VN Ren'Py The Nature of Magic [Ch.2 Part 1] [Slate Interactive]

[Alexeinya112]

Just finished my first playthrough, this VN is incredible. The story and setting a great, the music really helps set the tone of the scenes, the models and renders are beautiful, and the characters are all great. Love it!

 

[BTungsteno]

This Ch2.part1 was on fire, Dev. delivered good moments that made the the update amazing.
Now to wait for part.2
I liked how He handle some of the characters, Im still not convinced about the MC but that's nickpicking (His daemon persona feel like someone overblow it to increase his value and give him confidence instead of earning it by His skills and abilities outside of the ambush at the beginning and at the end of this update)
Edit: Also really happy Dev. Didnt wait until Chapter 4 to advance the romance with the other girls in the household and the balance between the 3 being skilled but also flawed when they got depressed when the MC went into hiding, and cheer up having him back, instead of acting "happy to have you back MC...now in others news"

 

[prpa]

Im still not convinced about the MC but that's nickpicking (His daemon persona feel like someone overblow it to increase his value and give him confidence instead of earning it by His skills and abilities outside of the ambush at the beginning and at the end of this update)

I didn’t mind it much, I think it was mentioned in the game that, while acting as the Daemon, he only faced normal people, not people with affinity. Also, his persona was somewhat exaggerated by his handler, which I believe was stated in Chapter 1, but I could be wrong about that.

 

[Alexeinya112]

I didn’t mind it much, I think it was mentioned in the game that, while acting as the Daemon, he only faced normal people, not people with affinity. Also, his persona was somewhat exaggerated by his handler, which I believe was stated in Chapter 1, but I could be wrong about that.

Yeah, the implication from Gramps and Luther was that the Handler was having Daemon take cases from the local LE precinct and then using his successes to make him well known to the general public.

 

[Toksicz]

I feel like Orlaith's case should have been sexual assault or something of that nature, rather than her ears being played for hours. I think it would make it more impactful. It didnt have to be insertion, but bound and played just coz Cyril thought she was showing him the signals. Something like that. I just thought ear touched was alittle weak eventho Aine explained why its bad.

 

[prpa]

I feel like Orlaith's case should have been sexual assault or something of that nature, rather than her ears being played for hours. I think it would make it more impactful. It didnt have to be insertion, but bound and played just coz Cyril thought she was showing him the signals. Something like that. I just thought ear touched was alittle weak eventho Aine explained why its bad.

If someone kicked you in the balls repeatedly for an hour, you'd probably feel differently.

 

[Toksicz]

If someone kicked you in the balls repeatedly for an hour, you'd probably feel differently.

True, I would absolutely hate the guy, but I wouldn't change my whole look, start hating all men and hate the guys sister for it haha. I think its just the ear being played part that I just cannot fully grasp. I thought it would be much worse. I would sympathize more if she really had balls and he repeatedly hit it for hours

 

[Ka1tzer]

This game is a gem and an extremely pleasant surprise. Absolutely deserves 4, if not 5 star rating, easily.

Writing is exceptional, pacing is excellent, storytelling and world-building is on point, the humor is great as well.

I do have some hangups with some of the cast of characters though, but I'll straight up say that most of it has to do with personal preference of mine, and despite the way I worded things, they're great overall.

Design-wise, they're gorgeous. Some have some very generous proportions, but (thankfully) nothing that enters into the realm of ridiculousness in which characters look like inflatable dolls.

Personality-wise, they are quite diverse with distinct voices and very well-written, with quite well-defined personalities and motivations. That isn't present only in the written text itself, but also in how they are visually presented, from facial expressions to mannerisms. The attention to detail is absolutely insane.

So what was it that I didn't like that I alluded to before? Well, that'd be the overall "vibe" that some of the characters give out (and some heavily allude to) of promiscuity - and I just happen to loathe promiscuity in LIs, regardless if it's past or present in the context of the story.

So like I said before, it's a preference thing, but one that heavily affects my impression towards the game as a whole. After all, the cast of characters tend to compose about 70 to 90% of player's interests in an AVN, barring some notable exceptions.

To exemplify what I mean (and starting to delve into spoilery territory):

Spoiler: Spoilery Spoiler + Conjecture

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Despite all that, this game is absolutely amazing and I'll watch it like a hawk, waiting for the next updates.

