#also finally had a cg in which the mc appeared

[livingslime]

Just finished playing the game and DAMN do I like it :3 (this is gonna be a long message hope that's okay, and discussing spoilers if that matters lol)

First, I, as a queer he/they, always appreciate a gender-neutral MC, so thank you. Also, love the design of the Doc, he's really cute, and I like how his eyes are both super big and adorable, but also really creepy when need be, good art

Second, during the first night, those eyes appearing in the door?Genuinely really scary. Like, I was expecting some level of creepiness from a game like this, but that was just terrifying. Anyway, my theory is that those eyes were the Anselm because this guy would probably freak tf out at the idea of someone else watching the MC. Bro would be possessive af (at least I sure hope he is)

Third, the endings. I liked them, yes I would love an ending with a seemingly happy life with Anselm, even if it technically isn't a good ending. I just have a soft spot for doctors. For the bad one, I don't know how dark you are going to go with the story, but my theory is that he did something to the MC's body, like their legs or something, to make them weaker so they can't escape, which is why he was so aggressive about the MC not being able to go on a walk. I mean... my body is pretty weak, but unless the MC is made of paper, they wouldn't just start bleeding out from standing up unless something was up? I'm onto you...

ANYWAYS! Excellent start! However, my one issue is the "illusion of choice" if that makes sense? Like, the little options the player is given over dialogue options don't have that much impact in the end? The only one that seemed to make a difference was choosing to accept or reject the medication. I think it would make the game a lot more dynamic and make the player feel like they have more impact in the story if the dialogue options had more branching paths. Like, if in the final product, depending on how you talk to Anselm, it affects how he treats the player or how far he is willing to try and go to keep you? I just feel like currently, the player lacks a bit of agency, but that's my only "complaint", and something that could definitely be explored in the final version! Hopefully, I'm not coming across as too mean.

I hope this game gets its final version, as I need more content with the doctor immediately! I love him!

-🐈‍⬛ (idk if you do anon tags and if you do hopefully this one isn't taken lol)

Hi hi! (°◡°♡) I'm overjoyed to hear that you enjoyed my demo! ♡

Note - I will try to be as spoiler free of the story so I cannot deny or confirm any theories ><

Hehe I'm really relieved I was able you freak you out! And yes, Anselm is certainly very possessive about you. Canonly, the MC is he first ever love, I would like to expand on this in the later chapters of the visual novel's full release!

For the neutral ending of the demo, its a continuation of the storyline! So in terms of story, there is still more to come. And of course, there will be endings for the MC and Anselm where they will be "together" (づ ◕‿◕ )づ

That's a very interesting theory! But I guess we'll just have to wait and see~ muahaha!

Yes! I actually do completely agree with you on that. This is something I wanted to touch on my next devlog.

I do plan on adding more content for day1-day3 of the demo, branching dialog, probably 2 more bad endings, CGs , Etc , before I start writing the later chapters, I do have a general idea for the story but I still need to finalize everything. I plan to have this update maybe beginning 2025 hopefully!

No no don't worry you are not coming across as mean at all I promise you ♡(◕ᗜ◕✿).

Personal note - I actually created Anselm when I was in a bad space. So every time I read how much love he gets, sometimes I feel like I might tear up... like I'm so touched (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞ ♡♡

I do hope I can bring the passion project fully to life! and thank you for loving him ♡

[foxstens]

now im attached to them

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

i am biased for victor hnnggggg

does he have moments where he’s all clingy towards mc and do you have a favorite moment of them that perfectly captures why victor’s your bias?

btw, hope you’re doing well :> xoxo

Welcome to the “Victor black-hole” hnnngnnn 🥺❤️

I hope you’re open to spoilers HAHA. Cause my brain is all over the place right now and I’m just gonna pull things out off a tangent from the mess LOL :>

It’s mostly the other way around HAHA i.e. MC being the visibly clingy one between the two of them. Don’t let that fool you though cause in general, they are both VERY handsy LOL eyes the alarming number of arm around the waist CGs they have + the increasing stock of hand holding and hugging CGs. Guess the contents then owekbpkghbj >//<

Regardless, Victor does have moments when he is being “especially” clingy. These are some moments I can currently recall off the top of my head——

–

DRUNK IN LOVE ASMR – [available in global server]

Victor gets drunk (against all odds LOL) and MC tries to take care of him. But he turns into a cuddle-bug instead. AND IT’S ADORABLE.

-

THE OLD DAYS ASMR (昔时) – [unreleased]

It’s a very sentimental ASMR where Victor reminisces how his mom taught him to make the best pudding in the world and how happy she’d be if she knew how much MC loves his pudding.

The ending of the ASMR takes a slightly different turn though, and it shows us again just how cuddly, loving and warm this man is.

“If you aren’t willing to be a little more obedient, I’ll tickle you. It’s such a cold day. How can I sleep soundly without hugging you? In the past? The past is the past. I’m used to it now. I have to put my arms around your waist, smell the scent on your hair, and take you into my arms completely. Only then can I sleep soundly. You promised me. As long as I want something, and as long as I’m happy, you can do anything. Since you’ve made a promise, there’s no room for backing out. Come here. Turn around. Put your hands on my waist, here. Mm.... hug a little tighter. Come over here. Mm.... this is really comfortable.”

[showers MC with kisses]

–

HARVEST DATE – [unreleased]:

SUMMARY: Doesn’t matter how many times he calls MC out, HE IS JUST AS CLINGY.

–

During this time of the year, there’s always a kind of magical attractive force about the soft and warm blanket being wrapped around your body, making it difficult to resist its temptation.

But recalling today’s itinerary, I still clench my teeth and prepare to get out of bed.

Victor: What are you doing up so early?

His familiar temperature is pressed against my back, and his usual deep and low voice is now laced with slight sleepiness and hoarseness.

MC: The appointment with the harvesting garden is at 10 AM.... I’ll get up first and get ready.

[MC’s Company Name] and LFG’s collaborative project” Loveland Tourism Month” officially lowered its curtain yesterday. As the continuous hectic days came to an end, we could finally welcome the relaxation.

Yesterday, I received a call from the Wanshu Plantation, informing me that it's time to pick up the tomatoes I planted in the garden with Victor.

Thereupon, we decided to begin the first day of our annual vacation by going to harvest the fruits we had planted together in the past.

Victor: Early in the morning in usual days, she shouts “I’ll be up in five minutes”. But on the contrary, she is more diligent on vacations.

Victor’s eyes are closed, and his arm that is wrapped around me tightens more and more. Clearly, he has absolutely no intention of letting me get out of the bed.

His hair, which is usually well-groomed, is now strewn about his forehead in a mess, and a handful clump of it is even sticking up in a disobedient manner.

With all his seriousness dispersed, Victor appears warm and relaxed. I wrap my arm around his waist, enjoying the precious morning tenderness.

MC: Usually when I sleep in, someone always laughs at me for loathing to part with the coverlet.

MC: How come you’ve also fallen into the trap today? What happened to CEO Victor’s skill of “waking up at the right time and never procrastinating”?

Victor: When was this “skill” ever efficacious with a certain someone around? Also, I’m on annual leave today.

Victor opens his eyes, still some haze swimming across them.

Victor: “No holiday is complete without sleeping in���, isn’t that the first rule in your holiday treasure trove?

MC: While I’m very happy that you’re willing to experience my perfect holiday treasure trove for yourself, but if we don’t get up now, we’re really going to be late.

A sigh hits my ears. He jerks away my phone and tosses it aside.

Victor: ....the last five minutes.

–

HEART’S CONTENT DATE – [unreleased]

If you’re open to spoilers and have the time – PLEASE READ THIS DATE.

You asked if I have any favorite clingy Victor moment that perfectly captures why he’s my bias – THIS DATE IS THE ANSWER.

although he’s partially responsible for MC being busy cause he just gave her a new contract towards “building their future together” (Innermost Thoughts Date) – THE WAY HE SULKS THROUGHOUT THE DATE cause MC hasn’t been able to give him enough attention lately is ABSOLUTELY PRECIOUS. AND Victor showing that you can miss the love of your life THAT much even though you live in the same house skbfbdcvhbj~ *･゜ﾟ(^O^)↝

Also, yeah, he gives the poor little Pudding a run for their love for MC LOL~ (≧▽≦)

Victor: Let’s go home then. Pudding really misses you lately....

Victor: But not as much as me.

–

In other words, every one you love in this world likely loves you back and misses you too, but NO ONE loves you and misses you more than I do~ 乁༼☯��☯༽ㄏ

–

These are some droplets that I can think of at this very moment from the ocean of Victor contents LOL. And they all in some way or the other illustrate why I am down so bad for this 2D man~ (✯ᴗ✯)

And, I hope you are doing well too! 🥺💕

—

[thelonewolfstar]

Wake the Dead chapter 14.

I love my new colony upgrade it look badass.

Let's talk about the Days Til Solstice note appears at the end of each chapter. Aside from pencil and the note, you can see there's other 3 items showing.

Mayflower - May is short for Mayflower her full name.

Pistol Bullet - Dirk? Brynn? Sledge? It could be the bullet removed from Brynn's body.

Shotgun shell - Blackstock? Mossberg 500 usually have black stock. Maybe that's where he got his new name.

So why is May suddenly so important that she get a whole chapter all about her? What do we know about her? She likes plants and can make healing salve. She was the reason Feather was demoted from being an Elder. Her identity is a big question mark. They didn't talk about how they found her or who her parents are or maybe it was mention and I didn't pay much attention to it. I'm not sure what her role will be in the finale, but I think she will be important. Could be a source of leverage for us?

Another reason for Dirk to leave me cold in the finale. Whoopie! 😅 But I'm not going to replay this book and change my choices because I wanna see what PB has in store for us. I hope Angel won't blame herself for Mack's death. As a big Angel romancer this really pain me, we never see her this sad.

Finally I got my most awaited Angel CG, and it's so badass. I really see Harley Quinn in her. I appreciate this CG, it's everything what I expected.

Just another day with MC and Angel grilling zombie while calling each other babe and baby. 😅

As I mention earlier on my other post, there's a new hybrid drone a Siren which I suspected to be Brynn. I don't think they will make a chapter for someone unimportant for MC and her friends(Dirk, Troy, Shannon, Eli and Mack if he's still alive). Maybe she doesn't look like your Brynn, I think the transition to zombie will change your appearance. I don't think Angel's parents look like that when they're alive.

Additional theory

Romanceable traitor

Sledge, so far she hasn't shown any signs of betraying MC, but I won't rule out the possibility.

I have a feeling Sledge will betray us in the finale. Relating to my Richard/Blackstock theory, I think she will side her father.

Sledge has reused face of Octavia from DS who is an antagonist. (Theia from T.E has also the same face as Kassidy from TF, but she isn't a traitor, so this theory could be wrong)

The 30 diamond scene with Sledge felt rushed and lacked of feelings in it. Just like Nathan in TF, he just appear all of the sudden and become romanceable, Aerin from Blades appear later and become romanceable too. Both of them became antagonist in the finale. Sledge became romanceable at chapter 12 and had 30 diamond scene with her in chapter 13. Suspicious isn't?

[lostsoulaltair]

Genshin Impact - Twins Personalities

This is the second time I touch topics related to Genshin Impact, while it’s true Honkai Impact 3rd stays more to my heart than Genshin, I must say in terms of gameplay Genshin is pretty good, I’ve had fun like most players or so I want to believe.

