#but like the thing about dating sims is the mc is meant to be a placeholder for viewers like you

[somegirlontheinternet135]

I didn't expect a post about a dating sim x click & point adventure game with The Beasts to be this popular but. . .

*random gestures*

So here you go, some thoughts & features that could be added to this weird fangame I conjured up!

(tw: long)

~General~

The world that the player teleported into heavily mirrors the land of beast yeast, complete with each of the landmarks which the beasts resign in. One exception however is at the center of this mysterious land is a forest of silver trees, which surround a strange alter of six stone standing pads, five little stones around a much larger stone in the middle (wonder what that's about?)

Somewhere amidst the silver woods is a mysterious grove, a grove filled with lilies. If adventurous enough, the player can explore the grove, but be warned, for not only do the scent of lilies cause drowsiness and the possibility of passing out, but lilies aren't the only thing that the land houses. The grove is peerless maze, so the player must enter with caution

The story length will be similar to how Obey Me is set up (divided into different chapters) with the first three to four chapters introducing the Beasts

There's no "canonical" choice of who'll you'll end up with, that's entirely up to the player. Another choice the player will have is whether the relationships can be platonic or romantic

Although many MCs are mostly left blank slates, I want the player in the sort of grey area between having an actual personality but leaving details vague enough to leave people guessing. Think the MC from "Obey Me" crossed with Yuu from "Twisted Wonderland" And you know many MCs are often nice and kind-hearted, well sorta throw that out the window bc we're doing something special(snarky, sarcastic, brutality honest, and filled with trust issues)

There's only snippets of what the player physically looks like(trust me, this'll be important later)

It's also important that the player has zero memory of entering the world they were basically isekaed into, something which the beasts learn one way or another. . .

The player will receive several petnames from the beasts, ranging from simple ones like "dear" or "sweetheart," to petnames relating to mice and other rodents(ie: "Little Mouse," "Pika," even "Pipsqueak")

In the game, the day-night cycle plays a big role in the gameplay. You'll be allowed to roam and explore as much as you want, but at night, you're given the choice of whether you should go to bed or keep exploring. If the player chooses to continue exploring, they'll be met with an energy meter, which increases when you sleep and decreases when you don't. With a full bar, the player can explore a total of five times, and once that meter runs out, they get too exhausted and fall asleep

Now would be a good time to mention the player's different bedrooms. They rotate based on the location, but they're meant to be a sort of safe space for the player, it's also the area where they pick up an important item: A journal

The journal functions very similarly to a scribble board and an actual notebook but serves one purpose, to allow the player to take notes on certain puzzles. Different puzzles are scattered across the landmarks, some are extremely difficult and require one to jot notes

I also like to think the player would receive a variety of tools during their journey and will each be essential. Which would lead the player to carry a bag to hold said items

For the purpose of the story, the player is able to respawn if they die. Remember the alter in the silver tree forest, they wake up there like nothing happened, although they do still retain the memories of said death

The player will engage in several minigames, the most common of them being a cooking style game where you prepare meals and ones where your using certain tools. Whilst the click & point portion consists of the player exploring the different areas & interacting with their surroundings

As a bonus, the player is gifted different outfits from the beasts, each one corresponding to the beast, their interests, and their theme

~Shadow Milk~

In the many eyes of Shadow Milk, the player is the only cookie he's seen in a while, so it's obvious he'd want them to be his audience, if you ever so chose to be. They get the option of asking more & trying to convince him on letting them have a turn in performing, which he'll have different reactions to

*You're reading the scripts of one of Shadow Milk's plays, in awe at the material. You compliment his work, making him all the more flattered*

"Oh I love acting! Your script is amazing, could I try acting some things out?"

*Hearing the question, Shadow Milk snatches the script from your hands. He almost snaps at you*

"What? No, of course not!"

"I'm sorry my dear, I adore your praise but. . . we've already established who the audience is! It's the key tool of any actor's career, and without that, we'd just be two actors with no one to entertain. . ."

"Besides, I think you'd have trouble trying to impress such a seasoned performer like myself~"

Despite his condescending comments, he slowly begins to let you act out small skits as their relationship with him becomes stronger, and he begins to cave

Shadow Milk has several references to acting, the stage, and plays, it would be a sin to not give this man a rhythm game. Similar to already existing rhythm games like "Rhythm Heaven" or the rhythm game portion in "Obey Me"

Every task, no matter how minimal or simple, becomes way more difficult with Shadow Milk. If you're just as much as a theater kid as he is, his need for literally everything to be a grand, exaggerated, obnoxious spectacle, especially around the player, is strong. Half the time, things don't go his way & he winds up making a mess, messes which the player is forced to clean up

Also, most everything he does requires a quick "costume change" thems the rules. He's cooking you breakfast? He's wearing a bright pink apron with frills and a heart-shaped pocket. You get hurt and scrape your knee? Here comes Dr. Shadow Milk in his doctor's uniform and stethoscope. The two of you are getting ready for bed? You'll be seeing him in striped pajamas, an extremely long nightrobe, fuzzy slippers and a sleep mask, including hair curlers

There will absolutely be no sneaking out on his domain, not on his watch! Shadow Milk, with his abilities, is a living security system, and reacts heavily to sound. So one snap of a twig or step on some creaking floorboards and it's over!

"*Ahem!*"

*A freakishly familiar voice is heard from behind you. Breaking into a sweat, you slowly turn around, the smallest part of you wished it wasn't who you thought it was. . . But as luck would have it, you didn't know any other crazy entertainers. . . Sure enough, it was exactly who'd you expected to see, Shadow Milk stood in front of you, arms crossed and everything*

"Just where do you think you're going?"

*You try playing it cool, although sweating a bit*

"Oh hey Shadow. . . I was just about to head out and-"

"Head out? At this time?!"

"I-I'm not gonna be gone for too long! I'll come right back after promise- *ah!*"

*Shadow Milk had already scooped you up, carrying you bridal style*

"That's quite enough! I can't have my only audience member getting drowsy during one of my shows, now can I?~"

*You were embarrassed beyond belief, even more once he started walking you to your room, and abruptly boops you on the nose*

"It's off to bed with you little mousey!~"

". . . ok(;w;). . ."

He takes much pride & joy in inconveniencing the player, purely for his own entertainment. What makes it worse is that he'll always find some sort of excuse, saying how it's "to punish them" and "to teach them how to do it right," just some of the lies they have to deal with

And that's not all, you think he started there? nope! He started lying to the player the second the two of them met. Seeing the player scared and alone in his domain, he didn't miss an opportunity to mess with the player's head. Fortunately, this does change as you begin to get closer with him, he starts being more open with the player

The outfit Shadow Milk gives the player is, although the tackiest thing on earthbread(if the player decides that it is), the most practical of the outfits they'll receive. It has a sort of German fairytale vibe to it, covered head to toe in ruffles, lace, bells, overly detailed designs, and of course, colored blue. It looks like, feels like, and is a costume, but despite its cheesy appearance, it's easy to run & move in

Out of all the beasts, Shadow Milk is the one who cares the most for the player's physical well-being. He's always making sure the player's eating enough, getting sleep, and most importantly, is happily entertained. It's been far too long since he was able to put on his plays, and he's gonna make sure they have the ability to sit through them

All and all, Shadow Milk is a well-meaning, all be it annoying, roommate

~Eternal Sugar~

She was always keen on learning most of the trickster's secrets, so finding out about the player, she became both upset yet understanding. Shadow Milk was the Cookie of Deceit after all

Regardless, Eternal Sugar found it quite unfair of him to keep them all to himself, and took it upon herself to steal the player away, via using one of her clouds

*While wandering by yourself within Shadow Milk's domain, you peer up at the unearthly, but normally blue sky, to see what seemed to be clouds suspiciously hovering over you*

Bewildered and curious, the player has the decision of either ignoring it or checking it out, but each will end in the clouds scooping up the player and taking them, all the way to Eternal Sugar Cookie

First meeting the player, she's admittingly unimpressed with what she sees, to think something so important to them would be reduced to such a simple creature. . ? But that mindset quickly changes as she discovers how adorable the player is, and just how naive they are. . .

She views the player as some sort of pet, spoiling them with all the goodies they can ever want, to a point where its almost overwhelming

*On a table, a large platter of sweets is set in front of you; you're almost tooken back by the sheer size of the dish, it was almost half the size of the table! Just sitting next to you was Eternal Sugar, smiling almost amusingly at your reaction*

"U-Uh. . . Is this all for me. . ?"

*She giggled*

"Of course it is dear! What sort of guest would you be if you didn't receive such delicacies?"

*Eternal Sugar picks up a sweet from the platter and holds it close to your mouth*

"Now, open wide~"

Unlike the other beasts, Eternal Sugar has the habit of babying the player, so like Shadow Milk, every simple task becomes way more difficult with her around. She'll make sure they won't be able to lift a finger!

Her associative minigame fits her sort of style, a memory game using cards, similar to the many games you can find on those "Kid-friendly Newgrounds" websites

Another thing worth noting is her clingy nature. Everywhere the player goes, Eternal Sugar has to follow, which does make things more difficult and affects progress. The prime definition of a space invader

It gets even worse during the night cycle, where she often insists on sleeping in the same bed as the player. Despite this, night is the only time the player will be able to get anything done. Just know that when they got back to bed and woke up the next morning, they'll have a sweet surprise waiting for them

*Morning light shines onto your face as it creeps into the rest of the room. You groan, awoken by your natural alarm clock, and begin to yawn & stretch, a part of you wished you slept in a bit longer. But as you try to get out of bed, you feel a weight on your right hand, better yet, you feel an entire section of the bed being weighed down by some unknown force. Turning around, you quickly discover why*

"E-Eternal Sugar Cookie! What are you-?!"

*There, covering a good half of the bed, Eternal Sugar Cookie was peacefully snoozing, clutching your hand. In your failed attempts at yelling at her & pulling your hand away were left to no avail, she had no intent on moving, nor letting go, making you all the more flustered*

"Ms. Eternal Sugar Cookie, please!- Let me go! I need-"

*She merely lifted one eye, only half awake and ready to sleep the rest of the day away*

"Awh~ but little mouse, it's so early!~ Can't you stay just a bit longer?~"

*She smiles at your flustered expression*

"But I have stuff to do! Please, you have to let me- *ah!-* h-hey!"

*Too busy trying to escape, you failed to notice her grip getting tighter, pulling you back down your now shared bed*

"Sleep a little more with me, won't you? There's no rush~"

"O-ok, fine then, but only for a couple more minutes, but that's it!"

*She giggled*

"Deal~"

Throughout their stay, the player only gets small snippets of Eternal Sugar's true personality. If the player chose to question her sickly sweet demeanor, she'd get defensive real fast, asking them why they would even question something like that. If angered, she becomes pushy, demanding, especially when the player doesn't do what she says

It becomes increasingly clear when Eternal Sugar gives you a new outfit, since the one you're wearing (aka the outfit Shadow Milk gave you) didn't fit her style, believing that you should wear something more flowy. She actually offers several different outfits for the player, and although nice, they're. . . let's just say not so family friendly; try as they might to reject her offers, she'll get upset and more persistent, nonetheless; this however does change as the story goes on, she becomes more understanding. Luckily, the two manage to make a compromise, Eternal Sugar offers the player a much simpler pink dress, with bows, lace, and ribbons. Despite being much to the player's liking(if that's what the player chooses), she begins to whine about it, saying how it could've been so much more; not to mention, both the ribbons and lace constantly get stuck on things if they aren't careful

The only time the player's able to really see Eternal Sugar's true colors is when Shadow Milk shows up, who's not all too happy about her basically kidnapping the player. Whilst they ventured alone, he made the mistake of taking his eyes off them for a second, last thing he knew they were snatched by some clouds and whisked away into the sky, which he immediately starts chasing after them. He knew exactly who was responsible. Unlike Shadow Milk, Eternal Sugar does a much better job of keeping her composure, playing dumb and refraining from acting out of character around the player. But once Shadow Milk insults her fake personality, all hell breaks loose

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my dear friend. . .?~ Eternal Sugar Cookie. . !"

*Shadow Milk had snuck in through an open window. Before you could even do anything, Eternal Sugar had already pulled you to her side, forcing you to sit in the lavish and comfortable sofa she was lounging on. He made his way towards her, with his usual wide smile; from the corner of your eye, you could barely see an eye twitch and, was he gritting his teeth? It didn't look like it, but he was seething with rage*

"Oh, Shadow Milk Cookie!~ for what do I owe the pleasure?~"

"How lovely of you to ask!~ You see, you just so happen to have something that belongs to me!"

*Shadow Milk then stares back at you, startling you a bit with his crazed expression. Although Eternal Sugar seemed unfazed, her grip on you only became tighter as the trickster started speaking to you*

"Little mousey, there you are!~ Oh I was so worried, thank goodness you're safe!~"

"I am so, so, sorry to have kept you waiting~ believe me, it's a long story!~"

"*Ah!* And what happened to the little dress I gave you?! I mean you still look cute, but you'd look so much better before and- oh! almost got off track for a second!~ *haha!*"

"Alrighty, I think it's time for me and my little mousey to get go-"

"You're leaving with them? Now what would be the purpose in that?~"

*She quickly shifted from her lounging position to a sitting position, pulling you closer toward her, and flustering you more. You see the trickster's eye twitch more, noticing just a crack in his character*

"*hehe-* what did you say. . ?!"

"I've tooken quite the liking to 'your' little mouse!~ Besides, you keeping them all to your self. . ? Extremely unfair of you!~"

*She then draped her arms around you, your face was getting redder by the second*

"Surely they'll be much happier here, isn't that right little mouse?~"

"Well, *uhh-* actually. . ."

"Then it's settled!~ The little mouse will be staying with me!~"

*They proceeded to argue back and forth, Shadow Milk's played up character was falling apart at the seams, losing a drop of his patience with every word the "angel" said. Eternal Sugar found herself quite entertained with the trickster getting angrier and angrier. All the while, you didn't know what to do, clearly neither of them were going to let you leave, or you know, let you get a single word in. So you were placed in a very awkward situation, stuck between an angel cookie who wasn't keen on you leaving, and a jester who was trying to get you back through gritted teeth*

"Listen, I'm the one who saw them first, they were found in my domain, therefore, they're mine! So if you would be so kind as to return them to me. . !"

*She proceeded to hold you closer, practically cuddling you, was she trying to make him even angrier?!*

"Oh but we're having so much fun!~ They'd much prefer it here than that over-the-top spiral you call a tower. . !"

*Insulting his domain was the nail in the coffin. It looked like he'd finally snapped, any ounce of patience he had before was completely out the window. Using his magic, he wrapped up your hands in some mysterious string, pulling you forward and out of Eternal Sugar's reach, greatly shocking and scaring the heck out of you. Once you were back in his arms, Shadow Milk pushed you behind him, and looking back at Eternal Sugar, she'd gotten up from the sofa, it seemed like she was starting to crack as well*

"Oh!~ So that's how we're gonna play *huh?!* Then I'll lend you this: do you really think they'd want to stay with a tooth-rotting prick like yourself?!"

*She began to clutch her fists, her eyes widen in a mix of shock and anger*

". . ?! What did you just call me. . ?!"

"Oh don't you give me that! little miss 'sweet & innocent angel!' unlike myself, people can see your fake persona from a mile away!~"

"And with how long they had to stay with you. . . I'm surprised my poor little mousey hasn't gotten sick and vomited from the spoiling and smothering they had to withstand!"

*That was all it took for her, she broke faster than he did, the wings on her back got bigger, Eternal Sugar's eyes glowed with rage*

". . . how dare you. . !"

"HOW DARE YOU!!"

The player obviously gets the choice of trying to stop the fight or slipping away, the following events escalating faster or slower depending on which they choose. Things escalate to a point where Eternal Sugar just snatched them and attempted to fly away with the player, which led to Shadow Milk using his magical strings to pull them back, entering the two of them in an intense game of tug of war with the player. And the force of both sides was so strong. . . It ended up ripping the player in half

So, Eternal Sugar Cookie, kinda pushy at times and very clingy all the time, but a sweetheart nonetheless

~Mystic Flour~

Getting ripped in half by two powerful beings. . . not something you would easily forget. . . You'd expect this to be game over, right? well, wrong, cause upon miraculously waking up, not only do you find yourself on top a strange alter, but face to face with Mystic Flour Cookie

Seeing the clouds of Eternal Sugar Cookie's cloud soaring past her land, she immediately could tell that something was a mist, and strolling through the silver forest and finding the player laying on the strange alter, her suspicions were correct

At first, she couldn't believe it, a cookie, in their world?! But after a proper meeting with the player and asking how they ended up on the alter, she became a bit more pitiful, going on to invite them to her domain, such a clueless cookie shouldn't be left alone!

But talking about what was basically their death is pretty traumatizing, so the player is given the choice of whether to straight up lie, or give some part of the truth

"So, you have no memory of how you ended up on this alter. . ? Nothing at all?"

*Your voice was strained, you didn't want to tell her the full truth*

"N-no, not a lot. . ."

*Mystic Flour then proceeds to grasp both your cheeks, pulling you close to her face, much to your slight embarrassment*

"Oh, you poor thing! You must be so lost, so confused. . ."

*It was that moment when an idea sprung into her, an idea that may help the both of you. . .*

"How about you come with me?~ Surely you'll be much safer!~"

*Try as you might to decline her offer, she just becomes more insistent. She was giving decent points however, you were lost and confused, not to mention trapped in this witch-forsaken place, and the only two "cookies" you knew killed you, accidently or not, you couldn't decide. . . Eventually, after lots of convincing and growing tired, you finally cave, accepting her offer*

"Ok, fine, I'll go with you"

"Oh good! Well, come along then!~"

*Gently, Mystic Flour took your hand, pulling you off the alter, and guiding you through the silver woods*

Mystic Flour had already made herself sound quite trustworthy, but of course, this can't be without some sort of catch. . . Though she looks caring on the outside, she sees the player as a mere tool, a stepping stool for something much greater. Her methods of getting information is much more subtle

Both minigames mentioned before required some sort of skill, Mystic Flour's is no exception. Similar to classic video game "Snake," the player's goal is to fill the respected area using dragons instead of snakes (wonder why?)

