#Cheritz has no reason to not making anything for him

[anas-tasiaa]

Why the hell we only have 1 CG for this

beautiful, adorable, precious, human being huh?!?!?! 👊🏻👊🏻👊🏻

CHERITZ HOW DARE-

We have like 948474th CGs for AS Saeran, even Suit Saeran has couple of CGs and you just abandoned this precious broken baby of Saeran SE (OS Saeran). He doesn't even have his own opening CG! 👊🏻 I WOULD FOREVER BE SALTY ABOUT THIS.

Now we know with whom Cheritz took a favor with just because the new "remake" Saeran would benefit them in term of profit. 🤷🏻‍♀️ They "sold" him well huh .....

[marshmallowprotection]

Mystic Messenger 7th Summer Event

I was on the money with my speculation. I was right on the money and there is nothing you guys can do to stop me from talking about this photo in its entirety. Oh, my God. I am frothing at the mouth at this very moment because Cheritz gave me everything I could have ever wanted in a photo.

It's Ray DRESSED as Unknown, and that is someone I never saw coming.

See, I have egg on my face because they said Ray in their post last night and I never thought they were going to throw this at me. That's because they've never done something like this before. Usually, when he is mislabeled, it's just one of those things that happen now and again because of marketing or trying to avoid spoilers, but in this case, they actually went out of their way to bamboozle me.

I never could have expected something like this. I am most definitely not complaining because this isn't something I didn't know I needed in my life. Unknown and Ray are my favorites so the fact that they are combined in this situation is sending me. I didn't know I needed this but I'm happy that I have it.

On that note, does anybody have commissions open because I need more Idol Ray in my life? I want my MC to be in the audience cheering him on with a penlight.

When I tell you guys I cried when I saw this, I am not kidding about that. I cried. There are a lot of reasons why I cried and we'll get into that in a second. First I think we need to appreciate this for what it is. I think this is the first time in a long time my speculation has been 100% accurate.

This photo is split into three different parts just as I expected it would be, Rika is trying to pedal the soda, and V is in his believer robes which I joked about because the color was accurate but I wasn't sure if they would actually go through with it, and Ray painted his fingernails and that's sending me to Heaven.

V cannot believe what he is seeing. Need I remind everybody in this fandom that his mother was a musician and knowing that fact makes this a hell of a lot funnier when you consider this was Rika's plot. I would not put it past her to have thought about using music as a ploy to mess with him, not only because it's something they shared with her love of Zen, but because she wants to use everything she has against V.

The context in this situation is amazing. I don't know if any of you have seen the new Twitter thread but I'm going to share it with you.

[Link]

When I tell you guys I screamed, I mean it. I screamed because Ray was so smug when he said he has a cute face. That was a lot of confidence in a short amount of time, and if he looked at me after saying that, I would have melted and done anything he told me to do. I mean, I would already do that in general, he knows what I am.

She literally decided out of the blue that she was just going to sell him out because he has a cute face. I mean, she's not wrong, but that's such a Rika thing to do. After all, it's not the first time she pushed him into being an idol.

So, what I'm going to say here is a little silly. I have to tell all of you the implication of what this photo means. This is Ray and he is dressed as Unknown. He has no means to be able to dress that way without us helping him.

That means the MC is the one that chose his wardrobe for him.

That means we are the ones who looked at him and his princely attire and decided he needed to look like he just walked out of Hot Topic. See, my favorite type of character is a toss-between princely and edgelord, so that's even funnier to me. Saeran Choi is my full package deal when it comes to aesthetics, I swear.

I wouldn't want to change Ray out of his magenta coat to dress like Unknown. Well, I say that, but if I tell him to wear that and he takes off the jacket, then I can put it on... oh, yes. That's the best way to get a boyfriend's sweater.

But it is the single-handed thought that the MC is the one that put him in this outfit that is sending me to another plane of existence. Can you imagine doing that to him? Because that is way more funny to me than the idea that Ray chose to wear that himself. But it is always possible that he did choose to wear it himself because he often says that his taste and clothes are nothing like the outfit Rika gave him.

I also need to point out that that tattoo would have had to have been drawn on with Sharpie or temporary ink. He doesn't have the tattoo in Another Story. That is a fact that a lot of people get confused about despite the fact that we are shown a visual of him in the shower that proves he doesn't have a huge tattoo.

I suppose you could read this as a bonus AU where in some universe, Ray is the one who gets the tattoo first... which, ouch, I don't know if I can handle that... "I proved myself, body and mind, to my Savior so it isn't possible she'll throw me away. If I brand myself with the cause of Mint Eye... I'll... I'll be safe."

But, what that also implies is that there is a picture of him with that tattoo drawn in some capacity lingering in his room at Magenta. It also means that despite the fact that he and Suit Saeran inevitably disappear after not being able to live up to the potential the Savior wants them to, Unknown stumbles across that design.

Ray: QUICK, I HAVE TO DESIGN SOMETHING EDGY FOR THIS OUTFIT.

Ray: A dragon!

Ray: ME for Mint Eye!

Ray: This certainly won't effect anything later in life!

Two and a Half years later...

Unknown: I don't know who designed this tattoo but it's sick. I need it on my body.

It is so gut-wrenchingly painful for me to think about that. It means that a piece of Ray still exists. Unknown does not even know where that tattoo came from nor does he know who designed it. Because he doesn't get to know Ray one-on-one since I personally believe he isn't Suit Saeran. I view Unknown and Suit Saeran as separate people, after all.

The reason why he has the tattoo is because Ray drew it. I have long wondered where he came up with the idea for the tattoo, and it turns out it wasn't Unknown at all. Ray was the one who drew it and I don't know what to do with that information other than cry.

The Savior only gave him a short amount of time to figure out how to be an idol and he said I'm going to have a tattoo. Sure, should we just assume this is an Easter Egg and the artist might not have known all the details involved in the story of Mystic Messenger? Sure, you can think that, but for the sake of my enjoyment, I'm going along with the theory that I'm right, lol.

That's something that an idol has. Ray says. He draws a sick dragon and a twisted ME. That tattoo is so large and ridiculous, but I love it dearly. Ray, honey, You Are My Forever Babe. But I don't know what to do with you sometimes.

[If you want to know how I think Unknown gets the tattoo, I have a post on that.]

Rika looks amazing here and there is no lie about that. I actually really like the outfit she's wearing even though we can't see a lot of it. It speaks to a music festival because of how simple but trendy it appears. She's trying to be that friendly face that can do no wrong. She wants you to buy her homemade soda, and you should do that.

You should do that right now. It's good for you. There's nothing wrong with it.

A little bubbly soda won't hurt you. What do you mean it's burning your throat as we speak? It's not doing that at all! You're just excited by the electric energy of this concert! Drink more soda! I think the important question to ask ourselves here is how many cans of soda did she bottle and does she think it's going to work out as well as she thinks it does?

I don't think we need to talk about the fact that she is wearing a cross necklace. I don't want to unpack her religious trauma right now. I don't have time to do that right now but I will say it made me laugh my ass off. On a side note, her hair looks good here and I'm jealous of it.

This man looks like his soul just left his body.

I don't know what he's thinking at this very specific moment in time but I know he's not happy to realize that Rika has decided to sell out Ray as an idol. I mean that's probably the last thing he expected to happen. But, it makes sense, Rika loves music and if she thought it would work, she would absolutely push Saeran, Ray, Unknown, etc, into doing that for her. But, it hurts to think about V... to think about those complicated feelings he holds about his mother...

He kind of wanted to learn how to play the violin to get closer to his mother... He's already got complicated feelings about musicians and I don't know if his adopted son here being an idol is doing much good for him. It reminds me of the bad ending in the RAE.

He wasn't particularly comfortable in that situation either and this just reminds me of that. Which is a shame, because that ending is so horrible. It is one of the worst endings that you can get in this entire series.

I don't think we need to get into that in general, but just know that if you want to hurt yourself, aim to get that bad ending. If I can say nothing else, I'm really happy to see his long hair because I think it's the most attractive aesthetic for him. I've always liked that style on him a lot more than the traditional one. I don't know what it is about that look for him but it just works. He's like a wet kitten in a cardboard box.

I can't believe she decided to hold the concert at 7:00 p.m. I mean, I can most certainly believe she would do that, but it feels like spitting in Ray's face. Why would you do that, Rika? I know it's just a cute little Easter egg to remind us of his brother but oh my God that's awful.

