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One day there's going to be a fighting-transformation that ends in actually practical outfits you could realistically fight in, rather than fetish gear. It won't sell, because most people watch these anime/play these games for girls in fetish gear, but still 
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May 15, 2023 09:51
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Black Robe posted:One day there's going to be a fighting-transformation that ends in actually practical outfits you could realistically fight in, rather than fetish gear. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1318970/This_Way_Madness_Lies/, maybe? We're a long way off from it still, but I'll say this just so what people know to expect for when we do get there: Blue Reflection 1 will not be any help in disproving this statement. It's... going to be an experience, and that experience is mostly why I suggest starting with Second Light first and only going back if you really want to. Hopefully I'll be able to have that LP end having highlighted what good it does have and why it got a sequel to begin with, but the game will not be making that an easy task at times.
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May 15, 2023 15:30
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Not sure why I was surprised this turned into magical girls but alright.
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May 15, 2023 20:32
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Odd Wilson posted:那 (na) = Kanji for "what?", or as you may know, "nani?". So this isn't actually the na from nani (that's 何) - even though most (English) online dictionaries will name 那 as 'what' or similar as far as I can tell this is for historical and/or Chinese reasons and it's not actually used for 'what', but rather is mainly used where you just want to say 'na' for some reason (mostly place names, or in this case people names). Though, 'where' (那辺, what vicinity) survives in some contexts.
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May 16, 2023 23:08
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Polsy posted:So this isn't actually the na from nani (that's 何) - even though most (English) online dictionaries will name 那 as 'what' or similar as far as I can tell this is for historical and/or Chinese reasons and it's not actually used for 'what', but rather is mainly used where you just want to say 'na' for some reason (mostly place names, or in this case people names). Though, 'where' (那辺, what vicinity) survives in some contexts. That's very good to know! Every single dictionary I checked, (usually some of which have unique information than the others,) mislead me in this regard then. I thought it didn't make a lot of sense to begin with. I'll credit you and fix that up. Edit: I was able to get my life back on track today and completely blew it out of the water in regards to getting updates done. I've now got a 95% complete update full of gameplay and story in about 180 screenshots coming in next time- all in a single day. 40 of those probably could have been in last update but I was Look forward to it! Left 4 Bread fucked around with this message at 01:31 on May 17, 2023 |
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May 17, 2023 00:39
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Journal Entry 07: A Journey to Remember  MUSIC: Transparent Shelter// Ao's adventures in the Faraway resume. //    (*Off to the right of where we found the strange crystal is a small yard between some rural houses, shaded by the high cliffs nearby. In the shafts of sunlight glitter the strange particles falling from the sky.*)  (*With nothing but a few demons milling about, the group heads back to the main road...*)  (*Ahead, down a dirt path sparsely reinforced with wooden planks, lies more of the town. A dead tree forms an arch between two houses ahead- with ominous mist glowing in it's shade.*)    AO: There are some strong-looking demons around here. I wonder if there's any way to avoid them. (*Ahead lies blue versions of the Tapir demons we've seen thus far, their feet leaving behind a frosty mist from inside their menacing aura.*)   // It's safe to say, we don't stand a chance against these currently. Attempting to run past is possible, but frequently folly as they move incredibly quick. //    AO: (Crawling through here might work, but I don't want to get ambushed...) (*To the right is another small yard with a path that peculiarly runs underneath the nearby house.*)  (*On the side of the house nestled against the cliffside to the left of the demon hounds is a ladder.*)  AO: (There's a house here too. The door won't open, and there's no sign of anybody here.)    (*As we ascend the ladder, we balance our way across the roof cap to the base of the fallen tree. Just below, we can see the path ahead further down into the valley.*)  (*The fallen tree itself is hewn into a flat bridge on top, making for a surprisingly good walkway.*)  (*The girls look down to the ground 2 stories below..*)   YUKI: Whew! You'd walk away with more than a scratch if you fell from this height! AO: Wanna race to see who can get across faster? YUKI: You're on! (*Yuki starts to psych herself up.*)  KOKORO: (worried) Th-that's dangerous! How about we try to be a little more careful?   RENA: (annoyed) How can you two be enjoying this...?  (*The short scene ends and Ao makes her descent down the ladder on th other side of the vine-covered house.*)  KOKORO: They're not going to follow behind us, are they? RENA: Let's hope not. YUKI: Guys! Speaking of behind us-!  (*Blocking the path just ahead is a giant demon! Its one-eyed, blocky body floats above a yellow core attached to quadrapedal, mechanical looking legs.*)  (*It spins its body around rapidly and we're pulled into the fight!*)   VIDEO: Cyclops Battle (Hard) VIDEO: Cyclops Battle (Deathwish) // The Hard fight is a less aggressive approach, while the Deathwish seeks to just flex on this miniboss since it's not that difficult. Neither are that different, but I included them both anyways. //  (*It enters the battle jumping in, throwing dirt and dust everywhere!*)   MUSIC: My REAL// If you listen to anything, listen to this. It's one of the best tracks in the entire game. //  // Cyclops is our first real miniboss of the game, though he also gets to be part of a tutorial. //  (*It spins it's upper body around once...*)  (*And a red energy begins to swirl around its core, distorting the air around it!*)  AO: (I have to do something!)  AO: I'll cover everyone! (*With a violet energy surrounding her, Ao raises a sparkling hand to the sky-*)   (*- and it disperses into a sparkling, rippling barrier before her!*)    (*Just in time for the demon to reform itself into a sort of cannon, blasting lightning everywhere!*)  // Real enemies like these have supermoves, their activation designated by the flashing DANGER above their head and the short animation that plays. These attacks are most threatening for being the one thing in the game to kill your combo count if you get hit by them. As we do rather minor damage without a combo, this can really shift the momentum of the fight. Ao's Regn skill will provide a short lasting barrier that can prevent that. Keep in mind that only at higher Gears does Regn provide any defense bonuses. //  // Cyclops's basic attack, Wild Shot, only deals moderate damage on even Deathwish, as really the only tricky factor to this fight is keeping up on HP to survive Ultimate Ray. Given that Ultimate Ray only does about 5 damage (around 8 -10 on Deathwish) to each girl, being a semi-tutorial boss, it's not terribly difficult. //  // If it's been some time since the boss last used it's super, you're going to want to make sure Ao keeps somewhere around 1k Ether on hand. //  // Alternatively, you can hit your foe with Knockdown to cancel it. I vaguely remember this not working sometimes, but I know it works on most fights. //  // The Cyclops's main strategy really is to try and get it's supermove off as quickly as possible before you start dealing real damage to it. //   // Before the boss has even reached half health, Ao and Kokoro are already in Reflector forms and Ao can easily pop Valregn. I did this one a bit early though, and it goes to show how short of a barrier it actually is with lasting barely the time for this boss to go between 2k ep and 4k ep. The meter for it is that little shield under the combo tracker. I was about a half of a second barely safe here. //  // Unable to win the battle of attrition, it goes down pretty quickly after missing all 3 chances to stop our combo, ending the fight at a x4.5 damage multiplier. //  (*With a failing groan, it explodes...*)   (*...and slumps down, fading away in a violet and light blue mist.*)    (*With the demon gone, a broken fence line opens to a long path ahead..*)   VIDEO: Welcoming Party  (*We return to find the girls walking in a darker forest, the surrounding atmosphere with a more blue coloration. The craggy cliff face of the mountains far behind them rises higher than our eyes can see.*)  *Loud roar* (*The roar so violent as to shake the screen, the girls look around in shock for the source.*)   MUSIC: "There's nothing we can't do, right?"(*Suddenly, a massive, hulking demon drops down in front of them, swinging a black armblade in the opposite direction,!*)  (*It turns to look behind,..!*)   (*...to see nothing, as the girls hide very close by, just behind a bush and leftover construction materials.*)  YUKI: That thing is huge!  RENA: Not good. It seems much stronger than the other demons we've fought.  (*The hulk looks away and the scene ends...*) *Freespace opening chime*  FreeSpace: Idle Idols posted:
 FreeSpace: Idle Idols posted:
 // We're now pushed into our first Stealth Mission of the game. During this, we can't use Ao's scythe and pulling aggro from any enemy resets us at the start. But we do have a tool to assist us in this. //  // We can now activate Search Mode, darkening the whole world, but putting Ao into a crouch with a red highlight shader on her and any demons around. Their exact view cones are fully visible now. Search Mode does reduce Ao's movement speed whille active, but if you have a good idea of the demons' aggro ranges you can do stealth segments at full sprint if so desired. //  RENA: There are a lot of demons here, so let's be careful. KOKORO: It might be better to take a detour to avoid the demons. (*The area ahead is a house settled right in a fork in the road. The road to the right is barricaded off and watched over by the hulking demon, but a ladder catches the eye on the side of the house.*)  (*The hulking demon takes occasional swings in fits of rage, the armblades' swings being loudly audible even from a far distance. All around, ghostly demons in tattered black robes float about, actively searching for the girls.*)  RENA: I want to get over past that house, but demons are patrolling this area... KOKORO: I wonder if we can't get by them? AO: As long as we keep hiding behind stuff, I think we'll be okay.  (*Out from behind the box, the other fork of the road leads to an area obscured in fog that's too thick to permit any further progress.*)   (*A large ceramic pot ahead makes for another good hiding spot, letting the team get through.*)   // Reaching the ladder's not very difficult, and it's a climb up to and over the roof cap just like last time. We make our way down into a cutscene. //  (*We rejoin the girls walking onwards from the ladder down...*) *Loud roar, explosive rumbling*  (*The giant has slammed the ground with both arms...*)   (*And it proceeds to jump all the way over to threaten the path ahead.*)  YUKI: That one is after us! We can't let it find us! AO: To get past it... I guess our only choice is to go under the building. RENA: I'd prefer if we didn't have to, but it looks like we don't have a choice...  (*As we move forward, Ao takes notice of something.*)  AO: (I don't know why, but I've got a feeling we'll find something in it.) (*More peculiarly, next to this trashcan and barrels is distorted mess of a fence... how very strange.*)  (*The area ahead is a T-section of road, with one lone home to our left and more homes and demons off to the right.*)   // This crawlspace under the lone house is technically optional as the hulk moves away occasionally, but here it is anyways. I won't deny this angle is... awkward, so I won't screenshot it unless I have to. The only thing of note under here right now is more of those odd stone statues. //   AO: The garbage bin's got... dirt inside it? AO: Nope, it's clay. How did this kind of stuff get clogged up in here anyway...?  AO: Although, it could be used to to fill up cracks. Let's take it back with us. // This, and the following collection scenes are voiced, but are very short. I put them in anyways, but this is something I'd usually cut. //  AO: (I feel like there's something up ahead... But there's no way for me to get through right now.) (*Impassable as it may currently be, there seems to be a dirt path beyond and more of those cobblestone terrace walls.*)   (*A crawlspace under a house on tall stilts is our next path forward, bringing us to the center of this little town...*)  RENA: Going through a place like this is insanity... But I think we made it out safely.   (*Only a couple of dilapidated, overgrown houses make up the last of the town nestled in these mountainous crags, forming a small town circle with a path up a hill just to our left.*)  (*The next thing to catch Ao's eye is a box with a tarp on it underneath a shed with no walls. More of those statues inside.*)  AO: Huh... A tarp.  AO: Better take it. We might be able to cover up the leak.  (*The hulk begins approaching our location, so Ao climbs up the nearby ladder.*)    (*With a new vantage point, we can see that we are truly deep in some valley now as the sun shimmers on high through the blue haze from very far above. A red shrine lantern stands on the hill below and beyond it a deeper valley filled wih red trees. High upon the cliffs in the distance is a massive towering structure, though it's identity is only silhouetted against the sun. *)    (*As Ao crosses another fallen tree bridge between the buldings, her eye catches on a pair of blue and yellow crates next to the house below. *)  YUKI: I bet we could use that demon's cape thing to hide if we took it. AO: Good idea! We'll wait here while you do that. YUKI: C-come on, I was just joking...  // Across the rest of the bridges is just a gathering point, so we climb down from here. Doing so puts us right next to what Ao spotted. //  AO: Is this...packing tape? AO: Better take it. We might be able to use it. (*From there, the scene ends with a fade out...*) VIDEO: Making A Retreat   (*We rejoin the girls back at the entrance to this area, at the foot of one of those bear signs.*)  AO: I think we can fix the leak with this stuff. RENA: I think we can start heading back then.  *Stomping*  MUSIC: "There's nothing we can't do, right?"(*Ao's brief shock changes to that of determined anger...*)  (*The hulk runs by the house in the distance, stopping...*)   (*And lets out a great roar as it sees the girls!*)  AO: Run! Now!  (*They begin to make their escape, Ao trailing behind as she gives the demon one last glance...*)  MUSIC: A Glum Face on the Water(*We fade back in on the girls in the school's courtyard, exhausted and being rained on. Ao's left barely standing, with Rena being the only one to be mostly composed.*)  AO: *Pant* *pant* ...That thing was definitely bad news.  RENA: (out of breath) If there are more like the thing we just saw, we'll have to be careful going deeper.  KOKORO: (quietly) Right... KOKORO: Hmm... (*Kokoro holds a hand to her chest as she hangs her head, expression melancholy.*)  AO: At least we got some stuff to fix the leak, right? YUKI: Yeah! Let's head to the work room and make something with it!  (*And inside they go, to escape the rain...*) MUSIC: Let's Girl Talk! AO: We're back! Now let's make some tools! YUKI: All set! Now's the perfect time to show off my DIY skills!  KOKORO: Exploring while trying to avoid being caught by demons was intense... RENA: We'll need to keep our guards up if there's more like we just saw... // Our excursion for repair materials proving more dangerous than planned but still successful, all that's left is to make our fixes. //  // The Leak Repair Kit uses all three items we picked up, the Old Packing Tape, the Blue Tarp, and the Clay Soil. This obviously isn't food, so we get a different crafting scene this time... // VIDEO: Workshopping Together  (*The camera pans around the table, now covered in diagrams, journals, and simple tools as the girls look on to an orange crystal on the table...*)  (*Yuki writes something down with audible scribbling...*)  (*The gem glows violet as Kokoro hammers something with Rena looking on intently, elbows on the table and hand covering a fist...*)   (*And everyone gives a sychronized victory cheer as their work is completed, Rena with an uncharacteristic smirk as the created item sparkles and shines with energy in the background.*)  YUKI: All done~! VIDEO: To Find That Special Something  AO: All done! This should fix that pesky leak! YUKI: Let's give it a try! (*Ao stands proudly with her hands on her hips as we fade out...*) MUSIC: A Glum Face on the Water (*We return to Ao on the second floor, looking up at their solution. Sticking out sorely is a blue tarp somewhat clumsily fastened with duct tape.*) *Distant rain* AO: I think this should do the trick...  KOKORO: Yuki is going to pour some water down from the roof, right? AO: Yep. And we'll check to see if it leaks through.  KOKORO: (cheerfully) What a busy day it's been. AO: Yeah. Dangerous, too. (*Kokoro stands with with a lean, arms behind her smiling. It fades for a brief moment at this comment, but it returns easily.*)  KOKORO: Yes... It was quite scary. KOKORO: ...But I also thought it was a little fun. KOKORO: Like I said, I've had much more to write in my diary since you arrived.  KOKORO: I realized something when I was looking through my old entries. KOKORO: (sadly)We had been spending everyday the exact same way.  KOKORO: But now...we're all working together and doing all sorts of things... I'm having fun. AO: Kokoro... *Phone notification*  FreeSpace: Idle Idols posted:
AO: Oops... (*The two look up to the patched ceiling.*)  AO: I don't think it leaked, did it? KOKORO: No... It seems to be fine.  AO: Yay! We did it! KOKORO: Yes! We should tell Yuki and Rena too! (*The girls briefly celebrate before they leave.*)   (*We return to find the girls once again seated around the classroom table, the room set up to go to sleep. Yuki leans forward, hugging a large rubber duck sitting on the table as Ao stares downwards.*) *Gentle rainfall*  YUKI: Whew! Mission accomplished! RENA: I'm glad everything worked out all right. We had a few close calls.  AO: (gloomily) Yeah... We probably shouldn't go too far into the Faraway. It's just too dangerous. YUKI: But that's where we have to go if we want to find any information on getting you home, right?  YUKI: Are you giving up on that?  (*Ao looks down once again, her expression darkening.*)  AO: Well... If I was able to go home, of course I'd want to... AO: But I can't put all of you in danger just for that. RENA: ...  AO: (unconvincingly) Don't worry, everything will work out somehow! AO: I just showed up here all of a sudden, so who's to say I won't get home the same way?  (*The other three look at one another seriously, Kokoro nodding to them.*)  (*Rena and Yuki nod back...*)  (*Ending with a smile and a big grin.*)  (*Ao, continues to look away, her expression growing gloomier.*)   MUSIC: Blue Reflection - Talking Until Sunset Under that Same Fateful SkyKOKORO: ...I think we should go deeper into the Faraway. AO: Wha— Kokoro?  RENA: Agreed. We should investigate it as thoroughly as we can. AO: You too?! You guys realize how dangerous it is, don't you?! KOKORO: Yes. But even so.  (*Ao fights with her emotions...*)  KOKORO: (quietly) Also... Those memories we saw in the Faraway? I think they might be mine. YUKI: What?! Seriously?! KOKORO: Yes. (*She gives a certain nod, then closes her eyes and smiles to herself..*)  KOKORO: Ever since we first went in, I felt it. Like I'd seen it all before.  KOKORO: (seriously) So, if we explore all the way... Maybe I'd be able to regain my memory. KOKORO: And perhaps we'll learn something about Ao's world as well. (*She looks down and closes her eyes, still determined.*)   KOKORO: ...Actually, no. I have to admit that my reasons are selfish. AO: Kokoro... RENA: If those memories are yours, then mine might be somewhere in there too.  RENA: (smiling brightly) If that's the case, it's certainly worth looking into. AO: Rena...  YUKI: It'll be fun as long as we're together! AO: Yuki...  KOKORO: So, Ao— (*The three rise from the floor.*)  KOKORO: We'd like you to come with us!  AO: ... (*She's speechless for a moment, but it gives way to a smile...*)  AO: Okay. YUKI: All right! Our adventure shall begin on the morrow! (*Our view begins to pan upwards to the ceiling, as Ao stands up with them...*)  RENA: We should get to bed soon. It'll be a big day. KOKORO: Yes, that's right. Goodnight!  AO: Goodnight! (*And we fade out, looking at the roof above...*) MUSIC: Bottled Message in the Sky AO: Just like that, we had decided. (*A lone pair of shoes walks down the concrete path on a sunny morning...*)  AO: Despite our memories missing, and having no way to get home... (*Ao looks upwards to the horizon.*)  AO: The four of us started walking forward again. (*Kokoro arrives next to her with a bright smile.*)  AO: Seeking something new. (*And on the other side, Yuki and Rena, smiling on as well.*)  *Distant birdsong* (*Ao looks onward as the four stand at the staircase to the Faraway's rails.*)  AO: To find our memories. AO: To find a way home. AO: And...  AO: To find that special, important something.  BLUE REFLECTION 帝 -Second Light-   // And so the prologue ends and the game begins for real. Next time we start the first chapter. Also just to tell you now, the game isn't going to keep displaying a title card, the first one's just an exception for the demo. This is actually the end of the game's opening movie alongside its lyrical theme titled "Glitter", but for the sake of gigantic spoilers, I won't talk about it yet. There's a very specific point I have planned to show it, much, much later. If you don't care about the spoilers, or want to see them for a different flavor of anticpation, you can find it in the following link. Regardless, I will consider it's contents spoilers until then. // VIDEO: GLITTER // Anyways, the Faraway's aesthetic keeps getting better. A deeply shaded forest surrounding a ghost town, leading to a somewhat autumn colored deep mountain valley? You're hitting all the checkboxes for me, game. Although, I'll be honest, the Faraway never disappoints visually. There's a sign with some text on it on a few of the houses in the Faraway, but I can't accurately tell you what it says. What's more important is that the rubber duck has tiny, girly eyelashes. This is important information.  //-------------------------   Journal: Memory Shards posted:
Journal: Clues About This World posted:
 PROFILES: Yuki Kinjou / 金城勇希 posted:
// Name Information: 金 (kin) = gold 城 (jou) = castle 勇 (yu) = courage, cheer up, high spirits 希 (ki) = hope, pray, beseech Her kanji for Kinjou combined stands for " impenetrable fortress". Whatever that means for her has yet to be seen- the profile says about everything I could say for the time being. Maybe one day she'll get to contribute in battle, but at least for now she's not getting left behind at the school. The rubber duck isn't exactly the best conversationalist. //
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May 20, 2023 17:44
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Next time we start Chapter 1! It's the real game for real this time, almost! I unfortunately had a run-in with a rhythm game these last 2 days and accidentally spent too long on it;. So the lead on making updates I had is gone. I think I'm hoping for an alternating once weekly, twice weekly sort of thing as that's at least 6 updates per month rather than 4. We'll have to see how that pans out with the next few updates. In the meantime, what's everyone's thoughts on all that's happened so far? I've also made a character popularity poll as well. This one won't have any effect on what I do in the LP, but all the ones following it will. Consider this a test run for what's to come, I guess? You can find it -> HERE <-. You can also vote in the thread, that's fine too. I'll tally those separately, so you don't have to go vote on the form if you do.
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May 20, 2023 17:51
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This game has been so adorable to me.
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May 20, 2023 23:22
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Odd Wilson posted:I've also made a character popularity poll as well. This one won't have any effect on what I do in the LP, but all the ones following it will. Consider this a test run for what's to come, I guess? Ao is missing from this poll. Intentionally, as you mean to use this to have us choose who she gays out for later...?
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May 20, 2023 23:32
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Space Kablooey posted:This game has been so adorable to me. Just wait until we get to the character events. Somehow it can get even more adorable. LJN92 posted:Ao is missing from this poll. Intentionally, as you mean to use this to have us choose who she gays out for later...? I originally thought about putting her on there, but left her off as she won't be on the later relationship polls to be consistent. Your vote is noted, however! This one's mostly just idle curiosity as it'll be some time yet before we have to make an active choice between which of the girls Ao spends more time with. It's not too long before we reach the first actual vote, but I wanted to do one now. I'm also just looking forward to seeing how the general opinion shifts over time. This game makes sure every character gets their chance in the spotlight and puts a lot of effort into developing a focused cast. As an aside, (it's something I'll find time to mention in a later update,) but the character portraits I use for Ao, Kokoro, and Rena are sourced from an unused set of pre-rendered menu graphics leftover in the files. Yuki's there is the same as her final, so I could use that instead. I mostly did this just to mix up the silhouettes a bit. There's your random LP trivia for the day! Left 4 Bread fucked around with this message at 00:47 on May 21, 2023 |
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May 21, 2023 00:26
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I can't say I'm entirely sure that's how you repair a roof, but that's par for course for people who don't really know how to do it.
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May 21, 2023 00:39
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Duct tape and tarps, what can't you fix 
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May 21, 2023 01:35
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I've decided since we hit the end of a chapter, I'll skip a week and this will put the next update out on 5/2 or 5/3. This is so I have plenty of time to try and get a proper update backlog prepared in between some other stuff busying up my life right now. The plan is to hopefully progress to a "1 update this week, 2 updates this week" schedule if I can put it out. I'd love to be doing this biweekly, but I simply don't have the time.
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May 25, 2023 02:27
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Journal Entry 08: Taking Note VIDEO: Emotions Shimmering in the Heat  Chapter 1 Emotions Shimmering in the Heat *Distant cicadas*  (*The letters scatter away...*)  MUSIC: Let's Girl Talk!(*The view pulls away to find the girls in the courtyard.*)  YUKI: (stretching) Mmm! What a lovely morning! KOKORO: Shall we head to the Faraway then?  AO: Yeah. Let's meet at the bottom of the stairs when we're ready.  AO: Is this everything...? Maybe we should double-check what we've brought. AO: Oh, Rena sent something... FreeSpace: Rena posted:
 (*There's new DMs from everyone... while the mysterious "Be Reborn" still sits eerily at the bottom of Ao's FreeSpace log.*)  FreeSpace: DM: Rena posted:
  FreeSpace: DM: Yuki posted:
 FreeSpace: DM: Kokoro posted:
// FreeSpace is almost fully active now, and we'll be getting messages from the others as the game goes on. Sometimes for story refreshers, usually for requests. We'll also see the girls roaming about the school doing various things from now on, Yuki is usually in the work room. //  AO: I better make one last check to see if we have everything.  AO: (The shoe lockers. I have a spare pair of shoes in mine.) AO: (...I don't think I'll need them in the Faraway. I should probably keep this pair clean.) (*These are situated right beyond the front door as they would normally be in a Japanese school.*)   AO: (Yuki's in charge of cooking. She's surprisingly focused, though she does get adventurous sometimes.) AO: (We prepared a lot of food last night...)  AO: (...That's everything here. I'll check around the front of the school and that'll be it! ) // Sandwiches are easier to make than Tamagoyaki and heal more at base. There's better uses for eggs than Tamagoyaki too, but it has it's applications. We just haven't unlocked the ability to make any better than minimal healing out of it so it's really lesser compared to sandwiches. 7 Sandwiches and 4 Tamagoyaki should more than carry us for this excursion. //  AO: (I almost want to try sleeping on this couch sometime. ...Maybe when we get back.) AO: (There's nothing left behind in here, where next...?) // Sleeping just changes the time, which is mostly just a visual effect. It's also occasionally limited by our spot in the story. //  YUKI: Heya, Ao! You free right now? AO: Oh, perfect timing!  AO: I brought you some materials. Will these work? YUKI: Ooh, perfect! YUKI: This is such a big help. Thanks a bunch, Ao. AO: You're very welcome. YUKI: (looking away) I just wish I could help you all out there... AO: We all know that you're doing everything you can for us, Yuki. AO: We all have our own things that we're good at. YUKI: Ao... You're right. Hope you're ready for more requests then!  YUKI: (mischievously) Now, what do I get you to get me next... Heehee... AO: (unsure) Just don't overdo it, okay?  Request - Yuki: Right Place, Right Time posted:I need some materials, but they're only held by demons... I can't fight, so I can't get them myself... // This only needs 1 Warm Sand, which you'll only not have if you skipped every enemy in the last outing. Warm Sand will eventually become very, very important... //  (*Ao heads over to the dock, and...*)  (*...Meets up with everyone looking out into the water.*)  YUKI: Any fishies here? RENA: I don't see any signs of them. We probably won't catch any today. AO: The water here isn't salty, so it can't be an ocean. Are there only freshwater fish here?  KOKORO: I don't think we need to worry about that. As long as there are tasty fish for us to catch! AO: I guess you're right. Maybe I'll try making a fishing pole when I have some time. YUKI: Oooh! Great idea! ...But I don't think we have anything good for that. KOKORO: Maybe we'll find something deeper in the Faraway? RENA: Speaking of it, we should go before it gets any later. // This is one of the hidden events I mentioned in the OP - I found 5 just running around the school here, most which I couldn't tell you if I've ever seen. I'll be spreading them about. wherever feels appropriate. For now, we move on with the game. // VIDEO: Begin the Search  MUSIC: Trusted Hands(*We catch up with the girls on the railway, Ao and Yuki just arriving as Kokoro waves.*)  RENA: (with energy) Is everyone ready?  AO: Yep! (*She gives a certain nod.*)  KOKORO: Well, let's go!  (*And so they walk onwards one more time toward that ruined building...*) MUSIC: Transparent Shelter  (*We return to find them at the entrance inside the Faraway.*) *Birdsong all around*  YUKI: Ugh... I wonder if those things are gonna pop out again... You all have to protect me, got it? (*She scans the area, worried.*) RENA: Stay back if you're worried.  YUKI: (whining) It sure is hot... Way more than at the school. YUKI: I could really go for some ice cream, but... I don't think we're gonna find any shops here.  RENA: We can always return to the school if we get tired. It's better to take our time with our search. YUKI: (lightening up) Definitely. That's why we brought the food!  (*Ao briefly watches the two with a smile before looking onwards.*)  AO: I don't think I'll ever get used to this place. I wonder what this sparkly stuff falling from the sky is. RENA: It doesn't seem to be snow... It doesn't collect on the ground at all. How strange. (*White particles that flicker colors like fireflies in the sunlight continue to drift down. It feels like there's more of it than there used to be.*)  AO: Feel like you'll remember something?  (*Kokoro brings her gaze away from the strange dust and looks onwards with determination.*)  KOKORO: Yes. It's strange. I think if we just keep going, I'll remember. RENA: Let's see if we can't get farther than last time then. Don't wonder off too far, Kinjou.  YUKI: (teasing) I know, I know. What are you, my mom?  RENA: H-hey, I'm not that naggy! // You sure about that, Rena? // AO: (The power that lets us sense demons that ReSource taught us...) AO: (I might be able to attack demons from behind if I can use it smartly.) // Doing so will start the battle with a significant amount of stagger on the opponent. You do have to be in Search Mode for it to work. //  AO: Hey, Rena, what's the notebook? RENA: If this place has the key to finding our memories, then we should document everything we can. KOKORO: Oh, now I wonder if I should have brought my diary...   // We have experienced this region, the Breezy Woodland Path, quite a lot already and not too much has changed- even the quest marker just tells us to go ahead. //  // On our way to pick up materials, we pick a fight with an Erythro. //   Database: Calm Erythro posted:
 Database: Rage Erythro posted:
// Erythro are only a real fight at this point on Deathwish, their two attacks being not very different from one another and their overall stats being quite low. There's not a lot more to say about them, really. We won't see a Rage Erythro for a while, but it is included as we did see one here. //  Database: Warm Sand posted:
Database: Balloon Cabbage posted:
Database: Milk Flower posted:
// I tend to find sand drops more from Tapirs than Erythros.//  Database: The Faraway - House 1 posted:
 Database: The Faraway - Fallen Tree Bridge 1 posted:
  // Note that I didn't say it was identical. When we approach that circle of houses just to the right of where we first found Kokoro's memory fragment... //  *A static emits before focusing into a high sound and dispersing. *  "O-oh, am I...?" (*Before us, a solid white text hovers in the air.*)  (*And as we approach, it collapses away...*)  "Hey! Why're you always so jumpy?"  (*Floating just nearby happens to be another one of those spiky, reflective crystals. We touch it, and...*) VIDEO: The First Memory *Distant, echoing chime*   (*Our view distorts with a flash, and the surrounding area becomes shaded in white lines and fog. Our attention gets brought to a group of three silhouettes- two figures surrounding a girl with pigtails curled up close to the ground. *) *Constant radio static*   BOY A: Hey! Why're you always so jumpy?  PIGTAILED GIRL: O-oh, am I...?  BOY B: What's the matter? Do we look like ghosts to you? BOY B: BOO! PIGTAILED GIRL: Aaaah! BOY A: Bahahahahaha! Your face! BOY B: You scaredy-cat! PIGTAILED GIRL: *Sniffle*...   //  //(*And in an instant, it's gone.*)  AO: Was that...? KOKORO: ...  (*We leave that area and head back down the main path.*)  (*One of the tapir in our way charges us, so we strike first.*)    Database: Anoia Tapir posted:
// As I've already talked about them quite a bit, there's not a ton to say about Anoia Tapir. More fearsome than a Erythro simply by not being the weakest enemy in the game, they're decently fast and usually hit in the 10 -15 damage range. They're no longer much of a threat to us, but they're pretty formidable. //  Database: Bread Berry posted:
Database: Rainbow Corn posted:
 (*As we progress down the road to the other Tapirs and the exit, we catch sign of another memory. *)  "Mm? What do you mean?"  (*We make our way up and over the house next to the dangerous Tapirs like we did last time.*)   (*Across the tree bridge and at the far end of the roof it leads to, we sense yet another message.*)  "Y-you don't mind walking with me every day?   (*Down from there, another memory fragment lies floating in the lone yard just below that house we were on top of.*) VIDEO: The Second Memory   (*We see two silhouettes this time, the same girl with pigtails and another girl with long hair and a hoodie. When they would speak a name, the static cuts out our hearing.*)   FRIENDLY GIRL: (cheerily) Oh, -----! Are you on your way home? PIGTAILED GIRL: Y-yeah, I am. What about you, ------? FRIENDLY GIRL: Yes. Let's walk home together.  PIGTAILED GIRL: Y-you don't mind walking with me every day? FRIENDLY GIRL: Hm? What do you mean? PIGTAILED GIRL: W-well, you have so many friends, don't you, -----? I bet there are lots of other people you could walk with... FRIENDLY GIRL: Oh, is that what you're worried about?  FRIENDLY GIRL: -----, I walk home with you because I want to. That's it. FRIENDLY GIRL: You don't have to worry about such silly things, -----.   //  //(*And we are left looking in the direction of the exit.*)  // The Rage Tapiridae no longer have that intimidating aura, so I opt to give fighting one a chance. It's a good time to show off the sneak attack. // MUSIC: W.P. NEURONS (*The screen goes black, and a sparkling red line streaks across the screen horizontally through a blue light.*) *SLICE*  (*We get a still frame of Ao slicing through-*)  (*And the screen inverts as the hit connects with great force!*)    // This doesn't usually end up doing enough to knock the foe down, but it's usually worth a lot of stagger. In our case, one hit wasn't enough to knock it down despite the visual ring being red. On lesser foes, a tap from Ao is usually enough. //  // They're very fast so we don't get enough hits in to capitalize on the stagger. Their Magma Stone does easily half a healthbar- in part due to this one being level 8 and our girls only 6. //   // Ao's able to drop a Raregn purely for the defense boost following an attack, and Rena gets her back out of KO range. I was worried that 21 HP wouldn't be enough for Kokoro to survive a Magma Stone, but... //  // The DEF buff pulled her through with 1 HP. Damage does have a random factor, so she possibly didn't live this. She has a high Max HP, but her DEF is quite low. //  AO: Are you okay?! Be careful! // It opts for Rena on it's next attack, putting her in a danger state as well. //   KOKORO: Aah... not good...! // Kokoro gets one last hit in to debuff before she goes down. I could have possibly prevented this if I used an item to heal, but I was gambling on it attacking Ao for once. I don't think I was going to be able to keep up a healing race on 3 characters before... //  // Stomping Tantrum. Rena gets a heal in on herself a few moments before it hits. //  // Rena tanks it pretty well, but it's a significant hit to Ao. Overall, it's less damage than Magma Stone, but it still hurts. //   // With a high combo on board, I opt to try and rush out the final hits, gambling for a crit with Ao and missing. She goes down too, but the tapir is just a hit away from going down now, and Rena can beat it out as she transforms. //   MUSIC: DAYDREAM // Rena's other victory quote just happens to be her humming to herself, rather happy with her performance. //  Database: Rage Tapiridae posted:
// As you might have gathered from this fight, these are far from a pushover. Their high level suggests you should probably come back later to fight them. //  RENA: That was close. We should pick our fights better if it's going to get tougher from here on out. AO: I guess surprising it wasn't enough... Let's take a break just up ahead and look at everything we've got. YUKI: I'll ready the sandwiches! -------------------------  Journal: The Journey Begins posted:It's time to do some serious research! This might be a long trip, so we need to make sure we're prepared. Journal: Let's Go! posted:
// Most importantly, the notebook has updated with a doodle of Kokoro.  // Breezy Woodland Path - Faraway Layer 1 MAP NOTES: * The two location entries here can only be found during Chapter 0. * The important items are Giant Eggs, which only appear on the golden rooftop gathering spots.  Database: Giant Egg posted:
 Database: Sandwich posted:
 Database: Tamagoyaki posted:
 Database: Cyclops posted:
// When I can't find a way to merge them into the update itself, I'll put the rest down here. // Left 4 Bread fucked around with this message at 19:20 on Jun 3, 2023 |
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Jun 3, 2023 19:17
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Man, having people go through your memories with you would be the most awkward experience in the world.
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Jun 4, 2023 00:07
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The item and enemy descriptions being written in-character is a cute touch
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Jun 4, 2023 02:05
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LJN92 posted:Man, having people go through your memories with you would be the most awkward experience in the world. Absolutely, yeah. Let alone not knowing what's going to show up in there yourself. The game does some neat things with this concept as time goes on- there's a reason why it's become my favorite application of amnesia in storytelling to date. Zyxyz posted:The item and enemy descriptions being written in-character is a cute touch Atelier has been doing it since at least the Dusk trilogy, though Arland may have had it as well. Regardless, it's kind of a Gust mainstay these days. Second Light really lays out the charm with it, and there's a comment on every single thing tracked in the game's log. I put a lot of effort in trying to find a way of making sure I could show it off. Speaking of, is the way I'm presenting the logbook entries good for the folks reading the thread? Anything you think I should change? I tried a lot of variations and this what I felt came out best, but I have no way of knowing unless I ask.
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Jun 4, 2023 04:19
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Extras Entry 01: Combat Overview - Ao, Kokoro, Rena So, because I'm feeling really bad right now and I still can't think of a good way to slide this into an update... Let's take a little break out to talk about how the girls fight more specifically, eh? First up, Ao.  Ao's statline, before talent modifications, is mostly this: HP: Average Attack : Good DEF: Usable General Speed: Good Resist: Slash Weak: Pierce Ao's combat ability is mostly focused around critical hits, using high speed attacks to help ramp up damage for the whole team. Regn, the Combo Shield abilty is a bit of an oddity, but it's a useful tool that will always be useful. Later on, Ao can more easily shift to a support role using some mechanics we havent seen yet. Resistances are a thing we'll learn about next update, in fact, and are actually disabled until then. (Hitting a weakness is bonus damage, bonus stagger, and even a small knockback in the turn order.) Ao's moves are in Icelandic, possibly one of the most unique naming conventions for a Blue Reflection character. The only thing I can think of is connecting her wing to a sort of valkyrie reference, I suppose. There's another reason I can think of, but it's not really relevant to Icelandic itself. Sverð ("Sword") - 1000EP - Gear 1 Accel +3 - Element: Slash It just deals damage. It is truly a basic attack, outside of it's high acceleration. Sverðum ("Swords") - 1000EP - Gear 2 Accel +2 - Element: Slash Deals more damage and gives Ao a Crit Damage Up buff on use. Notably has a little less acceleration. Sverðið ("The Sword") - 1000EP - Gear 3 Accel +1 - Element: Slash Deals even more damage and gives Ao a Crit Damage Up buff on use. The damage jump isn't that big, I think. Gyldan Sverð ("Golden Sword") - 1500EP - Gear 2 Accel +2 - Element: Shock Notable for dealing shock damage, this is a cool 2 hit spinning combo slash. The price of 1500EP hurts a little, but Shock is a rare damage type, so it's good she has access to it. It also recovers a portion of damage dealt with critical hits, though I can't think of a time where that actually saved me or I even noticed it happened. We'll see if Hard/Deathwish opens some opportunities. Nál ("Nail") - 1000EP - Gear 3 Accel +1 - Element: Slash [Ranged] Good damage, but most importantly has a built-in high critical rate. This is how you make good use of a lot of Ao's crit effects, and it's pretty much good to spam. I love using this. Ranged attacks are specifically notable in that the user doesn't have to spend time physically moving to their target. This means they can be better for barely pulling off knockdowns and in general save a little bit of time. It's a small time gain, but if you're getting into the deepest corners of strategy, it might help. Regn ("Rain") - 1000EP - Gear 1 Accel +1 - Support Activates a short-lived combo guard. Combo is something we can't afford to lose in some fights, particularly on high difficulty play, Still, combo guard itself is only needed for boss fights. Raregn ("Rare Rain??") - 1000EP - Gear 2 Accel +1 - Support Same as it's predecessor, but with a useful all allies defense buff. This is surprisingly helpful at times on this difficulty, and you'll be seeing me make good use of it. Valregn ("Alternative Rain??") - 1000EP - Gear 3 Accel +1 - Support Raregn but with a longer combo guard timer on it. Quite nice!  Now it's time for Kokoro. Kokoro's statline, before talent modifications, is mostly this: HP: Great Attack : Good+ DEF: Paper General Speed: Good Resist: Pierce Weak: Shock Kokoro's HP pool doesn't do a lot to make her not flimsy, but she makes up for it by packing high attack ranged damage with good acceleration. Her other aspect is being a combat debuffer, which comes in handy. Some of her moves being element/typeless is also useful in it's own regard. Kokoro's moves are named pretty simply, and outside of preferring soundalikes/loanwords for stuff like cannon and shot, I can't really tell you more of a theme. Still, simple names do kinda match with how her name is written without kanji, I guess. Falcon Shot - 1000EP - Gear 1 Accel +3 - Element: None [Ranged] Good damage, plus more if Kokoro isn't wounded. One of your biggest sources of damage early on it feels like. Falcon Shot + - 1000EP - Gear 2 Accel +2 - Element: None [Ranged] Falcon Shot ++ - 1000EP - Gear 3 Accel +1 - Element: None [Ranged] Falcon Shot stays pretty consistent, it just gets stronger and such. I don't actually know how much the HP -> ATK is, but it feels pretty strong. Buzzing Pulse - 1000EP - Gear 2,3 Accel +1 - Element: Pierce [Ranged] Buzzing Pulse looks incredibly underwhelming, but it's part of a combo with one of her other attacks. The next one on the list actually. Still, it has a really fast attack animation so that's something, although Kokoro's gun is usually pretty quick. It's also our first Pierce move and our first move that doesn't change between Gear shifts. Sparkle Ball - 1000EP - Gear 3 Accel +1 - Element: None [Ranged]/Debuff Available when she transforms, Sparkle Ball inflicts Pierce Resist Down on an enemy, making them weak to it (or removing their resistance if they had it.) Combined with Buzzing Pulse, this means she always has a method to hit a weakness on most of the enemies in the game. Ao can also learn a Pierce move in not too long as well, and it makes them pair together really well for high damage.  Now Rena's up. Rena's statline, before talent modifications, is mostly this: HP: Good/Usable Attack : Low DEF: Fantastic General Speed: Average/Slow Resist: Shock Weak: Slash Rena's true role is only vaguely visible right now, and that's knockdowns. As time goes on she can become the knockdown queen, eventually getting an expensive move that instantly knocks something down. In general though, her heal is very useful and she's rather support leaned until she gets her more expensive moves. The cost of those moves and the frequency at which she'll be supporting and not healing means she usually turns out a bit slower than Ao and Kokoro. Her moves are all in French, which is actually the most common naming scheme for Blue Reflection skillsets, but she has a bit of water or ocean theme to her ability names. Cascade ("Cascade") - 1000EP - Gear 1 Accel +3 - Element: None Cascade is a direct French loanword in English. With that bit of trivia, there's not a lot to say about this twirl and swing. It do the hit, and that's about it. Cascade II - 1000EP - Gear 2 Accel +2 - Element: None Cascade II ups things by having boosted stagger on hit. It's not a lot, but it does make a difference. The description suggests it applies a debuff, but no, this is just and attack with boosted stagger. Cascade III - 1000EP - Gear 3 Accel +1 - Element: None Same thing, but stronger. We get cooler moves later, I swear. Rena learns a particularly good one before we end this chapter in fact. Rétablissement I/II/III ("Recovery") - 1000EP - Gear 1/2/3 Accel +2/+1/+1 - Support The healing move we lean on heavily, Rétablissement doesn't have to do any more than it already does. The heal is usually somewhere under half a character's max HP, so while it can take multiple applications, it saves you from spending items all the time. It's low acceleration is why Rena will be often lagging behind in Ether speed. Brise de Mer I/II/III ("Sea Breeze") - 1000EP - Gear 1/2/3 Accel +2/+1/+1 - Support Brise de Mer is the key to pulling off knockdowns, feeling like it comes close to doubling or tripling the stagger of an attack. The game will actually give us a tutorial soon to teach us how to use this move, but Rena's known it since level 4 or 5 I believe. Early on in a fight this can be better given to Ao or Kokoro, (Kokoro being the best choice when she can set up a Pierce weakness,) but as time goes on, Rena herself can do some serious stagger with this on. In short: Brise de Mer, Nál, and Sparkle Ball are pretty much our best skills right now. Kokoro's always on offense, Ao's either on offense or setting up a Raregn/Valregn, and Rena's either healing or trying to push knockdowns based on how much HP the team has to spare. At the end of the day, this is mostly my personal take on the stats and usefulness of skills, so it's fine if you disagree. I don't know a lot of the behind the scenes numbers for this, I just know what I do from experience.  ...That's about all I've got to say, yeah. Our movesets will get more interesting and interplay with each other later, we're still really early on. At least now I feel like I can talk about a new move as we get it, or at least sometime around where we got it. So have this pretty picture in the meantime.