One of the topics I’d like to discuss is the twins personalities which is something that I’ve noticed with time and how people tend to point out a personality related to PV or Update trailers.

P.S: Before starting, this analysis isn’t focused to discuss if Aether is the MC and Lumine is the antagonist.

Both are viewed as MCs since there are two sides to play the game; the game itself gives free will to choose who the MC of the story will be, therefore, I hope this can be followed suit with proper respect.

Analysis are held within a neutral view.

First of all, let’s talk about the intro of the game, when the twins appear for the first time along their fateful meeting with the Goddess.

But before we proceed, there’s something I must highlight. 

Within the Genshin Fandom, I want to believe some parts tend to use EN VA, other part uses JP VA or CN VA; I don’t know in terms of KR VA but I must remark that VA change a lot the perception of both protagonists/antagonists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhyRv8Ly1ag

(The video is not mine but for example, I use JP VA since I got used to the dynamic with Honkai Impact 3rd; and of course, the CN VA are really good as well, just by looking at Shattered Samsara which is HI3rd’s latest CG Animation, speaks a lot about the VA).

1. Combat

    1.1 Aether’s Combat personality

Aether’s battlestyle relies a lot on his strength and energy, it is needless to say he’s the older among between the two and of course, he displays the protective elder brother figure, backing up his sister when it comes to fights. But, within this, it is to say that in battles, specially against unknown enemies, such display of talent leads to two issues:

Exceeding confidence and talent/weapon mastery

Within the trailer, one of the things many admired from Aether is how he displayed his sword technique, among this, there was a YouTube user that made a comparison between the twin’s swordstyle which relies a lot on how they choose to fight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb0ugVuVMtY

Aether and Lumine swordstyle and elemental abilities

In Aether’s case, he is straightforward within his swordstyle attacks, his first pattern can reflect his first goal which is to break defense from the enemy, following suit a horizontal slash, moving forward to more patterns that aim to break the stance of the enemy, following suit to gather momentum and lastly delivering the final strike along traces of elemental attack which depends of player’s choice.

It could be said that Aether’s swordstyle relies a lot in technique and mastery but within this, and focusing with the intro, it grows into overconfidence, but why?

The reason goes to how the intro is explained itself. It gives an insight that Aether and Lumine cover each other’s back to the point they only need themselves to make a good combination against any enemy that comes in front of them, but within this, it also goes to their weakness; such weakness is overconfidence against anything which is why they easily lost to the Unknown Goddess and why both got separated.

gif belongs to kumiiko

   1.2 Lumine’s Combat personality

When it comes to Lumine, it must be said that she’s not focused on displaying her talents with the sword or how she manipulates it compared to Aether in the FIrst Cutscene which leads the players to choose one of the twins; instead, it is displayed that Lumine is more collected in battle, she is very aware of what her brother might have in mind in terms of combat which is why both rely on each others support to face down or strike down enemies.

Making a comparson again with the video provided by a YouTube user, Lumine’s attacks are indeed more refined and elegant, she uses her body in order to gain momentum.

Her first strike is an horizontal slash which of course, in combat scenario would lead to an evental clash against another warrior, followed suit, it goes Aether’s first strike, which is aimed to break the defense of the enemy she might be facing, leading to a spin that gives momentum to the sword wielder, delivering a strike with more strength and eventually, leading to the common release of elemental attack which depends a lot on the choice of the player.

In terms of disadvantage, Lumine’s attack patterns indeed are more refined, which of course, gives openings to the enemies and thus, it could be said that this gives away why both rely and are aware of their own attack patterns to cover each other’s back.

2. Personalities outside combat

It isn’t required to say that both hold a touch of sassy moments within the game, among this, it is visible which of them tends to be more expressive and this of course goes for Lumine.

P.S: I’m not saying Aether is not expressive.

Due to Lumine’s design, it is more visible to see her facial expressions easier or rather, it could be said her expressions are more defined compared to Aether, of course, there are moments on which Aether’s facial expressions give away the best laugh for many players.

But for this, let’s focus on each of the twins.

  2.1 Aether’s personality

Thanks to the constant footage Aether recieves with each update, it is to say that Aether is a rather emotional character, he tends to have a strong calm demanor but nevertheless, he does have a soft heart when it comes to his sister; and this is heavily seen in the Trailer of 1.3 which took part of the Lantern Rite (which of course, was quite a down in terms of what it was expected inside the game)

So far, he displays a lot of sadness and specially grief, but why?

Due to the fact that Aether is the older sibling between them, even if they state they play rock paper scissors to decide certain stuff, Aether carries grief due to the loss of his sister; and of course, when it comes to celebrations, he wishes he could have his sister with him and due to the stream of 1.4 and that battle that will make many players shiver depending of the choice, his personality comes to full terror to see his sister on the other side, fighting with those who strike to destroy the peaceful days of Teyvant.

When it comes to positive aspects or rather, when there are good moments, Aether personality tends to be more calm, nevertheless, he does express happiness if anything’s going well.

  2.2 Lumine’s personality

When it comes to Lumine, most people see her as a savage or rather as the beffiting girl for the role of the antagonist, and I must say, when it comes to people picking her as the traveller, she displays a different vibe.

Since there’s barely any trailer for her since the first game trailer was for PS4 platform along mobile devices. 

Note: The trailer of “We will be reunited” in fact was released for the PS4 port, hence why it’s seen Aether as the MC of the story within versions BUT, this doesn’t mean Lumine isn’t an MC as well. On the contrary, due to the fact the game will be taken to PS4 and Nintendo Switch, it is required to have marketing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGMvTL9AedQ

The link above is the First Trailer for Nintendo Switch which has actually been delayed due to how they’ll port the game to such device.

Nevertheless, focusing on such short footage, it is to say that Lumine’s personality tends to display hope instead of grievance, does that mean she’s a not thoughtful sister?

No. In fact, this shows that she hasn’t lost hope about finding her elder brother, she is aware her journey will be long filled with hardships but that doesn’t mean she’ll dismiss the marvels of the world she was sent to, in fact, as travellers, both discover and acknowledge the beauty of the world of Teyvant and of course, within said trailer, Lumine’s adventure was just beginning to reach Liyue by having Paimon by her side,

Within the game, Lumine shows to be calm, thoughtful and reflective, giving a warm vibe when it comes to the characters that appear within the gameplay along having a sassy side just like Aether’s dialogues due to them being twins. But, within this, Lumine’s personality strikes more since she doesn’t display what lingers in her heart, of course, this doesn’t mean she’s heartless, instead she decides only to show such emotions is with Paimon unless the events that take place get the best of her which can be seen with Tartaglia’s character story along Dainsleif quest.

She enjoys the marvels within Mondstadt and Liyue but deep down, she misses her brother and wishes to find him. She gives the impression she will do anything to help just like her brother would if there were others in need.

And of course, within the Lantern Rite and Web Event that took place in 1.1; it is to said that Lumine is a hardworker, and of course, just like Paimon, she enjoys eating a lot, and this is due to the choices that are given within the gameplay whcih are protrayed very well for both sides.

3. Personality as antagonist

So far, many have seen Lumine playing the role of the Antagonist but of course, this doesn’t mean she’s the default villain within the story, so far, due to the fact that of how the trailers of each version has displayed her but of course, for those who play Lumine’s side, they see the same when it comes to seeing Aether as the abyss prince.

3.1 Aether Abyss Prince Personality

Aether as the Abyss Prince gives an impression that he changed due to the time he has spent within Teyvant, and of course, it is well known that one of them, depending of the choice, spent 500 years wandering around Teyvant which would explain why their clothing parts shine in a white color, meaning the unselected Twin traveled within Teyvant with the help of Dainsleif until the end of the journey was settled.

It is to said that Aether’s eyes reflect no mercy, he reflects his decision and will to work with the Abyss Order even if it stands against the moralities of the world. His emotions were hardened due to the time he spent in Teyvant without any trace of his missing twin and of course, his stare gives or rather displays power and indefinite strength to fight.

It is to said that the next time the side on which Aether plays the role of the Abyss Prince will be displayed in the new update version related with the continuation of Dainsleif’s quest.

3.2 Lumine’s Abyss Princess Personality

In contrast to Aether, Lumine gives an insight that she dwelled a lot in order to take such decision. That she dwelled until she reached the conclusion she’d take such footsteps even if it meant not seeing her twin brother again. Even if it meant they’d have to fight due to a difference or clash of ideals since the perception of the world will be fractured between them.

Due to her signature and design, it is to say that even if she tries to give a menacing aspect compared to Aether, she looks determinated but she does not give the vibe of being someone that will have no regrets. And this is heavily seen with the trailer “We will be Reuinited”.

In such trailer, it’s visible that Lumine gazes at her brother Aether with longing but of course, she can’t go to his side anymore due to her working and leading the Abyss Order, it shows there’s regret of her decision in contrast to Aether, of course, it would be a matter of time until mIHoYo chooses to give an insight of the Abyss Prince in the futrue.

What are your thoughts?

To be fair, this analysis is based on all the official media along recollection of people that made comparisons between the twins.

Is there a detail you might perceive from them in terms of personalities?

[isoldmysoultojonahclemence]

Luka’s Ever After

I finished Luka’s 愛する ending in his Ever After!!! And it was so good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ENDING CG AND SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT

They went to the Land of Reason for their honeymoon!

Overall, I loved his route. A lot of character backstory was revealed, such as how Amon is the son of Alice the First, a bit more on Dean and Dalim, and the fact that Levie had to eat grass in the Land of Glass (oh Levie...). I also loved how “home” was a theme in this story, since everyone’s looking for their own place in the world (Luka, Amon, Levie). 

Luka’s father also makes a few appearances in this route, which was definitely interesting. The route, especially the 愛する end, kinda whitewashed him a bit. Apparently, Luka’s father kept Luka’s old violin all this time and kept it in perfect condition. Then in the ending, he had half a conversation with Luka and said something like: “That little kid is getting married...” and sent a bunch of flowers for his wedding.

To be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about that. I mean, he neglected Luka for pretty much his entire childhood, and I feel like there’s no real excuse for that kind of behavior. Luka was deeply impacted by his childhood, to the point where he still struggles with feelings of belonging to this day, and Luka’s father shouldn’t really be let off the hook for that. But I do support Luka repairing his relationship with his father, though, because Luka should have the chance to heal from his past and have his family be kind to him.

And now, to my favorite part of the route: Jonah.

I mean, he’s guaranteed to be my favorite part of any route bc I sold my soul to him, but still. I loved him in this route.

Like, for example, he immediately knew that Luka seemed off because of his “big brother instincts” and asked Kyle to take a look at him. Then, when Luka’s magic got out of control, he protected MC bc he knew that Luka would be beyond upset if he accidentally hurt MC. He also had a heart-to-heart with Luka when Luka was shut up in the Magic Tower due to his uncontrollable magic, and Jonah told him that he’d always be Luka’s big brother. 

But my favorite Jonah part had to be in the ending. He was in the carriage with Luka and MC when they went to the Clemence home to tell the Clemence family about their marriage. But when they arrived at the Clemence house, Jonah stayed in the carriage. He didn’t insist on going with them and protecting Luka from their father, and instead told Luka that: “This is the farthest that nii-sama can lead you. From now on, I wonder if that you can live as a mature man who can protect himself?” And Luka whispered in a small voice, “Thank you.”