I don't think anybody I've seen talking about this has pointed it out but the background colors are literally the same as Ray and V's hearts. It's the magenta and teal hearts. I thought that was a good touch. I do know that it's also in homage to the fact that it's Mint Eye and the building is called Magenta. It's a 2-in-1 package deal. Just like the fact that I got to see Ray dressed as Unknown. This is a two-for-one deal!

I do think it's interesting that they chose to make the penlights white. That means his image color is white. Oh, yeah, idols have image colors that correlate to those penlights so those things are very important! I didn't expect white. But, I didn't expect him to be an idol ever again after that bad ending. I mean that ending is horrible but he has great hair in it so like we're winning and losing.

Best day of my life. I won Unknown and Ray.

[brighteststar707]

Glasses II

Me talking about Saeyoung’s glasses again because Cheritz doesn’t appreciate them enough he has been missing them a lot lately.

This draft has been sitting in its folder since the masquerade opening screen came out. Realistically, I know him not having glasses in most CGs is an artistic choice, but of course I found a reason to make it a character quirk.

The mirror in Saeyoung’s walk-in wardrobe is the biggest in the house, which is why you’ve both decided to squish yourselves in there tonight. You’re both all dressed up for the RFA party, all that’s left are the finishing touches.

Saeyoung stands in front of the mirror, running a comb through his hair for the third time. He knows his efforts are futile, and that the parting will disappear partway through the night, but he’s not going to let it dissuade him. Meanwhile, you’re bustling around the room, looking for the finishing touches to your outfit in the mess of clothes and accessories. He watches you through the reflection, his little whirlwind, and smiles when you finally find what you were looking for and let out a small aha!

You slip on your shoes and join him at the mirror, bumping him with your hip to make room for you.

“Shuffle up, you’re hogging the mirror.”

“I’m just making sure that I look my best for tonight! My hair is staging a rebellion and I’m losing!”

“You’re missing some. Here, let me try.”

He hands you the comb, turns to face you and you help him even out the parting.

He likes to think that he doesn’t get flustered quickly around you anymore, but this small action makes him blush. He loves being spoiled by you.

“There! I think we’ve tamed it.” You turn back to the mirror and take in his full outfit.

He’s pretty sure he’s outdone himself this time. He hasn’t had many chances since knowing you to dress up this nicely, so he put in extra effort just for today. He went shopping with Zen a few weeks ago and found a heavy red and white jacket that he was sure would be a perfect fit.

“You look wonderful, Saeyoung. Except… what is that?” The smooth lines of his silhouette are interrupted by something half-stuffed in his pocket.

“Oh… that’s the box for my glasses.”

“Why do you need a box for your glasses? Are you bringing more than one pair?”

“No, I’ll just be taking these off once we arrive at the party.” He demonstrates by whipping off his glasses and flashing you a smile. “Tada! Saeyoung’s beauty has increased by one hundred percent!”

Your reflection in the mirror is much blurrier than it was a minute ago, but he’s pretty sure you’re not smiling back at him.

“Saeyoung, you can’t see very far without them. How are you going to enjoy the party when you can’t even see anybody’s face?”

“Beauty is worth struggling for! Don’t worry though babe, I’ll always be able to spot you in a crowd, no matter how bad my vision might be!”

Even that comment doesn’t lighten your mood. Your blurry face still looks sad.

“You’ve said that before. About looking better without your glasses, I mean. Do you really take them off for events?”

“For most of the parties and other events where we have to look… presentable. It doesn’t make me look like Zen or anything, but it’s an improvement.” Sure, it was uncomfortable, but he had managed to get by in the past. He’d mostly use Yoosung as his guide to help him recognize people and would put them back on before his eyes hurt too bad. It was all worth it in his mind to feel pretty for one night.

You sigh, take the glasses from his hands and sternly put them back on him. As your face comes back into focus, he notices your expression has gone from sad to a sort of stubborn determined look you often get when he talks negatively about himself.

“I know what I say can’t change your mind or the way you think, but I think you’re very pretty, with or without your glasses. You shouldn’t have to struggle on a night like this.”

You brush away a strand of hair on the wrong side of the parting and your expression softens slightly.

“- also, after all the work I put into decorating, you had better appreciate it to the best of your abilities,” you add with a smirk.

He throws his arms around you and squeezes you close to him.

“How can I possibly miss out on my babe’s work? I’ll make sure to appreciate every last detail in there tonight!” He doesn’t say the rest out loud, but you know him well enough to know that under all his exuberance, he holds onto your small reassurances and compliments like they’re gold.

“Just wait until the others see us, they won’t know what hit them,” he says, admiring your outfits in the mirror. You’re dressed in all black, with slight hints of red, which he’s thrilled about. He already knows that you’re going to be the center of attention tonight, and he can’t wait to see what everyone else has to say. As much as you love giving him compliments and reminding him of his worth, he loves to see you get the recognition that you deserve. There’s only so many times he can tell you just how showstopping you look (not that it dissuades him from showering you in compliments).

“That being said, I think we’re ready, don’t you?”

You agree, and you wiggle out of his arms so you can leave the wardrobe, all the while stepping over all your discarded clothes and accessories.

Before he follows, Saeyoung takes out the box from his pocket and puts it back where it belongs. With one last look towards the mirror, he straightens out his glasses and feels a warmth spreading through his chest.

He plans to enjoy tonight to its fullest potential.

[annbourbon]

Okay... I'll admit... I'm whipped for Henri. And I cannot get over it because he's making my skin, stomach, eyes, mind and all my body become a mess.

For some reason... he keeps reminding me of Mamo-kun

And I'm a hoe for that man. If he was real I'd be happy to say yes to anything. Yes. I mean ANYTHING he asked me. That's playing dirty Cheritz.... good grief~ I'm torn and I feel in pain...

I feel like I'm betraying Harry. Teo is not even on the same league those three are. And as much as I love Jumin... I think the only one that can beat Henri would be Saeran. June is cute but I don't want to date him as much as I want to take care of him and make sure he is happy. I prefer Jumin lol that reminds me~ why is Henri so obsessed with being better than Jumin? e.e Well I can understand that Jumin is better in so many ways but Henri has his own charm too... although if I ever hear Jumin talking smooth and being seductive i'm dropping my dignity right there lol

I know it's just a game but... I have some doubts about it because I have never felt so torned between the characters inside an otome. Like, how can you compete with your first love? Mamo-kun was that for me. Even the first guy I liked irl was similar to Mamoru... and Henri has that same aura. He keeps teasing me so much... I'm falling for him and I cannot believe I am liking it... It's only day 1

I love when a character keeps teasing me... feels different when you can laugh and tease back.

Ah... I'm already inspired by him to write a lot of romance. Romance! Like sweet and cute, innocent and fluffy romance. I don't write that kind of stuff since I was eight!!

See how bad is Henri for me? I think my defense system has been hacked. I am ready to fall in love. and trust me, I thought Harry was the one lol especially with all the good development of his story... I still love Harry. A lot. It's just I can't stop watching Mamoru in Henri...

[hyobros]

is it alright to ask if you can go more in-depth as to what goes on later in the days? i heard about some things but i would love to know your side

So I stopped reading days past 13 because cheritz has already been testing my patience and between Jumin being June's half brother and what I'm about to whine about I just can't anymore.

So on day 11, June meets a guy named Henri who introduces himself as someone who volunteers at the hospital on occasion. They chat a little after a tai chi class that Henri hosted for patients.

Then, that night as June is getting in bed, Henri knocks on his window and asks to be let in. (According to a nurse later, June is on the top floor) And he gives June some food that fits into his currently prescribed diet. This wouldn't be a problem if, as far as June knew, he wasn't just a volunteer. Henri doesn't explain himself or anything and June is extremely uncomfortable through the entire interaction and doesn't eat what he gave him (for understandable reasons).

The next morning, he reports what happened to a nurse and she doesn't believe him, instead asking if he ate anything or took medication, and didn't listen to him about what he needed. She says she'll tell his doctor about it.

His doctor? Overnight, he got a new doctor and guess who it is! And Henri doesn't acknowledge any of what happened or why June could possibly be so upset and uncomfortable. He tells his mom, but she can't do anything because Henri is the son of the guy who runs the hospital and he's a childhood friend of Jumin and V... ((GOD MAKE IT STOP))

And it just goes on. And on. Getting uncomfortably close, setting up a date without consent.

It feels just like a damn yaoi, the trope that is so popular and is exactly why I avoid BL. And now it's invading my self indulgent game where it's supposed to be about a romance between me and a guy.

