eight 🍺🐟

no spoilers pls I just got to altus plateau <3

gonna try posting here more anyway upon realizing hyetta is going cazy she shot up on my favorite characters list
#eldenring #hyetta

yeah I've no idea how things ended up like that but it sure has made reading subsequent vns feel a lot faster lol

yayyy that's all the questions answered! doing this just made me want to more seriously get back to reading vns but I've been a bit distracted by other games since finally upgrading my computer

32. Recommend a VN you haven't yet: Remember11

My favorite from the Infinity trilogy! A shame it isn't quite as loved as Ever17 (and even less compared to Uchikoshi's other works) but it's soooo awesome and has such a great mystery to solve while reading. Genuinely cannot recommend enough!

31. Preferred pov: third

I think in general it allows for better prose, and a strong writer will still be able to differentiate characters and their internal thoughts/mechanisms without needing first person

30. How did you get into VNs

I mentioned earlier that I found a playthrough of Saya no Uta on youtube a decade ago, but I didn't fully get into them until 2019 when I read Umineko for the first time. The reason I chose Umineko was because I thought it'd be funny to read something so first

29. Favorite catchphrase/quote:

Without love it cannot be seen

28. ADV, NVL, or speech bubbles: NVL

It keeps me more focused on reading and it can be used incredibly creatively through changes in text formatting, placement, and timing on the screen.

27. Vn you haven't read yet but want to: Oh god there's so many

to just list a few uhh Chaos;Child (work on Robotics;Notes rn), Tokyo Necro, Muramasa, ef, and basically my entire backlog at the moment lol

26. Have you cried reading a VN: yes, only once

I've certainly gotten a bit misty eyed here and there (such as the true ending of Chaos;Head) but the one time I've ever outright cried was in Tsumihoroboshi-hen during the rooftop confrontation iykyk

25. Favorite studio: 07th Expansion

I'm a WTC devotee at heart Beatrice is genuinely one of the greatest fictional characters ever written. Umineko and Higurashi changed my life. I've been trying to get my friends to read Umineko for five years now it'll work someday right

24. Least favorite VN character: Akiha Rumiko and Luka Urushibara

I don't even outright dislike either of them but their chapters completely destroyed the momentum of Steins;Gate. Luka got done super dirty by the writing, genuinely awful treatment while Akiha is just fairly boring

23. Underrated VN: 2236 A.D.

I'm genuinely so shocked it hasn't received more attention. It's fairly short too taking about 10 hours to finish. Left me with lots to think about after I finished. VNDB links are outdated but it's available on denpasoft and right now it's on sale for under 4 usd

22. Dropped VNs: Yu-No and Fatal Twelve

I don't really like calling them dropped because I only read each for ~2 hours but other VNs at the time grabbed my attention so those two ended up being put back on the shelf. I'll get around to them properly eventually

21. VN pet peeves: not too many

Aside from H-scenes that drag on too long which I mentioned earlier, the other big thing I dislike is overuse of pervert jokes especially when the character is otherwise interesting/normal. Unrelated picture of Irie for no reason

20. Own any VN merch: yes again!

It's not much but I have physical cds for the Fatamoru and Higurashi ost, a double sided euphoria/Maggot Baits folder, a euphoria wallscroll, and a Saya charm made by my friend @bunnysleepover.bsky.social !

19. Own any VNs physically: yes!

Umineko and Fatamoru on PC as well as the switch versions of AITSF and Chaos;Head/Child! Still haven't play AI or CC yet though lol (also cannot find the switch cases atm rip)

18. All ages or spicy: depends

Not all stories need 18+ content but some do and I'm not a wimp I can handle seeing anime sex on my screen

17. Romance or no: YESSS ROMANCE ALL THE WAY

While I don't necessarily need a romance in a VN (or anything really) I get so much more invested in a story if there is one. Learning that FataMoru had a good romance in it sold me on it faster than anything else (and now it's my second favorite VN lol)

16. First VN: Saya no Uta

I found an uncensored playthrough of it on youtube over ten years ago and it just stuck in my mind like a parasite since (lol)

15. Preferred artstyles

Personally I love simpler art styles, especially from older games. Darker/grittier styles too. Saya no Uta I think aesthetically is one of my favorite VNs ever and it's because I adore the contrast between the characters and the world. Amazing atmosphere all around.

14. Short or long: long

I do appreciate a good short vn every now and then but longer vns really do allow time for the characters to breathe and establish themselves

13. Console or PC: PC

The console library just doesn't have enough to interest me, plus console releases tend to be more expensive

12. Physical or digital: digital

It's just so convenient but I do own a few physical copies of VNs I love especially

11. Minigames or no: Generally no

Only time I've seen it implemented in a way where I really loved it was in Higurashi during Matsuribayashi-hen but otherwise I'm not too fond of them

10. Least favorite VN: Yume Miru Kusuri

I didn't necessarily dislike it but I think I just read it during a time I wasn't able to fully appreciate it. Also some stuff did drag on. I've noticed my thoughts on it have also become kinder in recent weeks

9. Least favorite VN tropes: honestly half of everything have to do with H-scenes

Sick and tired of purity culture around sex and also sometimes I don't want to hear five lines in a row of a character moaning

8. What languages do you play in: English

I am a baka gaijin who only half knows hiragana and katakana

7. Choices or linear: again neutral

It all depends on the type of story. Something like Higurashi doesn't really need choices ebcause of how tight the narrative is but other games the choices is the gameplay, like with Sadistic Blood (first vn I thought of) you're there for the gore yknow?