ADBSHFDIODKJE;OKWA;SDL,MDDDFDNK I LOVE THIS SCENE SO SO SO SO SO SO SO MUCH BC JONAH FINALLY ACCEPTED THAT LUKA IS NOT A KID ANYMORE AND STOPPED INTERVENING ON BEHALF OF LUKA. 

And also when Luka and MC are getting married, Jonah is standing off to the side with Sirius and Jonah whispers that maybe Luka doesn’t need an older brother anymore in a rare moment of loneliness. And when Sirius heard, he told Jonah that it's not about if he’s needed or not, but an older brother will always be an older brother until his death. I thought that was super nice of Sirius, especially considering their not-so-great relationship. I do feel like Jonah should be nicer to Sirius, but I guess his straightforward personality makes it impossible for him to be nice to someone he considers as a rival. Like, Jonah’s the kind of person who either loves something or hates it, and there’s basically no in-between. But I’m getting off topic. 

So yeah. I loved Luka’s route. MC is also super awesome in this route, and used her nullification powers to save the day more than once. Also, after reading this route, I started to ship Dalim x Amon...

 (◕ ‿ ◕✿)

[herotome]

Devlog #37: Before&After GUI

Hi-ho, Wudgey here! Once again we're going to do something a little different today.

I was initially going to write a BIIIG overview of the progress we've made, but I noticed it was already getting long just from talking about the new GUI... (and apparently tumblr has a 10 image limit per post, boooo). So, I'll limit this post just to the new screens, and I'll queue up a post on our CG progress a little later. :)

A lot of this will be familiar if you've tuned in regularly to our updates; but this time I'll go into a little more detail on my process to buff out the post a bit.

First off, some before and after images as promised by the devlog title:

Name Entry Screen (Before 1/2)

I've always felt strongly about incorporating gameplay mechanics into the actual story. When I came up with the idea of having the MC write her name as part of the job search process, I was immediately invested in that direction! Originally, I was going to have the player type in their name into the Clammy Lady's tablet once they actually reached the job fair... but as you can see, it's not visually enticing.

Name Entry Screen (Before 2/2)

I reworked the idea into a resume (which makes an appearance in the March 2021 prologue demo). In my country you're expected to provide a professional headshot along with your information, which suits my nefarious purposes. The player now has an in-universe interface where they can update their picture AND type out in their name.

Name Entry Screen (After)

Finally, with help from some Ko-Fi donors, I was able to commission Re.Alice (who has a vastly more powerful background in graphic design than I do) to tighten the screen concepts and add some pizazz! Once she was done, I was able to code in some animation to give the resume screen more life.

Save Screen (Before)

Next up is the save screen. I didn't have a specific concept in mind for this one (hence the default renpy layout), but I do have strong preferences in save/load formatting from playing other games.

I referenced my favorites: Hollow Knight, Dragon Age, and Mystic Messenger. I quickly decided that I Do Not Like numbered pages, and I would replace it with a scrollbar. I did appreciate screencaptured preview pictures though, and I liked having specific names for each chapter as the player progresses.

Save Screen (After)

(I created a bigger screencapture here because the save slot text is on the small side ;;;)

Again, Alice was fantastic in helping me capture what I wanted! I also enlisted help from @synstoria for the more advanced programming areas. Once they were done, I adjusted the text format, asset positioning and added another touch of animation. I even added a bit of kerning here... who knew my college typography course would randomly pay dividends? lol.

You can see in the upper right, I've written some code to create "checkpoints" that can be loaded from this screen. The default Ren'py autosave system works by saving at EVERY choice; since Herotome is a choice-heavy game, it doesn't make a lot of sense to autosave so frequently! Instead, I'll be utilizing a checkpoint system to save before every major conversation - so if you make a mistake (or want to make chaotic gremlin choices and then claim takesies-backsies), you'll be able to use the checkpoint return to a secure area and try again.

The system will NOT save in the middle of bad endings, so you won't have to worry about getting stuck!

Choices/Textbox (Before 1/2)

What a blast from the past....! I hated the vbox choice screen so much I had to change it asap!! It's a bit nostalgic to see my original Katie sketch; I drew her on paper and added color with the multiply tool. :')

As for the textbox, I didn't really know what I wanted. I struggled with several concepts before settling for a basic gray halftone design for the time being.

Choices/Textbox (Before 2/2)

I designed placeholder assets and recruited @synstoria again to help me with the complicated coding parts. I just randomly go feral and want to break the default ren'py formatting!

I was less satisfied with the textbox, but after several concept sketches I was starting to get somewhere after I researching some superhero art deco images.

Choices/Textbox (After)

After Alice worked on the design, I adjusted the choicebox positions to be higher on the screen, so players clicking the textbox should be less likely to click on a low-hanging choice by accident. (Not that accidental clicks should remotely ruin the gaming experience, if the checkpoints work as intended...)

CONCLUSION

I'm excited about the strides we've made. Next up I'll be updating the Options screen, and I expect to update the Logbook and a couple of other screens further in the development timeline.

These visual updates will be rolled out along with the next installment, which I've decided to call Episode 1 (release date TBA). The common route will have 2-3 episodes in total before branching off into character routes. Normally I'm not keen on episodic releases, but I'm reaaally impatient for you guys to meet the love interests --and, of course, I'm impatient for you guys to talk to Warden a bit more. ^^

Please look forward to the next progress update! And if you'd like to help speed up our process (and get some spicy previews of our game's villain), please consider dropping by our Ko-Fi. We're at 72% of our goal to fund the sprite, which means we're almost there!!

I hope you’re all staying safe and keeping warm.

Much love,

Wudgey.

[aquagirl1978]

Welcome back to our final review of the season! We are all sad that Antares won't be back next week, but boy, was his route exciting, especially these last three episodes!

#1 - Favorite line in set

aliboo: "I--Captain Antares Fairchild of the Empire--am your opponent. Surrender now, or die." For the sheer epicness of it!!

aqua: Antares stops short. The thick smoke refracts the glow of his beam saber, haloing him in a corona of red. I loved the imagery of Antares, wielding his saber, surrounded by red smoke.

violet: "Uptight, a little villainous, but wicked cultured."

#2 - Favorite scene/moment

aliboo: Fav scene is where Antares comes to MCs aid when the assassin finds her at the hotel and he comes flying in through the damn window!!! I love a good battle scene but especially when they take the opportunity to snark at each other whilst fighting. And MC catches their reflection and admires their power couple aesthetic! NOT THE TIME haha!

aqua: My favorite was Antares helping bandage MC, leading up to the almost kiss. I had been discussing with friends when we thought the cg scene would appear, and thought they might make that the season cliffhanger. So I was completely shocked that this scene came as early as it did. And of course it immediately cut to "To Be Continued" - thankfully, I had some tickets saved up!

violet: Where she was hurt and he immediately wanted to look and make sure she was ok, then he tsked about her covering it up the way she did and then THE MOMENT where they were really close and for the first time we see the idea of kissing enter the arena.

#3 - Did you buy hearts? Which scene(s)? Worth it?

aliboo: I bought all the scenes and of course they are all worth it. My favourite was the one in episode 12 which is part of the aforementioned fight scene with the assassin! Love it.

aqua: I bought them all, as I have done the past 3 weeks. I liked the one in Ep 11 the best where the discuss the "almost kiss". One of the best parts of this route is their banter, and that was showcased here.

violet: I got ALL OF THEM. They are all so worth it. I really liked the action scene, which says a lot as I don't usually buy those but this was really well written.

#4 - Standout character

aliboo: Antares and his little shit behaviours once again. Being the one to instigate the almost kiss with all that hip and shoulder touching as he moved her into position, followed by "It's clear to me now that this was just another attempt to seduce me". Ha. And "You can't possibly stay here. The door's been damaged." Yeah, no shit! But most of all, for throwing himself THROUGH THE WINDOW to come to MCs assistance. Badass.

aqua: Antares. From helping take care of MC's wound and giving her access to his Empire database, to appearing out of nowhere to save her from the assassin, he is continuing to prove just how much he does care for MC. I won't mention his final act of kindness... for spoilers.

violet: MC. She faced a lot of difficult moments very well.

#5 - Thoughts on the CG?

aliboo: Another great one. THE WAY THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER! I'm looking forward to seeing more in the future without the helmet, but for S1 CGs they're perfect.

aqua: Best one of the season! The artwork has improved so much from his original route; I'm so happy he's getting all these amazing CGs (and mini cgs - those have been amazing as well). It's also nice to see a CG that fits so perfectly to the scene *cough*Piama*cough*

violet: I loved it. It is my favorite of the season. The tension in the CG is palpable. The expression on their faces, the placement of his hand, the way her jacket is off her shoulder.

#6 - Fave screenshot

aliboo: I love this screenshot firstly because of the look they're giving each other, but also because of the juxtaposition between the romance of him leaning in, and MCs observation that his helmet is, indeed, terrible.

aqua: For the first time this season, he is truly defending her. Not just sending one of his men to watch over her, but he, himself, coming to her aid, ready to kill someone to save her.

violet:

#7 - Secondary character shining moment.

aliboo: MC for being an absolute trooper as always. It doesn't matter what kind of awful situation she finds herself in, she's always trying to plan her next move. Something that hasn't gone unnoticed by our Empire captain - he's impressed.

aqua: Officer Gorlt, for providing MC on some insight as to how Antares' soldiers see him - someone who expects the best, not only in them but himself. And he is a fair man, someone worthy of their respect, who they would die for. MC begins to see a different side of Antares, likely making her fall even more for him.

violet: The helmet containing all the smolder in his blue eyes and drawing MC's ire because of it.

#8 - Thought on the villain.

aliboo: The assassin was just another pawn for the Union. We're learning more about their corrupted ways every week and I can't wait to see what's coming to them in S2!

aqua: We knew the Union was bad, but we are just scratching the surface of exactly how bad the Union truly is.

violet: I see why Atlas hates the Union so much. What a bunch of lowlifes.

#9 - Most OMG scene?

aliboo: The scene where Antares is administering first aid and suddenly, omg they are MUCH closer than they thought and an ALMOST kiss! I do love a good patch up scene so this was a very cool place to sneak this in.

aqua: Antares saving the day by showing up in a spray of glittering glass, confronting the assassin and defending MC.

violet: When he suggests she work with him. I went...AHHHHH perfect!!

#10 - Any predictions for next season?

aliboo: Can I please claim 1 prediction from last week in that Antares would hire MC. I mean, it was very likely going to happen but my ego needs some assurance here, thanks. For next season, we're going to find out what the mystery behind the wrecked Union battleship is and declare war on the Union. And there'll be some kissing too. Hopefully.

aqua: Yes, @aliboo, of course you can have credit LOL. Antares and MC's relationship will take a new dynamic, as they will be working together. I hope we get to see more of his crew (like Corvus) as we discover more of the Union's sinister secrets. MC will get frustrated one day and rip that terrible helmet off.

violet: Antares and MC will find the downed Union ship and we find out what information was on it, they dodge a lot of close calls before they do so, they grow closer, he takes his flipping helmet off sometimes, and we definitely get a kiss

[ultimatetrashgoblin]

Blaire Reviews: Nahara Season 2

Disclaimer: All of this is my opinion, you are allowed to disagree with me. (Minor spoilers for Wrath as I do compare an event in her route to this one)

Thank you @onehopefuldreamer for your request!