I'll stop myself before I start throwing out stuff about how people treat yuri and GL. That can be a separate post if you're curious about what I have to say. Just know, my aversion to BL is not out of homophobia (tho at this point I have been jokingly calling myself a homophobe cuz it seems like I'm the only person that has a problem) but out of disgust for what these so-called romances are built on.

I came for a sweet romance like there is with Teo and Harry, instead I'm witnessing a toxic BL plot probably meant to be another way cheritz finds new players to pander to (checked the google play reviews and one of the most recent ones is screaming "june x henri forever" so uh they were successful –_–)

Apparently Henri does cool down later on, but the fact that this happened at all and is just a 1:1 of a popular trope killed it for me.

Btw I'm planning on making a post going into detail about everything that disappoints me about this route because June deserves better and Cheritz needs to fuckin learn. Replies to their posts are mostly unconditional support from people who never cared for this game to begin with

[une-erreur-inconnur]

BTW I actually started playing the Ssum again. Took me a full year break but I finally got over my losing 2 days of chats because of a bug lol. Which was good, it allowed me to not care as much about getting all the chats, so I wouldn't mind missing the morning's one (I set that shit way too early lol).

I finally finished Teo's route. He had his moments where he made me smile or stressing over his reckless ass (looking at you day 198-199 èé). I'd say he's a good route to take layed back since he's so... boring? Lol it sounds bad but he was actually my favourite. His route is entertaining but most of the time if you miss a few chats you don't miss anything important.

I started Harry's route now, I'll be on day 69, and he is funnier than Teo, MC was often rude to Teo and it would bother me since he's so sweet but with Harry I don't have to pull my punches if I wanna throw them haha. The confession day was awkward to say the least, but apart from that he has his sweet moments too. Though I really can't get over his beef with Teo for a character that doesn't seem to care about a lot of things. I used to think he had good intentions but was just lacking social skill to say what he wanted during MoM. Turns out he fully admitted to act like that for his amusement :/ he's so kind to us I forgive but ngl that cost him his place as favorite. I'll see what the rest of his route give me to work with.

I didn't play June's yet, I want to start it solo when I'll have no other routes going on.

Now, the reason I'm making this post, the new route, my new favorite after only 4 days, Henri. I don't know what about his writing made me lock on him so hard but he has my heart ! Lol

In only 4 days he got me smiling, giggling and kicking my feet like an idiot more than the 100s days of Teo and Harry combined (though tbf Harry still has ample room to surprise me) . Maybe it's the way he teases us, his sad mew mew side, his glasses (that he doesn't wear often enough! Come one cheritz his video call sprites SCREAM for their presences!), his beautiful darling blue eyes with white pupils, his voice. I wanna hug him, squish him, talk about him. I'm already sad we only have 14 days of him. He makes my heart flutter n.n

If I didn't want to finish Harry's route as soon as possible, I would've put it on stand by to just focus on Henri. I love him so much, I don't want to miss a single call or chat from him <3

[natasha-in-space]

Okay i have this scenario for you

Jumin bad ending 2 but jumin suddenly becomes a black tom cat and now mc has to take care of him cuz he is a fucking cat now. How would she cope with it. Would it be her redemption arc (cuz jumin be2 mc is not a good person to say the least) how would ELLY react to it, how would rfa react to it. Would they help mc in taking care of kitty jumin. Will jumin scratch Seven and then get his nails trimmed off as a punishment for scratching seven

I'll be completely honest and say that I am not all that knowledgeable on the full nuance of Jumin's 2 bad ending. And there is a lot of nuance to it. So, I don't think I can write up a full scenario with this promt and give it justice, but I am interested to talk about it!

I'd say Jumin's 2 bad ending is one of the most complex we have in the game. There's a reason why we have an entire dlc dedicated to exploring it in more depth (aside from the obvious profit Cheritz saw in it, since it's definitely one of, if not the most popular bad ending in the whole game). I never actually got it for myself 'cause it personally makes me uncomfortable, but I did play through the dlc for it, as there is some very interesting content related to Jumin's childhood in there that caught my eye.

That said, I'd honestly feel very bad for Jumin in this sort of situation. His 2 bad ending is about control, but not in a way that seems to be widely accepted by the fandom. It is a common portrayal and misconception that Jumin is the one in control of MC in that ending. Telling them what to wear, how to walk, where to be, placing tracking gadgets on them, etc. But, a lot of folks seem to forget that it is, in fact, MC who has actively encouraged and nudged Jumin into that direction. (Ignore my sloppy highlighting lol)

In fact, I'd say it's the MC who has all the control and power in this situation. Jumin is simply following what they desire of him to please them. He won't do anything that they actually don't want him to do. We don't see any hints of him actively wanting or doing anything of the sort. So, no, Jumin won't lock you up Toma style (Amnesia: Memories players all shuddered at this mention for sure lmao). It's actually a very common mischaracterization of Jumin up until this day. MC of the 2 bad ending wants to be treated in such a way, and Jumin is in no way forcing anything on them. It's entirely consensual between the two. Now, does it take away the absolute nuclear toxicity of this kind of relationship? Certainly not. But, it's a bad ending for a reason, as I already stated.

In fact, we actually see that power dynamic between them at full play during the dlc. I think it's neat that they directly show you that, no, Jumin is actually very respectful of your choices, and you are the bad guy here. Which is exactly the case. It could be argued that, with the dlc, there is room for improvement in this relationship, and it might turn out good for them, but... well, as I repeat, it's a bad ending for a reason.

So, keeping all of that in mind, if Jumin suddenly found himself turned into a cat without any warning? I'd say it'll be all about control. Yet again. Now that he's a small helpless animal, MC holds his entire life in their hands. Literally. Now, it's definitely not as macabre as I made it sound, as I do not believe that this MC would ever actively harm Jumin. It's a bit more complicated than that. But, these shared feelings of possessiveness and a desire for control manifest themselves in some very unhealthy habits between the two.

Maybe MC will keep him for themselves. Maybe they won't let anyone else touch him. Maybe they'll play a little game of cat and mouse, where Jumin will have to chase them around in order to get some of their attention. Sure, it's consensual, but it is still rather dubious and definitely not healthy in any way. I don't think him turning into a cat would push MC to reevaluate their actions, unfortunately. I think it will only encourage them to straighten their invisible hold on Jumin even further. It is far too exhilarating to have that much control over someone, and that's exactly what 2 bad ending is about.

[smol-grey-tea]

Hi! Sorry if this is a bit weird but I recently finished Nameless and have been trying to find more content of it because I love it so much, and came across your Tumblr. I've been reading your posts on the game and I especially like your one post talking about Yuri because you put into words what I couldn't. Thank you! I also really love that you're transcribing Nameless into a book! I was wondering if you want some help with that because I cannot get over this game and am planning to go through it all over again

Hi (●’◡’●)ﾉ!!!! This isn't weird at all, it is very very appreciated!!! 😁😁😁😁 I'm always glad to see anyone who loves Nameless, new or old :3 if you want more content of it, I do recommend the dlcs!! ^^ I'm very glad you love my own Nameless content!!! 😊😊 it means a lot to me :)

Yes, Yuri is such a fascinating character!! I have more to write about him and others, there really should be more Nameless essay content imo!! I am doing the Lord's work here!! 😂

Transcribing it has been such a passion for me recently, I like that it gives me a sense of purpose, so I'm very glad people like the idea of it!!! But some of it is difficult yes, and I would appreciate some help 🤔ᴴᴹ

I've already completed Eri, Lance and Yeonho's books, but before I can do anything else with them, they'll all need to be proofread. I've attempted to proofread Eri's before but rereading shit that I've already written, especially for the purpose of looking for mistakes, is actually so. Fucking. Boring. My mom's tried to but she never has the time either, so she can't..

I'm rly not sure how to get someone to proofread it but I think it'd cost a lot of money?? 😦😬 ouch.. So if there's any way you could help with that, that'd be very much appreciated!

After they're proofread ik I want them to have pretty covers :) my dad told me to make the covers myself but, (￣ヘ￣）ᵁᴹᴹ no 😂😂 I think I want them properly done, but preferably by someone who's already a fan of Nameless. I have a couple different people in mind for commissioning the covers but if you'd like to make them, please don't be shy!! We can definitely talk more in depth about stuff in dms if you'd like!! :) ^^

After they've all been proofread and such, I can I think get them self published on Amazon? It should be for sale both digital and physical but I would highly prefer for people to buy it physically since that's the whole point I'm making it

The more time passes, the more anti-digital I am.. It's about media preservation. Streaming services can pull your favourite shows or movies at the drop of a hat, just because they don't bring in enough profit, not to mention the strikes lately. If buying isn't really owning, then piracy isn't stealing. I'm growing to appreciate physical media so so so much more.