Oh, a question/suggestion regarding Anwen: I really liked that Anwen "lost" her nipple piercings in her scene. Personally I dislike nipple piercings and would prefer it if they never made a comeback. HOWEVER, I know that I lot of people do in fact love them. Would it be possible to have scene variations with and without them in the future? Something along the lines of Anwen asking us if we'd prefer her with or without them, and then rolling with it?

I wouldn't even ask this if this was a Daz game since rendering there is apparently very consuming, but in this HS engine I hear it's blazing fast, and the main difficulty of creating scenes is in the posing of the characters and lightning, not in the rendering process itself. So, would it be possible?

 

[prpa]

Spoiler: Spoilery Spoiler + Conjecture

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I don't know what to tell you other than to laugh at this nonsense you typed. Both are fucking virgins (rest of the LIs too, probably), what more do you want? Should they be escorted by a male relative everywhere they go? Maybe wear hijabs?

Spoiler

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[Ka1tzer]

I don't know what to tell you other than to laugh at this nonsense you typed. Both are fucking virgins, what more do you want? Should they be escorted by a male relative everywhere they go? Maybe wear hijabs too?

View attachment 4966853

So you don't like my opinion or impressions. Okay. I'll still give my feedback if I feel appropriate. Moving on.

 

[Tyrranus]

True, I would absolutely hate the guy, but I wouldn't change my whole look, start hating all men and hate the guys sister for it haha. I think its just the ear being played part that I just cannot fully grasp. I thought it would be much worse. I would sympathize more if she really had balls and he repeatedly hit it for hours

except we're told it hurts her just as much as being kicked in the balls, and that male elves have confirmed it hurts that much so... I cant agree with you on the level of trauma, and we all react to trauma differently.

also it isnt just the physical pain she was forced to endure its stated she genuinely cared for the bastard that did it before he attacked her so its a one two punch of betrayal and torture

 

[Ka1tzer]

True, I would absolutely hate the guy, but I wouldn't change my whole look, start hating all men and hate the guys sister for it haha. I think its just the ear being played part that I just cannot fully grasp. I thought it would be much worse. I would sympathize more if she really had balls and he repeatedly hit it for hours

Putting it simply - it was literal torture in an erogenous zone, done by someone from the opposite sex, in an environment in which she should be completely safe and perpetrated by the very host's family (that should be responsible for the wellbeing of everyone under their care). The son did it and the father didn't do anything to help the girl, and instead tried to muffle things out and do damage control.

I think Orlaith's reaction is very plausible. People can get traumatized for much less.

 

[Ka1tzer]

I don't know what to tell you other than to laugh at this nonsense you typed. Both are fucking virgins (rest of the LIs too, probably), what more do you want? Should they be escorted by a male relative everywhere they go? Maybe wear hijabs?

Spoiler

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Can't say I appreciate this sort of answer filled with cheap, hollow and insubstantiated mockery seemingly born out of a misplaced feeling of moral superiority, but I'll answer. Maybe I failed to get my point across.

What I want is an explanation (some lines of dialog would do, during the scenes or prior to them) that'd explain exactly how Cerys was so evidently skilled in performing those particular actions in her 2 first scenes. I want to know what she meant by "I had my fun before we met" in that context there, and ideally, I'd like the opportunity to react to whatever the answer to that question is.

Did she get a lot of oral action with other guys? No guys, but maybe with girls? She has been showing a lot of interest in them after all (which btw, isn't a problem for ME, but I know for a fact a lot of people will raise hell regarding lesbianism). Nothing with people, just lots of practice with toys and whatnot (which would be a bit of a stretch to justify her performance, but hey it's a porn game)? Maybe she asked Aoiné to teach her and she practiced with bananas and pickles? We don't know!! And that's my point.

The game is very clear and very intentional regarding Anwen in a similar situation, but when it comes to Cerys things are foggy and put on airs. The game also heavily alludes to Bael and Fiadh's "colorful" past, and also pretty much explicitly mentions that Aoiné is quite experienced (but isn't a floozy).

