Honky Tonk Woman: 08/01/2030, 07:48  Jun finally fulfilled her dream of joining ''Sirius'' after half a year of waiting for her transfer. As such, she was moved from the Rokumei City Eastern Fire Department to the Central Fire Department...  ♪ BGM: Quiet Days of Rokumei City ♫  (This is where Sis works... the front line for rescue workers!)She wasn't only happy about getting to wear the uniform she'd admired for years. She was also excited about the prospect of possibly meeting ''him'' too.  Her memory of her savior was faint since it'd been nine years, but she felt she'd recognize him as soon as she saw him. (Wonder if he'll remember me... I'd like to thank him once, at least.)She then entered the station with those thoughts in mind--  Ah, good morning!Jun saluted and greeted him. I'm Jun Moribe, Firefighter! I'll be working at Sirius starting today! I swear I'll work myself to the bone to save lives, so let's both do our best together!It was supposed to have been the perfect greeting. ...But the worker didn't respond no matter how long Jun waited. ...? ... ...Um, hello~? Tch, not a speck of lady in this one either...! Huh?Jun was taken aback by how suddenly he clicked his tongue. Uh, what do you mean by 'this one either'? Nothing. Just talking to myself. Then what about the 'no speck of lady' part!? ...I meant now our squad has two nutcases for women who decided they actually wanted to work to save lives. Wha-!? Well, whatever. Once you enlist, there is no man nor woman. You say you'll work yourself to the bone? Well, you'd better mean that.The man left with those words. Utterly stunned by what had just happened, all Jun could do was watch him walk off into the distance. A... rear end in a top hat! The hell's his problem!?A voice called out to Jun from behind right after she let that curse slip through.  Jun, what are you upset about? Ah, Sis! Hey, what's that guy's problem!? Our first meeting, and what does he say? 'Not a speck of lady in this one'! I hate it so much when people tell me that! Who do you mean, 'that guy'? That worker with the creepy eyes! Seriously, they look like a freaking lizard's! Lizard... Jun, I think the man you're talking about... is our squad's captain. Fire Lieutenant Watase Kasasagi. Huh!? The captain's been complaining about that for a while. I believe his words were 'Five members on Team A, and two of them are women? What the hell is HR thinking?'. Misogynist prick! Why the hell does a son of bitch like that have to be my superior-- Jun, watch your tongue! You can't use that kind of language here! But Sis~...Jun started pouting like a kid from her dissatisfaction. Kazami's face stiffened up at that moment. Jun, this is a good opportunity for me to lay down some ground rules for you here. First of all, you are not to refer to me as 'Sis' while we're on duty. Huh? I am your superior henceforth. As such, you are to treat me as such and will refer to me as either 'Fire Sergeant Tachibana' or 'Lieutenant'. Whoa, hey now, you can't expect me to get rid of old habits so-- That's an order. Furthermore, you are to use proper language when you are on duty. That is how I speak to everyone here, and you are to be no exception, Ensign Moribe. Oh poo poo, you're serious, ain't ya? Geez, you're such a stickler, Sis~ Do. You. Hear. Me. Loud. And. Clear?♪ BGM: Psychological Warfare ♫ ...Though Kazami was not often prone to anger, Jun knew that there was nothing scarier than an enraged Kazami. Thus Jun clicked her heels and gave a salute before that storm of indignation could burst free. P... pardon my insubordination, Lieutenant!And thus Jun's life as a rescue worker unfolded. ♪ BGM: Challenger / Theme of Jun ♫ --Though he always sounded full of himself, Watase's skills were next to none on the field. Jun had passed both firefighting academy and the rescue worker exam at the top of her class and had been treated as a real up and comer by the Eastern Fire Department, but she was nowhere near Watase's league. Armed with his physical abilities, level-headed judgment, and vast wealth of experience-- all of which far exceeded Jun's-- he truly was an ideal rescue worker. (H-hmph... not bad, I guess.)She couldn't stand his utter indifference, but she quickly grew to have faith in his skills. With Watase, Kazami, and Hiyama's cool heads balanced out by Dojima and Jun's wild personalities, the five of them made a great team. (It's almost like human resources had that in mind when they assigned me...)--At first she wasn't sure about the whole deal, but her days at Sirius weren't so bad after all. But there was one thing that kept bugging her.  Jun had been looking around the fire department to see if the rescue worker who'd saved her was there. But no one knew who she was talking about. Even Kazami was the same. All she had to say on the subject was ''Who knows... Why don't you try asking the Captain?''. But after Jun finally mustered up her courage and asked him, Watase simply said ''Hell if I know'' and left it at that. (Well, I guess I'm glad it's not the Captain, but still.)At any rate, it'd already been over nine years since that day. It wouldn't be surprising if he'd transferred or something. (... So I guess that means my hero's no longer here, huh?)Jun was a little disappointed that she couldn't show that man just how much she'd grown.
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Jun 22, 2017 17:13
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Dirty Work: 09/13/2030, 11:54  Jun had been visiting public institute after public institute for disaster prevention guidance purposes.  ♪ BGM: Challenger / Theme of Jun ♫  Aren't you...? Hmm? Have we met somewhere? We were all at the scene of that accident! Remember? Ah! You're the kids who reported that accident, aren't you?--Those kids were ''Natsuhiko'', ''Mashiro'', and ''Louise''. They appeared to look up to Jun. Jun was also a bit happy about that, so when they asked her why she became a rescue worker to begin with, she answered honestly. I guess it's because I wanted to be a hero. A hero? Well, to be honest, ever since I was a kid, I've been something of a tomboy. I always wanted to be the 'hero' who saves people instead of the 'heroine' who needs to be saved. It's kinda tough to define what exactly a hero is, but saving people's lives is pretty drat heroic, I'd say.However, Jun was thinking something else then too. (Well, I guess I do have another motive... Maybe it was also to get back at my old man.)Jun's father, a city council member, was still as arrogant now as he had been when Jun was a child. He was a total snob who still spat on the ''justice'' Jun believed in-- nothing like the heroes Jun admired. As a councilman of a city that had garnered much influence over the years, he had probably done several things that skirted on the edge of illegality. Jun had tried to gain his attention when she was a kid, but she more or less gave up by the time she entered middle school. In high school, she frequently left the house to hang out at Kazami's place instead, and once she graduated, she left home for good. Jun was currently living by herself in a small apartment she rented. (Well, he lives his own way and I live mine. We're both adults now, after all.)Of course, whatever her father did had nothing to do with her. She figured she'd just live doing what she felt was right. Once she parted ways with Natsuhiko and his friends--   When she spotted a familiar face in an office. (Aw crap, Daddy!?)♪ BGM: Close to the Truth ♫ Jun frantically hid behind a door. She hadn't seen her father in the two years since she left home. (What's Daddy doing at the PRC...?)It looked like her father was talking to the PRC's chief. PRC Chief: ...There've been quite a lot of disasters lately... and I've got a feeling none of them were acts of God, if you know what I mean. Mr. Moribe: So it really is -their- work, isn't it? PRC Chief: I can't say for sure, but it's definitely possible. But assuming it is, should we call those concerned to attention... to avoid a repeat of nine years ago? Mr. Moribe: Impossible. How would we explain it to them? PRC Chief: ...Perhaps we should disclose some information. It'd be a good opportunity, wouldn't it? Mr. Moribe: Disclose information? All that'd do is fuel the residents' anxiety. We mustn't acknowledge that members of Q have slipped their way into Rokumei City. No matter what. It took us over ten years since that incident to finally achieve our current level of peace. That'd all go down the drain it we were to reveal the truth now. So we'll take care of this matter secretly. Got it? PRC Chief: ... The chief grew quiet. (... What're they talking about?)Nothing they said made any sense to her. There had always been a part of her father that had been shrouded in mystery for many years. After all, he was the man who'd ignored the citizen's protests and carried out the setup of cameras all over the city and strengthened the city gate regulations. (Well... it's got nothing to do with me. I don't mind letting sleeping dogs lie.)Jun left the building with that thought.
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Jun 22, 2017 17:14
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Roll Over Beethoven: 09/05/2027, 12:23  Jun had started to notice something off about Kazami's behavior.  ♪ BGM: Challenger / Theme of Jun ♫ But for some reason, Kazami acted like her mind was galaxies away.  Hey Sis, what should we eat for lunch? Good question... What would be nice?Calling out to her only resulted in receiving half-hearted replies like that one. Jun raised her voice in frustration. Sheesh! What's gotten into you, Sis!? Huh? Did I do something to piss you off or something? If you got something you wanna say, then let it out. Ah, no... you didn't make me angry, it's just...After she finished mumbling nervously, Kazami quietly continued. ...Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you... Huh? What's up? ...Jun, have you... Ever gone out with a guy before? Huh!? Wh-where'd this come from!? Ah, um... well, as your substitute older sister, I just felt it might be better for me to know these kinds of things, that's all... No, I haven't... B-but, it's not like I'm unpopular or anything, you hear? I've gotten love letters and confessions and stuff before... I see...Kazami sighed. (Wh... what's up with her?)Jun had thought that pigs would fly before Kazami would ever bring up the topic of love. Just when Jun wondered if she should start checking the skies to be safe, Kazami asked another quesfion. Then let me ask a different question... Do you... know much about classical music? Huh? Classical music? If you do, then I'd like you to tell me as much as you know... Sorry, my brain's a total blank on the subject. All I listen to is rock. ...I see...Kazami let out another deep sigh. Jun had started doing a lot of things to rebel against her father around the time she entered middle school. Said father was a classical music aficionado. Under the belief that ''he who hates Peter harms his dogs'', Jun had grown to associate classical music with her father, and thus hated it, turning to rock instead in rebellion. Tips posted:TIP: He who hates Peter harms his dogs (But why's Sis bringing up love and classical music like that? She hasn't shown interest in either topic up until--)It was then that the pieces clicked in Jun's head and she gasped. Oh my God! Don't tell me you finally found a guy you like!? Huh!? Wh-what makes you think that!? Well, it just sounds like you've got the hots for some guy who likes classical music, so you're trying to get into it too just so you can hold a conversation with him or something. N-no! That's not it at all... Um, well, you see... right, I heard it has relaxing effects! Relaxing effects? Yes, they say that listening to classical music works wonders at putting a tired mind to ease, right? I've been working with so much pent-up stress lately that I thought listening to classical music might be the remedy I need... Oh really...?It sounded like she was lying, but Jun decided not to press her on it for now. In exchange, she gave Kazami a warning instead. But let me just give you a little heads up, Sis-- All guys who like classical music are scumbags. Wh-what!? Well, I mean, my father likes it. And I've think I've already told you what a scumbag he is. B-but that just sounds more like you're being too biased, if you ask me... Nope, a person's taste in music shows their true colors. You've gotta keep that in mind when you're picking out a guy, you get me? A... all right.Jun secretly thought to herself once she saw Kazami's meek reply. (Good... this should keep Sis away from any sickos. God be damned if that day ever came...)Jun would feel a little lonely if Kazami ever got a boyfriend, but it would ultimately be a cause for celebration. But that man would have to meet Jun's highest standards before she ever accepted him. (... I made up my mind to protect Sis in Nagisa's place. That includes keeping her safe from any bastard who doesn't give her everything she deserves.)Jun secretly renewed her determination to maintain that policy.