I love Nameless so so much, it is my biggest passion in life, that's no exaggeration. It's highly unlikely, but if it was ever unavailable to play, for whatever reason, I don't know what I would do.. I don't care if Cheritz throws copyright issues my way, I am determined to commit this game to a physical copy. To actually touch the pages and display them in my room and keep them forever.

So that's why I'm doing it. I do still of course plan on releasing it digitally, and will always keep the 1st chapters of each book public, but releasing it as physical copies is the reason why I'm doing it in the first place, so I'd really love if people would enjoy them physically :)

In the meantime! On the subject of Nameless merch, I do recommend (￣ヘ￣）ᵁᴹᴹ @/nocturnal-lullabies because they've made their own Nameless merch before as well! I'm not sure if their old stuff is still available but they've said recently that they wanna start doin merch again, so keep an eye out for any new posts of theirs! :)

[satanswrathussy]

MYSTIC MESSENGER BLIND PLAY THROUGH UPDATE (aka pls just let me be a lesbian cheritz?!?!)

{major spoilers !! but i think i'm the only person left in the world who doesn't know the plot jdjdb}

TL;DR jaehee quit her job & we're business partners now i think?? and I GOT THE GOOD END FIRST TRY BABY!!!!! also V is dead? and I still don't trust Rika

first of all,,,,

screaming crying & throwing up i love her your honor

anyways uhh i'm making this short. V went blind and has cancer which... woah?? and also the hacker came back but left.....? i really thought i was gonna get bad ended bc i had trusted V earlier ;-;

OH but Rika getting pissed off bc she though a cashier was laughing at her?? Now I super don't trust her ... even though she's dead and can't rlly affect anything

OR IS SHE- I STILL THINK SHES ALIVE AND EVERYONE IS BEING LIED TO ... NO EVIDENCE HAS BEEN GIVEN TO DISPROVE THIS THEORY.

Also I did the very first bad end on my own, and like.... either Unknown actually ISNT Rika, or she had some sort of identity discovery which like- you go girl. Unknown has the same hair as me irl too lmao.

OH UH also not to be all schnasty on main, but for some reason when I met Jumin at the party- my inner edgy broken preteen broke through and thought "oh my god- piCK HIM!!!" so uh.. despite me initially wanting NOTHING to do with him, Ig i'll have to play his route once I hoard 100hg.

Also the inner edgy broken preteen broke through whenever 707 started breaking the fourth wall- apparently 4th wall breaks are attractive to me.

okay that's all i can think of lol i'll update again in four days once i get on another persons route :3

[otome-silvynne]

Thoughts on Saeran's After End

Okay I think I've finally got my thoughts together enough to write this lol. I will try to keep it as organised as possible!

CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR SAERAN'S AE

TL;DR - I loved the amount of work put into this AE. The CGs and new sprites were absolutely stunning (not the hands) but I wasn't a huge fan of some of the writing choices.

Okay let's start this mess of a post with what I liked about the AE!

The new CGs, sprites, and emojis. I loved every single (positive) CG even though the art style changed a lot. Some of them were so cute I wanted to cry and Saeran's new sprites fit him really well I think. Though the crying one made my heart hurt 🥺

The length. Cheritz went above and beyond when it came to the length of the AE. I was really expecting it to be episodic like V's but the fact that it's a mini route was a cool surprise!

Calls/texts. The Cheritz team added a tonne of extra calls for this AE and though I've only seen the ones my friends have shared, there are some super cool ones that add interesting perspectives on the plot.

Good End/Normal End. I have some issues with the plot which I'll get to in the next section, but I really really loved the good end and normal end for the AE. They were both so heart-warming but I do think that a combination of both would have been the best ending.

Jumin Han. This poor poor man went through so much during this AE but holy crap did it make me love him even more. He really had some amazing character development and even though he was in a crisis, he still did everything in his power to help Saeran and MC and I think it really showed just how deep his loyalty goes. I love him.

Okay so this is where I get kind of ranty. Apologies in advance.

I find the plot of this AE to be unideal in... many ways. Though it was satisfying to finally have it after waiting so long I really wish they had done some things different, so let's get into it.

V. My #1 issue with the writing is what they did to Jihyun's characterization. It just really was not fair in the slightest and in my opinion it wasn't entirely accurate to him. (Feel free to call me out for being biased, I have role-played as this man for years now.) V and Saeran are actually tied as my favourite characters so as you could guess the prologue for this hurt me so so so bad. V never seemed like the type of man to turn on his friends like that. Not even for Rika or his obsession with her - he has always made shitty decisions or has been mysterious, but he would never betray them like that and he was never straight up evil like he sometimes seems to be in this. That man was not Jihyun to me - it was like he was a stranger.

Guilt tripping. There are multiple moments in the AE where they mention that "maybe V wouldn't have turned out that way if he met someone like MC" and it's kind of bullshit. It feels like they're blaming the player for choosing Saeran over Jihyun when they really shouldn't be - both are amazing characters and there is no reason the AE should have that kind of undertone at all. I might make another post about V if anyone wants to hear my opinion in more depth lol.

Forgiveness/Healing. Cheritz hasn't always been the best at portraying trauma and we know this but I felt like I should mention it anyway. This AE takes place two weeks after the end of Saeran's route. Keeping this in mind, every single interaction he has with Rika in the AE is just... unimaginable. For years he was brainwashed and manipulated by that woman and yet it seems like he feels nothing when he sees her again even though she has done unspeakable things to him. Realistically he would have felt fear or hatred or anything at all. I understand they said he healed a lot but completely getting over it? In two weeks?? I don't think so man.

PM/The agency. I feel like the focus should have been on them a bit more during the whole thing. A lot of the focus of the writing was on Rika and V when they were the least of the RFA's problems - they were dangerous and outright insane, but they wouldn't have killed anyone like the other antagonists.

Pain. Out of every single piece of media I've ever consumed - game or otherwise - this is the only thing that ever gave me physical chest pain from how upsetting it was. It made me so anxious I could not sleep at times and generally stressed me out lol. Some would probably see this as good writing or something impressive but it just felt awful for me because of how long we waited for this to come out. I was looking forward to seeing Saeyoung's rescue and everyone living happily (which is sort of the point of an AE, right?) but there was just so much heartache in between that it almost didn't feel worth it when I finally did get to the end.

BR End. I'm sure you all know the one lol cough collar cough cough and lord why on Earth is it so incredibly easy to get by accident? I got 100% on all three days when I played and still got it anyway - it sucks man. I had to start over and go through all of the stress mentioned above again and it wore me down. That being said, I do like how you're free (and expected) to be suspicious of Rika and V instead of forgiving them for literally drugging the entire RFA and making deals with criminals. Thanks man. Wish we didn't have to see them and the PM forgiven in the end anyway though :)

Okay /rant lmao. Obviously this is all a shortened version of my thoughts and it's still pretty long but I'm glad I could at least express this much. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this and I'd be glad to discuss more with other fans through DM or something and see other opinions. If you're interested you could message me here or @silvynne and if you read this far you are probably insane but also awesome so thank you.

[myuntoldstory]

saeran after end after thought

it took me a ducking month and some change because i had to farm hourglasses. when i started playing i kept getting the bad ends and i got so frustrated i didn’t touch the app for two weeks. i had to consult a guide to finally reach the end.

i wanted to play this because i needed to see where jihyun ended up and... well... we all know what happened there. anyway...

i have many thoughts and feelings about this ae. i don’t know if i can ever properly organise them, but i’ll put it in bullet points for now. this is my personal feelings, not any kind of fact. i have nothing against nearly anything and anyone (character or real) involved in this game. i’ll always love and appreciate them for being in this game, for creating this game, for giving us something to love for the past four or five years.

these thoughts are rather unfiltered. this is me coming out hours after finishing the ae. i might change my mind after letting it marinate for a while and after reading up some more about it.

it’s all under the cut. it’s long and rambling. there’s no need to read this, really; the ae is a month old after all, but i just needed to get this out. also, it’s salty as hell. literally saltier than the dead sea. it will dehydrate you... best to not bother with this.

also spoilers.