Left 4 Bread fucked around with this message at 02:17 on Jun 11, 2023 |
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Jun 11, 2023 02:04
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Apologies for the tiny update, but I didn't want to leave you all on nothing this week after already recovering from being off-schedule. I've been meaning to talk about this somehow anyways, so I guess it works. I should be back on track soon! Left 4 Bread fucked around with this message at 02:14 on Jun 11, 2023 |
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Jun 11, 2023 02:11
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The bread berry is definitely non typical, but I have trouble imagining bread seeds being unpleasant. Rainbow corn / glass gem corn is real. Apparently not eaten raw, only ground or popped.
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Jun 11, 2023 02:45
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It's fine! I'd rather have a small update than none at all! Hopefully you feel better soon, and I'd rather you take care of yourself first before worrying about an LP! In any case this also gives me opportunity to say that Kokoro's weapon being a gun feels pretty at odds with her personality IMO, at least so far. Maybe this is just because guns in JRPGs are usually given to the traditionally "dark" or "brooding" characters (your hunter archetype basically), and she doesn't fit any of that, at least not yet. Might as well share what I think about the other girls too: Rena's hoop definitely fits with her, I think. She does feel like the sophisticated one, and that gels with the French naming theme of her skills, which also fits with the theme of being the supportive (read motherly nagging ) character.Ao's... I think the scythe does fit her! Usually IME the scythe is given to the hotheaded, eager characters, and while I don't think she's hotheaded, she's definitely the one that's a bit more carefree and eager to delve deep into the Faraway compared to the other girls.
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Jun 11, 2023 02:50
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Obviously, do take care of yourself, and regular tiny steps are better for sticking to doing something you want to keep doing when in a bad shape, I find.
SIGSEGV fucked around with this message at 03:08 on Jun 11, 2023 |
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Jun 11, 2023 03:04
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SIGSEGV posted:The bread berry is definitely non typical, but I have trouble imagining bread seeds being unpleasant. Rainbow corn / glass gem corn is real. Apparently not eaten raw, only ground or popped. My reasoning is that the bread berry seeds might be really hard or something, kinda like a peach pit. I checked the Japanese description in machine translation ("まれに種が入っているのが玉に瑕"), and it suggests that the original complaint is that the berry rarely has any seeds in it, instead of complaining about finding them. It's too late at night for me to try and translate it by hand to be sure, but that's what it says. Space Kablooey posted:It's fine! I'd rather have a small update than none at all! Hopefully you feel better soon, and I'd rather you take care of yourself first before worrying about an LP! I like the observations! I can agree, at first appearance the big sci-fi rifle is rather unusual to Kokoro, but like a lot of things we'll see in this game there's a reason for it. I mean, I do still specifically remember going "wait, whoa this girl just has a gun" when I first saw it. And even if Rena's hoop isn't as immediately eye-grabbing as a big gun or a huge scythe, I find the patterning really striking with it. When we get new attacking skills, we'll also get some cooler, more expert use of their weapons visually too. There will be explanations to all the girls' weapons in time though, it's just a bit of a ways off. This game answers a lot of questions you might end up having, it just likes to let you wonder for a while. SIGSEGV posted:Obviously, do take care of yourself, and regular tiny steps are better for sticking to doing something you want to keep doing when in a bad shape, I find. Yeah, this is usually what I have to do. Once I can get myself started back up on a little, it gets easy to fall back into the usual. I made a function in my tool to just load up the last update I was working on for a reason. This has mostly just been a really bad week for sleep with me combined with other things eating my time away, but a whole week of bad sleep has had me pretty worn down. I'm coming back out of it though, I'll be good.
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Jun 11, 2023 05:09
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Journal Entry 09: The Secret HideoutMUSIC: Transparent Shelter VIDEO: A Warm Up (Weaknesses Tutorial)  (*We return to find the girls walking down the entrance path of the Faraway's Second Layer.*)  AO: That big guy is up here, huh... RENA: Might be a good idea to get a practice fight in first. (*Yuki points out an Anoia Tapir just ahead.*)  YUKI: That one looks like just the right size! AO: Everyone ready? Let's do this!  // We are thrust into a fight against it, this time a tutorial on how Weaknesses and Knockdowns work. We've already long figured out how to do Knockdowns, but weaknesses have been disabled up until this point. //  // Hitting a weakness does more damage, increased stagger, and even pushes the enemy back on the timeline a little. There are only 5 elements in the game: Slash, Pierce, Shock, Wave, and Tremor. // // Characters and monsters have resistances too, and these predictably act in reverse to how a weakness would. //  // Our characters have weaknesses and resistances as well, and they were covered in the >>little side update I just did.<<// // But to remind anyways: Ao - Slash resist, Pierce weak Kokoro - Pierce resist, Shock weak Rena - Shock resist, Slash weak ...It's a nice little triangle. //  AO: That was easy! RENA: If we continue to aim for weak points, I think we'll stand a chance in here. We should still avoid the big one if it shows... YUKI: Speaking of, where did it go? // Following the fight, we are tossed freely to explore this new region without the previous stealth restriction. //  // The Hidden Village is the second layer, one we've already seen much of, but it's where our adventures were halted last. Currently not under pursuit, we are free to explore the dark, misty forest and the abandoned town center. //   AO: Any idea on where to go, Kokoro? KOKORO: Mm... What about the area we didn't get to go to last time?  (*As we approach the pathway down to the foggy depths, we encounter a lone one of those ghost monsters.*)   (*We unleash a surprise attack!*)  MUSIC: W.P. NEURONS  Database: Assassin Interest posted:
// These creepy cloaked phantasms, Assassin Interests, have some potentially good damage, but they happen to be weak to Slash. This means Ao cuts through them very easily, reducing their overall threat to us currently. //    AO: This is our chance! Press the advantage!  // This one doesn't even get an attack off before we take it out. That's the sneak attack in full action. //  MUSIC: DAYDREAM  // The girls hit level 7, and Rena learns Courant Marin. Courant Marin ("Ocean Current") - 1000EP - Gear 2 Accel +2 - Element: Shock [Ranged] Courant Marin is Rena's first ranged attack, and does over 50% extra damage on hit to foe currently in Knockdown. It's also another Shock attack, and one cheaper than Ao's, so it's particularly good. This'll be quite the mainstay of pummeling bosses when Rena's around. The attack itself has Rena throw her hoop, glowing with energy, forward like a discus that returns on contact with an elegant catch.//  DESCRIPTION FOR Database: Old Rags posted:
Database: Torn Blinds posted:
 (*After the fight is over, the girls progress up to the path downwards, concealed in thick fog.*) VIDEO: Hazy Memory of a Treehouse  (*Though it breaks occasionally, it quickly fades back into solid white as it continues to blow through.*)  KOKORO: (gasping) Wow, look at this fog. RENA: We'll get lost at this rate... YUKI: Hehehe, I know what to do! (*Yuki looks to a nearby large stone lantern.*)  YUKI: Let's light this! I bet that'll make the fog go away! RENA: (unimpressed) This isn't a video game.  AO: Hey, we might as well try it! (*The screen fades...*) *Fire striking up*  AO: It's lit! YUKI: Let's see if it works! (*As the girls look up at the flame glowing brightly in the lantern, we quickly fade to a memory...*)  FRIENDLY GIRL: I know! We'll make a secret hideout so those mean bullies can't find us. FRIENDLY GIRL: We could make it in a tree! It'll be a treehouse!  KOKORO: (shocked) Another memory...  RENA: A secret hideout... This girl seems to have been your friend. KOKORO: (nodding) Yeah. Though I can't remember who she was... (*The girls look back down to the path to see...*)  YUKI: Argh... More fog. AO: Let's light the rest of the lanterns. Something may happen. *Phone notification*  FreeSpace: DM: Yuki posted:
 FreeSpace: DM: Yuki posted:
// Well, we've got some direction on what to do next. //  (*As we cross the rooftop...*)   "I thought those two were up to something. They were secretly making a secret hideout!" (*We sense another memory echo. The letters scatter away as we pass through.*)  // We make our way across the house's cap and down the ladder. //   (*And off we head back into the collection of overgrown, dilapidated houses nestled in the crags.*)  (*Another echo appears nearby the house with the crawlspace we first used. The words end up in the crawlspace section. *)  "I can't... Even if I did, they'd just bully me more..."  KOKORO: It's pretty tight... I bet Yuki wouldn't have any trouble getting through here. YUKI: Hehehe... of course not!  (*Over by the house with the crawlspace into the square...*)  YUKI: I wonder if we'll find any cool stuff here.  RENA: (unimpressed) What do you mean by "cool stuff"? YUKI: Some toys we can play with at school, maybe? It gets boring 'cause there's nothing to do there.  YUKI: We demand entertainment!  KOKORO: Shh! Don't shout or we might be noticed! Database: The Faraway - House 2 posted:
 (*With no need to stealth, we head down the previously guarded entrance to the town center to find another lantern.*) *Fire lighting*  AO: (That's another lit...)  AO: Okay, now to light the other lanterns!   (*Underneath the houses against the rightmost cliffside, there are more crawlspaces you can use if needed.*)  (*With the enemies sparse, we move in fearlessly to the town square, past a small tin shack filled with propane canisters.*)  (*Another memory echo...*)  "Why... Why do you always say such horrible things about yourself? (*There's still no memory fragment in sight around the town, so the team retraces their steps up the building near where we found the tarp.*)  AO: Lumber is essential for crafting! This should be useful for a lot of things! Database: Weathered Plank posted:
  (*As we cross the fallen tree bridge, we get a scene...*) MUSIC: Blue Reflection - A Captive Heart  RENA: All these fallen trees... Was this place struck by some kind of natural disaster? KOKORO: Maybe everyone had to evacuate and that's why there's no one left. YUKI: Maybe a demon bashed down all the trees. RENA: I doubt they could do this much damage. I'm sure there's another reason.  AO: (thinking aloud) Hmm, but do we know if the rules of our world even apply here? AO: I mean, there are random signs put up all over the place. That's not normal at all. RENA: So what kind of place do you think this is, Hoshizaki? AO: That...I do not know.  KOKORO: Well, should we look around a little bit more, then? Database: The Faraway - Fallen Tree Bridge 1 posted:
 (*Just a few steps from that, another echo up on the nearby cliffside....*)  "Let's go and destroy it!" //  // (*Down the ladder from there, not far off is that little spot on the hill leading deeper into the valley of reddening trees.*)  (*Just as we approach the lantern on the hill, another echo happens.*)  "Yeah, we have to teach 'em a lesson! This is what happens when you keep secrets from us!" (*Just ahead, there's a peculiarly sparkling object too...*)  AO: What are you thinking, Rena? RENA: I was wondering if these milk flowers could produce something similar to yogurt. It'd be nice in a hot place like this. AO: Ooh! That's a great idea! AO: (...I might be able to make something new!) // These memory shards unlock new recipes to make, in this case, Yogurt. It's mostly defense buff at the moment, which Ao's higher gear Regns makes slightly redundant. It has uses later though. //  (*Just past the final lantern is the Memory Fragment we've been sensing.*) VIDEO: The Third Memory  *Distant chime*  (*Our attention is brought to the two silhouettes of boys from before standing beyond the fence line in front of us.*)  BOY A: I thought those two were up to something. They were secretly making a secret hideout! BOY B: Seriously?! BOY B: This is our turf! They can't just come here and do whatever they want! BOY A: Let's go and destroy it! BOY B: Yeah, we have to teach 'em a lesson! This is what happens when you keep secrets from us!   (*And so it ends. The girls turn their attention to the last lantern.*)  *Fire lighting*  (*The girls are illuminated in soft orange light as a gentle orange flame starts up within the lantern..*)  AO: This should be the last lantern. (*Kokoro looks at Ao.*) KOKORO: I wonder if that did it? AO: (nodding) Let's go check!  RENA: We should go back and check the area with the thick fog. RENA: We'll see if Kinjou's plan worked.    (*As the girls make their way back, they find the once fog covered cliffsides lit up with other stone lanterns, and a path leading down to a familiar, destroyed building on an overlook to that forested valley below.*) VIDEO: Clearing Recollection  AO: Oh! I knew it'd work! KOKORO: Now we can—  (*Suddenly, she looks up in shock as all goes white and we hear voices fading in and out once again...*)  YOUNG KOKORO: *Sob* *hic* KOKORO'S FRIEND: Kokoro! What's wrong? I can't help you if you don't talk to me! KOKORO'S FRIEND: Kokoro! Kokoro! YOUNG KOKORO: Th-the secret... hideout, it's— (*Then the voices fade and don't return.*)  (*We return to Kokoro's shocked expression, Rena and Yuki behind her.*)  YUKI: Secret hideout...? I wonder what happened... RENA: (quietly) They said they were going to build it in a tree, didn't they?  AO: Guess our only choice is to go check it out. (*The girls look ahead at the dilapidated building, the representation entrance of the Faraway itself, and to the massive red tree behind it. It's the same tree we saw from the cliffside in the earliest days here.*)  (*Down from above, blue sky attempts to pour into the deep valley and this ever shaded region.*)  (*And just ahead... an Assassin Interest guards the door in this grove overtaken by scarlet grass.*) VIDEO: Coordinated Reflection (Buff + Debuff Tutorial)    (*The girls approach and draw their weapons!*)  AO: Everyone ready? Let's do this!  // Despite the lead-up, this is actually just a tutorial on using Brise de Mer, Rena's Knockdown boost. Might seem a bit late for it, but I don't think I really understood everything about the combat at this point on the first playthrough. // // It also teaches properly applying Sparkle Ball to inflict weaknesses. //  RENA: Hoshizaki, get ready!  AO: Got it! Kokoro!   KOKORO: Go!   RENA: It's down! This is our chance!      // That poor thing was only level 3 for sake of the tutorial, thus why a crit weak hit from Ao did 2/3rds of it's HP at only a 2x multiplier. // MUSIC: Transparent Shelter VIDEO: Growing Teamwork  (*We return to find the demon vanishing in blue sparkling energy, with enough force to throw up dust. It very quickly fades...*)   AO: Whew, I can't believe we pulled that off! KOKORO: We were so in sync. RENA: (satisfied) We'll be able to get by if we can keep that up.  RENA: (worried) Well, as long as we don't run into anything stronger... (*The view focuses on the alluringly lit door to the derelict building as we recall the massive demon that might still be around...*)  (*Just ahead is a memory fragment, glittering in the shade.*)   "If you just get scared an run away, they'll take advantage of that!" (*Another memory echo appears right at it as we approach.*) VIDEO: The Fourth Memory  *Distant chime*  (*Our view focuses on silhouettes of the young Kokoro and her friend, the former appearing to cry and the other one agitated.*)  KOKORO'S FRIEND: Why didn't you stand up to them?! Crying won't do any good! YOUNG KOKORO: I can't... Even if I did, they'd just bully me even more... KOKORO'S FRIEND: ...No they wouldn't. YOUNG KOKORO: Huh? KOKORO'S FRIEND: If you just get scared and run away, they'll take advantage of that! KOKORO'S FRIEND: They think they can bully you because you're weak and won't do anything about it! YOUNG KOKORO: Th-that's... KOKORO'S FRIEND: (frustrated) If you had just come to me, I could have done something...   (*...And it's gone.*)  (*Just around the right side of the building we get another echo as our view opens up to the valley beyond.*)   "I'm not strong like you, -----"  (*Just around the left side, before the entrance to a small cave, we sense another.*)   "I hate it... I don't want to see you crying like that any more." AO: ...Are you okay, Kokoro? KOKORO: Hm? I'm fine, don't worry. I was just thinking...  (*Blocking the entrance to the shallow cave is a fallen tree that distorts like the fences we've seen before.*)  (*At the foot of the massive tree, its trunk easily larger than 10ft in diameter, floats another memory fragment. The sea of red grass pours in underneath and around the rope fences at the cliff's edge.*) VIDEO: The Fifth Memory  *Distant chime*  (*Our view turns to find the silhouette of past Kokoro curled up in a ball underneath the porch of the dilapidated building. Her friend looks down at her, gesturing emotionally.*)  YOUNG KOKORO: No way! YOUNG KOKORO: I'm not strong like you, ――. KOKORO'S FRIEND: (quietly) Why... Why do you always say such horrible things about yourself? YOUNG KOKORO: Huh...? KOKORO'S FRIEND: I hate it... I don't want to see you crying like that any more.   (*We are left just with the sparkling dust that still falls from the sky.*)  (*As the girls approach the tree itself...*) MUSIC: A Glum Face on the Water VIDEO: The Secret Hideout  (*The girls find themselves in a small two-story house made of rustic, overgrown wood. Frosted crosshatched windows diffuse the light that shines upon the various old decorations and the vines hanging down. A couch, torn chairs, a table of cardboard boxes, an old bookshelf, a chunky CRT televison, magazines... even a slightly rusty bike. ...And in the corner, piles of red petals.*)  YUKI: Holy moly! How'd a couple of kids make something so incredible! RENA: (shaking her head) I find it hard to believe this could be created by children.  RENA: This world is full of unusual sights. Nothing is a perfect reproduction of the thing Utsubo is remembering. KOKORO: ...I remember. What we built was nothing like this. (*Kokoro turns to look at them, but then looks down.*)  KOKORO: Besides, our secret hideout—  KOKORO'S FRIEND: We worked so hard... YOUNG KOKORO: (crying) I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I couldn't stop them... KOKORO'S FRIEND: This is not your fault, Kokoro! It's those bullies!  RENA: J-just now... (*Rena holds her hand to her mouth in shock.*)  KOKORO: (sadly) The real secret base was destroyed. This one is just an idealized version from my memory. YUKI: Oh... RENA: By destroyed you mean—  AO: By those kids who bullied you, right? (*Ao puts her hands on her hips with a serious expression.*) KOKORO: (nodding) ...Yeah.  KOKORO: They couldn't stand me for some reason. KOKORO: I tried to bear it all on my own. I didn't talk to anybody about it. Not even her. (*Our view pans across the makeshift table of cardboard boxes, decorated with red flowers in a vase, a drink bottle, and a blue plush bear among other scattered objects. *)  KOKORO: And that was the result. (*Kokoro moves to stare at the little room.*)  YUKI: That's awful... What happened after that? KOKORO: After that. After that, I...  AO: I think we'll find out up ahead. KOKORO: ...Yeah.  KOKORO:(emphatically) I want to remember everything.  AO: We're right here with you. Right, you two? (*Ao looks to the others and they nod.*)  KOKORO: Thank you...  AO: Let's roll! (*Ao gives an energetic arm pump as we fade...*) MUSIC: Transparent Shelter   // From there, we can re-enter the tree to explore the secret getaway ourselves, though there's nothing to interact with. //  // The hideout is truly a child's semi-coherent arrangement of junk, but a good kind of junk. Rustic and reclaimed, the kind of worn and discarded secondhand objects a child would ignore the flaws of. // // Our current destination is the ever-familiar building back outside, the one whose entrance we have passed through many times already. //  AO: (There's no telling what we'll find in here.) AO: (Let's hope we finally get some answers!) // Kokoro's memories are starting to tell a story, but we don't know everything about the situation yet. At the very least, it gives some context as to why she's so quiet. The treehouse pulls lots of nostalgic memories as a rural kid myself, and reminds me of my own little forest kingdoms of assorted junk to feel safe in, let alone just loving the general look of the Hidden Village. 10/10 secret hideout. The game is starting to pick up pace, although partly due to us having spent a lot of time in these areas already. Next time, we'll go somewhere new... but will we find answers or just more questions? // -------------------------  Journal: The World of Memories posted:
Journal: Piercing Through the Fog posted:
 The Hidden Village - Faraway Layer 2 MAP NOTES: * The two location entries here can only be found during Chapter 1. * The treehouse can be returned to at any time. * There is only 1 egg spot on this map.  Database: Blue Tarp posted:
 Database: Old Packing Tape posted:
 Database: Clay Soil posted:
 Database: Leak Repair Kit posted:
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Jun 18, 2023 19:41
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Big update for ya, bigger than I thought it'd be. Looking at 160 screenshots here, and it barely made the character limit! (Plus a good bit of rerecording just to make sure everything is right.) I think that makes up for the last update being tiny.  Either way, we're starting to get to the meat of stuff now. Tell me if there's anything off about the formatting. I proofread it, but I miss these things sometimes, especially in big updates.
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Jun 18, 2023 19:45
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Is there some reason toast is associated with the chat program? Some sort of untranslated pun or something?
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Jun 19, 2023 00:18
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Odd Wilson posted:(*The girls find themselves in a small two-story house made of rustic, overgrown wood. Frosted crosshatched windows diffuse the light that shines upon the various old decorations and the vines hanging down. A couch, torn chairs, a table of cardboard boxes, an old bookshelf, a chunky CRT televison, magazines... even a slightly rusty bike. Man, how old are you, Kokoro, idealizing a CRT television?
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Jun 19, 2023 00:29
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SIGSEGV posted:Is there some reason toast is associated with the chat program? Some sort of untranslated pun or something? I do not actually know what the toast is about. My av is of course also one of the Freespace stamps, there's 4 in total with the bread crusts. There is some in-game lore about the stamps themselves, but we're a long time off from getting it from the game directly. I'll probably reference it in some italic text before then as it's not hugely important, but I don't want to say anything about it until we get to a certain chapter. LJN92 posted:Man, how old are you, Kokoro, idealizing a CRT television? To be fair, it's one of those late-era flatscreen CRTs, not like the bubble monitor ones. It wasn't until the mid-2000's that they started to be overtaken by LCD flat panels, looking up some timelines. Of course, rural USA isn't rural Japan, but growing up I was playing the Wii on one not unlike the one in the treehouse the year it got released. It was big, silver, and the biggest screen we'd owned at the time. And we put a lot of stickers on it. I still have a smaller one I play pre-HD consoles on, even. The big one is long gone, but I still remember it. Left 4 Bread fucked around with this message at 03:35 on Jun 19, 2023 |
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Jun 19, 2023 03:32
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Currently looking at an update of over 210 screenshots right now, somehow. I hope it all fits! (And yes, this is after me cutting part of it out for next update. Big things are happening.) The following update will be understandably shorter.