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Jun 24, 2017 12:41
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Light My Fire: 09/15/2030, 12:18  Of when Jun had been sent out on that dispatch right after Natsuhiko and his friends had told her there could be terrorists out there.  ♪ BGM: Looming Crisis ♫ Operator: The report was called in by the Rokumei City Security Department. The cause of the explosion is currently unknown. It's possible an explosive was involved. Firefighting squads and the elite rescue squad are to hurry to the scene and conduct firefighting and rescue efforts.  Jun found herself stunned when the PRC finally came into view. The power of that explosion had been no laughing matter. Glass had scattered all over the place, and part of the building had been destroyed. (No gas explosion or anything like that could have done this much damage...!)She recalled the terrorists that Natsuhiko and her friends had told her about just a few minutes ago. Just then, Watase began handing down orders to all of Team A. We don't know the full situation, so it's too dangerous to go blindly rushing in! Take care of directing the evacuation first! (Huh!? Directing the evacuation!?) H... hold on, Captain! What if survivors are still around!? No backtalk, rookie! Just follow my orders! !! (The hell's his problem!? Someone needs to get it into his head that he's not a goddamn dictator! Our job is to save lives! I'm sure the rescue worker who saved me would have always put that first no matter what the dispatch--!) Ah, Moribe! Where are you going!? Dumbass! Don't go acting on your own!Jun ignored their calls and ran towards the building. But just as she tried to enter the facility by herself-- ♪ BGM: Approaching Death ♫ Something exploded in the building, sending something flying out of it towards Jun. She looked up and realized it was a steel desk bigger than her. (O-oh crap!!)--I can't get away in time! Just as she thought that, a voice called out to her-- ???: Moribe! Jun then felt something push her out of the way one second before the desk was due to hit her. When she came to her senses, she realized Watase was on top of her, shielding her with his body. Ah... C-Captain...? Idiot, what did I tell you!? I-I'm sorry... Well, whatever. Anyway, are you okay!? Huh...? What's wrong? You're not hurt, are you!? ... ...Hey, you gonna keep staring at my face or are you going to say something? Sorry, it's just-- I'm a bit surprised you're worried about me, that's all. Of course I'm worried about you, idiot. As your superior, that's my job.However, she felt a bit awkward hearing that from the Captain, seeing how she didn't get along with him so great. Jun's flustered state of mind was interrupted by Watase rapidly springing to his feet. Moribe, on your feet! Don't forget we still have a mission to do! Y-yes, sir!Jun quickly took Watase's hand and stood up. When she did, she found herself faced with an unusually stern glare from Watase. ...Listen up, Moribe, and don't forget what I'm about to tell you. We rescue workers are by no means heroes. We're ordinary people. If you die, that's it. End of the line. So you have to prioritize your own survival when you're on the job. The only times we rescue workers can act recklessly is when we're absolutely sure we'll survive. Got it? Make sure you always keep that in mind. Y... yes sir...Kazami ran over to them at that moment. --Captain, Moribe, are you both all right!? Tachibana, this happened because you were negligent in your supervision duties! Keep a tighter grip on the rookie, got it!? Sir, my sincerest apologies, sir! I'm leaving Moribe in your hands. I'll give orders to Dojima and Hiyama.And with that, Watase quickly dashed off. Jun stared at him with along gaze. (So in the end, he may be a hardass, but the Captain sure is amazing... I don't even hold a candle to him as I stand now.)But he was a world apart from the image of a hero that Jun had concocted in her mind. To Jun, a ''hero'' was someone who could do anything they set their heart on even without the skill or experience. (But... in reality, the heart alone can only accomplish so much...)Her failure to realize that fact had almost cost Jun her life just now. (Tch... I've still got a long way to go. The Captain's right to call me a rookie. Then I've got to learn as much as I can from him so I can stand on my own as soon as possible!) --Moribe, we need to get going too. Yes!Jun nodded, then chased after Watase with Kazami. Tips posted:TIP: Jun Moribe And that's it for Jun. Next up will be Yuuri.
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Jun 24, 2017 12:42
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Unlocking Scenes - Yuuri With Yuuri, we have three scenes to unlock scenes in, and a fair share we've already seen (''Heart of Darkness'', ''Ma-in'', ''Ushinawareru Monogatari'', ''Natsu no Replica'', ''For Whom The Bell Tolls'' and ''Towa mo Nakaba wo Sugite'')     ...That might be possible. Fortunately, Natsuhiko hasn't awakened yet. As long as he's still unaware of the circumstances, then may be... But are you sure, Yuuri? I'm sure. Because Hikorin... has saved me time and time again.When she said those words, Yuuri was reminded of all the times he had saved her.  How when Yuuri was worried about not making any friends, Natsuhiko had told her about Mashiro. How when Yuuri was agonized by her family problem, Natsuhiko had tried to save her. Natsuhiko always cared for Yuuri, and he was always there for her. Professor... I want to repay Hikorin. Even during the fire, he used telepathy to save me. 'I... don't want Hikorin to be locked away just because of that. Yuuri... You see, Professor... This time-- I want to be the one to save Hikorin.That was the moment Yuuri decided her own fate. --Two days later, when Yuuri was transferred to LABO, Dr. Tenkawa informed her of the news. And from there, the chapter goes as normal.     So what you wanted to buy was clothes? Look, I don't really get girl clothes. I just want a boy's opinion. Wanna get a less biased view, that's all.The way Mashiro looked at, spoke to, and behaved with Natsuhiko-- --made it quite obvious that she was falling in love with him.  Hey, Yuuri, what do you think about the food today? {It's delicious~ Mashiron, you sure are getting good at cooking. You're so cute and you're good at cooking... You're like an ideal wife.} Now that's a precious thing to say. So how about it, Yuuri? Will you marry me?--She was able to hold a conversation without any issue. It was as if Yuuri actually existed there. Yuuri was painfully aware of just how amazing a feat that was. Just being able to hold a conversation like that would've required Mashiro to train her ability to the point that she could use empathy like it was nothing. And there was only one reason she'd go through such lengths. (Mashiron likes... Mashiron wants to be with Hikorin so much that she...!)From there, we move on to the next input.    ...Huh? What makes you say that again? It's just, if I don't, then Mashiron will never... ...Are you worrying yourself over Mashiro?Yuuri nodded weakly. The three of us were always together... so I don't think he'd notice too much of a contradiction. And besides... I've wanted those two to get along better ever since we were kids... Hikorin and Mashiron always fought back then, but they don't do that anymore, so... So I think... it's about time the two of them started getting along better. ...The professor fell silent, her face clearly showing she was at a loss for words. But eventually, she sighed and spoke. I understand how you feel... but it would probably be bad to do that too. Why's that? I believe that manipulating Natsuhiko's memories about you would cause serious problems in his mind.And from then, the chapter is the same.      She thought that might not be such a bad thing. Even if she were to survive, she probably would still never make it out of LABO. As long as Natsuhiko and the others managed to escape in the end, that was probably good enough for her. (That's right... the lie we kept telling is now coming true. That's all.)And with this, Yuuri would disappear in both name and in substance. The curse that haunted Natsuhiko and Mashiro would slip out of existence. (This is for the best... It wouldn't even have been strange if I actually had died long ago, anyway.) (So these nine extra years were more like a bonus, if anything... I'm glad I was able to stay with them for a little longer, even if it was just as a phantom...)She kept telling herself that, and when she finally readied herself--  And that's it for that chapter.  Her feelings for Natsuhiko and the others. And-- her feelings for ''her''. The girl who was truly isolated, unable to interact with anybody. As Yuuri thinks about that girl's existence, a new memory rises up from the innermost depths of her mind...   And so that's the scenes for Yuuri unlocked.
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Jun 25, 2017 16:07
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I Won't Forget: 05/29/2020, 17:09  A memory of a time shortly after Yuuri and Natsuhiko had run away from home...  ♪ BGM: Peacemaker / Theme of Yuuri ♫ After she had heard everything, the professor spoke to Yuuri.  Yuuri wanted to believe in those kind words. --And afterwards, the professor indeed stuck to her words and worked here and there for Yuuri's sake. According to the professor, she was apparently working with the people at the ''child consultation center'' and the ''department of social welfare''.  The professor told Yuuri that ''things might drag on until evening, so go play with Natsuhiko for a while''-- So Yuuri waited with Natsuhiko for the adults to finish talking. --The two of them talked as they sat on a park bench. ...Your mom really is nice, huh. She's even taking time off work just so she can help me out. Yeah, I guess she's more than just smart and cool, huh.As a result of Dr. Tenkawa's efforts, Yuuri felt that her family situation had improved. She even felt that her parents were yelling at her less. And also... your mom's strong, too. My dad's really scary... but she was able to yell back at him without getting scared. Yeah... I've never seen Mom that mad before.When Dr. Tenkawa first arrived at the Kotono residence, she was like an ogre. To the point where Yuuri was frightened, even though she was the one the professor was protecting. ...But my dad said that Mom's got some weak parts too. And so he told me that I gotta protect her.It was then that Yuuri first realized... that Natsuhiko hadn't mentioned his father up until that point. Hey, Natsuhiko. What kind of person is your dad? Huh...? Your dad must be nice too.Natsuhiko fell silent at Yuuri's question for a second-- but then he replied with a smile. Yeah. He was nice, strong, and cool, too. He was always energetic and cheerful. He would always tell me and Mom that he loved us. I loved my dad too. ...?Yuuri furrowed her eyebrows at his words. He sounded like he was talking about his father as if he were gone-- U-um... Now that I think about it, I've never seen your dad... Where is he...? ...Heaven. !! He died of sickness last year. Ah... I... I'm sorry...As Yuuri frantically apologized, Natsuhiko just smiled in reply. Nah, don't worry about it. I'm strong like my dad, see? 'Cause I promised him that I wouldn't cry anymore.Natsuhiko then showed Yuuri his left hand.  What's this...? It's Dad's watch. I got a letter from him when I got this watch. It said not to cry no matter how tough things got. That I gotta protect those weaker than me. Then... you said you'd protect me because you promised your dad? Yeah... but this time I had to get Mom to protect you, though... But one day, I'll do it right...Natsuhiko muttered as he looked at his watch. The adult-sized watch was still too big for his arm-- But Yuuri had the feeling that one day he'd grow into it and make it look good. Eventually, Natsuhiko looked at Yuuri and spoke. ...Hey, Yuuri, it's already half past 5. They're probably just about done talking. How about we head back to your house now? Huh... b-but... It's okay. No need to be scared. I'll be with you. O... okay!Yuuri mustered up the courage to answer. And then they walked to her house hand in hand. --Ten years have already passed since then. Even now, Yuuri remembers that day whenever she sees his watch. Natsuhiko was probably really sad about his father's death, but he still encouraged Yuuri. That kindness made her happier than anything else could--  Her memory of this faraway day still remains a treasure in her mind...