1. during the first playthrough the game mechanics were wonderful, novel, and immersive. but years later and for the sake of an ae? unnecessary. it’s too long. it’s too much work. i did my due when i played the game during ray’s route. why do i also have to work for something that should have been my reward? why do i still have to worry about hearts, choices, and game branches? why do i have to go through multiple endings? it’s an after end. it’s after the ending.

of course i love new content, i love more content, but not like this. and i know i sound super entitled. if i was impatient i should have justt read the wiki, but i wanted the experience, but not this specific experience. lucky it’s the pandemic and i have more time on my hands, but in normal circumstances my life is very different from what it was in 2016. i can’t be waiting for chats and making plans around it to get to the after ending. honestly i expected something like the secret ends or even similar to the style of jihyun’s ae... but no. apparently, chertiz thinks it’s fun to make us spend three and a half days to reach an AFTER END.

2. saeran choi needs love... but, in my opinion, not ours. not mc’s. the love he needs is his brother’s. the person he needs most is saeyoung choi. he’s suffered so much, endured many things no person should ever endure. of course he deserves romantic love, but i feel like he needed to recover first. that’s why after all this im firmly in the very bare, maybe even empty camp of preferring secret end saeran choi over ray route saeran choi.

3. never in my life has a game made me exhausted about the act of forgiveness. i feel a little sick. it’s terrible to say that, i know, but i am just so emotionally exhausted. there is this heavy feeling in my chest that makes me want to cry because i feel like i somehow destroyed a part of myself?

first it’s the saviour in jihyun’s ae. it’s still her in this ae. but in addition to that there’s also the prime minister? when does it stop? at this point we might as well forgive the twins’ mother too. she imprisoned her own sons to benefit from their father; beat the shit out of and starved saeran to the point that he wanted to die, but there must be a reason behind it, right? like all the villains in this game her choices are not her own; they are the product of their circumstances and we have to understand that.

i just... i understand what cheritz is trying to convey here. and granted saeyoung is not as forgiving, but this isn’t his story. it felt like the forgiveness was nearing some extreme by the end of it. i don’t think there’s anything wrong if you’e unable to forgive. if the only way for you to move forward is to not do so i feel that’s valid. as long as you’re not hurting anyone and that you’re not hurting yourself, you do whatever you need to recover. forgiving is not the only way, the noble way. not everyone’s backstory you have to understand and take into consideration in order to move on. even if they realise what they did was wrong, it’s okay not to forgive. sometimes that’s what we need to take care of ourselves.

im rambling on this point, but im going through this currently. it’s not as extreme as the choi twins or the rfa, but all my life i’ve been forgiving and understanding and it chipped away at me. even at my expense i forgave everything and it landed me in a place im struggling to get out of. i needed justice and this ae didn’t give me a bit of that... at least not in the way i needed.

4. cheritz said this is the grand finale, but... it didn’t feel like it? again this is me being entitled, but i expected something more. something bigger. something poignant because after this mystic messenger is over. i expected some kind of epilogues in the form of story modes. of course i appreciate everything the company has done, especially the efforts of the writers, artists, voice actors, and everyone, but... it’s so rushed? it such a short farewell that instead of getting catharsis and satisfaction i felt... drained. and i feel sad that it’s all over because im not ready to say goodbye and that goodbye is far too short for me.

i don’t know im just sad it’s all over.

also, the conclusion they come to is the dissolution of the rfa once everyone found their happy ending. i... this is a group that has been through some shit and that doesn’t make them closer somehow? the rfa app lies neglected and abandoned as everyone moves on with their lives? that is so... lonely? at least for me.

i mean, of course, not all endings have to be necessarily happy in the “everyone gets together once a week for dinners” kind, but i just... i dont know i expected them to be closer somehow. maybe they are. maybe outside the app they’re all closer, but... i don’t know. i feel sad they’re abandoning the app.

5. and then there’s kim jihyun.

and im... i dont know anymore. if you know me, follow me, or have read any of my fics you know im a jihyun fan. i love that man and YES i know his sins. we all do.

as i played the ae i started to hope that he’d die in the end instead of suffering through this egregious character assassination. yes, i literally preferred that he died and that i go through that pain instead of suffering whatever this is. obviously i dont want him to die, but this is like killing him anyway. they killed the essence of him, who he is as a person. hell, they probably killed him already and just installed a stranger in the ae because that v is not our v. all throughout the game he’s been kind and compassionate and selfless. his whole thing is about protecting the rfa, the mc, saving the saviour, and sacrificing himself for them. this is the idiot who gives you his hearts when you’re being actively nice to his abuser and saeran in his route. his ultimate happy ending involves everyone being happy, reunited, and given the proper mental care. he went away for two years, putting a much needed pause in your budding relationship, not only to recover from his trauma, but also to rescue saeran and help him recover too.

yes, v enabled the saviour even before another story. he lied. he put everyone in danger. he’s reckless and he keeps secrets way more than what’s natural. but he will never let any of them come to harm. my memory is fuzzy but im sure he never lets the rfa get in danger. he was devastated when yoosung got injured. he also tried to rescue seven and mc in the secret ends thats why he got shot. this guy always looks out for everyone. 

in what world is he okay with drugging the twins? making deals with the villains? the idea of trapping the twins in the saviour’s delusional, twisted family life? he’s not the type to be okay just standing there when his best friend’s life is falling apart or for even causing it. when zen, jaehee, and yoosung get backed into the corner he wouldn’t have been just idle. but in this ae all he does is play stacking chairs, buy strawberry yoghurt, and echo the saviour’s words like a puppet. he asks only mc to save herself and like... jesus christ he never gets a break. he doesn’t even get the same gesture of forgiveness everyone and their father gets. he goes through a trial and jail, which is fair enough, but he’s also a victim of abuse and suffering and despair and mental illness. but somehow because it’s v it’s okay that this is all he gets. somehow he doesn’t deserve any compassionate resolution.

literally the only time he’s happy is his route and after end and even then that happiness is not his own. even then there were concessions to be made before he could get it.

seriously. it seems like cheritz hates him. they think little to nothing of him. if that’s the case why even make content for him? he’s not even meant to be romanceable in the original stories. they could’ve just ignored the petitions and left him as a side character. i mean, i dont know if i prefer that honestly, i do appreciate the content we got, but as his fan it hurts to see all this half-hearted decisions. and to see all this hate still pouring out for him, now magnified because of this ae.

this is like a tiring odyssey, starting way back when he got shot and killed all because he loved someone. he loved the wrong person and it’s the wrong kind of love and he committed his crimes because of it. he had a hand in making the rfa and mc suffer, but still all he did was love. and i know that sounds blind and naive and ignorant and im sorry for not picking up the nuances of his relationship with the saviour, but that’s all i saw. i saw a guy loving the wrong person and it made him make all the wrong choices leading to a bad life.

gah. i am drained people. i am drained, and frustrated, and tired.

[marshmallowprotection]

What do you think about June from The Ssum? Are you interested in that game or maybe decided not to play?

Let's slap out the first statement that needs to be said about the Ssum. I do not support the use of AI. I am disappointed in Cheritz. Someone suggested, and I agree, that they should've utilized the programs that many webtoon artists use to make backgrounds on time crunches if that was a concern; Or, they could've continued to do what they've been doing over the years by using stock images in the game that are royalty free. They did it in Mystic Messenger and the Sssum at the start. There is no ethical or morally correct reason to use AI.

I want that shit to die out like NFTs steadily are because I hate seeing artists, actors, writers, voice actors, etc robbed by these AIs. It leaves a damn sour taste in my mouth to think about the people being hurt by AI right now, and I can't believe Cheritz would ever think it would be okay to do that. I'm very disappointed in them as a company that prides itself on the happiness of others but they stooped to using AI in their game. That's not okay nor will it ever be okay. I pray they stop and listen to their fanbase about this shit.

But, as far as my interest in the Ssum goes outside of that fact?

Ever since it first came out, I simply did not enjoy the gameplay. It didn't take me long to realize that the Sssum wasn't a game for me, personally.

I felt overwhelmed by the amount of options placed in front of me, and while it is a learning curve to pick up a new game, the more that stood in front of me to do, the less I felt I understood and the more I wanted to pull my hair out. The interface was super busy, there was a lot to do! However, I attempted to give it a try for a few days with Teo because sometimes you have to try something to see if you can learn how to do everything and then enjoy it after better understanding the setup of the game. So, I tried to look past the amount of things to do and focus on the story.

Teo didn’t do anything for me interest wise. He didn't have anything interesting about him that worked for me romantically. So, it was hard for me to become invested when I was put in a situation where I didn't have a choice but to romance one character and he didn’t fit my type. That’s not a knock to Teo as a character, either, he just isn’t my type and therefore I had a hard time feeling drawn him to talk to him. 

