#have to wait a bit to get the paid dlc and for free time to play coop with friends

[daydreaming-jessi]

Absolutely love the direction Massive Monster took with the bishops this update, ESPECIALLY Shamura, they’re SO similar to the Norse god Odin (also a god of wisdom) like they both are presidents of the club of ‘fucked around and found out and made it everyone else’s problem’

Like, what an insane mad scientist archetype they are, encouraging Narinder to destroy the laws of nature because they were oh so curious as to what would happen too, and what happened was bad trouble on the horizon and family drama out the whazoo, like most real world mythologies you read about. Idk I just love how connected this game feels to real life mythologies, with a good dose of cosmic horror beyond our comprehensions to taste. It’s like kid me and adult me boiled our interests and collective religious trauma together and Cult of the Lamb got spat out, this game is so perfectly tailored to my little gremlin brain.

[nicohverse]

June Update- Physical Merch, Live Events, OST Additions

 The physical rewards have arrived! And if you're somebody with a physical reward tier, you have until 07/01/2024 (July 1st) if you'd like to add anything to your shipment: Whether Entropic Float related or otherwise, use the code ADDKICKSTARTER on my etsy store for free shipping (domestic or international!) to have items sent with your rewards package. Packages with additions will be shipped right away after purchase, the rest will ship out on 07/01 ~ Though, everything is ready to go, so if you already know you don't want to make any additions, just let me know and I'll get your package in the mail!

If you don't currently have physical rewards but see something you'd like in my shop, including this NEW Entropic Float merch printed for reward fulfillment (extras available while supplies last!) Just please don't use the coupon for free shipping, since it'll be an all-new package. US Shipping is free with a purchase of $35+, International with $70+.

I've mentioned Entropic Float Apparel coming in my next clothing drop- Apparel ships separately, and is always free shipping anywhere, so don't worry about waiting for that. And let me know if there's any kind of apparel you'd really love to see! Current plans are for logo shirts (the same design available on Redbubble, but higher quality working with a manufacturer), PJ Pants based on what Ame wears in the first game, and the T-Shirt that Touko wears in the Beloved Ghost DLC- But I'm happy to add suggestions if you've got your heart set on something specific~

The OST for Beloved Ghost is also now available on youtube, added onto the end of the OST playlist! With a new album cover, too. Beloved Ghost and EF2 are going to share this art, to distinguish their new tracks from those of the first game. There are nine new additions to the soundtrack now! Some of them might sound familiar even if you haven't been able to play the DLC yet- Dreaming Of Delights and Dreaming Of Destruction were the feature tracks in my yanderejam 2023 entry, and GHOUL GROOVE already appeared as the main menu theme in EF2's demo!

As for progress on EF2 properly? Well... To be perfectly honest, I've barely been at home this month, and when I was, I was mostly sorting out the shipment and getting etsy listings up, so I don't actually have any smooth new assets to show you right now. I've been working on a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff! Planning out puzzles, plot moments, brainstorming in the car about how to code the randomization processes. There's a lot I can do when I'm not at my home computer, it's just not stuff that I'm really able to... Show off progress on visually.  Oops. 

The upside is that most of what I've been doing away from home is work! Lots of it! My day job is a bit unconventional, so I should note that the hours I'm scheduled and paid for are typically longer than the hours I actually spend at work, but on paper I worked 60 hours last week and am scheduled for 70 next week. Even knowing that's more time than I actually work, it's shaping up to be a lot, considering my health... But it's alright. Working harder on a given month just means I can afford more time off to work on the game in a different month, and I thrive in sprints of focus.

 The other upside is that I should be able to create quite a few visual assets in the last couple weekends of June, but I wanted to get this update out sooner rather than later for the sake of anybody who wants to take advantage of free shipping with their reward package.

Finally, I also have a few live events coming up! You can come say hi at my artist table (Nico's Fan Niche) if you're attending Springfield Comic Con, Connecticon, or Terrificon this summer. I'll also be at Otakuthon as an attendee myself! As you can imagine based on that lineup, my July update probably won't be too exciting either (Especially with artfight going on- Add me! I'm Nhitori!) but of course, I'll still have some fun stuff to share with you all.

Thank you, as always, for reading!

[marshmallowprotection]

Hey Kait, so what's your initial opinion on the Ssum? Personally I'm a bit underwhelmed by it, but it's not the fault of the game itself. It's just not my format tbh

I enjoy games with a definitive story and complex characters who get to interact with one another, and while it's highly possible there's more to the Ssum than meets the eye, I just do not find much joy in chatting with a single AI, even if Teo seems really realistic. Obey me is a good example, cause it has a ton of different features, but at the same time, it has many characters who each have a different story and share complex relationships with each other.

It's nice seeing everyone so excited and happy though :)

This is gonna be my thoughts so don't take it too seriously. It's just what I'm feeling right now. I'm happy if people are having fun and out here to explore a new game!

It's an overwhelming format with so much information thrown at you all at once that it makes it hard to understand what's going on and all the things that you need to do. It's not the kind of format I'm used to either, but I'm sure you could get used to it over time. You would just have to be committed to the process. But, it'd have to pull you in with a good hook. Is it doing that for me? No. It's not done it and I doubt it will.

I understand why Cheritz put in more ads and ways to pay for bonus content but I do not like the fact that you'll have to pay to download photos and other content when so much of that was free in Mystic Messenger. A lot of content in-game is clearly enhanced by the pay option and $19.99 a month isn't worth it in my eyes. It just puts this sour taste in my mouth about how the world shifted to "pay for little pieces of a game instead of paying a base price for everything."

I would rather pay Cheritz $50-100USD if need be for a full game to play if that's the case because $19.99 a month is $239.88USD a year. Who has that kind of money? For reference, I could literally buy the RFA Box, the Special Believer Box, and an emoji pillow for that price, including shipping.

Everyone has to get paid for working on a project like this, I am all for that, but at some point, certain options in F2P games wind up feeling predatory instead of straight-forward. Mystic Messenger has a great system for F2P. You pay to do chats faster, call without paying for the hourglass, and unlock cutesy bonus content. The SSUM has a lot of basic features with "buy more energy to get this!" You can feel that it isn't the same set-up.

Maybe I'm spoiled by Mystic Messenger in terms of what you can get for free but...

Hell, you can pay to get Dandelion and Nameless on Stream together for a decent price if you want to pay another Cheritz game without this money nonsense. If I am paying that much a freaking month to get content, I better be seeing Teo do all sorts of things for me all the time. I'd have to love Teo for that.

Teo has a personality that I'm not too sure about and I'm very picky about Otome characters. I need a hook to draw me in and he's not hit one immediately. I'm picky. I like a compelling universe where I have a cast of characters that I can find myself with and explore. Teo is one guy, and while he's got a mystery to unravel that I already have a lot of thoughts and theories on, I don't know if he'll be worth the effort to me at this point. That could change, though.

I play Obey Me and even though the Gacha system isn't the best for games, that one is very polite with you. It gives free pulls every one to two days, and there are means to unlock and get items without you having to pay unless you really want to do that. I feel like paying for content if it's an option shouldn't force you to pay for what should be standard. This is a problem with video games right now a lot so don't get me wrong, I'm not humming and hollering because The SSUM is doing this by itself.

I hate paying for DLCs and stuff in games that get patched in when I would happily wait a long time for a full game to come out. Like, ah, Sword and Shield for Pokemon, you have to pay for the Post-Game arc. You never had to do that before. You got it with the game and that was that. They held events to let you buy or pick up a code to get a legendary event, sure! But, that wasn't going to take away from the gameplay. It's just bonus.

I want people to get paid what they're due for making games but players shouldn't feel like they're being baited into paying for stuff. Video games are just different than they once were. It's a complicated thing and I don't really want discourse or debates right now since I'm just sharing my thoughts, lmao. So, I'll leave it at that.

I appreciate the interface, I like the art style and that the MC avatars in-game look so cute. There's potential in this game if you really want to look for it and find it. They put a lot of labor and time into this one game and I can appreciate that. It took a long time for a reason and I hope the mysteries of the game become unraveled soon.

I can't say I'll be super invested in The SSUM. I didn't think I'd be anyway, since the pay-to-play stuff didn't cut it for me. Teo just isn't a character that excites me. Who knows? He's just a guy. He might be your guy someday! He seems cute and cheeky. I'm just looking for a game with a lot of characters that I can love. Teo seems to be many characters in one but ah, I'll save those theories for later.

The one thing I can appreciate is that you can plug the RFA members into the game. [You can plug in everyone with a Route + Vanderwood, for some reason, Rika isn't an option.] I'll put my Ray, Unknown, and Saeran here.

Ray misses me, that's all I care about.

[gb-patch]

Ask Answers: August 8th

Well, doing big posts all together worked for a while but lately I’ve been putting it off because it takes a long time to get them done. I think I’m gonna try switching back to answering asks whenever I can fit it in and posting them one at a time instead of waiting until I’ve filled out one of these major collections.

But for now, here’s more ask answers! Thank you for the questions and for all the kind words along with them ^^.

Hello!! I'm here to ask if its possible to get  the game and its dlcs on steam and play it on android?

I’m afraid not. Steam doesn’t have Android builds on their own site and Steam is not cool with keys for other sites being given out for Steam purchases, so you don’t get the Itch version from buying on Steam.

Hello! Sorry to bother you but, I had a question, if we buy the Game on itchio do we get steam keys or would we need to purchase it twice? 

You would have to buy it twice if you want it in both places, I’m sorry. To repeat myself a little, Steam doesn’t like the key trading thing. Itch may support giving keys for another site, but the reverse isn’t doable with Steam and Steam doesn’t even really want you to get a Steam key for buying somewhere else either. So we just don’t mess around with that.

hey, sorry if this is frequently asked, but is step 4 free dlc or paid for? some of your sources are contradicting each other. 

It’s free! There’s a paid wedding DLC, but Step 4 itself is entirely unpaid.

Hello! I just had a quick question, for the Baxter and Derek DLC's will we be able to confess our feelings to them or let them confess to MC? or will it only be one way? (they confess to MC)

Both type of options will be available!

Hey there! I wanted to ask whether or not the Derek DLC is still on track to be released in August since on the steam discussion board it says it will be released mid 2021. I totally understand if it isn't, I'm just really looking forward to it! If you answer then ty! And keep up the amazing work :D 

It’s not, aha. Unfortunately, 2021 wasn’t easier than 2020 as we hoped so things are still slower than planned. It’ll come out late 2021 or early 2022.

Hi! Firstly I just want to say that I LOVE Our Life. I have played a bit of similar games but this one instantly wins for the best one! Everything about it is amazing! I just wanted to ask if Derek would ever lose feelings for MC, like if they make the deal and then MC gets with Cove would he move on? and even if you don't, after "losing contact" would his feeling fade or would he still like MC? 

If you don’t really keep in touch with him and clearly move on with your life, Derek will too and he’ll be over it. But if you are still close as best as you can be, he’ll still think the MC is special. Though, he’ll always support your relationship with someone else if that’s what’ll make you happy.

Hello! Sorry if you've answered this before but: 'How's Lee related to us? Though which momma? And does she share our player-chosen last names? Also, do you know if Noelani took Pam's last name or did it happen the other way round? 

She’s related to Pamela and Pamela’s last name is the one they use, so the MC has the same last name as Lee.

Will we be able to choose which (they or he) we tend to call Qiu by more often, or will it randomly change depending on the moment? 

Qiu knows which pronoun they’re comfortable with at a time and you’ll call them what they’re happy with. And it doesn’t change between lines, it takes multiple scenes or even full Steps for it to switch. So for extended periods Qiu will be totally a guy or fully agender.

