Sci ADV: Chaos;Head, Steins;Gate, and Robotics;Notes

Yeah, Luka's gender identity and sexuality gets explored later. Some of the stuff I wrote in those spoiler tags won't be revealed until later. I'll note that what I said is my interpretation and you may not agree with it when you get to that point in the story.

Anyway, sending back another mail was probably kinda hasty, yeah. I'd say the main plotline is really starting now that they're actually using the time machine for something.

End of chapter 4.

…Holy crap, I was kidding but Luka did become a she. ò.Ô Okarin is lucky that she forgives easily, because damn that scene was awkward… And I must say I quite like how Chris is acting as a kind of big sis who protects her. Also like how it was subtly foreshadowed by little details in the dialogue ("Luka-kun" becoming "Luka-chan" and such) Weird that she still uses "boku", though…

And Okarin screwed up quite massively by retconing the IBN out of their possession… This, plus outright changing entirely Akihabara's timeline, plus the threatening jelly mail, it's becoming quite dangerous. Although at the end he finally managed to use the Phonewave in a predictable way. So this chapter gave us a deeper insight into both his kindness and his less commendable traits…

Part-Time Warrior's dad is "Barrel Titor"… So could he be John Titor's father? Which would basically make the latter John Connor?

And what did Faris-tan write in her D-Mail? Why did the satellite disappear (if Mayushii's mail is to be believed)? Can Okarin return to his original timeline? How long will the Phonewave's name be subject to change? So many questions.

edited 6th Nov '16 1:04:03 PM by Lyendith

I find it hard to read that kind of cringingly awkward scene.

Oh, you've gotten through Faris' mail too? I like Faris, but I didn't feel like the story used her very well.

By the way, it's a bit late to be asking now I suppose, but have you been following a walkthrough?

I'm playing the PS 3 version, which luckily got released in Europe (though there was no French translation, sadly).

And since I recently got my hands on a TV less painful for my eyes than the tiny cathodic TV I had, I'll be able to play it more often.

I thought you were asking if I was reading it by a walkthrough.

edited 6th Nov '16 2:23:37 PM by Lyendith

If you haven't been following a walkthrough you might find it hard to reach the true ending, most likely getting stuck with another ending that's similar but shorter and less satisfying.

Not actually sure why you mentioned what version you're playing.

Edit: Ah, I see. No, I just meant that there are six flags for the true ending that come in the form of mails from Kurisu. You need to give the right response to each one or you'll get one of two other endings, both of which are pretty unhappy though not outright bad ends.

edited 6th Nov '16 2:33:51 PM by Arha

Oh… And did I already pass some of those mails?

I don't know. The emails are a little detached from the main story line so I forget when they occur. I do remember that one of the earlier ones involved Okabe calling himself a mad scientist and Kurisu calling him a bad scientist. Something about a report she asked him to write.

Oh, and if you play without actually calling the microwave yourself at certain points you'll end up with a short heroine ending.

edited 6th Nov '16 4:07:23 PM by Arha

And thus Christina's dark secret was finally exposed… Seriously, I love these characters. I'm almost fine with nothing happening as long as I can watch them take shots at each other. We have some sweet scenes with Mayuri too, where Okarin even drops his Hōōin Kyōma act for a second.

And another horrible death nightmare, with Mayuri's voice this time… I'm starting to wonder if those "dreams" aren't actual deaths before Okarin "reincarnates" in another wordline. Like, the bad guys want to get rid of him, but he's like a cockroach who keeps reappearing with his memories intact.

And those experimental ideas are getting way overboard. Memory time travel, now? I want to jump into the screeen and tell them STOP THIS YOU IDIOTS, CAN'T YOU SEE IT HAS A 100% CHANCE OF GOING HORRIBLY WRONG?!

Moeka has smiled… Or rather, she giggled, but they forgot to make a smiling sprite to go with it. Which made the scene feel more eerie than it should, somewhat.

…Right, just after the "earth 70 million years ago" nighthmare, I deliberately ignored Faris' phonecall. I wondered if will have consequences?

(Kurisu's nicknames so far: Christina, Chris-chan, Assistant, Zombie, Celeb Seventeen, Mongolian Spot, @channeler Christina… that's probably not the end of it.)

edited 7th Nov '16 2:24:01 PM by Lyendith

So you're in what, the first week of August now?

I don't believe the dreams are ever explained or even explored. Okabe's got this uninterrupted continuation of consciousness thing going so dead ends don't seem to make much sense. It could just be stress.

Moeka has some fun texts. She's kind of an idiot.

Anyway, you really will get a lame ending if you don't get those true ending flags.

Huh, so I should have answered the call? Good thing I saved in a new slot just before...

Sometimes you get fun ones by not answering. I think there's one point where everyone is around the 'round table' and she begins texting you with how funny she thinks everyone is while retaining that completely blank expression.