If you've never driven any cars before, would you be able to pilot a Formula 1 car out of the blue? Cause that's kinda what happened there with her performance and the notable absence of talk denoting a lack of experience. In fact, the dialog points towards her being very experienced, and that is what's causing this strong feeling of disconnect in me and some other players.

The strongest feasible explanation I can think of atm for that to happen in this context and based on what has been shown so far would be that she "did everything, EXCEPT allow penetration in her vagina".

If the writing in this game wasn't so good and so solid I wouldn't give a shit, but everything so far has been written down with a lot of skill and also, apparently, intention. This author is GOOD. So I can't help myself from thinking that if those details have been left in foggy territory, that was not an oversight, but instead a conscious decision. I'd love to be wrong about that though, and that the author was misinterpreted or that it was an oversight, or whatever.

Look, if you simply automatically associate "having a hymen" with "sexual purity" (which is the de facto whole shtik regarding virgins), then there's no way we'll find common ground. What I pointed out has to do with the intimacy involved with the experience of becoming intimate with someone for the first time, regardless of the "type of sex" that was performed instead of strictly vaginal.

If she has indeed been sucking dick and taking loads, then the whole "I waited" thing is completely and utterly moot. Right now, it's not clear if she has though, but certainly look like it.


In short - she says "I waited", but everything shown in the game itself so far points towards "no you didn't, you just didn't get anything in that particular hole", as she seems to be plenty experienced with oral sex.

Hopefully the point I was trying to make is clearer now.

 

[prpa]

I'd want an explanation (some lines of dialog would do) that'd explain exactly how Cerys was so evidently skilled in performing those particular actions in her 2 first scenes. I want to know what she meant by "I had my fun before we met" in that context there, and ideally, I'd like the opportunity to react to whatever the answer to that question is.

Did she get a lot of oral action with other guys? No guys, but maybe with girls? She has been showing a lot of interest in them after all (which btw, isn't a problem to ME, but I know for a fact a lot of people will raise hell regarding lesbianism)? Nothing, just lots of practice with toys and whatnot (which would be a bit of a stretch to justify her performance, but hey it's a porn game)?

Maybe she had a lesbian lover, maybe she practiced with toys, we don't know. Or maybe it's just game logic. I've played plenty of AVNs where virgins who had never touched a dick acted like pornstars. Although I don't believe she did, so fucking what if she did suck a cock or two, that doesn't automatically make her promiscuous, also she is fucking 29 years old.

The game is very clear and very intentional regarding Anwen in a similar situation, but when it comes to Cerys things are foggy and put on airs.

What do you mean by that? Are you implying that Anwen is promiscuous? Because if you are, I really don't know what to tell you, other than that you're wrong and please play the game again. She's clearly inexperienced; the game makes that obvious. I mean, she even says it herself when she's sucking the MC’s cock.

If you've never driven any cars before, would you be able to pilot a Formula 1 car out of the blue? Cause that's kinda what happened there with her performance and the notable absence of talk denoting a lack of experience. In fact, the dialog points towards her being very experienced, and that there is what's causing a strong disconnect.

And the strongest feasible explanation for that to happen would be that she "did everything, EXCEPT allow penetration in her vagina".

For fuck’s sake, just because she didn’t outright say she lacks experience before having sex doesn’t automatically mean she’s a slut. What kind of logic is that? Not every character needs to spell everything out to prove their innocence or inexperience.

And no, the dialogue doesn’t suggest that she’s very experienced, I honestly have no idea how you came to that conclusion.

In short - she says "I waited", but everything shown in the game itself so far points towards "no you didn't, you just didn't get anything in that hole, as she seems to be plenty experienced with oral sex".

No, nothing like that was shown in the game, that's all in your head.

EDIT: Also, you're basing your entire "Cerys is promiscuous" argument on a single line of dialogue: "I've had my fun before we met." But they met in university when she was 22, and she's 29 now, that would mean she’s been waiting for him for seven years. So seven years without relationship, I honestly don’t see how that qualifies as promiscuous. It sounds more like she is a nun.

And like i said in previous reply, both Cerys and Anwen are virgins, so I really don’t know what you’re trying to prove here.