Will Step 4 of OL2 have moments?

It’ll be an epilogue like it is in OL1, so it won’t have a bunch of different Moments.

Hello! Just a quick question, is Sunset bird from OL1 based on a real location? If so what's it called? I wanna visit it +_+

ps i love your games so much <3

It isn’t based on one specific town you can go to, but there are a lot of little coastal towns in Cali that have a similar vibe!

Heyaaa ( I hope you're all well ), umm… it might seem kinda stupid to ask but did Patreon members can have a key for the dlc's ( all the steps-released dlc ) even if they became a member this month or later ? (me? saying this cuz it's my case? maybe ;-;), and once again thanks for absolutely all the amazing works on all the games ! u-u 

You wouldn’t get the DLCs for backing there. The Patreon is for extra bonus content/early access, rather than being a storefront to purchase the normal DLCs. Rarely we give them out as a side gift, but it hardly happens and if what you want is the DLCs it’s best to ignore the Patreon and  buy keys for those directly from Itch or Steam. I’m sorry for the confusion.

Hey y'all, love what youre doing w/Terry. Trans rep outside of player customization is so rare and important to see more of so thank you so much. I do have a question and its that does he have a canon sexuality? I know Miranda was said to be straight ace but I dont believe anything was stated for Terry probably because he wasnt revealed to be a guy which changes things. Im also curious if well get answers on how long hes liked Miranda since he may have liked her in step 3 before she liked him 

Terry likes women and Randy likes men! And he did like Miranda back in Step 3.

Will the Wedding Dlc release at the same time as Step 4? 

They’ll come out separately with Step 4 releasing first.

I really love Our Life so much! I've spent over 20hours playing it even though I only got it a week ago! I was wondering if I could make a fangame for Our Life with a different love interest but same plot. Next-door neighbors romance, multiple steps, etc? I'll probably make it on Google Slides though- 

Sure! I hope you have fun with it and I’m glad you love the game.

How does Cove feel about poly relationships? 

He’s got nothing against them for the people they work for, but he’s 100% monogamous and would only be comfortable with a partner who was willing to be monogamous with him.

Idk if this has been answered before but will Step 4 include the option to advance your feelings towards Cove? 

Yep, you’ll be able to determine your feelings and what your relationship is.

In step 4 will there be a chosen to say we live with Cove even as just friends? 

Yeah, you can choose to live with Cove and that can be done when you’re friends.

I just played the game with the MC and Cove being best friends and omg it’s still so damn cute like the wholesomeness of it all is too much for my heart I swear ^.^  Now with that all said I was wondering can we still marry Cove? if we only love him as a friend like let’s say we’ve made deal with him similar to the one we can make with Derek because let’s real no one could compete with what the MC and Cove have even if they aren’t in love. 

It’s great to hear you enjoyed the friendship story! You can live with Cove, but you can’t marry him platonically. Cove has familial affection for the MC if they’re best-est friends. He wouldn’t think to marry someone he loves like family and even grew up with as though they truly were siblings.

Are you still going to be making a DLC for XOBD? :] 

Yes! We’re slowing adding voiced lines and fixing errors.

It makes me laugh that Shiloh's last name is Fields because that's what I put as my last name! So in Our Life when he talked about "Ms. Fields" picking him up I was extremely confused, lol. That dude mimics personalities so much that he stole my surname!

Oh, wow, that’s a very funny coincidence, haha.

hi !! i cant seem to be able to get the scene where mc is able to propose to cove despite being at the 'love' stage and telling him i'd want to get married, are there any other details that im missing out on? the options just dont appear at the end... 

Maybe you missed telling Cove you were in love with him even if you mentioned wanting to get married or you might’ve accidentally said earlier in the game that you don’t want to progress your relationship further with Cove. We haven’t removed them, so you can get the scene again. It’s just kind of easy to miss since there’s multiple requirements. You can read a little guide in the FAQ.

wait what di you need to do to be able to propose to cove? I've been trying but haven't had much luck 

You can check out the FAQ linked above!

does cove only develop a crush on the mc if the mc is also at crush/in love with him? 

Technically, yes. We treat the non-romantic relationship options as truly non-romantic since we don’t want to bait and switch people. But there’s nothing wrong with headcanoning that Cove does have feelings developing for the MC even before the MC has.

Is there a way to make/allow Lee and Baxter to date?

No, they just don’t have enough time together.

We also got a group of asks related to Tamarack in OL2, but I’m afraid the way they talked about people with larger bodies made me not want to post their words, even if the person didn’t say they’re trying to be hurtful. I will separate out the core question and answer it though, so people can know that info.

Does Tamarack lose weight in later Steps?

No, she doesn’t. As for the other questions included, to be honest, I don’t have to explain/defend having romance options of different sizes. I’m sorry if you’re dealing with unhappiness that’s connected to body image, if that’s where the negative emotions are coming from, but even so I can’t meet you on that level and pretend it’s a problem that needs an answer. A girl who simply isn’t thin being a main love interest is just not an unreasonable concept. Also, Tamarack isn’t a lesbian. Yes, she can date a female MC, but that doesn’t undo her actual sexuality, so I’m not sure where that one part at the end was coming from.

I wonder... can we "fight" with Qiu over leader status? 👀

Not really, haha. No matter how cool your MC is, they’re never gonna replace Qiu for the other kids around. So you can either partner up with him, follow him too, or not be a part of all that group politics stuff.

So when I play the game, sometimes I mentally call Cove “Covie/Covey” and that made me wonder, how does Cove feel about being nicknamed? Not like Romeo/Space Cadet/etc. but like pet names relating to his actual name

It’d depend on his age, personality, and your relationship with him! When he’s younger he’d probably be embarrassed, when he was grown he’d probably be more casual or happy about it.

will you be able to date baxter in step 3 while at crush with cove (but not dating him ofc) sorry if this has been asked already. i really love baxters step 4 design btw!! 

Yeah, you can be crushing on Cove and date Baxter if you weren’t already dating Cove. You just can’t be truly in love with Cove and then switch to Baxter.

I just got my friend into our life, and they adore shiloh and derek sooo will there be more of them in the second game? 

I’m afraid not. But you can see plenty more of Shiloh in XOXO Droplets/XOXO Blood Droplets, haha.

I see you haven't gotten any xoxo droplets asks recently but I'm still obsessed with these boys!! I was just wondering if Nate would curse under any circumstance? 

Yeah, Nate does use certain swear words (damn, hell, bastard) on very rare occasions.

Hi there! I have a question about the wedding dlc. Will we be able to plan a honeymoon during the planning stages of it or would it be something that Cove and the mc would rather plan later on? Thank you! Absolutly love the game by the way, definitely one of my favorite games! 

The focus will be on the wedding day itself. The topic of the honeymoon might come up a bit, but there won’t be any choosing of the exact location and such.

Hi! I have two questions and it's completely understandable if you only answer one/neither and I'm sorry if you've already answered either before! First, is there a set year in which OL:B&A takes place (ex: Step 1 being set in 2010 & Step 2 being set in 2016, etc.) or is it simply up to interpretation? Second, have you guys thought about doing a coming-of-age game where the MC has a tough home life or upbringing? (like one of their parents is an addict, a parent being transphobic whilst the player has the option to be trans, or having friends that are influencing them to do drugs, etc.) That's all! Thanks for making beautiful games. <3 

There is a set timeline!

Step 1: 2006 Step 2: 2011 Step 3: 2016 Step 4: 2021 

And we don’t currently plan on making a game like that. The Our Life series exists to be a safer environment for people to play around in and if we did do a brand new series that was harsher edged it’d be something more fantastical and/or plot-driven instead of a different type of modern day slice-of-life growing up story. I’m sorry.

i don’t know if you’ve already answered this, but do you have a guess on when phase 4 will come out? as well as ol2? i’m so excited for both of them, the inclusivity in this game is amazing, you guys should be really proud of it! 

Step 4 will be coming out very soon! OL2 is gonna take until 2023 to be anywhere near completion. But we might episodically release the Steps one at a time as they get done instead of waiting for three to be finished before launch like we did with the first game.

Hello, I was curious if there was an official or unofficial discord server for the game? 

We do have a discord! You can join by clicking this link HERE.

how long do you plan to keep ol's patreon running? 

Hopefully for at least a few more years.

Are you considering ever making merch? 

Yeah, but I don’t know when it’ll happen or what exactly we’ll make, aha. It’s something we want do, just nothing is set.

hi! i just found out about your game a couple of days ago on tiktok (so sorry if you’ve already answered this question) and i was wondering if y’all are ever planning to release it on iOS? 

I have no idea. It’s hard for a small group to get Apple approval and I honestly can’t say if it’ll ever happen or not. Maybe someday, though!

Hi, I love the art style of Our life and I would like to know if the artist has a Twitter? Also, could it be possible to fund more CGs for the game from him/her? So many times, I wish there was one like when the cutscene of the sunshower. 

That’s nice of you to offer. He doesn’t have a Twitter, at least not one that’s public enough to be shared with me. And I’m afraid not. The issue is that the CGs take huge amounts of time rather than there not being a budget for it. He’s gotta make CGs for Step 4, the DLCs, and new character sprites, too. There isn’t space in the schedule for even more. Sorry for that.

Hi, how are you?!

Are you planning on accepting new writers or is it always the same people who write your stories??

Thanks!!

Our Life: Beginnings & Always won’t be getting new writers, but we will be hiring a new team of writers for Our Life: Now & Forever eventually!

perhaps this counts as nsfw and I'm sure it has been answered before but what does Cove prefer, chests/boobs or butts? or perhaps both :3c thank you for this wonderful game (and the patreon bonus moment, it was worth all the waiting and more ♥) 

He’s a “chests of all shapes and sizes” kind of guy, haha.

i was wondering- did any of the writers actually grow up by the beach? as someone who's lived in a beach town all their life it really did feel nostalgic to play through our life 1 

I was born and raised in Cali! Though, not right by the beach. We still had to make trips out, but the setting is based on my own childhood memories of small beach towns we went through.

In Derek’s upcoming DLC, will we be able to reference the pact we made as teens? (love olba and xod/xobd so much btw you’re literally amazing) 

Yep, you will be able to talk about that!

Oh, sorry about the Cole being secretly L ask, then!

If you wanted context: Death Note is about this one guy who finds a notebook that kills anyone who you write the name of in there. The guy eventually develops a God Complex and starts mass killing criminals and stuff. L is the one trying to find out who is killing all these people.

Me and my sister first joked about it because I couldn't remember how to translate a word about the way Cove was sitting, so I just did the pose, and it looked a lot like how L himself sits! Then we just snowballed from there, with more and more nonsense connections.

That’s okay! Thanks for explaining. I’m sorry I didn’t know what you meant.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

✨When you get this, please respond with five things that make you happy! Then, send to the last ten people in your notifications anonymously. You never know who might benefit from spreading positivity✨

Hey Nonny!

Ooof this got lost in a bunch of stuff! Sorry about missing it! Only remembered it because I saw a similar ask on my dash hahha.

Seems like a good day to do this, since I'm so tired and exhausted and I need something to make me smile.

Dragons. Just everything and anything with dragons. I'm fascinated with them. If you buy or make me anything with dragons, I automatically love you.

I finally bought myself my iPad I've been saving up for for *literally* 3 years. Because I was saving up for a trip this year that I am no longer taking (was planning a 40th birthday trip to Disney, but now am not going to Florida at all until they get their shit together), I took some of that money also to buy it and bought a top-of-the-line one, the best I could buy at the local Apple store (1TB, 12.9inch Pro... you don't want to know how much it was :|). I love it so much, and it's nice to use it to get off my laptop. I mostly was prompted to buy it now because it was my 40th birthday gift to myself AND my Wacom driver kept crashing my laptop and I'm scared to reinstall it hahah.

