VN Ren'Py Superhuman [v0.99999b] [WeirdWorld]

[the-god-destroyer]

Upon further reflection, I think I need to discount the low end estimation. I performed a sanity check, whereby I assumed that the Captains evolved during M-Corp, then followed along with the estimated Level 5 power growth. High end estimated to have 126.5k power by the time the current story takes place, which makes sense that it would be stronger, but the low end estimate fell just short at 45.7k power, which seems to imply that the power boost you get from waiting on your fifth evo is roughly equal to the training you would have gotten had you just evolved initially, which doesn't make sense.

didn't weird world say the power stat doesn't actually determine power? just asking cause i never watch his streams.

 

[KingAgamemnon]

didn't weird world say the power stat doesn't actually determine power? just asking cause i never watch his streams.

i don't recall but even so, the numbers don't add up. I've since considered the possibility that the hold off evo bonus is logarithmic instead of linear, which resolves this issue by reducing the initial estimates to low end 31k high end 42k, resolving the sanity check in both instances.

 

[KingAgamemnon]

As for the Big 3, well...

Assume Big 3 had fucked up crazy evos and power growths (i.e. Level 2 evo boost at Level 1, and Level 2 power growth at Level 1) because that's the best way to fit it in with Henri's claim that they were equal to current evo 5s as evo 4s back during M-Corp

Level 1 with ~1.1 power per day means evo at around 46.2 power, then gains 200 power making 246.2 power.
Level 2 with 8.425 power per day means evo at around 726.425 (+480.225) plus 2k power making 2736.425 power.
Level 3 with 61.8 power per day means evo at around 7680.425 (+4944) plus 20k power making 27680.425 power. (Fits with Henri's claim)
Level 4 with 453.7 power per day means evo at around (assuming maybe 120 days) 82,124.425 (+54,444) plus 200k power making 282,124.425.
Then 50 years of Level 5 growth (here calculated to be actually a theoretical Level 6 growth of 3330.9 power per day) means around 61,071,049.425 power (+60,788,925).

So while Captains Nyx, Lucius, and Zack are highballed at around 42k power, the Big 3 are roughly 61 million power. 60 million for Henri i guess, if you consider his lack of training in between Evos. But yeah, the Big 3 are stupid fucking powerful.

 

[KKStrider]

Thinking about this made me want to estimate the total power the Captains have, not counting the Big 3 because they're insane.

MC average power per day as a Level 1: ~0.33
MC average power per day as a Level 2: ~1.1
MC average power per day as a Level 3: ~8.425

Assuming an exponential growth (because this shit ain't linear), line of best fit is given by 0.0212938e^(1.99339x).
This predicts that MC's average power per day as a Level 4 will be ~61.8, and as a Level 5 will be ~453.7.

Let's also assume that each evo's power boost multiplies by 10 each time, so Evo 4 gives 2000 and Evo 5 gives 20000.

Based on the fact Cole got bonus power as a result of being Level 3 for so long, let's also assume that this is also true and a percentage of the total evo power boost. Cole got ~10% extra power for being Level 3 for an estimated 5 years or so.

Estimating the current power of the Captains (not counting the big 3):
Assume each followed MC's growth patterns without any additional boosts or time bonuses up until Evo 4. So while M-Corp is active, each was Evo 4 with a presumed ~3k power. Since then, they remained at Evo 4 for approximately 50 years, before being given the serum and evolving to Evo 5.

High end estimation: Assume MC's growth pattern takes place over the estimated 80 counted days (MC evolved at day 99, and it is currently around day 180). 365/80 * 61.8 = 281.9625 average power gained per year times 50 years is an additional 14,098 power plus the initial 3k gives us an estimate of 17,098 power prior to receiving the serum. If we then assume that you get 10% extra power from your evo for every 5 years you were at that evo, then that results in a doubled evo boost of 40,000, meaning the Captains post serum have approximately 57k power.