 

[Ka1tzer]

Maybe she had a lesbian lover, maybe she practiced with toys, we don't know. Or maybe it's just game logic. I've played plenty of AVNs where virgins who had never touched a dick acted like pornstars. Or maybe she did suck a cock or two, so fucking what, that doesn't automatically make her promiscuous, also she is fucking 29 years old.

Maybe you're getting my point - we don't know. And that is the problem. As for the rest in that quote, that's just copium.

Saying stuff like "game logic" is just a cheap way to excuse flaws. I'm not even completely against some of that stuff at times, but I'd much rather read something solid that doesn't need to rely on cheap "it's game logic man, whatever, who cares" types of excuses. And hey, for the most part, the game is not that at all - it is VERY good and VERY solid. Which is also why I'm raising my points so vehemently.

As for her age, that point is moot. If she chose to wait for her "the one", then she could've been 45 or could've been 18 and it wouldn't really have mattered as that's a decision based off of principles. And look, MC is nearly her age and had absolute zero experience. It's a romance trope.

If the author wanted to, he could just as easily say that during his isolation period, on the times he went to the nearby town every other week or so, he bedded a couple of girls. Did the author do that? No. So using age and circumstance to justify glaring flaws in this sort of "star-crossed lovers" backstory simply boils down to what/how the author wants to tell his story.

A romantic trope of "waiting for "the one" that as an addendum also has "but I'll be sucking dicks of "not the ones" in the meantime while I don't find "the one" "simply doesn't work.

If you don't care, good for you, but it doesn't change the fact that this is causing dissonance in what's otherwise an all around absolutely incredible story with an amazing cast.

What do you mean by that? Are you implying that Anwen is promiscuous? Because if you are, I really don't know what to tell you, other than that you're wrong. She's clearly inexperienced; the game makes that obvious. I mean, she even says it herself when she's sucking the MC’s cock.

Absolutely not, and that's my point. The game makes it abundantly clear that Anwen is not and has never been promiscuous, but it does not say that regarding Cerys in her first two scenes, only to then play it up hard on the third. So without filling the gap between what those scenes set, a dissonance happens.

I have no idea how what I said could be interpreted by you as me saying Anwen is promiscuous when it's the complete opposite.

For fuck’s sake, just because she didn’t outright say she lacks experience before having sex doesn’t automatically mean she’s a slut. What kind of logic is that? Not every character needs to spell everything out to prove their innocence or inexperience.

When someone is inexperienced in anything, it shows. Either the person communicates it verbally in some way, or in the action itself. Anwen, for example, had a bit of both (even a little bit of teeth there, if memory serves me right). Compare the writing and what it conveyed in Anwen's scene and look at her performance (which was still pretty fucking good for a first timer) and compare that to the fireworks, bells & whistles in Cerys' performance. Then look at the text in those situations. She talks, acts and performs like Cirque du Soleil performs while doing their 476th presentation.

There's nothing straight up explicitly stating she is/was indeed cockgobbler 3000, but there are many signs pointing in that direction, and that's ringing alarms.

 

[prpa]

Maybe you're getting my point - we don't know. And that is the problem. As for the rest in that quote, that's just copium.

Saying stuff like "game logic" is just a cheap way to excuse flaws. I'm not even completely against some of that stuff at times, but I'd much rather read something solid that doesn't need to rely on cheap "it's game logic man, whatever, who cares" types of excuses. And hey, for the most part, the game is not that at all - it is VERY good and VERY solid. Which is also why I'm raising my points so vehemently.

As for her age, that point is moot. If she chose to wait for her "the one", then she could've been 45 or could've been 18 and it wouldn't really have mattered as that's a decision based off of principles. And look, MC is nearly her age and had absolute zero experience. It's a romance trope.

If the author wanted to, he could just as easily say that during his isolation period, on the times he went to the nearby town every other week or so, he bedded a couple of girls. Did the author do that? No. So using age and circumstance to justify glaring flaws in this sort of "star-crossed lovers" backstory simply boils down to what/how the author wants to tell his story.

A romantic trope of "waiting for "the one" that as an addendum also has "but I'll be sucking dicks of "not the ones" in the meantime while I don't find "the one" simply doesn't work.

If you don't care, good for you, but it doesn't change the fact that this is causing dissonance in what's otherwise an all around absolutely incredible story with an amazing cast.




