Ask!

[Aura]

Oh yeah, forgot about this.

We have internal idea of which characters use which honorifics in which situations. When the Japanese translation team was translating Act 1, we worked extensively with them on which honorifics characters used.

What pronouns/honorifics do they use?

My weeaboo side needs to know.

If you're a weeaboo you can probably guess what honorifics everyone uses based on their personality and familiarity with the other characters. Rin doesn't use any, Lilly is very formal, Emi isn't, etc etc. All the girls use "atashi" or "watashi", Hisao uses "ore". You can just play Act 1 in Japanese and find all these out, including the side characters.

[Guest]

If Lilly's and Shizune's fathers are brothers, why do they have different surnames/family names?

[Guest]

While writing Rin, did you ever feel as though you were "trapped" into a set of typical responses and emotions that she uses? She's always serious, and that seems like it would make it difficult to keep the story moving forward.

[t0xic]

Can you add Miki and Misha separate routs as a choices for story? I think it woudl be great! A litlle addon.

[Rivan]

Can you add Miki and Misha separate routs as a choices for story? I think it woudl be great! A litlle addon.

That just begs for a question!

When you added additional female side characters, how often (and with which characters) were you worried that us, the fans are going to rant and rave for a separate route with them?

[Suriko]

Can you add Miki and Misha separate routs as a choices for story? I think it woudl be great! A litlle addon.

Not happening. Please read the Game FAQ.

When you added additional female side characters, how often (and with which characters) were you worried that us, the fans are going to rant and rave for a separate route with them?

Misha was a constant sword of damocles over the entire Shizune path. A22 probably had the hardest job of any writer, with the most difficult disability to deal with in a VN format, and trying to balance Misha's popularity with Shizune's.

Some level of ranting and raving about a route for any reasonably notable female side character was expected.

Devs- who is your favorite character besides the one you mainly worked on?

In terms of heroines, Shizune. In terms of side characters, Yuuko, then Misha.

Pontless trivia q for Suriko.

Can lilly write in kenji/ normal words?

Must be kinda hard to learn the right way to do it if you cant see. specc for kanji...

She can write most normal kanji, but to varying degrees of legibility. When given the option, she'll use hiragana instead.

Also, the brothers thing is a mistake - Jigoro's wife (Mayoi) is Lilly's father's (Hiroyuki) sister.

[Guestwin]

With the Shizune path is being discussed here, I remembered two more questions that I haven't seen the answer to yet (although part of the second is probably somewhere in the forums).

1. A few times during the Shizune path it is suggested that Shizune is well aware of Hisao's heart condition even though he never really told here. Then in the Hanako path it is suggested that the student council has information that they cannot share with the rest of the students. Is correct to assume that Shizune as know about Hisao's condition from the start?

2. Since the timing of events is based on the Japanese school system, I can't quite place the periods an time skips that take place. Can you give a rough timing for school events like the start of a school year, summer break and graduation so I can estimate the timing ofthe story a bit better.

[McBaggin]

I have a question for Suriko ;

What was your influence for having Lilly to be a motherly type character?

[Heatth]

Also, the brothers thing is a mistake - Jigoro's wife (Mayoi) is Lilly's father's (Hiroyuki) sister.

This begs the question: Are you planning on releasing a patch fixing such script errors? Aside from that line, I've heard Hisao acts as he have never been on Shanghai in Emi's route, even if he had visited the place already with Shizune and Misha in Act 1.

[Suriko]

I have a question for Suriko ;

What was your influence for having Lilly to be a motherly type character?

I'm still not entirely sure why. Probably because I really liked that character achetype at the time, eg. Alicia Florence in ARIA. The moment I saw Lilly's design though, I attached that in my head to that kind of personality. In the old forums, I posted quite a lot at the very beginning to try and make my idea for her stick.

I guess in the end, it was just that I liked the archetype.

[vAnon]

Does the 4LS team have an interest in the vidya gaems?
I mean, what are your favorite genres, and if 4LS had unlimited resources, what would be the dream project at this point?

[Suriko]

Does the 4LS team have an interest in the vidya gaems?
I mean, what are your favorite genres, and if 4LS had unlimited resources, what would be the dream project at this point?

A22 likes fighting games a lot. I like the occasional FPS and RPG, and have a long-held love of flight and mech simulators. A few of my favourites are Hitman Blood Money, IL2-Sturmovik 1946, the Mechwarrior series, and Neverwinter Nights 2. Looking forward to what World of Warplanes and Mechwarrior Online will bring. Melty Blood's fun every once in a while, too.

If 4LS had unlimited resources, I'd probably want to do a visual novel based around a historical setting, with the same direction style as the Mahou Tsukai no Yoru trial.

[Aura]

With the Shizune path is being discussed here, I remembered two more questions that I haven't seen the answer to yet (although part of the second is probably somewhere in the forums).

1. A few times during the Shizune path it is suggested that Shizune is well aware of Hisao's heart condition even though he never really told here. Then in the Hanako path it is suggested that the student council has information that they cannot share with the rest of the students. Is correct to assume that Shizune as know about Hisao's condition from the start?

2. Since the timing of events is based on the Japanese school system, I can't quite place the periods an time skips that take place. Can you give a rough timing for school events like the start of a school year, summer break and graduation so I can estimate the timing ofthe story a bit better.

1. It's possible.

2. School year starts on April 1st, Hisao's first day in Yamaku is in early June, summer break is from late July to late August and the end of school year is in March.

[Aura]

Also, the brothers thing is a mistake - Jigoro's wife (Mayoi) is Lilly's father's (Hiroyuki) sister.

This begs the question: Are you planning on releasing a patch fixing such script errors? Aside from that line, I've heard Hisao acts as he have never been on Shanghai in Emi's route, even if he had visited the place already with Shizune and Misha in Act 1.

We haven't decided.

[Hivemind]

A question for the writers: did music inspire any of you guys? I'm on the grind on attempting to be a vaguely readable writer myself and I find music gets my thoughts and inspiration going the best, as well as equalizes any mood I might want to keep. Do you guys like listening to music when you write, and if so, what kind of music did you guys like to play while writing KS?

I listened to a lot of Dillinger Four and The Hold Steady. There was a lot of other music in there too, but those two bands were the driving force, so to speak. Hilariously, the music has nearly nothing to do with the tone of the path--although Dillinger Four is the music I tend to work out to, so maybe that has something ot do with it.