Low end estimation: Assume MC's growth pattern takes place over the estimated 1 year (Approximately that's how long the twin + monster world arc has been). That means 61.8 power per year, times 50 gives an additional 3k power. Other assumptions about evo boost due to time hold and the Captains have approximately 46k power post serum.

I may suck at this kind of thing, but I know for a fact that even if we don't know exactly long the MC was in the Monster World, that Level 3 growth rate is way too high. I only have estimates to go off of because making a timeline is an absolute pain in the ass, but there's:

• ~2.5 in-game months between Level 1 and Level 2
• ~5.5 in-game months between Level 2 and Level 3
• Over an in-game year between Level 3 and present day

I'd estimate that the MC would have a growth of around ~0.32 MP a day at Level 1 and ~0.7 MP a day at Level 2. Taking my own stats, adjusting for the instances I spent power and using a year for simplicity's sake, the MC's Level 3 growth rate can be estimated as ~1.77 MP a day. It could be higher, my stats aren't power optimised and instead come from a bastardised hybrid of a corruption and skill build.

 

[KingAgamemnon]

I may suck at this kind of thing, but I know for a fact that even if we don't know exactly long the MC was in the Monster World, that Level 3 growth rate is way too high. I only have estimates to go off of because making a timeline is an absolute pain in the ass, but there's:

• ~2.5 in-game months between Level 1 and Level 2
• ~5.5 in-game months between Level 2 and Level 3
• Over an in-game year between Level 3 and present day

I'd estimate that the MC would have a growth of around ~0.32 MP a day at Level 1 and ~0.7 MP a day at Level 2. Taking my own stats, adjusting for the instances I spent power and using a year for simplicity's sake, the MC's Level 3 growth rate can be estimated as ~1.77 MP a day. It could be higher, my stats aren't power optimised and instead come from a bastardised hybrid of a corruption and skill build.

I go by the in-game day count because it gives me better numbers to work with. The internal day count is also a really reliable indicator of story progression, so I feel more comfortable using it than the arbitrary time frames in between moments.

Besides, if we do assume that MC's growth rate as a Level 3 is indeed 1.77 MP per day, then the line of best fit is a linear growth, resulting in a Level 4 growth rate of 2.5 MP per day, which would require approximately 2,800 days or 7.67 years of in game time for him to reach 10k power, which is the threshold for his fifth evolution (since MC tends to grow three times as powerful during each evo).

 

[Deleted member 9232069]

Why do I think we'd get the choice to become the lieutenant of team reaper? Maybe when we become level 4 that is. Cuz Duncan is tree now and he may not survive in the future, and even if he does he may get ptsd, on top of his trauma of botched level 4 evolution, meaning he'd wanna retire afterwards or worse, put in an asylum....and I think this would be the perfect gateway towards our fav Gilf Nyx's route so....

 

[Deleted member 9232069]

You know, time has always been one of the toughest and weirdest concept to implement in fiction (I think). I was a fan of Attack on Titan so I know how Authors implement time fuckery, and Im sure we've all seen Interstellar. So should I take these as some sort of foreshadowing?

Is Weird dude hinting at multiple timelines? With this one being one of them? Because every character is acting weirdly realistic, like this dream actually happened in the future, because of everybody commenting on MCs appearance, how they all actually seem to have aged realistically, (well not all of them), how they all get surprised at MC not knowing who hes marrying. Im just saying it feels too real to be a dream, and Claudia is the spawn of time, so all of this can make sense, despite her not actually being infected currently, because of time you know. But MC also says its all a dream in the end and nothings real, so Idk my theory isnt obviously 100% probable.

 

[KKStrider]

I go by the in-game day count because it gives me better numbers to work with. The internal day count is also a really reliable indicator of story progression, so I feel more comfortable using it than the arbitrary time frames in between moments.

Besides, if we do assume that MC's growth rate as a Level 3 is indeed 1.77 MP per day, then the line of best fit is a linear growth, resulting in a Level 4 growth rate of 2.5 MP per day, which would require approximately 2,800 days or 7.67 years of in game time for him to reach 10k power, which is the threshold for his fifth evolution (since MC tends to grow three times as powerful during each evo).

