#but i'm pretending he's at least 25 so i can play his route and not feel like the biggest creep on the planet

[yoosung-ah]

[armpirate]

Soundleasure | Choi San || CH. 25

Pairings: Soft!San x fem!reader || Strangers to lovers, fake dating

Genre: smut, angst, fluff, online sex, ghosting

Warnings: inexperienced!San, fem!reader, masturbation, online sex, camboy, first times.

Summary: You can do whatever you please and be whoever you want on the Internet. And San knew that a little bit too well.

After finally following all the signs the universe was throwing at him, he started living a double life that no one was aware of. Everyone in his daily life knew him as Choi San, the reserved and quiet boy who wouldn't raise his voice, and would barely communicate with anyone outside of his comfort group. But only a few knew him as Soundleasure, the man with a sexy voice and a filthy mind that had their toes curling just with his narrations.

He never thought of the possibility of those two lives ever meeting, he had always tried for them to follow a parallel route and had always played safe to keep his friends from ever suspecting that side even existed. But his plans will start to crumble when he gets a little too close with one of his subscribers and she invades his real-self and altergo's universes without being able to stop it.

Y/n will not only help him to keep his secret from his circle, but will also show him there's more of Soundleasure in him than he'd like to admit. 

Previous || Next

MASTERLIST

Aprox. time of reading: 18 minutes

Chapter warnings: smut, virgin!San, first time, female and male masturbation, protective sex

It felt like there was none other than them while they celebrated that step forward in their relationship, trapped in one kiss, overwhelmed by the emotions both of them were feeling rushing through their veins as they tried to assume what had just happened.

—I can't believe I can say I'm your boyfriend —he cutely giggled against her lips—. Well, I already said that, but I mean saying it and it being true.

Shaking her head, her lips trapped his again while her arms kept him close while wrapping around his wide shoulders. They both just wanted to enjoy the moment, and they were about to... at least until the door suddenly opened, hitting his back with the golden knob. Y/n's first reaction was to check on her boyfriend, palming his lower back before she was finally aware of what caused that to happen.

—What do you mean to be true? —Seonghwa accused them, peeking his head over Mingi's shoulder.

—And why did you say date for real? —Hongjoong interrogated immediately after.

—Were you spying on us? —San tried to divert the attention from them, faking annoyance at his friends when they all popped up one after the other right where they were hiding.

—Because we thought you two were fucking —Jongho straightforwardly said while smirking.

—Or you were kicking his ass for arguing with someone at the party —Yunho shrugged.

—That's not the point —Iseul interrupted all the reasons why they chose to stick their ears to the door.

—Right, what's all the fake stuff about?

After Wooyoung's question, San turned to Y/n with a concerned expression, asking with his eyes something he wasn't able to vocalize. At the end of the day, he owed it to them, they had always been by his side, and he needed to be honest with them.

—It was my fault.

—It was our fault —Y/n rushed to correct.

San's eyes looked back at her with surprise, not expecting her to take the blame for something he started. Instead of stopping to look at him, Y/n motioned all of them to step inside that room, closing the door being them so no one else could find out the big secret she and San had been working so hard to hide from everyone.

—It was supposed to last for one day only, but things got complicated after my dad found out —Y/n admitted—. Being honest, it never felt like pretending because I genuinely liked San since we started talking —Y/n admitted.

—Really? —through the worry, San's eyes shined with excitement with her words.

—Not now, Romeo —Mingi interrupted him—. Why did you lie to us, instead of telling us the truth?

—Because I knew you'd tease me about it —San confessed—. The truth is that I only talked with Y/n via text and calls when you two found out about her —he pointed at Wooyoung and Mingi—. I got nervous, and I said she was my girlfriend because I didn't really expect you to find out about her. But when we saw her...

—Wait... Now it makes sense why you got in between her and that boy that way —Wooyoung squinted his eyes.

—I had already said we were dating, so I didn't want to go back and say we weren't, so I convinced her to play along —Y/n waved her fingers in the air when all those eyes fell on her—. And like she said, her father found out later and it was a lie we couldn't get out of.

—You two never dated? —Yeosang finally asked.

—So you pretended to date —Meghan tried to explain—, but you two liked each other. So, while it was a lie, it wasn't totally a lie.

—That's not important —Sam interrupted her—. Why didn't you tell us?

—Fuck that —Mingi huffed—. We want blood.

—Oh, shut up —all of them managed to say, one over the other.

