#OL:BA Step 3

[kennico]

refreshing drink 🥤

[teabeexo]

Would you recommend Our life? Obviously this is a pretty stupid question but I’ve done some research on it and it seems pretty good!! Is there anything specific about the fanbase or plot I should know about it before I get it? :]

Hello lovely!! Yes, I would completely recommend Our Life! Even though a lot of the fandom has only played OL:NF, the OL game that is currently only out in a demo, I personally started with OL:BA and I do not regret it! If it gives you any perspective on how badly it had me in its grasp, I had over 300+ hours by April (and I bought it November of last year). All the characters are fantastic and very real. The representation in the game is also amazing. Words cannot express how much I love this game.

in terms of fanbase, and some might disagree with me here, it’s relatively stable. Actual arguments seem to be pretty small and contained. There was a big fandom shake recently with something that went down, which was one of the biggest fandom-wide ordeals I’ve seen while being in the community. I’m in the GB Patch Games discord, and most small spats there are dissolved before it can get too bad. This is speaking completely from personal experience, but I would say most of the hostility exists around characters (because there are some characters that people love, while others hate them), but it’s nothing that can’t be brushed off. GB Patch herself has handled issues, but the fandoms opinions on how they’re handled is up in their air. By that I mean, a lot of people have varying feelings. Im sorry if this is very vague, I just want to be broad because there truly are so many opinions and it’s hard to capture them all.

My experience has been very positive overall. One of my current closest online friends was made through this fandom (via the discord)! Most individuals are very kind and respectful, and the diversity in MCs is fantastic!! If you ever need/want to talk about your MCs (or just the game in general) with someone, I’m here! I love it <33

I’d say there’s not any particular warnings for either game — especially since one is incomplete. I’m aware that the details of Cove’s parents (OL:BA) can be triggering for some, or make them uncomfortable, but it’s not fully dived into until a Step 3 DLC moment, so it’s avoidable. One of the love interests, Baxter, also has canonically bigoted parents, but we never see them and Baxter does not hold their views whatsoever. For OL step one, there’s a lot of discussion of divorce and emotion distress that comes from that, so if that’s alarming just be wary!! OL:NF is very much mostly fluff and comfort and setting up characters right now, so if you decide to the play the demo I don’t think there will be any issues there.

It’s very possible there are things I missed, so if anybody else has things to add, feel free to!

IM SO GLAD YOURE INTERESTED AHH!! If you decide to play, I’d love to hear about it! If you want me to go more in-depth on anything, let me know and I will gladly do so. Consider giving the games a shot!! Thank you!

[selkieioe]

read: playlists are super down below so keep scrolling!!

Our Life: Beginnings & Always.

Hello Hello! Welcome to my first ever post on tumblr that just had to be about my ultimate top tier favorite visual novel of all time..Our Life: Beginnings & Always or OL:BA for short.

This game has such a special place in my heart that im afraid I’ll forever be attached to it because at this point it’s not even a phase anymore lol. I still remember that heated summer day of scrolling down on my steam shop out of boredom and i kept getting recommended OL:BA but back then i really couldn’t care less and would not even spare a glance on it until i got so fed up of it popping up in my recommended for the next few days that i decided to finally check it out.

Reading what it was about made me curious but what really got me downloading it was because of the customization of our character/characters.

And finally into the game i was! I remember when the story started, i was very surprised already by the environment, narrative and world building of the game. It truly felt like i was part of it and i didn’t get bored at all. In fact right from the start i was hooked already!

I loved ALL of the characters that was introduced, i love the fact that it was SO multiple choice that it felt like you were really integrating yourself/oc onto the game and that you’re not just forced to say the same thing as a different choice or feel as though your options are limited. Its definitely a game that you’re supposed to replay over and over because its just that fun!!

And as someone who has never had a great childhood and adolescence, absentee parent, chaotic household, unsupportive friends, want to be understood (you know…this and that) i was so happy that this game was doing that and it genuinely gave me hope to live despite going through the darkest of times in my life :)

This game has changed me into a better person and made me want to be the best version of myself that i want to be in the future! I will infinitely recommend this to anyone who wants to have a feel good game/read (+1 it will make you cry!!)

Anyway enough yapping 💀 Time to get to the point.

Here are some playlists i made dedicated to the lovable characters of OL:BA that i personally listened to during my walkthrough and may relate to their route/lore ;)

read: playlists are super down below so keep scrolling!!