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Jun 22, 2023 16:02
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Journal Entry 10: Carrying Your Burdens AloneMUSIC: Transparent Shelter  Final Layer: Weathered House of Resolve (*The inside of the ever-familiar building is that of a dimly lit temple of wood, with more of the stone statues scattered about and the scarlet grass in patches.*)   (*From the ceiling hang bright blue lanterns, shining white, in high contrast to the black and yellow ones upon the walls.*)  YUKI: Oh, that one's new! AO: Was it hiding back there in that room? RENA: Whatever the case, let's avoid it for now.  (*Similar to the first layer of the Faraway, not all is exactly normal here. On the wall with the ladder stand two yellow lanterns, jutting out perpendicularly and ignoring gravity. At the very least, the nearby folding wall seems normal with an elegant floral design.*)  (*Approaching the ladder triggers another echo.*)  "Always hititng the boys in her class and whatnot?" // // (*Just up the ladder floats one of those phantasm demons, but this time with a far more prominent red coloration.*)  (*Ao's scythe briefly lights up the room in her surprise attack!*)    MUSIC: W.P. NEURONS  Database: Slaughterer Vigilance posted:
// Kokoro's comment is of coursein reference to her saying the Assassin Interest looks kinda like squid. Vigilances are a decent bit tougher than them, and are capable of dealing some not-insignificant damage. They also carry some unique drops that are hard to get otherwise until later in the game. //    // Leading with a sneak attack though, this one barely gets to pull out an attack. To it's credit, Ao and Kokoro get to transform first at least. Some enemies are going down before that even happens. We're still on Hard by the way. //   // Burning Duet, an attack where they conjure two fireballs, does hit twice for pretty decent damage on Rena, but is more notable for the ATK Up buff it gives the Vigilance. //  // That makes it more of a threat in a group, though alone you can usually pummel it before it really gets a chance to capitalize. //  Database: Five-Inch Nail posted:
// Curiously, there's no comments for the pocket watch or the sand. //  AO: Ooh, an old-fashioned hearth! This is the first time I've actually seen one. (*Positioned in the room, watched over by two stone statues is a large stone hearth, the size of a dinner table. Hooks hang down from the roof nearby a pot and kettle waiting near the unlit fire.*)  KOKORO: Should we take a little break here? RENA: Please, no. I don't want to sit around a place like this for long. (*Rena crosses her arms.*)  YUKI: (giggling) Ohhh? Rena, don't tell me you're scared. RENA: (annoyed) Shut it. YUKI: ...! (*Yuki continues to mouth words at her silently.*)  RENA: Ugh... You're loud even when you're quiet! Database: Old Fashioned Hearth posted:
  YUKI: Whoaaa! It goes so far down! RENA: K-Kinjou! Don't stand so close to the edge!  (*The next rooms are connected by thin wooden walkways cut at odd bends and rising up from a void of misty blue nothingness below. Just ahead, part of the path is blocked off by crates and chests roped together.*)  (*Going around, we get sense yet another echo.*)  "Did you hear about that one girl?"  (*Not far away is the fragment itself.*) VIDEO: The Sixth Memory  *Distant chime*  (*Our view is directed to that of two silhouette women standing upside-down on the roof, accompanied by the usual static.*)   HOUSEWIFE A: Did you hear about that one girl?  HOUSEWIFE B: Ah, you mean ――? Yeah, I did. HOUSEWIFE B: Always hitting the boys in her class and whatnot? HOUSEWIFE A: What a terror. I guess it's for the best that ――'s transferring schools. HOUSEWIFE B: Yeah, I'll say. If she'd hit my little guy, I wouldn't have looked the other way, that's for sure...   KOKORO: ... AO: (Did Kokoro...?)   (*The rooms continue to embrace the surreal, with this room's tatami flooring running up the wall and onto the ceiling, with cushions and red shrouded tables standing on the wall.*)  (*Nearby, a set of boxes in a collection of more crates distorts, blocking the path into a dark sideroom.*)  (*As we move forward to gather, a new kind of demon sneaks up on the crew!*) AO: If you get in my way, I will show you no mercy!   Database: Armet posted:
// The red Armet, possibly named for how it looks like a rocky red helmet, are decently challenging foes. Really, right now they just hit for around 10-15 on average with decent speed. They also happen to have slightly bigger sight ranges and movement speeds than enemies we've seen so far, so they can be a little annoying to avoid. They are the first thing we've seen with a Tremor weakness, though we lack any way to capitalize on that. //  // I end up needing to use items to heal my way out of this. //  // Still, they're pretty fragile all things considered, //   // We hit level 8 here and Kokoro learns her next skill. Sleet Cannon - 1500EP - Gear 2 Accel +2 - Element: None Deals a good amount of damage and comes with the chance to blind an enemy, giving them a chance to completely whiff attacks. Not always reliable, but definitely has uses. Statuses actually work in this game, unlike BR1. Sleet Cannon+ - 1500EP - Gear 3 Accel +1 - Element: None Just deals more damage, blind chance is the same. Now everyone has a 1500 ether move. //  Database: Diamond Fruit posted:
// Diamond Fruit is a specific item requirement in a decent recipe we'll have soon, so use other items for Sweet or Spicy requirements. //   (*We sneak through the following room, avoiding the keen sight of a Slaughterer Vigilance and an Armet, to sense another echo...*)  "I-I don't get it, ---..."  (*We're also able to search inside the box here.*)  (*Back to the walkways, we're faced with the crates blocking our way still, so...*)  AO: (Come on... push! This is heavier than I thought it'd be...) (*...We just push it out of the way. We sense another echo just as we finish.*)   "I didn't want you to hate me."   (*The room is watched over by a single Assassin Interest, with more lamps up the floor-walls and a path of bright blue lanterns hanging down and directing the path forward.*)  (*We ascend the ladder...*)  (*--and are struck by another echo upon reaching the next floor.*)  "You always try so hard not to bother other people and keep it all bottled up inside..."  AO: These lanterns are everywhere now! YUKI: Is this the roof or the ceiling? I can't tell anymore! KOKORO: Yeah. I feel like we're getting close. (*Six yellow lanterns of varying sizes stand on the floor normally, but some of the large blue ones are hanging up from the floor now.*)  (*We ascend the ladder into the violet room above...*)  (*A floor lies three stories below, with traces of other wooden walkways, and ahead...*)  KOKORO: It's beautiful... YUKI: This is incredible! RENA: Our bodies better not start floating too. AO: I kinda hope they do. How fun would it be to float around? (*...The entire room is illuminated by violet lanterns floating about weightlessly, the walls and ceilings still confused.*) Database: Floating Lanterns posted:
 (*...Just ahead stands the large, black and white muscular demon that chased the girls before.*)  (*Just off to the left, a final echo is sensed.*)  "You're too nice to other people. You never think about yourself."  (*And just a few steps away is the penultimate memory fragment.*) VIDEO: The Seventh Memory  *Distant chime*  (*Right in front of Ao sit the young Kokoro and her friend, both hugging their knees.*)  KOKORO'S FRIEND: Kokoro, you're nice. YOUNG KOKORO: Wh-what do you mean...? KOKORO'S FRIEND: You're too nice to other people. You never think about yourself. KOKORO'S FRIEND:That's what I mean by "nice." KOKORO'S FRIEND: You're too nice. YOUNG KOKORO: I-I don't get it, ――...  KOKORO'S FRIEND:I care about you a lot, Kokoro. I want to help you. KOKORO'S FRIEND: But you need to take care of yourself... KOKORO'S FRIEND: You always try so hard not to bother other people and keep it all bottled up inside... KOKORO'S FRIEND: That's why I can't help you, no matter how much I want to. I can't reach you.   (*...and it's gone.*)  (*Just across a gap, on a section of walkway with a railing is the final memory fragment. We can't get to it until we finally surpass an old foe.*) (*The music goes silent.*) VIDEO: Manifestation of Burdens   (*...The girls slowly approach.*)   (*Yuki stares on in shock and clasps her hands to her chest as the camera pans to the massive demon, still unaware.*)  YUKI: It's that demon!  KOKORO: I can feel something up ahead. (*Ao looks over to her.*) AO: You can feel something?  KOKORO: Yeah. She— ...My friend is up there. KOKORO: I can feel the memory.   (*Ao studies her friend's face for a moment, then looks down with a smile.*)  MUSIC: My REALAO: Got it. *Energy discharge* (*Our view flashes as Ao draws her scythe!*)  AO: Then we're just gonna have to beat this thing!  KOKORO: Are you sure? There's no way it's not dangerous. YUKI: Of course we will! Anything for a friend!  RENA: (confidently) Don't worry, we'll play it smart. If things get hairy, then we make a break for it.  (*Kokoro looks on in surprise.*)  KOKORO: ...Thank you. (*Energy discharge*)  AO: Is everyone ready? (*As Rena and Kokoro focus their feelings to draw their weapons...*)  (*...The large demon finally notices and looks behind.*)  AO: All right, let's do it! (*It swings as it turns around, cutting the air!*)  VIDEO: Boss Battle: Atlases (Hard)   (*Covered in black, distorting energy, it flexes an arm...*)   (*...Then lets out a deafening roar!*)   AO: H-Hey, this one seems kinda strong... AO: ...but we've got this! We're not turning back now!  RENA: Wait for it...! (*It raises its left arm as a blinding violet light speckled with distorted blue and black energy surrounds it...*)  (*Violet lightning crackles...!*)  (*...and it slices outwards with an extended blade of distorting energy!*) // Meet Atlases, our first real boss. This is Degenberg (German: Mountain-sword), also known as the reason why this fight isn't possible for us on Deathwish. It outright one-shots the whole team with it there, and here it's still a 10-20 damage hit on the whole team here on Hard. //   RENA: Now! // I intentionally stalled here so I could heal up after the hit. I'm pretty sure this boss always opens with Degenburg. //   // Stoßlanze (Shock-lance) is a ranged attack notable for good damage output and a Defense down debuff. There's no good target to be hit by this, but as Atlases has Slash weakness, we really can't afford Ao going down. //  KOKORO: Here you go! // Our supply of sandwiches are needed to keep this clean. //    // He also has a Shock weakness, so Rena gets in with a Courant Marin to try and push the stagger. //  (*Atlases looks up to its arm...*)  *Loud energy waver* (*...then crouches down in a blinding scarlet light!*)  AO: Big attack, incoming! // The boss deciding to start its supermove buys us more time to try and pull off the knockdown. (Also the game is kind enough to remind us to put up a Combo Guard here.) //  // In the end, I toss the Knockdown idea, not wanting to risk a party wipe. Raregn goes up. Kokoro holds her ether for now. //  *Explosive windburst* (*The demon launches off the ground at supersonic speed, displacing all the air- *)   *Wild energy warping* (*- with a spin, he lifts his arm to the air, covered in blinding violet lightning-*)    (*- and slams down in a violent cascade of dark energy and lightning!*) // Krähenfall (Crowfall) hits three times and can do a ton of damage, but Ao no-sells it pretty hard with Raregn. //  AO: Hah! That was nothing! KOKORO: We're not afraid of you anymore!  // Kokoro's Sleet Cannon has her spin around and fire a sparkling mortar shot at the foe's head. Unfortunately the blind misses this time. I'd like to note that we've done all of 1/10th of the boss's HP by this point. //   AO: Special... this is it!  // Ao transforms, another Degenberg drops and almost takes the entire team to critical health. Rena tanking as usual. //   RENA: Time for the real performance! // Using items doesn't grant any acceleration, creating the odd situation of Kokoro being the only one who hasn't transformed yet. //     // A flurry of blows almost gets a knockdown, but we're just slightly off and another Degenberg comes out. //  KOKORO: Yes! YUKI: Let's go, Kokoro! // A round of Rena healing and Ao holding commences, and Kokoro pulls off a successful Sleet Cannon just before another Degenberg drops. //   KOKORO: Come to me, other self!  // Everyone has transformed...! //  // ...And Degenberg completely misses thanks to the last-second blind. The momentum is fully in our favor now. //     // An absolute onslaught of attacks follow, and we inflict Knockdown even without an active Brise de Mer. A fantastically timed Courant Marin II hits just after the infliction for around 180 damage. //  AO: Everyone! It's time to end this!    (*Atlases erupts with flaming explosions...*)  (*And falls to it's knees, defeated.*)  MUSIC: DAYDREAM  MUSIC: A Glum Face on the Water VIDEO: A Special Friendship Remembered  *Violent electric crackling*  (*The massive demon slumps onto its knees as the girls put away their weapons...*)  RENA: (happy, breathless) W-we did it...  (*Suddenly, the fallen demon erupts into blue light!*) *Low energy pulse, whirling away*  (*Left in its wake, making a faint hum, is a collection of reflective, transparent cubes, similar to the triangular memory fragments.*)  YUKI: Whoa?! What's that! AO: It seems different from those memory fragments... KOKORO: I think this is the end. It must be important.  *Phone notification* (*Ao jumps in surprise.*)  AO: Ah! What was that?  FreeSpace: The Faraway Exploration Squad posted:
 FreeSpace: The Faraway Exploration Squad posted:
 FreeSpace: The Faraway Exploration Squad posted:
 KOKORO: Hold out my hand, and recover my memories... RENA: If we're to believe what ReSource said, this will help us find what we're looking for.  YUKI: She can get her memories back? (*Up until this point, Yuki hasn't stopped staring at the fragment in wonder.*)  AO: Kokoro? KOKORO: (nodding) I'll try it.   (*Kokoro lifts her hands up to the sparkling fragment...!*)  (*A resonating chime is heard as she closes her eyes, and it's brilliant glow nearly blinds our view...*)  MUSIC: Bottled Message in the Sky*Clear chime* (*The fragment erupts into rays of blue tinted light with a chime now clearly heard. Kokoro remains focused as the other girls stare on in wonder.*)  KOKORO'S FRIEND: No matter where I go, we'll always be friends. Right? KOKORO: Yeah... (*From inside us, we can hear the echoing voice, clear of static. Her younger self begins to speak through her.*)  KOKORO'S FRIEND: But you need to make more friends! Rely on other people a little. YOUNG KOKORO: Rely on others...  YOUNG KOKORO: Okay. I'm going to change. YOUNG KOKORO: I'll learn to rely on others. And if I ever meet someone in trouble like I was...  YOUNG KOKORO: I'll help them as best I can.  KOKORO'S FRIEND: That sounds wonderful, Kokoro! YOUNG KOKORO: It doesn't matter how far apart we are, we'll be friends forever, Shiho!  *Buzzing phone alert*  FreeSpace: The Faraway Exploration Squad posted:
*Reverbrating chime* (*The fragment flashes brightly!*)  AO: So bright— (*The other girls shut their eyes and look away, the brilliant light blinding in intensity.*)  KOKORO: ... (*Trails of light flow forth into Kokoro before everything fades to white.*)   KOKORO: (emotional) Her name was Shiho... Shiho Kasuga. She was very special to me... KOKORO: I finally remember...  (*Our view returns to Kokoro's hands clasped over her heart, the blinding light gone.*)  RENA: (shocked silence)... YUKI: (confused) I-it's over?  AO: (concerned) Are your memories back? (*Kokoro stays facing away, still holding her heart.*)  KOKORO: Shiho taught me how important it is to rely on the people around me. KOKORO: I wanted to become more like her, and help others. (*She suddenly turns around, a determined expression on her face.*)  KOKORO: So I became a Reflector.  AO: (shocked) A Reflector...? (*Kokoro nods.*)  KOKORO: Yes. I remember a lot of things. Including about the world we call home. But before that— RENA: (softly) We should get out of here, right?  KOKORO: Exactly. Thank you for your help everyone. (*Kokoro finally gives a full grin again.*)  AO: Don't worry about it! We're friends. KOKORO: Yes. (*Rena, Ao, and Yuki match with smiles of their own, Yuki giving a little nod too.*)  (*The girls start to walk onwards, but...*)  (*Kokoro stops and turns around, looking upwards to the lanterns.*)  KOKORO: I've changed, Shiho... I wonder where you are now. KOKORO: (sadly) I wish I could see you again...  AO: (Someone special, huh...) (*Ao looks at her from a distance, with Rena and Yuki far in the background, talking about something.*)  AO: (gloomily) (Seems like Kokoro has recovered something very special to her. I wonder what it's like.)  KOKORO: Something the matter, Ao?  (*Kokoro cocks her head to the side slightly, worried.*)  AO: (innocently) Mm? Oh, nothing...  (*She hesitates to follow, watching Kokoro leave.*)  AO: (Do I have any memories like that?) VIDEO: Kokoro's Eighth Memory *Chime, static*    YOUNG KOKORO: I... YOUNG KOKORO: I didn't want you to hate me. YOUNG KOKORO: You made friends with someone like me, and... I was scared that you would abandon me, ――. YOUNG SHIHO: So you didn't trust me. YOUNG KOKORO: N-no! That's not what I... YOUNG SHIHO: ...Hehe. I know. I was just joking. YOUNG SHIHO: You're too nice, Kokoro. The fact that you didn't want me to hate you proves that. (*Suddenly-*)   (*- they turn to face one another, and the camera zooms in.*)  YOUNG SHIHO: But that's exactly the Kokoro I want to be friends with. YOUNG SHIHO: That's the Kokoro I want to help so badly.   -------------------------  Journal: Kokoro's Memories posted:
 Weathered House of Resolve - Faraway Final Layer MAP NOTES: * The two location entries here can only be found during Chapter 1. * The eighth memory is normally only obtainable on a return trip as beating Atlases boots you from the area.