First impressions

What a way to start a season! Nahara’s heart has just shattered, and she and MC are standing there dumbfounded by a seemingly impossible event happening less than a minute after their first kiss! MC feels she’s at fault, believing that the kiss is the reason for this.

Nahara is (understandably) very distraught by this situation, and we watch this normally very calm and collected woman fall apart trying to grasp an explanation for what has happened to her. I feel like this scene best describes what both MC and the reader are feeling.

MC cares about Nahara. She doesn’t want to see her suffering like this. When Nahara’s heart shattered, so did her sense of reality and security. She felt empty, hollow, alone.

A seer, by definition, is someone who is able to see what the future holds through supernatural insight. But she’s uncertain of what might become of this, and for her, that might be the most terrifying thing of all.

To move onto lighter topics, I am in LOVE with Nahara’s room, and representation for people who have multiple cups in their room is very appreciated.

The group reacts about as calmly as you’d expect people to react when they’ve just been told that their friend’s heart shattered. And gotta love Ripley’s “heart stealer” joke (Lovestruck please let me date her).

We got a very fun, low-stakes introduction to Shadow Renzei’s long lost twin, and the shocking reveals that MC knew this guy from high school (when I tell you I gasped).

My one question is if Shadow is a fail safe for the troupe, where was he in other routes when they almost died? Or does he only carry out his orders once the troupe is already dead?

To add to that, where is the troupe during all of this? Shouldn’t they be informed if their Seer has an evil doppelgänger? Or that their Seer’s heart shattered? Because I’m willing to bet Malakai has some book with a ritual that could help with this situation. Nahara has always been there to assist the troupe when they needed help, why couldn’t they return the favor? Also if alternate dimension Ripley is still human, does that mean Onyx never became the envy assassin? LOVESTRUCK I NEED ANSWERS

Moving on, a piece of Nahara’s heart just... comes back. Because of course it does. Slightly anticlimactic and raises several more questions, but Nahara is happy, and that’s all that matters.

Before I get into the finale (because w o w), I want to take a moment to talk about Cristal and Fifi.

Firstly, as someone who is also an enby who happens to appear more feminine, if I catch anyone misgendering Cristal, you will catch these hands. They are non-binary, they use they/them pronouns, and if you want to try to argue that they “look like a girl”, unfollow me right now. (Gender in fashion is a myth and social construct anyway, wear what you want and don’t let anyone give you shit for it, you are and always will be valid in your identity.)

Despite me wanting to date both Cristal and Ripley, I’m also strongly shipping them together in this route. And the scene where Ripley reveals that her Cristal died was heartbreaking, and the way Cristal tries so hard to brush it off when they’re clearly having trouble dealing with this information just-

In short, Cristal is a precious baby and I would die for them any day.

And then there’s Fifi. I don’t mean to sound like a bitch (granted, I am a huge bitch, but not intentionally), but what purpose does she have in this route? Unless she turns into some sort of villain (which might be the case seeing as she clearly holds some sort of resentment towards MC), I really don’t get why she needs to be here. Honestly, I think this route would be better without her. She’s not that likable as a character, and she doesn’t seem to be that helpful. Personally, I could’ve done without her.

Now the ending, holy shit the ending. Nahara decides that she needs to travel to the alternate world and defeat her evil self before she gets the chance to come to their world. Shadow agrees to help Nahara travel between worlds so she’ll be able to get back and Cristal doesn’t have to die.

To Fifi’s credit, her being concerned about Cristal’s safety during this ritual does give her some likability, but she still doesn’t seem very useful.

I feel like the cliffhanger was slightly predictable, especially so early on. Obviously MC was going to end up in the other world so she could help Nahara fight evil Nahara (who has abnormally large eyes for some reason). But the last thing I was expecting was MC’s dad to show up. I actually forgot about him after Wrath’s route ended.

The next point is going to include a minor spoiler for Wrath’s route, so if you haven’t read her route yet (which I highly recommend you do), skip the next point.

Does MC’s dad in the alternate world know about demons? Or did they switch it up and have the mom be the one to know about it? Or do neither of them know about it in this world?

Another question I have is if the MC from the other world died, wouldn’t the dad be more surprised by her being alive? Or is this a third world where she didn’t die? And if she didn’t die, wouldn’t that mean there’s two MCs in that world? Hopefully these will be answered in season 3.

Final thoughts

I adore Nahara and her route. It’s well written, the pacing is good, and Nahara herself is a goddess among humans and we are not worthy of her.

However, in reviewing this season, I discovered that there were actually quite a few plot holes that left me with a lot of unanswered questions. And Fifi is a pointless addition to the cast (again this is my personal opinion you’re allowed to like her), and the route would’ve been better without her.

Overall rating: 8/10

Also, I’ve had a few people message me asking me to include my favorite CG in my reviews, and after careful consideration (because I love all of them) I choose this one:

[em-neko]

KISSED BY THE BADDEST BIDDER MAIN ROUTE REVIEW

hey! so i just finished watching kaylaslovely on youtube’s review of the main five (+ rhion) bidders routes and so i thought i would make my own review, because i felt like it. so here you go!

i will be reviewing all nine main routes, or main stories. each story will be rated using these five categories: plot, pace, romance, mc (since she’s different in every story) and love interest. at the end, i’ll give the story its final rating and i’ll let you know whether i recommend it or not.

i will try not to include any spoilers, but just in case, consider this your spoiler warning!

remember, these are my personal opinions.

summary: you are a maid at a hotel called the tres spade hotel, owned by the ichinomiya group. one day, you get dragged into the ivc (an exclusive party for the elite, held inside the hotel) and you basically get lost. while you’re wandering around the area, you enter a storage room where a lot of expensive items are held. little did you know, those items belonged to a blackmarket auction, the ivc was only a cover for said auction. being the clumsy queen that you are, you manage to bump into the statue of venus and knock it over. when the men responsible for the expensive items find you, they throw you into a giant birdcage and put you up for auction instead of the statue.

from here, you can pick one of the main five love interest (eisuke, soryu, mitsunari, mamoru and ota) to buy you. the other love interest (except for rhion) only appear in the second/third season, they purchase you from eisuke (presuming eisuke bought you but you never fell in love). rhion is part of an “au”, but his story technically takes place in season one. does that make sense? okay, perfect. now, on to the review!

EISUKE ICHINOMIYA: THE ARROGANT CEO

plot: 8/10, the plot is a cliche and fairly overused trope... but i love it. it’s well executed and feels unique and original, even though the core of the plot really isn’t.

pace: 8/10, in my opinion, i think the pace was very good. it wasn’t too slow or too fast (although it leaned on the slower side) and i feel like mc fell in love with eisuke at an appropriate time in the story. the ending felt slightly rushed but i feel like that’s a common theme with love 365 stories.

romance: 7/10, not as romantic as other routes (i mean, it’s eisuke we’re talking about), especially at the beginning, but there were moments that made me smile.

mc: 6/10, she’s definitely a bit of a pushover in this route. i wish she stood up to eisuke more, i wish she was sassier, it would’ve made the story sooo much funnier!

love interest: 7/10, eisuke’s kind of a jerk in this story, but hey at least he’s entertaining? (he has his cute moments tho)

final score: 72% (b-)

recommendation: sure? to be honest, it was pretty okay, a little boring compared to the other routes but for the low low price of literally 0$ (his main route is free), it’s not bad.

SORYU OH: THE COLD MOBSTER

plot: 9/10, i really liked his plot! i’ll admit, i’m not a fan of gang related stories, in fact, i usually hate them, but soryu’s story genuinely surprised me! i especially loved the fact that mc made a female friend along the way, usually other females in stories are seen as rivals (as in eisuke’s case), but it wasn’t the case here and that made me really happy. we support women in his household <3

pace: 7/10, the ending was really rushed in my opinion, like way more rushed than the usual rushed love 365 ending. when it ended i was like, “are you serious?” it just felt abrupt. the rest was fine tho.

romance: 8/10, the romance was subtle (due to soryu’s cold and mysterious demeanor), but you could definitely feel it. there was sooo much chemistry between the characters, so it felt really romantic.

mc: 8/10, she’s a little boring, but at least she’s relatable, like her actions/choices make sense in this story.

love interest: 9/10, c’mon, who doesn’t love soryu? there’s a reason why the whole fandom simps for this man. he’s the perfect mix of cold and innocent, and his reaction to regular people things (like going to the supermarket) is hilarious! he’s really sweet too and you can tell that he really cares for mc.

final score: 82% (a-)

recommendation: yes! even if you don’t like gang related stories, i’d still give his route a chance.

MITSUNARI BABA: THE WOMANIZING THIEF

plot: 9/10, i really loved the plot. it’s basically a romcom with action and criminal activity, it’s gold.

pace: 8/10, there were some parts that felt rushed, but overall i think the pace was fine.

romance: 10/10, the most romantic story of them all (i don’t expect any less from baba). their interactions are so cute and i loved watching them get closer and more comfortable with each other.

mc: 8/10, even though she’s kind of dumb, it works because this story is more comedic, her naivety and trusting nature helped the plot advance rather than disrupting it. she’s also really sassy in this story, i loved watching her shoot down baba!

love interest: 9/10, i love baba! i love the womanizer character trope, i know it’s an unpopular opinion but i still love it. he’s actually a total dork and he has the best lines, i smiled throughout the whole story!

final score: 88% (a)

recommendation: it’s one of my favorite main stories, so i definitely recommend it! however, if you don’t like romcoms or womanizers, you’ll probably hate this story lol

MAMORU KISHI: THE SLACKER DETECTIVE

plot: 8/10, his plot is intense. it’s action packed, there’s twists and turns and it definitely kept me on my toes. however, it is a little hard to keep up with at times, i definitely had moments where i got lost.

pace: 8/10, like mitsunari’s story, the pace was a little inconsistent, there were times when scenes felt rushed, idk if it was on purpose because it was a more “action-y” story, but even some of the “romantic” moments felt rushed.. which was a shame because there weren’t many.

romance: 7/10, it wasn’t very romantic, honestly. they had their cute moments, but they were rare. they have good chemistry, like the best friends you hardcore ship, but there just wasn’t much actual romance. i would compare their relationship to judy and nick in zootopia, like friends but a little more.

mc: 5/10, the mc actually bites back in this story, which is refreshing. however, she nags mamoru a lot, and i got sick of it really fast, to the point where i’d roll my eyes whenever she opened her mouth towards the end of the story. she acts like mamoru is a child incapable of taking care of himself, yet she gets angry when he calls her “kid” or treats her like one? wtf? ALSO, one third of the story is her being jealous of a dead person, which is literally so unreasonable and illogical. i could rant about her all day i swear.

love interest: 9/10, mamoru is so relatable, it’s not even funny. i love the way he speaks and i love the way he reacts in situations. he acts like he doesn’t care, but you know damn well the man cares more about mc than anyone else. he’s also surprisingly patient (which, few bidders are), as i said, the mc is really immature in this story, and even tho he acts annoyed, he never actually gets angry at her. there’s something really cozy about him.

final score: 74% (b)

recommendation: if you like action packed stories, i would recommend this story! with that being said, the mc really ruined it for me.