Pretty much the minute the two of them enter her domain, she basically gives them free range to do whatever. She doesn't really care if the player wanders too far or gets into spaces they shouldn't. But she will let you know when it's time to head back

*As the sun starts to set, you continue to search about the area like a curious child, you hardly noticed Mystic Flour standing just behind you*

"Little pika, dear it's time to head back!~"

*Hearing her voice yelling out to you so suddenly just barely startled you, but you gained back your composure once you see her warm smile*

"Oh! Hi Mystic Flour Cookie! Just give me a second, I have to check a few more things!"

*It wasn't like you weren't going to listen to her orders, you just had a bit more to do. But watching you get farther & farther away from her; Mystic Flour saw it differently. Already making her way toward you, she proceeded to scoop you into her arms, startling you and plastering blush onto your face, as she started walking you back herself*

"*ah!*W-Wait! Mystic Flour Cookie, I wasn't done ye-!"

"I know, I know, dear, you have your little tasks!~ But you'll have so much time to do them tomorrow, so please, might we head back? I'm sure the food is getting cold!"

*With you being in her grasp and your legs being very much off the ground, there wasn't really a choice to keep going. You could've kicked and screamed, but there were doubts that'd even work. . . And so, with no other options, you let her take you away, which sucked, but hey, at least you have yummy food waiting for you!*

Mystic Flour has the sheer amount of enthusiasm as an overly supportive mother, she has not a clue of what the player is doing but they're doing great! But like some mothers, she tries a more "hands off" approach as a way to set rules, intentionally not telling the player helpful information just for the sake of them learning it themselves

She does, however, provide them with all the materials to do so: a bedtime routine, plenty of food, and a warm winter outfit. Speaking of which, due to the wintery background, Mystic Flour gives them an outfit most suitable to withstand the cold, something heavy, but also angelic, a nun like dress colored a soft yellow, complete with black counterparts. The only downside is that defending the player from the cold is its only purpose, for it is much too heavy anywhere else and unbearable in hotter areas

Unlike the other beasts mentioned, Mystic Flour has no interest in forming a genuine relationship with the player. To her, you only serve one purpose, finding her escape (whatever that means) and is more direct into reaching her goal. She creates a false sense of security between the two of them, then when the time is right, uses that bond to her advantage. Fortunately, this behavior does change as the story continues, and Mystic Flour becomes more interested, and attached, to the player, but for now, her methods remain neutral

This becomes more apparent as Mystic Flour tries getting information out of the player in a sort of therapeutic way, sitting them down and letting them speak about their troubles, starting with the obvious. . .

"And. . . that's pretty much what happen. . ."

*You laid atop the much larger cookie, your head resting on her lap as she lightly massaged your hair. You rub your hands uncomfortably, as if waiting for bad news, your throat felt strained. Sandwiched between two angry beings, getting pulled into the sky then ripped in two, these were memories you weren't ready to revisit, especially with someone you've met only a few moments ago. . . At the same time, was holding this deep inside healthy? You saw life flash before your eyes, seconds before being split in half. . . Besides, you were already holding onto so much. . . would it hurt to let go of some. . . You felt Mystic Flour let go of your hair as she began running her hand on your face*

"Oh you, poor, poor, dear. . ."

"I am so sorry you had to be apart of. . . that. . ."

*Although you couldn't see her face, she sounded genuinely sorry for you, which was quite refreshing considering everything you've been through so far*

"They can be rather selfish at times, only thinking about themselves. . . You're lucky you've ended up with me!~"

*You laughed at her remark, trying to brighten up the mood, despite still feeling, well, you didn't know what to feel at that point. . .*

"*Heh* Yeah. . . I guess you're right. . ."

*Unannounced to you, Mystic Flour smiled to herself, her plan was working swimmingly. . . Having brought you to a docile state, it was more than a better time to gather the information she'd been longing for. . .*

"If you would allow me to. . . may I ask you something else?"

*You think for a minute, it was only one question, what harm could it do. . .*

"*Uh* sure. . . what is it?"

"Well little pika, you see-"

*Before the words could fall out of her mouth, there was a sudden loud BANG noise from outside. Respectfully, this startles you, making you flinch, but Mystic Flour didn't seem to move. . . Looking back up, you were finally able to see her face, she seemed irritated, annoyed. Gently, she lifted your head off her lap, resting you onto your knees, confused, you turn to her and saw that she was already standing, looking down upon you. She mumbled something under her breath*

"*Ugh* At a time like this. . ?!"

"Just a moment pika. . . I have to handle something. . ."

Mystic Flour considers herself to be the mother figure of the beasts, and although uncompassionate at times, she plays her role well

~Burning Spice~

(Literally the most perfect segway!~)

All it took was Shadow Milk and Eternal Sugar fighting for Burning Spice Cookie to want a part of the action. Last where we left off with them, the two managed to split the player in half, insides and everything, and were now freaking out over their (very much dead) body, whilst arguing over whose fault it was. By sheer coincidence, did Burning Spice decide to check up on Eternal Sugar, and catches site of the two yelling at each other

Burning Spice hasn't met the player, doesn't know who they are nor what they look like, but he took immediate interest in them after seeing how they affected the two other beasts. If just their mutilated body was enough to cause them to start screaming and crying like little kids, who knows what else they could do. . .

Already, he was making assumptions of what kind of person they'd be, perhaps the player was someone strong and intimidating, someone perfect to be his sparring partner, and continues to deny any sort of actual description of them

Him, Shadow Milk, Eternal Sugar had mostly worked together in their search for the player, but the millisecond they found out they were with Mystic Flour, the race was on. . . Which takes us to now, where Burning Spice appears first, causing a massive scene with his abilities in an attempt to lure her out

*Alerted by the sudden destruction just outside, Mystic Flour rushed to her outer balcony, irritated like this had happened before. . . She knew exactly who the culprit was, and sure enough, there he was, sitting casually atop the balcony's railing, Burning Spice greeted her with a sinister look on his face. She had already prepared herself, immediately knowing that something was about to go down*

"There she is, Misty! Long time no see!"

"Burning Spice Cookie. . . what brings you here. . ?"

"*Oh!* I think you know exactly why I'm here!"

*Getting off the railing, he walked toward his comrade, having no use in making a big deal out of it. Mystic Flour, although slightly surprised, saw it as a sort of threat, only further did she stand her ground*

"Ya see, a little birdie told me that you've been hiding a shiny new treasure from us. And I, of course, thought it'd be too good to be true. . . So I decided to drop by to take a look for myself. . !"

*He tried walking around her to reach the balcony's entrance, but before he could take another step, Mystic Flour stopped him, she wouldn't back down that easily. . .*

"There is no such thing. . . whatever is in my possession is none of your business. . !"

*In her defensive state, Burning Spice's persistence only grew, now patting her shoulder almost reassuringly*

"Hey, c'mon Misty!~ we're buddies, pals! Letting me get a tiny sneak peek shouldn't be a problem!"

"Say, how about this? You let me see what you're hiding, and I promise, I won't tell the others, I'll even let ya keep it! So what do ya say?~"

*Not even seconds after he said that, he immediately tried pushing past Mystic Flour as if she'd already answered his question. Of course, she shut that down almost instantly, even pushing him back, something which he doesn't really take well. His eyes widened, she set him off by just that push alone. She could bluntly tell he was lying, only using their relationship as an excuse, so she didn't let him any closer*

"Burning Spice Cookie, we've known each other for eons, do you really think I wouldn't be able to recognize one of your petty excuses. . . ?! "

"If you knew better, you'd be wise enough to leave, for this so-called treasure you're after, I know nothing about!"

*Pushing and telling him to leave. . . yep, that'll do it. . . Burning Spice broke into laughter as his hair began to glow warms shades of red, orange, and yellow, moving like a sea of flames*

"*HA HA HA HAHAHA!* *Oh!* Misty, ya might just make me angry!"

*His tone quickly shifts from trigger-happy to overall threatening once he'd opened his eyes, now just as bright as his hair, he marches towards Mystic Flour, who was all the more irritated and unfazed*

"And you. . . don't wanna make me angry. . !"

"Make you angry?! *Heh!* Didn't know it was so easy to mess with that small brain of yours!"

*It isn't long before the two engage in full on battle, both sides being equally matched in some way. While this was all happening, you were completely unaware; being inside exploring, you're none the wiser of the destruction going on outside*

Eventually, Burning Spice does manage to bust his way inside, and upon actually seeing the player in their simple state, he couldn't be more disappointed, to think Shadow Milk and Eternal Sugar's bickering would be caused by such a boring little cookie(but those two do fight over a lot of things, so-)

He'd almost considered leaving them, but Burning Spice would rather leave with something than nothing, so taking his losses he hoists up the player over his shoulder and makes, a not so quiet, escape. Much to Mystic Flour's dismay and the player's protests (or cries for help depending on what they choose)

Burning Spice sees the player like how a general sees a soldier. He thinks they're weak, bland, and more notably boring, and wants to, in his words, "spice them up." Because of this, he is unnecessarily harsh, working the player to the bone and expecting them to "get up" when they get too tired

*How long has it been. . ? An hour? Two hours? At that point you didn't know, but all you did know is that it felt like an eternity since Burning Spice started your so called "training." Back and forth, you were forced to run with heavy rocks on your back whilst following him, who was doing the same. All the while he'd yell at you to pick up the pace as encouragement. . .You huffed and panted*

"*Hah**hah. . .* Burning Spice Cookie, please, can't we stop for. . . just a minute. . ?"

*It was the only time he'd turn back at you, what a ridiculous ask!*

"What?! Definitely not! ya still got a lot to go, pipsqueak!"

*You couldn't go on any longer. A mess of sweat and sore bones, you plummet to the ground, numb to the rocks currently on your back, you wanted rest, at least for a minute. . . Burning Spice only reached a good distance away before noticing you were far, far behind. He ran back to you, but not because he was worried*

"Ay! Pipsqueak, what's the holdup?!"

*He crouched down, better viewing your shriveled up body, far too weak to keep going. Despite the obvious, Burning Spice still tried getting you to stand, poking, even attempting to pull you off the ground, but you won't budge. . .*

"C'mon! Quit acting like Eternal Sugar Cookie and get moving!"

"Please. . . let me rest. . ."

*Your sweat could've well stained the ground if it were cool enough. . . You were stubborn & refused to get up, becoming a puddle of flesh. Realizing that you weren't moving, he, grudgingly, decides to do what was best, but first he had to move you somewhere more suitable to your needs*

"*Ugh* Alright! Fine! I'll let you outta this, only once!"

*Swiftly brushing the rocks off your back, he scoops you up and onto his shoulder, no way would he let you die right then and there. You suddenly feel the biggest weight being literally lifted off your shoulders, thanking whatever was out there for this moment*

"I'll let you rest, but not here!"

"*Heh* Thank you. . ."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!"

Everything Burning Spice does, he expects the player to do the same, no matter how difficult. But will give them the benefit of the doubt when the player gets too tired to keep going, much to his annoyance

He's active and moving 24/7, that's why Burning Spice's minigame is directly based on "Super Mario Bros" where the player runs about collecting items, attacking enemies, etc.

If the player is talking to him, he'll most entirely talk about himself, boosting his ego, even throwing insults at the other beasts, which is both annoying and ironic because he does the exact same things that they do. That being said, it's important to never get mad at him or give him attitude because it will work him up, for better or worse. . .

The player can easily get information from him due to his blunt honesty. When talking about the other beasts, he'll always give bits of helpful information about them, some that can be extremely helpful in the future

Similar to Mystic Flour, Burning Spice gives the player free range to do whatever, the only difference is that Burning Spice sets up these "training sessions" on random occasions without notifying the player firsthand, and expects them to drop everything to train with him. This exhausts the player, causing them to only be able to do things during the day, when they've required enough rest

*Stumbling into the room Burning Spice gave you, you flop onto the bed, nestling your head against your pillow, relived. You were finally able to rest your jelly legs, sore running around and doing tasks. But you turn to your side, something catches your eye. . . On the single window of your room, you noticed what looked to be a slip of paper. Despite being entirely drained, your curiosity got the better of you, and slipping from the bed, you make your way toward the windowsill, now realizing how out of place from the rest of the room, appearing more of a light lilac than any of the reds and oranges. You questioned if even came from the place, and upon proper examination, your suspicions seemed correct. . . This was no mere paper, but a letter! Curiosities only felt more rapid as you opened, revealing not only short message crafted in cursive, but a beautiful illustration of a rose*

"Small Rodent, have you been faring well within our world? Have you been eating, sleeping well? I hope the others hadn't been too cruel towards you. . . Word of mouth does not travel fast here, so I apologize if I arrive to you late. . . I wish to reach you soon. . ."

"From- Silent Salt Cookie"

"Small Rodent. . ?"

*Reading through the passage, you took a few seconds to process, hoping that whoever sent it wasn't suggesting what you thought they were suggesting, cause if you got kidnapped one more time. . .-*

"Aye! Pipsqueak!!"

*Burning Spice had, without warning, busted into the room, no time for internal dialogue now! With milliseconds to think, you swiftly hide the letter behind your back, not before confronting the brute for his sudden excursion of your privacy*

"B-Burning Spice Cookie?! What are you doing here?!-"

"What?~ I can't check on my little pipsqueak, can't I?~"

*Again with the nickname. .?! Blushing rapidly, you couldn't tell whether you were annoyed, angry, or just plain embarrassed. . . Burning Spice laughed boastingly, always amused by your expressions*

"*HAHAHAH!~* Ya never fail to entertain me, pipsqueak!~"

*Then he noticed the arms behind your back. . .*

"Say, whatcha got there? Ya hiding something from me?"

*Shoot! the letter was still in your hands! Only seeing this as more of a reason to keep it hidden, you play it cool for as much as possible*

"I-It's nothing! W-What are you talking about?!*hehe*"

*Burning Spice just saw your actions as even more suspicious, he might be a barbarian, but he isn't stupid. He attempted turning you around to see what exactly you were keeping from him, all the while you were trying to dodge him, cold sweat beginning to run down your forehead*

"Are ya sure? Cause *uh* ya starting to look pretty sweaty there. . ."

"Oh!- this?! *Uhh. . .* I'm just, tired! from all the training today *haha!*"

*You two do this dance a bit, with you becoming doubly irritated the more Burning Spice tried seeing what you're hiding, getting additionally irritated while Burning Spice looked completely willing to tear your front open, asking and reinsuring you, again and again to get a little looksee. And you thought Shadow Milk was nosy?! Annoying and driven to your breaking point, you practically yell at him-*

"IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, OK?!"

*Hearing those words fall out of your mouth, Burning Spice is beyond tooken aback, clearly, he didn't like being told what to do. You quickly gasp to yourself, slamming your mouth closed with a free hand upon realizing what you've just said, how could you be so stupid?! With the letter still in your other hand, you decide the best course of action was to crumble up the paper, that letter was the least of your worries now anyway. . .*

"Did. . .Did you just yell at me. . ?!"

*You gulped, your sweat becoming increasingly apparent as the brute looked seconds away from having steam shoot out his ears. He proceeds to get unnervingly close, practically towering over you. . .Didn't think it would end this way. . .*

"That. . . Is. . ."

"Great!!!"

"Ya getting spicier by the minute!"

*Burning Spice grabbed both your shoulders, and shook them with excitement, much to your bewilderment. The way his tone can just shift was both jarring and impressive. After a bit of violent shaking and surviving what would've been another death experience, he eventually lets go, not before giving you a hardy slap to the back whilst laughing, dang near knocking you off your feet and the letter out of your hand*

"*HA! HA!* Ya know what!? Take the rest of the day off! I wanna see my hard work!"

*He happily marches out of the room, leaving you in a rather messed up state*

"Be sure to get all the rest ya need! Ya gonna need it for tomorrow!"

*Burning Spice leaves the room, shutting the door, the second he was out of sight, you took the biggest sigh of relief. That was close, way too close! Like you practically dodged a bullet! You pull back out the crumbled-up letter and tried to fix it, somewhat regretting your decision of almost destroying it before. You had to be more careful next time*

During this entire scene, the player must be extra careful around Burning Spice, because despite how it's played, there's a route where he discovered the letter while they're asleep, and he's not too pleased with having Silent Salt trying to contact them, promptly getting so angry he burns the letter to ashes

That being said, Burning Spice, though seeming like a rage-filled brute who fights first and asks questions later, he's never threatening nor outright violent to the player, unless its a final resort. The player is a much-needed piece in a, all be it complex, puzzle, even if they don't even know it, and in order for them to work is through gaining their trust. But don't think that this is a good thing, there are many times where he could've hurt them yet actively chose not to

He immediately got to work constructing another outfit for the player cause in his own words, "there's no way ya staying here looking like that!" And the outfit he gives them perfectly reflects his ego, slick black clothing, paired with red barbaric accents, and brightly colored armor, making the player look like a mini version of himself. It's good enough for the endless training they have to do, but it's clear that some parts of the outfit were put together at the last second and were made from the minimal sewing Burning Spice learned. And if wanting to be honest, it's kinda ugly. . . Overall, it's the player's least favorite of the outfits given (if they decide it is)

Every hour, it feels like Burning Spice is always learning something new about the player, to him at least. Because of this, he celebrates every accomplishment they make with lavished (and very spicy) feasts, no matter how small they might be. Not exactly the best prize for basically being slaved away constantly to a point of exhaustion, but he doesn't need to know that. The only downside to this is that he's loud, like really loud, so loud in fact, he can't hear any other voices but his own, making him clearly oblivious to a certain someone stealing away the player(-again)

So Burning Spice, a not-so great roommate, but a pretty good personal trainer

~Silent Salt~

Ever since leaving Shadow Milk's site, someone else had been watching the player for some time, someone who wasn't too distant from the player, none other than the silent knight themself, Silent Salt Cookie

Once they found out about the player, there wasn't an ounce of disbelief nor hesitation that got into their head, they only had one goal in mind, and that was getting the player out of the other beasts' hands. But like a hungry wolf with its meal, they knew it wouldn't be easy. The other beasts always kept the player at arm's length, even with the leisure they receive, those four always made sure they were watched. And so they waited, and waited, and waited. . . In till they had the right moment to strike

Normally the beasts would be more direct when approaching the player, probably showing some pity towards them, not before whisking them away, Silent Salt on the other hand had a more different approach. They'd leave small letters for the player, all written in cursive and paired with a beautifully drawn illustration which they constructed themselves. Silent Salt essentially gives the player a bread crumb trail, preparing them for what was to come as to not spook them later

"Last one to get back to the base goes stale!"