That's not actually true. With the data I provided the line of best fit with the highest R^2 value should still be an exponential one. The equation my line gave was y= 0.1328e^0.8552x, where x is Level and y is MP per day. Using it, I got a Level 4 growth rate of ~4.06 MP a day and Level 5 growth rate of ~9.56 MP a day for the MC.

I'm not even going to touch whatever the hell's going on overpowered trio, but my method of calculation using your assumptions (~3K MP at Level 4, 50 years, 20K MP boost for Level 5 etc) - albeit without the trying to calculate the bonus you get for waiting - would put the regular captains at 74K MP pre-serum and 94K MP post-serum.

 

[Zekethor2]

You know, time has always been one of the toughest and weirdest concept to implement in fiction (I think). I was a fan of Attack on Titan so I know how Authors implement time fuckery, and Im sure we've all seen Interstellar. So should I take these as some sort of foreshadowing?
View attachment 5085696 View attachment 5085698 View attachment 5085699 View attachment 5085700 View attachment 5085701
Is Weird dude hinting at multiple timelines? With this one being one of them? Because every character is acting weirdly realistic, like this dream actually happened in the future, because of everybody commenting on MCs appearance, how they all actually seem to have aged realistically, (well not all of them), how they all get surprised at MC not knowing who hes marrying. Im just saying it feels too real to be a dream, and Claudia is the spawn of time, so all of this can make sense, despite her not actually being infected currently, because of time you know. But MC also says its all a dream in the end and nothings real, so Idk my theory isnt obviously 100% probable.

Oh, I believe that each memory path really did happen, even if they took place in, well... dreams. That means the MC actually talked to Lochan, and I think he would even remember that. He also spoke to Aglaecwif, and with her, he even got her pregnant a second time. And the same goes for the others too.

I do have doubts, though, about whether the one in the body path was really Ella. It could have been, or not. But aside from that, I believe everything else truly happened, even if in a more fantastical setting. They were really themselves.

That said, I think in certain cases, like Michael, Alice, and Jake, they simply don’t remember the dreams.

As for Claudia, it was Lochan himself who helped the MC reach her, so she might actually be Claudia from the future. What’s interesting about that conversation is how she notices a difference in him. I wonder if the MC's appearance will change a lot for some reason. Because after a few years, I imagine he’ll already be level 5 and won’t age anymore, so any change wouldn’t just be from the passage of time. It would have to be something much more fundamental.

 

[CaptainBlackberry]

Oh, I believe that each memory path really did happen, even if they took place in, well... dreams. That means the MC actually talked to Lochan, and I think he would even remember that. He also spoke to Aglaecwif, and with her, he even got her pregnant a second time. And the same goes for the others too.

I do have doubts, though, about whether the one in the body path was really Ella. It could have been, or not. But aside from that, I believe everything else truly happened, even if in a more fantastical setting. They were really themselves.

That said, I think in certain cases, like Michael, Alice, and Jake, they simply don’t remember the dreams.

As for Claudia, it was Lochan himself who helped the MC reach her, so she might actually be Claudia from the future. What’s interesting about that conversation is how she notices a difference in him. I wonder if the MC's appearance will change a lot for some reason. Because after a few years, I imagine he’ll already be level 5 and won’t age anymore, so any change wouldn’t just be from the passage of time. It would have to be something much more fundamental.

Yeah, with what Claudia said "back from before...well you know" seems to imply some significant event that altered MC's physical form. Now, being a shape shifter, it is established that MC's body automatically reverts back to his perceived perception of himself. What could possibly happen that changes his perception about himself to that point - the most obvious thing would be him merging with the Eye. Maybe some other level 5 shenaingans, or maybe something to do with the Body and Memory is also a distinct possibility.
If it really is foreshadowing, it could go many different ways. Guess we'll see what happens after the 7-Days are up.