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Jun 25, 2023 18:10
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I did want to say that while we're not done with Chapter 1 yet, we are close to the next vote. This one will have some mechanical implications this time! As I barely made the maximum text limit on this, most of my commentary will be in the short, cleanup update that will follow on schedule.
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Jun 26, 2023 16:29
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Journal Entry 11: Heartscape // Short one this time, but far from insignificant. // VIDEO: A Landscape of the Heart MUSIC: Chatting into the Night(*We return to find the girls at the top of the staircase leading to the railway, the sunset bathing everything in yellow.*) *Crickets, cicadas*  YUKI: We're back!  RENA: Phew... I'm feeling tired all of a sudden. YUKI: I bet Kokoro has it the worst! (*Kokoro looks over to Yuki, then down at the ground. She holds a hand to her heart...*)  KOKORO: I am a little tired... AO: Not surprising, going through what you did.  (*She quietly turns to look behind her, gazing at the Faraway- the tangible world of her inner self. The other girls do so as well.*)  KOKORO: What a strange place... AO: A little world created from people's feelings...  RENA: (quietly) Like it's created from their heart itself. AO: Something ReSource said has been bothering me... It said that we should go to lots of different worlds, right?  AO: Which means there are more worlds than the Faraway?  KOKORO: Maybe there are worlds with Rena and Yuki's memories. RENA: It's possible.  YUKI: If that's the case, we need to give it another name. AO: Huh?  (*Our view switches from the girls to that of the Faraway's entrance, that now familiar ruined temple, bathed in orange against a fading blue sky.*) YUKI: I don't think what we have now works very well anymore. RENA: Who cares what it's called. YUKI: Hey! Setting the mood for this kind of thing is super important!  RENA: (tired) This is pointless...  KOKORO: I think it's a good idea. What would you name it, Ao? AO: Um, let's see...  (*Ao stares out at it, thinking.*)  AO: How about "Heartscape"? Since it's a land made from people's hearts.  RENA: Wait, that's what I said earlier! Don't involve me in this! (*Rena looks on disapprovingly.*)  AO: Hey, I think it sounds pretty! YUKI: Me too! That's a cool name! KOKORO: Then we'll go with Heartscape.  RENA: (to herself) Ignored... YUKI: Well, I, for one, think we should turn in for the day! I'm bushed after all that walking.  AO: Yeah, I agree. We've got nothing but time, after all. AO: Let's go back to the classroom and rest. MUSIC: A Glum Face on the Water AO: Hey, Kokoro. What did you remember? (*We rejoin the girls in the classroom, though the sleeping cots haven't been brought out yet. Ao and Kokoro sit on the couch, Yuki sits on the floor nearby, and Rena lies near a futon not far away, half-asleep.*)  KOKORO: I was a Reflector in the other world. (*Rena sits up, her legs crossed with one knee up as she looks at Kokoro.*)  RENA: A Reflector... So you fought the same way in that world, too? KOKORO: Yes. YUKI: Wow! What did you fight? (*Kokoro looks away distantly, gloom falling over her face.*)  KOKORO: I don't remember that part. But I think I was fighting nearly every day.  RENA: (worried) So the other world is dangerous...  AO: Wait a sec. My world didn't have battles like that. YUKI: Does that mean that Kokoro and Ao don't come from the same place? (*A small shuffling can be heard as Rena turns around to better face the others.*)  RENA: It's possible that we all come from different worlds. YUKI: Maybe they're gathering Reflectors from a bunch of different worlds! RENA: But then why would you be here, Kinjou. You aren't a Reflector. YUKI: I'm not giving up yet! (*Yuki looks back to match Rena's unimpressed, half-lidded gaze.*)  AO: I don't remember anything about being a Reflector. YUKI: Huh... Then maybe I was wrong. (*Rena looks up to the ceiling distantly.*) RENA: Still, there must be some kind of connection between this world and the Reflectors.  RENA: Do you remember anything else, Utsubo? Like the reason for us being here. KOKORO: Sorry, I may remember some things, but it's all a bit fuzzy...  YUKI: That's too bad. RENA: Well, I figured it wouldn't be so easy.  AO: (with dread) This is bad... My mom's gonna kill me for missing my classes. KOKORO: How about we look around Rena or Yuki's Heartscape tomorrow? We might learn something new. AO: Good idea.  AO: But how exactly do we find a Heartscape? YUKI: I wonder why Kokoro's Heartscape appeared in the first place?  RENA: That is the question, isn't it? Let's take the night and think it over. (*As Yuki looks down and thinks, as Rena looks skyward again, we fade to black with a new goal in mind.*)  Database - Kokoro's Memories 1: posted:
 Database - Kokoro's Memories 2: posted:
 Database - Kokoro's Memories 3: posted:
 Database - Kokoro's Memories 4: posted:
 Database - Kokoro's Memories 5: posted:
 Database - Kokoro's Memories 6: posted:
 Database - Kokoro's Memories 7: posted:
 Database - Kokoro's Memories 8: posted:
// And with that, Kokoro's Heartscape is complete. A tale not only of a troubled childhood and fear, but also one of learning to rely on others and to not turn away from those who want to help. If you look back, you can see how her resolution to help others is even still present in her actions from the beginning of the game as she's always been the first to extend her hand to Ao. // // It's worth mentioning that the database entries all update to use the new Heartscape name instead of Faraway at this point too. We're not done with Chapter 1 yet though, there's more a chapter than just this. ...but how do we find more Heartscapes? And why is ReSource suddenly telling us things it wouldn't before? Where's the rest of Kokoro's memories? Some questions have been answered, but more arrive each day. Next time, we'll finally settle down in the school, given it seems we're not going anywhere any time soon... //  // One last thing to note is that Kokoro has unlocked her third talent tree now, "A Farewell To Weakness." It immediately opens up with an ATK boost (good), an intial ether recovery speed boost (great), and a whole new move (fantastic). Characters' unlocked trees tend to be a bit more powerful than their defaults, which makes sense. We have exactly enough TP for one of these, but we don't go for the move first and hit up the recovery speed instead. Spear Shot inflicts Slow which can be good, but it's also a Gear 3 move. It's better to buff her speed now so she can get to higher gears faster, and we just pick up the move the next time we've got the TP for it. // -------------------------  Database: Atlases posted:
// Atlases is our first real boss, and the first enemy truly deserving of My REAL (sorry, Cyclops). Degenburg is the real threat as it takes a lot of effort to upkeep the HP loss, but once you can shift the momentum of battle in your favor, it becomes easier ot punch through that massive HP bar. (On Hard it has about 1300 HP.) // // A weakness to Slash and Shock make Ao and Rena effective against it, and it's constant AoE and defense lowering attacks make it a challenge for Kokoro...which is rather appropriate. In fact, it's very name references the Greek titan Atlas, known for being made to bear the burden of holding up the sky- a connection to how Kokoro used to bear all her burdens alone. Given the boss is beaten far easier as a team and is a challenge for her individually, it's a good metaphorical presentation of her struggles. // // Why are it's moves in German? I couldn't tell you aside from it being a somewhat common naming motif for other bosses. Outside of that, it is worth noting it drops Cool Sand, an item we haven't seen yet. This is other super important sand in the game, although we don't have a reliable source of it yet. We can't go back and fight Atlases after all. //  PROFILES: Kokoro Utsubo / 靭こころ posted:
// Kokoro's profile has now also updated, giving us a last refresher of her Heartscape's memories,as well as adding some interesting details. Namely, it reveals she's not that much of a country girl and that her father being a hunter is why she has a rifle as her Reflector weapon. There will be plenty of time later to learn more about this and the other parts of her profile in detail though. //
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Jul 2, 2023 16:00
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With that little bit done, the subject of Kokoro's Heartscape is pretty capped off for now. I know it's a short one, but I didn't want to split last update into two for flow reasons. I didn't progress this update any further as it's also kind of a narrative flow thing. Could I have done it differently? Yeah, but this just what I thought felt best. We'll also probably not be chopping through any further Heartscapes in just 3 updates, Kokoro's just moves a bit faster given we already had all the interaction with it in the prologue. Next update should be more substantial- we'll finally spend a lot more time at the school. I'll try not to take too long getting it made, I know there's not a ton of content to this one and we're getting close to the content a number of readers I know have been waiting for. In the meantime, what's everyone think about our first Heartscape thus far? Change any of your opinions on the characters? Any predictions on what might happen next? Left 4 Bread fucked around with this message at 16:10 on Jul 2, 2023 |
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Jul 2, 2023 16:07
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Rena was never the reserved one, it was always Kokoro, it will likely keep being her. I seem to remember an unknown person appearing on the roof at some point? Mystery novels with too few characters sometimes give away the guilty parties because of the lack of options, there are few characters yet so I'm going to say she's possibly Kokoro's friend. It will turn out that they got plucked out of time at different points and that Yuki is Rena's mother, for bonus contrast points. Perpetually cold sand is very interesting, perpetually warm sand is possibly radioactive, both would have lots of interesting applications. E: Alternate option, Yuki is some sort of android or similar and that why she can't get a weapon, the system doesn't interact right with her, thoughts of food just aren't on the activation register. SIGSEGV fucked around with this message at 20:14 on Jul 2, 2023 |
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Jul 2, 2023 18:13
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So was Kokoro being a magical girl in her world, sniping demons in Tokyo? I don't quite understand what they were going for
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Jul 2, 2023 23:27
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Huh, I definitely can't say I was expecting that the girls would be from alternate universes where they were fighting beasts and stuff. That would seem to suggest that when everyone goes back to where they came from, everyone's going to be splitting up forever. Assuming they ever get to go back, that is...
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Jul 2, 2023 23:49
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SIGSEGV posted:Rena was never the reserved one, it was always Kokoro, it will likely keep being her. I seem to remember an unknown person appearing on the roof at some point? Mystery novels with too few characters sometimes give away the guilty parties because of the lack of options, there are few characters yet so I'm going to say she's possibly Kokoro's friend. It will turn out that they got plucked out of time at different points and that Yuki is Rena's mother, for bonus contrast points. Very interesting theories here. The note about mystery novels is also an interesting one, that does tend to happen. I never considered that the most direct explanation for the Warm Sand is that it's radioactive, but... you're not wrong. Space Kablooey posted:So was Kokoro being a magical girl in her world, sniping demons in Tokyo? I don't quite understand what they were going for From what she can remember and has relayed to the others, this seems to be the case currently. She was a Reflector before, and she was fighting some kind of monsters in her world at some point. I'll admit the conversation is a bit vague. There isn't a guarantee everything we know is solidly true right now either after all. ReSource has been inconsistent about telling us things and the girls still don't know a lot for sure right now. LJN92 posted:That would seem to suggest that when everyone goes back to where they came from, everyone's going to be splitting up forever. Assuming they ever get to go back, that is... This would be the case if true, yeah. The girls haven't thought too much about that possibility yet, but given we're about to come up on dates we'll see how it pans out.