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Jun 25, 2017 16:08
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Level 7: 09/15/2030, 20:15  Yuuri and Dr. Tenkawa were discussing the plans for the ''next day'', that is, September 16.  ♪ BGM: LABO Security Lv. 1 ♫ What is it? It says '6:30 AM - 6:30 PM: Experiments in Area N'. What are we doing there? Well, properly speaking, there's been this experiment that I've always wanted to conduct... But it suddenly became necessary to run the experiment right away, so I want your help, Yuuri. Why now? The number of test subjects has decreased after Yui left LABO, correct? But we still have to prove to the higher ups in LABO that we're conducting advanced experiments. I understand. Of course I'll help. But what sort of experiment is it? Let's see, in simple terms-- It's an experiment to 'create a consciousness', perhaps. ...?While Yuuri blinked in confusion, the professor continued with a straight face. Yuuri, did you know? The process through which a consciousness forms is still not well understood by modern science. It isn't? Logically, the consciousness seems to come forth from somewhere in the brain, correct? But no matter how thoroughly we analyze the brain, we still don't understand the mechanism through which a consciousness is born. How does a simple lump of protein produce a 'consciousness'...? Where exactly is the consciousness? So is this an experiment to try and find the answer? No. It's an experiment to verify the answer I've found myself.The professor smiled boldly. Now then, Yuuri. Before we search for the process of consciousness creation, there's something you need to know. But first of all, what exactly do you think a 'consciousness' is? A consciousness? Hmm... that's a hard question... A mind that thinks and feels... It's what we call a spirit, right? A spirit, huh. That's another answer. It's a philosophical problem with many answers, but at the very least, this is what I think. A consciousness is 'an accumulation of information' and its 'transformed state'. And it must be capable of 'making decisions' regarding the process of its own transformation. Making decisions...? That's the key. The dividing line between a simple collection of information and a complex consciousness. A simple accumulation of information won't cause a consciousness to be born. For example, a hard disk won't have a consciousness no matter how high its capacity. The information recorded on it won't transform on its own. So what if that information were to 'transform'? It would still not suffice as a consciousness. If you rewrote a hard disk's contents a thousand times, it would be your work, not the hard disk. That's not a consciousness at all. No, not even a computer program counts. Those merely follow predetermined processes. It's not as if they make their own decisions. But-- what if that information was able to decide the process of its own transformation? ... Then it's no longer a simple medium. It's the same as the process that occurs in the human brain. It would be no exaggeration to say that a consciousness was born there. I see. I think so too, but... when you say we're going to make a consciousness, what do you mean?When Yuuri asked that question, the professor pointed at her own head. The human brain is filled with high energy BC particles. In other words, an accumulation of information energy that is constantly transforming due to the influence of the brain. And conversely, the BC particles affect the brain too, causing impressions and senses to transform. In other words, the brain and its surrounding BC particles constantly hold a mutual effect on each other. ...Doesn't that sound similar to what I just told you?Everything she said suddenly snapped together in Yuuri's mind. A spirit...!? Indeed. My thinking was that if something like a spirit were to exist, then it could possibly be the BC particles that fill the brain. Humanity has searched for proof of the spirits existence since time immemorial. And its true form was an accumulation of information energy transmitted by elementary particles. --In other words, the spirit is not just a concept. It 'physically exists'. ...! I think there lies the answer to the age old question 'Where is the consciousness? In other words, the consciousness isn't a product of the brain... The brain is merely a storage medium, a hardware processor. The consciousness truly comes from the spirit-- that is, not the brain itself, but the accumulation of information energy that envelops it! The consciousness born from the spirit uses the brain to think and act. The answers and stimuli the brain obtains as a result are fed back into the consciousness, adding to the spirit's memories and experiences. If we can prove all of that scientifically, it could shock the entire world, couldn't it?The professor smiled faintly. It was not the motherly smile Yuuri was used to seeing from her, but rather the smile of a pure child. Y-you mean... A consciousness can exist without a brain? If we made a lump of high energy BC particles outside of a brain, would that become a spirit? You're quite perceptive, Yuuri. That's what tomorrow's experiment is going to confirm. What we're doing tomorrow is this--Miyoko began talking about the particulars of the experiment. First, we generate and maintain a WX particle field over 500 mSv in Area N. But we don't load any information onto the WX particles whatsoever. If we do, then nothing more will appear in Area N than a simple lump of energy. Then we get you to enter Area N and continuously use BC. BC? On whom? Not on anybody. Just untargeted telepathy. The insulators will prevent the information energy you generate from leaving Area N. But even so, you'll keep using telepathy, raising the information energy levels in Area N... The intention is to get you to transmit all of the memories in your head as information energy. Why do that...? Basically, what I want to check is this: 'If you transmit all of the information energy in your brain into Area N as BC-- --would that create another copy of your spirit?' !!Yuuri was speechless. The professor's words were logical and consistent. But the sheer scale of what they were doing came as a surprise. ...Though by all rights, I'm not entirely sure what will happen if we do that. Even after all that effort, we might produce nothing more than a simple lump of information energy. Or perhaps it will transform after interacting with the brains of the people there like you or me. And if it becomes able to make decisions regarding its own transformation-- It may even gain its own sense of self and personally intervene with the people there. ...And if that were to happen, it would be nothing short of the birth of a consciousness and the creation of a spirit. Another copy of my spirit...? Th-that's kinda scary...! Ah, don't worry. If we stop the particle amplifier and allow the energy levels to decay, then that spirit should disappear. But that might be a little sad... ...Now you're a troublesome one, aren't you? Why not help me out? It's my dearest wish. Your dearest wish?The professor looked with distant eyes once Yuuri asked that. ...This hypothesis on the creation of a spirit was an extension of what I wrote 16 years ago-- A paper detailing what would become the 'informational field theory'.Tips posted:TIP: Informational field theory Tips posted:TIP: Information entropy In this universe, in addition to the four fundamental forces of gravity, electromagnetism, weak, and strong, there exists a fifth fundamental force, 'information'. And human mental activity is just another form of information. In that case, it's believable that an accumulation of information energy could hold a consciousness, isn't it? In other words, could we generate an informational energy field with a sense of self-- a 'self-aware informational field'...!? That's what I had thought in my youth. But I couldn't verify it at the time. But after many long years, the capability of the WX particle amplifier has improved. We are now able to maintain a low-risk energy level of around 500 mSv for extended periods of time. And we have you, Yuuri, an extraordinary Communicator... With both you and the amplifier, we can finally conduct the experiment. So just this once, please? Not an experiment to research lifespan extensions or elucidate BC, but an experiment I want to do myself... We might come in contact with a universal truth for all we know. My spirit as a scientist compels me.The professor tapered her lips in a pout. Yuuri felt that the professor was acting different from usual, in several ways. U-um, Professor... did something happen? ...Natsuhiko shouted at me today. I cried a little. Huh!? Haah, he said 'How do you expect me to listen to everything you say when you're never around to say it'. I'm always working hard for his sake, yet he doesn't know a thing about it... Th-that's so mean of Hikorin! Okay. I'll help out with any experiment or whatever you want! I'm always on your side, professor! Thank you, Yuuri. Now that Yui's left the nest, you're my only ally.The professor hugged Yuuri tightly. Yuuri suddenly realized something as those arms remained wrapped around her. Ah, but... Professor, I just realized something. What is it? For tomorrow's experiment, we'll be generating a 500 mSv WX particle field in Area N, right? Then won't there be an 'empty spirit' in Area N until I use BC? Well, it's somewhat of a stretch, but perhaps. The problem is if an empty spirit can truly be called a 'spirit', though. In short, a lump of information energy without memory or consciousness would just drift through the air. So when I pour information energy into the empty spirit, it'll give birth to a consciousness... Hmm... I feel like there's some sort of major secret hiding there somewhere... Oh my, have you grown an interest in physics? Yes, I am your daughter after all, Professor. Now that's an awfully cute thing to say.Yuuri chuckled as the professor playfully nudged her forehead. Well, maybe we'll find out during tomorrow's experiment. So let's prepare for tomorrow by sleeping early tonight. Okay!As Yuuri answered thusly, she completely forgot about that ''secret''. --It wasn't until long after that she had remembered. It was when she began walking around LABO after meeting Watase and Kazami.  ♪ BGM: LABO Security Lv. 3 ♫ ...Would it be possible to enter Area N and put out the fires? Are you out of your mind!? That's way too dangerous! Even if you could put out the fires, you wouldn't be able to protect yourself from getting exposed to the lethal radiation levels in there. You're right! Dammit...!And then Watase brought his Procyon close to the gate-- ...Wha!?only for the reading to start shooting up astronomically. '2406 mSv'!? It almost went up by a thousand all at once--! It's too dangerous! Fall back!! Y-yeah!The group frantically ran away from the door. Just then, the Procyon's reading went back to normal. Even if we could get past the gate, we'd have to face all of that...! ...If the gate's made of lead, then it should be able to completely block off radiation... So perhaps the inner walls and ceiling are damaged.When Yuuri heard that, she secretly thought to herself. (The WX particles in Area N are crossing through the BC insulators and are slowly leaking out... So does that mean that the ''empty spirit'' is leaking out of Area N and drifting about inside LABO?)WX particles over 1000 mSv were currently spreading through the facility. So perhaps they were all walking around inside of the empty spirit. (And what happens if we do that...? Will the spirit exert some sort of influence on us?)If Yuuri used BC, then it was natural to assume that the empty spirit would receive the information energy as well. In which case, a consciousness would be born-- (... No, it wouldn't be that easy, would it? That experiment was supposed to have taken hours.)And besides, it wasn't conceivable that a consciousness born like that could help her in any way. After all, it would just be a copy of Yuuri's spirit. Once Yuuri had thought about all of that, Kazami spoke up. Be that as it may, we've now concluded our search of the inner ring, Captain. Let's assist with the search of the outer ring. (That's right. I should be worrying about surviving rather than trivial things like that...!)With that thought in mind, Yuuri decided to stop thinking about the empty spirit.
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Jun 25, 2017 16:09
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Atatakai Yume: A Sweet Dream: 08/01/2020, 12:30  There was something Yuuri had been looking forward to now that she was a 2nd grader in elementary school. And that was summer break. Yuuri had been looking forward to playing with Natsuhiko, Mashiro, and the other kids a whole lot. And the day had finally come.  ♪ BGM: Peacemaker / Theme of Yuuri ♫ I wonder if Natsuhiko and Mashiro are there? ...What if they aren't? Should I read a book...?Those were the anxieties she felt as she walked.  Hello, Natsuhiko, Mashiro. Ah, it's Yuuri. Huh? Dont'cha have to go to elementary school? Nope. It's already summer break. So let's all play together every day! I see! Okay, then let's set up a summer break plan! If we don't make a plan, then summer will be over before you know it. Ah, that sounds good. You have any good ideas, Natsuhiko? Hmm, let's see...Natsuhiko folded his arms, and soon enough his eyes widened. I know! Let's have a contest to see who's the best at tops in Rokumei City! At tops? Mm! You mean spinning tops!? What!? Y-you know about them, Mashiro!? Of course. I mean, they're just spinning tops. Mmph... So Natsuhiko, how's the contest going to work? We gather all the best top spinners in town and hold a huge event. How's that? Cool, huh!? Yeah! That's so cool, Natsuhiko!Yuuri clapped. But Mashiro just sneered. Hmmph. Natsuhiko's idea is kind of a letdown. What was that!? Fine, let's hear your big idea then. Awwwrighty! Listen and be amazed! We'll hold... A contest to see who's the best at pogs in Rokumei City! You just ripped off my idea! Ah, but that sounds nice and cute too. Mashiro, you really are a girl, huh. Eheheh~ Hmph! That's not cool at all! My idea's cooler! What? Mine's cooler! Mine is! Mine is! Grr...! Grr...!The two of them glared at each other threateningly. An everyday occurrence. Stop fighting, you two... Geez, just as I was thinking you two were getting along better... Mashiro started it... No~ Natsuhiko started it~ M-mmm...Neither Natsuhiko nor Mashiro would yield. Yuuri's shoulders slumped. There was something of a rivalry between the two. (At this rate, my summer break might go to waste. What do we do...? ... Oh, I know.) How about you two call each other by nicknames? Maybe that will shorten the distance between you two. Nicknames, like what? Hmm, like~...Yuuri fell silent for a while. She wanted to give them nicknames, but she couldn't think of any. After she thought for a while, a flash of inspiration struck Yuuri's mind. Ah! I... I know! How about 'Hikorin' and 'Mashiron'? Huh~!? Hikorin~~~...? What, you don't like it, Natsuhiko? No, it's not that I don't like it, but... Hikorin and Mashiron... Ugh, eww~... Yuuri gave you that nickname, so no complaining! It's cute. Right, Natsuhiko? If it's so cute, then why didn't you call me Hikorin just now...? Aah...!And with that, Natsuhiko and Mashiro fell silent. Yuuri chuckled as she watched them acting like that. (Yup. They're not fighting anymore, so it's better this way.)She had a feeling a few things didn't go quite right, but she decided it was good enough. She really did want Mashiro and Natsuhiko to call each other by nicknames. And Yuuri did like the nicknames ''Hikorin'' and ''Mashiron''. But she figured that beggars couldn't be choosers. (They'll come around some day. I'm sure they will...)That wish alone was enough for Yuuri. Ever since then-- Yuuri used every opportunity she had to call them Mashiron and Hikorin. Because she thought that they'd all get along better if she did. But no matter how much time passed, Natsuhiko and Mashiro's rivalry never changed-- Hey Hikorin, why don't you call Mashiro 'Mashiron'? ...Well, it's kinda embarrassing. Huh~? Wh-what about you, Mashiron? ...N-no comment. Ugh~... But you two don't mind when I call you those names~... That's because you're you, Yuuri. You're like an older sister to us. Yeah, what Natsuhiko said. Why do you only agree with each other at times like these...? Geez...Yuuri smiled wryly, but she didn't feel bad about it. After all, she got the feeling that Natsuhiko and Mashiro were starting to get along just a little bit better-- And she also felt the three of them getting closer. (... I wish the three of us could always, always stay together, even after we're all grown up. Would it be weird to keep calling them by their nicknames even after we're grown up...?)As she pondered that question, Yuuri patted Natsuhiko and Mashiro on the head. Yuuri thought they looked so cute when they were embarrassed like that. --In the end, only Yuuri ever used those nicknames-- But Yuuri felt like that was the time that Mashiro started to be a nickname wizard. Mashiro would give nicknames to those she wanted to be friends with. But Yuuri was the only exception. Mashiro only called her by her name since they were ''already friends''. She was both happy and proud with that policy of hers. --And as for Yuuri herself-- Even ten years later to this day, she still calls them by their nicknames. As she prays for the two of them to become even closer...