"Burning Spice Cookie! Wait up!"

*You two were only trying to get back. . . nothing too special, yet of course, Burning Spice just had to turn it into a game of tag, didn't he?! Already tired from the day's activities, you struggled to move forward, and the barbarian is way ahead. Despite how unfair, annoying, and exhausting it was, you sighed, it wasn't the first time he did this. . . As you forced your body further, all you cared about was getting rest. You never understood why Burning Spice pushed your body to such lengths, but if there was one other reason to keep going it was to spite him. But as you were about halfway there, an unknown force suddenly grabbed your arm and pulled you to the side, you yelped, why does everyone here like grabbing you!?*

"*AH!* W-What the!?-"

*Pulled into an unnoticed corner, you practically swing yourself around, already having a good idea of just who decided to yank you out of the way, and you got what you wished for. . . Hovering over your tiny body, was the silent knight themself, quiet and unmoving, looking down at you. . . You jump back a bit startled, those training sessions are sounding a lot better right now. . . Although frozen with fear, it didn't take long to realize that something wasn't right. Sure, they appeared in front of you but that was merely it, just standing there, menacingly, almost like a statue. Your fear quickly dissolves into pure confusion as you stare back at them, the moment shifting into awkward silence. You already had a decent idea of who this fellow might be, and decided to use it as a way to break the barrier between you two*

"*Um. . .* Hi. . ."

"Y-You're Silent Salt Cookie, right. . ?"

*It took them a second to respond, and by "respond" they actually crouched down and got extremely close to your face, adding to your bewilderment, and barely managing to keep your composure*

"*ah!-* I'm gonna take that as a yes. . !"

*As a result of being thrown around so much, you practically knew what was next, but seeing the knight so still felt alien to you, and almost refreshing. . ? Like you were happy to just not be snatched for once, as morbid as that sounds. Oh but no, that's not right, who's to say that this fellow was to be trusted. You make the bold choice to ask them more questions, but before another word could fall out of your mouth. . .*

"Aye Pipsqueak! What's the hold up!?"

It's a no-brainer that Burning Spice finally noticed the player's absence, they have the rightful decision of running to him or yelling out, which Silent Salt covers their mouth and attempts to take them away(what a surprise!) The second route, however, the player's (4th) kidnapping is put on display for Burning Spice, who did not handle the situation well. He immediately rushes in to save them, but Silent Salt was much too swift for him. All the while, the player attempts to save themselves; trying to kick, scream, and squirm their way to freedom, but nothing works, they were a knight after all. Enraged, Burning Spice yells at Silent Salt that he'll get revenge, and he won't be alone. . !

(And before we go on any further, I personally like to hc that Silent Salt is both mute and deaf because 1. it matches with the new ancient heroes since Pure Vanilla is heavily implied to be blind; and 2. it'd make sense that the witches would want to make a disabled cookie. During their pre-corruption days, the five virtues also had to be role models for the cookies, thus they had to, at some extent, be relatable. So giving one of the virtues something that other cookies can relate to makes sense. Oh and as a bonus, Silent Salt is completely fluent in ASL and is fairly good at lip reading; Shadow Milk and Mystic Flour are also fluent in ASL and often act as their mouth pieces. Ok moving on!)

You'd think that the player wouldn't trust Silent Salt from the jump, given the circumstances & that this happened to them so many other times, and yet. . . Silent Salt was the only one to be considerate of the player's feelings before performing the act, they knew the player would be scared, if not terrified, of them, especially when you consider their appearance and quiet nature; thus they planted the letter to let them know. So although this doesn't mean the player fully trusts them, it is a step into the right path

How they view the player is a complete mystery, unlike the other beasts, it isn't just spelled out in ink. Instead, the player has to focus on their interactions and certain body language, since they can't speak

Similarly to Eternal Sugar, Silent Salt will often give the player gifts in an attempt to gain their trust. The main difference on the other hand was that those gifts were much smaller scale than what Eternal Sugar gave them, but still feel more thought out and genuine

*Lilac-colored curtain draped over large windows, comfortable sitting, and a bed that resembled a soft marshmallow, you had to admit, for living in a wasteland, they sure knew a thing or two about decor. But as you admired your new bedroom, you get a sudden knock on the door, and opening it a crack, you see Silent Salt, they appeared to be holding a few things*

"Oh! Silent Salt Cookie! What brings you-"

*Fully opening the door revealed what they were holding, a bouquet of beautifully made paper flowers in one hand, and a sliver tin, filled with salted chocolates in the other. Seeing the gifts, you were pleasantly surprised, not just by the tin of sweets but the paper flowers, so true to life and clearly made by them, you were amazed by the fact they were able to pull something like that off*

"Wow! are these for me?"

*The knight nodded their head, handing both gifts to you. Despite how small the gesture was, you still felt a tiny bit overwhelmed, the smallest hint of blush creeped onto your face*

"T-Thank you! They're lovely!"

Silent Salt was & still somewhat is known for their skills with a sword, thus the reason why their minigame is based on "Fruit Ninja." The player, instead of slicing fruit, is made to cut different pieces of paper according to a dotted line, in an attempt to mimic Silent Salt's paper flowers

While out exploring and doing tasks, Silent Salt will actually partner up with the player & help them, which is already a massive change from the player's other beast encounters. Either they'd find ways to stretch the task out even longer, or just not help at all, so having them there is a huge change of pace. They're always by the player's side, because of this, they can come off as clingy at times

They, like most of the beasts, give the player free range to do whatever, but is quick to set boundaries. The player isn't allowed to go into certain areas without their supervision, especially at night

*Lightly tracking your steps across cold floors, you carefully tiptoe through the Silent domain, moonlight streaking onto every nook and cranny acted as your only light source, which you tried to use to your advantage, the last thing you wanted was to be caught. But when you turned the corner, guess who you unceremoniously bumped into. . ? Pressed into their chest, you abruptly backed away startled & flustered realizing who it was, Silent Salt just looked at you, just like before*

"*Ah!-* Silent Salt Cookie. . ! It's not what you think. . !"

"I-I just have a few other things to do, that's all!-"

*The silent knight only stood there, arms crossed, making their stance all the more stern. You already had a good idea of what was going on in their head, no amount of convincing would change your fate. So with a sigh, you started heading back to your room, not before Silent Salt gently scoops you up, refusing to let you touch the floor, and carried you there themself. Blushing rapidly, you beg and plead for them to put you down, but failed miserably; why does everyone like carrying you so much. . ?*

Silent Salt treats the player like they're the most fragile thing on Earthbread, handling them with care and, with their position as a knight, more than happy to cater to their every need and desire

Due to their disability and limitations in lip reading, talking to them is difficult, creating this communication barrier between them and the player. This, however, doesn't stop the two of them from trying to fix the issue

That being said, Silent Salt most definitely wants to teach the player ASL so they can communicate easier. They made sure they'd take their time, teaching them all they need to know, starting with letters, to phrases, to full sentences. Even if the player struggles to learn at first, they're extremely patient with them, teaching things one step at a time

If it wasn't already obvious, Silent Salt is very delicate with their hands, due to their precise skills with a sword. Because of this, they picked up quite a few hobbies, like painting and drawing, clearly showed by the letter they made the player before, and surprisingly, braiding hair

*Slowly, the silent knight carefully overlapped strand after strand of hair from your head into beautiful braids. They put special care into each braid, constantly checking with you to make sure they were comfortable, even going the extra mile of creating more paper flowers to infuse into the braids. Sitting in front of the bedroom's vanity mirror, you were in awe at how perfect the braids were, your hair practically became an art project! Looking back at them, you couldn't see their face, but you could tell Silent Salt was genuinely enjoying themself, how they added flower after flower, even sometimes placing one directly onto your head; because well, why not? It was moments like this that made you think back to when you first met, back to when their silence felt alien to you, and how you were so unwilling to cooperate. . . Yes, you still didn't fully trust the knight, all of this just felt too perfect, almost too good to be true even, but it does. After placing the last flower, they were finally done, the braids were wrapped around your head and tied in the back with a purple ribbon*

If the hairstyle doesn't make them feel like royalty, then don't worry, Silent Salt had them covered. Cause not soon after doing their hair, they presented their outfit, which looked more like a gorgeous gown than any regular dress. Everything about it was perfect, the long white silk trin that partly touched the floor, the bow around the waste that matched your hair, the simple purple accents, its ruffled layers, everything. But possibly the most radiant part of the gown was these beautiful sewn in embroideries, each more beautiful than the last, all throughout. This was the straw that broke that camel's back, such actions of kindness couldn't go unrewarded; so through ASL, the player is able to sign phrases "thank you" and "sorry," to which Silent Salt immediately accepts. Quite a shame the player couldn't do more. . . The only two downside one could think of is that it strongly resembled a wedding dress, which can give the wrong ideas fast; also the gown length gives the possibility of tripping, but that's a simple price to pay

The relationship between the player and Silent Salt is mostly through action, and to some extent, physical touch. The player is always finding new and creative ways to repay them for everything they've done, often finding themselves cooking or cleaning for them, even gifting them drawings and paper creations they made themselves. Silent Salt does find this sweet and charming, but as a knight, they really have no desires. They crave the simpler things, like holding hands, learning ASL, or just being together in general. No amount of wasted paper would change that

Unfortunately, as stated before, not everything can be too blissful. . . Silent Salt is regularly shown to be extremely overprotective of the player, which does make sense considering their role; Silent Salt is a knight, keeping the innocent safe is their job, and the fact that the other beasts were also after them only made them double down on protecting them. Now, Silent Salt, before meeting the player, had no plans of escape, at least even they think of, in fact, became increasingly fond of their surroundings. . . Only when they learned the player did they start to reconsider. . . with a new opportunity, they couldn't simply pass it up. . .

Because of this, they've developed a 6th sense(or 5th or 4th) whenever they felt the player was in danger. Silent Salt can pick up signals of danger from miles away, and acts quickly ensure their safety, so imagine the player's surprise and confusion when being rushed somewhere else

*Everything was a blur. . . One second ago you and Silent Salt were spending time together per usual, before you knew it you were being pulled into your room, and Silent Salt was doing repeated checks on the door and windows, making sure they were locked. Confused, you try to stop them in their tracks, to get some sort of answer, but all they did was clutch both your hands tightly, looking you directly in the eyes; before abruptly letting go, telling you to never, for any reason, open the door or windows till they came back, then disappears, leaving you in a state of flustered shock. Even if completely unexpected on your end, it became increasingly clear why Silent Salt acted the way they did. . . with a battle axe, guess who was waiting just outside. . ?*

"Salty! right on time!~ It's been awhile, hasn't it?~"

*The knight merely stood there, sword in hand with a tight grip. They already knew what the brute was saying, him placing the axe's handle on the back of his neck as he began to walk towards them*

"Honestly, I'm pretty surprised Salty!~ Out of everybody here, it's you who'd be dumb enough to steal from me, me!"

"Cause when I think of stealing, I usually think of Shadow Milk Cookie, maybe Eternal Sugar Cookie if what we're after is really worth fighting for, but you?! *HA!* Didn't think of ya as the taking type!~"

"*Hmm. . .* I like it! You know I always love a good surprise?~"

*With every step he took, Silent Salt only further stood their ground, having already pulled their sword out from the dirt and getting into a battle stance. Upon reading their body language, his grin only got bigger, he knew exactly what was doing and actively stirred the pot. He put his hands up as he backed away in a condescending yet reassuring tone*

"*Woah!-* *Woah!-* Easy there buddy!~ Now I know what it looks like, but I promise, I didn't come here to cause trouble. . ."

"Instead, I'm looking for a little. . . exchange. . ."

*Burning Spice proceeded to hold his axe behind his back to make himself appear more innocent. All the while Silent Salt didn't once get out of their battle-ready mindset*

"Now I know I can be a little. . . hectic at times, but for this I'm willing to make one exception. . ."

"Say, I won't leave a scratch on your place, if you return what you've stole from me. . !"

"A simple deal, really!- You get out of this with no causalities, and I leave with that little cookie in tow!~ So what do ya say. . ?"

*Silent Salt was only getting parts of the Burning Spice's so called "deal," and already, they were not having it. . ! With just a blink of an eye, Silent Salt went from guarding their domain to holding the tip of their blade at Burning Spice's throat, as if they teleported, they were that fast. . ! Along with Shadow Milk's lies, none of the beasts were dumb enough to fall for one of his exchanges! The knight was clearly provoked; exactly what the brute wanted, so he kicked back far enough to pull his axe out from his back. Though the kick was strong, Silent Salt was still able to hold their ground, using their sword to keep their footing. There was a battle-hungry look in his eyes*

"*HA HA!* You just love surprising me, don't ya Salty?!"

*He then stretched his neck and shoulders, tense bones popped at the motion. Then proceeded to do his battle stance*

"Whatever! Wouldn't have worked anyway! Besides, no one gets dumber around here, right?! *HA!*"

"But one thing's for sure. . . Doesn't matter how tough you act. . . I'm not leaving without my pipsqueak. . !"

*His tone shifted to slight anger as his hair turned into bright flames. Having weapons drawn, it's clear as day as neither was willing to do what the other wanted, nor give in. Both had goals set in stone and willing to follow through with them; but just before they could actually strike at one and other. . .*

"*Yoo-hoo~* Up here!~"

"Apologizes for being so late you two, we've bumped into some. . . causalities. . ."

*In from above, flew in Eternal Sugar atop one of her clouds as Mystic Flour floated beside her, landing onto opposites of the brute and knight, creating this strange box. Burning Spice became all the happier, being the violence-obsessed cookie he was, this just maybe the fight more interesting for him. While Silent Salt was as stern as ever, despite being outnumbered*

"Misty! Sugar! Welcome to the party!! Just when things were starting to get interesting!~"

"*Ugh* Don't overexcite yourself Burning Spice Cookie, some of us only want this to be over with. . !"

*She has a quick glance at the beasts around her, just as annoyed of as before*

"So . . . I assume we all know about our new. . . 'inhabitant,' yes?"

*The silent knight nodded*

"*Pfft* *Uh Duh!-* What's was ya first clue?!"

"That's right! It's been far too long since I've seen another cookie, and when I finally find one, they're snatched from my hands!"

"Oh my poor little mouse!~ They must've been so lonely since they were taken away from me!"

"Being pushed and pulled by some brute and locked away by some scary knight?!~ What can be worse?!"

*Eternal Sugar whined and whined, nitpicking everything that she deemed "cruel treatment," and although most of the things said were true, Burning Spice couldn't help but take offense*

"Aye! What do ya mean by 'pushing and pulling around?!' I have you know I treat them with utmost respect and care!"

"*HA!* You call your so called 'training' of yours respect and care?! Don't make me laugh!"

"Unlike you, I provide my little mouse with everything they could ever need, everything they desire. . ! I make them happy! All your training does is ruin their perfect mind and body!"

*She looked over to her two other comrades*

"At least I can be assured that those two actually kept them safe, otherwise, I wouldn't know what I'd do. . ."

"Even Shadow Milk Cookie takes better care of my little mouse. . ."

*That's when most of the group realized a crucial detail, where the heck was Shadow Milk?! Unannounced to them, Mystic Flour already had a good idea of where he was, but waited to answer. . .*

"Oh yeah! Shadow Milk Cookie isn't here! Where is the guy anyway?!"

"When we found out the pika was being kept here, we came as soon as possible. But it wasn't long before Shadow Milk separated from us; we tried to pursue him but by then, he was already gone. . ."

"Perhaps we should wait for him. . .Knowing him, he likely has something planned. . !"

*With Shadow Milk being the smartest of their group, waiting for him seemed like the safest option, after all he was known for his tricks, who knows what he could be planning. Yet the brute and angel, who always had something to say, didn't have the patience for such. . .*

"And let him get another chance on stealing my little mouse away again?! Absolutely not!!"

"Yeah Misty, not having Shadow Milk Cookie around means less of us to get through, even if it is kinda boring! *HA HA!*"

"Wouldn't want his filth to rub off on my pipsqueak. . !"

*Eternal Sugar gasped in surprise and utter disgust*

"'Your' Pipsqueak?! are you delusional?! Clearly they're mine!!"

*Burning Spice cracked his knuckles, as he puffed his chest*

"Oh yeah?! Then why don't ya prove it?!"

*Mystic Flour groaned in irritation, if her eyes were open she would have definitely rolled them, this charade was going too far*

"*Ugh* You two are bickering like children! Could you at least not treat them like some object?! It's likely that the pika will return to me or Silent Salt Cookie, at least we don't see them as a mere pet. . !"

*Silent Salt nodded in agreement*

"And yet, I think we all know what we're really after. . . "

*With that sentence alone, it made Burning Spice and Eternal Sugar as quiet as Silent Salt was. . . The whole area was hushed, quiet enough to hear a pin drop. . .The four beasts side eyed each other, as if ready to duel; evidence was undeniably clear, they wanted to use you. . .for something? After keeping their running mouths shut for what felt like decades, Burning Spice finally breaks the silence, drawing his weapon, his patience was already dissolved. . .*

"Alright, that's it! We all want the cookie, and just sitting around isn't gonna help!"

"So, let's settle this. . . once and for all. . !"

"Agreed!"

"*Ugh* Suppose we should get this over with. . !"