I don't think Harry is my type, either, so had I tried again when his route came out, I would've inevitably quit again. This is not a knock to the characters. This is personal preference thing! Just because they are not interesting to me doesn't mean that they're not interesting characters, it just means I don't feel interested in them enough to care about their stories. 

If I'm going to be spending all my time focusing on having a major relationship with these characters, I need to be invested in them. I need a hook and something that excites me about them from the beginning. There was no draw for me and I felt no need to continue playing when there was no interest for me to keep doing so. I didn't feel an incentive to learn more about them because they weren’t my type. 

Microtransactions are a real problem these days. The Ssum has a lot of them in its game package. Listen, it is important that companies get money to be able to continue to create their games and do more, and I understand that for some games, microtransactions are always going to be there and there's nothing we can do about that. I miss when you could pay for videos games with a one-time purchase. But, unfortunately, those days are gone and I don't know if they will ever come back. 

People deserve to be paid for their time and energy they put into a game, regardless of what they did for that game, and this is one of the ways that people get paid. Microtransactions help pay for the things that keep these mobile games alive. The servers will always cost them a hefty penny, writers, programmers, artists, etc need to get their money as well. 

However, when you are playing a game that offers itself to you as something that you can play for free, then your enjoyment of that game should not be limited by the fact that you don't want to pay. A lot of major story elements are locked behind a paywall, and that takes away a lot of the enjoyment a player can have in this game. I do think it's complicated to figure out where to place the paid options in a game, but having them lock away key parts of the story that let you enjoy yourself just leaves a sour taste in my mouth. 

Maybe I was spoiled by just how free Mystic Messenger is. My enjoyment of a chat room is not locked behind my ability to pay for a better answer. I can say anything I want to say in the chat room and I can find out what happens in every replay. I don't have to spend money on batteries to be able to pick a better answer to learn more about the character. 

Now, about June as a character.

I do not appreciate his connection to Jumin Han. Because, to me, he is the family man and if he had a sibling, half-related or not, he would be there for them no matter what. If he knew about them, he would be there, and he would do everything within his power to make sure that they had a connection that nobody could break apart. Out of all the characters to make a family connection to, I don't know why the hell they thought it was a good idea to give Jumin Han one when he would've never gone a day without mentioning that he had a brother.

The only way I can reasonably think about this connection is if he was not informed that he had a brother at all until recently. Now, I'm not playing that game, but I do not think that's the way they're angling it. I think it was established that they already know about each other in this universe and they aren't close. That's not how Jumin Han would handle his life.

You mean to tell me that the character who wants nothing more than to have a family is not close to his half sibling? You want to tell me... that he's had a half-sibling this entire time, one that he knows about, and he's not close to him at all? That's not in character for him. All he has ever wanted was a family.

But, he didn't get that in his life.

He was an only child who was neglected by his parents, left to fend for himself emotionally all the time. He spent his childhood alone in every sense of the word when he wasn't with Jihyun Kim, and when he wasn't alone, he was either being sexually harassed by his father's partners or being threatened by people who wanted to hold him for ransom if he was caught by himself for just a moment away from his home. Before that, when he was left with his mother, she would lock him away in the basement and demand he stay there until he learned how to be "normal".

God, I think about that sometimes, and I think about the fact that he diminishes his trauma because he feels as though his trauma needs to be diminished because he grew up privileged. He understands his privilege as a child of a wealthy man but he discounts his own trauma in doing so. Anyone can suffer, regardless of status, and it's hard to see him knock himself down. 

The only thing this man has ever wanted was to experience what it felt like to grow up with a normal family. That's why he cherishes the idea of family so much. That's why he is filled with so much love for the RFA and his MC, friends. Because they become the family he's always wanted. They become what he always deserved. So, to think about him having a sibling that he's always known about and he has nothing to do with feels wrong. 

He is the kind of person who pushes for families to talk to each other and be there for one another, so why isn't he there for his brother? The only way you could play that off would be to say that he had no idea he had a little brother until recently.

I think they could take that somewhere if it was written that way, because it would devastate his worldview. He would be beside himself to think that he had a connection out there that he was never allowed to get close to. To think that he was never allowed to get close to his brother because his mother hated him so much. I don't like his mother in any sense of the word. I could see her doing that to him.

She is a materialistic and greedy woman who only cares about her wants and needs, and it's already hard enough for me to imagine her having another child because she does not seem like the kind of person who wants to have children. She seems like the kind of person who would only have a child to ensure her comfort in life. She does not seem like a person who would view a child as their own person, instead seeing them as a money ticket. I don't know anything about June and the way his life has shaped up with Carolyn as a mother. I don't know how that dynamic works with them, but I sure know how horrible of a parent she is to Jumin.

It can't be much better for June.

I can't rationalize anything about the connection between him and Jumin. 

At the end of the day, I want Mystic Messenger and the Ssum to exist as their own games. It is one thing to have Easter eggs in your game that tie back to the things that that company has done before. Like, I think we all love a little callback! Nameless and Dandelion had some references all over Mystic Messenger and there was nothing wrong with that. Those were fun little homages and call back to things that you might have played before.

But, when you tie your new game so inherently to the last game, it cannot stand by itself. People don't play because they want to learn more about the new and exciting characters that are in your new game, they are playing because they want more content about the characters from the other game. I know many people feel the same way about that because I have seen a lot of conversations about what it means to tie these characters together.

It does a major disservice to characters like Teo, Harry, and June.

It was one thing when they did little tie-ins like Jaehee picking up Teo’s phone for a day or Zen being a host at a television show! I had nothing wrong with those instances because it was nice to see them. But, now that they are so inherently tied together and it changes so much canon we thought we knew from the start, I don’t know how to feel. I don't like it. June's story changes Jumin's story and now, when you're playing Mystic Messenger, you're going to have to live with the fact that Jumin has a brother who is never mentioned.

You know, had they established the fact that he had a half brother he knew nothing about in that bad ending dlc, maybe this wouldn't have been such an issue, because then, there would have been something to play with narratively that made sense, but I don't know, I'm losing my mind over here. I have nothing but critiques all day for this shit.

[anotherlunidays]

A few thoughts about “the psycho couple”

I just played Saeran AE (and got the “famous” bad end, I just want my boys to be happy T^T) and I never liked the "psycho couple" yet I want to say a few things about what I remember about the routes and these two. 

*BE CAREFUL, SPOILERS AHEAD*

In my opinion, V just reveals his true self in this AE. V is a man who has a twisted concept for love, and believes loving Rika is to stay with her no matter what happens, accept her concept of happiness and do everything to reach her goal independently who hurts along the way and how twisted it is. He knows what they are doing is wrong, but his happiness depends on her happiness, and that's why he won't stop her. 

V is the center of everything. Without V, Rika loses her strength. There will be no one to let her do anything without any punishment, and yeah, she does what she wants because there's no one to say that her actions are wrong and try to stop her. 

After killing Saeran's and Seven's mother by accident Rika finally freaked out, and the guilty made her even more twisted. The choice to hide the reason about Saeran's mother's death made her madness uncontrollable. At that point she wanted someone to stop her, well she commited a crime and she knew it and needed to be punished but then when her lovers say that's alright and helps to cover her actions Rika feels more comfortable to believe that she is free to do anything and still be loved.

Also, V probably sees himself in her, or maybe he just wants to help because she has a dream to realize and he can help her. Once, he had one dream too, but it turned things complicated and he changed to be a photographer, a career similar to what he dreamed to be when he was with his mother and more acceptable for society and his father.  But the truth is V has a trauma too (who doesn't have one in mysme?), he can't love himself, Rika doesn't love herself too. They don't understand what love is yet they wanted to be loved .

Then, V tries to cover Rika up. He even lied saying that she died for his friends. And instead of trying to stop her, he just watched, because when Rika finds her happiness she'll stop. Well boy, the girl is not satisfied, and she even takes Saeran, tortured and brainwashed him to hate his own brother. V says he didn't expect that would happen with Saeran, but later on we find he's investigating the place by himself... and well I'm gonna stop here.

When I said V is the center of everything I'm referring to Secret End, V’s route and V’s AE. In Secret End, Rika just stop herself after being in shock with V’s death. In V's route mc made him realise that his love wasn't really love. And he says that was an obsession. Well, I completely agree, he is obsessed with Rika and his ideals (but I was a little sad when I first read that he felt nothing more than obsession with Rika, As for me it was love and at some point and it turns into obsession, but i'm not his fan so...). The other point is mc makes him realize that he needs to love himself first, and that's why he goes on a trip to discover more about himself (I think it is shown on the good end). I said all that because his After End apparently (I didn't play) is the end where everyone is happy, and just reinforces the idea that the real problem is V and all turns out good because mc "stopped" him.