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Jun 26, 2017 17:21
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Kokoro: Mind: 07/07/2029, 22:47  The anniversary of Yuuri's death. It was decided that Yuuri had died on that day in 2021. ...And every year when July 7th rolled in, there was a girl who was born, a girl who disappeared.  The phantom that Natsuhiko perceived ever since that day-- She was born out of sight, and vanished out of sight in the same way. July 7 had become both her birthday, and the anniversary of her death.  ♪ BGM: LABO Security Lv. 1 ♫ Dr. Tenkawa led Yuuri to the neuroscience laboratory. --It's time for your yearly date, huh, Yuuri. Date...? Professor, you call it that every year, but... All I'm doing is updating Hikorin's memories, aren't I? I'm just joking. Okay, I'll step out for a little bit. Call me if anything happens. Yes, thank you.The professor nodded and left the room. Yuuri then looked at Natsuhiko.  There was Natsuhiko, put to sleep by drugs. --Once each year, Yuuri would meet him again like this. But he wasn't the only one she'd meet. She'd see the Mashiro in his memories-- As well as her own other self. How was your year...?Yuuri muttered that and dove into his mind.   That night, Natsuhiko had his usual book chat with the ''phantom'' over a cup of milk.  ♪ BGM: Peacemaker / Theme of Yuuri ♫ Umm, today, I read a mysterious novel. It was the story of someone who made their own world in their mind, and someone who dived into their mind and invaded that world. Dive? You mean like reading a mind with empathy? Perhaps something like that. The terminology used was different since it was written before the Grand Discovery. But it's really interesting. It's kind of a warm story.--The phantom turned to Natsuhiko and said that. Yuuri thought to herself as she watched. (You were there for Hikorin again this year, huh... Thank you. Good work.)Yuuri thanked her other self from the bottom of her heart. --But not even Yuuri was exactly sure what her phantom was. According to the professor, the phantom was a hallucination caused by mental dysfunction. Yuuri recalled the explanation she had once heard.  He's constantly forming a believable phantom based off of the information he has on you in his memory. He's making judgment calls like 'This is what Yuuri would say', or 'This is how Yuuri would act'.The professor was right. There was not much difference between the real Yuuri and the phantom. Which might have been a result of these ''regular checkups''. During each of these regular checkups, Yuuri would fill in Natsuhiko's memories with the knowledge she had gained that year, including her impressions on books she had read. (... She's no longer just a hallucination, huh? This girl... is my ''clone''.)And for 365 days a year, she would stay beside Natsuhiko in the real Yuuri's stead. The phantom was probably the more ''real'' Yuuri in Natsuhiko's eyes. ...With that thought in mind, Yuuri watched a year's worth of memories-- And at the end, she renewed the information relating to herself.   ♪ BGM: LABO Security Lv. 1 ♫ But... Yuuri thought to herself. (When I renew Hikorin's memories, the clone that worked so hard is reborn as a new clone... So is what I'm doing... erasing an old me and replacing her with a new one?)Perhaps that was the case. Perhaps not. At the end of the day, not even Yuuri understood what was going on inside Natsuhiko's brain. But in any case, she had already erased and rebirthed that phantom several times. And when she thought about it like that, it was somehow heartrending. (If Hikorin one day realizes that the phantom is just a phantom... She might disappear for real. That just seems... kind of sad.)--She wanted to at least leave proof that the phantom had existed, but that would probably be difficult. For that girl had not a single effect on the world outside of Natsuhiko's mind. (... I wonder if I can come up with a way... Like, what if I had the other me create something physical... And then I created the same thing here in LABO... And then I'd have the professor deliver it?)That could perhaps somewhat count as a reminder that the phantom had existed. (Yeah, that could be a good idea. Then what should we make...?)Yuuri thought for a while, but she couldn't come up with an answer on the spot. She decided to make it her homework for the next yearly checkup. Tips posted:TIP: Yuuri Kotono
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Jun 26, 2017 17:22
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Abstract Nonsense: 06/18/2017, 10:27 So, we're about to move on to the final part of the Xtend Episode with Natsuhiko's scenes, but before that, I think this is a good time to take a look at something different. At one point, thanks to Cyouni in the thread, I managed to extract the game's source files, finding all the music, graphics, voiceovers and sound effects, and while I didn't particularly go over the voiceovers or sound effects, I did find several interesting things in the music and graphics parts. First, the music archive has several tracks I don't recognize at all (though I did remember one of the nine), so let's go through them in order. If you know where some of these things I assume went unused actually did get used, please let me know. Extra Track 01 This sounds like a slower variant on ''Helper / Theme of Mashiro'' in the beginning. Now, I have no idea if these tracks are actually used and I somehow just don't remember hearing them or if they're actually legitimately unused, so really, this could be anything, but if I had to guess, I would say that this could have been intended to play during ''BOYS AND GIRLS'', Mashiro's epilogue scene. It would have fit in pretty well, I'd say. Extra Track 02 I might just be trying too hard to match these to tracks that definitely got used, but this one sounds like it could match up with ''Achiever / Theme of Ena'', and going with the previous one, could have been intended for playing during ''Unforgettable'', Ena's epilogue scene. Extra Track 03 - Anime Theme from INVOKE OK, this is the one I actually remember. This one plays back in Route Before, during the chapter ''INVOKE''. When the line ''As soon as Mashiro changed the channel, the opening theme to a children's anime began playing.'' shows up, this track plays. Extra Track 04 A tension theme of sorts. This I could imagine fitting in perfectly with a trailer of some sort. Extra Track 05 A very bombastic track. Sounds like it could be a lead-in for some sort of news report, but honestly, I'm just making wild-rear end guesses at this point. Extra Track 06 A mellow, laid back track. It sounds similar to ''Calm Days of Rokumei City'' to me. Extra Track 07 Another mellow track. I'm not sure how to place this one at all. Extra Track 08 - Theme of Psychic Girl Beyond*BEYOND This is one I just found out thanks to some luck in my research. I found a trailer for Root Double on Youtube, and this trailer also advertised the soundtrack CD and the Psychic Girl Beyond*BEYOND radio drama that came with the Limited Edition version of the original game that came out for the XBox 360, and when it's showing the Psychic Girl Beyond*BEYOND part, this plays. Also, if somebody speaks Japanese and could translate the Japanese bits in the track listing at VGMDB that I linked there, that would be great. I think these nine tracks (plus one short jingle I didn't upload) are represented by the ten Japanese-titled tracks on Disc 2. Extra Track 09 Finally, we have a piano track. This also doesn't sound like anything familiar to me, so this could have been anything. So, that's it for the music, now, on to the graphics.     Now, the thing with the graphics is that they're by and large one of three things. One, they're backgrounds. Two, they're sprites. Three, they're CGs. However, there's only a scant few graphics that are a combination of sprites and backgrounds, and I have no idea why. I recognize these scenes - the first three are from ''THE STRANGER'', when Miyoko confronts Natsuhiko about Salyu living in the Tenkawa household from now on. The last one is from ''SALYU - SEPTEMBER 16''.  This graphic is still in the game - you can also see this one in the trailer I posted up above. This is advertising the original release of Root Double for the XBox 360 back in 2012. No idea why this is still here.   This is just because I think it's interesting - the full graphics for Ukita's and Miyoko's LABO ID cards. One thing that jumps out at me is how many employees this place really has, judging by Ukita's staff ID number.     This is an example of something that is generally present in the graphics - there's a whole lot of redundancy. So here, in Ena's case, every single pose she has exists in clean form with glasses, in messed up form with glasses, in clean form without glasses, and in messed up form without glasses. I have to be honest, I didn't actually check this, but I'm pretty sure that the ''clean form without glasses'' and ''messed up form with glasses'' graphics never get used in game.      These five CGs of blood-splattered dead bodies all exist in the game files with this strange other color scheme as well. Was this some sort of censorship thing for Japan? I know there's a bit of a thing there with blood - which is why Danganronpa games have pink as the blood color, that got them a lower age rating - but this doesn't exist for the CGs that are shown at the normal end for Route After, like the dead Jun or Ukita. It might have been intended to signify some sort of emotional impact for the character seeing these scenes. Not sure.   In ''wait, they actually did that?'' news, did you notice at all that there were two different CGs for Ukita holding a gun? I don't even know if one of these didn't actually go unused, so it could have been nobody noticed because it actually didn't happen! Not even the CG gallery has the first of these two CGs.    Another interesting redundancy thing - absolutely every single sprite in the game exists in three different sizes for purposes of displaying distances characters have to each other and for displaying larger groups all at once.  Now, do you remember this type of sprite for Subject N? The one with her arms outstretched towards the main character? Well, there exists a variant for each one of those, and it sure is something...  ...just look at that! Man, I don't know why this didn't show up at any point, this looks awesome! I guess they figured it looked too fantasy-like.   A very strange redundancy here - every single sprite of Natsuhiko's has a version without glasses. I don't remember a single instance of Natsuhiko ever not wearing glasses.  Another interesting redundancy - every sprite that has to do with the protection suits exists six times, one for each rescue squad member, and one with a blank armband, probably for template purposes. So here we have Jun in her protection suit, pointing a gun at somebody.    These three characters are found at the end of the files. I can only assume they're from some other game and were put into the game for purposes of testing the engine before any art assets were ready yet. Either that or I've really missed something. And finally, I've saved the absolute best for last...  ...maliced Salyu. I can only assume that this didn't make the cut because the developers realized that a maliced Salyu would simply turn into an unstoppable wrecking machine, laying waste to everything that stands in her way, then rescuing Natsuhiko, Mashiro and Salyu by cleaving through the bulkhead with just the fire axe and defeating the entirety of Security Sector 6 with ease. Anyway, that's all the interesting stuff I found in the game files. Next time, we'll get into Natsuhiko's scenes for the Xtend Episode and finally finish this game.
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Jun 26, 2017 20:37
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SSNeoman posted:The second Ukita CG is prob for censorship as well. Notice how the gun's in shadow? That's a technique they use to make scenes be more accpted by the review boards. Yeah, it's silly. Well I'll be damned. I instantly just jumped to the conclusion that since there was a grey-silver gun and a black gun, that those two CGs were for those two guns. I didn't even notice that they were actually the same shape.
