#AND IF WE’RE IN JUJU’S ROUTE OR JIHYUN’S ROUTE THEN JIHYUN WILL RETURN TO YOU AS YOUR BEST FRIEND

[rnm-magic-space-xsd]

(Credits : Anj Twitter)

[sugarandspice-games]

Okay, so I finally got through Saeran's good ending, I might go back and play the normal and other bad endings later if I feel like it, but as that was an emotional rollercoaster, I need some time to recover. But I'm going to put my full review under the cut.

Will I be releasing my rewrite outline at this point (though not really a rewrite, since I made it before the AE was ever released when I was drunk and salty at the lack of news)? I'm not sure. I wasn't 100% satisfied, but we'll call it a good 65% as I feel like there was more I liked than I hated. I'll leave that decision up to my dear readers, whether or not they want to see it. (Though there are only like... 8 of you here and I know you're probably here for Obey Me content and not MysMess)

I do plan on playing the Jumin Bad End DLC, but I may not liveblog it as I haven't really heard good things. This seems like another ploy for fanservice, but I do want to get more lore about Jumin's backstory, and honestly... I'm gay and want to see those sexy CGs. That being said... this is the last I will discuss the canon material on this blog, and it may be the last time I engage with the canon material (as I believe cheritz has announced that this is the finale anyway, and will no longer update the game). I will most likely continue to create fan content for it, as Sugar and I have our own sort of... fanfic thing going on with the characters and our OCs. But this is a personal and huge special interest of mine, and rather than go through everything and pick it apart for the rest of my days... I want to leave the game and the characters I love so much with only my happiest memories. They'll live on in my heart.

But I digress... here is my semi-condensed review. Sugar may talk about it as well, though I do not speak for them. THIS SHOULDN'T NEED TO BE SAID BUT HERE THERE BE SPOILERS. DO NOT READ IF YOU DID NOT COMPLETE THE GOOD END OF RAY'S AE.

The Good:

Saeran. Saeran was the best thing about this route. His character development was beautiful, and every time I saw him, I felt my heart swell with pride and love. His new sprites are so adorable as well as his beautiful CGs, and he looks healthier and happier in a lot of them. He's grown to be such a loving, gorgeous, wonderful man despite everything that happened in his painful life, and his story is nothing short of inspirational. I have a lot of love for Saeran, I have from the moment I saw him but this route really drove it home for me. He will have a special place in my heart among my fictional loves that can never be replaced.

Jumin Jumin Jumin! Jumin was one of the absolute MVPs this route, he was doing the most and boy... I just want to hug him. Even though he was in horrendous pain he was doing the absolute best he could to help everyone. He's been a love of mine for a long time, and that love only grew in this route. I was also glad to meet Driver Kim and see the interaction between him and Daddy Han Sr. (Because obviously Juju is the junior Daddy Han lol)-- even though I have mixed feelings about the Chairman, it makes me happy to see Jumin getting the caring he deserves from his father. And the fact that he even turned his back to let Jumin express his emotions without feeling embarrassed... Fucking killed me.

They did Rika right this go around. Yes, she got off to a really rough start, but she was very human and bearable here... and complete with her realizing her wrongdoings and working to right them in the end. It was a gorgeous arc, I'm so happy for her. I have a love hate relationship with her character, as she used to be a very badly written villain IMO... but one of the good things about Another Story in general is that it gave her depth that she didn't have before. And if they wanted to redeem her, they 100% did it right here, even if she had a rough beginning and had to make mistakes to get to where she was. I thought it was very human. Good on you, cheritz.

Vanderwood got a lot of good interactions here, and I'm really happy they gave us more Van content. Even if we're not getting a route for him, it's enough to me to finally see him expressing the affection we all know that he holds for Saeyoung, and working to help him.

The twins finally get to be happy! Need I say more?

Everyone doing well in their lives made me really happy too... most of the other routes had this problem where if one person got to be happy, someone else would have to suffer in exchange. I'm so glad that everyone got a happy ending.

The new chats made me extra emotional... I'm not sure why, to be honest, I think I'm just happy to see everyone again. It had been such a long time since I played Mystic Messenger, and talking to everyone again just like old times felt like returning to a childhood home (though I was 19 when I discovered this game initially, haha). I cried a lot, which is extra weird for me since I don't tend to cry in general.