*As Silent Salt drew their sword, the battle had began. The four played sides, the three of them trying to barge their way in, and Silent Salt trying to keep them out; and despite how unfair the fight seemed, not only were they evenly matched, but they all were fighting for themselves, for their own selfish goals, all of which surrounded getting to you. . . Speaking of that, you were once more left in the dark, spared from the situation. Not to say you aren't curious about what was going on either, in fact you were completely willing to open the windows to look outside if Silent Salt didn't tell you to keep them closed. Laying on top of the marshmallow bed, you stare up at the ceiling in boredom and something else. You received another to be alone with your thoughts, really rekindle and wonder. . . What the hell was going on?! First you were teleported to this strange place, then you were kidnapped five times, then you basically died and came back to life? Nothing about your situation was normal! Not to mention the cookies you're trapped with, if you can even call them "cookies" what even were they? You didn't know anything about them, what to feel about them, let alone if you could trust them or not. . . Questions were swimming in your head like fish upstream, feelings fighting for control in till. . .*

"*AH HAHAHAHA!~* no matter what, the story always stays the same!~"

*You hear a voice, a squeaky, arrogant, yet oh so voice. . . You look around in surprise, was that who you thought it was?!*

"That's right!~ The hero has arrived!~"

". . .To save his damsel in distress!~"

*CRASH!*

*Destroying one of the windows, bursts in the self-proclaimed trickster himself, Shadow Milk Cookie, the suddenness of the action making you fall off your bed startled and almost near giving you a heart attack. When hitting the ground, he did a quick barrel roll before landing on one knee in a sort of "ta-da!" position, acting like he didn't ruin a perfectly good glass plane, and much to your bewilderment. You quickly get up and stand towards him*

"S-Shadow Milk?! Are you ok?!"

"Awh~ Look at you!~ worrying for lil'ol me!~"

"I'm perfectly fine my little mousey!~ Absolutely splendid!~"

*You knew you should've expected a reaction like that from him of all cookies, but it didn't stop you from going dumbfounded*

"You just jumped in through a closed window!!"

*He then went on this long, overexaggerated, winded speech about how much he missed you, how you two had been separated for far too long, what lengths he had to go through just to get to you, but you were wise enough to know that he was partly spewing out lies. . . Mystic Flour knew he had a plan, and had a plan he did! whilst everyone else was occupied, he'd snuck in through a back window, unbelievable how such a cheap tactic was able to work. . . It wasn't long for Shadow Milk to notice the beautiful dress you were wearing, and lights up with glee, zipping toward you, and scaring you once more*

"And might I add, that is quite a marvelous gown you have on!~ *AH!* It makes you look so much more like a proper damsel!~ who made it?!"

"Well-. . ."

*He cuts you off before another word could come out of your mouth*

"-Oh, no, no, no, wait!- don't tell me, Silent Salt Cookie made this, didn't they?~"

"*AH!* It's such a no brainer!~ They make such amazing things, of course they'd make something this cute!~ I'm a little jealous!~ *hehehe!~*"

"*Whew!~* Okay, I think we had enough excitement for one day, hadn't we?~"

*He abruptly grabs your arm and pulls you close, startling you as blush begins to creep up your cheeks*

"Time to go home!~"

*It was the mention of "home" that threw you into a loop, what did he mean by "go home?!" Shocked, you pulled yourself away from the trickster, causing surprise and slight annoyance on his end*

"H-Home?! What are you talking about?!"

"Oh, you ask such silly questions, I'm taking you with me! Back to my humble abode!~"

Obviously, going back to the guy that had the player turned into two halves, is something that they aren't fully ready to do, thus are given the choice to go with him or not; to which both have different, yet very grim results. . . If they say yes, Shadow Milk Cookie will carry them out of Silent Salt's domain, not before being founded out by the other beasts, causing the player to be caught up within the drama, eventually getting stabbed through the chest from all the excitement. . ! On the other hand, if they say no, Shadow Milk with become more persuasive toward the player, reminding them of their time spent apart. If they deny him enough times, his patience begins to wane as his persona falls apart. Becoming more demanding till he snaps, forcing the player to leave with him; but it was already too late, as the other beasts had shown up, who aren't too happy about his late arrival, and chaos ensues, leading to the player getting decapitated. . !(Woooo-)

~Final~

The player ends up back at the top of the altar in the Silver Forest, completely passed out from the shock. All the beasts, after freaking out over their dead body, head there in a heartbeat, arguing over who'd be the one to take the player home, till Mystic Flour decides enough is enough, ending the argument and declaring the Shadow Milk should be the one to take in the player since he found them first, further saying that arguing wouldn't get them anywhere and wants to start a meeting before anyone else could argue back. . . Fast forward to Shadow Milk's base, the player is getting some well needed rest as the beasts are discussing what to do next, although it isn't entirely apparent that they remember how they got there, having them around could be beneficial to their much bigger goals. After a bit of talking, Shadow Milk conjures up a wonderfully, awful, idea. . . keeping the player as their hostage. . . Think about it! From the outside world, they already have reputations for being cold and cruel monsters, if they found out they had a cookie with them, they'd go nuts! Plus, who'd be more inclined to get involved? None other than the new Guardian Of The Seal, and Ancient Hero herself, White Lily Cookie. . . Long story short, they all agree with the plan, as it will guarantee their escape, and check on the player not long after, who was still passed out

*In your dormant state, you lay unconscious as all five beasts watched you, each of them claimed a corner of the bed. As they watched, Silent Salt noticed a slight twitching in your hand, and instinctively embraced theirs into yours, rubbing their thumb on your wrist. Not everybody took it well, cause Eternal Sugar shooed their hand away just a few seconds later*

"*Ugh* Get your hands away from them, you're ruining their slumber. . !"

*She turns back to you as her mood shifts from annoyance to gentle delight*

"Awh~ They look so precious!~"

*Burning Spice leaned forward on the bed to get a better look at you, he seemed upset*

"How long are they gonna be like this. . ? It's been awhile now. . ."

"Roughly a few hours, but I believe they will be awake by tomorrow. . . Poor thing, must have scared them quite a lot "

". . . I think it'd be wise to not tell the pika about our plan, after all, we did get this far with them"

"Right you are, my dear comrade!~"

"If it were to get out that we were keeping them for our own sake, it'd surely shatter any trust we might have, and we don't want them defying us, now do we?~"

*The other beasts agreed*

"*hehehehe!* So it's settled!~"

*Running a hand up your arm, the trickster looked back at you with his signature smile*

"*Hehehehe!*Oh be sure to get all the rest you need, my little mousey!~"

"Cause you'll be in for quite the performance!~"

And that's pretty much how the story begins, the player is their little doll for the time being, none the wiser about the beasts' plans for hostage type deal with The Guardian Of The Seal

(holy crap we're almost done, guess it's time to talk about some background and bonus info)

~Background~

You are playing as the new resident of the Faerie Kingdom, a half-faerie who grew up in Crispia. There, they are known for two things, having cookie genetics and being kinda an a*s, everything makes them unique compared to other faeries, especially the lack of wings on their back, and their personality isn't exactly a pocket of sunshine either. So throw that in a blender, and you got yourself unnecessary fame that many don't want. The player receives the full "little sibling treatment" with faeries being overbearing and constantly getting doted on. Which, of course, sucks, day by day, no matter where they go, they can't escape it! The only escape they have from it all is their day job, working as the librarian's assistant is when they could finally have some peace and quiet, alongside the librarian, who became the player's good friend

Ok! Bonus Stuff!

With the player's kidnapping and life within the Silver Kingdom, a few bonus relationships the player can have are with Silverbell, Mercury Knight, Pure Vanilla, and of course White Lily. SB and Mercury are like childhood friends/crushes, having met the player before the events of the main game, making the player more acquainted toward them. White Lily and Pure Vanilla on the other hand, take a parental role, acting as the player's protectors much later in the game. Both are relatively more alien to the player, especially White Lily, but the two quickly insert themselves, insisting that they only want to keep the player safe(which makes sense considering their mission is to protect Cookiekind, and the player certainly counts) Out of the two, it's White Lily we end up getting the closest with(a mother + child bond if you will), as Guardian Of The Seal, she was horrified to find out the player was being held hostage by the beasts, and wanted to do anything in her power to save them. She also took a liking to their personality (which's fine I guess???)

It may not look like it, but this game is all about choice. It's about the ideas and importance of choice, how decisions affect your life, how even bigger decisions are often made by selfish people, and (I'm probably gonna get publicly executed for this!-) how a democracy should be handled, because let's be honest, we need a better one. . . We'll see plenty examples of a bad democracy among the beasts, as Shadow Milk, the proclaimed "leader" constantly makes choices for others, in reality only thinking about himself; it's through the player he learns to give the others a say in the matter. Speaking of which, it's the player's choices that will have the most impact as the story continues, like how most games do, the only difference is that the game provides a much wider buffet of choices, making the opportunities endless!

.

.

.

If you're reading this then, Congratulations!

You Made It To The End!

Here's A Trophy!🏆(for both me and you cause omfg this took FOREVER! I'm happy with the final result but like- I never thought this would take like 5 weeks to make ;w;)

If I could go back in time, I would've definitely made this shorter. . !

If you any other ideas for this strange fangame, then feel free to let me know!~

Ok, bye!~^^

*decomposes into the soil*

[flowersforjoy]

Rectifier Devlog #1 (March)

Guess who's back, back again- devlogs are back, tell a friend!

Hey hey, it's Joy! I've been taking a break finally-mostly just streaming while waiting for Otome Jam 2024. I've known I was going to participate in Otome Jam since this time last year LOL. (I've had to keep it's existence as mostly a secret for an entire year, which was difficult since it's probably my favorite project I've ever worked on, and has a cast of the best characters like ever.)

THIS PROJECT- "Rectifier" has been a WILD ADVENTURE. Fitting since it's an epic high fantasy adventure dating sim, where you play as an alien angel with 3 different personalities, traveling with your SEVEN super distinct love interests.

Each guy is based off of one of 7 deadly sins. Which means they alone, and in a group are a handful. 

I want to just talk about a handful of things about the project as a whole, and what you can expect if you are interested.

For those that have played my most recent game "Lord of Lies" you won't feel so out of the loop. Though playing Lord of Lies before Rectifier is by no means a requirement. They just take place in the same universe. So the magic, world, and art is the same. Yes, same sprite artist! GET HYPED!

Rectifier is a special project as it is the exact dating sim I want to play. You step into the role of an Angel or more specifically a Nephelim, a celestial race of aliens who can shapeshift at will, have a great deal of magic at their disposal, and work to save humanity for themselves. 

The project's mood is the most similar to "One Piece", "Avatar the Last Airbender", and many other action/adventures with a diverse cast of whacky characters- but if you could date them all.

The MC will have 2 appearances- masculine and feminine leaning, but you can be: she/her, he/him, or they/them. 

What affects the game and your MC mostly is one of their 3 distinct personalities- Red, Green, and Blue respectively.

Red- dominant, confident, aggressive, and decisive.

Green- neutral, alien, observant, and intelligent.

Blue- submissive, diplomatic, understanding, and altruistic .

This personality system is one of the most unique aspects about Rectifier- you have 7 love interests and can romance them 3 different ways. So in a way, you've got 21 unique story experiences. Regardless of your choices/personality you can't get a bad end, and you and your chosen guy will fall in love in their own specific way.

Neat huh?

Although your choices don't lead to a bad end, that doesn't mean they don't have any impact in the story. Your personality/choices will affect specific story events, how characters react to and speak about you. Especially your love interest.

What's important to me was that players could sit down with the story and feel stress free. Though this doesn't mean the story won't have twists and turns.

Something special as well, is that no matter which love interest you choose, you still spend a huge amount of time with the other guys as they are your party members no matter what. Meaning you can get to know them again as friends. All the guys have complex relationships with one another, and maybe chemistry..? Who knows...hehe.

This is also the first project of Meant to Bee where I am working with multiple writers. This has been a wonderful decision as with such a large project, I worried I wouldn't be able to make each guy feel unique and interesting by myself lol. I will be writing one route all by myself. (Greed's route).

Regardless, I am creative director, lead writer, and programmer for this project- among many other things. I have a hand in every part of production, so it will still have my scent all over it...could have phrased that better LOL.

It's important I note one thing. Our submission to otome jam will actually be a spin off game.

*record scratch*

WAIT WHAT?

Yeah, so... the project is quite large as you may have already guessed. I planned for a long time to release a huge demo showcasing the world and characters, covering the first couple chapters of each route, however...I didn't feel all that confident in that idea.

There's a lot of groundwork necessary for this project

So suffice it to say, I felt OVERWHELMED. And if I someone whose been sitting with this project since it was a spark of an idea felt that way. I knew for a fact my audience would also feel that way.

I needed more time, and otome jam was only getting closer everyday. I thought about compressing it, cutting corners here, simplifying concepts I loved, etc... but none of it sat right with me.

I was at a loss, and even went into a period of burn out/creator's block as a result. I've loved and I mean, adored, worshiped this project since the moment I decided I wanted to work on it. (that's a story for a whole other devlog) It's the kind of project where I HAD to show it to friends, months before it was ever meant to be announced.

I worried I would be doing the story, my team, and myself a disservice if I released it feeling the way I was. So much behind the scenes work has been made for this game. 

I didn't want to release it and it be info dump-y, take too long to get to the hot boys, or cut short before it gets into the meat of the story. You only get one chance to make a good first impression. I want my readers to be interested, invested, clawing for more.

The demo focuses on setting up a lot of LORE, which can be interesting if we have enough time to make it interesting. It has to be strategic, it needed more time.

But otome jam is the best chance for this project to gain the attention it deserves. I didn't want to miss the window. So I was caught between a rock and a hard place.

UNTIL- I had a eureka moment...a side game.

But Joy (I can hear you asking yourself) a side game for a game that doesn't exist???

Yes.

I know why people play dating sims- for the boyssss, sure an interesting story is great- but ultimately it is background dressing. The story will be deep and detailed, but that's for the main game to worry about balancing the rich story with dating sim mechanics and conventions.

The side game, just fun dating sim, with little hints to a bigger picture.

You'll meet our boys in media res. You'll be thrown into what the heart of the game is. If you like where you land, then I'm sure you'll love the demo when it's released at a later date.

The Rectifier main game is VERY MUCH still a priority for me. But for now, for my team and I's first ever otome jam we are going to have fun and show you what we've been working so hard on.

So let me reintroduce you to our newest project...

"Rectifier: In Bloom"

The game will center around you/the MC receiving a flower from all your love interests in their very specific way. (This is a very rough concept sketch, but by the time all the love interests are revealed we will have an itch page.)

"Rectifier: In Bloom" will be a complete game! Each route will be anywhere from 5k-10k words, so you can get a good sense of each guy, and pursue them fully in the main game, as well as get a taste of the world, personality system, and feeling of the Rectifier world.

It's the best choice for my team and I to test the waters for both us and our player base. So I hope you'll enjoy this side game when it releases. We will make it so you can go in blind and still enjoy your time.

There's so many wonderful things I want to show. And I am so glad I am finally getting the chance to bring this story to life.

Please stay tuned for more, either here on itch, Twitter, and Tumblr!

I'll be yapping about this project from now until July 1st.

This is also the first monthly devlog for all things Rectifier related.

[zoobus]

The Bad Ending of an Otome

From time to time I've expressed a desire to explain otome isekai's appeal to me through a pastiche of my favorite writing pieces from tumblr, the Scorpion and the Frog. I still have not followed through, despite the fact that it should be literally the easiest thing in the world - the Villainess and Her World. Frustrating.

Anywho, today's scorpion/frog meta regards the jealous hater replacement heiress of a beautiful but terminally ill child in a dating sim.

The original game followed a girl who happened to look just like the now terminally dead Ophelia, who was previously alive and loved by all. The identical not-twin fills the Ophelia-shaped hole left in everyone's heart. The jealous hater replacement heiress (the villainess/frog, naturally) is quickly replaced and eventually killed for jealous hater maneuvers. Our main character (MC) of course reincarnates as the frog.

The first twist is a genre staple, could almost be considered the blueprint every story builds off of; rather than a specific, vindictive bitch... What if I was kind? What if I chose not to do anything that would make them want to kill me? What if I simply befriended the terminally ill Ophelia?

But like any good OI, the subversion takes it somewhere specific, someplace more personal. What if I befriended the terminally ill Ophelia...and still coveted everything she had? What if you're forced to realize it's actually pretty hard to not be a jealous hater when you're sitting side by side with someone effortlessly wealthier, prettier, more beloved than anything you'll ever experience? Especially when the beautiful dying Ophelia was honestly kind of a hateful bitch? And what if, despite all of this, you truly loved her? And that love didn't extinguish your overwhelming envy for what you could never have? This is an OI framing of what it's like to lose your best friend, the person no one else knew or loved like you did, to a slow, unstoppable terminal illness. It's a look at real friendship while harboring immense amounts of envy and hatred.

There's this tension with whether the MC really liked Ophelia, if she's saying "friend" or "love" out of habit rather than sincerity, whether Ophelia was just a bully using her wealth and power to manipulate someone she essentially owns, if her comment about dying with her are more about avoiding the the future or maybe placating a sick person, and nice little nuanced character things meant to keep you on your toes about the nature of their relationship. Area woman uncertain if she's being bullied or if this is girl bonding kind of stuff.

At times it would be logical to pity Ophelia, to despise her at others, even to take a certain amount of schadenfreude in this popular hot rich girl's pain. I liked the various ways the narrative muddied MC's perspective of Ophelia. She's an unpleasant, mean person that MC has to stick with whether she wants to or not.

I loved Ophelia. A lot.

Now of course they don't let this girl look terminally ill - this is a princess comic after all - but lmaooo do they let her act it. Ophelia is *Bitter* that she has to die. *Terrified* of the inevitable. *Seething* over the expectation that she suffer through future agonizing symptoms just so her family can see her longer. *Furious* at these lovesick horny men courting her like they don't know her days are numbered. "Oh I worship you Ophelia, nobody's made me feel this way before, no woman will ever measure up to you" she knows they only like her cause she's hot. Ophelia is so hostile, so spite-filled, so fucking mad that not only does she have to die young, these people who claim to love her are - in both overt and subtle ways - pressuring her to take her imminent death gracefully, quietly, and above all else, beautifully. Foisting dignity on this teenager who's going into her casket kicking and screaming. If Ophelia had a tumblr she'd spend her time browsing vent tags and sending suicide bait.

Her character is so good, I was unfairly irritated by her in-game replacement who hadn't done anything yet. You really get where Ophelia's at times excessive hatred for the male love interests was coming from because like...wow. You're going full yandere eternal prisoner bad end for her...? This innocent good girl lamb who wants the best for everyone? No matter how similar they look, the fact that she offers a kind word and a helping hand would break any TRUE Ophelia stan's immersion instantly. She would never.