OTA KISAKI: THE DECEPTIVE ARTIST

plot: 5/10, it was too predictable. literally three chapters in i was like, “oh, i see where this is going” and sadly i was right! it was really dramatic, which i actually enjoyed, but the overly predictable plot ruined it for me.

pace: 7/10, the pace was fine, however i feel like mc realized she was in love with ota at the wrong time. i wished they would’ve picked a different moment (maybe later) in the story to make her realize she’s in love with him, or just change the scene completely. because it was like one moment she just saw him as her buyer and at the snap of a finger she’s in love with him, like what?

romance: 5/10, there was literally one romantic scene in the whole story. there were some other cute moments but they were completely overshadowed by ota’s attitude. also, the whole dog fetish really turned me off, especially because the mc was clearly uncomfortable with it.

mc: 7/10, i feel bad for her. she’s really submissive and shy in this story, but like it makes sense (i would act the same as her tbh, i’d be too weirded out to give any sass), so she gets a pass.

love interest: 4/10, ota is so unlikeable in the first season omg i’d almost forgotten how much i used to hate him. however, he becomes really sweet after season 3, you just have to suffer through the first seasons lmao

final score: 56% (d)

recommendation: i really like ota but that story was not it. i wouldn’t waste my coins, honestly. if you really wanna read ota, read one of his substories or any story after season 3, don’t bother with his main route. however, his cg’s were one of the prettiest, so hooray?

SHUICHI HISHIKURA: THE ALOOF POLITICIAN

plot: 8/10, i liked this plot. it felt more serious than the other stories, but that wasn’t a bad thing.

pace: 7/10, same problem as soryu’s story, the last chapters were hella rushed and it made the falling action pretty confusing.

romance: 7/10, it wasn’t very “romantic”, but there were definitely scenes were you could really feel the attraction between the two. i find they compliment each other well.

mc: 8/10, this story was not meant to be a comedy, but the mc made it one. she’s so stupid that it’s actually hilarious, i honestly couldn’t stop laughing at her cluelessness. usually i’d find stupidity annoying, but in this story, i loved it. it made the heavy storyline easier to digest.

love interest: 9/10, shuichi’s a vengeful bitch, which makes his soft moments that much cuter. i like how he has his quirks, and how he has a professional stoic side as well as a soft caring side.

final score: 78% (b+)

recommendation: yeah, for sure. however, if you don’t enjoy the stoic stern hard-to-read type, you might not enjoy this story.

HIKARU AIHARA: THE MYSTERIOUS HITMAN

plot: 9/10, i really enjoyed this plot. it was like a romcom mixed with a dark-ish drama, it was really unique.

pace: 8/10, the pace of the story was good, however i felt like there was a bit of repetition in the story, in scenes and in dialogue.

romance: 7/10, i absolutely love hikaru and mc’s bantering! i think they’re so cute and it’s just really funny to read. it’s subtlety romantic and you can definitely tell that they like each other. with that being said, hikaru’s treatment of mc at the beginning of the story really ticked me off.

mc: 9/10, okay, she had her annoying moments like she always does, but the mc is so funny in this story! she reminds me of the mc from our private homeroom. i really liked her.

love interest: 9/10, here’s the thing, if you don’t like tsundere’s... you’ll fucking hate hikaru, because he’s a tsundere to the max. i love tsundere’s sooo, yeah i loved him hihi. he’s fucking adorable and his dishonesty towards his feelings is really cute. he’s also a sad boy, which made me have a soft spot for him.

final score: 84% (a-)

recommendation: honestly, i did not enjoy this story the first time i read it. i think it was because i didn’t understand hikaru’s sense of humor at the beginning, so i thought he was just a dick and mc was an idiot for liking him, but when i reread it after reading a couple of hikaru’s substories, i actually liked it. so, if you like tsundere’s i’d definitely recommend this story, if not, steer clear.

LUKE FOSTER: THE GOOD DOCTOR

plot: 9/10, i liked it! it felt a lot sadder/darker than the other plots, but it wasn’t overly depressing. there were lighthearted moments throughout and i like how luke gave mc a job instead of using her for personal gain or pushing her around all day. it was also surprisingly intense, with a few steamier scenes here and there.

pace: 8/10, the pace was pretty good, but like hikaru’s route there were scenes that made me go “i feel like i’ve read this before...” there was a rhythm to the story, or at least that’s what it felt like.

romance: 8/10, this story was definitely more intense than romantic. they still had their cute moments though, especially towards the end.

mc: 6/10, the mc is so nosy, impatient and short tempered in this story omg. she’s so quick to judgement and she has no sympathy towards luke for like the first 11 episodes of the story which really bothered me. also, she didn’t seem to understand luke’s way of showing affection and it got a little frustrating. she’s just exceptionally bad at reading people.

love interest: 8/10. if you love sad sweet boys who are surprisingly hot, you’ll love him. his collarbone obsession might weird some people out, but i found it hilarious and it was the perfect way to balance such a sad story.

final score: 78% (b+)

recommendation: if you like sad yet cute stories, i think you’ll really like this one.

RHION HATTER: THE MAD AUCTIONEER

plot: 10/10, his plot is amazing! it’s so adorable, innocent and unique, all while somehow managing to make me a little emo. rhion’s also the only bidder (besides luke) who didn’t use mc for personal gain, he actually bought her for some sort of companionship which was really refreshing (wow, the bar is set low yikes).

pace: 9/10, the pace was really great, it’s a slow burn too, which i love, but the last couple of episodes felt a little rushed.

romance: 10/10, it’s probably as (or maybe even more) romantic than baba’s story. there are so many cute moments, even when mc and rhion don’t really know each other yet. the romance is really sweet and pure, but it feels so real.

mc: 9/10, i love how she interacts with rhion! she’s relatable in this story and her actions are sensible, she has a mind of her own and she isn’t afraid to speak it.

love interest: 9/10, it’s rhion. he’s so precious! his shy and sweet nature is such a nice change from the other bidders and i really love how he slowly opens up to mc. also i think his alter ego of the mad hatter is really cool!

final score: 94% (a+)

recommendation: it’s my favorite story on the app for a reason. i definitely recommend it, even if you’re more into the sexy stories, i still think you should give rhion’s main route a chance! i made my friend who isn’t even into otome games play it and she really liked it.

FINAL RATING: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

i’ll admit, trying to look past the human trafficking bs was really difficult at first, but if you can manage to turn a blind eye to it and try to remember that it’s just a video game and everything’s fictional, it’s pretty good. the love interests are great, there’s some action, there’s a some drama and there’s a lot of humor. the sub stories are really good too!

[xiaomoxu]

LUCIEN - Setting up Stall Date Part 3 and 4 (Christmas Date)

SPOILER ALERT!!

This is Christmas Date 2020 from CN server which hasn't been released on EN server yet. Might contains some spoiler.

Brace yourself for sweet moment from Lucien and MC ☺

I'm doing this translation for personal reason, so I'm sorry if there's some mistranslation. Kindly tell me if you found some :) feel free to read it~ ^^

I used Lucien CN name on it, Xu Mo.

Read the previous part here

PART 3

I was stunned for a second, then looked back and saw Xu Mo looking at the surrounding environment naturally.

Xu Mo: I like the decoration of this shop.

I blinked slowly and suddenly realized that he was rehearsing the scene of receiving customers with me.

Xu Mo: Miss, is there something on my face? You seem to be staring at me all the time.

Xu Mo's sudden "trick" was like a light feather, gently and just right to sweep away the tension in my heart.

I breathed out gently and took the wish card on the table to show him.

MC: Welcome!

MC: You can exchange any item for our wish card, write your wish and hang it on the Christmas tree in front of the door.

MC: Half an hour before the end of the market, we will select a lucky person to fulfill their wish.

Xu Mo: Do I have to exchange an item?

He spoke softly, then looked thoughtfully at the clock on the wall.

Xu Mo: It seems that the time is just right.

Before I could understand what he meant, I heard a slight noise behind me.

I turned my head when I heard the sound, something in the fireplace was slowly falling down the smokeー

A beautiful gift box hung from the end of the balloon and fell down, and finally stopped firmly on the ground.

MC: This is...?

MC: A gift from a Santa Claus who has not received professional training for MC.

I was pleasantly surprised to pick up the slap-sized gift box and shook it lightly, vaguely feeling that it was a square thing.

I was about to pull off the streamer, the bell at the door made a pleasant sound, and a young girl appeared before our eyes

Seeing the real guests come in, I carefully put the gifts -that I had no time to unpack- in my pocket, looked at Xu Mo and took a deep breath.

MC: I'm going by first!

When I brushed past Xu Mo, he seemed to encourage me and lightly squeezed the palm of my hand.

I turned my head and blinked at him, took the wish card and walked to the girl, explaining the rules of the wish house with ease.

The girl quickly showed a curious expression and took out a piece of chewing gum from her pocket.

Girl: Is this also can be exchanged?

I nodded enthusiastically and gave her the wish card in my hand.

Thinking of the "exercise" that had just been interrupted, I picked up another wish card and put it in Xu Mo's hand.

MC: Fulfill the rules of the Wish House, this is the wish card you just exchanged.

Xu Mo smiled and took the card and wrote. I just wanted to look up, but he turned around and gently pinched my cheek.

Xu Mo: Rather than taking a peek, I hope you selected it.

After speaking, he hung the wish card on the Christmas tree at the door of the wish house.

After a while, more tourists poured into the store. After explaining the rules again and again, everyone took out their belongings in exchange for wish cards.

Tourist A: This is the leaf I picked up from the ground, Can I change it?

Tourist B: And me, this is chocolate!

Tourist C: Is this a charity event?

Seeing the "business booming" in the store, and the excitement in my heart lasted for a long time.

MC: Please put the items to be exchanged with me, and then go to the side to receive your wish card.

Tourist D: Lady Boss, can this be changed too?

When I heard the two words "Lady Boss", I subconsciously turned my head and bumped Xu Mo's eyes into fullness.

He handed the card in his hand to the tourists in front of him naturally.

Xu Mo: Of course, please pick up your wish card from me.

I tried my best to suppress the rising corners of my mouth and put the things exchanged by tourists into the storage box.

Soon, the last wish card was also hung on the Christmas tree.

At this time, the Christmas tree has been clothed with a wish, and the layers of cards carry everyone's wishes.

Thinking that behind these different wishes, there is a person who is thinking about it, and there is a warm feeling in my heart.

Time passed quickly, and after a while, many familiar faces came back again in front of the door, which seemed to remind me that it was time to draw my wish card.

After checking the clock on the wall, I walked to the Christmas tree with Xu Mo and waved enthusiastically.

MC: Time is up, now we are about to pick up today's lucky ones!

MC: To ensure fairness and justice, I will blindly draw a wish card with my eyes closed and three circles!

After that, I closed my eyes in the undulating cheers, and countless cards slid across my fingertips, making a rustling sound.

After a few laps, after pulling off a card in the dark, I slowly opened my eyes

"Last year we were lucky enough to encounter mistletoe, so what will we encounter this year?

PART 4

Such a familiar handwriting, I almost recognized it without hesitation.

I turned my head to look at Xu Mo beside me, his brows and eyes curled, as if he already knew the result.