Yoosung loves Saeran soooo much... in fact, everyone does. It made me happy, bc I was initially worried that he wouldn't have made friends with the RFA or that it would be awkward, but seeing everyone loving him and him being sweet back to them was adorable. Jumin also loves him and you can't change my mind (though maybe that's my wishful thinking of being in a Jumin & Saeran sandwich talking...)

So many good messages in this AE, and they hit very personally. I came to the same realization last year, that in the end, nothing in life matters except love, since you can't take anything else with you when you die. I shan't elaborate more!

Everyone's voice acting was so good! It was so beautiful and emotional, I could feel it through their voices. I usually skip the voice lines since I read so fast, but I'm happy I didn't.

The Bad:

Oh Jihyun... what have they done to you? I know I said he wasn't OOC and I stand by that, but it really feels like the writers hated him this AE. Even his sprite looked so awful and blurry. And he didn't get any good realization that he deserved better or anything, the literal cult leader and prime fucking minister got to be redeemed when he didn't. What the actual fuck. Sugar will definitely have more to say about it, and probably in a more articulate way, but let it be known that I don't like it either.

Furthermore, even if it's not OOC, it's structurally sloppy for him to come to some realization only to stay the exact same as he's always been. And same with Rika too. As I said in a previous post, having them both go through these realizations only to make them the villains again really felt like beating a dead horse. What can I say except AAAAAAAAA. WHAT THE FUCK?

Again, I must reiterate... why'd they make it so you have to be a bitch to Rika to get the good ending? I get that it's probably wish fulfillment for some people in the fandom, but it isn't for me. I really don't have any desire to berate or insult her bc in the end she needs serious help (even if I wanted to throw hands with her sometimes), and if the point was to call her on her misbehavior... some of it went too far (looking @ the "Don't stab Saeran's eyes out!" choice. I didn't like that at all, especially since it felt like you were making fun of Jihyun's trauma.) It especially made the end of her arc fall flat when she's like "Thank you for being kind and trying to understand me..." like, gurl... the game didn't let me do that without making me bad end! Jeez.

Also, literally why was it necessary to redeem the prime minister? He's a monster who tried to murder his own children. It's okay if they needed that scene where Saeran and you tried to understand him, but having him actually come around made no sense... why would he want to listen to you or Saeran when we've seen time and time again that there isn't really any good in him? He's just not a good person. And no, I'm not saying this because I wanted him to die or anything! ...Okay, maybe I did. Fuck that guy. I hate him. (Also the whole "you're only this way because you're lonely!" was so corny, I didn't choose those options but gjkgkgkfk)

The Ugly:

Have y'all heard about how much I hate the agency Boss? I hate him so much... I want to drown him in the toilet. I want to feed him taco bell laced with laxatives. I want to-- anyway, I digress. Not classifying this under bad because cheritz did their job by making him hateable and oh boy, did I hate him. He made me want to barf. I also commend his voice actor for somehow making me feel greasy through the screen. Seriously, dude, hats off to you. You are a genius.

That's about all I have to say for now... you can peruse my talk tag if you want to see any of my other thoughts on this game, but they don't tie into the good and bad. Despite the flaws, I enjoyed myself this route and I'm happy I played it. Even though there will always be things to improve upon in this game... I'm happy I picked it up, and I'm happy I met everyone. I would write them all letters or something but that'd be kinda corny since they're just game characters and won't see it anyway, and I know I'm not the only nor am I the most attractive MC out there... so this is Spice, signing out! Byebye, Mystic Messenger. You'll always have a special place in my heart.

All of the... weird horniness between Rika and Saeran made me feel grossed out. Her having him in a collar with a leash, and the game options that insinuate she has a thing for him... ew ew ew. Please stop it. That shit is so disgusting and I'm going to puke.

@ Both Saeyoung and Saeran: stop fucking trying to die all the time! Seriously! Let me love you and want to save you, when will you get it through your thick skulls that one gay ass MC who loves you very very dearly would NEVER be happy if you died? AAAAAAAA

[serensama]

Jumin Secret Ending

Okay so a while ago, I was having many deep and meaningfuls with the lovely @ellieartcave and we both emphatically agreed that there was something sorely lacking in Mystic Messenger… an ending where V lived. While she came up with something different but just as awesome, for me the only thing that made sense and still work canonically is for the other Deep Route boy- my baby Juju- to have a secret ending.