Anyway. Stories centered on the friendship between girls that aren't overly saccharine or stilted displays positivity are sadly uncommon, but they're my favorite. Like not to be aro on main but I think what others get out of tales of romance is how I respond to tales of deep friendship between women. Asobi Asobase, Binbougami Ga, Nichijou, Surviving Romance, they all fulfill some base desire that no one else seems to cherish as strongly😢

When we finally get confirmation, I have to admit. I stared at this page for like three minutes, eyes wet.

Spoilers! She did love her. She loved her more than anyone.

[lolotheparagon]

🔥 Hottest and ugliest/most bland MC and LI. Also favorite and least favorite otome game artwork.

Hottest MC

This is difficult cos the majority of MCs in Otome games who are adult women are so infantilised and spineless that it feels ewwy to find them attractive. One thing I hate is women being infantilised, cos it’s an actual trigger for me.

Either Seraphina from Peachleaf Valley or Teuta from Bustafellow since they are and act like actual adults, despite the weird artistic elements anime usually gives them. They’re funny, witty, sweet but know when to put their foot down and have a lot more agency than your usual garbage dating sim protagonist.

I would also say Kotone cos she is both a successful cafe owner and landlord but the way the story treats her and how the men are towards her, she honestly deserves a better game (with LIs who aren’t pedos or old enough to be her dad). She’s a wonderful character but I find her more cute than attractive.

I love Lynette though. Her design is so pretty and I love the more flashy 80s glam businesswoman look to her. She would fit right in with Jem and the Holograms. But again, she deserves a better game and a personality upgrade cos FOR FUCKS SAKE WHY IS THE MATCHMAKING GODDESS OF LOVE A CLUELESS INGENUE. SHE’S CUPID SHE SHOULD BE ABLE TO READ MEN LIKE A 4 PAGE PICTURE BOOK

Blandest MC

This is like counting every grain of sand on a beach, cos of the genre we’re in. THERE’S SO FUCKING MANY.

My top 3 would be:

The MC from Amnesia Memories, who I’m gonna call Maria, is the biggest offender. While Cardia and Ichika have some quirks, Maria has FUCKING NOTHING. Half of her thought processes and inner dialogue are taken up by a flying pixie in her head so we never get any idea of what Maria’s personality is like. And because this game uses her amnesia as an excuse to not give her any personality or agency from that matter

Cardia from Code Realise. What a WASTE

And Ichika from Collar x Malice.

Basically any Otomate protagonist can apply here, cos they’re all cut from the same bland UwU ingenue cloth and I’m SICK of Otome fans seeing every new protagonist and going “omg she’s such a sassy girlboss” when all she does is say no to a pervert’s advances. Like, that’s not sass, that’s basic self-defense.

Hottest LI

Mozu, hands down. Love how genuinely supportive and sweet he is. His design isn’t all that special but his personality really shines through. He’s delightfully morbid, which makes sense considering he’s a coroner. He spouts random scientific facts and statements about everything he sees like Sheldon Cooper and even in other routes, he considers Teuta his friend and always treats her with respect. He’s such a good man and I love how even his trauma regarding his sister’s death doesn’t affect his relationship with Teuta. Teuta does feel like a comforting angel in that game but after seeing the roles being reversed in Bustafellows 2, it’s great to see Mozu be the one comforting Teuta with her problems. Also the fact that Mozu is currently seeing a therapist to deal with his trauma so he can be a better boyfriend to Teuta is so 🥹

The only things I didn’t like about him was a moment where he awkwardly kabedons Teuta when he was depressed thinking about the investigation of his sister’s possible death and wanted to flirt with Teuta in the only way he knew how to take his mind of things. That was…weird. It felt like that scene was only there just so Kohaku can draw a kabedon scene. To be fair, Mozu is not well versed in romantic language at all and is very autism-coded so I give him some slack as the scene comes off as someone who clearly didn’t know how to process his emotions properly. Once Teuta explains that’s not cool, he immediately backs off, apologises and promises to ask next time.

Also he slapped Teuta when she was feeling out about a fire in the school and a little girl is trapped in there. I know it was meant to be a “pull yourself together” slap and I’ve seen this trope in a bunch of shows, not just anime. But it’s still weird.

Worst LI

Takeru Sasazuka. I used to love this guy when I first got this game and good Lord I regret it. He’s supposed to be this tsundere who slowly defrosts and becomes nicer to Ichika, but considering how much he insults her and calls her a dog as a “joke”, but it’s okay he hugs her when she’s about to fall into a mental breakdown or cries in a moment of distress, so he really does love her and I’m like fuck off.

He only softens up when the sequel came out where there was only slice of life stories and nothing serious was on the horizon, like a terrorist threat from the last game. He is interesting as a character: he has a hatred of guns since his mother was shot in front of him when he was a kid and only became a cop in order to gain enough power to reinstate a gun safety law since every individual in Shinjuku atm has enough guns that’ll make a Republican blush. Also he has very little family or friends and deep down truly wants to have people in his life, despite his prickly exterior. There is a lot of potential for a defrosting ice king character like him. But being deliberately unlikable is still unlikable.

This really goes to show how 80 of Otomate’s men work better as standard characters, rather than love interests to the MC.

I can’t believe I fancied him when I was younger, although that might be due to Daisuke Namikawa voicing him.

Also Shin and Toma from Amnesia Memories. These two are the childhood friends of Maria and they have a bit of a rivalry cos they both have feelings for her, but depending on either route, Maria’s relationship with them changes (like if you chose Shin, Maria would consider Toma like a friend and vice versa)

However, do they act normal to Maria? HELL FUCKING NAH! I remember choosing Shin when I first played this game cos I thought he was the most normal of the LIs, he had a tragic past with his father being in prison for murder and everyone considers him guilty by association, his only true friends were Maria and Toma and he tersely motivated Maria to become a better singer. But ALL THAT GOODWILL JUST PISSED AWAY cos Not only was he being needlessly secretive towards Maria after her amnesia (cos the game wants to be a mystery and the story constantly trying to red herring you with possibilities that it was him who caused Maria’s amnesia when it really wasn’t), and his design and personality just REEKS of good girls dating the emotionally abusive bad boy trope like it’s the fucking 50s. Also the amount of forceful kissing this guy did was just yuck. 🤮

But that is small potatoes compared to Toma. He is a yandere character taken to a disturbing degree. He starts off friendly and cheerful, then when Maria is stalked by someone, he offers her to stay at his home for a while. I think we all know where this is going. After using Maria’s amnesia to his advantage by lying to her and everyone about their relationship, he quickly stops Maria from seeing her friends, attending uni or her job, drugs her food, takes away her cellphone to cut her off from everyone. And perhaps the most infamously evil thing he’s done is lock the woman up in a “kawaii uguu cage of love” and only lets her out to use the toilet and threatens to rape her if she dared get out of her cage or leave without telling her. And the only punishment he ever gets is Shin punching him once or in Shin’s route, Toma brings himself in to be arrested cos he can’t handle Maria’s rejection. THERES EVEN AN ENDING WHERE MARIA STRAIGHT UP FORGIVES HER. WHAT THE PISS-SHITTING FUCK?!

Toma is a vile, pathetic piece of shit and the fact that he is the most popular character in the game and his serial killer behaviour is memed by Otomate as if it’s a cute quirk is fucking disgusting. I found out online that there is a CAFE based on this game and you can order a dessert that is a direct reference to that infamous cage scene. That is how much attention this character has. And yet most people in the Otome community think he’s crazy but in a lol so crazy kinda way XD but Toma’s behaviour is so callous so frequently and to such a triggering degree, its no laughing matter. I swear, the people who like Toma (even in an ironic sense) are probably Reylo/Catradora stans.

Fave Otome artwork:

Definitely Kohaku Sumeragi’s work on Bustafellows. She makes the typical anime style look so expressive and lively. She’s not afraid to make her characters look silly, albeit to some restrictions cos we need our characters to still look pretty. Also the amount of detail in each character’s outfit without it looking too detailed is brilliant. Although she definitely needs to work on giving the women more prominent noses and stop giving characters like Teuta the baby doll eyes and bulk up Luka a bit. I want my muscular women

Worst Otome artwork

Suoh’s artwork is so fucking shit. Jesus Christ. does she draw all her characters so young, it’s fucking gross! For example, this is the MC, Shino in one of the games Suoh worked on, Dairoku: Agents of Sakuratani. Shino’s age isn’t listed but she’s supposed to be a young adult. Also her character designs in general are so

DOES SHE EVEN REMOTELY LOOK LIKE AN ADULT?!

Worst off, there’s no lighting, barely any shading. Her expressions are extremely limited. Her colours are flat and lifeless. They look like literal cardboard cutouts. I don’t like to harp on the artwork too much cos I’m an artist myself but I have no idea why this woman is still getting work if this is her best work to date.

So, yeah. I hope I’ve answered all your questions, Yuisdad!

[chaoschenoo]

Queer Itch.io VN List

So IDK when I'll be able to post art again so here's another bit of content. Queer visual novels from itch.io. Not all of these are itch exclusive so you steam only? Feel free to check. Oh these will be 18+. Four things going in; 1.) Not all of these are finished. I'll be breaking it up between finished and unfinished.

2.) A lot of them are furry because the furry VN and queer VN venn diagram is a pair of nested circles.

3.) Spoilers, will be light but they will exists.

4.) Mostly MLM because that's the place I tend to live.

Coming Out On Top: 5/10

Starting with Coming Out on Top because it's the most average of the list and the quinessential baby gay VN. It's cute, fun, funny, sexy and has the depth of a brook at best. Light fun but has a couple of issues one with stereotypes, the other with power dynamics it adamantly doesn't want to think about because sexy.

Nekojishi: 6/10

Nekojishi is a bit more interesting than Coming Out on Top. Has more depth by and large but is also more fun than deep. Cute characters and while I cannot speak to cultural fidelity the husbandos are all in front of an interesting situational backdrop.

Full Service: 5/10

Similar to COoT, hot guys, sexy CGs, fun and silly moments with big personalities for the husbandos. But doesn't really explore the conflict beyond having something to spice up the romance, tempted to dock points for an infuriating mascot character.

Human Cargo: 6/10

Has a bit more going on between the ears than the baseline but the plot is still more a vehicle for the husbandos. Hot CGs, very cute, a good bit of soft moments and the romance feels at least a bit like an earned climax to the relationship.

In Case of Emergency: 8/10

So this is where we've broken the 'plot as car for husbandos' glass cieling. This is one that definitely has something more going on than date hotties. I dock a little bit of points for it being a bit hard to parse towards the end as to how interactions gets a good ending. BUT gets points for it being the start of the relationship. It feels like the MC matters to the route but not like he 'fixes' their problems. They're all on the road to a better place. Be warned a bittersweet game.

Adastra: 9/10

So I did play Echo first which makes me a bit of an oddity apparently. I think that was a part of the reason the emotions of Adastra didn't hit me quite as hard. Like I was expecting the other shoe to drop. Also since I was waiting for that I also spent much of the early game frustrated by 'Marco's' choices. That said Amicus is everything the Echo fandom wishes Leo was.

Arches: 8/10

Arches is going here before Echo for a reason despite being a nominal sequel, but also... I have so many mixed feelings here. It's an objectively good story, it makes me feel things. It's also REALLY depressing and I feel genuinely conflicted about if it's a very good or very bad representation of schizophrenia.

Echo: 10/10

Yeah I know it's the bloody posterchild for the subversive dating sim, it's also why the spoiler tag exists. Because Echo sets up as a dating sim meant to evoke nostalgia and then devolves into a psychological horror on the level of one of the classic Silent Hill games. Also Leo is the Ur-Furry Thirst Trap and the fandom shows just how terrifyingly effective he is at it. Horror and tragedy in equal measure. And at the end so I can start the unfinished list with it's prequel...

UNFINISHED: There are enough here that are so solid despite still being updated that I needed to keep the list separate. They would get points docked for not being one but I didn't want that to reflect on how evocative they are.

The Smoke Room: 10/10

The prequel and chronologically first game in the Echo Trilogy. Set one hundred years before Echo shortly before the 1915 hysteria and following Sam, a sex worker at the local Saloon. It's charming, unnerving, tragic (especially given Echo ESPECIALLY WILLIAM'S route if you know you know.) All the husbandos and side characters are delightful and charming in their own ways.

Errant Kingdom: 6/10

I would award it a higher score but between being bought, unfinished, and having been slow to update I'm worried it's a dying project. I am more sympathetic to the slow updates because every chapter is functionally three chapters as each origin point is a genuinely different story even when they are at a converging point such as the speech, or merchant's party. The art is beautiful and the characters are fun and interesting. I truly hope it's still in development.

Andromeda Six: 7/10

Also in development hell but getting slightly more updates and has a valentines day side story that is complete. Sci-fi story about an amnesiac with a crew of mercs on the wrong side of a successful coup. There's twists and turns some obvious some much less so that make it engaging. Fun romance options for straight mlm and wlw.

Repeat: 9/10

Repeat OOZES charm, it's fun, has a shockingly fun core of mystery hilarious and engaging characters. Fun and sexy CGs. And a lot of heart that makes the tragic lows hit just that much harder.

Santa Lucia: 8/10

Fun with an Echo-esque mystery and horror subplot. Engaging and been following it for a while. That said I do dock a little points for the routes not intersecting with the main plot as well as Echo which inextricably links the two. Still overall a very good time.

Socially Awkward: 9/10

Hilarious and also incredibly charming, bonus points for all the characters being incredibly similar to actual people I know. It makes the whole friend group cast likeable and realistic. Even the trash goblins like John.

Soulcreek: 9/10

Interesting, intense, one of my favorite genres, good art, but has some frustrating moments early game similarly to Adastra. Ultimately not enough to really drag it and the mystery and setting is MORE than enough to keep you clicking.

Dawn Chorus: 10/10

Okay so this one's a bit of a cheat for me. It's only a 10/10 because it's my comfort VN. Dawn Chorus is like a warm bowl of soup or cup of tea on a cold rainy day. It's cute, sweet, and character driven with an undercurrent of tragedy for many of the characters that makes you hope for the best.

Shelter: 10/10

Remember how I said Soulcreek's my facorite genre? Well so is Shelter. Fantasy that's secretly a Post Apocalyptic sci-fi. It's got mystery, uses the Visual Novel format in unique and amazing ways. Also puns, SO FUCKING MANY PUNS. The world building Raus does here drove me to dip my toes into the setting with a fic it was that inspiring.

[polymc]

I FINISHED CHAPTER 2!! I am now on chapter 3 but I think I'm gonna wait and level up characters? I need to level up skills and at least 2 of them to level 50/60(I like being prepared :>)

Anyway, off topic but I'm gonna go on a small rant under the cut so please ignore if you don't want to hear my stupidity >:3

why are people surprised by Minhyeok blushing/admiring the kings?? The game is meant to have all the characters/love interests be bisexual or pansexual due to MC being male or female, right???(Kinda wish it was like obey me and used they/them so anyone can play but that's okay ^^) guess that means it's not technically an otome but eh, everyone calls obey me an otome even when MC doesn't have a set gender, pronouns, or looks so I guess this counts XD

Literally the demons fucked solomon... I don't think they really care about anything XD And for Minhyeok, like I said, we can pick male or female at the VERY START of the game. Wouldn't that have clearly made everyone at least bisexual or pansexual for every single person to play??? I don't get why this is a whole thing that needs to so set in stone when it's just a game, leave it be and let people enjoy it as a dating sim or just a simple gacha game.

Anyway, my point is I don't understand some of the arguments going on about it being an otome or calling this game yaoi/BL. It's just a plain dating sim for anyone, no matter who, can enjoy. I am a polyam Gender fluid pansexual mess who just loves visual novels and some gacha games!

(Side question, Is there a word for just people like the same person/main character? You have harems, all women liking one man and you have reverse harems, all men liking one woman. But I never heard the term for a group of both liking one character :0 One of my favorite animes is like that! These guys AND girls like the main girl and it actually gives off really go bisexual feels TwT)

[cringywhitedragon]

A look into games developed by 4Chan: The known, The loved, The hated, and the unknown Pt 1 of 2

Note: Before I start this overview I would like to state that this post may (and will mention) a controversial title or two. This is not a review or opinion piece on said games and I will be trying to keep it as neutral as possible as this post is not meant to act as a review. Everyone is entitled to have their opinions on games, this post is merely designed to act as an overview to several titles you may have heard or haven’t about (and it is a loooooooong post!)

As a general rule of thumb, I will not be including games that are blatant malware (Lostboy.exe or Sad Satan) or Yandere Sim (as while this game was mentioned on and pitched on 4Chan by its dev, it feels a bit too mainstream and I would be here all day talking about it)

Once again, please take these games with a grain of salt if you want to play them as this is 4Chan so some people might find these games content offensive so please, be cautious and make your own call.

Also most of these games listed are freeware so if you want to try them yourself then you can. But as usual when downloading files from the internet, please be cautious as while most of the official sources are clean. It’s still not a guarantee. I will not be providing any direct download links under each section unless you count the wiki I’m using as a source but you will have to seek out these games on your own.

This post will be divided into two parts, this one will be covering some of the much more well known titles. Pt 2 will be diving into more obscure stuff. All games mentioned will be in the tags.

So 4Chan, rather you love them or hate them you cannot deny that this anonymous message board has had a major impact on the internet and meme culture as a whole.

Rather you love or hate them, you’ve got to admit that it’s quite amazing on what a decentralized group of strangers on the internet can do for either the good or bad.

And well, that can even extend to video games.

Believe it or not but the chaotic hive mind of the internet has produced its several share of video games. Rather they be made by a team of random anons or a single person, 4Chan has made several games of varying types, quality, and even reception by the general public.

Which is why today I’ll be discussing some of these games that crawled their ways out or have ties to the people of 4Chan

Namely I will be using this page on the /v/‘s recommended games wiki: https://vsrecommendedgames.fandom.com/wiki/Games_Made_by_/v/irgins

So some information may be a bit off for some of the more obscure titles as well as some games that are not listed here.