—I understand not telling them, but not telling me? —Wooyoung suddenly asked.

—Fuck off —they all spoke again one over the other, while pushing Wooyoung's arm.

—So now you two are dating for real? —Sam peeked her head in between Mingi and Yunho, to be able to look.

—Do we really need them to confirm? —Mingi looked down at her— We heard the whole conversation.

—The only thing I'd like to ask —Y/n commented, interrupting the bickering that was about to happen—: my dad can't know. Actually, no one in the company—she looked at Hongjoong, being the one who had kept contact with some people in the office—. I don't know how they'd react if they knew I lied about something so dumb, but I'm sure it'd affect bigger decisions, so please...

As much as their friends wanted to act like they weren't sure about keeping the secret, their hidden smiles and the looks they exchanged gave away that her secret was more than hidden with them.

—Of course we won't tell anyone —Seonghwa was the first to speak, giving up to the pressure he was feeling with her nervous gaze among the group.

—How could we? You're our friend —right after saying that, Wooyoung's arm wrapped around her shoulders—. You're two liars, but I'm so happy you fell for each other —the long haired boy started jumping slightly, causing Y/n to move up and down with him.

—To be fair, I already suspected you two weren't dating —Mingi commented.

—Of course you didn't know —Jongho cut him off before he could continue—. We had enough lies for today.

Mingi only smiled nervously, letting that topic die for itself before Y/n stepped back from Wooyoung to look at everyone.

She hadn't been around for long, but it was obvious she fitted their group as if she had been by their sides for years. Despite their relationship being a lie, all of them could tell her feelings and thoughts were genuine. It was on the way she looked at their friend, or the way she had been caring for him the month they had known her. It was never a lie they liked each other, they just were slow at realizing it.

The rest of the night after that went by smoothly, with Y/n and San barely moving an inch from each other, going everywhere with their arms tangled around each other's body while Y/n made the best job she could to focus on the guests instead of her boyfriend -ending up smiling to herself whenever she unconsciously called him for what he was.

—I can't wait to get home —she mumbled.

—Right... Because doing what we think to do is a bit too much, right?

—And what do you think I'm thinking? —she moved her head back, just to be able to look into his eyes.

That confidence vanished away when she asked that question, with his smile suddenly dropping and his eyes tinting into a dark worry that made her snort quietly.

—Pervert.

—So you weren't thinking about anything else? —San asked back.

—I could've been talking about lying on the couch and watching a movie —she shrugged—. But yeah, I meant that I wanted to drink something more than this beer.

San's fingers pinched her side with a smirk, pulling her closer to his body to be able to hide his mouth in her strands of hair.

He couldn't understand how he got so lucky to be with her.

Y/n was a giggling mess when they broke into her place, with her head every few times resting on San's shoulder while they walked down the three steps that led to her living room.

—I can't believe you dropped my father's wine —Y/n cackled, taking off her heels to throw them away.

—I'm too expressive when I talk, and he was way too close to me —San defending himself, suddenly puckering with his words—. I bet he knew the cologne I used, and could even tell apart the ingredients.

—Well, you're lucky it wasn't one of his wines —Y/n's eyebrows arched in a funny warning—, and that we had free drinks. Otherwise, he'd have eaten you alive —she assured him.

—Your dad hates me, right? I knew he'd hate me after what happened in the office, I'd hate myself, too. Imagine if we had a daughter and an asshole was waiting for her half naked over her desk? I'd kill him.

He was too focused on his own yapping to realize what he had said, but Y/n did notice. Attempting to make him feel better, and make sure his eyes wouldn't have it easy to escape hers, she walked towards him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders to make sure he looked into her eyes properly.

—If we did what?

She knew they had been dating for less than an evening, but the fact that he was dating her with a future in his mind made her feel nervous, and cheesy. And the fact that San wasn't even aware of what he said, because he had it all assumed in his head, made things feel even more personal.

—I was just saying. It was a way of speaking —he started speaking faster, going back to his yapping to save his back on something else he had started—. I didn't mean I was thinking of impregnating you, and saying this I don't mean I don't want to have a family with you. It's just that it's way too early, but I'm serious about liking you and being exclusive...

—San...

But he kept on talking as if she hadn't been trying to stop him from the big loop he was in, trying to calm her down -when he was the one in need for some oxygen.

—San —she called him a bit louder—. Don't you ever shut up? —she giggled— It's the first time someone thinks of me that way —the soft tone in her voice immediately calmed him down.