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Jun 26, 2017 22:05
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Yuuri's Smile: 08/15/2020, 13:35 So, finally, we've made it to Natsuhiko's scenes. We only have five here, but they're all new. The first four have the sign that we unlock something in them, but there's no Senses inputs - it only means that we have to go through all four before we unlock the last one. So let's get to it.  The first summer break since Natsuhiko had met Yuuri-- He and the others had run around town each day trying to solve the mysteries of Rokumei City's Seven Wonders. That day, Natsuhiko and Yuuri headed to the ''secret base'' on the outskirts of the city to hammer out their Seven Wonders solution mission.  ♪ BGM: Family and Friends ♫ Natsuhiko raised his voice as he and Yuuri entered the secret base. But nobody answered. Not a single one of their friends who gathered here was present. ...Wait, what? That's odd. How come nobody's here? Yeah, everyone was here yesterday... Mashiro! Richio! Sugizo! Maruichi! Himecchi? Aipon? Renren?They tried calling out their friends' nicknames, but there was still no answer. And then, Yuuri suddenly spoke up as if she had remembered something. Oh... that's right. Today's Obon. Obon? Apparently, it's the day you go out to the country to visit your grandparents and stuff. Ah, that's right. Mashiro mentioned that too... She said she was going to her grandpa's house in Hokkaido today.Natsuhiko didn't have any grandparents he had to visit, so he wasn't that interested in Obon. ...Now that I think about it, Himecchi and the others said they were going to the country for summer break. So that must've started today~ Guess it's the same with Richio and the other guys... Tch, how rude. They care more about some dumb old countryside than our solution mission.Natsuhiko puffed his cheeks in frustration. Yuuri spoke up, a little bothered. Then I guess it's just us two today, huh? What do we do, Hikorin? Should we leave the solution mission for when everyone gets back? Nah. Let's just do it by ourselves. Even without Mashiro and the others around, the two of us alone are more than enough. Huh, r-really? Well, Yuuri, you're like an older sister to us, and you read a lot of books, so you must be smart. With your brains and my muscle, I'm sure we can do anything. Th-that's the first time anyone's ever told me that...! Okay, I'm pumped up now! Let's work hard on that solution mission, Hikorin! Yeah!The two of them raised their fists into the air as they shouted.   That's the one that goes 'a Communicator who uses BC without knowing the proper way will become a mindbroken monster', right? They even say that those monsters are captured by security department forces. But if that's the case, then some of those monsters gotta be around somewhere before the security department catches them.Natsuhiko said that as he took a map out of his pocket. The two children huddled together to look at it. If you were a monster... where do you think you'd be in this city, Yuuri? Hmm, let's see... If I were a monster, I'd be somewhere dark and scary, maybe? Maybe like that ruined hospital that you, me, and Mashiron went to the other day. I guess that's gotta be the place, huh. Even Mashiro got scared there. Okay, let's try going there! Yeah!And with that, they headed for the ruined hospital.  ♪ BGM: Ominous Ambience ♫ Natsuhiko and Yuuri walked in. D-do you think there are monsters here too and not just ghosts...? It'd be too spooky if there are... But it's okay. If a monster comes out, then I'd knock 'em out cold with my finishing punch. Y-yeah...Natsuhiko came close to the frightened Yuuri as if to protect her. And suddenly, Yuuri gasped. Ah! H-Hikorin! Somebody's there! What!?Natsuhiko readied himself, thinking that a monster had appeared.  ♪ BGM: Challenger / Theme of Jun ♫ Wah! D-don't startle me like that... Wh-who are you guys? Wh-who are -you-!? What are you doing here? Who am -I-? Man, you're one cheeky kid. I came to scope this place out for an upcoming neighborhood association test of courage. I'm not suspicious or anything. Oh, is that all... I'm sorry for suspecting you. Miss. Whoa, I thought you were cheeky, but you're actually kinda well mannered for a kid, huh~? I can appreciate that. By the way, what is it you kids are doing here? You kids on a test of courage too? No, not that-- We're searching for monsters... Have you seen any monsters here, Miss? Monsters? Ah, you mean like the ones from Rokumei City's Seven Wonders, eh? Yes, those. Nah, haven't seen any. I've made a once around of this place, but haven't seen anything like monsters. I-I see... Don't know if I'm disappointed or relieved... Hmm, guess we missed the mark, huh.The girl smiled wryly when Natsuhiko's shoulders drooped. No need to feel so down. But why were you lookin' for monsters anyway? We're trying to solve the Seven Wonders. We're on a mission to solve them with our friends. Hmm, that sounds kinda fun, huh? It is fun. Want to join? Hmm~... I kinda do, but Daddy said to be back by 3, so I gotta go back soon. Aw, too bad. That's a pity... I thought we made a new friend... Well, just ask next time we meet. Bye.And with that, the girl left the ruined hospital. Natsuhiko and Yuuri spoke with each other. Looks like there aren't any monsters here, huh. Let's get out of here too... It's scary in here... I-I'm not scared, but yeah, let's leave.And with that, they left the ruined hospital.  Hmm, if we had some sort of hint...The two of them walked aimlessly around town.  From the grounds, they heard a voice-- ???: --Seriously? You're really a monster, aren't you!? That was what the voice said. !♪ BGM: Ominous Ambience ♫ Natsuhiko and Yuuri quickly hid themselves out of surprise. And they heard more voices coming from the grounds. ???: You broke 7 out of the 9 records during the rescue exam, right? And if that weren't enough of a surprise, you broke even more now? ???: That's why he's no longer human. He's a monster, a monster I tell ya. ???: Look, guys. Don't treat someone like a monster just because of something as trivial as that. Besides, Dojima, you beat me in pushups and Hiyama, you came out on top in one-legged balance, right? So it's nothing really out of the norm. ???: The hell it isn't! You trying to make us feel better is only pissing me off. ???: Just admit how you're not human already. What planet did you come from? ???: Oh come on... --That was the conversation they heard. Natsuhiko and Yuuri looked at each other in astonishment. A-a monster...? There's a monster in the fire station? In a place like that...?As they spoke, they heard a voice again. ???: Anyway, let's just drop the stupid chitchat. The commander's gonna yell at us.  He was a young man with scary-looking eyes. I-is it him...? L-let's go find out, Hikorin...They approached the man after saying that. E-excuse me, sir. Hmm? What's up, kids? Need me for anything? Uh, um... Mister, are you a monster? Wh-whaaa!?The man widened his eyes and raised his voice hysterically. Wait a second, what makes you say that? Well, those other guys said so earlier. They said you were a monster, or that you came from another planet. Tch, drat Dojima and Hiyama...! Listen, kids. I'm not a monster or an alien or anything like that. I'm just a average rescue worker. But your eyes look scary... Lay off. I was born this way. Heck, what do my eyes even have to do with anything? Anyway, there's no such thing as monsters. You shouldn't really call people that either, you hear? Yes sir. ...Yes sir...The man shook his head in frustration and headed for the grounds. Natsuhiko and Yuuri took a deep breath. ...He says there's no such thing as monsters. He doesn't know about Rokumei City's Seven Wonders, does he? Guess not. Should we have told him? Nah. He's kinda scary anyway. Anyway, where else do you think a monster could be? Hmm... well, the monsters we're looking for used to be Communicators, so... maybe somewhere relating to BC...? Somewhere relating to BC--Natsuhiko took out his map again. Yuuri then pointed somewhere out on the map and spoke up. Here! The PRC! Ah, that BC research center, huh? That place is suspicious! Let's go there, Hikorin!The kids left the fire station together.  Hmm... We can't get in, huh... Should we try another day? I guess. We know this place is suspicious now, so I guess that's enough for today. Let's bring Mashiro and the others here another day, I guess. Yeah!And with that, Natsuhiko and Yuuri walked off. And then they heard a voice. ???: Um, excuse me...? Huh? ♪ BGM: Loyalist / Theme of Tachibana ♫ Can we help you, Miss? Have you seen a small girl around here? She's my little sister. We were together just a while ago, but we got separated... She's this cute girl around your age, with long hair... A girl? Maybe the girl we saw at the hospital? But that girl was quite older than us, wasn't she? Hmm, then I don't know... All the girls I know are off in the countryside. I see... Then please tell me if you do see her.The young lady staggered away on unsteady feet that made the two children worry. ...Hmm, I'm kinda worried. Hikorin, why don't we help look for that girl too? You're right. The solution mission's important, but so's helping others.And with that, the two of them set off.  The only hint they had was that she was a long-haired girl around their age.  But they didn't see any girl like that there either. Eventually the sun started to set. But Natsuhiko and Yuuri didn't give up their search. And in the end, when they visited the park-- They finally found a girl who matched the description.   It's getting dark... I'm scared... Ah! Hikorin, isn't that the girl? Yeah! That's gotta be her! Ah... but how do we tell her sister? W-with BC? Huh? But I can't use telepathy yet, remember? Me neither... What do we do...?As they spoke, they saw a familiar person by the park entrance.  Perfect! Let's go, Hikorin!The two of them nodded and ran off to her. Miss!! Oh, you kids!? We found the girl you're looking for! Look, she's over there! Ah... N-Nagisa!The young lady said that name and immediately ran over to that girl. The girl noticed her older sister and spoke up too.  Nagisa, I was so worried! Where did you go!? I'm sorry~ I saw a helicopter flying, so I went chasing after it and got lost... Geez! Don't go off without telling me again, okay? Okay...The sisters hugged each other after that. Natsuhiko and Yuuri smiled as they watched. Good, case closed. Yeah. I'm so glad~ Now then, it's getting dark, so how about we head home too? Huh? But shouldn't we say something to them? After you do a good deed, you leave without saying anything. It's cooler that way. R-really? Then let's go with that.And with that, Natsuhiko and Yuuri left the park.  ♪ BGM: Quiet Days of Rokumei City ♫ They walked hand in hand under the starlight. --Yuuri, today was a good day, wasn't it? We advanced our mission and helped people too. You're right. Our solution mission was pretty good even with just the two of us, huh? Let's work hard on our solution mission again tomorrow! Yeah!Yuuri said that with a smile. Seeing her pure, bright smile made Natsuhiko kind of happy too, so he smiled back. --Summer break wasn't over yet. Their adventure would continue tomorrow, and the next day too. Each of those precious memories would be etched into Natsuhiko's mind. Along with Yuuri's smile...
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Jun 27, 2017 15:41
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SSNeoman posted:That's cute, but they're really pushing how everyone knew each other at one point. To be fair, it's not too much of a stretch to say that everyone met each other at some point. That point being the same day is kind of a stretch, but eh. Most of our main group runs in the same circle due to being a Communicator or being connected to one - Natsuhiko, Yuuri, Mashiro and Kazami/Nagisa are all Communicators, and Jun is connected to the group via Kazami and Nagisa. Birds of a feather flock together, and there's not a lot of Communicators out there period. Ukita is connected to the group via Miyoko and therefore Natsuhiko. Watase and Ena are the odd ones out in this case. And it's not like anybody really actively remembers these events. Nobody really recognized anybody based on these events.
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Jun 27, 2017 20:27
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Yeah.TheMcD posted:Heart and pain: 09/16/2030, 17:25
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Jun 28, 2017 17:26
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Quiet and Peaceful Time: 10/05/2020, 15:26  A certain day exactly a year after Natsuhiko's father had passed away. After the anniversary of his father's death, Natsuhiko and his mother headed home... Once they had finished visiting his father's grave, Natsuhiko walked through the park with his mother hand in hand. His mother whispered to him in a gentle voice.  ♪ BGM: Anxious Times of Rokumei City ♫ I made up my mind not to cry. You were good too, Mom. You didn't cry either. Hee hee... I made up my mind not to cry either. I did cry in front of you a year ago, though...That had been the only time Natsuhiko had seen his mother cry in his life at that point. He wanted to become stronger so he could stop those tears. In place of his strong and gentle father. ...But still, Dad was always smiling. That's what I loved the most about him. Even when he got sick and thin... he never stopped smiling. You're right... He never lost his cheerfulness. He was like the sun.She looked to the sky as she said that. And she smiled nostalgically. ...Did you know, Natsuhiko? That smile's saved your mother time and time again. Even back when your father and I first met. When you first met...?Now that he thought about it, he had yet to hear his mother talk about how she'd met his father. Ever since he was born, his parents had always been ''Mom and Dad'' to him, so he never even imagined they had a past he didn't know. He became a little curious and decided to ask her about it. Mom, when did you and Dad first meet? It's already been about eight years now, hasn't it...? It was back when l was still at home. At home? At the home I was born and raised in. You haven't met them, but I have parents too. I was still living with them. I see... So they're grandma and grandpa? Yes. But... I had a sort of a problem with that family. They were big on formalities, but familial bonds and love... were a little lost on that household. So I was forced to live a horribly uncomfortable lifestyle. The only memories I have from childhood are about studying. They didn't acknowledge the free will of children... It was like a prison. Huh... Is that so...?His mother's words were difficult to understand, but he somehow understood that she once had it rough. ...You must've had it tough, Mom... I loved academics, so I'm grateful to some extent for them sending me to get special education for gifted children, but still... However, your father saved me from that household. Dad did? I had already published several papers at that time, and he came to meet me after taking interest in them. When we first met, well... to be honest, he was a little creepy. Huh, really!? Well, it kind of felt like he was trying to flirt with me. He acted overly familiar, and he'd always joke around... Plus, he'd shower me with absurd amounts of praise over how I was such a beauty of a genius physicist. At first, I thought 'What is he trying to do? Didn't he come here out of interest for my papers?'. Haah... But I guess that's just like Dad, huh? Indeed. Begrudgingly enough, that's just how he was.She chuckled as she said that. Anyway, that's why I didn't like him at first... but as we talked, I understood how he seriously was interested in my theses. Because he was a Level 4 Communicator, which was a rarity at the time, you see. He wanted to solve the mysteries of the ability he was born with somehow or another. Including from a physics standpoint. I was interested in his ability as well, so we decided to work for a solution together. Um... so you mean you wanted to solve the mystery of Dad's BC? Yes. Because it was a very interesting research topic. And as we advanced our research together, we came to talk about various things. I still hadn't completely relaxed my guard around him at that time... but I did gradually begin to talk about my family situation. So what do you think he did? He suddenly cried. Huh? Dad cried? He was somehow empathetic... He had no relatives, so my story actually really left an impression on him, apparently. But there I was, just talking indifferently, and he suddenly started crying. That's just confusing, isn't it? ...My confusion continued for a little while after that. For him to cry at a story like mine was a little... well... What? ...It's nothing. In any case, our relationship slightly changed after that. Enough for me to let him read my mind with empathy. And once he learned my innermost thoughts that I hadn't told anybody else, he smiled at me and said 'Don't worry, I'll do something about it'. Ah, that was Dad's favorite phrase, wasn't it? It was. Because he was basically a reckless man. But when I saw that smile of his, I oddly felt like I could leave it all up to him. Yeah, yeah, I can understand. So, skipping all of that confusion... in the end, he took me away from that household by force and made me his bride. I was only 18 when we were married... I was young, in a lot of ways. I see... Dad was kinda cool, wasn't he? He really was... Looking back, I feel like the day I met your father was the day my life truly began.Miyoko looked at Natsuhiko as she said that. ♪ BGM: Words of Healing ♫ ...You know, Natsuhiko... You're the gift that Shun gave me. My most precious treasure. I'm not good with words, so I don't know if I can convey this well, but... I love you as much as I loved Shun, but in a different way. Hmm, that wasn't hard to understand at all. I love you too, Mom. Just like I loved Dad. You're right... I love both of you too.Natsuhiko's mother embraced him gently. Then she grasped his hand and spoke. Now how about we head back home? Our home. Yeah!Natsuhiko answered cheerfully and walked with his mother. Tips posted:TIP: Natsuhiko Tenkawa Tips posted:TIP: BCAD These were the last tips we get to see. The only thing left for 100% completion is scene titles.