Funko Pops. I LOVE them and hate them. I only collect ones from series and shows I like, but I have WAY too many of them that most are in storage right now. I want to get my own home soon so I can display them finally. I am constantly checking the app for upcoming Funkos, and then immediately check my local toy store for their preorders. My local toy store must love me, I have SO much on preorder right now.

Drawing and writing. I'm alright at both, but I've terrible imposter syndrome so I feel like I'm not good at either, mainly because I don't get much traction on either when I post. I've a few people who always help me get it out, but I these days I do it for me, because it makes me happy.

Video Games. Currently playing AC Valhalla, and I LOVE it so much that I ended up buying the Season Pass. I RARELY buy DLC. But the game was SO good and I wanted more, so I needed to play the expansions. PERSONALLY it's my fave of the new trilogy, and because it's a "current" game, it's always got new stuff. Love it. My fave game EVER is Kingdom Hearts 2. I love the story of it so much. Skyrim is a close second – I like Skyrim because I put in over 200 hours in ALL versions I've played, and still there's so much I have to do hahah. AC New Trilogy is third. I liked DA Inquisition but never finished it, and I still have a bunch of games I bought last Christmas I have yet to play, so my list may change... it's highly unlikely though.

So there you have it Nonny! I think it's good I waited until I was in a better mood to answer this... People stopped sending me these because I was always so negative in them, I guess... I hope I get more of things like this when my asks go back on.

Can I also give you 5 things I'm looking forward to? I feel like that will help me keep a positive attitude for a bit.

My current work contract is almost done, and I'll get some downtime before I have to start my normal day-job again. Looking forward to my weekends back.

My broken foot seems to be healing REALLY quick. Yesterday was the first day I woke up without it hurting, and today I've been able to hobble around on my heel (as per my doctor's instructions that I need to start doing once my foot stopped hurting). I'm optimistic that I'll be given the okay to drive again during my next appointment on the 30th. I am going nuts not being able to leave home on my own accord.

So in Canada, we have this thing where you can take out your RSPs tax-free for three things: Retirement, First Time Home Ownership, and Second Education. I set up my RSPs WAY back when I was making piss-poor salary about 10 years ago, and I wanted to make sure that I at LEAST could have SOMETHING when I retired. I recently discovered I maxed out the amount of money I can take out for First Time Homeownership in my RSP, so my plans to home ownership are looking more and more realistic. I just wish owning a home wasn't so expensive where I live (major city in one of the most expensive provinces in Canada). It's hard when you're single-income. Here's hoping that I can make it a reality soon. The idea is a condo, I just have very expensive tastes (safe-neighbourhoods apparently justify a 10,000$+ more in cost :/) so I keep saving into my various accounts and GICs that I set up after I finally was making a liveable salary, so as long as I keep being humble and living below my means, I can finally get what I save up for... if only the cost of housing would SLOW THE FUCK DOWN. It's gone up 100K in just a year. It's insane.

I also saved up enough for a new couch thanks to a second contract I took during my CURRENT contract, which paid me exactly enough for the couch I want to get (I may or may not have strategically negotiated that contract, LOL). I've been needing a new couch for years; the one I currently have, I have sentimental attachment to (it was my dad's and is over 20 years old) but working at home for almost 2 years, I've worn it out and it's SO VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. It's barely staying together. Looking forward to getting it :) ... Was waiting until cooler months since I have to put it together myself (IKEA) and my apt is SO hot in the summer, no way I can do it then.

Having my asks turned back on. I'm sorry, it sounds so cheesy and dumb, but I don't have many RL friends or connections, and you guys help me stay positive and help keep my negative thoughts at bay. The dark thoughts have been coming in a lot lately, to the point where I've convinced myself that no one missed me and no one cares, so it's helped having a few of my regulars and mutuals check up on me in DMs during all this. Thank you <3 I don't always reply back, but your love is appreciated <3

Thank you again Nonny for asking me this <3 And I hope you don't mind I answered more than you asked <3

[ottspot]

Patches Don’t Fix Bullet Holes - There’s a Problem Over at Nintendo

Nintendo’s a company that pretty much everyone loves at this point. They put out quality games for their systems (most of the time), produce hit after hit, and in the end they make boatloads of cash while doing so! It doesn’t seem like anything can stop Nintendo.

Which is a good thing... but can also be a bad thing.

Recently there’s been a trend with modern games, Nintendo ones especially, to have “free bonus content” launch via updates after a popular game releases. Ranging from “new characters”, “extra modes”, “new weapons”, etc. Is this truly new content made after the game’s launch? Or a cheap way at rushing a game out before it’s ready just to get some early sales in?

Now, video game updates are definitely not a new thing in the industry. In fact, they’re probably almost as old as video games themselves! Sometimes a cartridge game would get a sneaky re-release pushed out into stores to have some bugs fixed or typos corrected. Other times it was a bit more obvious, with label or disc changes noting the re-release as a “Greatest Hits” version of a game.

As the Internet became a more prevalent thing in the world though, and as more game consoles became Internet-compatible, these updates and fixes would not be released through expensive re-releases, but as patches that you can download onto your existing copy of a game. This was obviously the way to go as it was much cheaper than reprinting a disc or issuing a recall. 

In the early days, bug and typo fixes were the most common of these, but there would also be larger patches that would add extra content. One notable example was Minecraft. I remember playing on my Xbox 360 and waiting for every new title update to see what would be added, and would sit there watching the progress bar go from left to right.

This would become more commonplace as the years went on, with paid DLC and everything. That wouldn’t stop companies from being generous and launching the content for free, however. But at some point it becomes a little obvious that these updates... aren’t exactly made because the developers are being nice.

Crunch culture has become a huge problem in the games industry recently, with bosses of big-named companies pushing their employees to work late hours and under severe conditions just to get a game out on time. You can read more about it and its negative effects here at “The Pitt News”.

In some cases, after hours and hours of crushing work, the game gets released on time. Other times, the game has to be delayed a few months. But there’s a few where the game gets out and it’s clearly lacking features and modes that the developers are still painstakingly working to get out as soon as possible. And that hasn’t been more obvious lately than with Nintendo.

While Nintendo’s been putting out great games recently on their Switch system, a lot of them have promised “free updates” after launch. One example of this is Nintendo Switch Sports. This is a successor to the widely popular Wii Sports line of games that released throughout the Wii and Wii U’s life. The game includes sports like Soccer, Bowling, Swordplay, and a few more.

During its reveal presentation, several of these modes were shown off... while the game’s Golf mode was announced to be coming at a later time. As of writing this, on July 19th, the Golf mode has not been released. It’s been almost three months since the game originally released as well. As some of you may know, the Golf mode was included in the original Wii Sports game day-one, with no patch needed.

This shouldn’t be viewed as “why is it taking so long to add a simple Golf mode?”, instead “why rush a game out the door so early before everything in it is done?”. Not only is it having developers work more on a game that should have already been done, but it ends up disappointing customers as well, as the game launches in this incomplete state.

Another example is something that was revealed today, actually. Mario Strikers: Battle League is another summer Switch title that happened to launch incomplete. Characters like Daisy and Shy Guy were pushed to be released post-launch (when they’ve been staples in the first two games), and on top of that Nintendo promised more updates to release this year.

Hiding an incomplete game under “promises” of “new, free content made just for the game” is a disguise that not a lot of people are falling for these days. As more and more people speak out within the games industry, things like this become way more apparent, and it’s not a fun party costume.

Hell, online services for these systems aren’t going to last forever. What if someone comes across a Switch in say, 20 years, when the online services are down, and happens to get one of these games with one? They won’t even be able to experience the full version of the game unless the system already has its updates. Nintendo themselves are already making this happen with the closure of the 3DS and Wii U eShops in March of 2023. Why do they keep doing this??

This kind of thing should not be normalized within the gaming industry, but it’s becoming clearer every day that some companies just want to rush their games out the door to make quick cash, and not take time and effort into actually completing it. It’s unfortunate and not fair, but hopefully enough people can voice their opinions on this for some change to happen.

Next up: EXCLUSIVE: Lillybug and Abyuse Interview - The Brains Behind Echo's Music

[flamesvdgdiary]

Shin Megami Tensei V (2021)

This is the modern game that I love to bits and pieces. I mean, of course it is. Shin Megami Tensei (hereafter SMT) is my all-time favourite game franchise. The game was first teased in 2017, and I have been patiently waiting for it ever since. It was worth it. I enjoyed the gameplay and, by the end, the writing surprisingly paid off too.

The SMT franchise is my comfort game. Gameplay is slow-paced and methodical, somewhat formulaic but not too much. You can prepare for a boss as much as you'd like, you can resort to using items if you're struggling but normally you don't have to.

I despise comparing SMT to Pokémon, but I suppose that's the easiest comparison to make: it is Pokémon with more depth. Instead of catching them, you have to talk to them and select a response based on their personality. Also, you yourself are a pokémon. Status conditions tend to be more nuanced in SMT (though I can't say this is really the case in SMTV specifically), weaknesses, turn advantages, skills, buffs and debuffs...

These systems will be very familiar to you if you've played other games the other games, but each entry has nuances. SMTV has a "palette" of balances that works out surprisingly well (at least on Normal difficulty).

Unlike previous games, I felt like I had to use items and switch demons mid-battle. This seems minor, but it really isn't. In previous SMT games, you would just have to reliably have three strong demons and you could breeze through any area. Bosses tend to be easily exploitable to the demons you can find in their area/level range. But not here! Every boss fight in SMTV felt tense since there was no "one-size" solution to bosses. Even if you play a physical build, which traditionally is the most "versatile", the game surprises you.

In terms of story, I didn't really have big expectations. The SMT story is a sort of ever-repeating tale. You know that by the end you'll have three choice: Law, Chaos, or Neutral. Do you side with God or are you against him? Or do you maintain the status quo and stay Neutral? This formula works as context and setting, there's no need to reinvent the wheel. And yet, they did add some surprising and refreshing variety to it. Especially with Abdiel. Wow, how I love her arc. I almost wanted to join her side by the end.

I loved SMTV. Sad that it takes so long to get an SMT game, but it is always worth the wait. There is one major thing I disliked: the Mitama paid DLC. It should have been free. But that is technically "para-textual" to the game, so I won't complain too much.

[ozzdog12]

2020 Top 7 (and 1)

2020 am I right? We saw an insane amount of games come out and 2 brand new consoles. What a wild and weird year for gaming, and life in general. In case you are relatively new here, and to be honest that would be completely fair considering I don't post very often on Tumblr anymore, every year going on the last 4 years (on here) I have done a Top 7 (& 1) for my favorite videogames of the year. Check out 2019, 2018, & 2017. What’s wild, as I look back on my list of games that I’ve completed and played, only maybe 10 came out this year. 2020 was a huge backlog year. 

Lets get on with the ‘And 1!”