San's hands moved to each side of her hips, pulling her a bit closer.

—And before you say anything —she stopped him before a word could come out from his parted lips—: this doesn't mean you can say you want to spill your seed inside, or some shit like that. But —she smiled cutely again—, I really like how you think of me as something so serious.

—Well, we've been dating for three hours, but I said what I said because I'm really serious about us. And that doesn't sound any better —he pressed his lips, trying to think of a way to form his words.

—We've been formal for three hours, but technically we've been dating for almost a month —Y/n tried to work better on his sentences—. And we've been liking each other for even longer, so...

His body moved first, bending over her to trap her lips in a soft peck that raised all the hairs in her body, enough for her to think about turning the kiss deeper, moving her hands to cup his neck in her fingers and make sure he wouldn't move whenever she wanted to suck on his plump lower lip.

—I can't see myself with anyone else either —she quietly admitted, finally managing to place his words properly so they'd make sense.

San was the one to take the lead, cupping his neck with one hand to pull her in for a kiss, moving his lips sensually on hers, making her weaker with each rub, just like she had taught him to do. Her hands were in the air for a short second, before they found a place on his forearms. And with the last layer of intimacy being added when their lips parted, San towered over her, sticking their bodies together.

—Y/n —his voice sounded raspy when breaking the kiss—, I want to do it.

—Do what?

His eyes opened slowly, showing a new color she wasn't used to seeing on him. Dark, mysterious, intriguing...

—I want to make love to you —he whispered, rubbing his thumb over the spot below her ear.

—Are you sure?

Y/n knew giving your virginity to someone was something important. She knew it, because she regretted it immediately after she lost it, when her boyfriend broke up with her days later because somebody else grabbed his interest more; and San had been treasuring that meaningful part of him for so long that she was scared of him rushing it with her. They had known each other for some time, their connection was off the charts, but it was still difficult to tell for her whether it was the right choice.

—I want to show you how much you mean to me through something I have been saving for someone special... you're that special someone. I've... I've never felt this way with anyone —he admitted—. Ever since I started talking to you I've daydreamed of how you'd feel wrapped around me, how your moans would sound in my ear instead of the speakers. And ever since I met you, it's only grown deeper. So, if you want to...

Before he could finish his sentence, her smile was soft and kind, softened by his words and endeared by that pure confession, wrapping her arms around his shoulders again to link their lips together. His hands held her firmly by her hips, pressing his pelvis against her lower stomach, just to move them lower on her body. A gasp almost broke the kiss, but San took the chance to slide his tongue through her lips, using all of his strength on his arms so he could lift her body effortlessly.

—Have you been practicing? —Y/n teased him, wrapping her legs around him.

—Wooyoung weirdly enjoys it a little bit too much.

With that confession, the tension was broken with soft giggles that were only stopped with some small and innocent kisses. And, as much as he'd have loved to be able to move blindly to her room, every few seconds his eyes half-opened to see through his eyelashes where he was walking on.

Y/n turned more nervous with each step he walked, feeling her stomach turning upside down when he took the last step, allowing her to distinguish the smell of her floral perfume in her room.

It was strange, because despite her not being the one losing her virginity, it for sure felt as if she was.

San left her back on the floor, aiming to get her naked as carefully as he could, dealing with her body as if she was made of glass. Every kiss, every touch, every gesture he lied on her skin were meant to worship the person he had in front of him, while at the same time trying to reassure her he was going to take care of her.

It was far from the rough and dirty sex they fantasized about a month ago, it was sweet and intimate, working as a way to express himself through actions -which she appreciated more- rather than words.

Her breath was getting heavier, lazily placing her hands on his shoulders, as his lips tenderly wrapped around her nipples, with his tongue licking the button until it was hard enough to jump against it. Her dress was gone, her bra was gone, she was only left with her beige panties, while he was still completely dressed.

The roles changed again, with Y/n taking the lead and San just looking back, when pushed him away.

Her fingers felt like boiling iron through the fabric of his shirt, feeling relieved when she took it off to slide it through his arms, exposing his tanned skin under the lazy light of the lamps on her nightstands. Although her kisses on his neck didn't slow down the feeling, having his body squirming with each touch on his freckles.

She went down on her knees, taking off the last piece of fabric remaining in his body to allow his bulge to jump free in front of her. His body reacted so quickly to her, that Y/n couldn't help but press her thighs together when her core throbbed with pleasure.

