#if you don't like joia: this game is not for you

[nyehilismwriting]

Have you seen the recent comment made by Jelly Fish Field on your itch page for Project Hadea. I just read it, and found their view really interesting and extremely important criticism on how you've decided to write certain reactions. I love your writing a lot, so it was extremely eye opening what they wrote. What i'm getting at is, I would just like to hear your feedback on that specific comment! all love, and I do hope this won't be taken the wrong way!

I've seen it, yeah. and... okay, I've discussed my reasons for not using rape as a content warning before, and I stand by them; I'm not revisiting any discussion on what does and does not constitute rape. the content is warned for, by specifics of what occurs in the text, to give people the chance to make the most informed decision they can about whether to play. that's it.

as for the rest of it... there's things in there that I understand. I get being frustrated that you can't fully explore the extent of the operative's trauma, yet; I get feeling like the rest of the crew don't trust you, or like rohan is a bitch. they don't, and xe is.

the thing that I find disagreeable about a lot of these criticisms (and similar ones) is that I think they betray a fundamental misreading of the text: the operative is a war criminal. they are heavily armed, unstable, and trapped on a ship with civilians. they kill multiple civilians in chapter one; they might well attempt to kill rohan in front of everyone, and later succeed in doing so. they are a confirmed murderer, who by and large refuses to tell the civilians why they are so angry with rohan. this is by design.the focus of this story is very much about coming to terms with your trauma - from long before you meet rohan! you've been medically experimented on, had your personhood denied for a long time, and had any kind of human empathy stamped out of you. part of the point of the game is for me to explore how trauma can be expressed in ways that are deeply unpalatable - the operative is not a "perfect victim" (a phrase I loathe) and their trauma impacts the way they move through the world, drawing out reactions that aren't wholly sympathetic or empathetic, because their actions are often unjustified and cause real harm, or seem that way to those who don't have full context.

this is why joia is important, this is why your relationships with the crew are important. the crew aren't intended to be author voices, they're not the moral compass here or audience stand-ins: they aren't supposed to represent the "correct" approach to dealing with other people's trauma. no character in this situation is intended to be seen as perfect, but as a way to shine light on different facets of the story.

the operative is built a very specific way, for very specific reasons: this is intentional. they are a person who has been deliberately dehumanised, used as a weapon, who volunteered and fought for the right to be a scientific guinea pig for the war crimes company, in order to be of greater use to said company. they have had their bodily autonomy violated so habitually, for their whole career - they have been coercively used as a test subject by their employer - that they can't see it as an abnormal violation. this isn't to say it is justified, or to diminish the traumatic impact rohan has, but... it's not the operative's first rodeo here, even if it's the player's.

they're bad at processing their emotions. the operative Does Not Cry: this is a character choice I have made. this is because they have had that emotional response beaten out of them. the operative isn't capable of taking their own trauma seriously, because they're not equipped to deal with it. they can't look at it head-on.

likewise, nash isn't capable of being a gentle, reassuring, sympathetic person, much as they might want to; a big part of that relationship is the idea that the pair of you have to relearn to how to relate to one another in your new contexts, and that isn't a smooth process. nash also has reasons to be reticent with you that are yet to be explored - this relationship is undergoing development, with both of you as violent people who commit violent acts, and who relate through violence. your relationship is built on your capacity to commit violence together. they are not equipped to deal with violence affecting you in the way it might someone else, because you've both spent the last ten years being conditioned and trained to assault other people. part of the theme of this game is to explore the way these people might experience a uniquely traumatic violent event, and the effect this might have on their own capacity to endure and process violence again themself.

I understand that it might not be the way people want to play their characters, but it's the way the character is written, and I am doing that on purpose. all I'm asking is that you trust me when I say that this is not going to be swept under the rug, even in the least volatile relationship you can have with rohan. if that's not possible for you - if you can't trust me to do this - then you're welcome to stop playing.

[midnightstarsthings]

The Groom of Gallagher Mansion Theory/ A teoria de The Groom of Gallagher Mansion

Images credits: SnaccPop Studios

Idioma🇺🇸:

My game theory, it has elements of the corpse bride and a thing from casper movie:

It is quite possible that Elias died BEFORE getting married, like what happened to Emily, and of course, he was beheaded by his fiancée, who probably killed him to get his family's jewels, after all he was an aristocrat. But apparently that plan of hers didn't work, since the jewels are still with Elias even after his death.

(image from SnaccPop Studios patreon)

But I believe that the jewels were hidden in a specific place in the mansion, which only he and his father knew (since in the teaser released by Snaccpop Studios a few months ago he quotes his father). But I believe that Elias's father died of sadness after what happened to Elias, since both maybe had a good relationship, maybe even with their time (where maybe many arranged marriages happened) he wanted to see his son getting married the jewels, but after what happened, the jewels still remained hidden in the mansion even after the death of both, and the mansion was abandoned due to rumors that it was haunted by the ghost of Elias, so it was never bought by someone (after all, murders were said to have happened there).

