POLL: First girl you went for

[Quantum Toast]

I'm pretty curious as to which girl people actually WANTED to go for first. Mine was Rin as I found her peculiar manner of speech and existential way of thinking fun.

Nobody in particular, I was just seeing who I'd gravitate to naturally. I was kind of expecting Hanako though.

In my case, Shizune and Emi. Both of them are attractive by my personal preferences, and both of them have playful personalities (albeit in different ways) that appeal to me.

I still can't figure out why they put in a scene that basically requires you to go for both of them...That's just unintuitive.

What scene might you be talking about?

Slow Recovery, I'm guessing. You run into it if you follow the Shizune choices in Act 1, then try to race Emi too. Apparently a lot of people have trouble getting it.

[Heartless Wanderer]

I'll do you one more than that and just list off the order I went through all six paths, as well as my reasons for doing so.

First: Hanako.

What can I say, I'm a dedicated introvert and in my own school years I was the kid who hung out in the background and never talked to anyone, albeit not for anything as dramatic as burn scars down half my body or post-traumatic stress episodes at the mention of my own birthday. The point is, I could relate so I gravitated toward Hanako.

Second: Rin

During the course of Act I, I found myself in the odd position of being the only person in the room who kind of, sort of understood Rin's ramblings, which made me curious, so when I went for my first replay I went for Rin. And my oh my was this one an emotional roller coaster like none other.

Third: Emi

Throwing common sense to the winds I intentionally raced Emi and, predictably, set off my own heart problems with the intent of shooting for Emi's path. While the athletic and overly-enthusiastic aspects of her personality were slightly tiring, the fact that she was so driven to overcome her disability to the point where she was actually a track star attracted me to her just enough to earn her the number three slot.

Fourth: Lilly

I kind of appreciated Lilly as more of a friendship character than a love interest, so as much as I liked her character she slipped into fourth place anyway. Seeing her from this angle was interest and endearing and I definitely appreciated a more personal look at Akira... but the fact that I was more looking forward to a different perspective on Hanako during this path is somewhat telling.

Last: Shizune

What can I say, I'm a dedicated introvert and dedicated introverts rarely if ever mix well with the pushy type. So naturally Shizune's path was last on my priorities list. She sort of grew on me as the story went on but I don't see myself going through this path a second time.

[DrNonookee]

What can I say, I'm a dedicated introvert and dedicated introverts rarely if ever mix well with the pushy type.

Strange...this was exactly the reason why I *liked* her. Shizune's route had a particular appeal because I'm what I like to call a 'reluctant introvert'. I'm actually a very sensitive, sociable person on the inside - I like interacting with people, getting to know them, helping them out and making them happy. But because I'm shy, I have difficulty forming relationships to begin with, and because I'm a hopeless geek, it's hard to find common ground with most people I meet offline.

There's something about the idea of a girl like Shizune that really appeals to me - someone who is perfectly sweet and loving, yet is also *driven*. Shizune has a passion for the things she loves that grants her an uncommon bravery - some would say brazenness - and she has a habit of using that passion to push her friends to be brave too. She likes all these little wagers and challenges and competitions, partly because she's competitive by nature, but mostly because they bring out the passion in others. She wants to see the *fire* in your eyes.

Shizune is the kind of girl who, upon meeting a shy fellow like myself, would feel the urge to drag him out of his shell - not because she dislikes shyness, but because she wants him to find *his* passion. She teases and challenges out of genuine compassion, and there's a part of me that would love to be on the receiving end of that sort of treatment - to have someone pushing you out of your comfort zones for your own good, yet still caring enough to be there to support you as you find your bravery and take those uncertain steps.

I guess the best way to describe it is as sort of a 'personality-based positive feedback loop'. Shizune likes it when people are passionate and brave; I like making the people I care about happy. In this case, making Shizune happy means overcoming inhibitions and taking those challenges - things that I need to learn to do anyway, and which would make *me* happy as well. In effect, her friendly pushiness would make us *both* happy, which is pretty damned amazing. If I were to ever meet a girl like her in Real Life, I would gladly stand up and say "Challenge Accepted".