Favorite Game that Didn’t Come out in 2020: Control (PS4)

Control may very well have been my 2019 Game of the Year, had I played it in 2019. I LOVED Control. I wanted to play it in 2019, but initial reports that it was a little rough on base consoles put me off until it was fixed. And Holy smokes what an insanely fun and trippy game once I finally started it. I knew within the first 20 minutes this was going to be the shit when I went down a hall, walked into a room and talked to the “janitor” left out a door behind him and the entire building had shifted. I’ve always liked Remedy games, but from a distance. Max Payne 1&2 and Alan Wake all oozed with weirdness and intrigue, but never enough for me to finish them. I missed out on Quantum Break. The story is Control is just the right amount of mind f*!$ for me and builds a universe I didn’t know I needed. It take some time to piece everything together, then everything just clicks. The game does have a weird difficulty spike when fighting bosses and the checkpoints were too far apart at times, but those were later patched. I spent an insane amount of time within the Federal Bureau of Control building and even more time after that with the Foundation and AWE DLC and it STILL wasn’t enough. I wanted more. Outside of Prey, I can’t think of another game that stuck in my brain more after I’d finished it. Control is absolutely a MUST PLAY title. In a world where everything sort’ve feels similar, Control stands out of the crowd.

Number 7: Astro’s Playroom (PS5)

I never thought in my wildest dreams that a game I had almost zero interest in playing would end up on my list of favorite games this year. Astro’s Playroom is being labeled as a ‘Tech demo’ but that feels like an insult to what it is. It’s a full fledged game and its free! I’ve paid more for less. A charming little platformer that lives and breathes the history of the Playstation. So many cool Easter eggs and references. It certainly centers its gameplay around the DualSense controller and everything it can do, but at its core, its a completely approachable and forgiving 3D platformer. I played it just to see what it was about, next thing i knew I had completed all the levels and wanted to further explore all the nooks and crannies within the game. I wanted to see everything the game had to offer and I had an absolute blast doing so. Makes me kinda wish I’d played the previous game on PSVR (I’d have to have a PSVR too)

Number 6: Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5)

Another quality title, albeit a spin-off, from Insomniac to add to their Spider Man universe. Gameplay felt obviously like Spider-Man, but Miles has unique abilities that made the game feel different enough, especially the cloak and stealth. I enjoyed the fact that it was short and concise. The issue with most ‘open-world’ games is that they are entirely too bloated with unnecessary filler content (I’ll get to that in a later game), something I felt the first game suffered from, but I also understand why they are there. However I could’ve use one or two more story missions to help flesh out some characters, but it wasn’t required and didn’t change my opinion one way or the other. My one BIG gripe was with Miles himself. He is an extremely smart young kid, but so incredibly naïve. Peter Parker tells him the one thing he SHOULD NOT do is tell people he is Spider-Man. I get it, that’s part of his growth, but Miles thinks he can just solve his problems by revealing his identity and it almost certainly never works out. 

Number 5: The Last of Us: Part 2 (PS4)

The Last of Us Part 2 may be the most polarizing game in the history of the medium, but for the absolute wrong reasons. I’m in the minority that I very much enjoyed my experience with TLOU2, quite a bit actually. Its better in every single way over its predecessor, except the overall story. There are plenty of fair criticisms to be had about the story and various things within the game itself, but I thought the gameplay was so tight and crunchy. There were genuine moments of suspense and terror that I felt that no other game has ever given me. The entire hospital section (2nd time) was so susensful, I had to put my controller down to gther myself. Some of my favorite moments in the series I experienced with a character I wasn’t overly fond of. How many games can do that? The Last of Us Part 2 was meant to invoke emotion, not necessarily joy. I think that's what people lost along the way. Say what you will about the direction Naughty Dog has taken over the years, but you would be hard pressed to find a studio that makes games graphically better than they do. Yes, I know about their crunch culture, but this is not a place for that. I will say, the game was a tad bit too long, which is not something it typically say for a single player, narrative driven game. The pacing and the way the story was told wasn’t my favorite, but I respect what it was trying to do, even if it failed in some aspect of that, I finished the game within the week it was released. Something I RARELY ever do. I’m a father and I related with Joel a lot in TLOU, but I also recognized how wrong he was. There is a lesson to be learned. Your actions always have consequences and while he was doing what he thought was the right thing, it wasn’t his choice to make, and in doing so set up a series of events that were entirely avoidable, but again, that’s the point isn’t it?

Number 4: Grindstone (Switch)

I’m counting this as a 2020 game since it just came to the Switch this year ( less than a month ago) but its not the first time I’ve played it. Grindstone was the only reason I kept my Apple Arcade subscription and when I let it lapse, there was a void I just couldn’t fill. I bought Puzzle Quest on Switch but it just wasn't the same. Its THE perfect game for bite sized play, even though in its addictive nature, you’ll clear a few levels and an hour has passed before you know it. It has the perfect amount of depth that most ‘match’ games don't. You have different weapons, items, and outfits w/perks to use and experiment with to keep it fresh. I went months without playing my Switch and when this was announced in August, I couldn’t wait! Sadly, I had to wait 3 months, but since then I have spent so much time on the Switch. It gave me a reason to play it again. The art style and humour is great. The variety of enemies and challenge is just right. I can’t recommend it enough. Seriously, check this game out!

Number 3: Doom Eternal (Xbox One)

I will be the first to tell you, I did not like Doom (2016). I found it extremely boring and trite. I understood what Doom(2016) was doing and it succeeded, maybe too much. Nostalgia is a helluva thing. So in saying that, I was mildly interested in Doom Eternal. Doom Eternal is nothing like 2016 outside of it being a Doom game that connects to the rest of them (& also being a sequel to 2016). The mechanics are drastically different with more platforming (for better or worse). Eternal is challenging, at times very hard, especially early on. Eternal has no respect for its players, in a weirdly good way. It laughs at how you’ve played FPS before this one and WILL MAKE you play it its way, not your way. Yes, you point and shoot, but ammo is scare and you MUST use everything in your arsenal. No more using just 2 guns for the whole game. The enemies are relentless. Sometimes you have to pause and take a breath after a battle because you go a 100 mph for the whole fight. You have to continuously move or you die. There is an enticing rhythm to it. I categorize Eternal as ‘Blood Ballet’. Its a game where when your feeling it, much like a rhythm game, you get in the zone and there is no stopping demons from getting slayed. Surprisingly, unlike most games in the genre, it seemed to get easier (sans one extremely frustrating platforming section late in the game) the longer you played it. Was that a testament that I ‘learned’ the Eternal way or it truly did get easier? I don’t know, but the final Boss(es) were....easy.. I had more problems and deaths within the first 4 hours than I did the final 8-9 hours. The multiplayer was also surprisingly fun. The older I get, the less interested I am in multiplayer, but I found myself coming back for more for a good month or so. 

Number 2: Gears Tactics (Xbox One)

As 2020 comes to a close, I came to a stunning realization. I might be a bigger Gears of War fan than I had previously thought. Don’t get me wrong. I love Gears, but I seem to love Gears more than I thought. I'm way more invested into the lore than I recall. Anyways, Gears Tactics is everything XCOM 2 SHOULD’VE been. Not only does Gears Tactics utilize the Overwatch action, its makes it EXTREMELY important. The story revolves around the father of Kait Diaz, Gabe and a ragtag group of mostly random soldiers to take down Ukkon. Anyone who is remotely interested in the Gears universe will love the story and references. The gameplay is just so damn satisfying. The bosses are very challenging and different. I actually had to change my strategy to finish the final boss. I experimented with a totally different style of class and was rewarded for it. The post game stuff is also aplenty. This game scratched a VERY specific itch for me and I’m itchy to jump back in. I’m glad this came to Xbox One because I’m current computer could not run it.

Number 1: Ghost of Tsushima (PS4)

I have a very odd relationship with massive open world games. I love them, but I get very burnt out on them. They all have a relatively same-y formula and are often populated with bloat. GoT does have some of that but to its advantage, its not very populated, in a good way. One of the things that I really appreciated about GoT and its side quest is most of them felt meaningful. The thing that really stood out to me about GoT is the absolutely satisfying combat. It just feels SO GOOD. It requires timing and patience. There are different fighting styles for different enemies and even the armor you wear is more than just cosmetic. The combat is so fun and satisfying that I was immediately excited when they announced Legends, a multiplayer add on, for free. Its so much fun and is a blast to play with a group of friends. I’m sporadically still playing the Legends mode. I initially wanted to play the game in ‘Kurosawa’ mode but I am glad I didn’t because the game, even on the PS4 is stunning, and on the upgrade on PS5 is jaw-droppingly smooth. I did play the entire game in Japanese with English subtitles. I still don't know what Jin’s English voice sounds like. GoT does a good job a drip feeding you new abilities and things to keep things fresh. I love stealth and once I unlocked it, I spent the majority of every battle taking out as many enemies as I could while in stealth mode. Ghost of Tsushima does a lot of things very well, that the few things it doesn’t can be easily overlooked.

[forestofbeginnings]

You mentioned not having a positive view of SoS:PoOT - may I ask why? Because i agree. Everything we've seen on it so far seems great but there is just *something* about it (that i cant put my finger on) but i am just not excited about it either.

Yea, I can talk about my thoughts. I’ll be putting this under a cut just incase people want to avoid a PoOT-negative wall of text or just aren’t interested (I am a RF curator, after all! People probably aren’t here for my SoS opinions lol). 

I’ve always been a bit lukewarm on the game, but mainly because I kept forgetting it existed since RF5 information has been releasing at the same time as PoOT information. My growing distaste has come from the lackluster character designs, the general blandness of it all, and everything about the DLC. 

The character designs for the bachelor/ettes are extremely bland and probably the worst I’ve seen from the series in a long time. Not from a bad standpoint but in a “most of these characters could probably be a filler background character in a previous SoS game” way. You know, those portrait-less villagers in 3oT or even IoH. 

And when I mean bland, I’m saying it doesn’t seem to have an identity of its own. Most of the SoS games have this feeling of being their own distinctive entries in the series, but this game seems more of a...”this is another entry in a series” game than a distinctive game that can stand on its own. The heavy emphasis on cameo characters in its DLC has only made this identity issue worse. 

Speaking of the DLC, this is the one hill I will die on: it’s the worst part of what I’ve seen pre-release. Everything in the DLC are things that were included in previous games free of charge. The only other game with DLC in North Amerrica? All the updates included in it, from Woofio marriage to updated town events, were free updates in Japan. It was only paid in NA so XSeed would get paid for translation. The fact that Marvelous has decided to sell these previously free updates and features separate from the game AND announce it a month BEFORE release is just the scummiest shit in the world for me. 

Plus, people who are buying the limited edition aren’t even getting a discount or at least the costumes from the DLC thrown in. They’re already paying extra money for the game, but now they’re suddenly being asked to pay an extra $20 for the complete experience (and before someone says that the base game is still a complete experience, they have quests in the DLC; that’s scummy, don’t lie). 

I am happy for the people who are excited for the game (one of my friends has been waiting for a Felicity cameo for years, I can’t help but be happy for them), but yeesh it’s a game I do not have good vibes with. Maybe I’ll eat my words if I play the game and really enjoy it. I have it pre-ordered, I have zero plans to buy the DLC. And to me, this is just something to pass the time between now and RF5. 

If this turns out bad, I’ll be very cautious about supporting SoS in future games. This is the first non-remake game since Yoshifumi Hashimoto left SoS to create Hakama and RF4S/RF5, and they’re seriously starting off on the wrong foot.

The only positive that I can say is gay marriage at least?

