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Journal Entry 18: Transit Delays // We return as the girls head further into the town built along a single rail track... //   VIDEO: An Unexpected Welcome  MUSIC: Blue Reflection - Aruella (*As they continue forward on the railway, the path far ahead opens up to a conspicuously different building. A red-roofed building with an almost Western flair to it's design, it is two stories tall and has large patches of broad leafed ivy crawling up it. Outside is a large standing leafless tree and nearby are what look like some patio tables given the umbrellas. The building sits alone, surrounded only by the sparkling water.*)   AO: Hey... That building over there kind of stands out.  KOKORO: Oh, yeah. Looks like it might be some kind of shop?   YUKI: It sure seems weird that it's out here in the middle of nowhere.  RENA: That has to mean something.  AO: Stop! (*Everyone's gaze quickly jumps to Ao and then at what she's suddenly yelling at.*)  MUSIC: Blue Reflection - Selectivity Filter(*Approaching at a slow pace towards them is the silvery form of a Tineresy and the magmatic body of a Tapir!*)  RENA: Wha—! Again?! YUKI: These things... It's almost like— KOKORO: Seems like they don't want us getting close to that shop.  AO: Let's fight 'em off! (*We fade to black as the girls handle what should be a minor roadblock...*)  *SLASH, SLASH, RIFLE SHOT*  YUKI: I think that takes care of— (*Yuki barely gets to even register relief before another pair approach from behind, grabbing her attention.*)  YUKI: Hey, there's more! AO: Yuki, over here! (*Yuki runs towards the rest of the group, but...*)  *CRASH* (*A new strange demon jumps in with an explosive landing from the path ahead they just cleared!*)  (*Standing tall is a hunchbacked humanoid figure with a hulking upper body and an eyeless, gaping maw for a head. Its body alternates being made of dark crystal and pale skin, with a large red gem standing out prominently upon its torso.*)  RENA: This is bad. They're going to surround us!  AO: Heh, if that's what they're planning, I have an idea! (*With a magical crackle, she draws her scythe again in a burst of violet light.*)  AO: Rena, Kokoro, Shiho— we're forcing our way through!  SHIHO: Okay! Here we go! (*Everyone gives a cheer before drawn into a battle with the new foe!*)   VIDEO: Breaking Through (One-on-One Tutorial)  MUSIC: My REAL   (*The large demon jumps in and begins to pound the ground before sending out a large burst of ice, emerging from it with a roar!*)   KOKORO: This one looks strong! Let's break it's guard!  KOKORO: I'll aim for that red spot!  AO: They've got shields now too?!  AO: That... that won't stop me!  AO: Got you! Now for the beatdown!   (*As the small shield breaks, the demon retaliates with a wave of dark violet energy, sending out spheres of violet crimson in a counterattack!*)     (*Ao cuts them out of her way as she dashes forward, cleaving through the demon's last defense!*)  RENA: Leave the support to me! RENA: Shiho and Kokoro are covering the rear, focus on the fight!  (*Now that Ao is locked into a one on one duel with our new foe, each of her attacks are larger and more extreme- Sverđ is now multiple spins of her scythe, effortlessly twirled from right to left instead of a single overhead cut.*)  AO: Slow! (*Ao twirls to the side to avoid the demon bringing down its large fist with force that sends dirt flying and violently shakes our view.*)   (*Her foe tries for it again, a shockwave of energy surrounding its arm and a dark crimson aura rises underneath Ao's feet...!*)  AO: Trying that again, huh?  (*Ao jumps back into a low crouch and then rushes forward into a rising uppercut, her scythe cutting a wide arc through the air.*)    (*Her onslaught continues until...*)    (*She slices through and behind the hulking demon before leaping off to the side...*)   AO: More, faster, even more, and take this! (*A series of violet slashes strike from thin air...!*)   (*Our view looks around for the source...*)  (*Just before Ao cuts straight through with another vertical slice!*)   (*She catches herself mid-air on a wall of darkness before leaping off...*)    (*She then flies forward, spinning rapidly with her scythe outstretched, a whirlwind of blades as a white aura emits from where her reflector form's wing is...*)  AO: I'll end this now! Eat this!   (*...Skidding to a halt as she cuts through the demon a last time as large spears of violet energy impale it, one striking at its very heart.*)     (*The demon collapses suddenly, slamming against the ground before fading away into a blue mist.*) // So yeah, we've just unlocked the turbo anime supermoves alongside the One-On-One combat state. When fighting bosses from now on, if they're put in Knockdown and we continue to pile on attacks (or the boss just decides it wants to), we enter this mode. Here you get to load in a lot of boosted attacks alongside dodges and parries on command. Enough hits or just having already killed the boss will trigger the finisher attack. As long as you're good at not getting hit, these are universally great for damage. Also they're cool as hell. // VIDEO: The Nature of Demons *SLASH, SLASH, STRIKE* *Demon cry* MUSIC: Blue Reflection - What We've Built (*After what sounded like a last but of cleanup, it seems like the area is now finally clear again.*)  AO: Whew... KOKORO: They just keep coming.  YUKI: I wonder why they're so focused on us?  RENA: Yeah. They don't seem organized... They're clearly targeting us. AO: Why don't we ask, then?  FreeSpace: Heartscape Exploration Squad posted:
 FreeSpace: FreeSpace: Heartscape Exploration Squad posted:
 AO: Huh, I see...  KOKORO: Emotional distress... RENA: So in order to restore their memories, we need to stabilize their emotions? That sounds simple enough, but...  SHIHO: It's a bit embarrassing, isn't it... Having all your inner thoughts put on display. (*Shiho looks away, crossing her hands over her heart.*)  KOKORO: Hehe, I get that. SHIHO: Though I don't know if it's appropriate of me to say that when I was the one who asked all of you to help me.  YUKI: No worries. Everyone's got a couple things in their past they'd prefer not sharing.  RENA: (smirking) Even you, Kinjou?  YUKI: (looking away) Huh? I mean, sure. Probably. AO: Not that you'd remember, anyway. KOKORO: Hehe.  RENA: How ridiculous...  AO: Well, now that we've taken care of our demon problem, let's go check out that shop! MUSIC: Radial Terminal (*As we fade back in, we stand at the edge of the rows of houses, the two rail bridges visible in the distance and the large shop directly ahead... though the path isn't so direct.*)  Second Layer: Crossroads - Shiho's Heartscape     (*There's not a lot of note in the small town section, but another one of those cut-out girls is staring at us as it appears to run behind a building. Only a few small patches of grass rise up on our path ahead, each with a few sprigs of scarlet grass.*)  (*We find ourselves almost immediately meeting a familiar static sound as the view distorts when we start to move on.*)  "Actually, I used to do ballet too."   (*Red girders lead off to almost submerged pathways on both sides. The track we're on is aimed right at the shop but suddenly ends. We take the left path first as it doesn't lead to the shop.*)  *Static crackle*  "Every day is the same thing over and over again. I do wonder sometimes if this is what I truly want."   (*This area is flanked by the back side of the buildings from the area where we entered, and another small set in the distance, both raised high out of the water on stone platforms. The path here takes a series of hard turns, doubling back on itself..*)  SHIHO: The path here makes so many unnecessary turns... RENA: It wouldn't be so bad if the path was at least above the water. (*Ignoring the hairpin turn, there's a short path to a dead end with an Armored Specter guarding a few gatherables.*)   (*Taking the hairpin turn opens the path up to a full circle of rail track. Another specter guards the shortest path, and the sign tells us we can go either way... or at least it seems like it. It claims there's a lot of different ways to go. *)  AO: Oh, this one wants a fight, huh?    Database: Common Leuk posted:
// We finally meet the the first miniboss here as a proper enemy. Leuks are pretty dangerous enemies when they've not been nerfed by tutorial mode. For instance, Hand Cutter here grants an ATK boost and does half of Ao's HP through her Slash resistance. Slide Kick is capable of bleeding. Much like the Violetwing Tineresy these often arrive alone, which keeps them from being too deadly most of the time. Still, they heavily resist much of Ao's moveset so you'll be more reliant on the others to fight these. //  Journal: Hand Basket posted:
// This is mostly used in the first group healing item, if I recall correctly. We haven't unlocked it yet, but we'll get it soon. // Journal: Smoldering Coal posted:
// Useful, but sounds like a real fire risk to have around...  // AO: (I feel like there's something up ahead... But there's no way for me to get through right now.) AO: (I always see these blocked off paths. Maybe I need to think of a way to clear them...) (*As we pass this row of lone houses, what would be a path behind them is blocked by a ruined mass of concrete and rebar.*)  *Static crackle*  "Did you not like ballet?" (*This whole branching path ends with a ladder to the top of the nearby, tarnished railroad bridge. The bridge doesn't go anywhere, it really is just a short section of track raised high above the water and failing to cross any meaningful gap. Maybe the signage is telling us to turn back because it's a dead end?*)    (*At the very least, it gives a good point of vantage for the rest of the layer.*)  (*We find all the girls standing atop the bridge, Ao near the edge and looking around with an excited Yuki next to her.*)  RENA: (worried) Every time we do this, I wonder... RENA: Why do you always want to go up high?  AO: Huh? What do you mean, why? Having a higher vantage point makes it easier to find things. YUKI: And if you can climb it, it'd be a waste not to! RENA: Ah... I can't believe this just made me regain a useless memory.  RENA: (What was that Japanese proverb...? "Only fools and smoke love heights." This is just that.)  YUKI: Huh? Why do I feel like you're having very rude thoughts about us right now?! Journal: Railway Bridge Top 1 posted:
 (*There is something more important than just a vantage point up here, glittering in the sunlight...*) VIDEO: Shiho's Third Memory *Distant chime, static*   (*Our view is brought high to the forms of two dark silhouettes standing upon the bridge's supports, their lack of color like a hole in the blue sky around them..*)   SHIHO'S FRIEND: Did you not like ballet?  YOUNG SHIHO: No, it was nothing like that. I like ballet, and I like helping out at the shop. YOUNG SHIHO: But... SHIHO'S FRIEND: But what?  YOUNG SHIHO: Every day is the same thing over and over again. I do wonder sometimes if this is truly what I want.   (*And we're merely left with a view of that large shop below.*)  (*Retracing our steps back to where our path first diverged we take a right onto the main path. We move in the direction of the sun, its light causing the water to be swathed in ripples of light.*)  *Static crackle*  "Thank you very much. Please come again!" (*Another echo strikes us just as we start to cross the girder over to this section of the area.*)  (*The rails fall off and the path forks again at a pedestrian crossing light. There's more signs designating against going in the direction of the shop, with the other path running far away and along another disconnected railroad bridge.*)  AO: Ugh... so many more demons down this way. Shiho, are you holding up okay? SHIHO: I'm fine, thank you for asking. I'm only wondering about that ambush... KOKORO: It was strange. Those doggy ones were in my Heartscape, but that was the first time we saw them here. RENA: It's true, up until that point I was theorizing each person's demons were unique. YUKI: We can still beat 'em easily right? So why worry? We'll probably get an answer at the end of this.  (*But just a few steps down this path, we find another memory fragment.*) VIDEO: Shiho's Fourth Memory *Distant chime, static*   (*Our attention is drawn to a lone cluster of houses standing alone across the wide pool to our right. The figures of younger Shiho and her friend stand in front of one of the houses. Nearby is another cut-out girl, and yet another stands on top of the building, at the end of it's roof. *)  SHIHO'S FRIEND: Actually, I used to do ballet too. YOUNG SHIHO: Oh, is that so? That's quite a coincidence. SHIHO'S FRIEND: I saw this cozy little cafe on my way back from practice yesterday, so I stopped in. YOUNG SHIHO: Thank you very much. Please come again!  SHIHO'S FRIEND: Yeah, I'd love to! I'd love to, but I can't... SHIHO'S FRIEND: I was taking lessons from a famous ballet teacher around here. But it was only a short-term class. YOUNG SHIHO: ...So you will only be here this once. That is a shame.   (*And so we're left staring at nothing yet again, the silhouettes and the unknown girl's strangely calm and slow voice lost again.*) AO: (So they only met one another for a brief time? And something seems contradictory about what she was saying...) AO: (I never thought about it before, but what if we remember something wrong?)     (*The pathway leads under and around the bridge, terminating in a ladder up to this second bridge to nowhere. It does point somewhere interesting though..*)  SHIHO: These train tracks... If they kept going, they'd run into the building. AO: Maybe they stopped construction when they realized that. KOKORO: (shaking her head) We're seeing these things in a world made of our emotions, so I don't think that's the reason. It must be more like symbolism. (*Our view then moves to the end of the track, slowly panning to look at the store ahead...*)  RENA: The symbolism of train tracks, hmm... AO: Then maybe there was something that was supposed to connect to the building, but couldn't.  YUKI: Or something that was connected to the building got cut off. AO: Hmm, I have no idea...  SHIHO: ... (*We end on Shiho's silent, troubled face.*) Journal: Railway Bridge 2 posted:
 YUKI: Mm... you think that shop sells food? SHIHO: Maybe? I... can't remember. RENA: What, are you hungry? After what you've already ate? YUKI: Yeah, but I've got craving for something spicy. Something that'll really light your mouth on fire! AO: (I suppose we'll find out when we get down there... but it does give me an idea.)  // We unlock the Spicy Snacks M recipe from the memory up on this bridge. They're an ATK buffing item, which means we'll be making good use of them for fighting bosses. //   // On the way down, I do attempt to fight a Leuk on Deathwish, and they are incredibly beefy. One all out combo of a opening back attack -> Knockdown attacks -> Courant Marin, Shiranami II for poison, 2x full crit Ravindrs get it only down to half of it's HP. You can also note how little damage the poison status actually does here. //  // But for all of that, we can still take it out before it gets one attack of its own off. Fights against solo enemies aren't that difficult when you can stun and rush them down like this. //   (*For now, there's nowhere else to go but back to where our path split off.*)   (*And down this path, the rail cuts off and turns right, directly towards the store. But here stands a few more signs indicating warning and to stop... and the dark aura of a strange looking demon in the way.*)  SHIHO: More demons blocking the path forward? RENA: Seems like it. We should take this opportunity to rest while we can. AO: Let's make sure we're absolutely ready. I don't like the look of that thing... // So, ReSource has finally revealed to us what the demons are, or at least given us an answer. Being manifestations of inner conflicts, it really does make them someone's metaphorical demons made physical. Although... regardless of whatever they are, they definitely seem like they're intentionally trying to stop the group from recovering their memories. Was that ambush a swell of sudden doubt, or was it something more? // // I believe there's a translation error in the fourth memory: her friend is still doing ballet, not used to do it. I decided to just write around it anyways. Rena's statement about the ambush not seeming organized is also possibly a translation error as well. Never noticed these bits before, but they're not huge. // // Mechanics-wise, the last real major mechanic has been unlocked now, so we'll see much, much less tutorials as the game goes on. Shiho is level 14 and the others are around 13 and a half, no new moves learned yet, but we should start seeing a new move or two in time. // -------------------------   Crossroads - Shiho's Heartscape Second Layer MAP NOTES: * The two location entries here require you to go out of the way to find them, though I don't know if they disappear after fighting the next miniboss. As always, you should get them as soon as they're available. * One small area on the side branch is blocked off.  Database: Grendel posted:
//  Grendel didn't seem that tough, but... huh. It's rated eerily strong for some reason. Being a tutorial boss, it didn't accomplish much worth talking about outside of its troll-like design (no doubt related to its namesake, "Beowulf"'s Grendel)... but something's up here. It is a good design though, properly weird and creepy. // Left 4 Bread fucked around with this message at 00:18 on Oct 5, 2023 |
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Oct 5, 2023 00:08
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Pushed a little forward and broke it up into two different updates entirely in a way that kinda turned out a little better than my original stopping point. I'll just have to start making sure my updates don't go longer than 150 screenshots. Apologies again for all the delays and thank you for your patience. It's not doing the game much justice to be this slow with these updates, but hopefully I'll get back into a working groove soon. I did at least end up with an update in reserve out of all of this, so that's nice. I suppose I'll be putting out updates on Wednesdays from now on to fall in line with these last two updates.
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Oct 5, 2023 00:15
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The one on one fight mode is pretty neat
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Oct 5, 2023 09:22
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Yeah, the translation errors are odd because the English isn't self-consistent even within the same scene (or same sentence, in the Rena case), seems hard to miss. Rena is basically saying 'They're not just wild animals' here, maybe someone rewrote that part to 'organised' but forgot to un-negate it. Anything interesting in the 'What are those things attacking us?' option for ReSource or is it basically the same response?
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Oct 6, 2023 00:05
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Slaan posted:The one on one fight mode is pretty neat One-on-one is definitely one of my favorite things about the battle system even if its depth is limited. It's just too cool during tense boss fights, and once our party gets particularly broken, we'll start to see some exceptional ratios of HP taken out. I've taken a main story boss from 100% to 0% before thanks to a particular build. We'll see everyone's finishers in time, and I believe there's secondary lines for an actual finishing blow versus just ending it without actually downing the boss. Polsy posted:Yeah, the translation errors are odd because the English isn't self-consistent even within the same scene (or same sentence, in the Rena case), seems hard to miss. Rena is basically saying 'They're not just wild animals' here, maybe someone rewrote that part to 'organised' but forgot to un-negate it. They're pretty stand out errors for being so noticeably wrong, yeah. This game's translation is vastly better than BR1s and is generally pretty solid, so a slip up like it is weird to see. I went back and checked just to be sure, but nothing changes with the other option. Ao's responses over the phone only rarely trigger any different dialogue, it's more of flavor than anything. I don't even know where the alternate responses are stored in the files because they don't even show up in my text dump.
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Oct 6, 2023 02:25
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This music link is private: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrhkb4ahGhg And furthermore: those railway switches are terribly off model.
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Oct 11, 2023 01:36
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SIGSEGV posted:This music link is private: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrhkb4ahGhg Figures, yeah. Aruella was one I had uploaded very early on but kept hidden until now. Simply forgot that it was private in the first place- I likely wouldn't have noticed for a long while, so thank you for that! As for the railway switches, I can't deny it. One might be able to excuse it as Shiho not really having paid much attention to them before or find some meaning in the fact they're completely non-functional, but you're also not wrong. The environments are detailed, but definitely not perfect. This is a Gust game after all, if there wasn't jank somewhere then it'd be a big surprise.
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Oct 11, 2023 04:16
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Oh, I wouldn't call it jank, it's just a time budget decision. Perpetually smoldering coal is probably not radioactive and is just magical.