 

[Dinoflaggelate]

Yeah, with what Claudia said "back from before...well you know" seems to imply some significant event that altered MC's physical form. Now, being a shape shifter, it is established that MC's body automatically reverts back to his perceived perception of himself. What could possibly happen that changes his perception about himself to that point - the most obvious thing would be him merging with the Eye. Maybe some other level 5 shenaingans, or maybe something to do with the Body and Memory is also a distinct possibility.
If it really is foreshadowing, it could go many different ways. Guess we'll see what happens after the 7-Days are up.

My guess is that the MC is just wearing his hair differently in that possible future. Which sounds a bit silly, but it's the most distinctive part of his appearance. With how much of his face it covers, he'd need to change the hair anyway to have any other changes be visible. And it makes sense symbolically. The MC wears his hair low to cover his scars, which he's still self-conscious about despite all the confidence he's gained. Deciding to finally show the scars off with no reservations would be a good visual metaphor for a big life change. Especially if it involves the Eye, a being which represents itself as his scarred eyes.

 

[KingAgamemnon]

That's not actually true. With the data I provided the line of best fit with the highest R^2 value should still be an exponential one. The equation my line gave was y= 0.1328e^0.8552x, where x is Level and y is MP per day. Using it, I got a Level 4 growth rate of ~4.06 MP a day and Level 5 growth rate of ~9.56 MP a day for the MC.

I'm not even going to touch whatever the hell's going on overpowered trio, but my method of calculation using your assumptions (~3K MP at Level 4, 50 years, 20K MP boost for Level 5 etc) - albeit without the trying to calculate the bonus you get for waiting - would put the regular captains at 74K MP pre-serum and 94K MP post-serum.

Nope. I will give you that it's close, but the linear fit of 0.72x-0.37333 has an R^2 of 0.998395 and the exponential best fit of 0.988273.

EDIT: Wait, nvm, I was using my numbers. Yes, your fit does work best if you use the 0.32 and 0.77 values.

 

[KingAgamemnon]

Re-estimated Big 3 Growths

Evo 1 at 0.7 MP/day for 2.5 months is 52.5 power, gain 200 on evo for 252.5.
Evo 2 at 1.7 MP/day for 5.5 months is 533 power, (+280.5) gain 2k on evo for 2533.
Evo 3 at 4.3 MP/day for 1 year is 4102.5 power, (+1,569.5) gain 20k on evo for 24102.5. (Still in agreement with Henri's claim.)
Evo 4 at 10.6 MP/day for ~2 years is 31,840.5 power, (+7738) gain 200k on evo for 231,840.5.
Then 50 years at Evo 5 at 25.9 MP/day is 704,515.5 power. (+471,675)

704k power is definitely more reasonable than 61 million, and is still almost twenty times as powerful as the other captains.

 

[CaptainBlackberry]

My guess is that the MC is just wearing his hair differently in that possible future. Which sounds a bit silly, but it's the most distinctive part of his appearance. With how much of his face it covers, he'd need to change the hair anyway to have any other changes be visible. And it makes sense symbolically. The MC wears his hair low to cover his scars, which he's still self-conscious about despite all the confidence he's gained. Deciding to finally show the scars off with no reservations would be a good visual metaphor for a big life change. Especially if it involves the Eye, a being which represents itself as his scarred eyes.

Hell, maybe he'd get rid of the scars entirely. He certainly can do it even right now, but I guess it's another one of those "how he perceives himself" moments. He just can't "see" himself without the scars. Maybe after accepting the eye, or dealing with the trauma of the night he got those scars ( waiting for him and Indra to run the ones ), he'll finally let go of the memory of those scars and shed that baggage. Would be good character development in my opinion.

 

[Deleted member 9232069]

My guess is that the MC is just wearing his hair differently in that possible future. Which sounds a bit silly, but it's the most distinctive part of his appearance. With how much of his face it covers, he'd need to change the hair anyway to have any other changes be visible. And it makes sense symbolically. The MC wears his hair low to cover his scars, which he's still self-conscious about despite all the confidence he's gained. Deciding to finally show the scars off with no reservations would be a good visual metaphor for a big life change. Especially if it involves the Eye, a being which represents itself as his scarred eyes.