Xu Mo: It seems, I have always been lucky with you.

Xu Mo turned his head slightly, leaving a faint voice in my ear.

The butterfly kiss under the mistletoe appeared in my mind, as if the touch at that time was still between my lips.

Until my thoughts were interrupted by the sounds around me.

Tourist: What is it, everyone is so curious, let's announce it soon!

I looked at the content on the card, and after hesitating for a few seconds, I took a deep breath and read it out.

Sure enough, everyone was at a loss when they heard it, but it didn't take long for them to shout in excitement.

Tourist: Whose wish is this, hurry up and claim it!

Suddenly, Xu Mo held the palm of my hand and shook it gently in the air.

MC: It's mine.

As soon as Xu Mo's words fell, the surroundings boiled and several tourists pointed towards him.Tourist: The owner of Wish House!

Tourist B: What a coincidence! If she didn't close her eyes and rotate three times, I would really think it was a black box operation!

The surrounding voices fluctuated, and most of them were for Xu Mo to explain the meaning of the wish card. I hesitated and was about to divert the topic, but Xu Mo spoke first.

Xu Mo: I believe that when everyone writes down their wishes, they will think of the person they care about the most.

Xu Mo: Therefore, for me, the meaning of this wish is also a secret in my heart.

Xu Mo: Sorry, I can only reveal that much.

Xu Mo: Let this secret be known only to me and my "Lady Boss".

After the words fell, the tourists put on a meaningful smile and kept blessing us.

Subsequently, the Wish House gradually returned to its original appearance under the continuous blessings...

Finally, only me and Xu Mo were left.

(CG karma included as well)

Xu Mo came to me with two cups of hot drinks and sat next to me.

I took the cup and took a breath, there was a warm stream slid into my stomach. After I completely relaxed, I picked up the gift box in my pocket.

MC: There were too many people just now, and there was no chance to open it....

MC: It's done now. I want to open it when there are only two of us.

Xu Mo: I hope you will not be disappointed.

I shook my head in disapproval, and carefully removed the wrapping paper.

A beautiful snowflake specimen appeared before my eyes.

Every small branch extends from a flawless angle, like a work of art that cannot be reproduced.

MC: This is...?

Xu Mo: It comes from the first snow of the year.

Xu Mo: I was in the office that day and when I got back to my senses, I found myself standing in the snow.

Xu Mo: Suddenly I wondered if you would have the same regrets as me.

Xu Mo: "It would be nice if I could be by your side at this time."

Xu Mo: So I kept this moment.

MC: I'm just like you, thinking it would be nice if you were by my side at this time...

I lowered my head and rubbed my palms gently with my fingertips along the lines of the snowflakes, wanting to impress deeply in my heart.

MC: Xu Mo, I like this gift very much, especially...

It turns out that even when we are not around, we still have the same thoughts.

Although the movements of my hands are gentle, the surging in my heart has already turned over and over again.

MC: Xu Mo, now let me fulfill my wish for you.

MC: This is what I have always wanted to do for you, and it is also the original inspiration for Wish House.

I got up and walked to the window, hanging the "snowflakes" in my hand there. Then he raised Xu Mo's hand and walked to the shop window outside the door.

MC: Last year you told a legend under the mistletoe..

MC: Now I want to tell you a legend under "The Witness of the Window".

MC: In fact, no matter when and where, as long as two people care about each other, it is the most romantic legend.

In the slow confession, I kept looking deeply at Xu Mo, and his eyes followed my words, with shining brilliance flowing.

MC: So we have already realized this most romantic legend.

After speaking, I stood on my tiptoe and slowly tilted towards Xu Mo, and the breath of each other kept approaching.

Suddenly, the craze spread on my lips, soft and infatuating.

The cold snowflakes covered our body and then quickly dissipated on the hot skin. The Christmas music rang out in the sky also disappeared in my ears.

I don't know how long it took, he finally let me go slowly.

Xu Mo: If I had known it earlier, you did this to fulfill my wish.

Xu Mo: I might write a more "excessive" wish.

The corners of my mouth couldn't help but rise, turning my head to his ear and whispering.

MC: After today is over, the Wish House will be in my heart, always open for you.

The smile in Xu Mo's eyes grew deeper and deeper, the next second he stretched out his hand and hugged me into his arms.

-END-

[velise-queenofirony]

ANDROMEDA-SIX How Mass Effect: Andromeda, but good

Finally, I got some time to go through the new episode of A6 and in this connection I had a desire to talk about this game.

Like most games that I spend my life on, this is a visual novel in which you (MC) try to build a relationship with one of the proposed love interests + follow the development of the plot. The setting of the game is a sci-fi, which for me (fantasy fans) is somewhat unusual, but my love for the Mass effect and the intriguing description of the characters did their job and in the end I caught the hook once again: “We have a cool an idea with cool characters, in the plot there will be secrets of the intrigue of romance, but the demo / chapter 0 / episode 1 / prologue will come out someday. ” However, in the situation with Andromeda, my expectations were not in vain.

Let's talk about the visual component. To be honest, for me this is the most ambiguous assessment parameter. Subjectively, the appearance of sprites and CGs is functional and not repulsive, but objectively ... it could have been better. What I like about the visual component is the backgrounds and colors. The backgrounds are beautiful, pleasant to the eye, combining well with character sprites and not drawing attention to them.

I’ll say a little about the plot to avoid spoilers. First of all, the plot is good in that it slightly draws attention from the characters and their problems. Secondly, events are developing dynamically. At some point, it even seemed to me that it was too dynamic, but evaluating the dynamics from a height of 4 episodes, I don’t think so.

In my opinion, the most important component of such games are the characters. And to be honest, initially, I was interested, but my expectations were greatly underestimated and the first episode did not inspire much hope. However, I found that despite the seemingly typical archetypes of the characters, I have no desire to quit any of the route. Yes, I also have favorites, but even if the character is not of my type at all, observing the relationship is still very interesting.

! Further there will be hints of spoilers of episode 4!

IMHO, episode 4 is the best of those that have been published at the moment, change my mind!!! It led us to the moment when all the actors came together, the relationship with each of the love interests was identified, and also showed some of them from a new perspective.

Speaking of LI:

Juniper: Absolutely not my type. Characters by type: “Ah, MC, I'm so terrible and dangerous. And you are so beautiful. A ray of light in this terrible world filled with darkness. I want to hug you. NOT. You can't, you have to leave. GO BACK ”extremely annoy me. But June was able to pleasantly surprise me by showing that the chivalry and self-flagellation inherent in it is not the only thing in this character. Special attention deserves his reaction to the disclosure of the identity of MC. His reaction is the most rapid and even unique, which makes his root much more interesting.

Calderon: Also not my type. Too command, stiff dick without any spicy. I thought. How wrong I was. There is plenty of spicy in our captain. But not only that. He can be quite caring and condescending. Even to some extent sweet. But I still don't regret calling him a d*ck. He deserved it.

Bash: Finally my favorite! The very first thing that catches your eye is that it’s fun to flirt with Bash. Talking to him is fun, and his reaction to the flirting remarks is incredibly sweet. The dark past gives it depth, but does not obscure the interaction with it. And also. Cool dentures give +100 charm.

Ryona: Again, not my type XD. Angels with a good heart, but creepy skeletons in the closet are certainly interesting, but they scare me a little. Moreover, romance with her is too sugary sugar. However! If you compare her route with others, then this romance is to her advantage.

Ayame: WIFE. Cheerful, lively, but capable of being serious and gloomy. Flirting with her is good, and her reddened face is pretty. The best girl! We are going further.

Damon: So ... I chose him as my favorite before I saw his sprite and decided for myself: “Well, this is shit, but I'm ready to go for it.” And episodes 1-3 told me that my opinion was correct. This is that wonderful character that has the title "D*ck No. 2" and "The main pain in my ass." Honestly, the route with him is when you move from the state “but he is not so bad” to the state “only the screen prevents me from embedding in his muggy face”. And then episode 4 comes out and I die of tender feelings and understand that I suffered for good reason. But for "D*ck No. 2" I do not apologize.

Vexx: People who want to build a relationship with him are obviously drama lovers and hurt themselves. It is sad, painful, but that's good. The discussion with Vexx in episode 4 was one of the most interesting parts of the whole episode, if not the most interesting. Sad but tasty. Give more.

That's all. Thank you for your attention <3

[cheesy09]

What are your top 5 Kiro dates? No pressure, my dear friend😆😘

@keliosyfan You cannot send me something like this and expect me to keep quiet 😆 Thank you so much for this delicious, finger-licking ask, friend!! But do I really got to choose??? 🥺 I LOVE ALL HIS DATES!! 

Keeping my thoughts/analysis under the cut because this one's going to be a long one. Also, am not ranking them because they're each special to me in their own way. Plus, am only going to concentrate on the dates in EN so far.

Anyway, without further ado, Kiro Date spoilers ahead!

✨Light Pursuit Date

There’s a simple reason why I love this date so so much. It literally contains EVERYTHING I love about their relationship, plus it’s in line with the main story.

“You’re the light I’ve spent my whole life chasing” is such a strong and powerful message to use for a couple, especially since it aligns perfectly with message that this game’s story is trying to deliver. The imagery of light pursuing being used to represent their relationship puts it on an almost spiritual/cosmic level which is just so powerful to me.  

The mutual pining: Both MC and Kiro long for each other so strongly throughout this whole date and it’s so obvious to see. MC gets desperate enough to see him that she even starts dreaming about him. And no matter what Helios said on that date, we know why he really invited her to that party.

The undeniable chemistry: The attraction, the thick innuendo, the electricity that is just crackling between them; it’s so tangible, you can cut it with a knife. Talk about delectable... yum!  

The angst: As heartbreaking as the angst is, the drama involved between Kiro and MC is juicy as heck, which is another reason why I love their relationship so much. It makes their relationship feel very very real. The angst is what gives birth to the high strung emotions and passion between them. Realities they’re trying to fight, and the feelings they can’t possibly deny.

TWIN-FLAME ENERGY EVERYWHERE: As I said before, Kiro and MC just cannot deny the way they are drawn to each other, and this plays big in the twin-flame theme they have going for them. This is especially obvious in MC’s case. She knows Helios is supposed to be close to a stranger to her, and yet her body can’t help but react to him the way it would react to Kiro despite the danger that radiates from him; like her very soul knows exactly who it is behind the silver hair and cold eyes. I mean we even get this scene:

MC: Aren’t you a member of Black Swan? Why did you approach me?

I closed my eyes and finally asked the question.

Helios quivered inconspicuously under my palm, and soon he spoke in a low and sneering voice.  

Helios: Why are you under that misconception?

MC: Because...

Because I thought you were familiar, because my soul quivered involuntarily when being close to you, and because... of a ridiculous assumption.

These words are just so powerful in so many ways because what MC is saying is that she finds Helios familiar because her soul resonates with him, like it happened with someone else before...

In relation to the twin flame concept, this date is a huge representation of stage five and six in the relationship; “the test” and “the chase.” By this point, Kiro and MC’s relationship is being put the test and MC’s chase for Kiro finally begins.  

✨Stardust Date

Another date that goes hand in hand with Light Pursuit Date, except with Kiro this time instead of Helios. Plus points that this too is in line with the main story.

MORE YEARNING. And what’s so great about this is that you can actually feel what MC feels. That’s how strongly Kiro can make you pine after him.  

