, but I think we have enough hints to say that Els has been this way for much of her life.

 

[cxx]

Now that she can be officially lewded

is she sending naughty pics to mc?

 

[Ilhares]

is she sending naughty pics to mc?

One hopes she'll make it a live show.

 

[cxx]

One hopes she'll make it a live show.

well she's on sexban until match is over so mc needs to beware her after her match is done.

 

[Ilhares]

well she's on sexban until match is over so mc needs to beware her after her match is done.

I think you are confused, ser. Amrit was on the sex ban. Ines isn't a competitor, and may partake at any time she chooses.

 

[cxx]

I think you are confused, ser. Amrit was on the sex ban. Ines isn't a competitor, and may partake at any time she chooses.

i blame fever and that they look similar.

 

[misfolk]

i blame fever and that they look similar.

That's how the French and Indian War started.

 

[MF_DOOM]

Check In 11/15/2023

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Elspeth is the cover girl this week, and it's providing us with the rather rare sight of her being a little less tomboyish than usual.
Draft editing is about as you would expect, still no scenes cut, just tightened. Really most of what's left is working with a scene that has a pretty large divergence based on previous choices. Making sure the scenes feel different enough, but still making sure that key information gets expressed. Once that finishes up I think that'll leave me with a good working draft, then it's in the hands of the proofreader.
Renders are about 792 rendered and 816 posed. It was a pretty good week this week. I'll be aiming to get to an even 850 renders before I switch gears for a bit. With a good base of renders I'll be switching over to animation for a bit. With the script essentially final and most new sets lit and ready I need to get them ported over and ready to work in. Then I'm going to just sit down and see what I can knock out for the first batch of animations. It's a bit different than how I usually do it, but I'm trying out a different division of time this update cycle, seeing if it flows better and gets things done more efficiently. So I'll probably have some early anim numbers for you next week.
I'll be having my monthly art stream for the Blue Belts and above on Saturday at 12pm Pacific, 3pm Eastern. The next batch of Unbroken work is incredibly spoilerific so I'll have to stream something else, I'm just not sure exactly what yet, but assume it will also contain spoilers.
Check in complete, thank you as always for your support and I hope you have a lovely rest of your week.
Sláinte!

 

[RoryTate]

One thing that has impressed me about this game's poses and renders, is that the developer really knows how to use hands well to express a character's emotion and motivation. I remember a manga artist saying that the position and general state of a person's hands is the second most important way – next to facial expressions – at conveying to the reader the emotional state of a character.

Considering the render above, it's interesting how Els seems very comfortable and at ease, despite her more "girly" outfit. And her hands definitely show this. They are relaxed and at her sides in a completely defenseless way, which is fairly unusual for her. If you pay attention, her arms are often crossed, or her hands placed in front of her body in some way, and I recall them even being balled into fists when she's working. Around the MC she does tend to relax, but when she is pressed about things – like when sharing a beer on the midnight stroll and the MC asks her if she has things about her service that she wants to forget – her hands immediately show her defensiveness and discomfort. In that scene, her one hand forms a fist while the other tightly grips her leg. Later on, she sort of "rests" her other hand on the wrist of her still fisted hand, which gives the reader the impression that she is having to hold herself back in some way. Great visual storytelling there.

I wonder what has made her so relaxed in this image, since it's most likely just an unconscious front for the raging maelstrom that still lies beneath?

Elspeth: Peace. I want to be at peace, truly at peace. If only for a brief moment. I'd value that more highly than anything else.

 

[TimHawk]

One thing that has impressed me about this game's poses and renders, is that the developer really knows how to use hands well to express a character's emotion and motivation. I remember a manga artist saying that the position and general state of a person's hands is the second most important way – next to facial expressions – at conveying to the reader the emotional state of a character.

Considering the render above, it's interesting how Els seems very comfortable and at ease, despite her more "girly" outfit. And her hands definitely show this. They are relaxed and at her sides in a completely defenseless way, which is fairly unusual for her. If you pay attention, her arms are often crossed, or her hands placed in front of her body in some way, and I recall them even being balled into fists when she's working. Around the MC she does tend to relax, but when she is pressed about things – like when sharing a beer on the midnight stroll and the MC asks her if she has things about her service that she wants to forget – her hands immediately show her defensiveness and discomfort. In that scene, her one hand forms a fist while the other tightly grips her leg. Later on, she sort of "rests" her other hand on the wrist of her still fisted hand, which gives the reader the impression that she is having to hold herself back in some way. Great visual storytelling there.