[the-redacted-line]

The Narrator(s) : Part 1

Gmod Narrator: The Original -Strong Dad™ vibes when he’s done with Stanley’s bs or for his safety -Would gladly give random wiki facts about sharks, and invest into art instead of talking about Stanley constantly -Subpar with interior design, and mediocre with sound mixing -[Door Sound] -Rough-draft mode with no subtleties on Stanley’s insecurities, personal details regarding himself and his boss -Calls Stanley “sport”, “kid”, and positively encouraging him in rare moments -However like a Dad™, “punishments” for derailing the story is to straight up kill Stanley -Not that great with a lot of things, but put Stanley first before anything else; Most of the time “And for now, I’ll be happy to be the destination instead of the journey. But, only for now.” Demonstration Narrator: Version 2.0 -A bit miffed that the original story was confusing, and contradictory to most players -Brings the game to the player, and definitely not for the real world money -Terrible at time management -Hums like a dork when he’s bored -Can only give three compliments, all produced by one entire department  -Accidently makes the player run into a brick wall -Let’s get a machine that can tell you whether or not you’re in a demonstration, or in a demonstration within another demonstration :) -Will call the player a pervert, no matter what button you press -Created the “Mug in the trash can” game, because he can’t accept the demo to be over so suddenly -Hates that the main game would have more than one ending -Everything, even the boxes, are not useless props -Makes weird word association games, and dramatic novel reading -List off more side effects about the demo than a prescription commercial -If you’re experiencing one or more of those side effects, just dance  -It was only supposed to be eight minutes. It was only supposed to be eight minutes. It was only supposed to be eight minutes -EIGHT - 100% proves that “video games can make you cry” at the end “Freedom, we were free. There was nothing to think. Nothing to know. Simply us, in that moment. Wasn’t it beautiful? Wasn’t that moment so singularly, piercingly beautiful? We were free...” Dota Narrator: The Announcer -Getting into the competitive side of gaming outside of the Parable, and yet can be late to the matches -Canonically drinks when the player does anything stupid, like getting killed constantly -Plays the electric guitar for fun -Not great with gaming strategics, and half of the time doesn’t even know what the game is about -Harnesses his inner Gmod Narrator by silently judging the player’s decisions -References Stanley spectating, but not playing Dota occasionally -Gets a bit too personal about his existence, supposed heartbreak, life and death, and ridiculing everyone else’s life choices -Struggles with gaming lingo, and would either use the gaming guide or ask Stanley about them with mixed results -It’s time for DIGITAL SPORTS -Only allowed to say one curse word -Releases his homicidal side through video game characters being slaughtered, and players getting frustrated with anything “Welcome to the end of Dota, let’s commemorate with a nice long beep.”

Dungeons 2 & 3 Narrator: Narratus the Narrator -Doesn’t get paid enough to get bossed by an antagonist telling him how he should be doing his job -But, would gladly kill anyone or mildly inconvenience anyone who even thinks about taking his job as a Narrator -On occasion, will side with the antagonist when it comes to game mechanics delaying the game; And, violence -Spitefully wishes he could do his job with actual professionals for once -Gets vietnam flashbacks about the electrical shocks and/or more DLCs -Has an adorable, but terrifying laugh -Only allowed a few curse words in beginning, so not to trigger the ESRB ratings -Violence isn’t the answer to everything, except this genre -Isn’t great with organization, and gets some scripts mixed up from time to time -No filter for the sass, belittling, or cursing the player and the game mechanics ”END! And, this time it’s for real!” Remastered HD Narrator: The Hard Reset -An amalgamation of both Gmod and Demo Narrators with an identity crisis -Has the unfortunate habit of getting wrapped up in situations he had little or no power over  -Disregarded the demo’s #1 rule regarding the past: “Just ignore it, cause it doesn’t exist” -Inherits the Gmod Narrator’s weakness with closed doors -Slightly abandons the real meaning in the original game about why Stanley is good at puzzles, and critical thinking -Takes the “ride or die” mentality to a whole new level -Studied thousand of tables as a hobby to find the perfect one for the serious room, like Stanley’s obsessive button pushing; And, denies it -Likes space, fire, tables, new age music, writing limericks, playing the acoustic guitar, and making Stanley uncomfortable; All in that order -Weaknesses: Narrative contradictions, The Adventure Line, open-ended games, doors, having no control, cursing, losing Stanley physically or mentally, and the mere thought of looking through his table notes -Making everyone confused whether or not he’s a human, a voice in Stanley’s head, an nigh-omnipotent powerful being, or a robot “That's all right. I'll wait for you to decide what's the right thing to do. Take as much time as you need.“

[crowleyellestair]

Payment - Emiel Regis (Witcher)

AN/// this man is my baby boy

Look, when I read the raid on Stygga, I shed a tear or two. Watching the first season with Vilgefortz has been a challenge.

Slow burn and spoilers to Baptism of Fire and DLC of Blood and Wine – Though there is canon divergence

 I wanna write more for my boy, so please feel free to request!

 After the Duchess had received word that the beast was defeated, her sister put to trial and Geralt had been paid, life became simple. There had been a reunion at the vineyard, and lost connections had been rebuilt. Everything had gone back to the way it was. Regis had been staying busy with helping his Witcher friend with anything he needed, but it seemed to him that Geralt only called upon him these days with trivial tasks. ‘Come to the lab and help with this new mutation’, or ‘an influx of new vines had sprouted, and there is work in tasting for the new batch’. While he wasn’t upset with his new peace, he was restless.

Regis wasn’t new to relaxing and waiting for the next adventure to sweep him away. However, something hung in the air. His feathered contacts seemed at ease and there was a decline in monster activity, but the man couldn’t shake it. The Witcher took notice, and had frequently brought it up, but Regis would just brush it off. Though, his slight change in behavior did enlighten him to Geralt’s shift in character.

They had been sitting in the green house, Regis trying ot help move small buds into the new beds. He helped manufacture new strains of plants, and the shift from their pots was a delicate task.

“I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t think something was wrong.” The tone held its usual gruff, but it came out gentle. Geralt had sat back on his haunches, small shovel in hand as he stared at his friend. Regis tossed a small smile his way, shaking his head, barely giving him a glance. His hands dove into the soft dirt, creating a new hole.

“I’m aware, but I must disappoint in saying I’m fine. Truly, Geralt.” The grunt he received as a response was one of disbelief. After a moment of no movement from the Witcher, Regis gave him his full attention before needed to focus on moving the new sprout. He could see guilt in the amber eyes that shined at him. He sat back on his feet; hands folded in his lap as he waited for Geralt to sort his thoughts.

“Are you at peace?” The question had shocked, and confusion settled.

“With what are you referring to? It’s a nice day out, so I’d say so-.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.” Regis looked down, pursing his lips.

“I suppose I do.” There was a tense silence that befell the men.

“I meant… Is there anything you need?” The question brought on just as much confusion as the first.

The sun was beating down on the two of them, and had been for hours. It didn’t affect the two as one was a Witcher and the other a Vampire, but they had shed some layers. Both only dawned a shirt and pants, but it seemed as though Regis was sweating. The flowing shirt seemed to constrict under the microscope of his friend’s questioning.

“A reasoning for these questions, perhaps?” Geralt had sheathed the shovel into the earth, and rocked back to fully sit on the ground.

“You’ve… done a lot for me, Regis. Even if I was against it, you were there and willing to help.” The confession placed all these puzzle pieces into place. Regis gave a soft ‘ah’ before a gentle smile found him.

“The mundane tasks.” It was a statement was offered as a mercy to the Witcher. He knew that Geralt had a hard time explaining things of the topic at hand, and Regis wanted to spare him from having to explain what he’s been trying to do for him.

“It’s not just because of repayment.” The vampire nodded.

“I’m aware you value our friendship as much as I do. I wasn’t accusing.”  They sat looking at each other, Geralt looking more discontent than before. Geralt was right- Regis had sacrificed a lot for the man, but he never had held life as a checks and balance system. If he had, he would have already considered the debt paid. Dettlaff was fine and well, healing at his new home. Away from society, visiting only Regis and Geralt.

Regis would have laughed at the irony, considering Dettlaff had also been feeling like an inadequate friend. More so being his Blood Brother. The same inquiries had been brought up with him, and Regis couldn’t wrap his head around the shift. Though, Dettlaff seemed more determined after their conversation, which left the man slightly worried at what could unfold from that.

“I am at peace, Geralt. Thank you, but I don’t think I could find something I’d need. I promise to come to you if I do find that I need help, however.” That seemed to let Geralt’s shoulders drop, the thought of him coming to him setting him at ease.

They both had gone back to transferring the sprouts, and ended the conversation. And he had been answering honestly. Regis didn’t have a need that required fulfillment. He was happy with his station at the moment, and would be content for as long as it lasted. Though, it seemed that neither of the men who had asked him had dropped the subject. He had called in a few favors here and there from the Witcher. One day, he had brought Dettlaff to the vineyard for brunch, as odd as it seemed. Geralt wasn’t friends with the vampire, but he was tolerant. Duty had called to Regis on a day he had set aside to visit his brother, so he left Geralt to watch him after their brunch.

When the time came to help Dettlaff back to his residence, it seemed that Geralt had grown a liking to the man. It brought a smile to Regis’ face, but there was still something in the air that was setting him off. Dettlaff would frequently smile to himself on the way back, reminiscing on the conversation he had with Geralt. He wouldn’t let Regis in on his thoughts, but it definitely didn’t help with the stale feeling eating at him. Luckily, he had been open about a few things after the constant pressure.

“I didn’t think you would be apart of a ‘gang’.” The night didn’t hide the shocked expression from Dettlaff.

“Well, it isn’t very different than a pack. And I wasn’t necessarily there all of the time.”

“I would say it was more than that. You stirred trouble on a human level.” Regis hummed at his choice of words, before giving him a raised brow. It should have been obvious to the other that he didn’t confine himself to ‘human’ ‘vampire’ traditions. There was also the question of where this line was going.

“There were lives on the line.” It all confused him more as he had already known of this information. He didn’t know the extent or too many details, but Dettlaff was the one to help him after Stygga.

“I remember. Geralt had been informing me of your old companions.” Ah. So, there it was. Regis knew immediately where their conversation had gone to. Dettlaff had either apologized, leading Geralt and him to the topic of love, or they had been conspiring to help Regis out in some way. Either option led to the same outcome, and he wasn’t prepared for it. Regis would never be prepared for it. And he certainly didn’t want to discuss it with Dettlaff, seeing as he would go to the extremes for love. Regis didn’t blame him for it, as he probably would too, but it didn’t help that he had a history.

“It was quite the bunch.” He had hoped his short tone had given him a clue that Regis didn’t want to talk about things, but he was disappointed.

“He had mentioned someone named Y/n.” He tried to keep his face from tightening, but he knew he failed.

“Yes… she was… important.” Dettlaff nodded as they reached the door of his cottage. He opened the door motioning Regis to enter first, but he shook his head. Regis was going to get out of the subject, and that was that.

“Important?”

“I don’t have any label for it. I don’t even know if she’s alive now, so I refrain from thinking on it.”

“Too painful for a label-less entity? It sounds like more.” Regis hummed again, turning to leave.

“And seemingly unrequited at the time. I shall be back soon.” His legs took him all the way back to the graveyard, even though he could have gotten there quicker by misting. Dettlaff wasn’t powerful enough to do so, but the stroll was shorter from the vineyard.

It was a good way to blow off steam. The feeling in the air revealed itself to have root in the very same subject. It made sense, since it started after the reunion. Y/n was among the old comrades that weren’t resent. The only ones that hadn’t appeared had seemed to be those who had passed, and while Regis hadn’t tried to think of her, her absence was noticed. And this had followed Dettlaff’s run in, and havoc he created after love had bit him in the ass. He knew Dandelion would have looked for her when Regis had suggested the reunion for Geralt.

Then she wasn’t there.

He moved on as much as he could, coming to terms with what he assumed was reality. He knew that Dettlaff wouldn’t go searching for her, nor was a powerful enough to do so if he wanted to.