Absolutely not, and that's my point. The game makes it abundantly clear that Anwen is not and has never been promiscuous, but it does not say that regarding Cery's in her first two scenes, only to then play it up hard on the third. So without filling the gap between what those scenes set, a dissonance happens.

I have no idea how what I said could be interpreted by you as me saying Anwen is promiscuous when it's the complete opposite.



When someone is inexperienced in anything, it shows. Either the person communicates ir verbally in some way, or in the action itself. Anwen, for example, had a bit of both (even a little bit of teeth there, if memory serves me right). Compare the writing and what it conveyed in Anwen's scene and look at her performance (which was still pretty fucking good for a first timer) and compare that to the fireworks, bells & whistles in Cerys' performance. Then look at the text in those situations. She talks, acts and performs like Cirque du Soleil performs while doing their 476th presentation.

There's nothing straight up explicitly stating she is/was indeed cockgobbler 3000, but there are many signs pointing in that direction, and that's ringing alarms.

You’re basing your entire "Cerys is promiscuous" argument on a single line of dialogue: "I’ve had my fun before we met." It doesn’t say "met again," just "met." So if they met at university when she was 22, and she’s 29 now, that means she’s been waiting for him for seven years, seven years without a relationship, without sex, etc. I honestly don’t see how that qualifies as promiscuous. It sounds more like she’s a nun.

And like i said in previous reply, both Cerys and Anwen are virgins, so I really don’t know what you’re trying to prove here.

 

[Ka1tzer]

You’re basing your entire "Cerys is promiscuous" argument on a single line of dialogue: "I’ve had my fun before we met." It doesn’t say "met again," just "met." So if they met at university when she was 22, and she’s 29 now, that means she’s been waiting for him for seven years, seven years without a relationship, without sex, etc. I honestly don’t see how that qualifies as promiscuous. It sounds more like she’s a nun.

And like i said in previous reply, both Cerys and Anwen are virgins, so I really don’t know what you’re trying to prove here.

It's not just about that single line man. I used that as prime showcase since it encapsulates the main point.

What I'm saying here is that when you put together that line, along with the notorious absence of anything to explain her amazing oral performance (whereas the other character, Anwen, that has a similar scene has all "possible questions" regarding the scene properly answered, narratively speaking, and it's all coherent with what's shown) in tandem with her actual oral performances in her scenes - the sum of those things paint a specific picture.

There's room for questions though, because nothing is set in stone due to everything still being vague.

And I guess ultimately it all boils down to this one question - How exactly did Cerys get so good and so skillful in oral sex, as evidenced in her first two scenes, despite being a virgin?

If we get that answer, pretty much everything else falls into place.

There's absolutely nothing I have to say regarding Anwen, everything about her is extremely coherent and on-point. Whenever I bring her up, I do it as a point of comparison with her (and her scene) being shown as a reference.

 

[prpa]

It's not just about that single line man. I used that as prime showcase since it encapsulates the main point.

What I'm saying here is that when you put together that line, along with the notorious absence of anything to explain her amazing oral performance (whereas the other character, Anwen, that has a similar scene has all "possible questions" regarding the scene properly answered, narratively speaking, and it's all coherent with what's shown) in tandem with her actual oral performances in her scenes - the sum of those things paint a specific picture.

There's room for questions though, because nothing is set in stone due to everything still being vague.

And I guess ultimately it all boils down to this one question - How exactly did Cerys get so good and so skillful in oral sex, as evidenced in her first two scenes, despite being a virgin?

If we get that answer, pretty much everything else falls into place.

There's absolutely nothing I have to say regarding Anwen, everything about her is extremely coherent and on-point. Whenever I bring her up, I do it as a point of comparison with her (and her scene) being shown as a reference.

I'm exhausted and:

 

[Ka1tzer]

I'm exhausted and:
View attachment 4967601

Fair, and to be honest, so am I. Let's agree to disagree (I think) and move on.

 

[akinari2014]

If someone kicked you in the balls repeatedly for an hour, you'd probably feel differently.

The problem is that we cant relate to her. If u are man u know how to feel being kicked in the balls, but noone have oversensitive ears like her. Reading that he forced himself on her ears was silly. Maybe if we as a player experience accidently hurting Aine playing with her ears it would be more impactful.