I will be including stuff like mods and or rom hacks as well as I feel that could count in this context. But anyways, onto the list starting with probably one of the most well known games to come out for 4Chan (for all the right reasons):

—-

So visual novels and dating sims. Two things that have come out of Japan that are almost synonymous with each other nowadays, not to mention the sheer volume of these sorts of games.

Usually these games involve the Player taking the roll of a faceless guy (usually in a Japanese highschool setting) who has the option to romance a number of girls of various personalities, getting to know them as people and maybe if they’re lucky, reaching the golden ending in which our MC gets together with the girl in question.

Another thing these types of games are associated with are eroge, or adult titles that mostly focus on the act of copulation. Though not all games that fall under that umbrella are simply there for the hanky-panky and can actually have great narratives.

And well, would it be a stretch to tell you that 4Chan made a game that fits this very description.

Kawata Shoujo is a visual novel/dating sim developed by Four Leaf Studios. While the game does follow the traditional trope of a Bishojo dating sim set in a Japanese high-school setting, there is a bit of a twist compared to your typical games in this genre which is that all of the main girls (as well as our protagonist) each have some form of disability.

The game began its life of all places from the back of an H-Doujin as more or less a proof of concept by a Japanese Doujin writer we’ll be calling RAITA before it was scanned and posted on the image board which would lead to the eventual development of this game.

In KS, you play as Hisao Nakia, a young man who transfers to a highschool for disabled students after a lengthy hospital stay after learning that he has a heart condition as he adjusts to his new life.

The game itself has been widely praised by a lot of people for its treatment of the characters and setting as well as its storytelling.

Like most of the games on this post, this game is 100% freeware but please be warned that it does contain adult content (I do believe there are clean versions out there but just to be forewarned) but nothing overly graphic in that retrospective but if you are under the age of 18, either play a clean version or wait as per the whole you know what.

Speaking of visual novels, let’s take a look at one that was a lot more controversial.

—-

So Goodbye Volcano High came out and was promptly forgotten by most of the internet. Like me, you may have seen the trailer for it once and that was about it, totally oblivious that there was any drama at all.

This was for a number of reasons but one of the major ones I would likely say is due to the game’s main target demographic and themes being the LGBTQ community which is a pretty touchy subject in the realm of video games.

The trailer particularly caused a stir on 4Chan which eventually kickstarted a series of events that would lead to the formation and development of a game known as Snoot Game.

Created by Cavanon and released about 2-3 years prior to GBVH, Snoot Game is a parody visual novel/retelling of GBVH that puts the player in control of the (literal) faceless protagonist named Anon navigating a school filled with dinosaurs and his interactions with the main cast, particularly with Fang.

Opinions on Snoot Game seem to generally be an overall mixed (and generally controversial) bag for a variety of reasons depending on who you ask compared to the likes of Kawata Shoujo mentioned previously. Some people consider the story to be really good (abet with it’s flaws) and even better than GBVH while other people consider it to be a horrible disgrace to the original and an attack on the LGBTQ community.

Though Caveanon would go on to release a sort of spiritual successor to Snoot called I Wani Hug that Gator, which follows a similar narrative but this time with a whole new cast unrelated to GBVH.

Like with all games on this list, I will leave it up to you (the reader) to make your own calls on if this game is good or bad as I will not be reviewing Snoot or GBVH. Snoot Game, being technically classed as a “fangame” is freeware while Wani is not (It is avaible on Steam).

Now that we’re leaving the realm of visual novels and the main controversial title on this overview is now behind us, how about we take a quick plunge into the deep waters of mystery for our next stop as a change of pace?

—-

Man it’s dark down here…

Be careful where you turn as you might be unlucky enough to bump into one of those floating heads behind us. Just try not to touch them or your game will crash.

…

I’m just kidding, you’re 100% safe from these guys but they are the subject of our next game.

Station.exe was a mysterious game posted to 4Chan in 2014 by an anonymous user supposedly found in a secondhand store.

The game places the player in a dark world in what looks to be some sort of field or factory in which they are being pursed by various floating heads. Coming into contact with these heads will crash your game.

Much about this game is still widely unknown. People digging into the game managed to uncover coordinates tracing to sites in Russia along with some other stuff. There’s a good video by Nightfair that explains this game in much better detail that I will link here

Since this game does not have an official download site like the games mentioned above and while the original version of this file is considered to be virus free. Please be careful if you want to track down a copy of this one.

That was just a mere taste of the deep end of what’s to come for the more… obscure stuff… For now let’s return to the surface above and talk about another well known title before I’ll let you rest.

—-

Hope that little trip made you felt refreshed traveler.

It’s getting a bit dark now so why don’t we sit here around the campfire and talk about a little something we all may know.

Pokémon.

I’m a big fan of the series and maybe you are too. The fanbase is massive with currently 9 mainline titles and various spin-offs and remakes to boot.

And with a fanbase that large and eager for anything new, people are bound to create games of their own.

4Chan is no exception. In fact, these next two titles I will be informing you on are both Pokémon related, one’s a fangame and the other is a ROM Hack. They’re different enough to warrant their own respective overviews so we’ll have to save the other for later.

For the time being, let’s focus on the ROM Hack.

So what happens when you essentially cross the cesspit of the internet with our favorite mon catcher? Well one of two things… One is that you get a fan project very similar in scale to KS with a serious narrative that fits into the world. Or you get Pokémon Clover which is what we will be discussing as our last entry on this part.

Pokémon Clover is a Fire Red ROM Hack that completely overhauls the game with two new regions, new characters, 300+ fakemon, and a whole lot more and fills it all up with what all 4Chan has to offer (memes and shitposts)

It sure isn’t something Nintendo or Gamefreak would ever put in its games for sure and the Pokémon designs are quite solid.

If you do want to try this rom hack then do be aware that it is more on the edgy side in terms of humor in case that isn’t your cup of tea.

As this is a rom hack, you will likely need a copy of Fire Red to play it and due to legal reasons I cannot provide that. You are on your own traveler.

—-

It’s been a long journey even though we’ve barely scratched the surface.

Remember that you are free to backtrack to our previous stops and journey deeper whenever you like, though I will not be joining you.

When and if you do decide to return, we will continue our journey with a tale of a Pokémon from a far away land with starlit wings before we dive down into the abyss of the unspoken of. So be sure to pack your diving gear next time.

Until we meet again dear traveler. The campfire will be here warm and waiting.

[yuri-is-online]

For the demonology dating sim thing, I know from a religious point of view that demons are meant to "tempt" and "prey on" human kind in order to damn their souls. Or something along those lines depending on which church or branch someone might come from.

But what if demons were just as curious about humans as humans are about the supernatural. Instead of seeing humans as "naturally below" them, it's more like watching a reality TV drama of some other person's lives. It's entertaining. It's experimental. But not inherently malicious!

But demon morals and society is just /so different/ from a (religious) humans pov that it's hard to tell the difference. Their rules just aren't known to us, and that's why it seems like they might lash out or doom people.

So one of the things I find deeply interesting about christian demonology specifically vs other religions and cultures is that demons are always evil in it. Other cultural equivalents have the potential to actually convert to the specific religion and live exemplary lives; my own personal theory is that this has to do with how demons in Christianity are all fallen angels and have therefore already chosen to be evil but I don't have any proof of that.

I like the idea of supernaturals treating humans like reality TV; a lot of human behavior is really weird if you try to explain it out of context. I really like it when writers have a good think about how a supernatural would think about things instead of just assuming they would think the same way humans do, there should be something alien about fae, angels, demons etc. I have written down the seven deadly sins and their avatars as characters, but I don't think they will be trying to MC to be more greedy, prideful, lustful etc. so much as that is something the RO themselves will need to overcome. Also not all of them are fallen angels, I knew that was not the route I want to go for Satan, Asmodeus, and Belphegor specifically when I first started writing.

My current world building has the human world existing as a physical barrier between "Celestia" where angels live and "the Abyss" where demons live. They were at war for a very long time, but during a pause in that war human life managed to evolve making outright invading each other sort of impossible without doing massive amounts of collateral damage. But something happens towards the start of the novel that has both sides heated enough that they might just decide to not care anymore...

[mrszeoxin]

Cafe Enchante Review

This game is one that honestly I just saw on the Nintendo eShop and it looked so cute I had to play it. I didn’t know too much going in, just the game summary and trailer. So I know the MC inherits a cafe from a relative and it’s actually a magical cafe (kind of like Coffee Talk?). But in excited to play, using this as a pallet cleanser from BUSTAFELLOWS, plus just as a cozy game since it’s cold out and I wanted something cozy to play.

I’m going to play in the recommended play order which I’m pretty sure is also the order of their main chapters are in the common route. Speaking of, I loved the common route, but it is wayyy longer than the individual ones. Which I always think it’s a bummer when common route is longer than individual ones.

Canus

Oh my! I loved Canus so freaking much! I was really excited that he was first on the list as he definitely was who I was most curious about going into the game the first time. I think the concept of a headless love interest is so unique and fun, it definitely had me questioning how his route would look or work. Then on top of that he’s such a sweetie and such and kind and good hearted character. I really can’t think of a single thing I disliked about him.

He’s definitely the warm-hearted stoic type so if you like those characters and wanted a fun and magical twist then Canus is the perfect guy for you.

I love how they changed the color of his flame to represent different emotions, and found it impressive how well they could communicate how he was feeling without a head. It was really impressive and super creative. On top of that, I loved his story and world, it was all so unique and fun. He is from the world of fairies which is so cute, and a lot is based on western fairy lore which is unique for an otome game. On top of that some aspects of this route reminded me of Sailor Moon R, which since I loved that as a kid, being reminded of that made it feel extra special.

Overall I love Canus a lot, and while I’m definitely interested in the other guys, I really wonder if they’ll be able to pass Canus as my favorite because I just love this guy so much!

Rindo

I decided to play him second because I honestly wanted to just get his route over with. I’m sure he’s a great guy but realistic age gaps weird me out way more than impossible ones. Also his “chapter” is second, and I’m basically following that original chapter order. But honestly I wasn’t very excited going into his route, and maybe that’s not fair, but he’s just the least interesting and his age gap weirds me out the most (some people like age gaps and probably would like him because of that, but personally I like it when they are either close to my age or so crazy older because they are immortal it doesn’t even matter lol).

Okay rant time. I started this review in January, but the first episode of Rindo’s route made me so upset I literally stoped playing for three months 😭. So spoilers ahead.

I really didn’t like this route. I already wasn’t a Rindo fan, and then add the main conflict for his route and I was UPSET. I had a feeling since the main route that Kuu was a nonhuman, to me that much was obvious. HOWEVER, I was not expecting Kuu to be dating Akira, and to be Rindo’s sister 😭. That reveal at the end of episode one literally made me stop playing because I was so upset. It took a lot to come back to this game after that.

But I forced myself to come back and finish Rindo’s route, and oh boy, it just kept getting worse. I think it is really cruel and unethical to keep Kuu alive. It was a totally selfish act, and while the game does address that, it still made me very upset and uncomfortable. They then parallel this with Rindo and MC, when MC forces Rindo to become nonhuman. It made me so upset. It was like “no consent the dating sim”. I’m not usually a stickler for that stuff, but it actually made me very upset. I know it’s fictional and it’s meant to be a good story, but I just hated it. It made me miserable and uncomfortable. It made me not like MC, and it really soured my view on the game. This is like if you were unconscious but had expressed not wanting a certain treatment prior, and then your significant other forces it on you knowing your against it. It’s just so messed up, and I know it’s addressed as being messed up, but I just couldn’t vibe with it. Not to mention Rindo got even uglier when he became nonhuman which is so stupid 😭. I’m just glad it’s over, and I’m sorry for being a hater, but I had to say it.

Ignis

Now see I’m excited to play Ignis’ route. He reminds me of Kyo from Fruits Basket, who I had such a big crush on growing up. So because of that I’m super excited to play his route. Plus he’s just really funny, and seems really sweet. He’s also closest to MC’s age which is nice. So because of all these things I’m really excited to play his route next. I really hope I like it more than Rindo’s 😩.

As expected I really loved Ignis’ route. He’s such a big softie, and he’s so cute. I laughed, I cried, I felt so much as I played. Now I won’t lie, this route has some disturbing and gorey parts. But I love Ignis so much, and this route was really compelling. It had so much intrigue and things that built on one another. I just really liked the story, it really had me at the edge of my seat the whole time. Also we got so much Kororo content, which I absolutely adored! I just really liked this route, so far it’s my favorite 🥹 it’s just so good I really can’t put it into words. 💕💕💕

Il

I’m super excited for Il’s route. His appearance isn’t what I’m usually drawn to, but his character design is so unique, and similar to Canus I don’t think I’ve ever seen a character like him. Not to mention his obsession with otome games is so endearing and he’s such a cutie. So overall I have been really excited to get to play his route.

Oh my lord. This route actually destroyed me. First off, I just want to say, I love Il, like I love him so much, he’s so precious, and he deserves the world. I enjoyed this route, it was so good, but it absolutely destroyed me emotionally. I was screaming, I was crying, I was ugly sobbing, I was laughing, I was squealing. I felt so much while playing this route, which feels extra fitting since it has a focus on emotions.

I will say, the assistant thing didn’t surprise me, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. But wow. I just don’t even know what to say. I wanted to actually slap MC in the face at the climax/ending of chapter two, because honestly, how dare she?! But honestly this route was extremely good, and Il might be my favorite 😅. Don’t get me wrong I still loved Canus and Ignis, in fact Ignis is still a close second in my heart. But oml, Il’s story just really hit me, and even though I don’t usually like characters that look like him, this was truly such an exception. He’s so beautiful, and so kind, and so pure, with so much potential! I’m just upset we couldn’t see more of their lives together.

One thing that stood out to me though, was how similar Il’s route was to Shiraishi’s route in Collar X Malice. I feel like their backgrounds and stories have a lot of similarities. The difference being that they have very different personalities. But I would say their backgrounds are very similar, and they are both very pure and deserve so much better. But I am curious if anyone else noticed how similar these two are, because once I started to notice it, I just saw so many similarities between the two.

But overall, I really did love Il’s route, and I really do love him. Out of all of their routes, his makes me the most upset that this game doesn’t have a sequel/fan disk. Because I just want to see more fluff with Il and MC, to just be happy and domestic with each other. I think I deserve it after crying so much lol.

Misyr

So Misyr is last since he’s locked until you play all other routes at least once. He’s the main guy/poster boy for the game, and the prologues heavily hint about his route. Honestly, I don’t hold anything against Misyr, he has a lot of great lines and seems like a very caring guy. I love his relationship with Il in particular. But for whatever reason I just wasn’t super excited for his route. Maybe it’s because most poster boys/true routes aren’t my favorite? Or maybe it’s just because I was just drawn so much to Canus, Ignis, and Il, that I wasn’t as excited. Honestly, I’m not completely sure. But I’m going to play it, and I’m hoping I’m pleasantly surprised. However, I am now worried his route might also be depressing and dark after seeing how the others have been, and based on what we see in the main story and prologue. But I guess we’ll see, and I’ll be back once I’ve finished.

So I feel very conflicted. On one hand I do like Misyr as a character, and the overall plot was very interesting and had me constantly wondering what was going to happen. However, I really don’t tend to like “true” ending routes, and unfortunately his route did a lot of that “true” ending stuff I just don’t like. Mainly, the fact that my poor baby boy Il had to go through all that suffering AGAIN. Like oml can’t he catch a freaking break 😭. But also the ending was pretty sad, and yet it also kind of felt like a cop out? Like I just feel all over the place. I didn’t hate him, or the route, but I just couldn’t find it as enjoyable as other routes. And even though it was definitely sad and heartbreaking, it didn’t emotionally impact me as much as Il’s route. So I think unfortunately Misyr is just another victim of the poster boy and true ending syndrome. Where the writers want to tie every previous story together, and spends so much time on the plot and other characters, you don’t really have time to focus on their romance. Which personally makes their unyielding love less believable. This is definitely a personal preference thing, and so I think if you like when all endings are tied together you’d probably like it more. Also if Misyr was your #1 pick you’ll probably also like it more. But for me I just don’t think it was a great fit.

Overall

Playing this game was such a journey. As I mentioned before I started playing this in January then had to take multiple months off before finishing it in April. I thought this was just going to be a cute cozy supernatural dating sim, that has a unique cast of characters. Which to be fair, the music, sound effects, voice acting, the CGs and artwork, it was all so stunning. It was an amazing game and there are so many things I really loved about it.

However, this game can get pretty dark and depressing, which I wasn’t really expecting. I think if I knew that going into the game I could have managed my expectations more, but because I didn’t it was a huge shock and definitely took a toll on me. So I wish someone had warned me 😅.

Overall, I did really like this game. It’s probably one of my favorite switch otome games I’ve played since Collar X Malice. So I would definitely recommend it. I was kind of sad to see it doesn’t seem to have an active fandom, like I couldn’t find many fanfic or fan art of the game, which made me sad. As far as rankings go I think my favorite, in order from most to least liked would be; Il, Ignis, Canus, Mystr, then Rindo. Which honestly going into the game I thought Mystr or Ignis was going to be my favorite, so Il was definitely a pleasant surprise. But I really enjoyed all the routes, except for Rindo’s, personally.

So that’s my thoughts! I’ll be graduating this week, so if I get some free time before getting a job, I’m planning on playing Cupid’s Parasite, next since I’ve heard that’s one is like a rom-com. And I definitely want a fun light hearted game after all this crying.

[marshmallowprotection]

Yknow it’s been years of me playing this game, I can’t play it a lot like I did in HS, I’m in college. But in college I’ll sometimes be able to spare 11 days to one characters route.

And it’s like I love MM, not just because of the romance, but bc the RFA is so found family? Like all the members have such devastating backstories, extremely complicated family situations, and different personalities that clash sometimes, but they’re a family 😭.

Doesn’t matter what route you prefer, I just know that after everything that happens, we’d all log into the chat room and talk about our lives or find time to get together. Bc even Separated, with everyone pursuing different dreams/goals they set for themselves, we’re still connected.

Off topic but I think that’s one of the reasons I find it difficult to commit to SSUM (besides spending money to get a full experience) since I got used to an entire set of characters talking to eachother along with MC throughout the day, everyday. That one on one convos sometimes in chatrooms but were mostly reserved in DMs and phone calls.