1# COVE HOLDEN

the og love interest!

summer with cove holden.

this playlist is the epitome vibes of the game (growing up with them and having fun, making memories.)

from beginnings to always with cove holden.

spoiler alert!! MARRIAGE DLC WOOOO!! really love this one cuz its all full of cute romance and wedding songs. i also put some songs that i think mc and cove would have when they get kids :3

#2 DEREK SUAREZ

MY PERSONAL FAVORITE!!

DEREK IS JUST SOOOO AAHHHH He’s my ideal man and i KIN him so bad you dont even know!!!

derek suarez crushing on you.

THIS PLAYLIST. IM TELLING YOU. one of the FAVES i made!! the pining, secret crush on mc for a loong time, the angst GOSH. so cute. every song in this plays a part on each moment with him i swear

#3 BAXTER WARD

ANGST MAN.

5 years after baxter ward.

one thing i noticed about our life is it lacks certain angst aspects when the baxter dlc didn’t exist YET back then. like i LOVED the fight between mc and cove in mcs room and i wanted it to escalate more ngl just cuz i LIVE for angst! but if you want to get real hurt you should choose baxter. this playlist focuses more on the last step of his dlc and its full of taylor swift songs.

baxter ward.

honestly this playlist is catered more to his vibes, his character (i listen to this playlist and i imagine edits of him lol) but i guess some songs are related to his story/lore? i made this waaay before 5 years after baxter ward and when the baxter dlc didn’t exist yet and we all just knew him to be as the new neighbor in sunset bird but people like it i guess so here it is xD

anyway thats all for OL:BA series! GB Patch is cooking up Our Life Now & Forever and it’s not released yet! just on demo on steam and itch! i already have a playlist for it but so far i have only made Qiu Lin (one of the leads of the game) i also have a privated filo inspired playlist for baxter if you want to listen to it let me know so i can put it up in public!

[crowdeerdire]

So far, and yet so close.

a/n: This is purely for my own enjoyment and because this scene has been playing over and over in my head lately… I just… need to write it down.

Cove is from OL:BA and Kel is my MC\OC. This would take sometime after step 3 when Kel is away in another state (or country - not sure yet) for college.

Warning: Depition of social anixiety Words: 2018

The voices were too loud. There were too many people. It was crowded and hot and everything smelled like sweat and body order. Even the music was echoing through your chest, making everything ache, right down to the bones. It felt like you couldn’t even breathe.

This party was supposed to be 'fun'. It was supposed to be a way to get to know the other students on campus - to expand one's horizons and put yourself out there! To really enjoy college life how it was supposed to be enjoyed! Or at least how the movies told you it was supposed to be enjoyed! But really? All of this so far was so suffocating…

Your friends had promised to keep close to you. They knew how anxious you got in crowds, and yet somehow you had all gotten separated. It wasn’t really surprising, to be totally honest. A large frat house filled to the brim with young adults, most of whom were drunk, high or both? It was bound to happen, especially since you had a habit of slipping away when things got too overwhelming for you.

The corner where you hid with the other socially awkward people or couples that were making out felt no longer safe. Anxiety had been rumbling under your skin for a long time, but now it was starting to hit a boiling point and becoming a full blown panic attack.Your gaze flickered around the room, trying to make heads or tails of the situation in the hazy darkness before you could spot your exit.

You ran.

Honestly? It was not the slightest bit graceful as you stumbled around people, nearly tripping on a rather lanky male as you moved around him. You pleaded with your body to keep it together before you could burst out the front door, joining those who braved the cold autumn air and the starry speckled sky. Smokers stood to one corner with their addictions, couples stood in another with their own addiction, and the people who waited to greet or say goodbye to their friends stood near the street. Quickly you took stock of the front yard before choosing a slightly more isolated side, befriending the mailbox since you didn’t want to actually leave the party fully. If you left your friends would surely be worried! At least this way you didn’t fully leave and were still, technically, attending, despite having a full blown panic attack.

You just… you needed a moment.

Haphazardly you reached into your pocket, pulling out your phone and unlocking the device. Your gaze flickered over the first few contacts, momentarily considering contacting your friends to let them know what was going on. That would have been the logical move, anyways, but your eyes had caught another name high on the list. One name that always calmed you down in overwhelming and over stimulating situations. The one, and really the only person who knew how to bring you back down after spiraling with anxiety and fear.

“Cove…”

Even his name brought you some solace.

