Zalor

Yeah, I was just wondering if I was just not looking in the right places for updates. But it really seems that their marketing is kind of poor. I just hope that the project is still continuing. Last time a VN I liked stopped updating about progress, it eventually got cancelled (I'm looking at you Dysfunctional Systems Episode 2). I really don't want a repeat of that. As I have genuinely been anticipating this VN since the creator posted a thread of it on Fuwa over a year ago.

Hey Plk_Lesiak. I saw this thread updated, and this seemed like the most relevant place to publicly pose this question to you. What are your thoughts on Synergia? I don't follow the OELVN scene that much (and certainly not as closely as you). So I am curious about your opinion. I could be wrong, but this VN doesn't seem to be getting the attention that I think it deserves. I haven't seen an OELVN look as visually beautiful since the last time Doomfest was involved in a project (damn I miss Dischan). Furthermore the art and direction seems to compliment the ambitious story. So I have really high hopes that this VN could end up being really good. It isn't out yet, but I thought it would have gathered a larger following by now.

Happy Birthday Silvs! If there is one thing I always remember about you, it is that you also like Swan Song. And I love that VN.

Haha, thank you. Also, I apologize for the late reply. I do hold this medium to fairly high standards. But it's only out of an intense love for it. I may suffer lots of disappointments. But when I do find gems, it feels better than if I found an actual pot of gold lol!

Yeah, I totally agree that dialogue and internal monologues are the skeletal structure of VN writing. I have nothing wrong with this (in fact, I think it allows for a very immersive narrative). But there is a standard to writing that I think applies to both mediums. And it is basically this, (I'm paraphrasing) "Every line should have a purpose". Too often VNs are bloated with way more text and even entire scenes or routes that are unnecessary. And this definitely distracts from the core of the work. Even one of my favorite VNs has this significant problem, Subarashiki Hibi. Don't get me wrong, its a great VN, but it did drag out a lot on certain parts. But then there are VNs (Saya no uta, Narcissu, Swan Song, etc to give a few example) that I think do follow that rule of having every line being relevant. Either by building the situation, the setting, perspective, characterization/character development, philosophy and advancement of the plot. In this way I think you can compare books and VNs. Also, its bonus points if the prose and style of writing is pretty. But I think that's a little too subjective. And in VNs I think stylistic prose intrinsically matters less because art and music is there, but it can always be a nice touch imo. @EastCoastDrifter: In retrospect I think I did start this thread a little oddly and I do apologize for that. But to be honest, I didn't really know exactly what it was that I wanted to say until I discussed it out a bit here. I had these feeling I really wanted to express, but I didn't know how to accurately express them in words until I talked them out a bit. Eventually as you read, I managed to figure it out. Glad I managed to clear things up a bit.

Fair question, and honestly, a question that I've been asking myself a lot recently. I've been reading VNs since I was 13 (am 20 almost 21 now), so they have been a part of my life for a long time. And even though I go long stretches of time without touching a VN, I always find myself coming back. I have a strong emotional attachment to this medium. When I first started reading VNs, I hated reading. Books were the last thing I wanted to spend my time on. But due to having visuals and audio, the format of VNs appealed to me a lot. Then some time in High School thanks to a few great Literature teachers I had, I was introduced to the joys of books after avoiding (and even hating) them for so long. As I began reading literature more my tastes started to change. And this isn't because of any differences between East vs West when it comes to story telling. I've read a decent amount of 20th century Chinese and Japanese literature (as well as a lot of pre-modern and early modern Japanese literature). It's just that I became accustomed to "good writing", at least what academics call "good writing". I identify a lot with the "elitist" tastes of academics. But at the same time, if I ever bring up VNs in conversation with serious literature fans, they laugh me off the street. And understandably why, I really don't think most VNs are up to the same standard in writing quality. But here is the thing... When I read VNs, sometimes I find some that are written with the genius I find in literature. And I find them even more impactful than regular books because of their ability to immerse the reader through good use of music and visuals. Hell, that's why I occasionally post analysis blogs on VNs. Since sometimes they impress me so much, I can't stop thinking about the themes and composition of the VN for days or weeks. I get honest to god obsessive, in a way that I don't with any other creative medium. I love that feeling. I appreciate the beauty in life for weeks after reading a VN that really captured and impressed me. I think Clephas once said that reading a good VN for him is better than sex, and I agree with this sentiment. There is a real euphoric joy I find in VNs. But unfortunately, due to my standards for writing (call me pretentious, I really don't care as I am quite self-aware of that fact), I can only find this precise kind of joy around once to 3 times a year. Now, while I honestly do think that most VNs are poorly written when compared to literature. I also think that lots of books are poorly written as well. Its just that with books, there are enough great ones that keep me distracted from complaining. But with VNs there is a real scarcity for someone with my peculiar taste. And while admittedly I speak rather harshly and perhaps offensively, I am admittedly jealous of people that can enjoy most modern and typical VNs. They can find the joys that VNs have to offer much easier than I can. Though once again going with the sex comparison. There is nothing quite like toiling and exhausting yourself in the pursuit for orgasim and then achieving it. Meaning that maybe I get this euphoric, almost orgasmic joy from a handful VNs precisely because I do have to struggle to find them...