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Jun 28, 2017 17:36
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Dear Friend: 05/11/2030, 16:10  The Tenkawa's housekeeper resigned, and since Natsuhiko was having trouble preparing daily meals, Mashiro started to come by. It was a memory of just a minor commotion that happened during that time...  ♪ BGM: Quiet Days of Rokumei City ♫ Mashiro called out to Natsuhiko. Hey! Classes are over! Let's go, Natsuhiko! Huh? Go where? What are you talking about? I promised to cook for you starting today, didn't I? We need to do groceries and it might take some time to prepare, so let's hurry up and go!Mashiro hurried Natsuhiko and started walking. Right as Mashiro left the classroom, the classmates around them started to make a commotion. Male Student 1: ...Huh? Hold on just a second, Tenkawa. What was that!? She promised to cook for you starting today...? Male Student 2: Wait, Tenkawa, are you going out with Ms. Toba!? No, no, it's nothing like that. My mom's just really busy. We had a housekeeper up until last year, but she resigned, so... So Mashiro's going to cook meals at our place instead. That's all.Male Student 1: What!? Whaddaya mean 'that's all'!? You get to eat Toba's home cooking, don't you!? Be a little grateful, you lucky bastard! Huh, what makes me a lucky bastard?Male Student 2: Don't you know!? Ms. Toba has a lot of fans! Male Student 3: And she's always playing hard to get. Last year she turned down Benizaki from Class B, as well as the 2nd year Kamiya, and also Tanaka from the baseball club too. Ah, well, I knew about that... but really, it's not like that. We're just childhood friends. And my mom's paying Mashiro, so it's more like a simple part time job for her.A girl who was listening closely nearby cut in. Female Student 1: Is it now? Normally, I don't think a girl would go to a guy's house to cook food for him just for work, even if they were childhood friends, you know? Huh, really?Female Student 1: Really. When a girl cooks for a guy, it's something special, you know? Girls get all worried if the guy's all like 'this is disgusting', see? It takes a lotta guts just to do it once. But Mashiro's gonna do this every day, right? And you two are gonna be alone too, Tenkawa. So I'm thinking~ maybe~ that means she's really got a thing for you, then, eh Tenkawa? ...Natsuhiko fell silent at those words. They wouldn't be ''alone'', but correcting her would've complicated things even further, so he swallowed his words. And right around then, Mashiro came back to the classroom and spoke up. Hey, Natsuhiko, what are you doing? I said let's go!Female Student 1: You see? She's really into it. Hurry up and go. R-right.Flustered, Natsuhiko stood up and left the classroom with Mashiro. Male Student 1: Gh... I'm still jealous...! Natsuhiko left with those resentful words at his back.  And then they went home together.  ♪ BGM: Family and Friends ♫ Awwrighty! Then today, Ms. Mashiro here's gonna put her cooking skills to the test~! To celebrate this momentous first occasion, I'm going to make your favorite cream stew and salad! And while we're at it, I'll make Yuuri's favorite juicy omelettes too! Oh, that's great. But can you really start off doing three dishes at once? No worries! I've liked cooking since long ago, and I've always helped my mom. I'm used to it. Awwrighty, first I'll cut the ingredients and light the stove--As Mashiro talked, she looked around the kitchen-- and stopped in horror when she saw the stove. Waagh! Th-that burner's different from the kind I know! That's not gas burner, is it!? Nah, it's some sort of cutting edge electromagnetic cooker, apparently. Mom and I don't cook at all, so we don't really know about it... Is it bad? ...! I-it's all good! No problemo! Same principle, right!? Not like it's gonna change how to make something as simple as stew! Sh-should I help? I appreciate the feeling. But just sit back and watch, Natsuhiko!And with that, Mashiro slowly prepared to cook with a look of anxiety on her face. --But when she actually began to cook, she ran into various troubles.  ♪ BGM: Foolishness ♫ W-wait!? Wh-where's the oil!? Uh, ah, where is it, again? I always left the kitchen to the housekeeper, so... Is it here? No, here?Mashiro fumbled through the kitchen cabinets.  M-Mashiro! The pot's smoking! Huh, ah, awawawah! Gotta lower the heat! Wait, what!? How do you lower the heat on this thing!? I-I don't know! Isn't there a button somewhere!? Roger! Keep it simple! Maybe that button increased the heat! Try the other button! --The commotion continued just like that.  ♪ BGM: Helper / Theme of Mashiro ♫ I was worried there for a moment... but it smells delicious. I know, right? Now then, next up is the salad. Simple enough, eh? There's no way to fail here.Mashiro quickly cut the vegetables. She always helped her mother out, so she was certainly skilled with the knife. In just a few minutes, she had plated three vivid servings of salad. Awwrighty, everything's A-OK! Natsuhiko, Yuuri, how's this!? Oh, excellent. Right, Yuuri?---- Heheheh, you flatter me, Yuuri. Now then, all that's left is to add the dressing. What kind of dressing do you have?Mashiro opened the refrigerator-- and her face froze. N-none!? Does this household not use dressing!? Huh!? Ah, no, we're just out... Sorry, I didn't notice. Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-what do we do!? I didn't prepare for this kind of trouble! Calm down, Mashiro, you're panicking way too much! I'll just go buy some at the convenience store, so wait here! P-please do!Natsuhiko dashed to the convenience store. He bought dressing and went straight back home. Mashiro, I bought the dressing! How are things on your end!? I'm making the omelettes. I've already gotten two of them done!As Mashiro answered, Natsuhiko saw two plates topped with beautiful spindle shaped omelettes. Oh, that's amazing! These are excellent too! Omelettes are my specialty~ I can make them with my eyes closed. I'm about to finish the third one, so just wait.Mashiro winked with the frying pan in hand. She quickly started whipping her wrist, gathering the egg onto one side of the frying pan. Now for the highlight of omelette cooking, the frying pan flip~ You mean that thing where you flip eggs in the air!? You can do that, Mashiro!? It's not that hard once you get used to it. Well, just watch.Mashiro grasped the frying pan tightly as she said that. Then she flung the egg into the air-- Achoo!But she sneezed intensely mid-flip. That tired old gag!? N-no, some of the smoke just got in my nose...! Wait, ah!The third omelette flew out of the frying pan and onto the electromagnetic cooking surface. Its beautiful, painstakingly formed shape was now completely ruined. ...Mashiro, were there any eggs left...? No... that's the last of them... ...I see.Mashiro's shoulders drooped in disappointment. When Natsuhiko saw her like that, he was reminded of what that girl told him in class earlier. Natsuhiko walked up to Mashiro and gently tapped her on those drooped shoulders of hers. ...Mashiro, don't look so down. I don't care if they're mashed up. Huh!? But it's dirty now that it's fallen onto this cooking surface, you know!? It's always been cleaned up, so it's fine. Besides, it's the first meal you've ever cooked for us. I don't want any of it to go to waste. ...! ...I'm glad to hear that, but... serving mashed up food to other people is just a little, you know... Huh, is that it? Yeah, that's it. So let's just throw it away. But still... thanks, Natsuhiko.Mashiro cleaned up the mashed up omelette. --Afterwards, they redivided the two plated omelettes into three servings. Then, after they brought the stew and the salad to the table, they each took a seat. Okay! We had some minor issues along the way, but it's finally complete! Yeah, looks delicious! Okay, everyone, put your hands together-- Thanks for the food.Natsuhiko got to work on eating the meal. First, he got a mouthful of stew. The taste was somewhat different from what the housekeeper had always made, but it was still delicious in its own right. But Mashiro's face suddenly soured when she took her first bite. H-huh...? It tastes kinda burnt... Huh, really? Did I burn it with too much heat!? Then the omelettes...!?Mashiro quickly tried the omelette. Natsuhiko followed suit. Her face darkened even more. Aahh... it's a little hard on the inside...! It's not fluffy and juicy at all...! Gas burners and electromagnetic surfaces heat things differently...!Mashiro seemed to be on the verge of tears. Natsuhiko gently spoke to her. Don't worry, Mashiro. It's all delicious. R-really...? Really really. I think it's better than the housekeeper's cooking. R-really...? That's good, then.. Thanks, Mashiro. It's a good dinner. I can't wait to eat food like this every day. ...You're right. I can't wait either. I'll work hard starting tomorrow! Yeah, I've got high hopes for you.The two of them smiled at each other. Their calm, friendly time passed by slowly...
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Jun 28, 2017 17:38
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Thoughtless Actions: 09/13/2030, 18:50  Before Natsuhiko had known about the terrorists targeting LABO. Even when he heard about it from Mashiro, he still didn't believe it. Mashiro got mad at Natsuhiko, and--  ♪ BGM: Anxious Times of Rokumei City ♫ She left the house after shouting that. H-hey, wait a second, Mashiro!  You told me I shouldn't pry into other peoples' fights, so I won't say anything more than this. But you guys are friends who have matching names. I think it's best you get along.And even the phantom Yuuri spoke to him-- ...Maybe Mashiron wants you to return to being the Hikorin you were in the past? I think she's sad because she's realized just how much you've changed from the righteous Hikorin who stood up for justice in the past.--Both of them admonished him. ...Natsuhiko's memory of that day cut away a little while after that. At that point, the phantom Yuuri suddenly changed and returned Natsuhiko's consciousness to reality. But that wasn't the ''truth''. That was a memory created by the real Yuuri through Senses Sympathy. ...But the truth was that his day went on a little longer after that. In other words, the following is the ''true'', unaltered memory. An absurdly pleasant memory that Natsuhiko had pushed far away from his conscious mind...  He thought he'd drink some hot milk to help himself calm down a little. Good grief... I can't stand it unless I drink some milk.He grumbled about Mashiro's unintelligible outrage as he took the milk carton out of the refrigerator. Just then, he heard the sound of the door opening behind him.  ♪ BGM: Individualist / Theme of Louise ♫ Oh, Salyu. Done with your training? Mm. Worked up a sweat.Salyu's skin did appear to be slightly sweaty. Good work. You want to drink some hot milk too? No, I'll have it cold.Salyu then took the milk carton away from Natsuhiko. After she glugged it down, she slowly spoke to Natsuhiko. Delicious. Now get out of the house, Natsuhiko. ...Huh!?For a second, he had no idea what she just said. Flustered, Natsuhiko asked for clarification. H-hold on just a second! Why do I have to leave all of a sudden!? I mean, this is my house, you know!? I said I worked up a sweat. I want to use the bath. Your presence is a hindrance to my bathing. Wha!? How so!? Dr. Tenkawa said 'You must absolutely never let Natsuhiko see your naked body'. So I can't let my guard down while you're in the house. Can't rule out the possibility you'll peek. I won't peek! Do you really think that's the kind of guy I am!? I can't trust you. Because I'm not good at imagining other people's emotions. It's not that sort of problem, is it!? Anyway, just get out quietly. H-hey! Hold on, Salyu!?Salyu grabbed Natsuhiko by the arm and started dragging him--  She then pushed him out of the front door. You can come back in after about an hour. Bye.Salyu then shut the front door. Natsuhiko just stared at the shut door in blank amazement. ...No, no, no, no. I'm not having any of that, Salyu. I can't say I don't understand how you feel, but there's no way I can keep putting up with going outside every time you take a bath... That's just unreasonable! I'll give her a piece of my mind!With an indignant heart, Natsuhiko opened the door. Upon which--  ♪ BGM: Foolishness ♫ He saw Salyu. See. Told you so. Can't trust you after all. Wh-why are you in the entranceway!? Weren't you taking a bath!? I was on guard because I thought you'd come back. I was right. In any case, it looks like you really do want to see me bathing. That really bothers me. I'm the one that's bothered here! You've got it all wrong, I'm telling you! No excuses. Dr. Tenkawa also said this: 'Natsuhiko's in the middle of puberty right now, so you can never be too sure. If you feel your body is in danger, then feel free to suppress him with brute force.' I will execute that command in order to acquire peaceful bathtime. Wait, wait, wait! By 'suppress me with brute force', you mean--Salyu quickly wrapped around behind Natsuhiko before he could finish. And the very next moment-- !? -- ---- ------ His consciousness was in an endless darkness. ???: (Where am I...?) He had no idea. His mind was a void. ???: (Why...? Why did this happen--) He desperately tried to find the reason, and eventually he heard a voice echoing in his mind, though he couldn't tell whose it was. ???: ... I overdid it a little. Natsuhiko, um, are you okay...?  ♪ BGM: Individualist / Theme of Louise ♫ Natsuhiko snapped up to his feet. His senses and memory mostly returned, but he seemed to be missing just the memory of a few minutes ago. H-huh...? If I remember correctly, I opened the refrigerator to get some milk, and... ...I'm sorry. I hit you on the back of the head and you passed out. I didn't want you to peek on me bathing. You knocked me out? You're joking. With that slender arm?Besides, Natsuhiko had no intention of peeking on Salyu bathing anyway. Which meant there was no reason for Salyu to knock him out, either. Perhaps he just dozed off on the sofa. With that thought in mind, Natsuhiko asked Salyu a question. --Oh, right, you said something about a bath. Have you already bathed, Salyu? ...Not yet, for various reasons. Hmm? Umm, could it have been... that you couldn't take a bath because I was in the living room? Y-yes. It's very difficult. What should I do? I see. I'm sorry. I'll go stay in my room, so tell me when you're done. You won't peek? No, I won't. If you're that worried, then just bar my door with something.For some reason, he had the feeling he should just say that and get it over with. Salyu sighed in relief at those words. ...Thank you, Natsuhiko. I feel ashamed. Hmm? What's this all of a sudden? I learned something. It's important not to judge other people with unreasonable suspicion. Otherwise you can't live with them. Hahah, that's a little exaggerated... but, well, if you ever need me for anything, don't be afraid to ask. Somehow or another, we've ended up living under the same roof. So I want us to have as good a relationship as possible. Mm.Salyu nodded quietly. And then Natsuhiko went to his room and Salyu went to the bathroom.  As Natsuhiko thought about Mashiro in his own room, he heard a voice from the other side of the door. Natsuhiko, I'm done bathing. Ah, okay, okay. I guess I'll take a bath too.Natsuhiko then left his room with a change of clothes.  It seemed she had already returned to her room. She's kinda keeping her guard up, huh... But I already said I wouldn't peek.As Natsuhiko muttered that, he caught a gentle aroma drifting through the air. He saw a cup of hot milk placed on the living room table. Beside it was a handwritten note apparently from Salyu. There was only one word written on it-- 'Sorry'...? Wait, sorry for what?He wasn't quite sure, but now that he thought about it, he did miss out on drinking the hot milk he intended to drink. Salyu most likely prepared that cup for him. Natsuhiko took that cup and gently brought it to his lips. Hot...! That's too hot, Salyu.Natsuhiko smiled wryly as he looked at the cup. But contrary to his words, the warmth of the milk gently spread through his heart...  A certain lump of information energy rises up from some corner of Natsuhiko's brain. That energy then takes form... And manifests as information in Natsuhiko's unconscious mind.   Hmm? What's this then?