Eying the time on your phone, you wince as you realize the late hour. 12:32am… Cove would most likely be in bed already. He was always the type to be early to bed, early to rise, but… Would it be ok to call him anyways?

Your worries became muddled as panic rose with another wave. Your chest tightens and chills run down your spine, making your stomach churn and threaten to spill out on the nicely mowed lawn. No, Cove would understand. You just needed to talk to him for a moment and then everything would be fine, right? Just one call. One quick call.

In a haze you had clicked his name and the call button before bringing the phone to your ear. The sound behind you died out somewhat as you concentrated on the rings, doubt filling the silence in between.

One ring… He was probably asleep.

Two rings… Maybe you could hang up now and pretend you didn't call?

Three rings… But he had a caller ID didn't he? Cove would know you tried to call and --

"…. Hello…?"

Your turbulent thoughts halted as a sleepy and deep rumble of a voice came from the other end. Cove…  Just hearing his voice for that half of a second made your stomach flip (in a good way this time) and your heart dance in your chest. Cove was your closest and bestest friend since forever. You two had known each other for over ten years! So why did his voice do that to you? Why, even after going to college and putting distance between you, did he still make your heart skip and your pulse race? You were his friend! You couldn’t muddle everything up and –

"Hello…?"

Cove's voice came through again, snapping you out of the mini daze you got from simply hearing him for the first time this week. You called often but work had been busy for the ocean boy, as well as his volunteer work with ORCA. You felt a surge of guilt for calling him so late when you remembered why it had been so long since the last time you spoke.

"Ah - Cove! I'm sorry for calling you so late! Did-did I wake you up?" You answered, your voice trembling despite your effort in trying to sound more confident and relaxed when you spoke to him."I-if so I can --"

Cove interrupted, knowing you were one to ramble and this clearly looked like a situation where you would continue if you weren’t stopped.

“Kel? No, no, it’s okay. I mean - I was - but it’s ok.” Cove quickly reassured, his voice becoming clearer the more he woke up. You could hear the shuffling of his sheets as he must have moved to a sitting position, wanting to give you clear attention and not doze off randomly in the middle of the call.

“Is everything ok?”

Is everything ok? That simple question felt like a knife to your gut. Your first urge was to lie, but this was Cove you were talking to. Cove knew you. Like really knew you. No matter how often you said he was easy to read, the same was the case for Cove with you. He could tell by the shake of your voice that something was wrong and knowing him he wouldn’t drop it until you told him the truth.

“I…” You began as you crouched down close to the mailbox, wrapping your free arm around yourself in a pitiful attempt of a hug. “No. I’m at a party, Cove. A college party.”

You could hear his intake of breath, an obvious wince at the statement. For as long as he had known you, Cove knew you weren’t good with crowds. Even at a young age you tended to cling to him when you had to go somewhere busy, using him as a way to ground yourself in the flood of people.

“Kel, my first instinct is to ask ‘why?’.” Cove began, earning him a weak and dry chuckle from yourself. “But that doesn’t matter. Are you okay? Are you having a panic attack right now?”

The concern was palpable through the phone. You curled into yourself even more, using the sound of his voice as a life ring in the ocean of emotions you were feeling. Hearing him had helped you calm down a smidge, but after that question every emotion began to hit you twice as hard. You felt hot tears prick at your eyes and your breathing became stilted. You wanted to voice that you weren’t okay - not at all - but you couldn’t even begin to speak. You were being smothered.

“Okay, okay.” Cove’s voice was sweet and soothing. It reached out to you as he began to speak, pulling you back to him before you could spin out of control, “Kel? Listen to me. You’re alright and you’re safe. I’m here with you.” -If only he really was-. “Let’s breathe together, okay?”

Meekly you nodded despite knowing he couldn’t see it. Cove talked you through breathing with him, his tone ever gentle. Slowly the panic began to release its hold on you. You felt your shoulders relax and the tears dry up. Your breathing became easier as you listened to Cove, allowing yourself to feel safe and simply concentrate on his voice.

“There… That’s it.” Cove cooed, noting that you sounded calmer, “Do you feel a bit better Kel?”

“Yeah… Thank you Cove.” You whispered, your voice stronger now that the panic attack was starting to subside. “Sorry for calling you suddenly.”

“Kel.” Cove’s tone switched from gentle to firm in an instant, “Don’t apologize. You can call me whenever. I’ll always answer.”