Here are the very rough, very vague notes that I’ve taken in regards to what I was planning to do over the span of 7-10 chapters... but with what seems to be the V route/content coming up... I felt that my story would no longer be necessary... but I still wanted to share it :)   

-       After the party everyone is merry and happy… but not Saeyoung- and V, finally back home and with the people he calls family… confesses to Saeyoung. About everything. Mint Eye, Rika and of course Saeran. He is understandably angry and punches V which causes Jumin to get his security to hold Saeyoung back until he calms down.

-       He doesn’t, how could he? His brother was taken by some screwed up cult instead of loving happily. He was brainwashed and hated him. Felt abandoned. “You’re going to fix this V! You are going to come with me right now and you’re helping me fix this mess you helped create.” “Of course I am. Of course I will.”

-       However, it all takes time and planning and careful execution so as not to tip off Mint Eye that they know any better.

-       By the time that happens, it’s Jumin and MC’s wedding and once again, everything is happy and perfect.

-       However upon their return, it is time to go through with the plan.

-       The entire RFA plus a special tactical crew that Jumin had hired invade and take Rika and the other cultists.

-       Saeyoung tries to talk Saeran, only to see how far his brother had truly fallen. Saeran seeing his Saviour in handcuffs and being taken away- blames his brother for ruining everything all over again… and tries to shoot him.

-       V, takes the bullet for Saeyoung.

-       Rika sees V bleeding out and is horrified, screaming, thinking that the man she once loved died.

-       However, this time the tactical crew also has trained medics.

-       V survives.

-       In the same hospital as Saeran, he can hear the deranged twins screams and the amount of suffering Saeyoung hid in order to just function. V’s guilt grew. Every day after a particularly difficult session or more medication had to be administered V could hear Saeyoung’s tears in the hallway, desperate to hide it from his recovering brother.

-       This… this is what my help has brought upon the people I care most about. Saeran’s life was ruined. Saeyoung was lied to, used and abused, Yoosung in so much pain over his cousin’s death, Jumin lost without his friendship, Zen feeling responsible for Rika and himself and poor Jaehee left to pick up the pieces.

-       And Rika…

-       He wished he had died. He had done nothing right. Every choice he made- even if he knew they came from a place of good intent, turned evil. He helped bring about this evil and nothing he did saved his friends.

-       One day after hearing a particularly heated argument between the brothers, he falls asleep and dreams of the events in Saeyoung’s secret ending. When he wakes a babbling mess- it is Jumin who is beside him, his daily vigil over his injured friend. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry-” “Hush, V… Jihyun.. It’s okay-” “IT’S NOT! IT’S NOT! I lied. Saeran suffered because of me. Saeyoung suffered because of me. MC was in mortal danger because of me. You don’t trust me anymore and all of this is my fault-” “V…” “I should disappear. Leave forever. Let all of you heal and move on without me, without the memory of all the wrong I’ve done-”

-       Jumin screams at V, cursing his selfishness. “If you’re truly sorry for the things you had a hand in, use your hands now to fix them. Rebuild what you have destroyed.”

-       Jumin takes V home, not trusting him to just up and leave if left to his own devices.

-       Both MC and Jumin take care of V, work with him for months trying to make him realise that while he was flawed and did make mistakes, his heart was good and now that Rika was gone- he could heal, both physically and mentally.

-       V felt even worse knowing that Rika had been sent to a psychiatric hospital and was to stay there until deemed mentally fit to stand trial. If she was ever declared mentally fit.

-       He can’t sleep, he can’t eat, he needs to see Rika. To see that she’s okay. He still loves her, after all said and done, he still loves her.

-       Jumin and MC talk it over and agree that it may make him better but it might make him worse… but at the moment he was stagnant. Something needed to happen for him to start moving again. Jumin cannot express how thankful he is to MC and how she cares for V almost as much as he does, the patience and the care she puts into his recovery- he knew he married an angel.

-       They go to visit her and from afar in the yard, sitting away from the other patients, she seems fine. Her therapist explains to them that she’s been doing better since receiving treatment. He says that she sometimes hallucinates that she’s out in the world, taking photographs, photographs that V could no longer take now that he was dead.

-       Rika sees V from across the yard and screams, hands in her hair, tears rushing to her eyes. She runs to the fence that separates them but doesn’t look at V, she’s only talking to Jumin. “Jumin… he’s gone. He’s gone. He’s not here, he’s not with me anymore and I’m sorry. He’s gone. I can’t do anything anymore. I couldn’t save him- why didn’t he let me save him?” she looks at V, hand over her heart as she wails. “I’m so sorry- why did you let me save you? We could have been happy- in paradise… and now you’re gone… leave me then! Stop haunting me! You chose to leave me!”

