School set VNs too redundant?

[fleet]

Make a trade school where students learn a craft (welders, machinists, automobile/truck mechanics, airplane pilots).
Or military boot camp.

Military boot camp doesn't sound too likely a setting, even for homosexual relationships. First, the genders are segregated, meaning if you see someone of the opposite sex it is usually FAR FAR in the distance. Second, at least in U.S. Marine boot camp, you have ZERO private or personal time. We got 1 hour 'free time' a week, after worship services, which meant we could sit on our foot-locker and read or write mail or straighten uniforms in a little 3x3 foot area without being screamed at for 60 minutes. Once a week.

There isn't much romantic about boot camp. Even if you were attracted to the same gender, the stress is so high and constant that most guys think they are being drugged due to the inability to get or maintain an erection. The fear and stress just makes it impossible. Now, I heard 'scuttlebutt' (rumors) from one drill instructor that his sister, a female drill instructor, would routinely catch her female recruits having sex in bed with each other at night, but how much of that is true or the wishful thinking of men knowing that elsewhere on the island groups of 60 women are showering together and letting their imaginations run wild is another thing.

Besides, the opportunities for even holding conversations of a non-romantic sort are few and far between - a quick bit of talking in a corner during a cleaning detail, or whispered conversations on fire-watch duty at night while constantly looking over your shoulder . . . .

Watch the first half of Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket" and tell me if you could work a romance into that somehow. I couldn't, but if you can, I'd love to hear how.

This clip (Warning: it is loud) is also a real video showing what recruits hear and experience in boot camp everyday, most of the day. I've heard it said and I often say it myself: "I wouldn't trade my experiences in boot camp for a million dollars, but you couldn't pay me a million dollars to go through it again either."

I honestly get shivers and flashbacks watching clips like those.

You've given several great reasons why a romantic VN set in boot camp would be interesting (not a likely setting, the challenge of potential partners finding opportunities to see each other...).

[Kittylove]

You've given several great reasons why a romantic VN set in boot camp would be interesting (not a likely setting, the challenge of potential partners finding opportunities to see each other...)

I know, just the possibilities are exciting!

[LateWhiteRabbit]

You've given several great reasons why a romantic VN set in boot camp would be interesting (not a likely setting, the challenge of potential partners finding opportunities to see each other...).

I know, just the possibilities are exciting!

Haha. You two are scary. I don't mean to be crass, but people in boot camp didn't even have time or opportunity to have a relationship with Rosie Palm, if you get my drift. Besides, I sure as hell didn't trust my judgment on whether or not a girl was attractive for several weeks after I got out of training! We weren't allowed pictures, magazines, newspapers, radio, tv, anything in boot camp. And boot camp was a bit shy of four months. Basically, we didn't see any girls in any form for all that length of time, so when we got out they ALL looked GREAT.

Still, I'd love to see what yarn you all can weave with the subject matter. Just be sure and do your homework to make it all as plausible as possible. People that actually went to boot camp will be playing and you don't want them yelling, "That's %&*!$^%&!" at their screen every few moments.

[papillon]

Well, there's REAL boot camp and there's the kind of boot camp teenagers get sent to because their parents hate them. Which is still trying to monopolise all your time but might be slightly less good at it than the ones dealing with actual recruits?

On the other hand, some of those places are outright evil. I've been wanting to do a story set in one and exploring the abusive aspects of the institution, but it's a kinda depressing topic. I can't figure out any way to make an even halfway realistic happy ending. I can get the protagonist out alive and unharmed, but I can't find any way to save the rest of the cast...

[LateWhiteRabbit]

Well, there's REAL boot camp and there's the kind of boot camp teenagers get sent to because their parents hate them. Which is still trying to monopolise all your time but might be slightly less good at it than the ones dealing with actual recruits?

On the other hand, some of those places are outright evil. I've been wanting to do a story set in one and exploring the abusive aspects of the institution, but it's a kinda depressing topic. I can't figure out any way to make an even halfway realistic happy ending. I can get the protagonist out alive and unharmed, but I can't find any way to save the rest of the cast...

