Hello! As someone with an newfound interest in Ren'Py and the way it works, I'm going to be dissecting the code of Our Life to explain (roughly) how the game adjusts Cove's look based on your actions. We'll be looking specifically at the transition between Step 1 and Step 2 Cove since that's the very first one that players will experience (I might detail Step 3's changes and Step 4's changes if people want that).
According to GB Patch themselves in response to asks, the way Cove changes his appearance is relatively simple:
His appearance is based on your choices and not random, but it’s taste/aesthetic-based choices rather than the usual conversation type options. So, being nervous or outgoing or what have you will influence Cove’s personality, while choosing the things you like will impact the way Cove looks.
Technically, this is accurate, but not entirely in terms of some decisions you can make that determine Cove's appearance.
Coding-wise, changing Cove's appearance is a simple True/False (yes/no) variable, not a point system. After one decision, Cove might change from the natural evolution of his Step 1 hair (Hair1) to the fluffier hair (Hair2) and it doesn't matter how many times you pick options that would cause that hair: if the last decision is for the hair with the middle part, that's what you'll end up getting.
The TL;DR of it is that, for the most part, things that the MC notices/picks up/favors/focuses on will influence Cove's appearance, but there are a couple that aren't like that and will change him anyway. If you're doing a repeat playthrough and are intentionally trying to get a different Cove, then picking different taste/aesthetic choices is the way to go, but be aware that it's not a guarantee; some options will lead to the same outcome you chose before.
If you want to see what options specifically change his look, then feel free to continue reading\~
The first chance that the player has is when they meet Cove on poppy hill during the prologue. They're given choices on what to "notice first" (according to the game's internal code) and the options lead to different appearance changes:
Green hair. [takes off Cove's glasses and puts on his left pink beaded bracelet]
Wavy eyebrows. [takes off Cove's glasses]
Huge glasses. [sets Cove's glasses to the rounded brown ones]
Pink casts. [puts on Cove's left pink beaded bracelet]
Sad frowns. [sets Cove's glasses to the rectangular blue ones and puts on his left pink beaded bracelet]
The last chance is during the ending of Step 1 where you have the option to either go home or stay with Cove, completely unrelated to taste/aesthetic altogether.
If you choose to go home, Cove's hair is set to the fluffy hair, but if you stay, nothing will be set until you get to talk to Cove about his feelings on Sunset Bird.
"Do you hate it here?" [sets Cove's hair to the middle-parted one]
"This can be your home." [sets Cove's hair to the fluffy one]
"It'll be alright." [no change]
This means that you will never get anything on Cove's right wrist (his right, not our right) if you choose not to play any of the moments (or somehow skipped to Step 2 without playing Step 1, because Cove - by default - doesn't wear bracelets). His pajamas and jacket (the one he dons during Step 2's Road Trip) will likewise remain at their defaults.
This includes if you choose to only play Step 1's Library specifically. It's the singular moment that doesn't contain any chances to change Cove's appearance.
As for the other moments...
Shopping
Your chance is when you see the four keychains at the shopping street with Cove.
You picked up the dolphin. [gives Cove the dark blue short-sleeved shirt and the light blue pajama shirt]
You picked up the shark. [gives Cove the dark blue short-sleeved shirt and the purple pajama shirt with the compass symbol]
You picked up the crab. [gives Cove the red salamander sleeveless shirt and the light blue pajama shirt]
You picked up the turtle. [gives Cove the red salamander sleeveless shirt and the purple pajama shirt with the compass symbol]
Grown Up
Cove's pants change (that sounds weird but I'm not taking it back) depending on if you tell your moms what happened between Cove and Lizzie or not.
You told the truth. [gives Cove the pants with the belt]
You lied. [gives Cove the pants with the stripes]
Long Day
Changing Cove's pajamas (and only his pajamas, unlike in Shopping) is done when the MC decides which dessert they're craving.