That would be pretty awesome ngl. As much as I like his emo look, he should get a haircut when he's in a better part of his life, like that wedding dream we all saw.

 

[dragonlord6789]

Hey, I just realized if Malik got lured by Algalecwif's words and took an unexplained leave of absence from his duties in HERO during a monster invasion, then Bernhardt might just stop trusting everyone. I mean think about it, if he can't even trust Malik who's his best friend to be responsible, then won't he start doubting the other captains too? Combine, that with his loss of trust in his subordinates, like Elijah and Kira and he may just start trying to do everything alone, setting up the stage for him burning himself out from overwork.

 

[Darth_Meow_504]

My current thoughts:

First, a joke: "Father Yuren" is a deeply unfortunate name and it was a missed opportunity for the MC to not trash talk him by referring to him as "Piss Daddy". Because if "Yuren" isn't meant to be pronounced the same as "urine", I can't think of what other pronunciation makes sense.

Second, all the reunions were great, both the ones with former lovers who you could rekindle the friendship (and take part in the benefits) with and those like the family and others close to you which served to put some worries to rest on both sides, grant closure to some outstanding issues, and set up for the future as you re-establish your life in your home world. It was especially rewarding getting to come in like a Big Damned Hero to save the day and receive the cheers of the forces you've come in to turn the tide for. It's truly a symbiotic relationship as you get the fulfillment of doing good and making a positive difference, get the joy of earning recognition and praise, and they in turn get renewed hope as a powerful ally and a symbol of protection for them returns to tilt the odds at least a little bit in their favor. It must be an intoxicating feeling, and what being a true superhero is all about.

Third, the cult arc which brings us to the current end of content. The best reunion in my opinion was saved for last, as (imo) Emily is the sweetheart at the emotional core of the game. Having gone so long without any content with her had lulled me into losing touch with that connection, and now I wish I could go back and change my answer in the monster world about if I had someone in mind as a romantic interest. At the time I wasn't sure, so I said I hadn't decided on anyone yet, but seeing Emily again reminded me why she was my favorite from the start. Even the sex scene reinforced that, as it felt a lot more like a couple making love with all the affection and emotional intimacy that implies rather than simple fucking for pleasure. As a character, she has "designated girlfriend" written all over her.

Minor bits:

• Emily is "best girl" in my opinion, and I acknowledge that's subjective, but I will brook no argument that Shadow is "Best Good Girl" and we had damned well better find a way to save her. Seeing her in such a sad condition, barely alive, was just heartbreaking not merely for the emotional effect it had on Emily but because Shadow in her own right is worth being attached to. She's more than simply an animal, she's Emily's companion and loyal protector and is a truly pure soul. She deserves to remain at Emily's side for the entire lifetime of her human, and I very much want the game to offer me a way to make that outcome happen.
  
  
• Some people seem to be misremembering Ella's words about Emily's monster compatibility --it's not that she had trouble finding a compatible one for her, it's that Emily had a particularly strong affinity for transformation that would work remarkably well with a number of different options. She couldn't settle on one ideal match because there were a variety of equally great options and none seemed to stand out more than the others to make for an obviously right choice. I'm thinking, or at least hoping, that means the player will get the option to make the choice and thus customize Emily's superhuman form to our own preference.
  
  
• The whole cult infiltration plan really was half-assed on the part of the MC and it seems a mere combination of luck and enemy incompetence that it didn't utterly backfire. It's really inexcusable, he knew that a Chosen of Authority --a class of foe he'd had quite a lot of trouble with before-- was in charge and a confrontation was probably inevitable, and he did little if anything to prepare or maximize his chances. Instead he just casually took the blunt and direct route counting on his power to guarantee victory, with no basis for believing he outclassed the enemy beyond his own blind overconfidence, and if he'd turned out to underestimate them it would have bitten him on the ass badly.
  