Yes, I would like there to be be more VNs written in a way that suits my tastes. Everyone wants more stuff they like. I'm more salty at the fact that while moe-fans have plenty of VNs to consume, Edgelords have lots of material, and people that just want porn are drowning in titles. I just want a few more VNs that are in a more literary style. I'll take 1 a year if I can get that. (Hell there probably is at least 1 a year, I'm just having a really hard time finding them) Clephas, I don't know how you do it. But I admire you a lot for it. It always sucks being in a minority. Hell, as the responses on this thread have proven. I am apparently in a minority of a minority. Western Otaku that are actually into VNs are rare enough, but being a western Otaku that likes VNs and prefers a western style narrative. It seems I'm an outcast among outcasts. And yeah, I feel the same disdain towards romance novels as you. I really feel your pain there.

I was browsing the Literature Board of 4chan earlier today, and I found an interesting post that happened to be about VNs. Here is what the guy posted I think this guy makes a good point. The point being that with books and literature dying in the modern world, video games and VNs are on the rise in popularity. If decent writers focused their talents on this new medium of VNs, their writing could actually be recognized. Furthermore, when compared to the crappy state of VNs now. Even if a short story/novel writer is mediocre, he would still probably be better than 95% of current VN writers. But then there is another issue. While pretentious "manchildren" (as he puts it) would eat up VNs that have decent writing, most of these "manchildren" are not the current audience and market for VNs. The current market for VNs are people who want porn or memes. To elaborate, here is part of my post in reply: In other words, good writing in VNs is not rewarded by most VN consumers. Instead, most VN consumers will mindlessly throw their money at anything that satisfies their lust for porn, moe, or edge. And honestly, this is a big reason why I don't really get along with most VN fans. I genuinely like well written stories above everything else (hence why most of what I read these days are actual books), but I see a lot of potential with VNs. I am that "manchild" that the Anon was talking about who wants VNs to become a more literary medium. And there are some that I think have achieved this level that are criminally underrated. But most VN fans that I see, and this includes a lot of people I have noticed on Fuwa as well, seem completely happy with the modern state of VNs. The modern state of VNs being a sole focus on producing and localizing moe eye candy, edge, or literal porn.

Jokes on you, I don't need a VPN

I don't see how it has no point. If its fun for the person who created the mod, then it had a point. While I do agree that VN mods would be boring to most people, it can be fun to mod and edit your favorite VN just for the Lulz. And it might be fun for other people who are fans of that VN who might have a similar sense of humor. VN mods have the potential to be what Anime abridging is for anime. A way to make fun of a work you are a fan of, for the amusement of other fans.

It actually gives me nostalgia looking back on that mod. At the time it felt like Fuwa would never change, but now I think a lot of the references regarding the fuwa community are pretty outdated. A lot of the members that I parodied in that mod aren't even active anymore.