 The crow that would constantly stay around the vineyard came swooping down, landing on his shoulder. His hands were fully immersed in water. His coat was left at home, the sun shining bright. It was a perfect day to try and find aquatic bacteria for his new concoction. His trousers were rolled to his knees, his boots lying close to the tide. The crow informed him that he was needed urgently. The vials containing the water samples were placed into his bag before quickly grabbing his shoes. He didn’t know how urgent it really was, but he assumed Geralt would have com himself if time wasn’t a variable. He shifted into mist, only reforming minutes later in front of the vineyard. B. Basil had greeted him, offering Geralt’s whereabouts. He hadn’t thought of unrolling his shirt or pants, rushing into the greenhouse.

It took a double take to actually conceive the form in front of him. Though she wasn’t facing him, Regis knew. A loose white shirt covered her, without the usual amor, but her sword was still strapped across her back. He knew the blade well, as it was actually a gift from him before the plan to get Ciri in Stygga. When he said it wasn’t requited, it wasn’t completely true, as there was one night. One fleeting night where Regis and Y/n had been intimate, but that was only a handful of days before the raid of the castle.

Her posture was still confident, her hands placed firmly on her hips. Of course, it was usually just an act, and he could tell by how she toed the dirt tepidly.

The scent was still the same as well. Oranges and chocolate filled his lungs, and he couldn’t get enough. He never could. Regis could drown in it without having enough. Y/n always just naturally smelled of orange, and he always tried to figure out why. How could someone have such a unique and inviting scent that could remind him everywhere he went into town? A smile would always find him upon finding his nose filling with citrus, even if the loss pained him. The chocolate was more practical as she was always snacking on it.

It was a combination of scents that he purposely avoided recreating.

And besides all of these factors, he wasn’t sure it was actually her. Geralt, standing in a way to see him, made eye contact. When it seemed Y/n noticed his shift in attention, she stiffened. Only for a fraction of a second, however. She turned fast, barely needing to see Regis before throwing herself at him. Arms wrapped around his neck, legs dangling as she wasn’t quite tall enough. His nose found the crook of her neck just as fast, inhaling until it hurt his full lungs. He still wasn’t sure it was real. Until-

“Emiel.” The tone was breathy, uncertain whether to laugh or cry. To scream his name or to whisper due to proximity.

Y/n was really the only one to call him by his first name, and it solidified it for him.

His arms slid around her waist, bringing her as close to him as possible- almost as if he was trying to absorb her.

“Y/n. It’s you.” He felt the rumble of her always large laugh against him. She wasn’t always like that, usually only truly laughing around him.

“I hope so. I wouldn’t wanna be anyone else. Not now.” As to put emphasis on what she meant, her hand slid to the back of his head, fingers weaving into his hair. It felt unnatural and perfect all at the same time when he noticed his heart beating erratically. There was so much he wanted to say- to do.

He unwrapped himself from her, but kept a gentle grasp on her arm. He noticed the disappointment in her eyes, but her smile never waned. Her eyes raked over his form, her smile growing bigger. “Relaxation looks good on you.” Regis forgot that he was wearing noting really. He was stuck somewhere between bashful and prideful. He never really showed skin, but she had always had her fingers find an uncovered patch to brush.

Geralt had left them to get a meal ready. She had showed up mid-trim of his daily herb harvesting it seemed, but he was excited to get the two comfortable and talking. They all moved and sat around the table, Y/n gorging on the small sandwiches that were present. Regis just watched with hope. He didn’t know what he was hopeful for- it seemed that she showed up from the middle of something. Regis wasn’t expecting anything. She did have a life, and he wasn’t sure why Y/n was here. Geralt had laughed at the woman, slowly eating his own food.

“The road not proving prosperous?” She raised a brow, then realized she had already downed two, and was on her third.

“It’s just fine. I never did understand how you were so bad at finding coin and still be as generous as you were.” Regis raised his own brow, resting his chin on his folded hands.

“You’re still taking jobs?” Y/n wasn’t a Witcher nor a mage, but she was filling the need for those occupations. She was brilliant with a sword, her wits and will just as powerful. Regis assumed she had passed, but sometimes he liked to think that she was alive. With a family and a home.

“Yeah. I never really… settled.” He needed to know, continuing to push.

“How come?” She gave a humorless chuckle. Disbelief crossed her face, putting the sandwich down. Her eyes flew between Geralt and him, before leaning on the table, much like he was.

“I… I was apart of the Stygga plan, even if I left early. I was the last defense, waiting in the forest to make sure that if something went wrong, I could slip in and out. Maybe take out whoever was left. I…” Y/n’s hands started to fidget with her platter and her tone went quiet. Her eyes refused to meet his again, and he could hear her swallow heavily. “I stayed for so long, hoping you would somehow…. Emiel, I was there. I sat in front of- well, you, for so long. You died.”

Regis went rigid at the news, but Geralt had already known. He was the one who needed to go back and pull her from the scene. So many questions flooded him in that moment, it was hard to distinguish them. What does that have to do with her settling? Why had she still been doing dangerous things if she saw a possible outcome? Why was it so hard for people to find her?

Why hadn’t he looked for her?

Regis knew why. It was cowardice through and through.

“Why are you here now?” He scolded himself for having it come out the way it did. He looked to Geralt, almost as if he was accusing the man of rubbing of on him.

“I invited her.” Geralt smiled at him, before adding, “she’s going to stay in the guest room.”

“I had work near Novigrad when Dandelion all but threw himself into my hunt. Geralt asked after somehow tracking me down. And our famous bard is still eager to throw himself into harms way for his friends, so here I am.” Her smile was tepid as she finally looked to Regis again. Geralt excused himself, claiming he needed to finish with his herbs.

There was only a moment of silence before Y/n walked around the table and threw her arms back around him. The moment her forehead hit the crook of his neck; he could feel sobs rocking through her form. He was quick to hug back, cheek laying on her hair.

“I didn’t know.” His hand started rubbing her back, and pulling her closer. “I didn’t know you were alive or that… you had witnessed the result of that night.

“I n-never even tried-,” her sob cutting her off. It took a moment to compose herself before continuing. “ You died with my heart in your hands.”

[lumina121]

Soooooo, my thoughts about Pokémon DLC trying to encompass all points of view:

Game Freak did fuck it up. Whether or not it was intentional, the DLC might as well could have been part of the initial game, considering they are launching less than a year since release. People have all the right to be mad at this, heck, even if I love the DLC announcement I’m still a bit mad that I have to wait until June to get *some* of my fave Pokémon, let alone till October-November to get the rest. And I know what some of you might be thinking: “But at least we get them back instead of not have them at all!!” And believe me I agree with that but we could have gotten the DLCs for free you know? Given the fact that we already paid $60 for the game, at the very least I’d liked one of them to be free, since there are literally no postgame areas in SWSH. So if you like it well that’s awesome! But don’t be mad at people for not liking the DLCs.

All that said, I think a DLC is the best course of action they could have taken after the fuckup. They could have easily made this another USUM, and there would be a lot of people who would have bought it. Also contemplating on the fact that the whole dex was missing might have been an accident (there were rumors about sprites getting corrupted) , they are giving the Pokémon back with a free update, so people who really don’t want to buy the DLC but want the Pokémon can do so. We are esentially paying for the extra areas, which honestly I consider that fair to an extent (already said before that at least I feel one of the areas should have been free), considering that paying for extra story and areas is something common in games and if this was another game I’d have done it so why not do it with Pokémon? Also, let’s be honest, the third version of the games which were trios, and literally SM/USUM, were DLCs disguised as full games, so don’t use the excuse that this is the first time we have to pay for extra content. And please stop bashing at people who are excited for DLC, if you don’t like it that’s up to you, don’t be rude to people who are planning to buy the DLC just because you aren’t.

[authoratmidnight]

Maybe it’s just cause Im an old fart and I’ve been here since the beginning but like, the SwSh stuff-like not every pokemon being available at the beginning-doesn’t bother me?

Like, it was WAY worse in earlier gens.

When Gen 3 first came out you couldn’t complete the National Dex right away, the rest of the games that you needed, aside from the opposite core game hadn’t been released. And the first of those games, Fire Red and Leaf Green, wouldn’t be released until a year later!

Gen 4 was the same, you needed all the gen 4 games (for version exclusives, and again, they weren’t all released at the same time so you had to wait a bit for HG/SS to come out to get the rest of the Gen 2 pokemon) and anything remaining would need to be transferred forwards from the past games, which you needed to have.

Same thing with gen 5, needed all the gen 5s for version exclusives and needed to use the transfer function (thus requiring you to have the past games) to bring forward the remaining mons if you wanted a hope of finishing the Dexes. And let’s not forget that in Black and White they decided that Zorua and Zoroark were to be stuck behind events FROM THE PREVIOUS GENERATION (the Celebi event in HG/SS for Zorua and one of the Shiny Legendary beast events in HG/SS for Zoroark) so you couldn’t even complete the REGULAR pokedex unless you had a past gen game. Luckily B2/W2 fixed this by making them just straight up obtainable in game.

The Gen 6 games still required a fair number of games to complete the dex, but the inclusion of Wondertrading (and a more accessible internet and connectivity was hit or miss on regular DS games cause it just, wasn’t often compatible w/ the commonly used security settings) makes it easier to get shit.

Basically, we’ve been spoiled in that ever since Gen 4, every game has had some kind of backwards compatibility built into it allowing pokemon to move forward from old games to new (Gen 2 to 3 didn’t have that option b/c vastly different hardware systems + just how things were programmed into the games/the pokemon). We got away with it cause the DS/DS Lite hung around for a Long ass time and the 3DS was similar enough. Meanwhile the Switch and Switch Lite are *very* different systems so you can’t just, connect them up easily.

Making SwSh the first games since Gen 3 to NOT be backwards compatible right away.

And man, can you IMAGINE the shit storm that would have happened had Nintendo released Swsh, with a full National dex of all 800+ available pokemon, before Pokemon HOME was released, meaning that while yes a National Dex would be there it would be totally impossible to fill w/o backwards compatibility.

Like, people would have raked them over the coals worse than they did. Despite the fact that.

And frankly the lack of a National Dex doesn’t bother me. I mean, we didn’t have one in Sun/Moon either. Yes all currently released pokemon were available, but there was no National Dex, just the regional one. I don’t recall people bitching about there being no National Dex then. The lack of a National Dex means it’s actually relatively feasible to complete the Dex and get the Shiny Charm. Before it meant you need multiple games and systems (and in some cases games beyond core games) to do, and with over 800+ pokemon that’s uh, damn near impossible.

Also, I’m seeing some complaints about ‘whaaa the rest of the pokemon are behind a paywall’. Pray tell, how is 30$ DLC for more pokemon/regions, any more of a paywall than them making a whole new game containing this stuff, that you’d have to buy? YOU WOULD STILL BE FORKING OUT MONEY. Hell, this DLC is cheaper than if you bought a whole other game.

Plus, they’re really not, while yes the expansion pack is dlc you need to pay for (as expansion packs always are), there IS a free patch you’ll be able to download that’ll allow you to obtain the new pokemon in your game (via trade and stuff). So you can still get them (it’s just that w/o the paid dlc you won’t be able to get to the new places and all that). Without paying. If you think people won’t be breeding and surprise trading stuff once it comes out you’re wrong.

But again, how is this any more of a paywall than dropping money to buy a third core series games like Emerald, or Platinum, or Black 2??? Ya’ll ain’t got a problem with dropping money for a whole new game, this ain’t that much different. Except that it’s *cheaper* and it’s adding on to the game you have.