—Y/n... —San begged, when her tongue first licked his tip.

Although, instead of sucking him off, Y/n stood up again, guiding him towards her bed, aiming for them both to sit in the middle of the mattress. San stopped her from sitting, holding her thigh and guiding her to lift her hips so he could take her panties off.

—We'll do it how you want —she spoke softly—. Although it's better to start like this —she referred to their current position, with their legs tangled on one another while they faced each other.

Her fingers trapped his wrist, moving his hand to place his fingers on her slit, saying without words what he should do.

—Move them like that —she hummed, dragging her body closer to him.

While two of his fingers traced invisible circles around her clit, her digits wrapped around his hard dick to stroke him off gently. San was the first one to aim for her lips, giving her a peck that turned into an exchange of spit and gasps in a matter of seconds.

—You're so wet —he groaned, breathing her air.

—And you're so hard. I want to feel you so deep inside —she admitted.

San moved before she had to say a thing, sliding two fingers inside, causing her hand to hold him a bit tighter and stop momentarily from stroking him.

—Fuck, I want you so bad —her voice turned a pitch higher when he curved his fingers.

—Am I doing it right? —his question sounded way too innocent in contrast to what he was causing in her with what he was doing— Let me make you cum in my hand. Hmm? Can you do that for me?

Her body disconnected from what her brain wanted to do, moving back her arms to rest half of her body on the bed, offering herself to him. The sheets were gripped tight on her fingers when another finger was added to the other two, circling her clit while his digits pressed against that spongy spot that had her losing control of herself.

His other hand moved up through her body, going up her stomach through her tits, until it reached her neck, holding her so lovingly that it turned into an added point to the way to her high.

—San, I'm going to cum.

She was convinced he was going to slow it down and stop after her warning, but instead he kept the speed and the movements, keeping her legs spread with his whenever she tried to make the attempt to close them.

He didn't need to ask her to cum in his hand, he didn't ask her to give it to him, his eyes were communicating how bad he needed her to reach her high without words being used. And that need was replaced with satisfaction when the contraction in her pussy led to the biggest orgasm she had to date, almost losing part of her hearing for a few seconds.

With a smile, his body covered hers, reaching for her lips for another kiss, tracing her body with the tip of his fingers, only to be pushed on the other side of the bed after three kisses.

Their bodies rolled over the mattress, changing positions. Her legs were placed on each side of his hips, her hands covered his collarbones, and her chest was pressed against his while they gently kissed.

—I'll be the one making love to you, babe —she whispered, rubbing their noses together.

Although her promise flew away momentarily, making him think she could've possibly regretted her decision when she moved back to the other side. That fear didn't last much. Only until she went back to straddle him, breaking the small package she was carrying to wrap the elastic around his hard dick.

—If something bothers you, or if you want to stop... —she started, being paused by his hand pulling her back over his body.

—Babe, just do it —he assured her.

San linked their lips together again, with it coming up as passionate and deep since the very beginning, too sensitive to how she felt to notice the moment she took his cock and placed him against her pussy, pushing the tip against her entrance before she moved her hips down to take him in.

A roaring moan vibrated through his throat when her warm walls hugged him tight, gulping him inside slowly, inch by inch until her hips connected with his. He was sure he could be able to stay like that for as much time as she wanted, just having enough with feeling like they were one finally.

—Are you okay? —she asked, breaking the kiss to look at him.

—Okay? You're feeling so fucking good —he mumbled—. It feels like I'm dreaming.

Y/n linked their lips together again, moving her hips up as slowly as she could, rocking them back down to take him in completely. She tried to be as gentle as she could, she tried to hold in everything she wanted to do to him, everything she had been waiting to do for those four weeks.

She tried to... Until she wasn't able to.

Supporting herself on his lower belly, Y/n moved up, finding a better posture to start bouncing on him. A moan escaped her lips when her hips moved down, with him feeling completely different from that new angle.

Her body changed the rhythm, the movements, the friction... everything. Neither of them got time to get used to what they were feeling, because Y/n managed to change something -as small as it was- to make it feel completely different from what it was. And that made them unable to control their moans, with San's pleas sounding as a background to her short and cut off whines in between gasps.

In his eyes she always looked like that goddess he could only look at from afar, lucky enough to the coincidences of life playing in his favor to have their lives intertwined together by a mistake; but that night she looked completely out of reach. Her body moved so effortlessly on top of him, with her tits bouncing with each jump, and her hair swaying in the air.