Yeah. X) Reminds me of that comic strip I saw where a guy is writing with tons of smileys and exclamation points on a chat, but is actually just staring boringly at the screen.

...Something bugs me: Okarin mentions that Daru accepted to join just because May Queen Nyannyan was just a few blocks from the lab. But how did he join in the timeline where MQN² doesn't exist?

Maaaaagic.

Middle of chapter 6, or the many deaths of Shiina Mayuri. (the 3rd one, exactly)

Wow… talk about going south. Ô.Ô I kinda knew Moeka wasn't a mere journalist, but it turns out she's also kind of a sociopath. Well not quite. It seems like she's repressing her emotions rather than not having any…

So I was wrong, the Time Leap Machine actually saved them… err okay, not quite yet. The supreme irony is that none of this would have happened if they hadn't created it in the first place. Okarin's an idiot though − why jump only 3 hours back? Of course it's already too late by that time… Also, how he managed to crawl back to the lab after being hit by a car without anyone catching him is beyond me.

Suzuha seems to know stuff about the future… as if she had used the TLM herself. Or maybe she's John Titor? Haha. …Wait, she might be, actually.

On another note, it's kinda sweet that Kurisu went on yobisute with Mayuri. It's not even pointed out, it just happens naturally. As Okarin says, it's hard to believe that she joined the lab only 2 weeks ago…

(the musics of this VN are nothing special, but that Recurring Riff is slowly taking roots in my brain…)

edited 11th Nov '16 9:14:33 AM by Lyendith

Aaaand there you go. Though I think Okabe only jumping back a few hours is kind of acknowledged, isn't it? Unless you mean the first one in which case he was just panicking.

Has convergence come up yet? If so, that would explain a lot of your questions.

It is acknowledged… after the sixth or so attempt.

So yeah, I thought it would be something like that... I just knew she was gonna be pushed under the train, but not is such a… darkly silly way. You can modify minor details of the past, but not the outcome. And upturning that will probably be the next big development. I guess we can call him Furude Rintarō, now? Strangely, Okarin managing to get back to the TLM seems like an unavoidable event in itself, just like Mayuri's death. But now that he knows about Kurisu's… fork and spoon? everything's gonna be alright! …Right? .−.

And no, convergence hasn't come up yet… whatever that means. I didn't advance much today.

edited 12th Nov '16 5:19:23 PM by Lyendith

Well, you've seen it. They'll explain it soon, I think. It's the explanation for why Mayuri keeps dying.

edited 12th Nov '16 4:56:17 PM by Arha

…Oh, right, I think John Titor mentionned it at some point. Can't remember the details, though.

By the way, why is there only us two in this thread?

Convergence means that once the cause of an event has happened, you can't stop the event from happening no matter what. Mayuri is fated for some reason I won't elaborate on because I'm not sure you're there yet, which is why she keeps dying in increasingly contrived ways at the same time. You can only make minor detours by changing the present.

If you're fated to die at some point, you're going to die then. No sooner, no later. This is the implied reason for why Okabe keeps getting away even when wounded or captured: He can't die until a later date because he has an important role in the current timeline. I suspect it's also why he can't be held against his will for long.

As for why only we're talking, well, this subforum has never been particularly active. Only FSN and Dangan Ronpa have regular conversations going on. Steins Gate just isn't as big as those two.

Which is weird. I had the impression SG had a pretty big fanbase, if only for its (apparently good) anime.

"I am… John Titor."

*Grins triomphantly* I scare myself sometimes. So Suzuha's father was a founding member of the Resistance with Okarin. Someone who knew about the very first D-Mail. Someone she expected to meet at that otaku convention of whatever earlier. Someone who built a time-machine that works similarly to the PhoneWave. I think she might have already figured it out…

The explanation about the timelines was a bit confusing, but I get for the most part… I think? It doesn't explain why the IBN 5100 they had disappeared, though.

It does, but it's no FSN. The Fate series also has new content coming out quite frequently to stimulate conversation.

I think they take a bit longer to explain what happened to the IBN 5100. That whole plot thread is a bit clumsily handled, though.

I see.

…Now that I think of it… Okarin did manage to avert Kurisu's death in the prologue, albeit unintentionally…

Continuing… I just learned of future-past-Suzuha's suicide.

…Now excuse me while I pick up the pieces of my broken heart… ;____; That's just… cruel.

But then… what about the Suzuha who did manage to time-jump before her machine broke?

Not sure what you mean. The time machine broke and wasn't properly repaired, so her memory was scrambled, she failed and committed suicide. I'm assuming you made the call to the Phonewave or whatever it's called, right? Then you should know that Okabe goes and talks to Tennouji again and she just died of an illness, but this time she managed to get the IBN 5100. Convergence got her, I suppose.

Never called the PhoneWave, no.

…Ah, but wait… Okarin sent a D-Mail to change the fact that Suzuha leaves early, so it no longer happened...? It's getting confusing. =.="