Really what needs to happen is to let Nintendo and Game Freak go back to being allowed to take a couple years to make the goddamn games-cause it used to be the norm that we had a 3 or more year gap between core game releases, then suddenly it was every year a new game. You want a better game? Stop being fucking impatient and demanding new games every year and let them take a couple years to work on one. I know I’m fine waiting for new games, esp if it means 1) no time crunches 2) gives them the time to make it as good as possible.

[reddeadrevival]

You have to admit, the creators for rdr are losing motivation (yes I know it’s because people aren’t reblogging), and the hype just isn’t there like it used to be. There’s no point in getting your panties in a twist because of something that’s true in a sense.

I’m not arguing here, I know this is long and probably looks like a rant, read this in a calm tone

Those of us who still love red dead as much as we do will continue to make content for it (though not everyone will and that’s okay too). The hype is over but there are still plenty of people who love rdr. Star Wars is SUPER OLD and people still love that. Lord of the Rings, GTV A, etc.

I’m not disagreeing that the hype is over for rdr2. Cause it is. The game came out last year, and this year’s almost over. These things happen. It will never have the “brand new game” “everyone’s talking about it” “everyone wants to play it” hype ever again (unless they make DLCs but doubtful). Hype is not something that lasts a long time. I think the hype ended a while ago.

This happens to everything. As soon as canon content is no longer being produced the hype slowly dies. That’s how it works.

As a writer, I was stating my opinion that reblogs motivate me to write more, while I always will appreciate likes, any kind of interaction where a reader can comment or share the work because they like it so much they want others to see it just means a bit more. You have to look at it in the perspective of someone who put time and effort into something (for free, for other people to enjoy) and not as someone just viewing the work.

Here’s another opinion of mine. Creators arn’t losing motivation because of the lack of reblogs (though that is a factor for many) it’s that some non-creators see us as machines to push out content whenever they want new stuff. They complain the fandom is dying because they’re too impatient to wait for a human to make something new.

The RDR fandom is not dying, it may be slowing because school has begun again, people have lives outside tumblr, people have jobs, familys, etc. None of us (mostly none of us) are getting paid to make rdr stuff so other things will take priority over making new content sometimes. Those of us who understand that know that the fandom is not dying.

[gb-patch]

Ask Answers: May 15th Part 2

And here’s the next part of the long answer set of the day!

When will OL: N&F take place? Beginnings and Always took place during summer breaks, will now and forever take place during a fall break or will the characters be going to school at the time of the events we play through? 

It takes place over all of the fall season, so school will be happening in OL2. Some events do take place in school, though many times events only start after school is already out for the day, haha.

Hey!! I have kind of a weird question?? I’m sorry if it’s been answered before and I just haven’t seen it but is OL 2 taking place during the same years as OL 1? I’m just curious, thank you for such amazing games!!! 

It’s a similar time frame, but not 100% exactly same.

Do you have any idea when the demo for now and forever will be available? 

Hopefully this fall! But that’s not a guarantee.

Okay the crime show in Step 2: Growing up. Long blonde hair, police station, crime series? Was it The Closer? Because I’m the same age as MC and Cove and my mom was constantly watching that when I was 13. 😂 

Haha, yeah! The Closer and, to a lesser degree, Medium were the kind of shows I was referencing there. My mom also used to watch those back in the day.

Hey um this might be an odd question but if the setting of OL: N&F is  fall/autumn, what country or city will it take because my mind tells me it is either Poland or Canada. Also I can't wait for the game I am hyped 

It’s set in the USA again. We’d like to be able to have cameos and that’s easiest to do if the OL games take place in the same country.

Is it possible for the PC of OL to have non-seriously dated other people in the in between years even if they’ve had a consistent crush on Cove? 

You can causally date Baxter in Step 3 if you get his DLC and then ultimately choose Cove in Step 4. If you mean off-screen people, it doesn’t really come up, but you can certainly headcanon that. The game never says Cove is the only partner you’ve ever had.

Is there going to be a Kickstarter for Now and Forever as well? For like voiced names and stuff again? Didn’t find B&A until after it was released and I’d really love the opportunity to hear my name in the game 🥺 

Yeah, we are gonna have a Kickstarter with getting a voiced name as a reward! Though, it will be more expensive than it was for OL1. I feel bad to raise the price but we realized too late the first time around that it was being super undersold for the amount of work it took, aha.

Do you know how much the remaining DLC for OL will cost? (Step 4, Derek, Baxter) 

Step 4: Free

Wedding DLC: $2.99USD

Derek DLC: $4.99USD

 Baxter DLC: $4.99USD

Has an artist for the new position been picked yet?! I'm super excited for the new game! 

We did fill that spot. Thank you so much for taking the time to apply!

hmmm what would it take to get each of the XOXO jerk squad to feel the need to hug you? 

They’d have to first like you a fair amount, otherwise the most you’d get is maybe a pat on the shoulder. If they were attached, they might hug you if you broke down crying or if you gave them super good news.

Unless it’s Shiloh, of course. If you want a hug you only have to ask!

May i ask how the Derek DLC will work? I believe that there aren’t any memories in step 4 and doesnt derek’s dlc take place during that step? So will the dlc add memories? Thank you! 

Derek’s DLC will add five Moments to Step 2 (a new page will appear on that screen if you get the DLC). Then in Step 4 you’ll have to choose between playing the default epilogue or going through the Derek romance story.

Is the pc version on itch,io different from the steam version? Like an offline one or something? 

Steam has achievements, but that’s about it. Both can be played offline, if you prefer.

I've been wondering this for awhile, what determines if cove winds up with a ponytail in step 3? I've done multiple runs with different MCs with varying hairstyles. Or does it have to do with a particular moment in step 2? 

I’m afraid I can’t say exact choices that determine things. But generally it’s preference based options in the Step before that decide those things.

Any Floret Bond updates? 

No, the artist had to leave the project and it’s been on-hold. I’m not sure if I want to try working just with what we have or replacing it all entirely. The design is a bit too specific for us to easily find someone who could mimic it. Hopefully we’ll work things out later, though.

In step 3 is Cove's plan always to stay in sunset bird? 

Yeah. He is never ready at 18-years-old to make a big life change.

I love your content! If it's alright to ask, you answered in a previous ask about how Jeremy was too particular with what he likes his types to be romanceable with just any MC and it's sort of got me wondering.. What /are/ his types and/or preferences and such? Sorry if it's a lot! 

Jeremy likes stubborn jerks and will not date someone who’s sweet or even generally a decent person, haha.

uh, excuse me if you said this somewhere before, but how will step 4 be actually? Will it he like an actual step and have moments and dlc and all? Or will it be more like a long epilogue of some sort?

Will the step 4, the wedding and extra routes dlcs be paid too? Im just confused, sorry if im asking too much

Step 4 is only an epilogue, so it’s just a long series of scenes one after the other rather than a collection of Moments you can choose from.

The Step 4 epilogue is free, the wedding DLC, Derek DLC, and Baxter DLC cost money.

i’m not sure how much of the wedding dlc you have planned already, or if this would be to spoilery, but what kind of wedding traditions will be included? i keep thinking about how flustered cove would get over a garter toss & was wondering if we’d see a scene like that haha. obviously no worries if it’s not included, i’ll enjoy literally anything cove related 

I don’t know for sure yet, haha. Right now we’re focused on the parts before the big day. We’ll see how many scene alterations we can include for the wedding itself later on.

Hello! Firstly, thank you for creating such an amazing game like OL, and I couldn’t be more excited for OL2! Out of curiosity, are you looking for any writers to come on for OL2 or are you all pretty much set in that department? Just thought I’d shoot my shot haha but I’m still excited regardless ^^! 

We will be hiring writers for OL2 later this year! Thank you for the interest.

Will we be blessed with a spin-off Yandere Cove, like XOXO Blood Droplets? 

Sadly, no. It’s a shame but there’s not enough time to keep making OL1 bonus/spin-off content.

How is Q pronounced?

I’m afraid Q’s full name hasn’t been publicly announced yet so I can’t answer here (Q and T are the first letters of the names for the new LIs in Our Life: Now & Forever).

Question; is the steam version getting a Mac update?  I purchased the dlc there thinking it had Mac support without realizing it and just wondered if I’d need to refund it to purchase on itch.io 😭 

I’m really sorry, you will need to get a refund from Steam. We do hope to have it there for Steam eventually, but have no idea of when it’ll happen. Apple requires special notarization to be an officially accepted app for their devices. We don’t have that. Steam requires having that, Itch will let you release it as an non-notarized third party app. That’s why Itch is the only place that has the Mac version right now.

would you mind posting outfit sheets for Cove in every step? it would make things a lot easier for us artists. it would save a lot of time spent looking for references 

I think we did do the earlier steps when they were finished way back in 2019 (this game took a long time to make, aha), but we can probably repost them sometime!

In our life n&f, will we be able to get into qprs/will there be more options in regards to having deep platonic relationships with the love interests? Because as an aroace individual, it would be great if there could also be emphasis on platonic love so that it's more aspec inclusive. 

It’s a little hard to say at this point. There may not be things like a wedding DLC for OL2 and so the relationship for platonic and romantic feelings might not go as far as it did in the first game. We’ll kind of have to see how much we can do based on timeframe/budget constraints that will only be set near the end of the year. But we will be keeping things like that in mind at least.

hi! i really really like your game and im absolutely in love with it! i cant wait to try your other games like xoxo droplet and future OL NF :))

during the step 3 erands moment i got curious, which fudge flavor is his favorite? it seems like he likes all of them, but which 4 do you think he would like best?

also i noticed that in some playthroughs cove would let me give him a piggy back ride, and in some he wouldn't, how come?

how does your choices affect cove's interests or looks? i replayed the game without changing any choices but i got cove to look different, is it just random?

thank you!

Cove’s favorite flavors are ones with nuts and that are fruity! But he appreciates them all. Whether or not you can give him a piggyback ride depends on if your MC is fit/large enough to hold a muscular 6-foot-tall beach boy, haha.

Cove’s appearance does depend on choices and it’s generally tied to choices that are preference based rather than emotion/action based, such as which key chain you pick in Step 1.

Is it possible for cove to reject MC's proposal at the end of step 3? 

Nope. He’ll always accept.

hi! i was wondering how heavily the side characters will be featured in the our life wedding dlc? obviously it'll be cove & mc focused, but i was thinking it'd be sweet if we could take lizzie dress / suit shopping or dance with cliff at the wedding or something. 

The side characters are there about as often as they are in normal events. So, it’s clearly focused on Cove but he’s not the only person you have any meaningful moments with.

When will responses be sent out to applicants? 

I’m afraid we don’t send responses out to all applications, only ones we’re interested in offering the position to. Not everyone likes rejection emails and the amount of applications is too high to contact them all to say we’re not hiring them. We post updates on the job page when a position has news. Right now we’ve filled every role that was open.

Is there also going to be the option to keep your relationships with the love interests platonic in Our Life: Now and Forever? That's something I really appreciate in Our Life: Beginnings and Always

Yeah! OL will never force you to end up in a romantic relationship with someone.

I was wondering, in the Step 3 Happiness moment, what are the different fishes Cove can compare MC to? I got "you'd be a paradise fish, because being with you is paradise," but my friend got "you'd be an angelfish." Are there more variations? 

He says paradise fish if you’re a couple, angelfish if he’s just crushing, and then a royal dottyback/queenfish/emperor tetra (based on your gender) if he likes the MC platonicly.

Hello! So, in one of the Step 3 DLCs, Cove's arm was gone. I think it was to show him putting his arm behind his back. But if that wasn't the case, did it get yeeted? 