It's quite possible that Elias is trapped / tied to the mansion where he lived until his death due to unfinished business, since as we learned in Casper movie: ghosts can only leave the human world when they solve their pending / unfinished business, in the description about the game, and said that Elias wants to marry our character, (possibly fell in love at first sight, but even then I don't know) since we have the key to break his curse, in the description it says:

"He's resigned to unhappiness, but maybe you have the key to breaking his curse... if you want it."

And this "if you want" is quite obvious, in this case it would be the famous question:

"Do you accept to marry me?"

But as we know, the game will have the famous love triangle, since we have the character Taylor Potts, which is quite possible that he has a crush on our character in the game, that is, a rival for the ghost groom.

It is quite possible that Elias is jealous of Taylor's relationship with our character, as they are both friends with the president and vice president of their club, and need to find a way to attract new members somehow.

Being the main motivation of both to go to the mansion, trying to prove that the club still has value for the council of the 'campus' than to prove that the ghosts really exist.

As I said, and it is very clear that Elias was an aristocrat, in the description the date on which the strange murders took place is stated, around the beginning of the 1900s.

I don't know if it's possible that Elias is from the 20th century, as it's quite possible that he's near the end of the 19th century, but even then I'm not sure, since it's not said what exact date he died in the year of 1900, and it is only said that strange murders took place in the mansion.

So here is my theory, and it may have some parts debunked by the game's release, which I'm really excited about.

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Idioma🇧🇷:

Minha teoria do jogo, tem elementos de a noiva cadáver e de uma coisa de Gasparzinho:

E bem possível que o Elias morreu ANTES de se casar, tipo como aconteceu com a emily, e claro, foi decapitado pela própria noiva, que provavelmente o matou para conseguir as joias da família dele, afinal ele era um aristocrata. Mas aparentemente esse plano dela não deu certo, já que as joias ainda estão com o Elias mesmo depois de sua morte.

Mas eu acredito que as joias estavam escondidas em um lugar específico da mansão, que só ele e o pai dele sabia (já que no teaser lançado pela SnaccPop Studios a alguns meses atrás ele cita seu pai). Mas eu creio que o pai do Elias tenha morrido de tristeza depois do que aconteceu com o Elias, já que ambos talvez tenham tido uma boa relação, talvez mesmo com a época deles (onde talvez acontecia muitos casamentos arranjados) queria ver seu filho se casando as joias, mas depois do que aconteceu, as joias ainda permaneceram escondidas na mansão mesmo depois da morte de ambos,e a mansão foi abandonada devido a boatos de que ela era assombrada pelo fantasma do Elias por isso ela nunca foi comprada por alguém (afinal era dito que assassinatos aconteceram la).

E bem possível que o Elias esteja preso/ atrelado a mansão onde viveu ate sua morte por negócios pendentes, já que como aprendemos em Gasparzinho: fantasmas só podem deixar o mundo humano quando resolverem seus negócios pendentes/inacabados, na descrição sobre o jogo, e dito que Elias quer casar com nosso personagem,(possivelmente se apaixonou a primeira vista, mas ate aí eu não sei) já que nos temos a chave para quebrar sua maldição, na descrição e dito:

"Ele está resignado com a infelicidade, mas talvez você tenha a chave para quebrar sua maldição... se você quiser."

E esse "se você quiser" e bem óbvio, no caso seria a famosa pergunta:

"Você aceita se casar comigo?"

Mas como sabemos, o jogo terá o famoso triângulo amoroso, já que temos o personagem Taylor potts, que e bem possível que ele tenha um crush em nosso personagem no jogo, ou seja, um rival pro noivo fantasma.

E bem possível que o Elias tenha ciumes da relação do Taylor com nosso personagem, já que ambos são amigos o presidente e vice-presidente do clube deles, e pre precisam encontrar uma maneira de atrair novos membros de alguma forma.

Sendo a principal motivação de ambos para irem ate a mansão, tentando provar que o clube ainda tem valor para o conselho do ‘campus’ do que provar que os fantasmas realmente existem.

Como eu disse, e bem nítido que o Elias era um aristocrata, na descrição e dito a data em que estranhos assassinatos aconteceram, por volta do início dos anos de 1900.

Não sei se e possível que o Elias seja do século XX, já que e bem possível que ele seja perto do fim do século XIX, mas ate aí eu não tenho certeza, já que não e dito qual data exata que ele morreu no ano de 1900, e apenas dito que estranhos assassinatos aconteceram na mansão.

Então ate aqui e a minha teoria, e ela talvez tenha algumas partes desmentidas ate o lançamento do jogo, que eu estou bem animada para isso.