‘I’ll always answer’ That line gave you goosebumps. You knew the two of you promised to always be there for each other, no matter the distance, but hearing him say it so firmly made your heart swell. You felt a blush bloom over your cheek like a wildfire before you speak again.

“O-oh… thank you. Seriously… thank you.”

“Always.” Cove reaffirmed as he became his gentle and sweet self once more. “But, uh… now that you’ve calmed down, I gotta ask. Why? Why are you at a party?”

That earned a belly laugh from you as you uncurled yourself from your crouching position, using the mailbox as leverage to stand up once more. “C’mon Cove, what do you mean?” You smirk weakly, “I’m the biggest party animal there is!”

“Kel…” Cove snorted and you could just picture the roll of his beautiful blue eyes. “C’mon.”

“Okay, okay.” You chuckled before shrugging your tight shoulders, feeling them protest at the movement after being wound up so tight. You were gonna ache tomorrow after a panic attack like that. “You caught me Holden. I… I went with some friends. They said it would be fun and promised to stay by my side. I wanted to try something new and to be brave for once!” You let out another laugh, but this time it was more self deprecating then the last one. “We just got separated and then I panicked, as you know, and well… You were the only thing I could think of to calm me down… I just wanted to hear your voice.”

“Kel…”

Ah fuck - you hadn’t meant to let out something so cheesy! You began to speak when another voice caught your attention, making you spin. There, coming out the front of the house and down the yard were your friends, looking worried and very apologetic.

“Kel! There you are! We’ve been looking all over for you! Are you alright?”

You weakly smiled at them, giving them a small nod before lifting your phone slightly to indicate you were talking to someone.

“Yeah, just… just a second -” You said to them before addressing Cove on the other side of the device.

“Cove? My friends are here now.” You informed him, “I should let you get back to sleep. Probably leave this party too,” You laughed, “I’ll talk to you later?”

“Call me when you get home. So I know you’re alright and safe.”

It was such a simple request but the love you felt from that statement from Cove filled you up and warmed you in the cool night air. You couldn’t help the smile that bloomed on your lips and you gave a nod. A part of you knew you shouldn’t be so happy about another call, especially with how late it was and how much Cove had been working, but… you couldn’t help it.

“Sure, Cove. Then… I’ll talk to you later… tonight?”

“Later tonight.” Cove reaffirmed. “Bye Kel.”

“Bye Cove.”

A soft sigh escaped your lips as you finally hung up and returned your attention to your friends. Even though they began asking how you were, checking in on you and apologizing for abandoning you, you couldn’t help but let your mind wander to Cove.

No matter how far away you were, Cove was always there for you.

That’s what friends did, right? Just… friends.

a/n: This is totally self indulgent and there will be mistakes. Mistakes everywhere. I haven't written in AGES. I just felt the urge even tho I should be doing anything but this!

[koko-heads]

meet my mc!!

tw for mentions of suicidality

this was loooooooooong overdue but here's my ol:ba mc!! her name is rurus van halen and she's dating cove :^) she's nonbinary abrosexual, she/her, audhd + bpd, a sleepwalker, and adopted from indonesia. generally she's pretty extroverted and blunt, with a tendency to get easily emotional (something she and cove have in common lmao), she loves the beach as well as music and performing; her specialty is the bass guitar. rurus frequently gets into bumps and scrapes so it's not uncommon to see her with bandages on her arms and legs. 🌺

step 1

they/them — in step 1, rurus was a wild child. from a young age they kept their hair buzzed and absolutely rejected anything to do with femininity. you would NEVERRRR catch rurus in skirts or dresses bc they would always wear tank tops and shorts, and if they had it their way they'd have always been barefoot as well. they latched onto cove and saw themself as somewhat of a pretty fierce protector of him.

step 2

they/she — rurus entered her musician phase at this point; the second they laid eyes on the bass guitar they knew they'd never want to do anything else. she started growing her hair out and got a cheeky nose piercing, on the condition that elizabeth went to accompany them (what actually happened was that elizabeth got bored and went browsing for clothes while rurus got their schnoz pierced). their fashion also evolved to baby tees and oversized jorts, as well as camis and halter-neck tees. meanwhile, derek was pining over rurus but the van halen teen only had eyes for cove— finding herself wearing a whole lot of anklets for some particular reason...