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Oct 11, 2023 13:39
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Journal Entry 19: Transferring Lines SHIHO: Is it time? KOKORO: We're not going to let them stop us, Shiho. We'll get your memories back! AO: That's right! Get ready, demon!   (*The demon lets out a distorted grunt as it spins around and lashes out!*) VIDEO: Nebula (Deathwish) MUSIC: My REAL    (*Made of a jagged, white shell, the thin demon burrows forth through the ground in a twister with it's large, spiraling skull before letting out a roar! The ground erupts from where it rises, and a large orange light gazes forth from a a crack in the formation on it's head.*)  // Our first real fight since unlocking One-on-one, I decided to turn this up to Deathwish as well. Meet Nebula. //  RENA: I have a bad feeling about this... Focus, everyone.  // It opens with Swordflash, generating a dark aura and then lashing out with a few invisible strikes. This takes out most of Rena's HP in one go. In the meantime, I've buffed Shiho's DEF with a yogurt as she likely won't survive a Swordflash herself without it. //   // Nebula is has no resistances, only weaknesses, so I also prep Shiho with Brise de Mer for knockdown boost. In the meantime it's already gotten itself to Gear 3 and activated Blazing Kick. It gathers energy, then kicks, dealing high damage and lowering DEF. Ao barely survives it. //  // Some healing goes out and I misplay by refreshing Shiho's knockdown boost rather than giving it to Ao as well. Kokoro gives Pancakes to Ao to give her a speed boost. //  // The last attack of note that it has is Onslaught, hitting everyone multiple times for about 12 damage each on average. This really tanks our HP, but the setup spent getting here is worth it. //  AO: Everyone, go now!   AO: This is our chance! Press the advantage! // Extremely narrowly, a combined assault from everyone puts Nebula in Knockdown before it gets to throw out a Blazing kick and KO someone. //  AO: Just... keep going...! // Or so I'd hoped, at least. Blazing kick still came out and took out Ao anyways. Kokoro will have to swap in when she gets a chance, I still don't have access to revival. //   // Shiho transforms, gets a Spicy Snack for ATK boost (I left to make some before the boss fight,) and they alternate attacks to open the boss up to a One-on-one before the Knockdown runs out. //   // Its guard broken, Nebula relases a wave of dark energy to try and halt Shiho's advance. //   // Shiho dashes forward and does a backflip kick and a cartwheel kick to clear the way of the demon's desperate retaliation. //    // Shiho's basic Yaguruma is upgraded to two large diagonal slices, her counter being the backflip kick, and her ending combo being a blazing fast chain of backflip, cartwheel, and ending with a hammering strike from her heel in a frontflip. //  // Another thing worth mentionining about One-on-one is that the combo multiplier rises faster during this mode, but it's a separate combo count entirely. What combo you do build up during this mode is added to the combo outside of it. // // I would give more screenshots, but unfortunately Shiho ends up with a lot of very unflattering... angles due to her kicks. //   SHIHO: To return home safely... (*Shiho reels back and throws her blade forward through the enemy, a trail of sparkling, teal light following behind it...*)  (*She steps back leaning down as she begins to glow...*)  SHIHO: So that we can eat together in peace...    (*She begins to unleash an onslaught of rapid kicks, each one causing her flying blade to cut large trails through the enemy!*)  (* ...She then ends with a roundhouse kick, letting causing a massive flaming explosion!*)  SHIHO: I can't lose! (*She ends, having caught her blade as it flies back to her and facing away from the explosion in a dramatic pose.*)  // Moreover than just being a bunch of damage or extremely anime, that did around 3000 damage (in part thanks to the ATK boost) and nearly killed the boss on Deathwish. Shiho's finisher has the extra property of Seal, which I believe stops the boss from gaining Gear (denoted by the giant ice chunk formed on Nebula). And since the Knockdown dropped it back to 2, it stops it from lashing out at us as hard. //   // It only gets one last attack in before we put an end to this fight. //  (*With a roar, it explodes into flame...*)  (*Lets out a low groan as it stands dazed for a moment...*)  (*And falls to the ground weakly as a blue and violet mist begins to overtake it. *) VIDEO: Cafe Rattan MUSIC: Blue Reflection - A Captive Heart  (*The way clear, we find the girls standing outside the large building they have been seeking to find answers in.*)  YUKI: I didn't realize it till I saw it up close, but this is—  KOKORO: A cafe. AO: A cafe... Oh! This must have something to do with your memories of coffee! RENA: Maybe it's a cafe you liked? (*From this distance, above a small door to the side we can see in yellow lowercase letters the name "Rattan".*)  SHIHO: A cafe... Coffee... SHIHO: (I could swear that I've seen this house before...) (*Shiho lets her head hang low as she brings a hand to her heart, trying to recall the importance of this place. After a brief moment, her eyes open and she looks up towards the cafe's entrance.