(Of course, the key term here is 'friendly pushiness'. Shizune is assertive, maybe even somewhat aggressive, yes, but she's also a kind, caring person. There are plenty of women/men out there who are just as bossy *without* the compassion - i.e. bitches and bastards. *Those* people can go fornicate themselves with an iron stick.)

[Xanatos]

Strange...this was exactly the reason why I *liked* her. Shizune's route had a particular appeal because I'm what I like to call a 'reluctant introvert'. I'm actually a very sensitive, sociable person on the inside - I like interacting with people, getting to know them, helping them out and making them happy. But because I'm shy, I have difficulty forming relationships to begin with, and because I'm a hopeless geek, it's hard to find common ground with most people I meet offline.

You do know 'introvert' isn't a synonym for 'antisocial' or 'shy', right?

I'm thinking I should go through and figure out why I liked the girls...

[Heartless Wanderer]

Strange...this was exactly the reason why I *liked* her. Shizune's route had a particular appeal because I'm what I like to call a 'reluctant introvert'. I'm actually a very sensitive, sociable person on the inside - I like interacting with people, getting to know them, helping them out and making them happy. But because I'm shy, I have difficulty forming relationships to begin with, and because I'm a hopeless geek, it's hard to find common ground with most people I meet offline.

You do know 'introvert' isn't a synonym for 'antisocial' or 'shy', right?

I was actually just about to say that. Introversion, shyness, and antisocial tendencies are three different psychological things that tend to get mixed up with one another because the result (from the outside looking in) has a way of being the same. To set them apart:

- Introversion is focusing one's thoughts inward rather than outward, towards the self rather than other people. This often tends to lead to social interaction being "draining" whereas solitude is relaxing. That doesn't mean the introvert dislikes or fears social interaction, just that it doesn't energize them the way it energizes the extrovert.

- Shyness is simply a reaction to insecurity. It's perfectly possible for there to be shy extroverts and utterly fearless introverts.

- To be antisocial means to be actively unwilling to engage in social interaction for one reason or another. While an antisocial is probably an introvert, not every introvert is going to be antisocial.

I'm an introvert, and I'm still somewhat shy at times. I wouldn't call myself antisocial by any stretch or measure. I enjoy interacting with the people I consider friends but I need my space and time to myself in between all of that. What you've described yourself as sounds more like a "shy extrovert." You actively focus outward toward other people but don't always get past insecurity to follow through. That's not entirely the same thought process as someone who enjoys social interaction but doesn't always have the "energy" for it.

[Secundum]

Voted for Hanako, 'cause I was aiming for her first, but went for it when running and got a one-way ticket down the Emi route.

[Atten]

The second I saw Hanako I decided to go for her first. It gave me a good introduction to how emotional KS is, but I was still unprepared for this feel-y roller coaster I've been on since I started playing. Which was only five days ago.

[Xanatos]

The second I saw Hanako I decided to go for her first. It gave me a good introduction to how emotional KS is, but I was still unprepared for this feel-y roller coaster I've been on since I started playing. Which was only five days ago.

Did you actually get her first? Most get stuck with Emi.

[Atten]

The second I saw Hanako I decided to go for her first. It gave me a good introduction to how emotional KS is, but I was still unprepared for this feel-y roller coaster I've been on since I started playing. Which was only five days ago.

Did you actually get her first? Most get stuck with Emi.

Yeah, I ended up doing Emi second. Hers was the least emotional to me for some reason, but it did seem the most realistic out of all of them so far.

[OtakuNinja]

Hers was the least emotional to me for some reason, but it did seem the most realistic out of all of them so far.

By "least emotional", do you mean worst?

[Heartless Wanderer]

I don't get the sense that's what was meant. I kind of feel the same, though. Emi's story spent the most time being playful and upbeat, so it spent the least time being unhappy. That was the intent, of course. All of that playful-and-upbeat-ness was a cover for some pretty deep issues, but those issues didn't come to the forefront until later on and most of the "conflict" in the story involved getting to the point where Emi would let Hisao in to know about them. It's no less a good story because of it, it's just a different approach from Rin or Hanako, who spend most of the story grappling with this or that problem in plain view of the reader, or from Lilly, who's not as closed-off as Emi and therefore lets her hidden side show sooner. Even Shizune's issues become apparent and take center-stage more readily than Emi's do. So it's easy to see Emi's story as the "least emotional."