I'm the person who usually likes the villain and I think Cheritz lost an great opportunity to explore V as the "true" villain, because he has the potential to be a manipulator, psycho (well, he reminds me Mark Jefferson from LIS in that bad with an camera and when he tooks photos from Rika. Plus, I think Jumin has more emotion than him lmao), or just the person who wanna do anything to make his lover happy  (I love V's voice actor, imagine V with his evil laugh). 

I don't like the development of V's character but I wanted to see him like a real bad guy in the game, or at least, didn't create his route in the first place - I learned more about his mother than about him ???. I never saw him as a playable character and they just turned Rika into a "poor, sad and traumatic person who deserves all the love and any therapy and no punishment". Also, V’s route is boring and the chats are too long, most of the time I just see Rika and him arguing when I wanted to escape with Saeran (srry, my twins deserve the whole world, and V deserves Rika). 

Finally, this is some thoughts that I had when I was playing the game, and they come back now with Saeran's After End (and hopefully I’ll get the good end). 

[cafedanslanuit]

HOLD ON HOLD ON HOLD ON.

I appreciate you writing everything out for me but WHAT THE FUCK DHSHJSJSJ?!???

no, but seriously that was the craziest rollercoaster ride of a story I've ever seen like genuinely what the fuck? First of all, why did Jihyun POISONED everyone and then wanted to help saeran?

Second of all, please? Saeran has already went through so much why did he have to repeat his own dark history with rika I'm so sad? WHY DOES CHERITZ DO THAT TO HIM?!? I thought he'd be.. idk.. changed? and won't let people step on him no more? :( and when you said we can't do anything about saeran being held hostage and chained by rika, then we were just supposed to watch him suffer? What's the point i thought we were supposed to idk make everything BETTER?!?

AND THE PRIME MINISTER PART WHAT THE HELL. DOESN'T DESERVE RIGHTS. no but seriously, seriously. what the fuck? the mf pm beat him until he's almost dead and HE JUST HUGGED HIM? How's that a solution to anything at all? :( and mf touched saeyoung too oh my god I wanna swear in my mother language that's how angry I am.

I loved Cheritz's stories, but this one just sounds so messed up to the core. Like what's the point? Why do they love torturing him so much? I don't wanna sound like an ass but low-key kinda like lazy writing happening here.

But surely Jihyun's ae isn't.. This bad..? Right? I only unlocked like 2 of them and I already forgot

i love your reaction that was me in december as well sdkjfhsd i just hated the ae so much

i haven’t played v’s ae at all because i was told it was bad but what i read is that it’s even worse somehow? like in saeran’s ae at least we get a lot of cute cgs but in the v’s ae they don’t even gave us a kiss cg ;-; v is gone during almost all the ae and it’s just us talking with the rest of the rfa whether rika should be forgiven or not. 

if you choose not to forgive her (aka “the judge ending”), you are met with a weird video of saeyoung showing you how miserable rika is (the background is circus music for some reason????) and have everyone mock her and insult her and he says something like “but this is what you wanted, right?”

NO I WANTED HER TO ENDURE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR ACTIONS AND BE SENT FAR AWAY TO A MENTAL INSTITUTION WHERE SHE CAN’T HARM OTHER PEOPLE OR HERSELF EVER AGAIN

istg

and the end is just v and mc like yeah rika is over it we should move on or something but it doesn’t feel like a good ending at all

the forgive ending is basically you saying hey rika had a hard life if it’s okay she almost blinded v and tortured saeran, all is forgiven <3 oh and also we get a cg of v, the mc and their daughter so that was cute ig

tbh it’s not worth your hourglasses just read a summary online or watch a playthrough on youtube ;-; saeran’s ae has some very very very cute cgs though <3

but yeah cheritz is GREAT... until another story. then everything they did after that was just a fucking mess. both saeran’s and v’s ae + jumin’s dark ending dlc is a fuuuuucking mess. i would never stop talking about jumin’s dlc so here is a review a friend did that was very much what i also think. i even wrote a fix-it-fic for that dlc i hated it lmao

and here’s a meme i made about the aes skdjhfsjkd

[cannibalisticskittles]

Fans wanted a V route that's why we got a V route both him and Saeran weren't meant to be dateable in the first place

yeah that’s definitely the impression i got. hell, that’s why i started the saeran fic in the first place; i figured they didn’t plan to ever make a route for him, so i’d make one.

tbh tho i... think that v’s route straight up shouldn’t have been done. when you design a character around the central concept of How Absolutely Shit At Romance He Is, how he obsesses over a particular view of love to the point that he encourages unhealthy, violent behavior and enables massive harm (A CULT) for years, how he happily loses his eyesight for love because he thinks it’s a noble sacrifice, when he defends that love and that person with his dying death (“rika did nothing wrong” is a direct quote) and shows no sign of changing that mindset... you shouldn’t cave and make him a route because fans want it. all of those reasons why he’s Bad To Date are still there! they’re fundamental problems!

people who really wanted a v route.... well, not all of them, i know, but from the way so. so so many v stans talk about it. it’s like they looked at v and rika and thought “well, this utter shitshow only happened because rika was a crazy bitch. it’s all her fault. v was just her victim, an innocent martyr who did nothing wrong, or if he did something wrong, it’s only because she forced his hand. if she wasn’t in the equation, everything would have been fine. i bet if /I/ dated him, it would all work out great! he definitely would form a healthy relationship with ME!’ (never mind the fact that years before the story started, he not only knew about but had contacts in an incredibly dangerous and influential spy agency, and he shoved an abused 11-year-old into their arms, forcing him to cut ties with his brother and making him live in even more danger than he’d already been in. that’s totally logical behavior, right? that’s not intentionally endangering a child in the most unnecessary and bafflingly dramatic way possible, right? there’s no way that’s going to still be a problem when rika’s out of the picture, right? she had nothing to do with that batshit decision but it’s still totally her fault somehow, v DEFINITELY won’t do anything like that again!)

and, like, i’ve never been sure how aware of v’s problems the writer(s) for v’s route are, but it’s still THERE in his route. it hangs over everything. it’s almost funny; v’s route seems to me to seesaw between ‘yeah, this guy is totally dateable! there’s no problems at all, once we just... sweep them under a rug and never address them! pfft, his actions are toooootally heroic! it’s justifiable to let the kid he was supposed to protect die in a fiery blast because he’s been too useless to act for years, right?? yeah! let’s just not think about the implications! it’s fine!’ and in other places it comes off more like ‘is this what you want?? huh?? you want to date the sadsack obsessed with his girlfriend to the point that he helps a cult thrive and doesn’t stop it from kidnapping or drugging people?? that’s your idea of a good time?? well fine, TAKE IT’

his route feels Weird. and uncomfortable. and i don’t understand fans wanting a route for him but — while i think v fans OUGHT to have picked up on his penchant for nonsensical, harmful behavior, yknow, maybe they thought cheritz would... actually deal with these issues fully instead of vaguely acknowledging some faults and never resolving them? so — i definitely don’t understand cheritz going ahead and writing a route for him when he’s... him. because that weirdness and that discomfort and all the problems in his route stem from the fact that V Is A Miserable Little Man Who Fixates On Love To A Frightening Degree And Who Is Willing To Enable And Sometimes Personally Do Heinous Things. as a writer sometimes you’ve gotta say “sorry to disappoint, but no. have a nice day!”

it’s something that was a bit of a relief in saeran’s after end. the narrative very much embraces how shit v’s current AND past behavior has been. This Man Is Not Someone Who Forms Healthy Relationships, it says. all the stuff with the RFA mourning who they THOUGHT v (and rika) were — especially the scenes focused on jumin — make it clear that even his platonic relationships have huge problems. they’re based on massive lies! and he’s willing to betray their trust and throw them away for the sake of his Romanticized Love! it still doesn’t make up my mind about what the writer(s) behind v’s route thought about him bc damn, there was Too Much handwaving going on, but hey! circling back to how they presented his behavior in the main story/secret end! that’s awesome!