step 3

she/they — simultaneously the best and worst times of rurus's life. she was in a stable relationship with cove at this point, and had a strong friendship with baxter and the others, but mentally she was at an all-time low. there was a niggling feeling in the back of their mind that told them the lashing out and violent meltdowns weren't just due to their autism and adhd. luckily she had an amazing support system as well as the comfort of her bass guitar to help her keep going. also, they were quite proud of their hair growth and current wardrobe consisting of cool denim jackets and funky shorts. this was the time where she QUICKLY became obsessed with frank ocean (as they should😌). theres really no organic way to bring this up but there was this one Particularly Traumatic family dinner where rurus attempted to kill themself by slitting their throat, and when they woke up in the hospital room and saw everyone's faces they just broke down and expressed (as well as she could i mean her vocal cords were damaged) her feelings and how messed up she felt inside. she also realised she wanted to start singing her own stuff as a form of therapy

step 4

she/her — ...okay elephant in the room she completely ditched they/them! rurus came to the realisation that she didn't need to reject her femininity and in any case, she could embrace it especially because of her nonbinary identity. so she did! her wardrobe went full beach babe with skirts and dresses and the like, and her hair went all the way down to her shoulders. rurus's music career only went up, with her doing altpop/rnb/bass guitar-heavy songs and providing her own vocals. also! cove frickin' proposed to her! on the beach! there was a lot of crying from both parties, suffice to say. she also went into therapy and got diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, as well as being put on new meds. the scar on her neck used to be covered up with makeup and strategically placed necklaces, but rurus soon realised she didn't have to be ashamed of it and went back to wearing low-cut tops and in short living her best life.

[barbieb0y]

every 2 days someone finds my cove-simping posts and proceeds to spam like them im glad we're all practicing cove-simpery

[ask-coveholden]

(gets on tiptoes to kiss step 3 Cove on the cheek) you know, you are unfairly tall. Do you know you actually grow 4 more inches? unbelievable. why are you tall

“Mm, genetics I suppose have a factor! Don’t worry though, I’ll be sure to bend down for you when you need affection.”

[gb-patch]

Just to confirm; will the new step 3 Derek & step 2 Baxter character designs be available through an OL:BA update, or will they only be available through the DLC?

Baby Baxter only appears at the Soiree, so you have at have at least one DLC to see him- either the normal Step 2 DLC or the Derek DLC.

Derek's Step 3 sprite can appear in the base game once we update it, but his scene can be a lot longer if you're playing the Derek DLC.

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[camomiledotcom]

step 3 of my jamie from OL:BA

[pixelpain]

@gb-patch ‘s OL:BA step 4 just came out! as a patreon contributor i have been on the edge of my seat waiting for it.

the series generally leaves me with a feeling of warmth and comfort that i don’t often feel when it comes to most visual novels. it almost feels as if sunset bird is my second home. thank you to the hardworking people who made this game a reality and giving me the opportunity to play something so lovely.

not gonna lie, i teared up a bit when it came to an end. i knew it wasn’t going to be as long as steps 1-3 because step 4 is an epilogue, but it was over all too soon.

plus i let out an audible yelp when cove took off his clothes!!

he’s all grown up :’) and i really loved that we got to pick his ring design. having seen his wedding outfit designs on patreon, i can’t wait for the wedding dlc (take ALL my money)!

[teabeexo]

𝚃𝚎𝚊'𝚜 𝙼𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜: 𝙻𝚞𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊

contains discussion/description of death, survivors guilt, and anxiety.

★ ↳ ❝ And if you don’t love me now

You will never love me again

I can still hear you saying

We would never break the chain... ❞

૮(ˊ ᵔ ˋ)ა - "The Chain" Fleetwood Mac

𝙻𝚞𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊 𝙱𝚘 𝙵𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢

★ The Basics ★

Age(s): Step 1 - 8, Step 2 - 13, Step 3 - 18, Step 4 - 23

Birthday: November 28th

Gender: Female (she/her)

Ethnicity: Italian and German

Height: 5'4" (as of step 4)

Significant Other: Derek Suarez

Role: Main character in my OL:BA + OL:NF universe.

★ Lore (past) ★

Luella Faraway was born in Mesa, Arizona on November 28th. Her parents are Gabriel and Claudia Faraway. She has one older sister, Elke Faraway. For the majority of her time as a small child, she lived in a typical suburban neighborhood alongside her family.

Luella was attached to Elke’s hip since birth. Despite the considerable seven-year age gap between them, it was difficult to pry the two apart. In Luella’s eyes, Elke was the pinnacle of maturity.