*)  SHIHO: (No, It's not just that I've seen it before. This must be—)  SHIHO: ...Let's head inside. (*The others nod, and the scene fades...*)   MUSIC: Blue Reflection - Truthbearer's Observance (*Our view returns to find the girls standing in a warmly lit room. Potted plants sit about, the green breaking up the brown wooden pillars and the white plaster walls. Most peculiarly, a painting just barely visible behind Kokoro seems to show part of the same town we passed through, submerged rails and all.*)  (*Shiho is left wide-eyed in shocked silence for a few moments before she manages to speak.*)  SHIHO: This is... SHIHO: (I knew it. This is—) (*The cafe is dimly lit with warm, yellow wall lamps, casting light upon the reflectively clean white-topped tables. Red cushioned stools stand out against the counter, but not as much as the painting in the distance. On the far wall it hangs, depicting a single rural house and a single tree on a grassy beach, beyond it a wide open sea of sparkling water and distant hills... not unlike the environment surrounding the Heartscape.*)  (*Shiho's eyes begin to slowly close as she takes in the memory...*)  YOUNG SHIHO: Of course. Coming right up! (*We find Shiho's younger shadow in the middle of the cafe...*)  *Short static*   SHIHO'S MOTHER: Shiho, you know you don't have to help out every day. YOUNG SHIHO: No, it's okay! I want to. (*We are suddenly pulled to her talking across the counter to an older woman, her mother.*)  SHIHO'S MOTHER: Really? Well, if you say so...  (*We soon fade back to the present as Shiho opens her eyes yet again.*)  AO: That was Shiho's memory...  RENA: That woman's voice... It must have been— SHIHO: (nodding) Yes... I think it was my mother.  YUKI: So then, that means this is... SHIHO: Yes, I remember now...  SHIHO: This is my home― Cafe Rattan. RENA: I-I see.  AO: Aah, I didn't take my shoes off! (*Her face scrunched as she apologizes profusely, Rena gives a tired expression...*)  SHIHO: Hehe, this is just a memory, you know? AO: Oh, right! Sorry, force of habit... (*Shiho merely laughs at this, Yuki giving her own odd expression towards Ao from behind... but whatever it is, it fades as Shiho continues. *)  SHIHO: I think I'm starting to remember... My friend from the train— (*She places both hands over her heart...*)   SHIHO'S FRIEND: You do ballet too? (*We are treated to a very short flash of our mystery girl's silhouette standing not far from the group before it fades away just as fast.*)  SHIHO: She was one of our customers. AO: So you met at the cafe? (*She gives a strong, certain nod.*) SHIHO: Yes. After that, we would chat whenever we ran into each other.  SHIHO: That time on the train was the same... SHIHO: I think something happened after that, but... (*Her expression goes dark as she tries to find what she can't remember. *)  AO: Maybe we should go back to the trains? (*The painting behind Ao shows a view from atop one of the railway bridges... they all seem to be scenes from the Heartscape.*)  KOKORO: Yeah. You might be able to remember other things, now that you remember the cafe. (*With a new short term goal and Kokoro's eager assistance, we fade out...*) MUSIC: Radial Terminal AO: Let's go back to the station for now. SHIHO: As much as part of me wants to stay here a little longer, let's get going.  // While we are prevented from entering Cafe Rattan and exploring further, unlike Kokoro's treehouse, we can at least look around the outside area. //    (*On the outside of Cafe Rattan, lie containers of produce and milk crates are set up to the side of the entrance, Outside drinking spaces are provided nearby via metal chairs and tables shaded by umbrellas, spare umbrellas lie against a wall in a nook off to the side, and there's even a well just outside the main building.*)  // For now there is nothing to do but go back to the first layer, but on our way back... //  (*Just back inside the linear town and near the pathway back, we find a glittering memory fragment near the few patches of red grass, but no echoes this time.*) VIDEO: Shiho's Fifth Memory *Distant chime, static*   (*Our view focuses on two pitch-black figures disrupting the blue sky, sitting upon the roof of a building to our left...*)  SHIHO'S FRIEND: I'll be going to a different ballet school from now on. SHIHO'S FRIEND: I've been going all over the place to learn from different teachers... It's pretty exhausting. YOUNG SHIHO: Yes, it sounds like it. SHIHO'S FRIEND: As long as it's for ballet, though, I don't mind at all.  YOUNG SHIHO: That's how I feel too. Or at least, I thought it was... YOUNG SHIHO: I'm supposedly working at the shop because I like it, and yet... I can't smile like you do. YOUNG SHIHO: Why is that...? SHIHO'S FRIEND: I'm happy to listen if you want to talk. Not sure how helpful I'll be, but...  YOUNG SHIHO: ...Thank you very much.   (*And we are left staring at the sky beyond the empty roof. There does seem to be a green on white sign designating some sort of restaurant, barely visible past the roof.*)  AO: (Transferring schools, leaving ballet behind... and it sounds like her new life wasn't going well either.) AO: (Shiho seemed really happy to recall her friend, but... what happened?) RENA: Hoshizaki, you're falling behind. AO: Oh! Sorry!   (*We soon find ourselves back in the first layer, standing at the collection of scrawled upon signs with the nearby, abandoned bicycle.*)  *Short static*  "That is why I help out at the cafe every day."  (*This echo isn't alone- as we continue down the path back to the station platform and evading demons, more static arrives...*)  *Static crackle*  "You transferred?"  *Static crackle*  "It's like I am a prisoner, atoning for my sins."  (*Past the fading letters and intermittently glimmering in the shadow of the station terminal, lies another new memory fragment just beyond the girder we'll have to cross.*) VIDEO: Shiho's Sixth Memory *Distant chime, faint static*   (*Our gaze is drawn to that lone rural house, sitting out alone in the sea of sparkling water with only a single tree for company. Two dark figures stand on the shore of its small island.*)  YOUNG SHIHO: My father used to be a businessman. He started this cafe because...because I transferred schools. CALM GIRL: You transferred? YOUNG SHIHO: Yes. When I was in elementary school, I caused some trouble... CALM GIRL: So you had to transfer.  YOUNG SHIHO: I have no issues with what I did. It was the result of me following my feelings, after all. YOUNG SHIHO: But... Because of me, my father had to quit the job he had been doing for years and open a cafe... YOUNG SHIHO: And I still don't know how he really feels about it... YOUNG SHIHO: That is why I help out at the cafe every day.  YOUNG SHIHO: It's like I am a prisoner, atoning for my sins.   (*...And in an instant, it's gone.*) SHIHO: ...We're getting close. At least, it feels like it. RENA: Let's be careful then. The demons have been in our way every step of the way so far. I imagine more are waiting somewhere.  (*Across the girder we go...*)  (*Up the ladder again...*)  YUKI: Huh. You totally called it! RENA: You say that like it's a surprise... AO: It hasn't noticed us yet. When we're prepared, let's charge it. (*Awaiting the girls, floating ominously in a dark aura is a large Violetwing Tineresy... though parts of its body are no longer silvered but pitch black.*)   AO: Everyone ready? Let's take it down!  VIDEO: Brightwing Setcasy (Hard) MUSIC: Blue Reflection - hallucination And hope// I didn't really need to include this fight, but I reasoned I might as well for the new music and for how it turned out. //   SHIHO: Are you okay?! You need healing! RENA: I'll retreat for now... Utsubo, it's up to you. // Our enemies, Brightwing Setcasies, are notably different from Tineresies in a way they opt to show immediately. Wind Ray causes these geysers of energy to strike everyone for about a third of their health. Rena was unfortunately still wounded from some scuffles in getting here. //  KOKORO: I'll do my best!  // Things get worse as they start using Soar, previously alluded to with the Tineresy demon. A big whirling ball of energy surrounds them, then they launch out a small, translucent electic sphere. It hurts a decent bit and worst of all, grants them a haste effect. //  KOKORO: Are you all right? Why don't you rest a bit? AO: Sorry, but I can't leave you two to handle this alone...!  // Raregn goes up and cuts about half the damage off the Wind Rays, but these two have the upper hand and we're struggling to claw it back. //   // We manage to rush one down before it gets any worse by getting off another attack, and with a high multiplier we can start to push the envelope on the last one. //   // A second Raregn to refresh it as it runs out just barely keeps Ao standing. This is the point where I note that in a second attempt to do this better, Ao actually got put in Knockdown. I had Akatsuki on tap so it wasn't that much of a problem though. //   // Still, despite the disastrous opening, we pull through in just two more attacks as we're capable of taking large chunks off it's HP. This was only on Hard and not Deathwish after all. Sure felt like Deathwish. //  SHIHO: (sighing) ...Somehow I managed to win. VIDEO: Derailing the Train  *Distant train bell ringing* (*Their enemies gone, the girls approach the train, then stop as they hear the noise.*)  YUKI: This sound... KOKORO: The sound of trains running. (*Kokoro holds her arms behind her as she looks up and around.*)  AO: Which means...  SHIHO: My memory... I feel it flowing back into me— (*Her eyes close, and all goes white with a rush.*) MUSIC: Blue Reflection - What We've Built CALM GIRL: Hey, Shiho. CALM GIRL: What if we stayed on this train and just kept on going... YOUNG SHIHO: Huh...? YOUNG SHIHO: Where would we go?  CALM GIRL: I dunno. The end of the line? CALM GIRL: I just feel like doing something bad. CALM GIRL: I want to leave everything behind and go see or do something I've never done before.  CALM GIRL: Don't you want to escape this boring day-to-day? (*We're brought back to the present with a rush, but the train bell continues uninterrupted.*)  SHIHO: She always listened when I needed to talk... SHIHO: And then she asked me that. If I wanted to go somewhere far away.   SHIHO: To keep riding that train, no purpose, no destination... SHIHO: She said we could go wherever we want. (*Shiho begins to smile again.*)  AO: She sounds kinda cool. SHIHO: Yes. I thought she looked so free, so unbound by anything... I was jealous of her.  