When he recognized that feeling that was building up, it was way too late for him. His cock twitched inside the latex, and his thighs turned tense right, letting out a prolonged moan that marked the end of something that could've been so good.

Far from being disappointed or upset, Y/n smiled, understanding of what happened. Before he could even open his mouth to apologize, her body was back at covering his, hugging him while she played with his hair.

San saw her like a goddess, but Y/n saw him as a treasure she wanted to protect and take care of. After being surrounded by so many people with ill intentions, he was one of the few people that came into her life as genuinely as it could be -ironic though, considering how they started. With him everything was real, so transparent that she could see through the little flaws and like them even more. She didn't care about any small mistakes, because she knew what he was going to give her back was going to be the triple of her bet.

—I didn't even last for ten minutes.

—That's why you fingered me so well before? —she teased him.

—I'm serious.

—Why don't you stop torturing yourself before you feel worse, take off the condom, and cuddle with me? —she suggested, tilting her head— I will give you a lot of kisses, and I'll let you sleep on my chest.

When she suggested that idea with such an intimate tone, and caring gaze, San couldn't help himself but move down her body to get up from the bed, causing her to land on the other side of the mattress.

—I'm sorry —he quickly turned to her, making sure she was alright.

—I'm alright —she giggled.

San's little run before and after cleaning himself had her looking forward to the moment he jumped on the bed, lying by her side, sticking his body to hers with his head resting on her chest.

And that moment they were together, after sharing such a special night, made her wonder when things would start going south for them. She was used to everything getting out of control right when she was starting to be happy, she knew it was going to be a matter of time until something ruined the way they both felt about them, even if San reassuring hands caressed her skin to wash those thoughts away. 

Taglist: @brown88

[retphienix]

Alright, this is gonna be tough because I desperately want to say so much for the game's sake and my own, but it's just so much.

At least the playthrough as a whole exists to show a lot of those things, and there's no shame in some of the impacts the game had for myself going unsaid :)

LONG POST INCOMING, NO 'READ MORE' BECAUSE IT'S RELEVANT TO THE POST AND NOT AN AFTER-THOUGHT

CLICK 'J' ON YOUR KEYBOARD TO SKIP. (Sorry mobile users)

8:48 - Do you have any idea how good a step forward it felt to smash the repressing bulb?

9:50 - So I'll get ahead of myself because this fight shows a lot of the visuals that play into this: Something being the manifestation of guilt for Mari is so incredibly visualized.

Between the base 'Something' being extremely close to the shadow she cast and including the one visible eye that bore down on Sunny and Basil after the hanging, to the stairs incorporating into the design.

The seaweed and spider are more general anxieties though they do circle back to Mari since she saved Sunny, but those two forms don't feel as directly related as the stairs (heights) and base 'Something' forms and what they represent for his repressed guilt.

Could be wrong ;) Tell me what you saw in the forms of 'Something' if you'd like to expand on them :)

12:39 - Just to prove the point before you get to fully see the truth- Something morphs into the figure of Mari hanging. It doesn't fully demonstrate the "eye" aspect yet, but still I just wanted to say kudos on the way 'Something' is shown visually. Formless for a reason, and that form becomes more defined as you understand what it is, exceptional damn thing.

15:43 - Basil's part in all of this makes me so damn sad. Plenty to say later (obviously), but he harbors so much guilt, wants forgiveness so much, and is so (not shown yet) desperate to believe in Sunny's innocence while knowing but not comprehending the truth. The fact he harbors his own 'Something' due to the guilt of all this is heartbreaking, these kids endured a hell no one should. Losing someone so important to you and harboring the guilt and fault of it when nothing of the sort was intended. A childish fight with raised emotions got out of hand and all this came of it.

Hell.

16:30 - I absolutely adore how the photo album is used for this reveal.

Absolutely incredible execution that's specific to this story and its characters and makes piecing (literally) this together tense and grim.

22:27 - I NEVER SPOKE TO OR INTERACTED WITH THE THING IN THE CENTER OF THIS ROOM AND I'M A NORMAL AMOUNT OF UPSET ABOUT THAT >:( lol

29:41 - Okay.

So this reveal as a whole is so unbelievably well paced and incredibly hard hitting.