Alas, this serendipity would come to an end when Luella was twelve years old. Her parents were abruptly killed in a freak car accident – which she happened to be in the backseat during. Luella thankfully emerged unscathed, with only some fractured ribs and a broken arm. But being grateful was the last thing on her mind.

The terror of that moment festered behind her eyes. Watching fire engulf the car, inhaling the thick metallic scent in the air, clutching her sides in agony. Above all, she felt as though she had no right to have continued on living when her parents hadn’t. She was afraid of living in a future where she didn’t have her mom and dad. Thus, she attached onto a different figure of comfort – her sister.

Despite the fact that Luella viewed her elder sister as her primary parental unit by this point, they both fell under the guardian ship of their aunt. When Luella was thirteen, she and her sister moved into their aunt’s condo on the coast of Sunset Bird, effectively leaving their old life in Mesa behind. By this point, Elke was twenty. And despite the fact that she’d cultivated plans to move across country for formal college education, she couldn’t fathom the idea of leaving her little sister behind to carry the weight of that past year on her shoulders alone. Their aunt took a backseat in Luella’s upbringing, as she was typically out of town on business escapades. Elke, likewise, opted to pick up a job in order to help pay for Luella’s schooling and therapy (whilst their aunt covered other living expenses).

During Luella’s first year living in Sunset Bird, she met a group of kids her age that would irrefutably have one of the greatest positive impacts on her life. Winona Cameron, Vérène Alcott, Cove Holden – and most importantly, Derek Suarez. Rambunctious as they were, Luella’s trepidatious nature seemed to fit right in among them. They were accommodating to a fault.

Luella was always rather meek, but after the accident, she seemed to shrink into herself more. She was more fidgety and bashful. At times, straight up avoidant of others. But this changed things. While Winona and Vérène would inevitably become her best friends, her relationship with Derek became its own matter. Luella wasn’t acquainted with this manner of feelings, but she was certain that her feelings towards Derek existed in a league of their own.

Cliché as it was, he elicited things from her that she rarely shared with others. He made her smile with all her teeth (which was especially rare after she got braces), often made her laugh with her whole chest, and would happily sit and listen to her talk about any miscellaneous topic. Most importantly, though, he tried to understand her.

Some days they would sit together under the heavy cloak of the night – just Derek and Luella – and watch the stars. Luella would share her worries, irrational or otherwise, while they both distractedly connected the abundance of freckles on Luella’s arms and legs like little constellations. It was free and easy. Her anxieties could whisk away on the back of the ocean breeze.

Not to mention his family and their consideration of her – they accepted her like she was one of their own. When she helped look after Jorge and Nico, she felt like she was an elder sibling for once. They provided that feeling of an average nuclear family. The feeling Luella longed for.

At the end of her first summer in Sunset Bird, Luella and Derek made the promise. The promise that if they didn’t already have partners at age twenty-three, they would simply marry each other! It seemed so simple, didn’t it?

As Derek busied, their interactions began to dwindle. Luella forced herself to focus on other things. More tangible things.

Those nights under the stars became more than simple outlets for outpouring her soul. It helped her realize her love for space itself. With those far-off accumulations of things so unthinkable… it was impossible for her to not become entranced. While Derek focused on his path, she forced herself to focus on hers. Soon enough, it was only her that sat beneath the moon.

By age eighteen, Luella was clinically diagnosed with anxiety and began learning more practical ways to manage her occasional disfunction.

In response to that, she begins to work on unpacking the inevitable trauma that came from being at the scene of her parents’ demise. She allows herself to unravel her internalized survivor’s guilt. And though she still struggles with it some nights, it’s a ghost of the burden that it once was. The years after she graduates from high school are good. At least, by the average standard. She enrolls in a college program for astronomy and astrophysics. She gets a place for herself, gets piercings according to her personal style, and visits her friends and family often. She tries to call Derek as much as possible, but it’s a sporadic schedule. They’re busy people now. She has all but given up on the possibility of having an established relationship with the Derek Suarez.

Her hope is rejuvenated by being invited to a reunion with the Suarez family. It’s the first time Derek and Luella have seen each other in years! And they’ve certainly changed. Yet, they’re still the same people at art. And by thirteen-year-old-Derek’s standards, fiancés.

They’re both avoidant of their feelings. The mere concept of offering her own feelings first makes Luella’s skin crawl. Derek is far more determined. While it takes an immense amount of reassurance and healing, Luella and Derek do confess to each other and officially begin dating as twenty-three-year-olds. Took them long enough, says Elke.