That steamy confession of love: It wasn’t just the passionate words that Kiro kept whispering to her, but also the tremendous amount of longing and desire in his voice that belied those very words.

Kiro’s sexiness: Please, you cannot tell me you didn’t find Kiro downright seductive in that outfit. I absolutely love his fashion sense and this one really showed off the lean yet firm build of his body, and that scorching blue-eyed gaze was just- pheeew!!

The danger he radiates: After MC catches him on that phone call, the feeling of oppression that Kiro gives off does intimidate you, but also excites and thrills you at the same time. The duality with this man is just so well-written.  

The build up: From the fiery confession, to the obvious yearning and attraction, to the flirting and teasing, and the angst, I’d say this date had one of the best buildups to a kiss overall.

THE KISS: After all that glorious build-up, the execution of the kiss was absolutely brilliant, with Kiro’s statement of “the reward I want more right now... is you” being the breaking point. All the yearning and desire that had built up over the course of the date had been let loose in that one sexy kiss. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED, LOVED the way the desire went both ways. MC pulling him closer and demanding for more from him and him responding just as passionately, was HOT.

Extra thoughts: The necklace that he gives to her on this date is an item that hasn’t been brought up on other dates, which I find a bit weird since they mentioned how important it seemed to Kiro. Another reason why I need this date to be referenced in the future. 

What I find interesting about him giving her a necklace is that even though it’s a symbol of love and affection, it’s not as powerful as a ring would be, showing that he wasn’t ready to take the next stage in the relationship. This is important foreshadowing because he knew what exactly could happen to them in the future.      

✨Treasure Date

A personal favourite of mine because it shows just how stubborn, delicate and insecure Kiro can actually be.

MC’s unexpected confession of love: Kiro’s not the only whose been pouring out his heart to her. (I’m assuming) Before the events of Chapter 14, MC has done her own fair share of confessing to him on a number of dates; the one in Treasure Date being the most notable. I held my breath when she said “I will... always be crazily in love with you” to him, because it had been the first time I’d seen her outright declare her love to a love interest so earnestly.

The supportiveness: MC just being there for him and comforting him when he was at his weakest is just so heartwarming and satisfying to see.

THE TENDERNESS AND LOVE THEY RADIATE FOR EACH OTHER :’D

BLUSHY KIRO: (Can you tell why I chose to put in that CG?) I don’t know about you, but I feel my soul ascend to heaven every time I see Kiro blush. It’s the most adorable thing on the planet!

THE BIG BABY VIBES HE RADIATES ON THIS DATE MAKE ME WANT TO CUDDLE WITH HIM FOREVER UGH!!!

The pirate and treasure theme: This is a theme that is brought up often in Kiro and MC’s story. Dates as well as the main story. It also goes hand in hand with the light pursuit theme. MC’s determination to turn into a pirate in search of her treasure (Kiro) exactly mirrors the way Kiro referred to himself as a pirate in search of his hidden treasure (MC) before his reunion with her at the convenience store, in his 3rd Anniversary Interview. It really goes to show just how much they desire and treasure each other.   

✨Prayer Date

Another hot, steamy date? Yes, ma’am! Kiro’s got a whole arsenal full of these kind of dates.

It is seriously cute how the two of them are always wishing for a “forever” with each other, and how they’re willing to go as far as to rely on superstitions for it HAHA.

Ahem. That visually appealing shower scene. Need I say more?

The date offered me another reason to label Kiro a hopeless romantic. Hello? A candlelit beach??? SWOON~!

The dash of angst: The foreshadowing. Over the course of the date, MC’s numerous failed attempts at doing something to ensure their “forever” had accumulated, and this was the first date we got to see her insecurity in regards to her relationship with Kiro. Again, these high strung emotions is what evoked some passionate desire for him in her.

This date was full of firsts. Not only was it the first time we got to see MC’s insecurity in regards to her relationship with Kiro, but it was also the first time we got to see just how... intense Kiro can be in showing his affection. Also, am I wrong in assuming that this was the first time they got so... physical with each other?

Another excellent date with excellent build-up to the end: From the pleasant start to the date, with MC being full of hope, to the unexpected encounter in the showers just to wet your appetite for this boy (pun intended haha), to the consecutive disappointments and emotional buildup made for a fabulous recipe for the delicious result we were served by the end of the date. Mmm, a spicy one at that.   

✨Flowers Date

Honestly, this was the date that made me fall for him super-super hard. It was just full of innocence and the purest of love, no questions asked. 

Kiro’s charm is on full blast in this date.

The symbolism brought out by flowers in showing how similar Kiro and MC are, is really strong on this date. They both decide to each get a gift for the other that is supposed to remind them of each other and then split up. When they came back to reveal what they each had gotten each other, they both ended up getting the same thing: a bouquet of daisies (a symbol of purity and innocence).

Kiro’s wholesome love for the simplest things in life (like flower fields) is once again brought out.

THIS DATE WAS SO ROMANTIC. He takes her to the flower field on a bicycle! And they even take off running down the hill together, hand-in-hand, and he spins her around like some kind of princess in the middle of it!

MC did daisy divination, and what was the result she got? *whispers loudly* HE LOVES ME.

Kiro being a parallel to sleeping beauty is ingenious as well as romantic in so many ways. (Plus MC being tempted enough by his sleeping appearance, that she kissed his eyelids had me grinning like a mad fool). 

Kiro says some of the most romantic things on this date in the most affectionate and tender of voices:

Notable line 1:

Kiro: Well, MC, maybe you really are my “prince charming.” Because only you can awaken me from darkness, no matter when.

Notable line 2:

Kiro: There was only you in my eyes, wasn’t there? 

Notable line 3:

Kiro: Because... You are the whole world in my eyes. Nothing else can compare. My spring... is you.   

✨Honorable mention: Miracle Date

This is another fun and wholesome date that always seems to put a smile on my face, but also comes with some strong and sad foreshadowing.

Kiro and MC are just so uplifting of each other in this date and you just love to see it.

THE INTIMACY WHEN HE WRAPPED HER IN HIS ARMS FROM BEHIND AND LACED THEIR FINGERS TOGETHER!!!

Dude, they’re so in sync with each other, it’s not even funny!

I really loved how this date works in a bit of self-introspection for the both of them (actually, a lot of his dates do). We know that Kiro and MC both push each other to become better, and this date really showcased that.

Another date with another strong message.

I melted at the way he says that her very existence is a miracle to him. Like, just the fact that she exists in this world is enough of a blessing for him.

THE LONGING IN HIS VOICE: Kiro so fervently wishing that their time together would slow down because he knew what was to come, was just so heartachingly beautiful, it made me tear up a bit.

[mary-nesbitt-larking]

Why I moved from Choices to Lovestruck (and you should too)

It’s no secret to anyone who knows me well that I was a BIG Choices stan. I ran three Choices blogs (begging-for-kamilah, ask-kamilah sayeed and ask-priya-lacroix) for a long time, fulfilling fanfiction requests and interacting with many wonderful people. During my time in the fandom, I made some beautiful friends and created brilliant memories that I wouldn’t trade for the world. Unfortunately, as time passed, I started to notice a decline in the quality of content that Pixelberry were providing, and after a lot of hesitation, I decided to remove the app and leave the fandom. I was very lucky in that a very good friend introduced me to a different app with a similar style. Lovestruck was something that I’d heard about on the grapevine but had no idea what it was or if it could possibly compare to the fun that Choices had given me over the years. After a lot of resisting and stubborn behaviour on my part, I finally gave it a chance and have never looked back since. Here are just some of the many reasons why you should too:

There are no forced love interests in Lovestruck. That’s right. You read that correctly. You choose your love interest BEFORE you start the story so there will never be any frustrating interactions with characters that you’re not interested in. Remember in Bloodbound Book 2 when you go to Paris with Adrian and Jax (leaving the only two female love interests at home) and you were forced to hold hands with one of them (until Pixelberry later apologised and altered the scene)? There is definitely none of that to worry about in Lovestruck. The person you’re interested in is the only character who will show interest in you, and the entire story will be centred around him/her/them. 

Speaking of which, it’s time to talk about the fantastic level of LGBTQ representation in Lovestruck. Non binary characters aren’t just side characters. They actually have their own routes, as well as a huge array of adorable side characters. There are also demisexual characters, asexuals and of course, plenty of lesbians and bisexuals. Voltage (creators of Lovestruck) also very proudly celebrate pride month by releasing incredible LGBTQ content.

On the topic of representation, something that has to be applauded is the racial and religious representation in Lovestruck. You can romance Jewish characters, black characters, south American characters, Asian characters and I’m sure the list goes on. Choices fans might be sad to find that you don’t have the option to customise any love interests or MCs, but I think that this is a blessing. 

Something that I find very cool about Lovestruck is that there are different stories for every love interest. For example, if you romance one person from a certain book, romancing another from the same book will get you a completely different story with a totally different route. It’s a stark contrast to Choices, in which Pixelberry- quite literally- copy and paste the same lines for all the available love interests. 

And along the same lines of copying and pasting, it’s very refreshing to see that Lovestruck doesn’t reuse faces. I always found it terribly off putting when you’d be playing a Choices book and a love interest from another book would be your waiter or waitress. 

One brilliant thing about Lovestruck is the way that they present the MC. Every MC has their own unique personality and backstory. Whilst that does mean “less choice”, it’s really refreshing having an MC with parents. With siblings. With a job. A life. An actual story outside their love interest. There’s one MC who discusses her experiences as a woman of colour, and I think that’s exceptionally important for the player. 

On a superficial note, Lovestruck has GORGEOUS art. I did love the art in Choices too, but I don’t think it has anything on Lovestruck. The backgrounds are stunning, but it’s the characters who are gorgeous. Not to mention, we get absolutely beautiful CGs. This is something Choices sorely lacks. In the later books, the LIs and MCs even blink and move which I find gives it a more engaging feel. There are also MANY more facial expressions for every character in Lovestruck. Blushing faces, a neutral face, smiles, angry faces, sad faces, shocked faces, anxious faces... It’s not just the same standard five like in Choices. 

Another superficial- but very cool aspect- of Lovestruck is that almost every outfit is 100% free. The MCs and LIs will change their clothes whenever appropriate and you don’t have to pay a penny. The only time when outfits will ever cost any in-game currency is if it will mean you gain a CG out of it, but in my personal experience, I’ve only ever seen this being the case for two books. 

This is just a side note but something I love in Lovestruck is that adorable animals aren’t paywalled. They’re just there. Your love interest might have a cat- or a bear in one book- and you don’t have to pay to love up on them. They’re just another part of the story.

Still on the more superficial side of things is the music. I will totally admit, I LOVE the music in Choices and have a fair bit of it downloaded to my iTunes. But for anyone hesitant to move over to Lovestruck for the sake of the music, don’t panic! The music is just as brilliant, just as catchy and just as heartfelt. 

One of the things that always stressed me about Choices was the in-game currency. Diamonds were expensive and unfortunately, every single chapter would involve multiple diamond scenes. In many books, the diamond scenes were so important to the story that to go without them would mean that huge chunks of plot were missed. The amazing thing about Lovestruck is that if you choose not to do the premium scenes (the currency is hearts) then it does absolutely nothing to the story whatsoever. The heart scenes are purely there to give you a little bonus but whether you choose to do them or not, nothing about the story or your relationship with your love interest will change. 