All game long there's a weight of having lost Mari. Repeatedly it's told that she killed herself and no one can understand why and everyone (MYSELF THE PLAYER INCLUDED) is looking for meaning in little moments, seeking out hints that maybe she was suffering or depressed or this or that.

And while that has gone on FOR THE ENTIRE GAME there has also been this uneasy weight surrounding Sunny/Omori. Visions of Mari twisted and deformed into phantoms of horror.

For the most part I assumed it was just him coping with having lost his sister and maybe a dialogue on how when she was alive he was in her shadow (in his mind) and now that she's gone he remains there?

That was the best I could figure, more or less. But it continued to seem more and more malicious in design and MUCH more 'heavy' in how it's presented as a shadow behind Omori/Sunny throughout his adventure and life.

The weight and 'overshadowed' looks of the scenes felt more and more foreboding and less like a simpler "I'm living in her shadow" story, but I couldn't figure out what it was.

Then these pictures come out and piece things together.

The final result:

Sunny and Mari fighting. (Context appears to be his growing disdain towards playing. It's stated he loved playing, but it's also shown that he begins to dislike how much Mari is dragged away for classes and the like up to and including playing. So my read was that Sunny was upset that their fleeting time together was dedicated to the recital and broke his violin in an emotional blur and the fight occurred.

Alternatively it was accidentally broken and both of their emotions were running high as it happened)

Mari falling to her death.

Sunny and Basil carrying her upstairs and tending to her.

Sunny breaking down as it sinks in.

The visions having Basil say "It's going to be okay" by the bedside. (I perceive that as a memory of what Basil was saying as he tried to manage his emotions during the event)

Sunny and Basil carrying her back downstairs and to the backyard.

The makeshift noose.

And finally the sight that burned itself into Sunny's eyes of her hanging after it was all said and done.

Just holy shit to it all in how it's revealed and handled.

Stories have twists all the time, and I ain't gonna make some bold claim like "Most unpredictable!" "Best twist!" "What a twist!" or whatever, though that'd be funny.

I just want to say this twist worked BEFORE the reveal as a foreboding sense of unease and curiosity- it lent itself to intentionally vague and easily misconstrued explanations, basically- instead of it outright misleading you beyond the characters that believe the lie repeating the lie, it allowed you to mislead yourself.

It did the twist the right way! And well! YOU trick YOURSELF! The people repeating the lie are being lied to or have motivation to repeat the lie! The GAME isn't lying (as so many twists handle it) the game is giving the world reason to mislead and allowing you to be mislead!

Now am I yelling affirmations for the way things SHOULD ALWAYS BE! YES! BUT THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S NOT AS NORMAL AS IT SHOULD BE! lol

31:40 - All the "You will really miss them"s hurt :(

33:25 - Right out the gate, a spoiler for what isn't here:

I looked up the alternate endings of the neutral route and my heart hurts to know Sunny doesn't stick around and Basil dies :(

34:00 - BASIL BEING OVERWHELMED WITH DENIAL AND GUILT AS HE ATTEMPTS TO MENTALLY PROTECT HIS VIEW OF WHO HIS FRIEND IS BY INVENTING A SECOND PARTY THAT DID THIS IS SO FUCKING REAL AND AMAZINGLY DONE.

And it explains the name behind the 'Something'.

'Something' behind you did it. There's 'Something' behind you, isn't there.

'Something' all around us, that potentially being the truth comin' in.

When 'Something' ruined my photos, Basil repressing protecting Sunny by destroying the proof.

Just expertly done.

'Something' being repression of the memory and impending guilt. Dannnng.

36:26 - It's 24 hours after I beat the game as I type all this so here's a gag.

Here's the part where Basil beats some sense into his friend, because after this Sunny gets knocked out and wakes up 200% improved and ready to save Basil from his own guilt by releasing them both from the secret.

So basically Kel dragged us out of bed, then a couple days later Basil beats us up, and that's how Sunny gets better :^) Game Over.

38:46 - This fight made me feel utterly terrible, a highlight being the energy bar saying "Everything is going to be okay".

or at 40:17 - when Basil pokes out Sunny's eye and the screen does this? That's an underutilized but always awesome visual.

41:12 - I THOUGHT I WAS DEAD AT THIS POINT :)

Because just before entering Basil's home on this night you see his Grandma's ghost here. So seeing Sunny here told me "WELL. YOU FUCKED UP!"

42:25 - Like I said, beat some sense into Sunny.