★ Lore (present/ongoing) ★

Nowadays, she and Derek coexist in his home apartment. Since Luella moved in, it has certainly taken on a different appeal — gone are the days of a bland living room and empty kitchen! Luella made sure of that.

Luella continues to attend school. Some days she leaves before Derek even wakes for the morning, but most of the time she likes to spend the early dawn light sprawled over her boyfriend’s chest.

On weekends, she’ll take a trip down to her sister’s newly opened vinyl store and keep her company whilst checking in.

Nightmares are frequent, but she has begun managing them better. Derek appears to have unlimited patience. He’s happy to provide her with all the company (or space) she needs. And every night they sit together on their balcony, looking at the stars, tracing constellations on Luella’s arms like they have all the time in the world.

★ Relationships ★

Parents: Claudia Faraway and Gabriel Faraway

Siblings: Elke Faraway (F).

Aunts: Currently N/A.

Cousins: Currently N/A.

S/O: Derek Suarez

Notable Friends: Winona Cameron (my OC/MC), Vérène Alcott (my OC/MC), Terry Brook, Miranda Eckert, Cove Holden

ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭

𝙰𝚛𝚝 𝙲𝚊𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚞𝚎

Luella’s Step 4 design. (art done by me)

★ Epilogue (Artist/Author's notes) ★

Hello everyone! Luella’s introduction post is FINALLLY DONE! The word document for her bio ended up being more than Tabby’s if I remember correctly.

Luella’s design has changed quite drastically since she was first conceptualized — for one thing, she was a brunette, not a redhead. Her sense of style was different. Her general facial features took some repetitive drawing to solidify.

I hope this wasn’t too general or dragging. I tried to avoid summarizing Derek’s epilogue because I didn’t want to rehash a plot that everyone already knows, but that might come back to bite me. Oh well.

Thank you for reading! Ilyyy

𝙴𝚡𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝙻𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚜

Spotify playlist: coming soon! (wip)

Moodboard: coming soon! (as soon as I figure out how to make one)

Pinterest Board: coming soon! (wip)

[ryuuisnotpresent]

is it too late for more propaganda? well, hopefully not, because I have some right here, catch!

along with a few little edits to step 1 and 2, also introducing step 3 logan! finally gotten around to designing it after hours of scrolling through pinterest for inspo

here are some notes about the changes I made + just more stuff about his character in general, because I felt like he's lacking in that department:

• decided to change his step 1 scarf to red (since it was white before), to make red a more prominent color in his color scheme

• changed his step 2 vest color from green and red to the same color as his hair color to make his color pallette more coherent

• added a moon pin-chain thing because ???? I don't know I thought it was cute, plus I got inspired by the "sun and moon" trope for him and tamarack, since they're somewhat polar opposites

• changed his mole placements because I felt like it was too,,, typical??? (plus my ol:ba mc already has it)

• changed his eye color to green because to me it felt too busy with all the blues

• now onto step 3! he mellows out a lot in this step, which is why I went for a more casual and comfy look, in contrast to step 2 where he was basically wearing a full suit (which kinda tells you how intense he was in that step in general)

• his hair is also a lot messier and more,,, soft looking I guess? again, I wanted him to look more casual since now he has matured and realized that he doesn't have to be so formal for people to take him seriously more stuff about his character:

• is ambidextrous

• favorite color is red, which is why I wanted red to be a present color in all of his steps (which will include step 4 when I come around to it)

• for the typology nerds (by that I mean me), he is an estj

• birthday is january 19th

• love language is acts of service

• short in step 1, and tall in step 2-3

• calls opal "mother" in step 1-2, but switches to a simple "mom" in step 3

• very talkative, can get a little bossy, especially in school projects or whatnot

• I don't think this will be an option in the game itself, but applied as class president in middle school and high school (and got the role of course)

• a big fan of mytery books and (secretly) romance books. I just found the idea of him bringing his mystery book to school to read but secretly reading emily henry books while in the comforts of his room very funny.

• he stops being embarrassed by this eventually because he realized that nobody really cares, and starts reading more romance books in public

• "*putting his stuff in his locker while talking to qiu probably* can you believe that?? all of their problems would be immediately solved if they just talked, but nooo, the book would be 30 pages long if they were to just sit down and talk like adults, which they are, by the way. don't even get me started on how toxic the male lead is—"

• looks out for people, but in the most tsundere way possible

• "mother made me extra food today, you should eat them with me. oh, that was not an offer, that was a demand. sit down."