-       Beyond hysterical, the staff take her back to her rooms leaving V, Jumin and MC terrible shaken.

-       On the way home all V can see are the ghosts floating in Rika’s eyes. He was a ghost to her now. She was a ghost to him, both haunting each other and not for the better. He quickly came to the realisation that she was better without him… and he… he would be better without her.

-       V, Jihyun Kim, is a heartbroken and damaged man.

-       But… he can be fixed.

-       At the same time the Choi brothers have finally taken the steps to healing themselves, it is not an easy road but with everything cleared in the air… they can finally move on and learn how to be themselves and brothers again. They have good days and bad days but at least, now they have them together.

-       V decides to get the surgery.

“I… I have enough emotional wounds to last me a lifetime… I don’t need the physical ones too…”

-       Slowly V starts to see a therapist to help him work through the pain he carries and the pain he inflicted. He apologises to Yoosung, the two truly talking about what happened and why V did what he did. He apologises to Zen for not being the guy Zen thought he was, for not being as brave as the actor. For not protecting them or Rika better. He apologises to Jumin for making bad choices and not trusting that Jumin would stand by him and help him make the right choices. He apologised to MC for almost disregarding her and not prioritising her life, her innocent life. He apologised to Saeyoung and Saeran. That he didn’t deliver the better life he had so wanted to give them, he thought he was helping but he only made things worse for them by unwittingly aiding in Rika’s plans. Funnily enough, it is Saeran that forgives V first- completely understanding the power and charisma that Rika held… the loyalty she inspired. It is Saeyoung that is the last to forgive V, unable to let go of the wasted time and the resentment he held for him.

“If Saeran is big enough to forgive you… then I guess I should too. But I don’t trust you anymore. You… You’ve messed up more than I ever could and I… time V. Give me time.”

-       Through time and help from his friends and therapist, V slowly becomes the man everyone remembered. The head of the RFA, the friend, the confidante. Their brother. His confidence and independence gradually reappeared- as did his smile. -       Jumin and MC are happily married and eager to get their family started. The Choi boys are still somewhat stilted and awkward but they’re well on the way to finding their balance. Zen was becoming more and more popular with his break being the role he emulated Jumin in (much to chagrin) and Yoosung was finally taking his studies seriously, even working under Jaehee during university holidays to explore all his career options... and to earn some money for the expansion pack for LOLOL and all the limited edition stuff... but mainly for the careers option thing.... >_ > 

-       Finally, the RFA was back to normal, whole and complete. 

-       Every week after his psychologist appointment he spends at a nearby café, a busy place that’s filled with people and noise and life and he’s addicted to it. Like a perfect reminder after he’s forced to confront his past demons that there is a future out there waiting for him.

-       One time, over a year since the start of his recovery and his final therapy session, V sits at the café pouring over his photographs; for his upcoming return to photography exhibition. He’s choosing between three photos, lost in concentration.

-       Suddenly a dainty hand pushes past his peripheral vision and points to the photo in the middle, “This one!”

-       This photo- one of him-  had his hand out in front of him as if he were welcoming someone to a party. Which in his head- was what he was doing when he took the self-portrait.

-       V looks up, it’s the nice waitress with the brightly coloured hair that served him every week. He smiled remembering the first time she met him, she pointed at her hair and grinned,

“Ahhhh look, we’re twinsies!” she remarked obviously addressing the exact shade of turquoise they both shared. At least for that week. After that she had been red, then black, pink then green… she was never content to stay one colour, always chasing the colour she felt one particular week to the next. She liked change.

-       “Oh… and why is that one, ‘the one’?” She shrugs and edges closer to V, her eyes transfixed on the image before her, her smile slowly growing the longer she looks at it. “Because… it looks like you’re reaching out for something and you’re… you’re so close to it. All you have to do is take it. You’re almost there.”

-       She fills up his coffee and was headed towards the counter when V felt his heart skip a beat. Impulsively he jumps up and calls out to her, the waitress turns around with a surprised look on her face. “Hey… wait…. I… are… are you free next week?”

-       She smiles. It’s beautiful.

-       And for once, he feels no guilt.