  
• Worse, once he found out two powerless civilians who were among his closest friends were there to try to infiltrate the cult, he took no precautions to protect them. He didn't let H.E.R.O know they were there or give the girls a method such as a signal or code word to identify themselves to their agents, he didn't coordinate with them on the mission in the first place so that they knew he was there or he knew they were coming at all. Even without H.E.R.O's involvement he knew he was going to be starting a shitshow among the cult compound sooner or later, and he didn't attempt to evacuate the girls or find them a safe shelter to ride it out or anything. Even if crazy-assed Christie couldn't be convinced to leave or hide, Emily is a reasonable and intelligent person and it wouldn't have taken much to convince her that she should be somewhere else safe for the time being in case the shit hit the fan. All he'd need to do is promise that if things didn't go south and it was safe to do so she could return and try to get the solutions for bringing back Ella and saving Shadow that she was there to find. Instead he took no precautions of any kind, and he's damned lucky the assaulting agents didn't come in weapons hot and gun down any cultist on sight rather than go out of their way to capture them alive and uninjured if they could.
  
  
• Speaking of uninjured, they might not have been shot but they were tackled and manhandled pretty roughly, and who knows what conditions the prisoners will be kept in before Christie and Emily can be identified and their captors persuaded to release them. Someone's going to have to go in there and rescue Shadow as well, and we had damned well better hope one of those idiots didn't get spooked and shoot her. In all, the whole situation was a clusterfuck that could have gone very wrong in any number of ways and it's all because the MC acted like a dumbass. I hope someone chews him out for being so irresponsibly sloppy and he learns to act more intelligently in the future.

 

[KingAgamemnon]

My current thoughts:

First, a joke: "Father Yuren" is a deeply unfortunate name and it was a missed opportunity for the MC to not trash talk him by referring to him as "Piss Daddy". Because if "Yuren" isn't meant to be pronounced the same as "urine", I can't think of what other pronunciation makes sense.

Second, all the reunions were great, both the ones with former lovers who you could rekindle the friendship (and take part in the benefits) with and those like the family and others close to you which served to put some worries to rest on both sides, grant closure to some outstanding issues, and set up for the future as you re-establish your life in your home world. It was especially rewarding getting to come in like a Big Damned Hero to save the day and receive the cheers of the forces you've come in to turn the tide for. It's truly a symbiotic relationship as you get the fulfillment of doing good and making a positive difference, get the joy of earning recognition and praise, and they in turn get renewed hope as a powerful ally and a symbol of protection for them returns to tilt the odds at least a little bit in their favor. It must be an intoxicating feeling, and what being a true superhero is all about.

Third, the cult arc which brings us to the current end of content. The best reunion in my opinion was saved for last, as (imo) Emily is the sweetheart at the emotional core of the game. Having gone so long without any content with her had lulled me into losing touch with that connection, and now I wish I could go back and change my answer in the monster world about if I had someone in mind as a romantic interest. At the time I wasn't sure, so I said I hadn't decided on anyone yet, but seeing Emily again reminded me why she was my favorite from the start. Even the sex scene reinforced that, as it felt a lot more like a couple making love with all the affection and emotional intimacy that implies rather than simple fucking for pleasure. As a character, she has "designated girlfriend" written all over her.

Minor bits:

• Emily is "best girl" in my opinion, and I acknowledge that's subjective, but I will brook no argument that Shadow is "Best Good Girl" and we had damned well better find a way to save her. Seeing her in such a sad condition, barely alive, was just heartbreaking not merely for the emotional effect it had on Emily but because Shadow in her own right is worth being attached to. She's more than simply an animal, she's Emily's companion and loyal protector and is a truly pure soul. She deserves to remain at Emily's side for the entire lifetime of her human, and I very much want the game to offer me a way to make that outcome happen.
  
  
• Some people seem to be misremembering Ella's words about Emily's monster compatibility --it's not that she had trouble finding a compatible one for her, it's that Emily had a particularly strong affinity for transformation that would work remarkably well with a number of different options. She couldn't settle on one ideal match because there were a variety of equally great options and none seemed to stand out more than the others to make for an obviously right choice. I'm thinking, or at least hoping, that means the player will get the option to make the choice and thus customize Emily's superhuman form to our own preference.
  