Idk, I once thought about modding Kanon simply as an April Fools joke. I thought it could be funny to change Yuichi's (the MC's) internal monologues to something more crass and offensive. But I'm also an on-again-off-again Fire Emblem modder, so I'm used to modding games that I love for fun. Actually, I even made a Fire Emblem mod parodying the state of the VN community back in 2015. It has A LOT of references to what 2015 Fuwa was like:

In around a month it will be 5 years for me as well. So weird... I was a High School student when I first joined Fuwa. Had no intention of learning Japanese when I first joined either. Aaeru's Learn Japanese Guide in 2 years really had a bigger impact on my life then I thought it would. Honestly, I think she had some pretty flawed advice in that guide in retrospect (I don't think anyone should use the Heisig method for kanji, especially not as the first thing you do after hiragana and katakana). But god-damn, before reading that article I always thought that learning moonspeak would be impossible unless you grew up with the language. She really convinced me that I too (some lost high school student at the time), could actually learn the language of the weeb. Now I'm studying in Tokyo o.O My question for you Kaguya, is where were you in your life when you first started at Fuwa? And where are you now 5 years later? Did fuwanovel influence your life in anyway?

Symphonic Rain for Fairy Tale-like vibes, and then amazing mind-fucking plot twists later on. Seriously, when it comes to well executed plot twists in VNs, this is probably one of my top examples.

One time my post mysteriously disappeared. I was given no explanation, it was just gone! I called out @Asonn for being a shitposter, and then when I checked the next day my post was gone. Though to be fair, I was kind of being a dick. I was confusing him with another member of the HMN crew. If you read this, sorry about that one time!

An issue with the Fuwa blogs is that it seems that the only audience for it are fuwanovel users. Specifically the people who lurk and post on the forums. Which seems to be a smaller amount than it used to be. Also, if you have a blog on Fuwa, you are kind of dependent on Fuwa being stable. Meaning that when the next Fuwapocolpyse happens, your stuff will be vulnerable. Wordpress is nice because it gives you more control, but its also more difficult to grow an audience if your solely focused on VNs.

Back when Fuwanovel was really active back in 2013, 2014 and 2015; we had topics like this all the time. Like 5+ a day sometimes, lol. Honestly I miss those days of Fuwa. It really shows how much the forums have slowed down that we only get like 1 of these threads a day. But I'm glad that people are trying to keep the forums a live. Its kind of like keeping a fire alive. And damn, the fire of fuwa used to be raging! But yeah, one of the problems I had when the forums was that active was that I spent a lot more time talking about VNs then actually reading them, lol.

I have around 4 or 5 VNs that are all around equally my favorite. But since you listed SubaHibi, I decided to pick that one (my other favorites were not listed).

No.

Can I join that? I fucking hate Moege with all my heart! Since I avoid Moege like the plague, all my favorite VNs are non-moege. But if I had to pick one off the top of my head, it would be Sayonara wo Oshiete for Untranslated. And Narcissu for translated.

Haven't you seen Zaka's Signiture? BIG EROGE IS REAL!

1) Memo (OELVN): Fall of 2010 I think 2)Kanon: Feb of 2011 3)Princess Waltz: March of 2011 4)Yume Miru Kusuri: March of 2011 5)Decapo 2: Summer of 2011 Just as a Bonus, I think after Decapo 2 I played Ef a Tale of Memories

No it wasn't always like that. There is a long history and lots of drama that resulted in that rule. Look up a Fuwanovel user named "Steve" and you will probably learn a lot. If I recall correctly, he was at least one of the main reasons that the rule was created in the first place.

It kind of is intentional actually. Well, Tomosane not being voiced is arguably intentional. As for the other dudes, I think it was mostly to be cheap.

That final thing you said, is probably the single most discouraging factor for ROM hackers. People have such high expectations for rom hacks, when really hacks are often just a project that 1 guy (and maybe some of his friends) work on in their free time. It is mostly done out of an intense love of the game. None the less though, people expect commercial quality for a fan-made project. And if it is not near commercial quality, nearly nobody will bother even playing your hack.