A popsicle. [gives Cove the purple pajama shirt with the compass symbol]
An ice cream cone. [gives Cove the light blue pajama shirt]
An ice cream sandwich. [gives Cove the purple pajama shirt with the compass symbol]
Then you change his casual shirt when you're watching the clouds with Cove, depending on what you see.
You saw a dolphin. [gives Cove the dark blue short-sleeved shirt]
You saw a car. [gives Cove the red salamander sleeveless shirt]
You saw an alpaca. [gives Cove the dark blue short-sleeved shirt]
You saw a smiley face. [gives Cove the red salamander sleeveless shirt]
You saw cloud shapes. [no change]
Sandcastle
This time, it's the type of sandcastle you make that varies Cove's hair specifically.
A house. [sets Cove's hair to the fluffy one]
A castle. [sets Cove's hair to the middle-parted one]
A mansion. [sets Cove's hair to the fluffy one]
Then, his pants change based on what you top the sandcastle with.
Red bottlecap. [gives Cove the pants with the belt]
Blue seashell. [gives Cove the pants with the stripes]
Green piece of seaglass. [no change]
Fireflies
Cove will wear (or not wear) the beaded necklace from how you respond to your Mom prompting you on your excitedness to see/catch the fireflies.
"Yeah!" [no change]
You started eating faster. [puts on Cove's beaded necklace]
You looked over at your moms. [puts on Cove's beaded necklace]
You pushed your food around your plate. [no change]
Ghost
You get another chance to put on Cove's left pink beaded bracelet regardless of whether you choose to talk to your moms or go outside.
If you went to talk to your moms, the bracelet may or may not be put on depending on what topping you ask for on your toast.
"Jam." [puts on Cove's left pink beaded bracelet]
"Peanut butter." [no change]
"Honey." [puts on Cove's left pink beaded bracelet]
"Just butter." [no change]
"Extra butter." [puts on Cove's left pink beaded bracelet]
If you chose to go outside instead, the kind of genre you choose for the story you say you and Cove are in decides it.
"It's a horror story." [no change]
"It's an action story." [puts on Cove's left pink beaded bracelet]
"It's a fantasy story." [puts on Cove's left pink beaded bracelet]
"It's a documentary." [no change]
Barbecue
Cove's right wristwear changes if you choose to sneak a snack when no one's watching.
A baby tomato. [puts on Cove's right shark tooth wrap bracelet]
A small carrot. [puts on Cove's right wristband]
A cocktail sausage. [puts on Cove's right wristband]
A rolled piece of ham. [puts on Cove's right wristband]
A potato chip. [puts on Cove's right wristband]
A tortilla chip. [puts on Cove's right shark tooth wrap bracelet]
Cove may also get the beaded necklace if you pick certain drink options from the cooler.
Soda. [no change]
Water. [puts on Cove's beaded necklace]
Juice. [puts on Cove's beaded necklace]
Milk. [no change]
Runaway
This moment only gives you a chance to change Cove's look if you go along with him; specifically, his glasses depending on which snack you ask from him.
"Chips." [sets Cove's glasses to the rounded brown ones]
"A muffin." [takes off Cove's glasses]
"A banana." [sets Cove's glasses to the rectangular blue ones]
"Candy." -> "Fruity candy." [takes off Cove's glasses]
"Candy." -> "Chocolate." [sets Cove's glasses to the rounded brown ones]
"Nothing. I'm not hungry." [sets Cove's glasses to the rectangular blue ones]
Sleepover
If you've been following so far and been wondering when your chance to finally change Cove's jacket is, this is it! It's from how you describe the storybook that Cove picks up.
"I love the main character 'cause the squire's really brave and funny." [gives Cove the white and bright pink jacket]
"It has cool pictures. Some of them even take up the whole page." [gives Cove the gray and black jacket]
"Mommy reads it to me. She uses different voices for every character." [gives Cove the white and bright pink jacket]
"There's a dragon in it and crazy things happen." [gives Cove the gray and black jacket]
So, just in case you're the type of player who doesn't like using the Cove Creator but still wants a little more control (either by picking different options or changing the order of moments so your last choices land on what you want), now you can engineer things to your liking because you know how it works!