(and to contrast with v a bit, saeran is... traumatized and has shitty coping mechanisms and is willing to go extremely far for his cult and has years of brainwashing to undo, BUT. as a kid initially coerced into this situation, and then as a brainwashed adult who fully bought into the lies he was told and thought everything he/the cult did was to help people in desperate need, yes, he has made shit decisions, but it’s nowhere near the level of things that v or rika have done. he didn’t have the agency to make informed decisions! he was a kid! he was kidnapped! unlike them, he had no basis of comparison to say “hmm. maybe this is fucked up.” v DID have that, and he has no goddamn excuse for allowing saeran to be kidnapped, or drugged, or mint eye to thrive and do that to dozens if not hundreds of other people, For Love. so saeran has potential for a route! he needs therapy and he needs to be out of mint eye and his dad needs to be behind bars or 6 feet under so saeran doesn’t have to live in fear, but. i view him as Capable Of Healthy Relationships Eventually. moreso than v, anyway.

so while saeran’s route is a hot mess and i will Always bring up how shit it is to whip out the ‘wacky mental illness that has no basis in reality and is written just to maximize drama, never mind that it’s hugely insulting to those who actually deal with what they’re flanderizing AND that it contradicts all his characterization previously [unless they’re saying that saeran in the main routes/secret end ALWAYS went through that ~merging of split personalities~ before we see him on screen, bc his characterizations had already been a good mix of both personas]’ idea, the INTENT of the route seems more grounded than v’s; it’s about 50% ‘you wanted edgy, so we’ll give you edgy’ and 50% ‘well, this is as good a place as any to expand a little bit on the character growth alluded to in the secret end and go over a few more aspects of how he’s going to have to come to terms with how much of what he believed was a lie and reconcile with his brother.’ it’s also a weird route, and it clashes against some things that were previously established, but from what i remember, the route was at least internally consistent.

...even so, they should not have done saeran’s route the way they did. if they couldn’t come up with any ideas for a route that didn’t involve ‘jekyll and hyde suddenly!’ they just shouldn’t have done a route for him, either.)

[lizz-revs]

Dandelion - Wishes brought to you -

A manage your stats game, with cut-scenes that feature your chosen romantic interest. You choose your activities and interactions, but not the cut-scenes and the cut-scenes don’t influence the further development of the relationship.

Story

The main character is a girl, who is a business major in a university. She is mentally unstable (I’d say almost depressive and close to a complete burn-out) and very unhappy with her current life. The reason for that is her strict mother, who never allowed her to do the things she wanted, but had a close observation regarding everything her daughter was doing and with whom she was interacting. The heroine tried to escape from her mother by choosing to live on her own, but her influence still prevails because the main character isn’t able to change her life (the business major was her mother’s order).

One day though she finds a basket in front of her door with five pets in it: Three rabbits and two cats. She is very happy to be able to adopt them and suddenly her life isn’t boring anymore because she has to take care of the animals. However, those animals aren’t ordinary and, when she begins to fall in love with one of them, all of the animals change back to human form and are in fact handsome guys. Now the heroine is sharing her house with five men and is able to have a romantic relationship with one of them. This relationship isn’t as easy to maintain as it seems and even more difficult it gets after the heroine realizes that these people haven’t come to her world only to be with her.

The characters

Heejung

She is a rather quiet girl, who is living by herself since about three years. At the beginning of the game, she is quite ordinary, but since you as the player can level up her stats, you can enhance her beauty, femininity and her art skills. With increased femininity, she gets better at chores and with increased beauty at make-up and fashion. The heroine slowly wants to change her life, but she is very scared. She is easily pressured and since she isn’t studying, what she wants, every time she studies she gets stressed and needs to take a break. Her self-esteem is pretty low as well, since she can’t really fight back and just accepts being criticised, while thinking that it was her fault. She is used to doing as others want her to do, so the first time she starts actually doing what she wants is after falling in love with one of the guys and realizing that there are people, who accept her as she is and want her to do, what makes her happy. After realizing this, she becomes more mature and is willing to make sacrifices for the person that she loves and wants to live a life that suits her.

The rabbits

Jihae

He is the silver rabbit and rather anti-social. His only communication partner is Jieun and he has a very low self-esteem. At the beginning he isn’t very talkative, but polite and somehow cold towards the heroine. He always calls her “my lady” and wants to be as least a bother to her as possible. In his free time he takes care of Jieun like a butler (from feeding him to carrying him around).

Jieun

He is the white rabbit with red eyes and is really cute. At the beginning, he is shy and you can only watch him as the heroine, but eventually he opens up to her and starts talking more. At first, he isn’t able to do anything without Jihae’s help and clings to him like someone would to a parent. This is rather weird because Jieun isn’t a child, but a teenage boy, and still isn’t able to feed himself or tie his ribbon himself. However, he is able to change his behaviour gradually.

Jiwoo

He is a very noisy and kind of obnoxious rabbit. I’d call him a great example for the tsundere-personality. He is much of an attention freak, but, if the heroine gives him the attention, he just starts harassing her. In addition, he thinks he is very knowledgeable in romance since he has read a huge amount of romance novels and watched some shows. Nevertheless, it’s more like there is no one less clueless regarding romance as him besides the heroine. This makes it rather funny, when he is the chosen candidate and doesn’t know, how to deal with it.

The cats

Jiyeon

At first Jiyeun seems very friendly and social. He is an orange cat, who adores oranges. After transforming to a human his love for oranges still prevails and he seems to be more or less like a cheerful kid, who doesn’t know Korean that well and often makes mistakes, when choosing appropriate words. Well, this isn’t actually quite his true personality as you can see in his route.

Jisoo

On the other hand, Jisoo is really unfriendly and as anti-social as he can be. He is more of a stray cat, who wanders around. He calls the heroine “Foodgiver”, which pretty much characterizes their relationship. Jisoo cares about his looks because he appears to be always kind of stylish. He had a difficult past and distrusts the heroine at first as he doesn’t think that she will choose him anyway. But, when she does choose him things get rather complicated as well because of his personality…

Gameplay

As I mentioned the gameplay is based on choosing activities. Every day the player can choose an activity, which levels the heroine’s stats. Regarding the activity, it is also important that the player doesn’t choose blindly, but minds the other characters. On the map are pictures of the pets that show their locations and while doing an activity the heroine may encounter one of them, if they are in the same room. Therefore, it’s useful to look up a guide about the characters and what they like to do in order to choose the right activity. You will need to interact with your chosen character because otherwise you won’t be able to get him to like you or get his route. Another important aspect is that the heroine has a stress- and a pressure-meter. If she doesn’t study, she gets more pressure, but if she studies her stress increases. If pressure or stress is maxed out, you will automatically get a bad end. Regarding the stats and the chosen character’s affection, you can look both up in “Status”.

At the weekend later in the game, you can also choose to go on Dates with one of the characters. It boosts their affection and you can collect their stamps to unlock pictures at the end of the game. For that, it is also important to boost the heroine’s eye sight.

 My Opinion

In my opinion, this game is really good.

The characters feel very much alive. They have a distinct personality and, since it is Cheritz, also a surprisingly dark side. The story feels natural, the relationships feel logical and aren’t rushed. Because there are always time skips between the scenes, you are able to take breaks and just boost some stats instead of reading the whole time. The gameplay is enjoyable and straightforward, although it gets rather tedious after a while and you need a lot of time to clear the routes.

I think, it’s still worth the time though because you get to read the cut-scenes, which are simply amazing. Every story and every character in this game moved me. I mean you can relate to every one of them and the heroine. They aren’t fixed on romance or anything, but they try to heal from their bad experiences and past. I think it’s really important that even, if this is a romance game, there isn’t only romance in the game. Personally, I hate it, when developers try to focus on romance and not the plot because it leads to irrational behaviour of the main character and to more or less a “damsel in distress” story. Meanwhile, the heroine in Dandelion is just scared. She doesn’t try to be saved or to be saved by love. She genuinely starts to care for one of the men and just wants to spend time with them. I think such a story moves a reader’s heart way more than a story about “I want to get a boyfriend”.

Another aspect I really like in this game is the music, especially the opening and ending sequences. Moreover, since I liked it so much, I even bought the OST…

Anyway, I don’t know, if I’m not biased about this game though, since I am a fan of Cheritz. However, I still think everyone should know about Cheritz AND about this game because otherwise you miss out a few of the best visual novels you could find. In addition to that reading Cheritz’s novels is a good change of pace after reading novels from Idea Factory. Both Idea Factory and Cheritz publish great novels, but Cheritz focusses more on creating characters, which seem alive to me and I like every one of them, while Idea Factory has great stories, but I still never liked all the characters the game has to offer.

So, I think Cheritz’s games are one of the classics you just have to read. 10/10