• (and most people can't even refuse his offers because they're lowkey scared of him lmao)

• lowkey a hopeless romantic. would be the type to meticulously plan the perfect date for days before actually going through with it and would be way too focused on making sure that his date enjoy their time that he forgets that he also has to enjoy it

• if in a relationship, can get overprotective over his significant other. but that is also the case for the people that he thinks of platonicaly

• a bi king, if it wasn't obvious already

• was upset about moving because he dislikes the idea of starting over when he was doing just fine a few cities over

• always seems to be doing something and never sitting still. reading, writing something down, playing with his pen, adjusting things around him that isn't quite right, etc.

• I also imagine that he would randomly just adjust other people's clothing or hair if its out of place while kind of nagging them for it ("did you even comb your hair this morning?" "your clothes are wrinkled, you should iron it when you get back" "did you even try to put on clothes properly?")

• (which could lead into some cute fluffy moments with tamarack but that's for another time)

• like I said before, he mellows out in step 3. as in, he's a little less blunt than before because he's a lot more aware of other people's feelings. its definitely not all gone though, he occasionally slips up and goes back to his step 1-2 self (he curses himself silently when that happens)

• unsettled by the idea of being alone with his thoughts and just being alone in general, so he constantly surrounds himself with people and distracts himself by doing errands and chores (angst potential where he has to relax for once and gets stressed about it)

• except not actual curses, he never swears, oddly enough for pretentiousness being proper sake ("hell" is the only exception, even though it's not really a swear imo)

• is into astronomy but gets a little embarrassed when people ask about it, but reluctantly explains the things he knows about it

• the moon pin that he always wears is a gift from opal before they moved because it reminded her of him

• more sensitive to the cold than the average person, which is why he wears more layers than most people around him. that is also why he wears earmuffs in step 1

and that's all the propaganda I have this round, thank you very much

NOT. take this bonus

Descriptions below cut!

Valentim

Valentin is a snow kid, they grew up in a ski station and loves mountains. Moving from her old town felt weird but regardless he decided to become the prettiest kid of all the town. They have a long history of complicated relationships with being confortable with their gender with the pressure of beauty standard. She’s a coquette but very extrovert kid who loves to listen about her friend’s hobbies and see in beauty in everyone and everything.

Also rockin the ADHD hyper active swag.

Logan:

blunt and intimidating but really he's just a real softie, especially to his neighbors who he often indirectly looks out for (so "doting" for both). has a hobby for people watching and surprisingly likes any type of group activities because he thinks it's more "productive" than just being by himself (he just learned what that word means)

bonus fact: was short in step 1, about tamarack's height, but goes through a growth spurt by the time step 2 comes along where hes taller than both tamarack and qiu

[ask-coveholden]

(step 3) Coven honey! How about we go on a picnic on the hill, I'll bring the bread and you'll get our favourite jams and we eat sandwiches while we see the ocean and the poppies, what do you think?

“You, the ocean, the hill, and food… my four favourite things!!”

[ask-coveholden]

everyones teasing and its not fair!! im sorry everyones so mean cove, have some flowers!! (gives u bouquet of poppies) [step 2]

“You didn’t have to go out of your way to do that… B-But thank you!!”

[gb-patch]

Hey! I love your games so far, and I was wondering: When do you estimate you'll open VA auditions for OL:NF? I wasn't along for the production of OL:BA to know roughly when that starts, but I'd be interested to know! Keep up the amazing work!! <3 :)

I'm happy you enjoy them! We do casting calls for each Step at a time as they come along, we don't wait until the whole game is close done to start casting, but an individual Step will still need to be fairly developed before auditions open.

Currently, Step 1 doesn't even have a completed prologue and we still have the Derek and Baxter DLCs to focus on. It's gonna be well into 2023 before VAs could be considered for even just Step 1. I've got new clue when Step 2 and beyond would happen.

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[gb-patch]

Heya! So I wanted to write a fanfic for OL:BA. I would probably transcribe all the from moments from step 1 and 2 and have a bit more than a simple explanation in between but then suddenly something changes and none of step 3 ever happens. That cause step 4 to be thrown out of wack. What is it? I don't wanna spoil it but if you need to know then I don't mind saying. I say all this to ask do you mind if I write the fanfic? (also I've been planning one for XOXOD as well)

Sure! You're welcome to write that story. I hope you have fun ^^