And whilst we’re on the topic of heart scenes, it’s important to note that whilst Choices usually has 3-4 diamond scenes PER chapter, heart scenes only pop up around 9 out of every 12 chapters, and you will VERY rarely find anything that costs more than 30 hearts. 

The system to earn these hearts is totally different to Choices. Whilst you could watch ads to earn diamonds a few times per day, plus playing chapters would gain you two diamonds, Lovestruck gives you “quests”. Every few hours, the quests refresh and all you have to do is read a certain amount of chapters of a specified love interest, and you get the hearts. It’s a win/win situation because the more you play, the more you get.

Not to mention, every day you get to earn a puzzle piece and when you complete a puzzle, you win a certain amount of hearts. It seems tedious at first but they add up fast! 

And it’s not just hearts you earn, either! In Choices, you would use “keys” to read a chapter. In Lovestruck, you use “tickets”. Some quests mean that if you read a certain amount of chapters, you get given 2, 3 or even 5 tickets so you can just keep on reading! 

Since I’ve addressed some of the Lovestruck mechanics, I just want to talk about how much I love that you can fast forward, rewind, autoplay (it plays hands free and there are three different speeds to choose from) and even choose the chapter you’d like to play. This is amazingly refreshing because when it comes to Choices, you have to start the entire book again if you want to get to a specific chapter, AND you have to click through it fast because you can’t fast forward. 

Oh, and when you’ve played a chapter, a little heart symbol will appear next to it if it has a premium scene so you know whether or not you need to save your hearts! 

I really want to address the smut scenes. I know that sounds like another more superficial topic but I think it’s pretty important. I think there’s something more “mature” about Lovestruck and smut. The sex scenes are tasteful yet somehow sexier. They’re not rushed at all. And Voltage aren’t afraid to include actual kinky moments. 

More importantly, though, is that Lovestruck addresses virginity and handles it incredibly tastefully. It’s done in a realistic fashion, too. Sometimes, characters don’t really feel like having sex with their partner. Sometimes they want to at first but then feel anxiety. Sometimes they’re scared. Sometimes they want to stop half way through. Sometimes they have trouble reaching orgasm. All very real scenarios that are addressed tactfully and beautifully. The virgins (be they the MC or LI) in Lovestruck are realistic. They don’t just dive into bed. It’s a process. There’s fear along with excitement. There are moments of panic. It’s not just smut for the sake of smut. It deals with adult situations, something that I always thought Choices struggled with. 

Actually, it’s not just sex. These character get anxiety, depression and genuine mental health problems. And it’s dealt with so perfectly, yet so realistically. They’re anxious when it’s appropriate. 

I don’t want to bash Choices too badly, as I don’t think Pixelberry are an evil company, but some of the things they did- particularly towards the end- were unforgivable. 

Hana Lee’s infertility and the way that it was merely glossed over was appalling. As someone who is also infertile, I can tell you that you don’t just “get over it”, even if your partner is carrying your child. 

I’ll also never quite get over the fact that when you’re almost raped in Red Carpet Diaries 2, you have to pay 30 diamonds if you want someone to stay and comfort you. As a sexual abuse victim, I think that’s grotesque, and a glorification of rape. 

I can safely say, there is NOTHING like that in Lovestruck, and just to reiterate, all the important plot points are FREE. 

To bring this mood back up a little bit, something I think is really cute is that when you’re choosing the love interest you’d like to romance in Lovestruck, you can see sweet little facts about them, including their birthdays, their height and their personality traits. 

Sometimes the stories cross over, too, and love interests will appear in each other’s stories. And the cute thing is, if you’re romancing an LGBTQ character, it will be canonical that whichever love interest crosses over will be in an LGBTQ relationship with MC. 

There are also fun little side stories that you can play, and to really make things interesting, you can often play the same book but from the point of view of your love interest! These do usually cost hearts but not many at all. 15 hearts can get you things like 4 chapters, for example! 

I just want to talk about how wonderful Voltage are as a company, too. You can tell this isn’t about money for them. They just want the best for their players and it shows. They are often asking the community what they want and bringing out polls, and they will always let us have our say.

There are also no false promises of stories being “in the works”. If a story is abandoned, they won’t lie about it. There are no “politician’s answers” from them. Just pure transparency. 

The last thing I want to talk about is the writing style. Lovestruck’s style is worlds apart from Choices. To describe it for you, Choices feels like playing a fun app with cool stories. Lovestruck feels like reading a book, immersing yourself in a novel. And the style is unbeatable. 

TLDR; it’s time to cut the apron strings and move on from Choices. Lovestruck awaits! Tagging @lovestruckvoltage because I love you and appreciate you.

[steamberrystudio]

13/07/2019

Hey everyone! Esh here for a weekly update for Gilded Shadows!

This was a productive week! (It's so easy to have those at the start of the project! LoL)

Writing:

I finished up the last route synopsis as planned. I also went back to edit Common Two. I wrote Common Two, and started Common Three.

Right now, my goal is to get a working demo put together so writing is now going on the back burner, as I have the full demo content written at this point.

I will probably still be alternating between art related things and some writing. But for now, my primary focus will be working on other parts needed to have a functional demo we can publish!

I set up my spreadsheets this week!

This way I can just keep track of word counts, play times, and overall progress as we go.

Currently at 5% complete and counting. LoL! It's so weird having a counter at such a tiny level again. OWO;;

Coding:

I imported chapters One and Two into the game and got all the menus and everything set up.

I also made some minor fixes/tweaks to the GUI (which is already coded) as we wanted to add a feature to the start menu, and I needed to adjust some poorly designed GUI elements (my fault) on other screens.

I started coding in the rest of the sprites we have completed. And, as the big thing, I started trying to work out how to code the customisable MC sprite.

I want to pause here and give a big shout out to @windchimesgames. She was basically a code consultant through the entire process and not only walked me through building a lot of the things I needed, but problem solved several tricky elements with me, held my hand through at least one tantrum on my part, was phenomenally patient and awesome - and, honestly, without her I would absolutely *not* have been able to do this part of the game myself.

Windchimes is making a super beautiful game called Reanimation Scheme and I know she is pouring her heart and soul into making it an incredibly polished and amazing project - so please go check it out and give her all the love and support she deserves!

I also want to give a shout out to Jaime from Jaime Scribbles Games - her tutorial on sprite customisation formed the foundation of several aspects of the code in Gilded Shadows. She's also working on a new game called In Blood right now so please check it out and give her all the love and support as well!

Devs who give back to the communities they're a part of, are worth their weight in gold and they really deserve so much love for spending their time helping others!

Now, back to Gilded Shadows!

We managed to get the MC customisation screens coded and functioning!

You can pick the MC's hair colour, skin colour, and several key personality traits that will affect the story. Coding the MC was pretty tricky because it's not just about swapping out skin and hair.

Each part of her face (eyes, eyebrows, mouth) are skin-colour dependent. So the game has to be able to read the skin colour chosen and apply the correct set of facial expressions based. In addition, we wanted the CGs to reflect the customisation as I didn't really want to have to avoid showing the MC.

So the game needs to be able to apply its knowledge of the MC's hair and skin to the CGs....and then apply that to the gallery image as well.

Some of that was pretty tricky to work out but we did it! It's so exciting to see this element of the game come into fruition even if it had me ready to pull my hair out at some parts.

Arting:

A lot of the art stuff this week was based on some of the other stuff I needed to do - I had to redo some of the art for the main menu, and I had to get some sprite files ready to be put in the game.

And I needed to make some changes/fixes to the one CG I've completed (even though this CG is largely for testing purposes and may not even appear in the final game, I needed it to be done right so it could be tested.)

At some point, I also realized that I needed to make chapter pages the way I did in Changeling. I wanted something that we could colour code in a similar way (though the guys are much less obviously colour coded than the Changeling boys who all had a specific colour on their sprite, which represented them.)

So I did chapter pages for the first three chapters of the common route as well.

The Upcoming Week:

So for the upcoming week, here is my to do list:

- code Ari, Caleb, and Jack. These are the three other main characters that will appear in the demo.

- maybe try to do art for two side characters that show up in the common route and code their sprites (not sure about this though).

-find placeholder backgrounds to use until we get official background art.

-find placeholder music to be used until we can commission a composer for custom music.

So yeah! That's where things are for now. It feels like a super productive week, but it's easy to have those at this point when there's so much to do anyway.

That's all for now! See you next week!

[serenity-writes]

Kings of Paradise - Yosuke Sagara Review

We’re finally here! The final member of this four – the mysterious, kind of scary(?) Yosuke Sagara. I’ve actually been excited for his route since Taki’s was released. So far, the other routes haven’t disappointed, and Yosuke’s follows in that vein. Let’s get into it!

OVERALL RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡

ART/MUSIC: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡

STORY: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡

STEAMINESS: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

LOVE INTEREST’S LIKEABILITY: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡

MC’S LIKEABILITY: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

DO I RECOMMEND THE ROUTE? YES, if you can accept the sketchy premise.

I’m definitely attracted to the duality between Yosuke’s outward confident appearance and his “desperate ache to be loved”, to quote the story description. I mean, yeah, it’s pretty tropey. That doesn’t mean I enjoyed it any less. This time, we’re going to figure out exactly what is going on with Yosuke’s “broker bride” set up. He loses his super friendly demeanor pretty damn quickly, and we’re left with…

Eep. Thankfully, that ice cold, dangerous persona doesn’t actually last as long as the writers led us to believe. I wasn’t a huge fan of it anyways. I LOVE his “real” personality: the slightly awkward, easily flustered him. Every time he blushed I was just fadsjlkad all over it. 

Boy, it’s gonna be you.

At first, the story was… icky to me. I didn’t like the idea of MC being trained and sold off as part of Yosuke’s business. The whole business itself seems really, really weird to me. MC even admits at one point that it’s a dark grey moral area. I suppose he’s like a one-man prep school for marriage instead of a pimp…? I don’t know. But I do like the idea of helping women become more confident with themselves fashion/makeup/etiquette wise, even if they are doing it to meet a partner.

The story does lack a certain amount of conflict, but I think I actually prefer it that way. There’s no “super dramatic plot twist”, which contributed to the realism of the story. There is less of a focus on MC’s identity as a divorcee, and more on finding her own version of happiness and taking charge of her life. Plus, where the story lacks in conflict, it MORE than makes up for in steam. Holy damn, there is so much steam in this story. The scenes (yes, plural) were more explicit than I was expecting, and I am a FAN. The CGs that went along with them are also… yum.

Speaking of MC, I really liked her in this route. I think she and Yosuke have so much chemistry together and the way they banter together is so sweet. She’s also stronger than she is in other routes. I wasn’t a fan of her moping (though it’s definitely understandable), and there is barely any of it here. She has some pretty awesome lines too, like:

Additional thoughts:

Oh my GOD there was so much of Sydney the pet alligator in this route and I LOVED IT.

And also, can we talk about him:

HELLO THERE. I’m majorly disappointed there isn’t a Yonghua route now.

Anyway. I do recommend this route, especially if you enjoyed the other three. I had a good time reading through this one. I’m really looking forward to his POV being released.

Tips for the route: CG is in the Bodies on Fire ending. I picked sassier responses to get that one :)