And if you were just here for the data, then I hope you enjoyed anyway~
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Simblr Mermay Pt. 4 - Selkie
Yes, I know selkies are either women or seals, not seal-women mermaids. I am choosing to be wrong.
CC links and credits under the cut
Genetics: Face Scar, Blind Eye, Hair1***, Hair 2, Grey Streaks, Chest Scar, Fur Skintone, Mermaid Tail
Look 1: Earrings**, Necklace, Outfit, Rings, Shoes*
Look 2: Earrings, Necklace, Top(Mesh*) Skirt**, Shoes
Look 3: Outfit, Fur Scaf, Shoes
"Mermaid": Webbed Fingers, Top
*TSR
**Simsfinds
***Curseforge
Many thanks to: @nv-games, @pralinesims, @clumsyalienn, @sunnybelloria, @satterlly, @eachuisge-cc, @valentinakarlova, @bradfordsims, @ms-marysims, @sentate, @madlensims, @dissiasims, @rimings, @arethabee, @tittytrait, @serenity-cc, @kamiiri, @cuzislay
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tips that helped me pass
as a pre-T boy going thru puberty, i have been FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE with all these changes happening to my body, thankfully tumblr and pinterest have been my moral support, SO heres some things that helped my gender dysphoria and helped me pass!!
1) for chest binding, i cut holes in leggings from the crotch to stick my head in, and then cut the legs of the leggings off
(thanks pinterest)
i usually double them and always take breaks!! usually in the school bathroom during lunch.
2) layer your clothes!!
thankfully layering and emo, alternative fashion is really popular with other kids my age so most of the time both the girls and boys around me dress the same, my go to is 2-3 shirts (binder not included) and a sweater just incase my dysphoria starts acting up in public
(its always cold where i am & i run cold, im ok!!)
3) shorts and baggy pants!!!!1!1!1!
most of my clothes are hand me downs from my older brother (we are the same height) so the majority of my clothes are men clothes, but whenever i do go shopping i always sneak some masc pants, my dad doesn’t really care so i try to do most of my shopping with him anyway.
4) voice (training??)
i hum looking straight forward first and then look down until my chin touches my chest (it’ll lower the hum automatically) and keep that tone looking back up and try speaking like that with small tweaks to make myself comfortable, i’ve been doing this for a while so i’ve found a pretty good middle ground.
5) platforms.
i <3 my platforms, vans and sketchers are my best friends they make me taller and kind of force me to be more confident in my strides because i have to put more effort in walking and running so i dont trip!!
6) hair1!1!
im black so my hair doesnt grow very long because of shrinkage, so usually ill go out in my afro or ill go out in twists (that reach my collarbone) and long hair for dudes with curly hair has been IN recently where im from. (honestly pretty boys in general tbh) but i keep my hair in ponys often / man buns and it helps with my dysphoria and passing :33
7) exercise!!
doing push-ups, neck exercises, and hand/ arm exercises really helped my body and got rid of most my curves/feminine features, and recently i’ve taken up guitar playing simply to have more masc looking hands lol :,D
8) dysphoria at home :((
the second i get home i immediately switch into the biggest sweatshirt/sweater i own and baggy sweatpants too, and if its real bad ill carry my blanket covering my body so i don’t nt look at it, taking showers i turn the lights off and sing along to music to distract myself from looking at my body.
8) food
there are estrogen decreasing and testosterone increasing foods out there!!
(foods: mushrooms, spinach, pumpkin seeds, broccoli, organic bacon, coffee, kale, chocolate, salmon, onion, raw honey, pomegranate, cabbage, green tea, whole grains)
sorry i don’t really have any tips for your face, i have a naturally masculine face and a visible adams apple, (thanks dad!!!) and a lot of body hair (thanks mom!!!) but doing these helped me pass so well, it even made my friends refer to me as he/him sometimes :3 (I’m out as lesbian irl bc my enviroment isn’t rlly accepting of the trans community)
sleepy me verified, have fun passing!! baiii 🌚
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