KOKORO: How far did you two end up going? YUKI: Let's go there! That's where your most important memory would be, right? (*Yuki pumps both fists energetically as Shiho turns to look back int he direction the train goes.*)  SHIHO: ...Yes. She brought me there, and told me something very important. SHIHO: That is my most special memory.  (*Ao's hands drop from her hips as she looks on quietly. The scene ends as she mumbles to herself...*)  AO: Your most special memory... // Shiho's life evidently took a hard turn ever since she helped fight back for Kokoro, and this important person in her past evidently did something to turn around her growing depression and ennui. Did they run away? Where does the train lead? // // Maybe now is about the time I mention that the other name on the railway sign, the place we're headed in the direction of is Kizuki ("傷気"), two translations of which are "scar, emotional pain" and "heart, mind". I'll leave you on that. // -------------------------  Journal: Following the Tracks posted:
 Database: Nebula posted:
//  I mostly only ever remembered Nebula for it's design, not for what it can do in combat. This time around, it took me 4 tries to get what I thought was a clean enough run and it definitely left an impression. Nebula's not much more than a damage race fight, with its weaknesses making the best team be Ao, Shiho, Rena. An alternate strategy would be to have Shiho open with a poison status and let Ao load in damage via Vindr crits, focusing any buffs on her. You'd still need Gear 2 Shiho for this, but that's not too hard to accomplish via application of Akatsuki. //  Database: Brightwing Setcasy posted:
// I think Shiho is referring to a yajirobe which... does actually kind of look like them. Still, the boss bonuses these got gave me more of a run for my money than expected. AOEs are hard to deal with since our defense is always subpar this early on and we only have two healers not reliant on items. When we do get revival access, we'll start having a little less trouble. Most notably, these used the proper miniboss theme we'll hear for these sorts of encounters. Said theme is a carryover from BR1, and is one I'm happy to hear weirdly enough. I'll explain why when we get there... I did mislabel Crysanthemum/KOSUI as the miniboss theme before, it's actually just the alternate battle theme. // Left 4 Bread fucked around with this message at 01:14 on Oct 13, 2023 |
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Oct 12, 2023 07:20
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SIGSEGV posted:Oh, I wouldn't call it jank, it's just a time budget decision. Perpetually smoldering coal is probably not radioactive and is just magical. Fair enough, that works too. One's a potential mutation risk, the other's a fire hazard to the only shelter the girls have. What dangerous things will we be taking back next? 
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Oct 12, 2023 07:27
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I wonder if each Heartscape will tie together, like how we discover Shiho's thing stems from helping Kokoro in hers? We'll see.
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Oct 12, 2023 22:06
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Left 4 Bread posted:Journal Entry 19: Transferring Lines ... big mood
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Oct 12, 2023 23:40
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LJN92 posted:I wonder if each Heartscape will tie together, like how we discover Shiho's thing stems from helping Kokoro in hers? We'll see. We'll see! I particularly appreciate how understated it is that Atlases drops materials from Shiho's Heartscape, it's not a detail I noticed originally. Space Kablooey posted:... big mood Super big mood. While Shiho's Heartscape isn't my fully favorite Heartscape we'll see, it's high up there for these memory sequences. This one and some we get soon are ones that have stuck in my head long after my first playthrough.
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Oct 12, 2023 23:52
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Left 4 Bread posted:// I think Shiho is referring to a yajirobe which... does actually kind of look like them. I was trying to look this one up and found this convenient Second Light site where you can find whatever in English and then change the language to Japanese. She says yajirobe, yeah. Also there's no video link in the update for the Derailing the Train part.
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Oct 13, 2023 00:46
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Polsy posted:I was trying to look this one up and found this convenient Second Light site where you can find whatever in English and then change the language to Japanese. She says yajirobe, yeah. I already use Barrel Wisdom as a handy reference, yeah. I've got all the Japanese text ripped too, it just... didn't occur to me to check what the entry said there for some reason. I should get better at that. I knew I missed something. Got it fixed. Edit: We'll just be doing the previous schedule of Sunday/Monday. My slump continues to ruin my productivity, my sleep continues to be bad. Left 4 Bread fucked around with this message at 14:47 on Oct 19, 2023 |
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Oct 13, 2023 01:20
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