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Jul 3, 2023 00:23
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Journal Entry 12: Academic Exploration VIDEO: Touring the School MUSIC: Let's Girl Talk! (*We resume with a view of the school gates, a mildly cloudy morning sky just beyond.*)  (*This morning, we find Ao and Kokoro talking in the classroom, the latter with her hand to her chin in thought. Ao's also not wearing her black blazer for once, her long tie hanging freely and contrasting with her white blouse.*)  *Phone notification*  FreeSpace: The Faraway Exploration Squad posted:
 FreeSpace: The Faraway Exploration Squad posted:
 FreeSpace: The Faraway Exploration Squad posted:
// Alternate Texts: 1 - "ReSource?! How did you know that?!", 2 - "Are there any places in the school that we haven't seen? I was thinking that they could probably use a cleaning." //  AO: (thoughtfully) I see. So we haven't looked into these places much yet.  KOKORO: Oh, Rena and Yuki sent something.  FreeSpace: The Faraway Exploration Squad posted:
 KOKORO: Sounds like the rooftop storage room is dangerous. What should we do?  AO: I think this is a good opportunity to clean it up. We might even find something useful. (*Ao strikes a cute pose.*) KOKORO: All right, let's check out all of them. MUSIC: I Can Feel Your Body Heat AO: So... where to first? Something here has to give us a clue or an idea about the Heartscapes. KOKORO: Mm... Why don't we walk around the whole school? Even if we don't find anything, it'll be a nice way to spend the day. AO: Yeah! Let's do it.   AO: The hallway is empty... Feels kinda eerie. KOKORO: Should we tell ghost stories here sometime? AO: That'd be so scary! But I do kinda want to...  (*Just outside the work room we can find Rena in the hallway, also out of her usual blazer and in her summer uniform.*)  RENA: Cleaning up a place this big is a chore. RENA: ...It would be a lot easier if a certain someone cleaned her shoes off properly. AO: I'll be sure to remind Yuki that the next time I see her. RENA: I wasn't talking about Kinjou... AO: Ehehe... sorry...  (*In the hallway around the work room, there's a postboard with some school advertisements and notices...*)  (*A counter and window front opening to the work room...*)    (*Down the hallway from the work room is this break area, complete with an extended half circle of windows and a bench looking out to the brick courtyard and horizon beyond. The outside is surrounded by a flower bed of thin trees and white hydrangea bushes.*)  AO: (Maybe I'll grab a drink. Something fizzy would really hit the spot on a hot day like this.) KOKORO: Are you thirsty, Ao? AO: No, I just happened to walk this way. But why not have a drink while we're here? KOKORO: I'll join you.   (*A nearby door leads out and around the sides of the school, the left leading to the pool and courtyard.*)   AO: (Oh yeah, it was raining earlier. There are still raindrops on the hydrangeas... It's so pretty.) (*A better look can be had at the flower garden here, the hydrangeas are focused more to the right side of it.*)   (* The school's pool is fenced and walled off, but somewhat festive with it's multicolored red, yellow, and blue pennant strings. *)  KOKORO: I wonder if this pool is clean enough to swim in... AO: Looks clean to me. It should be fine.  KOKORO: (unsure) Yeah, but... The pool water hasn't been changed since we got here. KOKORO: Do you think somebody cleans the pool...? (*She cocks her head to the side, curious.*)  AO: Hmm... This world is full of mystery. Maybe some kind of mysterious force is cleansing this water. KOKORO: Doesn't it just feel a little gross, though...? AO: Yeah... Maybe we should try giving it a thorough cleaning. KOKORO: Yeah. We can ask everybody to come help. (*Ao suddenly gets hyped up.*)  AO: Ooh! I've seen that kind of scene in anime! Can we spray each other with a hose and everything? KOKORO: (sighing) ...As long as you don't forget to actually do the cleaning. Database: Pool posted:
 (*The nearby building of blue corrugated metal is the changing room.*)  KOKORO: I'm a bit sweaty... Maybe I'll change my clothes. AO: Oh! Uh, I can wait outside! KOKORO: ...? You can wait right there. It's hot outside. AO: R-Right...  AO: (The lockers. We all try to keep our areas tidy.) AO: (But what's with all these other uniforms? They don't match anything we're wearing...?) (*The changing room isn't particularly fancy, notable only for the collection of lockers and their abandoned contents.*)  AO: (If there are any towels left by the sink, they're probably Yuki's...) (*It does have some mirrors and sinks though.*)   (*Following the path down to the other end of the alley is large white building, rather square and tall. This is the gymnasium. *)  AO: Hmm... KOKORO: Ao? What do you keep looking up at there? AO: Just seeing if there are any balls stuck in the rafters.   (*There seems to be no sports equipment lost and abandoned in the roof after a wild kick, though the roof is quite high. The gymnasium is as tall as 3 stories, and also features a large platform in the back, the stage from which important announcements were once given.*)  (*Back outside and in the other direction is a long runway of tree planters and a long hedge wall across the left, sectioning this area off from the ocean beyond. Far ahead is that school gate, opening plainly to the horizon. *)   AO: Is this a cherry blossom tree? KOKORO: I think so...? The flowers are all gone, so it's hard to tell. AO: I'd love to see it when they're in bloom. AO: (Although... that'd mean being here for an entire year...)  KOKORO: I wonder what happened to ground back here. It's always been like this. AO: No idea. Did some big monster step on it or something? (*A sizeable section of the brick courtyard back here is fractured and raised above the rest... *)  (*...Just as the fragments of walkway beyond the school gate seems to have been torn from the earth itself.*)  AO: So this is the front gate. KOKORO: It's right on the edge of a cliff, so be careful not to fall. AO: Hmm, nothing as far as the eye can see... (*Ao stretches, sighing.*)  AO: Maybe we could escape if we built a boat. Nah, there's no guarantee that anything is out there. KOKORO: I wonder if this just keeps going forever. AO: Well, maybe we should give up on trying to leave this place. Database: School Gate posted:
 (*The nearby door there leads to the area with the trophy cabinet and the path down to the docks. *)  AO: (The trophies are always polished and shiny.) AO: (...But I never see anyone clean them. I suppose they just stay clean in there?)   KOKORO: Are the fish biting today? AO: Not at all. You must have scared them off. KOKORO: Am I that scary...? AO: Well... we did say how we were planning on catching them the last time we were here...  (*Back inside the school and to the end of the hall next to the trophy area is another staircase to the second floor.*)  (*The light that pours into the second floor is dimmer than the first thanks to the raised curtains. At this end of the hall, an assortment of tables, chairs, and student desks can be found.*)  AO: Oh, this is the teacher's lounge. KOKORO: Yeah. But the door is locked, so we can't get in. AO: Well, I wouldn't want to anyway. I don't have any good memories of being in there.  KOKORO: Did you get in trouble a lot? AO: They always confiscated the manga that I brought to school...  AO: It's only us here now, but I wonder if this school had teachers at one point. KOKORO: Who knows... Wanna knock on the door? AO: What if somebody answered?! (*Ao reels back in shock.*)  AO: But there is a part of me that's a little curious... H-hey, wait! Kokoro?! *Knocking* KOKORO: Excuse me!  KOKORO: ...I guess no one is here after all. AO: Whew... That's a relief. (*Ao slumps over, sighing.*) Database: Teacher's Lounge posted:
 AO: ...Now that I think about it, if there was someone else here, wouldn't we have met them by now? They'd have to leave to get food to eat right? KOKORO: I suppose that's true... Maybe Yuko hides in there? A ghost wouldn't have to eat. AO: Oh, that's right! Yuko! I haven't seen her since we started going deeper into your Heartscape. AO: Hm... maybe I'll get Yuki to do a stakeout with me...   (*Down the long hall is not only a bathroom, but a few more classrooms, but...*)  AO: (An empty classroom. We should find a good use for this space.) AO: (...But, I don't really have any ideas on what.) (*Near the end of the hall, we come across two more closed rooms before the library.*)  AO: (The writers' room. The door won't open. Wait, what is a writers' room even for?)  AO: (The broadcasting room. We can use it to make big announcements. Though FreeSpace works just fine.) AO: (...Even so, it would be kinda fun to try it once.)  VIDEO: Ao's Favorite Theory   AO: I haven't really noticed till now, but this place really is a treasure trove of information, huh? KOKORO: I wonder if there's anything about this world. (*The library has shelves and shelves of books as expected, with lower ones in the middle, but we can see shelves running up to the ceiling all along the walls.*)  AO: Only one way to find out! (*Ao gives a fist pump as we fade out...*)  *We find Kokoro looking at the titles of some books still on the shelves until...*  AO: Kokoro, this library is amazing! They have every volume of The Death God Theory!  KOKORO: The Death God what...? AO: It's the name of an anime! These are the books it's based on.  AO: I can't believe these are at a school library! Whoever put these here must be my kindred spirit!  KOKORO: Hehe... You really like those books, don't you, Ao? AO: What kind of books do you like, Kokoro? (*Her eyes widen, being put on the spot so suddenly.*)  (*Kokoro thinks for a moment...*)  KOKORO: Um... Sorry, I'm afraid I can't remember.  KOKORO: ...But I am a little interested in these romance novels. (*She looks to the books on the shelf behind her.*) AO: Good choice! Let's read them sometime.  AO: (seriously) And The Death God Theory too, of course! KOKORO: Hehe. Sure.  KOKORO: That reminds me, have you found anything that might be a clue? AO: Oh yeah, there were these super weird books.  AO: There's nothing written on the covers or inside. Just some kind of decoration on the front. KOKORO: Oh, I saw some like that too. And there weren't just one or two of them. (*Kokoro's eyes light up in surprise.*)  AO: Yeah. Maybe there aren't as many actual books in here as it seems. AO: I feel like I've seen a lot of the real books before. AO: And the ones I don't know are all cookbooks or horror novels...  KOKORO: None of these books are very helpful, are they?  AO: There's something weird about this library... The genres of the books in here are all over the place. Database: Library posted:
 AO: Find something? KOKORO: ...No, I was just looking at these fashion magazines. I think I've seen at least some of them before too. KOKORO: Did you want to go up to the roof now? AO: Sure, let's go clean up that storage room. Maybe a clue's hiding in there!   (*Back down the hall and at the staircase we ascended, there's another set behind a barred door. Presumably to lock the roof access off from students when necessary.*)  KOKORO: What a lovely view. AO: Yeah, it's like, soothing for the soul. Perfect place to come and think. KOKORO: You should try to not take too much on, Ao. AO: I won't, don't worry. I'd like to think we all learned that lesson in your Heartscape. KOKORO: ...Yeah.   (*The roof is a long plain rectangle with waist high railings, but you can see far off into the endless blue from here. Ahead is a small building, with air-conditioning machines visible up top.*)  KOKORO: Looks like the tarp is still holding up! AO: Who knew a leaky roof could be such good motivation? Is this what they mean when they say to appreciate misfortune? KOKORO: Hehe... maybe.  (*In the shadow of the now noon sun is small railed staircase leading to a door. We head inside to find...*) VIDEO: A Drawing of a Girl  AO: Huh? Rena said this place was a dangerous mess, but... KOKORO: It certainly doesn't seem so bad... (*...A surprisingly tidy work room, complete with metal shelves of craft supplies and a center table with lamps and scattered hammers, compasses, protractors... and a notebook and pencil right under one of the lights.*)  AO: Oh, there's a computer! (*Our attention is brought to a black business PC and rectangle monitor on a table in the back. Curiously, there's also a model shark head next to it seemingly named "Harry".*)   AO: Do you think it has an internet connection?  AO: Let's see... Hm? KOKORO: What's the matter?  AO: There's a drawing of a girl... (*There's also a girl behind them...*)  RENA: What are you doing in here?  AO: Aaaah! (*Their faces light up in terror. Rena was completely silent while entering the room.*)  AO: Oh, it's just Rena. Don't scare us like that!  RENA: I've been using this place when I want to get some alone time. That's why I didn't want anyone coming here... RENA: (plainly) But I don't own this room, so I suppose I don't have the right to complain. (*She looks down, her eyes closed.*)  AO: Hey, do you mind if I use this computer? I want to see if it has access to the outside world. RENA: ...As long as you don't use it for anything weird. AO: Got it. I'll borrow it just for a bit. *Typing noises* AO: Nope, nothing. I can't get online at all. AO: There aren't even any files on this thing. About all you can do on it is play around with this drawing program.  RENA: (disappointed) That's a shame... I'll tell you if I find anything myself. AO: That would be great.  AO: (...Wait, what was up with that drawing of a girl I saw anyway?) Database: Rooftop posted:
Database: Rooftop Storage Room posted:
 AO: (Computers are usually treasure troves of information, but there's nothing on this one.) AO: (I suppose even machines are prone to memory loss.)  RENA: I told you not to go in... AO: Sorry, Rena... We were just looking for more clues on the Heartscapes. RENA: I realize this, but please exercise more caution in the future...    (*The infirmary is at the right end of the first floor, just on the other wall from the trophy case and near the second exit..*) VIDEO: Mature Taste  (*The inside of the shaded infirmary is orderly yet cluttered at the same time. The staff desks are covered in office supplies, the table with reading material sitting in an uneven pile with one book left open... and a fake plant standing around somewhat out in the open. Despite this, the beds and sheets to the left are kept rather clean and tidy.*)  AO: Looks just like I'd expect a nurse's office to look. KOKORO: (thoughtfully) I'm not sure we'll be able to find any clues here... AO: We might as well take a look around while we're here.  (*Time passes, and we find Ao searching through one of the nurse's desks...*)  (*...As Kokoro stares at a teddy bear with a red scarf and the nearby photograph, lost in thought.*)  (*It's then that we see Yuki's shoes enter in from the doorway.*)  YUKI: Hey, hey, people! Did I keep you waiting?  AO: Uh... Did you say you were coming? (*Yuki is stunned silent for a moment.*)  YUKI: (indignant) *Gasp*! You forgot about me?!  AO: Sorry, we're sorry! So, what are you doing here anyway? YUKI: Duh, 'cause nurse's offices are the best!  AO: They are...?  (*Yuki looks to the stands and shelves behind her, smiling.*)  YUKI: I think the smell of antiseptic and gauze and stuff is kind of relaxing. AO: Really? I can't stand it.  YUKI: I guess a little girl like you wouldn't understand the mature appeal of a nice nurse's office. (*Yuki raises her hand to her cheek, smirking.*)  AO: (tersely) What are you talking about...?  (*The scene fades with Yuki giggling to herself...*) Database: Nurse's Office posted:
 KOKORO: Are you tired, Ao? Do you want to lie down for a bit? AO: Nope, I'm still full of energy! KOKORO: Hehe, okay. AO: I was just checking out the beds. They do look pretty comfortable...  AO: (A scale. Not for the faint of heart.) (*On our way out, there's a pretty extensive bookshelf presumably of medical material as well as the dreaded scales nearby, against the wall that divides the entrance from beds. Following this, we fade out...*) VIDEO: New Plans MUSIC: Chatting into the Night (*We find Ao and Kokoro walking down the first floor hall, talking to one another.*)  *Phone notification* (*Ao is cut off in shock by sound from her phone, and the both of them stop.*)  FreeSpace: The Faraway Exploration Squad posted:
 (*Ao looks to Kokoro who nods with a smile.*)  FreeSpace: The Faraway Exploration Squad posted:
// Alternate Texts: 1- "I'm ready anytime!" //  (*Ao looks away from her phone and back to Kokoro with a smile of her own.*)  *And as the two look ahead to the classroom 1-A, we fade out...* -------------------------  Journal: School Exploration posted:
 Database: Pier posted:
 Database: Work Room posted:
 Database: 1F Classroom posted:
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Jul 11, 2023 00:50
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Behind schedule again, but I'll get there eventually. I'm happier to take longer on these just to make sure everything is good rather than trying to push the update out, but man, never feels good to be delayed on these. Had it all almost written yesterday, but it took me almost all of today to clean up some technical stuff and rerecord sections for better screenshots. I did find that there's a small dialogue if you take a full team wipe in Kokoro's Heartscape during this chapter, but I'm trying to find a good place where I can put that. Maybe I'll just stick it in a tiny bonus update. Chapter 2 is almost here, folks!
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Jul 11, 2023 01:01
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Yuki stop huffing the antiseptic!
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Jul 12, 2023 15:52
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