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Jun 29, 2017 17:13
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Out of all the lines in this game, I think "I will execute that command in order to acquire peaceful bathtime" is one of those that will really stick with me.
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Jun 29, 2017 17:14
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EponymousMrYar posted:Better question: if BC is informational energy and muscle memory is stored in the muscles, can we use BC to turn someone into The Hulk!? Muscle memory does not equal muscles, so we can't manipulate the actual body in order to make somebody get swole as gently caress via BC. However, yes, the way the game posits it, muscle memory is stored in the brain - or rather, the information particles surrounding the brain. Now, muscle memory and actual memories are split IRL - amnesia makes you lose memories, but not muscle memory. However, that could just mean that amnesia just attacks a particular type of information particle. To use the computer analogy the game is so fond of, if information particles are files and amnesia is a virus, the virus can for instance just attack .EXE files and leave other files untouched. So yes, we could hypothetically create super soldiers this way. Take a strategic genius, an elite marksman, a close-combat expert, etc. and copy all their memories via Senses Sympathy, then put those memories into one person. Boom, instant super soldier. Just look how much poo poo Salyu was able to wreck by just learning hand-to-hand combat techniques while still being in the body of a 13-year-old girl, and now imagine more on top of that. However, we now know that this idea has flaws - primarily that the Communicator that performs this operation has a shelf life. They can only make so many super soldiers before they get N-ified. Now, imagine that LABO was even more unscrupulous than they already were. Imagine they worked out how exactly the aptitude raising via WX particle inundation worked. They could, in essence, create people capable of Senses Sympathy at will. Imagine the poo poo they could be capable of.
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Jun 30, 2017 12:47
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Communicator: --/--/----, --:-- ♪ BGM: The Truth is Revealed ♫  ...Hmm? Oh. You've gotten this far in, huh?She looks this way after saying that. Looks like you really wanted to know a lot about us, huh... That's embarrassing as hell, but thanks. Well, since you've come all the way here, how about we talk a little? ...Hey, what's with that clueless look on your face? Maybe you're thinking... 'What's she doing in Natsuhiko's room? This memory can't possibly exist'... Well, you're right. This is no ordinary memory. So what do you think it could be, then? 'Traces of Subject N's BC energy'...? 'Lingering malice in Natsuhiko's mind'...? 'An imaginary memory that Natsuhiko made up himself'...? Sorry, but none of those are correct. Obviously, Natsuhiko isn't infected with malice, and it's nothing as complicated as you'd think. That said, it's a little hard for me to explain too... Well, the point is, I'm similar to 'this girl' over here.As soon as she says that, another person suddenly appears beside her.  This girl's Yuuri Kotono. But not the real Yuuri herself. She was born from Yuuri's BC and lived within Natsuhiko's mind... She's that 'phantom' that supported Natsuhiko those nine years. My role's now complete, you see... so I disappeared from Hikorin's sight. Everything will be okay now since the other me's there for him. And so are Mashiron, Salyu, the professor, and everyone else, too. ...Allow me to thank you one more time on behalf of Natsuhiko. Thank you for all the things you've done these nine years. No, it was my pleasure. Please take care of Hikorin and the others for me, okay?The phantom leaves the room after saying that. Leaving me alone with her. ...She's gone again, huh. But it's not like she's vanished forever. Even if he can't see her anymore, she'll keep living here in the depths of Natsuhiko's mind. Just like me, see? Just to set things straight, it's not like this occurrence is unique to us Communicators. Far from it. It's a very normal occurrence that can happen when people simply come in contact with each other. And living in the 'world' inside your head are all the people you've ever come in contact with. In the form of 'memories', see. 'All bodies of energy mix upon contact'... The same goes for human thoughts and emotions. The people you've met. The people you know. All of them live within you. Even if those people die... Even if you never see them again... Those people certainly remain within you. You've touched her emotions through Senses Sympathy, haven't you? And while it may not be to the same extent, she had to have left something in your mind, too. In the same way that Mashiro is in Natsuhiko's mind, Mashiro is in your mind as well.    I bet your impression of Watase kept changing. Though I can't even begin to imagine what sort of impression you have of him now.   Thus, everyone's ideas and emotions propagated into your mind... and live inside of it. And personally, even I'm happy about that, but... Unfortunately, it's almost time to say goodbye. All information energy has to dissipate sometime. You... probably don't have much time left to intervene in everyone's memories. In just a trifling amount of time, you touched everyone's minds and established a faint connection with them... It was a pretty weak signal to begin with. ...Come on, no need to be so sad. That doesn't mean this is our final farewell, you know. As long as you remember us, we'll live inside your memories. C'mon, don't you remember what Nagisa said? - -'Just remember, and you can see me again any time', right?     ...well, here we are. We've now come to the end of Root Double, with 100% completion! But before we totally wrap things up, there's one last thing we need to take care of... VOTING So, remember the end of Route Before, about four months ago? I had a round of voting where you from the thread gave your opinions on which characters you liked the most and which ones you liked the least, as sort of a half-way point opinion poll. Now, it's time for the second round! How much will your opinions have changed now that we've gotten the full picture on everybody? And for comparison, here are your rankings from back then summed up:  You like spreadsheets? I like spreadsheets. Anyway, just like the last time, assign a number from 0 to 8, with 0 being the lowest and 8 being the highest, to the following people: Keiji Ukita Mashiro Toba Ena Tsubakiyama Louise Yui Sannomiya Watase Kasasagi Kazami Tachibana Natsuhiko Tenkawa Jun Moribe Yuuri Kotono Like before, splitting it up so that every number is given out once is optional. But furthermore, I decided to give the extras a bit of opportunity to shine - if you want to, you can single out a character that is not those nine that you either particularly liked or particularly disliked, if you have one. Of course, I'm partially doing this because I want to do it myself. So here's my rankinngs: Louise Yui Sannomiya: 8 (previous: 8) Salyu still gets the conventional top spot. Nothing in the second half really changed how I feel about her, largely just reinforced what I already thought. She's an adorable killing machine, determined to the core to protect those close to her, constantly gives everything her all, always tries to better herself in spite of her mental condition... quite frankly, Natsuhiko should be thanking his lucky stars Salyu likes him, because he sure as hell doesn't deserve her. Also, given that she spent most of her life locked up in a research facility, going on a world tour with her would probably be the most amazing thing. Jun Moribe: 7 (previous: 7) Much like with Salyu, nothing really changed about Jun in the second half of the story. If you already liked her, nothing much is going to change your opinion, same if you already disliked her. I liked her, and so I still do. Not having a real big ''secret'' to carry around and have revealed means she kind of takes a backseat to others during the second half, but she's still Best Buddy Jun with every thing I liked about her in the first half - a chipper attitude and devotion to rescuing people and justice make her a reliable force you can count on. Watase Kasasagi: 6 (previous: 6) Watase maintains his ranking despite his terrorist background. What primarily brings me to this conclusion is that Watase, at his heart, is still a thoroughly virtuous person. During the entirety of his planning, he always took care to make sure nobody innocent is hurt, and when things did go wrong, he went above and beyond in order to get them out alive, throwing himself into danger after danger out of nothing but a pure sense of doing the right thing. He's competent, has a noble goal in mind, always puts others first... in a tough situation, having Watase as backup would be incredibly valuable. Keiji Ukita: 5 (previous: 1) This one might turn some heads, and probably requires some explanation. Ukita's massive jump in these rankings is founded primarily on two things. One: Most of what I said about Watase also applies to Ukita. Now with the full picture, we can see just how Ukita's abrasiveness and distrust were logical conclusions and primarily served the purpose of protecting the others in the group from danger, be it from Watase or LABO. Two: He decided that something needed to be done about LABO, and he *did it*. And he did it despite knowing that they have mafia-esque abilities for making people disappear. That gives him the biggest balls out of anybody in this story. LABO is a combination of an inhuman research facility, a criminal corporation, and a corrupt government, and together they have a stranglehold on Rokumei City that no proper channels can break without a radical event outing just what LABO is. Ukita might not be the most competent guy around, but he's the most principled by far, and he's got balls so big they drag. If your cause aligns with his, there won't be a more determined guy on your team than him. Kazami Tachibana: 4 (previous: 3) Kazami marks the part in my rankings where things become a bit more muddled - the next three are grouped tighter than the others. Kazami leads this group as a competent rescue worker with a knack for staying cool under pressure. However, as it stands, Kazami didn't exactly end up doing a lot to stand out the way somebody like Jun does. Kazami didn't stand out primarily because standing out is something that gets in the way of being a competent, cool-headed rescue worker. Still, she was probably the most interesting character when maliced, and made a good antagonist of sorts for a while by virtue of being a maliced Communicator, so she moves up one spot. Ena Tsubakiyama: 3 (previous: 4) Ena mainly drops because other characters went up, if that makes sense. Her turning out to be a badass BC commissioner was an interesting twist, but really, Ena's major development as far as her trust issues primarily came in the first half, so she doesn't really go anywhere with the exception of her twist. Even her having fallen for Watase somewhat had already been put into motion at the end of Route After. So all that remains is a good person eager to help, but that doesn't go far when most other people also fall under that category. Mashiro Toba: 2 (previous: 1) Mashiro... well, she still tries. Once again, she just can't compare to those that came before her by virtue of being a high school girl and not a rescue worker or BC commissioner or axe-murdering super-genius prodigy. Still, her heart is firmly in the right place, and she's got the guts and determination to match, even if her skill is not up to snuff. So she gets points from me for that, even if she's vastly inferior to Salyu. Then again, who isn't? And still, even though she only gets a 2, I'd say that I like Mashiro. So it's not like I think she's a bad character or anything. Natsuhiko Tenkawa: 1 (previous: 0) Oh, Natsuhiko... you just still haven't managed to connect with me. All those minds you've connected with, but mine just wasn't on the list. The hell of it is that even with now knowing the full picture, I still can't pinpoint exactly what it is about Natsuhiko that makes me dislike him. It's just this general feeling of ''you kind of suck as a protagonist, and if you didn't happen to have BC superpowers, you'd be basically worthless'', and I can't shake it no matter how much the game wants to tell me otherwise. Sorry, Natsuhiko. I'm sure it's not you, it's me. Yuuri Kotono: 0 (previous: 5) OK, this one also needs some explanation. Honestly, this comes entirely down to how Yuuri acted in the final part of Route Double, with Watase and Natsuhiko having their final confrontation over whether Yuuri goes along with Watase to Q, or if she stays with Natsuhiko. When we held the voting for the Senses input there, some people said that we should let Yuuri have actual agency in this decision. There's something I wanted to say, but I didn't want to be needlessly confrontational - still, I'll have to say it here to explain this drop. I don't believe Yuuri should have any agency. She simply can't be trusted with it, and this decision is a prime example why. She screams about not wanting to be away from Natsuhiko when he decides to go with Watase in her stead and insists she goes along as well, but if Natsuhiko doesn't make that call, she just says that she'll go along with Watase without giving a single poo poo about how Natsuhiko feels about all this. She's a walking contradiction with a messiah complex. Here's another hot take for you: I think that Natsuhiko made the right call when he made Yuuri see a phantom of him, and the very same scene shows exactly why - the moment Yuuri realizes the truth, she immediately decides to