I saw a movie on that very subject, but I forget the name of it. It was supposed to be based on a true story and was pretty good. A boy's girlfriend gets sent to one such camp (where they don't release them unless they are "cured") and so he acts out and conspires to get sent to the same camp to rescue her.

It didn't go so well.

I think the "happy ending" is that they indeed got out alive, but some people didn't.

[LVUER]

If you want something military-ish, you don't need to use the "real" life military camp life-style. Gun Parade March is a good example of military high-school life style where the life is still similar to our/normal highschool while still having a strong military presence. The recent Infinite Stratos also good to watch.

[flowerthief]

It's not the school setting that is common, but the high school setting specifically (which I'm perfectly fine with because I like the high school setting). However, the junior high school setting seems to be rather rare. Has anyone else noticed that?

[LVUER]

For a VN, yeah, but not for other medium though (manga, anime, game, etc). I think it's rare because they're still too young.

[Snowflower]

It's not the school setting that is common, but the high school setting specifically (which I'm perfectly fine with because I like the high school setting). However, the junior high school setting seems to be rather rare. Has anyone else noticed that?

My high school is a joint with junior high and high school students. Therefore, whenever I think of junior high students, I think of those annoying 12 year olds that want to be "popular" so bad with their tight clothes that only show their flatness and cake makeup... Well, I guess it doesn't help that my community is well known for many superficial people.

Oh, and those same girls want to grow up so bad that they are continuous trying to get my friends' and my attention to be included and my guy friends' attraction. None of which really works. They only get laughed at but none of them gets it.

Sorry about my anger. I'm not saying all middle school students are like that though.

Anyway, I think it's a little too young for 12 13 year olds to start thinking about "the love of their lives" and/or which guy makes the best date and worth spending the rest of their lives with etc etc.

[LVUER]

Flat chest... droooolll.....

My school also a joint school. In fact, in same complex (but different buildings), we have from kindergarten all the way to senior high school. And both senior and junior high school is in same building (only different floors).

But, one thing for sure... kids nowadays grow really fast, physically I mean. It's not rare to see a gradeschooler kid with body (or breast) as big as highschooler 10 years ago. I said physically, since mentally, it's more or less the same now or then (though they are aware about "that" thing far sooner than kids 10 years ago, simply because of the globalization and the internet).

[Snowflower]

And it's also not rare to see little girls stuffing their bras

Yes, I do agree with the fact that kids nowadays are exposed to mature things much faster

[Sapphi]

My high school is a joint with junior high and high school students. Therefore, whenever I think of junior high students, I think of those annoying 12 year olds that want to be "popular" so bad with their tight clothes that only show their flatness and cake makeup... Well, I guess it doesn't help that my community is well known for many superficial people.

One of the high schools I went to was like that, and you're right, they are terribly annoying compared to high school students... But when I was in junior high, the school I was in was kindergarten through 8th grade, so junior highers (and 6th graders, to some extent) were looked up to and respected by all the younger kids. That's the sort of setting that I would make if it was going to be about kids in junior high. :b

[EzzyAlpha]

Sometimes, school settings just work with the plot. I ended up having to place CONNECT in a college for various reasons.

So I ended up doing a Steampunk/Cyberpunk Fantasy College story. Which really isn't a regular school setting.

To be honest, school settings are such a staple of the medium that most people won't think it degrades from the final product. So do your school story, but make it a GOOD one.

[Snowflower]

I do agree with the school setting sometimes going hand in hand with the plot. For example, for the high school student's slice of life VN, it's kind of hard to avoid the entire high school scene.

College is cool too, since there is so much more options.

[Aozora210]

I think yes, that school has been a major setting used in VN, but I also guess the reason why it became so popular and becomes quite boring, it's that only the usual slice of life with usual school setting is used, and like some certain person has said earlier in the topic, usually people make Japanese school setting without actually knowing how does a Japanese school works out. Well, some games do give good references about those, but sometimes people are just too ignorant ^^

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how school developed in your own country. I was about to make a VN about school life in my country after I finished my current XD It'll be also interesting to see a specialized school such as music school, ballet school, engineering school, multimedia specialized school or such. I think magic school has also become common, though not as common as Japanese high school setting though.