Here's the mental side of things where Basil's beatin' told Sunny to go remember the good times and confront his inner self and I'm being partially facetious because there's plenty to say about what's coming up.

43:15 - Goosebumps every time due to the sincerity and hope of this.

43:40 - Hug for anyone needing that.

51:11 - I could cry again and I just might before this post is done being put together.

This accident was never meant to be.

55:09 - Timestamp is arbitrary, I won't go over every flashback but I do want to say what a beautiful way to use these photos. To relive the memories? To find the strength to overcome and all that? After all these years of suppressing memories? DANNNG I love this game.

1:04:09 - I stepped in poop.

1:04:15 - Barefooted.

1:04:22 - I embraced my failure.

1:12:00 - The violin.

1:13:00 - "The anxious feeling-" "They believed in you" "No matter what you didn't want to disappoint them" I'm filled with love and gonna cry about it.

1:14:00 - So an important theme in the game, as if it has just one, is Sunny suppressing emotions and demonizing himself.

Obviously the ending shows him breaking free from both but I think it's important as hell to look at how he builds up to being able to.

After all the dark moments show him as a bloodied monster, demonstrate a perceived lack of remorse for what he's done (as in he sees himself so poorly that he says "I must not have felt bad about it, I'm a monster", not that he actually doesn't feel bad about it, that he thinks he shouldn't because he's bad), have him stab dream Basil to protect his repression of the memory, the build up to breaking free from that is him remembering the good in him through the lens of his friends.

Both in the real world and in revisiting the memories within the photos.

He hears about the good in himself that he has pretended isn't there and finds the power to overcome this deadened shell he's made.

He learns how to forgive himself by finally remembering he's worthy of forgiveness and is more than his mistake, that even the person he grievously harmed would want him to forgive himself and would understand the mistake didn't define him.

1:15:15 - Just because you did something bad doesn't make you bad, to put it more eloquently than my rambles. He had to learn that.

1:19:20 - I've done this fight 4 times.

You may be wondering why 4 times, it ain't like I replayed the game a ton or anything.

The short of it is:

1) For the good ending :)

2) To see what happens if you go "up" in the hospital- it's a dead end- I assumed it'd be a bad ending. So I got the good ending again :)

3) For the bad ending.

4) FOR THE GOOD ENDING TO WIPE THE HORRIBLE FEELING IN THE PIT OF MY STOMACH AWAY FROM THE BAD ENDING :)

In doing so I did get one layer deeper on the BG of Omori in the fight, here it is:

And I learned on the fourth run that the fight is simpler than I gave it credit lol, Cherish refills your juice, so there is no reason to use Encore. You can get to the end (and deeper more easily) by just using the triple attack and Cherish and Calm down when necessary.

1:29:00 - A summary of the fight is that it's extremely impactful emotionally, but very obviously isn't a "Fun fight". It's great mechanically and story wise for what it's trying to do :)

I'll just say it here: I'm surprised there wasn't an end-game "Omori" fight, you know, in dream world? Because combat is SO good in this. I am lead to believe that the Omori route where you never go outside in the real world has more bosses and zones and would fill what I just implied I wanted- but you're also railroaded into the Neutral endings which are both sad :(

And honestly? That makes sense and I applaud the decision :) Embracing the fantasy world for more 'fights' isn't exactly the path to recovery. Also and I know someone will be bothered I say this because *I'm* bothered I'm saying this- it makes sense since a big predecessor did the same thing lol.

Undertale Genocide has new bosses and a harder end game challenge (Sans) while being the worse ending, while the good ending has a flashy and story/emotionally impactful final fight that isn't as challenging because challenge isn't the point of the morals being explored.

I just bring it up because it's interesting, has a parallel, and after fighting Omori 4 times I really REALLY wanted to do an end-game fight in Dream World.

1:30:00 - forgive me as I cry again. goosebumps and more.

OH NO~!

DRAT!

So I use a cheap video editor and I use the free format of it which limits to 720p and I didn't think twice of it.

I recorded at max, but downgraded after editing.

At 720p you can't see the detail that made me break down crying!

At 1:31:55 Sunny's eyes go wider as he sees Mari as they finally get to experience the duet in this dream state (White Egret Orchid, this is real and happening, I'm taking this to my grave :'( ) he sees her smile and that smile made me break down, but in the 720 it's blurry :(

That's on me, I could have posted the scene raw in HQ but I didn't know it'd compress just enough to be invisible :(

still. that duet scene can make me cry on command. just because of that alone, but also the entire thing.