Thanks for letting us know. That was an error we tried to fix a little while back. When did you make the save file you were playing? If it was older that might be why it happened. Or maybe the error wasn’t fully fixed after all.

Asking for your opinion, but do you think Cove would at all be into ABBA? Because all I could imagine during the car trip in step 3 was him and the MC belting to Mamma Mia. 

Haha, yeah, there’d definitely be some ABBA songs he was into.

So throughout the game, Cove can develop different interests depending on the player’s choices; does this mean that he can have different careers in Step 4? Or his is line of work in adulthood never mentioned at all? 

He can have different career paths in Step 4!

Hi!! I'm so so sorry if this has been asked before but I just acquired knowledge about the so famous nsfw dlc for OL and nearly chocked on my bubblegum 💀💀💀 So, my real inquiry is if that specific moment will have any kind of impact at some point of the fourth step OR if it will just be treated as a side-story-ish “what if” scenario.Also, is there any chance there'll be something similar for Step 4? Haha jk,,, unless 😳Questions apart let me thank you profoundly for making the best visual novel I've ever played 😭 Really really looking forward the epilogue and OL2 💕 Have a nice day 

It’s just a bonus side story that’s fully separate from the main game.

It would be nice to have one for Step 4 too, but I sadly don’t see us having time to actually do it. I don’t know, if people are still asking for more OL1 content several months from now it might be doable and worth doing.

I'd just like to ask, when is Baxter's birthday :0 -- I'm really curious esp with their zodiac signs so ;w; 

I don’t know, haha. Maybe I’ll come up with one someday.

Please help!! I bought the Step 3 DLC but I still have no idea how to get to where you can propose to Cove - any tips? 

&

How do I get the option to propose to Cove at the end of the game?

You can click HERE for a discussion on that.

I love that Miranda and Terry are getting together! I'm curious if you have canon sexualities for them? Also just wanted to say how much I love OL and how much joy it brings me everytime I play it <3 

Terry likes ladies and Miranda likes dudes!

ngl Step 4 Terry's design reads like y'all see trans guys as their assigned gender more than you see them as men to me (a trans guy)... like maybe if he isn't heavily dysphoric, I could see it, but everything you've said about him doesn't line up with that. Even then, immediate warning bells go off in my head looking at him. I wouldn't have touched the game if I saw him ahead of time.

I’m sorry you aren’t comfortable with the way the design looks. The situation with Terry is that he’s now open about who he is, but the body he was born with is still physically the same. He only came out recently as an adult and hasn’t gone through any treatments/procedures yet (his chest is flatter because he wears a binder). However, even though his body hasn’t transitioned at the point Step 4 happens, no one treats him as anything other than the guy he is. Having a trans character who’s identity is supported/respected from the start is what we’re going for in this case. But what we’re doing with Terry isn’t the only trans content we’ve ever had/ever will have in the future.

how would baxter react to bae pyoun and vice versa? and can you please detailly explain both love interests personalities from our life 2: now and forever? i was just curious, sorry for dumb question!! 

I imagine it’d be pretty opposite experiences, haha. Bae would initially think Baxter is pushy and thoughtless, but would quickly realize, oh, he’s instead a soft, considerate boy. Very cute. Baxter would first be struck with the impression that Bae is charming and gentlemanly, but then would realize that, no, he’s a sarcastic asshole. And I’m afraid we can’t reveal the personalities for the next game yet.

Sorry if you've already answered this, but I have a question about the patreon exclusive moment you're working on. I was wondering if it's mainly going to be CGs or if it's mostly character sprites + backgrounds with some CGs.

Either way, thank you for doing the Lord's work and not only making Cove, but making this bonus moment as well 😌😌😌

It’s mostly sprites/backgrounds with two CGs!

—– —– —– —–

Thank you again for the interesting questions everyone :D

We released a new FAQ! It answers common questions and we’ll keep adding more to it. Please check there before sending an ask. FAQ   Also, if you prefer to just see the main posts without all the asks/reblogs, feel free to follow our side account instead: GB Patch Updates Blog

[zerohour1974]

The Grumpy Git Returns 2

Why is the Tech world so fundamentally broken?

Hello readers I’m back after a major hiatus.  What on earth is going on in the world of technology.  It’s all going to hell.

You might think what the hell am I on about.  It seems things in the industry are completely broken and for all the complaints out there no one seems to do anything about it.

Here are just a few examples...

1) Apple releases Mac Pro with a basic price tag of £5000

What on earth, I would understand such a price point if this was an amazing all singing all dancing machine, but its not.  The basic system is an i5 system.  Seriously then everything else can be upgraded by Apple or exclusive dealers or it invalidates your warranty and the machine locks you out using the T2 security chip.

Now Apple have been on shaky ground regarding tech for a number of years which problems such as lowering sales of iPhones because by the time they release them they have already been superseded by the competition.

Apple used to be seen as the innovative company of the world, the kings of aesthetic and cool.  Now even the hipsters of the world are thinking Apple products are too expensive and not really giving much to the world.

It doesn’t help that every MacOS version is now more like iOS and they are locking you further and further into the Apple Garden.  What i mean by that is blocking anything that is not in the Apple Play Store, not supporting hardware (Nvidia graphics cards, Wi-Fi etc.) and now preventing upgrades.  Which is alienating their customers...

No one is going to buy the Mac Pro one because the price is ludicrous.  Two everyone is speculating Apple is going to change to using ARM processors so the whole system is probably about to change.   People got bitten with PPC, only for Apple to switch to Intel and abandon PPC.  So they will not get away with it twice.

Apple admit too being a $1 trillion company but how long will it last considering you are further and further alienating your own customers.    Now don’t get me wrong there will always be a hardcore group of loyal Apple consumers, but you have to wonder is it enough to keep Apple where it stands.

Personally given their listed losses it looks like the bubble is starting to burst.  But equally getting back to the point who seriously believed a £5000 desktop would be seen and thought wow that’s a good idea.  The mind boggles.

A lot of people are now building Hackintosh machines because one its cheaper to do so and two for less money you probably get more power than the Mac Pro.  Crazy.

2) Software companies putting out totally broken games as full releases at full price.

This one is pretty obvious I can site many examples her but of course probably the biggest known was of course Bethesda’s Fallout 76.  Now I’m not going to reiterate its story there has been plenty of coverage about it on YouTube.

Now before anyone starts yes I accept there is Early Access programs on Steam and the likes but they at least admit up front that the item you are purchasing is not the final game and may be subject to change.

However we are seeing more and more companies putting out games that require huge day one updates of several gigabytes.  DLC breaking game elements in major ways and live services either not working or not being able to cope with the loads.

Now I admit I am not a programmer and maybe someone who is in the game will be able to shed a better light, but it seems these major corporations such as EA, Ubisoft, Activision Blizzard and more are making millions off the backs of programmers who are expected to deliver higher and higher standard stuff in less and less time.

These guys are being forced into working extraneous “crunch” hours being put under immense stress and not really seeing much in the way of benefits.  They seem to take a lot of abuse if the programmer refuses.

2019 showed many cases of ex-employees reporting abuse.  Now I know some could be put down to sour grapes but there is a lot to be said about there is no smoke without fire.

It seems many programmers are complaining about their immense pressure to perform.  As I said I’m not a programmer so I can’t really say I know.  They seem to have no representation in their corner to help them such a union and because a lot of them are freelance many corporations see them as disposable.

This to me is ludicrous.  Without these programmers most of these corporations would not have a product to sell and equally wouldn’t exist.  So why treat them like dirt, you are cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Also for all things like Fallout 76 proved for all they released a half arsed game and took controversy.  Not once has someone said that this practice is unacceptable.

If you bought a Television and when you turned it on it showed BBC1 and BBC2 only and the rest was coming later in a software patch update.  You would complain vehemently and take back the television for your money back.

So why can software companies get away with releasing a half finished product.... Which moves us on to...

3) New Linux phones been released unfinished

Linux phones are the latest and “greatest” thing since sliced bread if you believed the hype.  Security conscious phones that don’t report everything about you, kill switches to disable base bands so you can’t be monitored at all times and of course its Linux based so the operating system is free.

All sounds good and hence why Purism Librem 5 and the Pine phone both have had a major interest shown in them.

Given all the concerns raised recently regarding Google and how it uses its data and problems such as the many data leaks of various sites.  Privacy regarding your data is being raised.

Ironically Microsoft who have admitted they are having Windows 10 report back data are not in these investigations.  But hey ho.

However its not the fact its Linux that’s a problem for me.  I like Linux but what i don’t get is this new concept of the phone is taking longer than we thought and people are worried.  SO what we will do is supply you your phone but most of the software doesn’t work but in the next few months we will implement various features to get it working.

They even give them titles such as the Pine Phone Braveheart Edition or the Librem 5 Spring.  Basically a broken p[hone which you have paid money for hoping that eventually it may work.

Once again these phones are hardly cutting edge so even if they do get it working.  Half of the tech is at least a generation back.

Now I understand creating a phone and its OS from scratch is hard work     and such processed take time.  However giving you a shell of a phone and leaving you to wait for the rest is a bit much.

This is similar to the TV but in this case because Linux is open source.  Your TV now only has two channels and they want you to write the next bit of the code to sort the programs out.  They say it’s a learning experience.

I’m waiting for someone to build a house and then if you want any windows, heating or electric you have to have to either build it yourself or wait for an upgrade.  Madness.

4) Live services...

When I started in computing my first machine was a ZX Spectrum 48K it wasn’t amazing but it was a computer.  You bought games, you could program it and it was yours to do with as you pleased.

Modern day systems both in the computing world and console world you are signed into agreements that no matter what the machine is.  The code involved is the property of X company and although you physically own the machine you can not amend it, alter it,  complain about it or they can withdraw your rights to said systems and lock you out.

What? I own a machine but if I do anything beyond your limitations you will sue me.  How did this become a thing.

It was bad enough with Intellectual Copyright bullshit but this is getting ludicrous.

They have since took it one step further in games now several of them will not allow you to play them unless permanently connected to their servers or pay an ongoing subscription fee.

Which equally they can close at a moments notice because they decide they don’t like it and you have no recompense.  How many games have we heard have been just abandoned by their publishers.

Especially in the MMORPG genre.  Games are no longer purchased like tapes with physical medium as now most are download codes in physical cases.  If you actually get a physical DVD you are lucky.

However it doesn’t mean squat if you buy the game and the servers no longer exist.  Several games have managed to allow people to have their own private servers but many of them don’t exist.

How is this allowed to exist.  How are the computer industry allowed to sell products which have no guarantee.  Also why is no one questioning this...

If Valve decide enough was enough, they were sick of being blamed for the controversial games been stuck on its site by asset flippers etc., and decided to close down the service.

Sure they would have to give people notice but beyond that they have no obligation to make sure you have access to the games you bought.  This to me seems a dodgy game.

And with more services such as the Epic Games Store, UPlay, Origin,  and Google Stadia this is only going to get worse.

We need some form of legislation to prevent this from happening.  We are losing more and more data everyday on the internet due to leaks, server closures and companies just going out of business.  Very little of this software and data is being archived so is lost.

This is a problem.  Now I understand people saying it’s my game. But equally you have been paid for said game and now they are saying we cant use it or access it.

Something is fundamentally wrong here.

I could go on with further points such as large corporations closing Software Studios making games and complaining they sold 7 million copies and didn’t sell 10 million copies. Major tech companies refusing to pay taxes but want tax breaks from major governments but that can be the topic for another day.

As I said the tech world is fundamentally broken and needs a shake up.  Why are we paying the price for their inability to sort out their problems.

Until next time ...