Which isn't quite a fair way to word it, since it's very emotional. Like a lot of emotional people, though, Emi assumes a constant persona of cheer and energy to keep her issues from showing. It's more accurate to call her the "most guarded" of the bunch.

[OtakuNinja]

Emi's bad end was one of the most emotional moments for me. That's part of the reason I think Emi is the worst girl and her route is the least enjoyable.

[Xanatos]

Emi's bad end was one of the most emotional moments for me. That's part of the reason I think Emi is the worst girl and her route is the least enjoyable.

Because that makes sense...Somewhere.

[Reksho]

Emi's bad end was one of the most emotional moments for me. That's part of the reason I think Emi is the worst girl and her route is the least enjoyable.

I honestly cannot understand people finding a story bad just because it gave you strong emotional feelings/didn't have a happy end. If anything, it's proof that it managed to reach your subconsciousness and stir up something inside-- something difficult to do for every writer.

[DrNonookee]

shy extrovert

Cruel irony, isn't it? Wants to interact with people, but is simultaniously terrified of doing so...

You may have a point, although frankly, I don't think *either* term applies to me. I generally enjoy both interacting with people and being on my own, albeit both in different ways. The problem is that shyness tends to disrupt the former - it's hard to meet and interact with people openly when you're terrified of strangers.

In my case, the problem seems to be a form of social hypersensitivity - unusually strong emotional reactions to how others perceive you and behave around you. Specifically, I am a geek, and I am *terrified* of showing my geeky side around anyone ho isn't a geek themselves. I have yet to meet any non-geek who didn't respond to my interests, sense of humor, overly playful/child-like personality, and general non-normal-ness with anything other than mean-spirited ridicule, alpha-male douchebaggery, or a 'WTF?' expression and a quick retreat. It's rather difficult to talk to people when you feel like you can't be yourself without being humiliated - and since the geek-to-non-geek ratio in Real Life is abysmally low, trying to find like-minded people out there feels like an exercise in futility. It's the reason I mostly stay on the Internet, where most everyone you meet is a geek and just as weird as you are.

It would be nice to have some friends (and a girlfriend) who understand the geek mindset enough not to be weirded out by it - but that requires a way of finding like-minded individuals Out There that doesn't involve randomly striking up conversations with unsympathetic 'normies' (heh). I'm seriously considering one of those geek-oriented dating services...



Side note: this is a big reason why I like the characters in KS. The nature of Yamaku makes it a place where those who are 'different' are accepted wholeheartedly - a place where (with one scarf-wearing exception) the people are compassionate and encouraging.

I honestly cannot understand people finding a story bad just because it gave you strong emotional feelings/didn't have a happy end. If anything, it's proof that it managed to reach your subconsciousness and stir up something inside-- something difficult to do for every writer.

The key here is understanding the difference between "bad story" and "story which I dislike". The former involves lackluster descriptive prowess, unsympathetic characters, writing that fails to evoke emotion, and a general lack of respect for narrative causality. The latter is more the result of someone's personal feelings clashing with the result of a *good* story.

Some people (like myself) dislike downer endings. In my case, it's a matter of empathy - I like getting to know people (even if they're characters in a story), and it makes me sad when *they* are sad. As long as they get their happy ending in the end I can walk away with a smile on my face but if they get stuck with a downer ending, I feel their pain . I'm also a strong believer in the concept of karma - if bad things happen to a good-hearted protagonist, I feel like the universe (read: the writer)is unfairly screwing them over.

I can't honestly call such a story a *bad* one - all I can do is say that I personally didn't like it. Unfortunately, a lot of folks can't differentiate between the two, and assume that anything they subjectively dislike *must* be objectively terrible.

And then they complain about it. Loudly, and often.