  
• The whole cult infiltration plan really was half-assed on the part of the MC and it seems a mere combination of luck and enemy incompetence that it didn't utterly backfire. It's really inexcusable, he knew that a Chosen of Authority --a class of foe he'd had quite a lot of trouble with before-- was in charge and a confrontation was probably inevitable, and he did little if anything to prepare or maximize his chances. Instead he just casually took the blunt and direct route counting on his power to guarantee victory, with no basis for believing he outclassed the enemy beyond his own blind overconfidence, and if he'd turned out to underestimate them it would have bitten him on the ass badly.
  
  
• Worse, once he found out two powerless civilians who were among his closest friends were there to try to infiltrate the cult, he took no precautions to protect them. He didn't let H.E.R.O know they were there or give the girls a method such as a signal or code word to identify themselves to their agents, he didn't coordinate with them on the mission in the first place so that they knew he was there or he knew they were coming at all. Even without H.E.R.O's involvement he knew he was going to be starting a shitshow among the cult compound sooner or later, and he didn't attempt to evacuate the girls or find them a safe shelter to ride it out or anything. Even if crazy-assed Christie couldn't be convinced to leave or hide, Emily is a reasonable and intelligent person and it wouldn't have taken much to convince her that she should be somewhere else safe for the time being in case the shit hit the fan. All he'd need to do is promise that if things didn't go south and it was safe to do so she could return and try to get the solutions for bringing back Ella and saving Shadow that she was there to find. Instead he took no precautions of any kind, and he's damned lucky the assaulting agents didn't come in weapons hot and gun down any cultist on sight rather than go out of their way to capture them alive and uninjured if they could.
  
  
• Speaking of uninjured, they might not have been shot but they were tackled and manhandled pretty roughly, and who knows what conditions the prisoners will be kept in before Christie and Emily can be identified and their captors persuaded to release them. Someone's going to have to go in there and rescue Shadow as well, and we had damned well better hope one of those idiots didn't get spooked and shoot her. In all, the whole situation was a clusterfuck that could have gone very wrong in any number of ways and it's all because the MC acted like a dumbass. I hope someone chews him out for being so irresponsibly sloppy and he learns to act more intelligently in the future.

I'm willing to sidestep MC's ignorance of how to deal with Emily and Christie as just heavy handed authorial intervention so that Emily and Christie can end up getting infected by Valravn and Eisheth.

 

[Darth_Meow_504]

On a separate topic, I may be a furvert but I find this monster in particular very intriguing:



In particular I'm curious to know more about its status and capabilities, as having it transform either Shadow (to save her life and upgrade her) or Emily (to give her a cool form that would make her almost like a big sister to her beloved pup) or both would be really cool.

Regardless, she was presented as mysterious and all indications were that we will encounter her again, so I'm looking forward to getting to learn more.

 

[TheShelly]

My current thoughts:

First, a joke: "Father Yuren" is a deeply unfortunate name and it was a missed opportunity for the MC to not trash talk him by referring to him as "Piss Daddy". Because if "Yuren" isn't meant to be pronounced the same as "urine", I can't think of what other pronunciation makes sense.

Second, all the reunions were great, both the ones with former lovers who you could rekindle the friendship (and take part in the benefits) with and those like the family and others close to you which served to put some worries to rest on both sides, grant closure to some outstanding issues, and set up for the future as you re-establish your life in your home world. It was especially rewarding getting to come in like a Big Damned Hero to save the day and receive the cheers of the forces you've come in to turn the tide for. It's truly a symbiotic relationship as you get the fulfillment of doing good and making a positive difference, get the joy of earning recognition and praise, and they in turn get renewed hope as a powerful ally and a symbol of protection for them returns to tilt the odds at least a little bit in their favor. It must be an intoxicating feeling, and what being a true superhero is all about.

