5:02 PM] As Long As I Can Hold My Breath: Obonbon was intended to give more gravity to Shiori's decision to leave the island as well. She has a responsibility at this temple, a function that she has been trained to do, but also because of the way the Japanese view their religions as something connected to the land itself.
[5:02 PM] olivinearc: that was never in the outline, yo
[5:02 PM] As Long As I Can Hold My Breath: Some Japanese obviously take a more western attitude to it, but for someone devout like her, the idea of abandoning her post isn't just like someone saying they don't feel like playing drums for the christian rock outfit at church. It's much deeper than that.
[5:02 PM] As Long As I Can Hold My Breath: Completely fair
[5:03 PM] As Long As I Can Hold My Breath: And again why I value you asking the tough questions!
[5:04 PM] As Long As I Can Hold My Breath: I gave Mocha a plot outline but one that covered more of the movement, and less of the subtlety
[5:04 PM] As Long As I Can Hold My Breath: So when you ask me these things, that lets me see what's actually important that I left out
[5:04 PM] olivinearc: yeah like no one's gonna catch those parallels
[5:04 PM] olivinearc: especially when it's introduced out of order
[5:05 PM] olivinearc: if it was supposed to be a huge establishment for shiori's character it would've been at the beginning
[5:05 PM] olivinearc: as a vn director you need everyone to be on the same pagre
[5:06 PM] As Long As I Can Hold My Breath: I plan on revisiting the shrine a few times, I think, in the bigger outline. Mocha and you both feel like things need to be expanded upon, and it might be better to have Obonbon not be the first time she is seen in a religious context
[5:07 PM] As Long As I Can Hold My Breath: We would still use the same sprites (might need to make a few more but it's basically copy/pasting facial expressions so ez) and background,  but despite my previous misgivings about 'pacing', I think it would be vital to do so like that
[5:07 PM] olivinearc: you have a simultanteous need to direly cut fat and expand on what's important
[5:07 PM] olivinearc: because the religious stuff either direly matters to her, like you said to explain why she is the way she is
[5:08 PM] olivinearc: or it doesn't matter and shouldn't exist
[5:08 PM] olivinearc: unless this is a story about casual religion or something
[5:09 PM] As Long As I Can Hold My Breath: nah, it just directly matters to her and it's important to highlight that as a japanese person, here's why it was difficult for her to make a stupid decision and how that all puts additional pressure on her while everything else is going poorly at the same time
[5:10 PM] olivinearc: i'm a little curious because most japanese aren't all that religious tbh
[5:10 PM] olivinearc: so she's more of a special case about this than most