There is something special about this game, and it's really hard to shake that feeling from your heart when you get that warm and fuzzy sensation. These characters feel so tangible and real that you can't help but fall in love with them and want to be friends with them. I’m grateful that I’ve had the RFA in my life. I don't think I'd be the same person if it wasn't for being able to interact with them the way I have after all these years. In the same vein, I think it could be said just the same for them.

They wouldn't be who they are if it wasn't for their friendships with each other. 

It's been a while since I've had a game capture my attention much like this one has. I definitely play other dating sims but none of them hit like this one. I think it has to do with how much dedication to found family and supporting each other was put into it. You can't help but want to be a part of this found family once you see them in action. 

I'd like to believe that they're my family. I'm sure many people feel the same way. 

I don't care much for the SSUM, either. When I'm playing an Otome, I need something to hook me in that will drag me like a fish on a lure to its fishermen. Ignoring the pure money-grab aspect of the game that I've definitely shared my distaste for before, interacting with just one character doesn't pull in the same mystery. It's slow, but that's purely by choice since you've got to be committed to the game for over 200 days. I commend anyone who's been enjoying the SSUM and liking it as the story expands! But, it sure isn't meant for me.

Granted, the only reason I would continually want to play it would be to get Easter eggs about characters from Mystic Messenger. I don't think I could go through 180+ days of Teo to get to the point where the man is in Mint Eye to get my sprinkle of Ray crumbs. 

It isn't bad that you get to interact with the character one-on-one, but there's not a lot of story pull going on since you're just interacting with one person. It takes a long time for things to be revealed because you're getting to know him in a more realistic manner and that takes time. I tend to enjoy a suspension of reality when I'm playing these games because I want so much hitting me all at once. 

So, it isn't a game that would bring me any joy to play that much. If I'm only playing it to get Easter eggs, I do not have that much fun. Because you're supposed to be enjoying the content you're getting with the new character, and even if you get a Sprinkle of something from a previous game, you're still supposed to be immersed in what you're doing. But, that's just for me personally. I enjoy having a lot more characters to interact with and things to do with myself when I'm playing the game. 

[averagstupideperson]

I feel like this only takes in the twist aspect and not literally everything else, especially Monika's character tbh. Like, I see where it comes from, I like what it's trying to do, but it does not fit at all if that makes sense?? It plays off the horror and trope subversion but it also detracts from it? DDLC would play out literally exactly the same because Monika is in love with the Player, not MC. But it also misses the fact that Monika's thing with MC/The Player and trope subversion isn't all that's happening. Monika is meant to not stand out too much initially, when you find out she isn't romanceable you get curious about her. Though, it's forgotten as you get into the game more and get attached to the other characters. Then the twist comes. If Monika were a guy then she'd be stamped all over with suspect number one even more than Monika already was- An all female cast also makes sense for the type of game DDLC is trying to emulate. It's voyeuristic towards girls and treats them like a prize to be won with the right responses and options. It can contextualize Male!Monika's actions towards MC if he acted like Monika during the game.. If he was acting towards MC. Not the player, Monika isn't given the Player's gender information from what we get from her dialogue. Now for Monika herself, I say this with the entire spectrum of visible light as the most fruit-bearing branch of my entire family tree, her character isn't about being queer. It's about her nihilism and existentialism when she finds out everything and everyone around her wasn't real. Everything she believed had happened the future she was dreaming of was gone. Let's also be realistic here- She will never fall in love with MC, he's a weeb who doesn't go out much and isn't in any club before he was forced to join the club by Sayori. Her personality does not match well with MC's, and I'm not saying people with those two personalities can't date- She just loves the Player, regardless of gender. Though, what drives Monika is that initial epiphany though, and she isn't even committed enough to fully delete her friends and that's how she manages to recover their files and restart the game. I'm not gonna bring up the backlash DDLC would face if they did make Monika a guy and the wrong messaging it could deliver though- It speaks for herself I just want my girl to get justice for how well-written her character actually is, not some 'DDLC would've been better if Monika was x' because it can miss the point of the game. Yes it's a dating sim deconstruction but it deconstructs the characters and tropes too as much as the romance aspect-. My girl is trying to desperately process her situation and is projecting it onto the one thing she perceives as real. She's racked with guilt about 'deleting' her friends. She couldn't give a fuck about MC too- I love what Male!Monika could offer but in the context of DDLC and her pre-existing character, it just doesn't appeal to me or make sense to change what's already perfectly fine that much. This gives Monika's actions some sort of romantic connotation, while it's true that Monika does romantically love the Player, it's more out of desperation for something genuinely real. To feel and be real. Also it detracts a bit that she also genuinely loves the Literature Club, to focus on her being a guy and that she'll never attain MC because she isn't romanceable due to being a man. The focus is placed just on her romantic love

Doki Doki Literature Club’s twist would have worked better if Monika was a male character. Aaand post

[jjaybrown4-blog]

Chinese Zodiac Legacy ChallengeChinese Zodiac Legacy Challenge

Thanks to the idea from an anon on tumblr, I’ve decided to make a second version of my zodiac challenge that focuses on the Chinese Zodiacs.

For those who don’t know, the Chinese Zodiacs are representative of an entire year, not a month. So, for example, I was born in 1997 and I am born in the year of the Ox. Twelve years in the future (2009) was the next year of the Ox. The zodiacs are similar in the way that they each have certain personalities and whatnot, but unlike the Western Zodiac, the Chinese Zodiac uses animals to represent each of the twelve main personalities, rather than planets.

As far as I’m aware, I don’t think this challenge has been made, and I’m thankful for the anon’s suggestion to make this! The original was really fun to make, and I hope that everyone enjoys this challenge as well. This is also going to be a 12-generation legacy, with each generation representing one of the different Chinese Zodiacs.

Side note: This legacy is not meant to misrepresent or offend anyone. The generations are being based off of descriptions of the zodiacs from this website https://www.chinahighlights.com/tra...chinese-zodiac/. Feel free to read up more about each zodiac to get a better sense of your sim’s personality! I greatly encourage you to research the signs more because they are very interesting.

Starting out: Feel free to make your founder however you’d like. Traits for each heir will be listed in their section, but their looks are up to you so feel free to get creative! You’ll start out like a traditional legacy on one of the 50x50 lots (or 64x64 if you’d like). Here is a link to Pinstar’s legacy rules. http://www.simslegacychallenge.com/...hallenge-rules/

General Challenge Rules: No money cheats Mods such as MC Command Center is allowed (and encouraged) but not necessary No mods that give you a clear advantage over people who don’t use it CC is allowed Although you have to start out on a 50x50 lot, you will be moving in certain generations. If you don’t complete one of the goals for the generation, you lose the challenge. Honestly this is the only way to fail the challenge, other than not producing an heir.

Generation One: Rat “With strong intuition and quick response, those born in the year of the Rat always easily adapt themselves to a new environment. With rich imaginations and sharp observation, Rats can take advantage of various opportunities well. Rats have strong curiosity, so they tend to try their hands at anything, and they can deal with it skillfully. A lack of courage, as well as good command skills, Rats are not capable as leaders. Opportunistic and picky as Rats are, they do not have broad minds, but a narrow view. Rats are kind, but sometimes impolite to others. People of the Rat zodiac sign usually sleep late, for mice are nocturnal animals.”

You can say you’ve never really been the time of person to commit yourself to a certain thing. Whether it be a romance, a job, a hobby, whatever; point is, you get bogged down if you’re forced into doing the same thing too often. You are intelligent and talented, but you bore easily and like to learn and experience many things at once, despite how overwhelmed you get. You can be kind of insensitive sometimes and can come across as rude or that you think you are better than others, but in all reality you are a bit of a coward and are just shy and prefer to avoid confrontation. You’ve always wanted a family, but can you handle it?

Traits: Noncommittal, Genius, Loner Aspiration: Renaissance Sim Career: Due to your aspiration, you’ll be changing your job a lot, so you can pick.

Goals: Complete your aspiration Max four skills of your choice Don’t get married, have at least two children with different partners. Date around a lot, go on at least one date a week. Each date can be with the same person or different people, up to you! Feel free to have a hobby that can make money (painting, writing, gardening); you won’t be making much money at the beginning of this generation due to needed to job hop

Generation Two: Ox “Oxes are known for diligence, dependability, strength and determination. Having an honest nature, Oxes have a strong patriotism for their country, have ideals and ambitions for life, and attach importance to family and work. Having a desire to advance and great patience, Oxes can achieve their goals by consistent efforts. They are not influenced by others or the environment, but persist to do things in accordance with their ideas and capabilities. Before taking action, they will have a definite plan with detailed steps and add their strong faith and physical strength. So people of the Ox zodiac sign enjoy great success as a result. The most disadvantageous trait in Oxes is poor communication skills. They are not good at communicating with others, and even think it not worthwhile exchanging ideas with others. They are stubborn and stick to their own ways.”

Stubborn, persistent, overbearing. Many of your classmates would have described you that way, but you personally like the words ambitious, overachieving, and powerful to use for yourself. You can be a bit of a know it all and tend to stick to your beliefs, even when they’ve been proven wrong. However, you have grown to learn how to convince others to believe what you say (even bordering on manipulation at times). Outside of convincing people of things, however, you loathe conversing with others and would much rather spend time doing the things you enjoy, which includes working hard at your career. You grew up in a family that didn’t have the greatest time with careers, as your single parent had several careers throughout your childhood. You don’t want that. You want better for your children; to have enough money to see them succeed. But although you do truly love your children, you don’t get attached to others easily and they are no exception. You want them to succeed and do well, but you aren’t there for them when they need you because you are working. How will this affect the white picket fence family that you wanted?

Traits: Ambitious, Self-Assured, Family-Oriented Aspiration: Successful Lineage Career: Critic

Goals: Complete your aspiration Max your career (either branch) Max the Logic skill and one creative skill (painting, cooking, guitar, whatever you’d like) Get married at a young age to your high school sweetheart. Start having kids immediately, four in total. You don’t get along with your spouse and fight a lot, but you’re not allowed to divorce them. It would ruin your white picket fence fever dream. Never become more than “friends” with your children (i.e. good or best friends). Make your children do their homework every night and all school projects; children must have A’s in school before they can age up to teen. Teens must have a job and at least a B grade in school before they can age up to YA. Become good friends with all of your grandchildren.

Generation Three: Tiger “People born in the year of the Tiger are brave, competitive, unpredictable, and self-confident. They are very charming and well-liked by others. But sometimes they are likely to be impetuous, irritable, and overindulged. With stubborn personalities and tough judgment, tigers work actively and boldly express themselves, and do things with a high-handed manner. They are authoritative and never go back on what they have said. With great confidence and indomitable fortitude, they can be competent leaders. They will not make preparations for anything, but they can handle anything that comes along.”

Even though you don’t want to admit it, you grew up a lot like your parent. You’re stubborn and confident as well, but you tend to want to work with others and crave social interaction. You want to be the best, but not in the same way as your parents; you want to have it all: a good career, a loving spouse and children, and a great social life. You enjoy get togethers and parties, and you are very popular amongst your coworkers and friends. Some would even say you were the leader of the pack.

Traits: Outgoing, Self-Assured, Hot-headed Aspiration: Party Animal Career: Detective. Once you reach level five of the career, quit your job and become a politician.

Goals: Complete your aspiration Max the Politician Career Have at least a silver medal on each kind of party Get married, have a kid, then get remarried and have more kids (number is up to you.) Have 1 BFF and three Good Friends Be the leader of a club with eight sims and buy all of the Clothing and Decor perks, display them around your house

Generation Four: Rabbit “Rabbits tend to be gentle, quiet, elegant, and alert; quick, skillful, kind, and patient; and particularly responsible. However, they might be superficial, stubborn, melancholy, and overly-discreet. Generally speaking, people who belong to the Rabbit zodiac sign have likable characters. When meeting trouble, Rabbits can handle it in an orderly way; when encountering tough difficulties they are never discouraged, but are persistent to seek solutions. So they eventually achieve enviable success. Rabbits are faithful to those around them, but reluctant to reveal their minds to others, and have a tendency to escape reality. They are too cautious and conservative, which means they miss good opportunities.”

If there was ballet, you would have done ballet since you were a child. You are graceful and calm, but you have your moments where your insecurities take over you and you can become a bit gloomy. You love the arts and are more of a homebody than your parent, and love spending hours reading and writing stories and poetry. You are generally a positive person and enjoy having a small group of friends that you can go get coffee with and discuss books, rather than attending parties. You can be a bit skittish, though, and you like the finer things in life. There’s a side of you that you hide from the people you know, however; you may just not be as sweet and innocent as you seem.

Traits: Bookworm, Gloomy, Materialistic Aspiration: Mansion Baron Career: Criminal

Goals: Complete your aspiration Max the your career (either branch) Have two good friends Marry and have five children with the same spouse Do not let anyone find out about your career. If they do, you need to get rid of them. Threaten them, erase their memory (if you are an alien), or kill them off. No one can know who you truly are. Buy something new (worth at least 500 simoleons) every week

Generation Five: Dragon “Among Chinese zodiac animals, the Dragon is the sole imaginary animal. The Dragon is the most vital and powerful beast in the Chinese zodiac, although with an infamous reputation for being a hothead and possessing a sharp tongue. In ancient times, people thought that Dragons could control everything in the world with their character traits of dominance and ambition. Gifted with innate courage, tenacity and intelligence, dragons are enthusiastic and confident. They are not afraid of challenges, and willing to take risks. However, the dragon is sometimes regarded as aggressive, and angry dragons are not open to criticism. They don't consider themselves irritating and arrogant. Instead of following tradition, they strive for a smooth future.”

Your parent made you sick. Being a criminal and being so materialistic was not how you wanted to be like, so you rebelled at a young age and, as a teen, ran away to start your life anew. The only things you took with you were a few photographs of you and your siblings, and some things of your parent’s that you could sell for cash. You can be a bit reckless and impulsive, and you don’t like thinking things through, tending to follow your gut rather than your brain. You want a big family like what you came from, but you were going to make the money to raise your kids honestly.

Traits: Hot-Headed, Good, Outgoing Aspiration: Big Happy Family Career: Retail Store Owner

Goals: Complete your aspiration Max the your career (either branch) Max Charisma skill Run away as a teen, starting over. (You don’t have to bring family photos with you, but you do have to bring the Knight of the Octagon Table and other things with you that you can sell. Do not sell the Knight of the Octagon Table.) Cannot go to school except on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Must do homework every night, however, and remain at least a C grade in school. Open a retail shop once a YA (can sell whatever you’d like) Get married halfway through young adulthood to a friend from high school Have four kids Have a garden with at least four perfect Dragonfruit plants

Generation Six: Snake “In Chinese culture, the Snake is the most enigmatic animal among the twelve zodiac animals. People born in a year of the Snake are supposed to be the most intuitive. Snakes tend to act according to their own judgments, even while remaining the most private and reticent. They are determined to accomplish their goals and hate to fail. Snakes represent the symbol of wisdom. They are intelligent and wise. They are good at communication but say little. Snakes are usually regarded as great thinkers. Snakes are materialistic and love keeping up with the Joneses. They love to posses the best of everything, but they have no patience for shopping. Snake people prefer to work alone, therefore they are easily stressed. If they seem unusually stressed, it is best to allow them their own space and time to return to normal.”

You grew up to be a very laid back and easygoing person. You love nature and you know the value of a dollar, which can sometimes lead you to being a bit frugal. You are also a bit of a hoarder and love collecting things, and if someone even brings up getting rid of something, you aren’t too pleased with them. You are seen by many as wise and intelligent, and you definitely are. You are in tune with yourself and the natural world around you. You are very mysterious and a private person however, so while people spill their problems out to you and you help them, you don’t tell anyone about yourself.

Traits: Vegetarian, Materialistic, Loves Outdoors Aspiration: The Curator Career: None

Goals: Complete your aspiration Max Wellness skill Keep all of the plants from the last generation and expand the garden to include at least four perfect orchid plants Do not hire any services; everything must be done by your sims. (Exception: babies can be sent to daycare while your sims are at work/school or on another lot.) Complete any collection. You must be BFFs and know all of your partner’s traits before you can be romantic with them. Have two kids.

Generation Seven: Horse “People born in a year of the Horse are extremely animated, active and energetic. Horses love to be in a crowd, and they can usually be seen on such occasions as concerts, theater performances, meetings, sporting events, and parties. With a deft sense of humor, Horses are masters of repartee. They love to take center stage and delight audiences everywhere. Sometimes, the Horse is a little self-centered, but it doesn't mean that s/he can not be interested in others' problems. Horses are really more cunning than intelligent, and that is probably why most Horse people lack real confidence.”

You were that kid in school. You know, the one obsessed with horses. Your favorite toy was a horse, and you carried it around with you everywhere. Eventually you grew out of this horse phase (thank god) but you still loved the roots that the past few generations had of living off the land and running a farm. You are energetic and fun to be around, and you love to joke around and make people laugh. You found out by the time that you were a teenager that the farm life wasn’t for you, and you decided to focus on something that you were good at: bringing joy to other people through witty jokes and karaoke fails. You love seeing others happy, but at what expense?

Traits: Goofball, Gloomy, Active Aspiration: Joke Star Career: Entertainer

Goals: Complete your aspiration Max your career (either branch) Never get married, have a one night stand that results in pregnancy You can have a live-in datemate, however, but you two can never actually get married Write in a journal every night Go jogging for an hour every day Max comedy and charisma skills Pass down your favorite horse toy to your only child

Generation Eight: Goat “People born in a year of the Goat are generally believed to be gentle, mild-mannered, shy, stable, sympathetic, amicable, and brimming with a strong sense of kindheartedness and justice. They have very delicate thoughts, strong creativity, and perseverance, and acquire professional skills well. Although they look gentle on the surface, they are tough on the inside, always insisting on their own opinions in their minds. They have strong inner resilience and excellent defensive instincts. Though they prefer to be in groups, they do not want to be the center of attention. They are reserved and quiet, most likely because they like spending much time in their thoughts. Goats like to spend money on fashionable things that give them a first class appearance. Although goats enjoy spending money on the finer things in life, they are not snobbish.”