I wonder what has made her so relaxed in this image, since it's most likely just an unconscious front for the raging maelstrom that still lies beneath?

Man you described all of that so beautifully and expertly and all I thought when I first saw the pic was "damn, her right hand is just about to lift her dress and she's showing the MC, that she's going commando. PUSSSEEEEHHHHH."

I'm such a perv ! ...sigh...

 

[Bombmaster]

Man you described all of that so beautifully and expertly and all I thought when I first saw the pic was "damn, her right hand is just about to lift her dress and she's showing the MC, that she's going commando. PUSSSEEEEHHHHH."

I'm such a perv ! ...sigh...

You're being rational, my gay bear thoughs was Els being happy and carefree is because she is going on a date with Valentine after takin his ass into a relationship.

 

[RoryTate]

Man you described all of that so beautifully and expertly and all I thought when I first saw the pic was "damn, her right hand is just about to lift her dress and she's showing the MC, that she's going commando. PUSSSEEEEHHHHH."

I'm such a perv ! ...sigh...

LOL. Don't worry, I also noticed the revealing cut of her dress. Well, after first taking in the way her bust filled out the upper half of her outfit so bountifully. Being a guy who loves breasts, I'll freely admit that the main reason I notice Els crossing her arms so much is that it often gives priority to her cleavage, which is such a wonderful and mesmerizing sight to behold.

Considering things in another more cerebral way is just a different way to find enjoyment in good art. Generally speaking though, sexual desire is not an ambition to be feared or condemned IMO.

 

[TimHawk]

LOL. Don't worry, I also noticed the revealing cut of her dress. Well, after first taking in the way her bust filled out the upper half of her outfit so bountifully. Being a guy who loves breasts, I'll freely admit that the main reason I notice Els crossing her arms so much is that it often gives priority to her cleavage, which is such a wonderful and mesmerizing sight to behold.

Considering things in another more cerebral way is just a different way to find enjoyment in good art. Generally speaking though, sexual desire is not an ambition to be feared or condemned IMO.

Ive always been partial to legs, long, nicely shaped ones to be exact. It's like Legs > Ass > Tits, and as far as tits are concerned it's shape > size. So whenever I spot a beautiful face somewhere, my eyes always wonder down to her legs first, which lemme tell you, even with the non existent winters here in southern california, is a real bitch to figure out sometimes...stupid pants.

 

[Sasanid]

I love Elspeth, for so many different reasons. Of course she has an amazing body, well-rendered that one, for sure, but her personality, goddamn... she's a badass, but a refined one. And like someone mentioned a couple posts above mine, there's this maelstrom going behind that facade. Broken, totally... like Valentine, and McNab. Actually, most of the characters in this game are broken, and I live for that, but still, to me, Valentine and Elspeth are just meant to be.

Also, I just love the part where she's with Viridiana. She can be fucking intimidating, Vi got that fast, even though she managed to regain her composure.

 

[cxx]

Man you described all of that so beautifully and expertly and all I thought when I first saw the pic was "damn, her right hand is just about to lift her dress and she's showing the MC, that she's going commando. PUSSSEEEEHHHHH."

I'm such a perv ! ...sigh...

i thought same aka that she has no pants and if that's true then i wouldn't be surprised.

 

[Elduriel]

I love Elspeth, for so many different reasons. Of course she has an amazing body, well-rendered that one, for sure, but her personality, goddamn... she's a badass, but a refined one. And like someone mentioned a couple posts above mine, there's this maelstrom going behind that facade. Broken, totally... like Valentine, and McNab. Actually, most of the characters in this game are broken, and I live for that, but still, to me, Valentine and Elspeth are just meant to be.

Also, I just love the part where she's with Viridiana. She can be fucking intimidating, Vi got that fast, even though she managed to regain her composure.

yep, Ines wasn't wrong about her, she is final boss category Easily top 3