(eu definitivamente não sei dar creditos de imagem TwT /I definitely don't know how to give image credits TwT)

[nyehilismwriting]

Hi there, I'm not sure if this has been mentioned already or if this is the right place to drop some quick feedback, but it would be nice if we as a reader had more say in how our MC feels towards certain people or situations? For example, if MC decides to kill Rohan, they end up seeking Joia's forgiveness. It would be cool if there was the option to not try to comfort her, for more cold-blooded MCs. On the other hand, during MC's check-up on Scythe's ship, they end up being hostile to the doctor and are said to dislike physical touch. Maybe this is the result of my choices, but it'd be great if we could have a touch-averse and a touch-starved (or just a 'normal') option, as I don't imagine my MC to be either mean or touch-averse, and it kind of ruins the immersion for me. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way, and I don't mean to sound rude or overly critical! I just thought I could let you know how I felt about this certain aspect of the game, as it's incredible apart from this! Have a lovely day & sorry for the rant :)

no need to apologise! I like hearing your opinions, especially in cases like this. I think it's important to have these conversations :-)

as general response, I do agree that there are places where the game feels railroady - obviously, the operative is a set MC, but that doesn't mean you all shouldn't or don't get choices about your characters, and while I do try to build them in such a way that their responses feel natural and account for personality variation, there will inevitably be times I'm not able to do that. I can't account for everything, and in the interest of putting out chapters in a (somewhat) timely manner, there are definitely times I omit choices or scenes.

I'd like to include more choices regarding the operative's opinions on scytha. currently, you don't get much of a choice about that; you pretty much don't get to trust them, and that's something I'd really like to explore - the emotional impact of really buying into the company's ethos, toeing the party line, and still having them turn on you.

I'd also like to explore more relationship options to do with Joia. this is obviously a sensitive subject, and frankly, an entirely cold-blooded operative would just have left her where they found her - leaving her behind will never be an option, and that entails a certain degree of humanity, regardless of your operative's personality. still, I'd like there to be choices to explore slightly darker aspects of that relationship. suddenly finding yourself with this level of responsibility, a dependent you never asked for or wanted, can definitely lead to resentment and negative feelings, which I'd really like players to be able to explore in their operatives.

that being said: you will never have choices to be cruel towards or neglectful of joia. these are complex relationships and that entails difficult emotions, but a significant feature of the game is the way joia forces the operative to face their own humanity: they are, much as they might try to pretend otherwise, a person capable of compassion and empathy, and of healing.

to address the other example - the scene with maccready is less about the operative's degree of touch-aversion (for which there is minor variation) and much more to do with their history of forced medical procedures. they've had their body modified by scytha, for scytha's purposes, with limited consent and major ramifications. they're injured, and maccready is a stranger, and lance has already put them on edge; you don't need to be touch averse to be jumpy, in that situation.

i hope this doesn't come across like I'm dismissing your criticisms! as i said above, there's a lot of stuff I'd really like to add, but in the interests of putting out chapters with any kind of frequency (and advancing the plot), certain things have to be shelved. this is, after all, a first draft - I do have an ongoing list of things I want to add in a hypothetical second draft of the game, that are simply beyond my current scope.

thank you for your thoughts <33 i do really appreciate hearing your opinions, and I hope this was some kind of satisfactory answer.

[nyehilismwriting]

Hi! Out of curiosity, does the main cast know any languages other than English? I think I remember you saying that PH takes place in a universe where Earth and its related cultures don't really exist so I was just curious about that. Also: are the characters actually speaking in English/a common language or does everyone wear like a translator earpiece that translates in real time?

this is actually touched on briefly in ch4 but ki-ha, leanna, and skylar all know sign language (at least, a sign language- there are several) - the operative and nash know some too, although it's a slightly modified version designed for use in the field.

ki-ha speaks a second language, native to the planet/country he grew up in; joia grew up in a bilingual household, and spoke two languages at home with her parents, and imxa has some rudimentary grasp of other human languages.

everyone's speaking a common language in-game - when it comes to interplanetary communication, languages evolve and develop very quickly, so there's a Lot of dialects out there, many of them pretty far evolved from their common roots. for ease of communication there's a standard language, originally designed for use in trade and transport, that's widespread across the whole galaxy, and that's what you're all speaking. that's the only human language rhaxa knows, and the only one imxa is fully fluent in.

as for the operative, I'll leave any third or fourth (or first or second, depending on where you place the primary language or sign language) languages up to headcanon :)

[nyehilismwriting]

hi!! im not sure if i missed it in game but can you please give full physical description of joia? i wanted to make some art and i want to get it right

uhh yep so you'll get more description in chapter two when you get to actually Meet Her For Real but she's 8-10 years old (am i being deliberately vague? do i just not know how old she is? does it change at random in my notes? do i need to do more research into childhood development? who's to say), mixed Black & white, medium-brown skin, dark brown eyes, black hair (braided at the time you meet her) a bit longer than shoulder-length. I have Attempted to make an artbreeder for her but i don't have the strength to wrestle w artbreeder's desire to make everyone into a perfectly sculpted porcelain doll with glass-cutting cheekbones. maybe someday.

edit: as a white author, I’m doing my very best to avoid anything that might seem like fetishisation of a child of colour’s pain or deliberate trauma to a Black child - I’m aware that this is sensitive territory, so I’d welcome any thoughts, concerns, or feedback.