You are not a snob, per se, but you definitely have an eye for the expensive, lavish ways of life. You love to spoil your spouse and your children, and enjoy giving gifts. You just can’t help that you want to appear wealthy, even if you aren’t. You are kind-hearted and love volunteering with your family to make the world a better place.

Traits: Good, Creative, Art Lover Aspiration: Painter Extraordinaire Career: Painter

Goals: Complete your aspiration Max your career (either branch) Become an art collector (have one room on the house dedicated for all of the pieces of art you’ve either made or bought) Master Painting skill Volunteer with your family once a week Paint a portrait of your spouse and your children Marry and have three kids

Generation Nine: Monkey “People born in a year of the Monkey have magnetic personalities and are witty and intelligent. Personality traits like mischievousness, curiosity, and cleverness, make them very naughty. Monkeys are masters of practical jokes, because they like playing most of the time. Though they don't have bad intentions, their pranks sometimes hurt the feelings of others. Monkeys are fast learners and crafty opportunists. They have many interests and need partners who are capable of stimulating them. While some like the eccentric nature of Monkeys, others don't trust their sly, restless, and inquisitive nature. Although they are clever and creative, Monkeys can't always exhibit their talents properly. They like to accept challenges and prefer urban life to rural.”

Traits: Goofball, Genius, Foodie Aspiration: Chief of Mischief Career: Tech Guru

Goals: Complete your aspiration Max your career (either branch) Move to San Myshuno as a Young Adult (take the Knight of the Octagon Table statue with you) Max the Programming, Mischief, and Handiness skills Learn all of the new recipes from City Living Earn the Spice Hound and Chopstick Master traits Marry and have two children Make sure all of your children learn all of the recipes you’ve learned

Generation Ten: Rooster “People born in a year of the Rooster are very observant. Hardworking, resourceful, courageous, and talented, Roosters are very confident in themselves. Roosters are always active, amusing, and popular within a crowd. Roosters are talkative, outspoken, frank, open, honest, and loyal individuals. They like to be the center of attention and always appear attractive and beautiful. Roosters are happiest when they are surrounded by others, whether at a party or just a social gathering. They enjoy the spotlight and will exhibit their charm on any occasion. Roosters expect others to listen to them while they speak, and can become agitated if they don't. Vain and boastful, Roosters like to brag about themselves and their accomplishments. Their behavior of continually seeking the unwavering attention of others annoys people around them at times.”

Traits: Self-Assured, Active, Dance Machine Aspiration: Vampire Family Career: Entertainer

Goals: Complete your aspiration Max your career (opposite branch from generation seven) Make and run an athletic club, purchase all of the energized mood perks and the fitness skill perk Max fitness and dancing skills Become a vampire because you are obsessed with your eternal youth Only have one biological child, but adopt twins You can choose to get married or not

Generation Eleven: Dog “Dogs are loyal and honest, amiable and kind, cautious and prudent. Due to having a strong sense of loyalty and sincerity, Dogs will do everything for the person who they think is most important. As Dogs are not good at communication, it is difficult for them to convey their thoughts to others. Therefore, Dogs tend to leave others with the impression that they have a stubborn personality. Born with a good nature, Dogs do not tend to be criminals or seek dishonest gains. They just need a quiet life and a good family and, therefore, forget the ugliness and evil on Earth. Dogs are always ready to help others and do not care about their own interests, but if they find themselves betrayed by cunning people they will feel shocked and hurt. When thrown into doubt, Dogs think the world is evil and complicated. Then they criticize sharply when giving comments on something, and infer all things are according to their pessimistic point of view.”

Traits: Bro, Good, Gloomy Aspiration: Soulmate Career: Athletic

Goals: Complete your aspiration Max your career Fall in love with a human and cure your vampirism to be with them Stay married to one person, no matter what Own several dogs (Pets EP) Have a “pack”, aka four to five friends that you can really trust Be BFFs with your spouse Have four kids

Generation Twelve: Pig “Pigs are diligent, compassionate, and generous. They have great concentration: once they set a goal, they will devote all their energy to achieving it. Though Pigs rarely seek help from others, they will not refuse to give others a hand. Pigs never suspect trickery, so they are easily fooled. Generally speaking, Pigs are relatively calm when facing trouble. No matter how difficult the problems are Pigs encounter, they can handle things properly and carefully. They have a great sense of responsibility to finish what they are engaged in.”

Traits: Good, Glutton, Loves Outdoors Aspiration: Soulmate Career: Culinary

Goals: Complete your aspiration Max your career (either branch) Have a garden with one of every plant (excluding plants from GTW and OR) Max cooking, gourmet cooking, and baking skills Host a gold level dinner party every Friday Have a large amount of friends (at least three) Never marry, but adopt one child

[faerieorbitars]

hi hello how is the disney anime boy game going. what kind of freaks are in there

steeping my fingers together. i’m glad you asked! allow me to extrapolate about anime guys. i will try to be brief (1/484)

i’m partway into the 2nd book of the main story now (there was a halloween story event i paused the main story to go play really quick) so the only book i’ve properly beaten is book 1. but that’s the one with my favorite guy and also i’ve picked up a few other things from unlock-able character vignettes so i’m qualified to talk about all a lot of these guys i think

the basic plot of the game is that you, the mc, have been isekai’d into the twisted wonderland for an unexplained reason, and you find yourself in a magical academy with no way back home. so the headmaster let’s you and the annoying animal sidekick you meet enroll at the school and live in the abandoned dorm while he looks into getting you home. various shenanigans ensue as you meet the other students and try to get them to become friends with you (and with each other (because crazy enough, villain based characters tend to not like togetherness and team effort))

also in the lore of the universe the villains were the founders of the school and i think some of the established kingdoms across the land so obviously they’ve written history to favor them so the funny anime guys you meet aren’t actually Them. they’re meant to represent their villain and do have some of those characteristics but they have story arcs and become generally good people if they aren’t already

one thing i’m enjoying so far is with a premise like that you’d expect a dating sim aspect but no. no dating sim . this is a friendship sim. you’re all going to get along or so help me god

far and away my favorite character is riddle rosehearts who’s based on the queen of hearts he is so. look at him

the 1st book centers around him and his dorm and the fact that he’s a tyrant harshly enforcing the millions of rules put in place by the queen of hearts, which all the students in his dorm hate so so so much until they eventually all stand together and he’ll him Hey we literally can’t stand you and the way you punish us for bringing the wrong flavor of tart to an unbirthday party. you have control issues. and also anger issues. to which riddle has a magical temper tantrum and then gets persona 4 shadow self’d about it

(there’s a recurring subplot about how magicians can become victim to a condition called overblot, where an overuse of magic combined with extreme levels or stress and duress corrupt the mage’s body. it also gives you a very sick ass outfit. overblot riddle was fucking SERVING)

(i also just like this sprite)

so you beat the ink out of him and learn via flashback that his childhood was literally so shit because he had a very controlling terrible mother (planning every day down to the hour his Entire life) and since he ended up becoming the honor student she wanted from him he decided she Had to be right so he’d emulate her because otherwise he’d have to confront some Truths about himself and how he was raised and he didn’t wanna do that shit at All. and then he cries and makes you an apology tart and loosens up on the rules

all of the stories seem to be following this plotline so i will bring more updates of how things shake out for the other funny guys as i get to them

as an aside here’s my second favorite character so far kalim al asim. he’s not based on a villain he’s supposed to be the sultan from aladdin . he’s literally the only nice person at the school before the mc shows up to spread friendship amongst the populace

also he has a moment with riddle in one of his vignettes and it’s so. hm. i mean what do you want me to say about this

other epic characters: epel felmier who’s based on the poison apple from snow white. he’s a 5 foot pretty boy (same king represent) from the dorm with a passion for fashion and all things beauty and elegance and grace but he’s just a farm boy who likes sports and magical motorcycles. also i think there’s something wrong with him (this is from a vignette where he’s carving apples into little figures)

and another top favorite is lilia vanrogue who appears to be like. just some kind of bat. but he’s like hundreds of years old and used to serve as a lord and knight to a queen fighting in epic battles and doing wars and then he settled down and raised/trained like everyone in the diasomnia /sleeping beauty dorm . like he’s actually adopted and raised one character in that dorm from infancy who openly calls him father At school. but no one has seemed to figure out that this guy is not a teen/young adult/whatever. i think he enrolled at the school as a bit

they don’t even do any of the weird shit you would usually see with a character who’s older than they look trope. he’s like. just here as a gag. and he says weird things that imply he’s much much older than everyone else but he has a good laugh about it and treats all the other students in a very goofy fatherly way but he also gives like good genuine advice when they ask for it. also his relationship with his son is good and it’s very obvious how much they care for each other. they had like a rocky bit years ago where his son (silver) finds out he’s adopted and runs away in the rain and gets very sick but lilia nurses him back to health and silver decides that he doesn’t care about being adopted anymore bc he knows his father loves him. fictional fathers that actually care for their children and their emotional well being and are there for them when needed win #boygrind

that’s all i got for now boss. like it’s not but this is a lot of information so i’m choosing to say no more. once i get to book 3 with azul the ursula guy i Will come back with more because there is SOOO much wrong with him i can TELL

anyway goodnight tristate area

[ratttteethh]

Meet Galo ! The character I usually envision when I play any sort of dating sim or graphic novel game. He spawned in my head the first time I played BTD2 and has. not. left. I haven't drawn him until now, so a full body ref will most likely come soon ! Feel free to read more under the cut for ramblings about him !

Galo is a rabbit beastkin, but more specifically a lionhead rabbit ! He has a lot of rabbit like qualities, especially ones pertaining to his breed. This includes long, messy hair and facial hair. He doesn't like how his hair gets in his face, but he's too lazy to go out and get it cut so he usually puts it in a low ponytail. Galo has deep masculinity issues where he believes he isn't man enough due to being a rabbit. So, in turn, he despises the fact that he's a rabbit. He very rarely bathes- It's the incel in him. He despises taking showers so much, but he's also embarrassed of the fact that he doesn't shower. So whenever he goes out, he always makes sure to shower. However, this embarrassment doesn't make him shower regularly. The only part of himself that's ever cleaned regularly is his face- Due to his breed of rabbit, he's able to grow lots of facial hair really fast. But he doesn't like having facial hair, so he shaves whenever it begins to grow in.

His natural hair color is a deep brown getting closer to black, but he tends to dye it different shades of blue. Reddit incel ! Little shit has a terrible case of incel disease. He's been both a discord moderator and a discord kitten. It's terrible. As said before, he has a deep-rooted issue with his own masculinity. He feels like he isn't man enough but he also hasn't bothered to try and present himself more masculine. It's just constant complaining online about how he wished he was more of a man and how being a rabbit makes him more weak and docile. More feminine. He'd much prefer to be only human. But if he had to be beast kin, he'd like to be a wolf or something much cooler, thank you very much ! Galo is meant to be a character that represents the MC, so while he has his own personality, beliefs, and ideals- He'd fit into just about any mold you'd need for an MC. In the case of both BTD games as well as TPOF, he can fit into both roles- Victim and aggressor. He is Ren route specific ! Of course lmao Because he can be both a victim and aggressor, I tend to think about him in both circumstances for the MC. He could experience being Rens pet, or he could experience having Ren as a pet. He could also be killed by Ren or kill Ren himself. Its very much varied. If I had to pick the endings that would for him, it would be these: "You helped Ren", "You let Ren take care of you", "It's not so bad", and "You'll replace Ren's scars." Although, nothing is set and stone specific. Literally anything works for Galo. Galo can so easily fall into the role of a victim because he's pathetic. It genuinely doesn't take much to just. Make him a victim, mentally or physically. But he can fall into the role of an aggressor if pushed hard enough- He'll snap eventually and attempt to gain control of a situation. Funnily enough, no matter what ending, Galo begins to bathe himself daily after he starts living with Ren. His terrible hygiene is still a deep insecurity and embarrassment, so he gets better about it when he's forced to subject it to someone else. Some smaller things: Galo's full name is Galo Pérez. He's Mexican but grew up in America- He's bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish, but he mainly speaks English unless speaking with family. He/Him and bisexual with a heavy female preference. He's about 5'8 (something he's terribly proud of.) Existing within my own little ocverse, he continues to be a grimy little incel. He doesn't make any friends nor does he end up getting a partner. It's a sad and terrible life, but for the most part he's accepted it. I have so much more about him that I can't fit in this post, so this is about it for now,,,

[fading-holo]

while i do agree that inclusivity should be welcomed and not fought against, the otome game title didnt change over time, ppl started using the title in tags for their games that werent otomes so that it would catch more eyes and get more visibility to make ppl play them (publishers on steam do this a lot and obey me is a victim of this too, no hate to om tho !! i used to play it) again inclusivity is a great thing but when we are talking about games like these each one has a different title to differentiate them and a lot of others arent aware of this, and since otomes are the most well known and popular they slap that name on all of these dating sim type games without learning the different names and differences. while it isnt an attack towards women players, you have to understand that there arent a lot of gaming spaces targeted towards women specifically, and most games are basically made only with men in mind, so since otomes are one of the few game genres made with women in mind they get defensive when others try and change it so it has men in mind when making them as well. most games are already made for men so it just feels upsetting for them to invade this one space where things are finally made with them in mind, so when they get defensive or say they there cant be male or gen neutral mcs, it isnt coming from a place of hate for queer people, they just want to have their own space where they can enjoy games that are made for them.

as i said before though there isnt an equivalent name to otomes with male mcs for no reason (bishojo) all of these games are dating sims but they have different names to differentiate the different genders of the mcs. this post isnt meant to hate on mcs of other genders, i welcome them all but otomes are made only for women and it feels weird to invade one of their only gaming spaces so others can feel included too when they already have multiple spaces

(most popular indie vns rn arent otomes, they are just dating sims, this isnt meant to be rude or kick others that arent women out of the space bc as i said most of these games ppl call otome arent otome LOL everyone can enjoy them !! just bc the game is a dating sim doesnt mean its an otome game, i hope i could clear this up. i understand that everyone wants to enjoy games like these and you can !! but a game where you play as gen neutral/male/gender of your choice mc ≠ otome game)

sorry for the yap sesh but i felt like i had to clear out some of the confusion regarding this, as i said though if you hate on some of these games that have gender neutral or male mcs please get yourself checked out bc its not that deep. anyone can enjoy dating sims and these games arent otome games so they arent going to take your space if youre worried about that. these new indie dating sim vns are made for everyone lol

Shout out to the men and masc leaning/presenting MCs in the otome VNs communities. 💗

Our LIs from those games love the hell out of us. Screw anyone who says other wise. 🗡️

Queer/transphobes fuck off.

[black-metal-bard]

Really really tempted to make a Choose Your Own Adventure Style Strahd Dating Sim in Twine 👀

I used to use the Twine Software a LOT when I was a teenager, and I don’t know if it still exists(I HOPE), but if it’s still available I might just have to get back into it.

Mostly because I’ve been daydreaming about Strahd nonstop again and I’ve started thinking about all the different ways the narrative of my daydream COULD go and I just think it would be a really fun way to explore a Choose Your Own Adventure Fic

Premise under the cut for those interested; not sure if it will ever actually be a THING, but I’m heavily considering it.

OKAY SO

The Premise is that the MC(Reader) is from our world, modern times.

Strahd, in an extremely fashionable fit of Brooding Edgelord Rage and Anguish, goes into the mountains during a particularly harsh storm to scream at what passes for gods about his loneliness; how he wishes just one solitary person could love him.

Well, Strahd being a powerful magic user(with inherent magic he is unaware of from Baba Lysaga’s blood fed to him as child), accidentally SUMMONS THE MC THROUGH THE SHADOWS AND THE MIST with his desperate plea(though he is unaware that HE did it, MC does not appear beside him, only somewhere in Barovia).

Strahd begins to DREAM in his sleep, of the MC; she’s always just out of reach, as though separated from him by another world. He becomes OBSESSED, considering this is certainly one of the more interesting things that’s happened to him as of late in regards to FIXATING ON A POTENTIAL LOVER WHO IS NOT TATYANA. Strahd believes whole heartedly that MC will come to break the cycle(disappointingly for Strahd, MC’s mere presence does NOT break the cycle-choice dependent events will though). Rahadin very much wants it to be true, because he is very sick of helplessly watching Strahd destroy himself over Tatyana’s reincarnations again and again and again.

Strahd has art made in MC’s likeness, which Rahadin ensures is spread across Barovia with the ORDER that if this woman is found, The Count is to be notified IMMEDIATELY, and she is not under any circumstances to be harmed.

Strahd begins to lose hope; each day MC is not yet in Barovia Strahd worries that it will be CENTURIES before he lays eyes on her; his dreams visions from a far future perhaps...or worse, The Dark Powers themselves prevent her entry. Unlike his Obsession with Tatyana, his fixation on MC is no true Curse, so he does his best to put her image out of his mind, lest he give The Dark Powers the satisfaction of watching him wallow even further into the mires of false hope.

MC however, was summoned to Barovia, alone and frightened in this new and terrifying world. The first person she meets is a seemingly kind Blacksmith, who offers her shelter. The Blacksmith of course recognizes her from the posters, but is taken with her beauty and does not want to turn her over to Strahd(which he knows could very well be a fate worse than death for her). He lies to her, telling her that she should stay hidden “Because the locals don’t take kindly to outsiders.” MC lives with him as his “apprentice” for over a month, helping around the forge and cooking to earn her place(not cooking in a sexist way, but in an “I love to cook, I used to sell baked goods in my small town, and this started out as my daydream” way). One day however, the Blacksmith is too busy with the forge for an important order to answer the door, and MC decides that after living here so long there would be no harm in answering the door.

Strahd is on the other side, staring down at her as though he’d seen a ghost. There she is, the face from his dreams; the one meant to save him...and she’s here. The poor Blacksmith just about shits himself when he sees Strahd standing with MC; because he knows he fucked up BAD.

For his part, Strahd keeps himself very composed in front of MC, but fixes the Blacksmith with a firm glare that tells him his fate is all but sealed.

That’s where MC really begins to make choices that matter both short and long term; navigating life in Castle Ravenloft, as the Honored Guest of Count Strahd Von Zarovich.

If anyone’s interested I would love to infodump about potential plans I have for this.