1:33:42 - Sunny breaks from his shell and feels his emotions again.

1:37:07 - I wish every game would end with a mirror to see yourself.

The 'Despite everything, it's still you' vibe just cements all the growth and experiences that have happened as so much more real when that happens. Bonus points because mirrors in Omori are a time bomb where you can be reminded of the guilt following you- and this one is safe. This one is pure and clean. You did it.

1:37:50 - As I said earlier, going up does nothing. Dead end.

1:39:00 - I have to tell you something.

Simple ending. And yet slams me like two trucks. I'm so proud.

1:41:00 - Post credits scene.

This is so heartwarming and their smiles are the purest thing in the entire world.

1:42:50 - BAD ENDING RECORDING.

All I'll say on that is the bad ending made me feel terrible inside. Give up, live in your bubble, and subconsciously end it all so you never have to confront reality again.

My gut felt heavy to be honest.

And the fact that THAT is when Bo En Time is played is INCREDIBLE.

Having the sky shift like that gave goosebumps and cemented my dread.

Just seeing it now has me feeling very poorly.

Okay. Video done.

Now for general thoughts.

First off this White Space cycle has been going on for YEARS with Sunny only getting worse as he suppresses things more and more and the reason he found the strength to overcome is because of his friends and I'm gonna yell about it.

THE REASON SUNNY IS BREAKING FREE CAN BE DIRECTLY POINTED AT KEL THINKING "FUCK IT, I'M ABOUT TO LOSE A FRIEND, AND I DON'T WANT TO"

And I just think that is sweet as hell. The strength was inside himself, but the problem itself caused Sunny to demonize and not trust himself- he needed someone to break him free and help convince him that he's not irredeemable. And boom.

The way this game handles Denial and even gives it physical form with the 'Something's that both Sunny and Basil harbor is just awesome.

I touched on it but combat in Omori is very, very good.

I've said it here and there as I played and I feel like going at length in the finale post is pointless because this isn't a review but to put it concisely.

Types changing mid-combat, the character archetypes being so well defined, the follow up system, combat in Omori is some top notch turn based RPG stuff.

Like up there with the greats, the timeless masterpieces. This is GOOD fighting. So it was surprising the good ending didn't emphasize it- I explained why that makes sense, but even still! It'd probably be lesser for it (as explained previously) but it's interesting they practiced that restraint for the message they wanted to send.

Repeatin' that Mari's smile in the recital made me cry. Burned in my brain.

I'm still surprised I got the post credits scene because I DID water the plants a lot but when the game showed me them all dead I assumed that was the fail condition.

I genuinely do want to try the Omori route some time down the road. I hope I get around to it.

I am slightly dissuaded just because the Omori route only gets the neutral endings which are not Good To Be Blunt :(

But I want to see what dream content there is and I hear there are other bosses!

Other small bits from my notes:

Replacing denial (the black bulb) with hope (the white bulb) was good as heck.

The imagery of the 'Something' is so top notch- using the shadow of her body combined with the piercing gaze of her single eye- MY GOD.

The fragility of life being so present- between memories of near death experiences, to the way in which Mari dies, to the ease at which either Basil or Sunny can end the game. It's tense and heart-wrenching.

The way the 'Something' behind Sunny almost always shadows over him like an ever present weight.

Tearful, hopeful, pure, kids enduring a guilt metric tons heavier than their bodies could ever handle and finally, finally moving beyond it.

I said more in a personal post, and I'll reblog that.

Honestly, just timestamping through the video took it out of me and got the point across.

Omori is a wonderful game.

It's definitely a favorite for me, high up there on my list.

Between the themes, the gameplay, the humor, the ending.

This is a good one.

And now I get to end having experienced all the care and love in this title, that's such a sweet thing.

Now I know this finale post is a mess, illegible even. I have gotten sloppier as I've begun embracing just 'experiencing and rambling' and perhaps my formatting with change yet again until I find something more easily shared.

Despite that. I want to thank any who popped in on this playthrough.

This was a good one, a highlight of the blog for sure- and I'm always happy when I see some people enjoying the absolute mess I toss online when I do one of these :P

So thank you for your time, and thank you to any ridiculous enough to read my nonsense here.

Have a good one :)

And just as expected I feel I've said nothing and barely touched the surface as the post-game-head of mine does a poor job lol. Even still :P