Third, the cult arc which brings us to the current end of content. The best reunion in my opinion was saved for last, as (imo) Emily is the sweetheart at the emotional core of the game. Having gone so long without any content with her had lulled me into losing touch with that connection, and now I wish I could go back and change my answer in the monster world about if I had someone in mind as a romantic interest. At the time I wasn't sure, so I said I hadn't decided on anyone yet, but seeing Emily again reminded me why she was my favorite from the start. Even the sex scene reinforced that, as it felt a lot more like a couple making love with all the affection and emotional intimacy that implies rather than simple fucking for pleasure. As a character, she has "designated girlfriend" written all over her.

Minor bits:

• Emily is "best girl" in my opinion, and I acknowledge that's subjective, but I will brook no argument that Shadow is "Best Good Girl" and we had damned well better find a way to save her. Seeing her in such a sad condition, barely alive, was just heartbreaking not merely for the emotional effect it had on Emily but because Shadow in her own right is worth being attached to. She's more than simply an animal, she's Emily's companion and loyal protector and is a truly pure soul. She deserves to remain at Emily's side for the entire lifetime of her human, and I very much want the game to offer me a way to make that outcome happen.
  
  
• Some people seem to be misremembering Ella's words about Emily's monster compatibility --it's not that she had trouble finding a compatible one for her, it's that Emily had a particularly strong affinity for transformation that would work remarkably well with a number of different options. She couldn't settle on one ideal match because there were a variety of equally great options and none seemed to stand out more than the others to make for an obviously right choice. I'm thinking, or at least hoping, that means the player will get the option to make the choice and thus customize Emily's superhuman form to our own preference.
  
  
• The whole cult infiltration plan really was half-assed on the part of the MC and it seems a mere combination of luck and enemy incompetence that it didn't utterly backfire. It's really inexcusable, he knew that a Chosen of Authority --a class of foe he'd had quite a lot of trouble with before-- was in charge and a confrontation was probably inevitable, and he did little if anything to prepare or maximize his chances. Instead he just casually took the blunt and direct route counting on his power to guarantee victory, with no basis for believing he outclassed the enemy beyond his own blind overconfidence, and if he'd turned out to underestimate them it would have bitten him on the ass badly.
  
  
• Worse, once he found out two powerless civilians who were among his closest friends were there to try to infiltrate the cult, he took no precautions to protect them. He didn't let H.E.R.O know they were there or give the girls a method such as a signal or code word to identify themselves to their agents, he didn't coordinate with them on the mission in the first place so that they knew he was there or he knew they were coming at all. Even without H.E.R.O's involvement he knew he was going to be starting a shitshow among the cult compound sooner or later, and he didn't attempt to evacuate the girls or find them a safe shelter to ride it out or anything. Even if crazy-assed Christie couldn't be convinced to leave or hide, Emily is a reasonable and intelligent person and it wouldn't have taken much to convince her that she should be somewhere else safe for the time being in case the shit hit the fan. All he'd need to do is promise that if things didn't go south and it was safe to do so she could return and try to get the solutions for bringing back Ella and saving Shadow that she was there to find. Instead he took no precautions of any kind, and he's damned lucky the assaulting agents didn't come in weapons hot and gun down any cultist on sight rather than go out of their way to capture them alive and uninjured if they could.
  
  
• Speaking of uninjured, they might not have been shot but they were tackled and manhandled pretty roughly, and who knows what conditions the prisoners will be kept in before Christie and Emily can be identified and their captors persuaded to release them. Someone's going to have to go in there and rescue Shadow as well, and we had damned well better hope one of those idiots didn't get spooked and shoot her. In all, the whole situation was a clusterfuck that could have gone very wrong in any number of ways and it's all because the MC acted like a dumbass. I hope someone chews him out for being so irresponsibly sloppy and he learns to act more intelligently in the future.

As someone currently doing another playthrough of the game, I can say that Emily's compatibility was off the charts, but Ella didn't know what exactly she was compatible with, even with her encyclopedic knowledge about monsters. Which is why I am of the belief that Shadow is going to turn into the first member of an entirely new monster species and it will be that new species Emily is perfectly compatible with.