once more jump headlong into danger because she has to save Natsuhiko, just like how she did back when she ''died'', and how she wanted to when she decided to go along with Watase. If you don't force Yuuri into a situation of peace, she'll simply charge into the shittiest situations simply because she feels she ''has to'', and even though Natsuhiko tried to get through to her and tell her that sacrificing herself is just going to make things worse, she just won't have it. Yuuri is basically as mentally hosed as Salyu is, but shows no actual progress in overcoming that mental block. And while there's more than enough blame to go around for this state of affairs, a fair share of it falls on Yuuri's shoulders. Honorable Mention: Subject N Most of you have probably already seen this coming. Subject N doesn't just occupy my ''particularly liked side character'' slot, but actually my ''favorite character in the entire game'' slot as well. I've already mentioned that I have a writing fetish for manipulative antagonists, particularly those that manipulate in such a way that leaves the manipulated completely convinced what they've been manipulated to do is the right thing, or maybe even that they're the one that came up with the idea in the first place. The concept of malice contamination might seem a bit simple, but to me, it's brimming with potential. Honestly, if there was a story based around a city that has gotten seriously hit with the malice contamination and has become quarantined because of it (a possible situation if the idea of using N-ified Communicators as a human weapon actually got developed), where not a single person can *really* be trusted and you can't even tell whether you yourself have become infected or not because everything keeps making perfect sense to you if you're infected, I'd be all over that poo poo. Overall, Subject N has become one of my favorite antagonists, period - and that's quite the accomplishment, given that she has a relatively small role, all things considered. At least on a personal level, she hits all the right notes. Dishonorable Mention: N/A Honestly, I just couldn't come up with anybody in particular that stood out here. Sure, there's one particular character that a lot of you are almost assuredly thinking of - Miyoko Tenkawa. However, as it stands, I don't give her as much poo poo as some of you did. So really, what I come up with is going to pale in comparison to what you come up with. And apart from her, I can't really think of somebody except maybe obvious terrible people like the other Area Zero administrators and that kind of stuff, which doesn't really count. So I'm calling an N/A on this one. I'm very interested in seeing what you think.
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Jun 30, 2017 14:32
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CirclMastr posted:Is that the issue? Because it seemed to me that the issue was that they could only absorb so many memories before getting N-ified. To once again go to a bad computer analogy, it's like a hard drive where you add so many files to it that you start to overwrite the system OS files. What also applies is the melt effect, which comes into play when the Communicator writes to somebody's memory. You need to engage Senses Sympathy for that, and that means some of the target's information particles are going to end up in the Communicator's head due to the connection. It might not be as bad as actually reading all the memories, but it's still going to add to the load of information particles that don't belong to the Communicator, and that load can only go so far before we get N-ification.
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Jun 30, 2017 16:25
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Definitely feeling the Jun, Salyu and Kazami love here. And don't mind me just unsubtly giving the thread a bump and asking for more votes because opinions about the games I LP make my heart tingle. But that's actually not the only thing I'm here for right now. I'd like to pose a bit of a question to those of you that have still stuck around - I have two games I'm considering to LP next. Both of them are RPG Maker games, but they couldn't be more different. I'm asking what would be more interesting to you. This isn't a formal vote or anything, but I'm curious, as always. I'll probably do both, but this could decide which I do first. GAME A: VAMPIRES DAWN 2  Click here for a trailer video Well, you had to figure this was coming. This is the sequel to Vampires Dawn, the game I LP'd before I did Root Double. It's a direct sequel that takes off from where the canon ending of the last game left things off. I'm not going to talk much about the story, since if you haven't read Vampires Dawn yet, it would basically spoil the ending for you - though the trailer is probably confusing enough that you won't be spoiled too much by it. What I am going to say is that I consider Vampires Dawn 2 to be the magnum opus of what I call the German RPG Maker Renaissance. The scope of the game is absolutely immense, and it does a lot of things that you would not expect from an RPG Maker game, including implementing a strange sort of territory control minigame, statpoints for all sorts of different boosts, making a minigame out of sucking blood compared to the simple option it was in the first game... and all around, the presentation and assets are just amped the gently caress up, with a whole lot of actual custom stuff for graphics and music instead of just using RTP assets and video game MIDIs from the Internet (though don't get me wrong, there's still a ton of video game MIDIs, this is still an RPG Maker game from the 2000s, after all). I don't actually remember how well it plays, but I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I say it does everything the first game does, but bigger and better. Pick this one if you hate me and want me to die from having to translate and type out an entire massive RPG's worth of text. GAME B: THE CLOSER: GAME OF THE YEAR EDITION  Click here for a trailer video Now, this is something completely different. The Closer is a very simple story at its core - to quote from the announcement for this game: "This is the tale of a young relief pitcher who gives up the winning run in game 6 of the World Series and goes on an epic quest to regain his confidence before a decisive game 7. Along the way, he encounters bar trivia contests, Japanese PC games, pop-Marxist philosophy, and existential terror. In no particular order." The Closer is not a game you play for its gameplay. There is gameplay and a fairly interesting battle system, but that's not what's important here. The story and characters are the most important part, and The Closer tells one hell of a story. The #1 thing a story can do right, to me, is to keep me engrossed by keeping me guessing, and this story does that incredibly well. There's constant twists and turns strewn about that don't feel out of place, but instead just feel like one more natural step on this crazy ride. All in all, I think The Closer tells one of the most interesting stories I've seen in a game period, and that's largely because it just goes balls-to-the-wall with it. This bit from the announcement post sums it up pretty well to me: "But this is a game where Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek can get into a debate about feminism with an elevator operator to infiltrate Twitter headquarters. So, c’mon, you’re curious." Pick this one if you hate me and want me to die from having to explain the intricacies of baseball and sabermetrics to the LP subforum and in the process lose 95% of my audience. I'll be back at some point down the line for the wrap-up update, and then I'll submit this monster for archival and give Baldurk a heart attack.
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Jul 3, 2017 19:49
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Odds & Ends: 07/09/2017, 17:45 ♪ BGM: Convergence ♫ Well, it's been quite the ride, but alas, it seems like it's about to come to an end. Still, in my newly found tradition, I'm going to close out this LP with a wrap-up post. First of all, let's take a look at how you ranked the characters now:  Well, it turns out that not a lot changed! Compared to the last one, the top five are exactly the same, and at the other end, Natsuhiko and Yuuri took a dive and are now taking up the last two slots, meaning Mashiro and Ukita went up a bit. Still, overall, you've stayed true to what you said before. I like that consistency you're showing. The honorable and dishonorable mentions were also remarkably uniform - 100% of the honorable mentions were for Subject N, and 100% for the dishonorable mentions were for Miyoko Tenkawa. I kind of expected the latter to happen. Now, here's some closing thoughts: The LP: - The one thing that has to be said about this LP is that I would not have finished this without OCR software. I'm so loving grateful I ended up using that - it can't be overstated how much work that saved me. The errors it introduced were few and far between. I highly recommend anybody looking to do SSLPs of any text-heavy game look into OCR. It's a god drat lifesaver. - There's a few regrets I do have with this LP. For one thing, the voting was kind of superfluous at times, and I was really just having it because I felt like I should have it. From Route Double onwards, voting was basically a formality that only slightly changed the order in which I posted updates - and then I went and posted multiple updates in the same day, making it even more moot, especially since I deliberately hid correct votes from you as well. Alas. - Another thing I regret is that I basically stopped having actual commentary in the LP at a fairly early point. I just did the necessary formalities, like saying when a scene would change or something like that, but overall, I just let the game be the game. I mean, I guess that can also be interpreted as a good thing. - Looking at the metrics, I'm pretty sure this is the most popular LP I've had on these forums so far. And really, looking at the games I've LPed, I guess an anime visual novel is probably one of the more "mainstream" things I've done. My LPs are weird, is what I'm gathering. The Game: - This game will hold a special place in my heart. It does a whole lot of things I like in stories, but what I particularly like is that it's a story that doesn't have a primary antagonist. Sure, LABO and Subject N play the roles of the antagonists, but neither were planning on this happening. LABO would have preferred it if none of this happened, and Subject N was just a force of nature that was unleashed due to a plan going wrong. None of this was *supposed* to happen, and nobody was *supposed* to be here. This is all the result of people loving up, and I like that. - Another thing I liked was the Senses Sympathy System. There was a lot of backlash against the system for being a vague mess that throws you into bad ends without really giving you a reason, but to be honest, that's exactly why I like it. I like the lack of being in control, just having a single thing you can do by telling the main character "you like this person" and "you don't like this person" without having any real knowledge of what exactly that's going to make the main character do. One good thing is that there's not a lot of penalty for loving up - with most decisions, you can just reload and you're at best set back about five minutes. There are some rather crippling setbacks (having to "save more time" in Route After, getting thrown back several chapters in Route Before because you didn't trust people enough), but overall, it's not too big a problem, and the feeling of not really being in control of anything makes for some fun times. Overall, there's not a lot to be said here compared to, say, The Political Machine. The game itself sort of just petered out with the Xtend Episode, and as such, we've all sort of already come to terms with the end of this, and this is kind of just a formality. I guess I just can't resist putting a bow on top of things. Still, I'm glad there were a lot of you that enjoyed this game and this LP. I hope to see you around for my next project - which is probably going to be Vampires Dawn 2. I guess that only makes sense - it's the one real loose end I still have left open. So tying that up is going to be fun. See you there! LET'S PLAY ROOT DOUBLE -BEFORE CRIME * AFTER DAYS- - THE END
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Jul 9, 2017 17:46
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So here's a final epitaph for this LP. You might have been wondering when this LP would end up on the LP Archive. Well, we know the answer to that now, and it's "never". I went through the archival process and Baldurk posted it up, only for him to get a takedown demand from the localizers of this game, citing a pinned topic on the Steam Discussions page that states that there are no LPs allowed that go past Route After and Route Before - so, y'know, like the whole second half of the game. Turns out we've been copyright infringing all this time, but nobody told us because the paywall protects us. Who knew? I could have had the post on the Archive edited to be only the first two routes, but what's the point in that - all it means is that somebody that reads the first two routes will then have to buy the game and then slog through those same first two routes all over again to get to the actually new stuff, and I can't imagine that I could be arsed to do that. Those two routes are long. So that's the ultimate end for this LP. The forums archives will be its only resting place. Meanwhile, I've started working on my new LP, Vampires Dawn II. It's the sequel a surprising amount of people asked for!
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Sep 7, 2017 07:37
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