#other otomes wish they were her

[yuri-is-online]

Hello hello! Hope you're doing well! So I was looking through some of your older posts and found that poll for what became the Masquerade follower event. For curiosity's sake, what would have "Life Beyond Night Raven" have looked like? (Also, was not expecting you to casually mention Our Life in the tags a while back. Love it and can't wait for the second one!)

-The anon who adores Riddle & Azul

Hi hi friend! I'm hanging in there and hope all you guys are too! Our Life is such a comfort game for me, sometimes I just leave it open to let the soundtrack play while I'm doing other stuff because of how soothing I find it. I've been a patron of GB Patch for a while now and I'm really looking forward to the full release of the second game!

It took me a second to find it, but I knew I had one of my rough drafts of the prompt list stashed somewhere and I did! It was just under a different name:

If it had been an actual event I would have re-written a lot of these and come up with more, but my original goal with these was to compile a lot of slice of life domestic fluff type scenarios. I think I was also looking up "relationship milestone" type things if that makes sense? That's why "vacationing alone" was on there since planning a trip is a lot more work than you would think even if it's only for two people.

It wouldn't have been very angsty or complicated, just relaxing and enjoying each other's company. I am kind of glad we went with the Masquerade prompts as I wanted some extra time with the idea to make sure there was a spread of scenarios across the prompts since not everyone wants kids and a lot of the very first list focused on that ha. That and the prompts as is need some work to make a fic that's not extremely short.

Thank you for asking it was fun to talk about.

[seduceme-lovestruck-thearcana]

Fic idea I might work on one day based on a headcannon or comment on a walkthrough I saw one day:

A little wholesome fic of MC and Erik. MC romanced one of the other brothers, and Erik is talking to MC one day about a crush he has and she’s like *GASP* and makes him tell her EVERYTHING. The fic progresses to Erik slowly losing his little mask and it’s about how he still calls MC “Princess” bc of how she’s family to the brothers and they were nobles which would make her royalty as well. It only fits. It’s a wholesome fic bc I said so. He tells her about Irene and she gives him tips on how to be his real self (which she knows obviously) and AGH.

I remember seeing a comment on YT or a playthrough with the commentary saying how Erik still calls Mika “Princess” because she’s family to him (and the other brothers obviously) and they were nobles in the Abyssal Planes and he can’t help but give her a title too. She’s so important in their lives, so. Yeah. I think this commentary was from someone watching the scene of Erik and Irene in SM2, where she’s all “What’s with the ‘Princess’” and her being slightly jealous. I just…love that idea and it’s completely canon in my head.

No one can change my mind.

[iceunhie]

— out of this world (and into another) : genshin impact

premise: you could've sworn the transmigration curse didn't have an effect on you... so what exactly are you doing here?! (alternatively, you tumble straight into your favorite video game; and you're kinda fucked)

...or, a genshin manhwa otome game inspired au.

act i: scaramouche, alhaitham, wriothesley.

↳ act ii: lyney, neuvilette, kazuha, kaeya. (next)

warnings. fem!reader but can be imagined as genderless if u'd like hehe, a shit ton of manhwa tropes in one, this is a hot mess aka not proofread all that much, half clunky half decent writing

a/n: as promised via the poll heh,, while i do plan to make this an actual au, im not that sure ^^; just the tip of the iceberg here tho!!

MAIN MASTERLIST | AU MASTERLIST (coming soon)

YOU — unsuspecting civilian turnt transmigrator

you've always been too attached to fictional characters for your own good.

yes, even the ones that are remarkably irredeemable (the power of a backstory is very formidable) and complex (complexity is a virtue!)

villains have always been destined to die, be cursed, or destined to curse others. it was heartbreaking, really. you've wished for a chance to rewrite their fates for them to find even a sliver of happiness, even when the fate of their plot says otherwise.

which is why when you find yourself awake into the game of your dreams, “Teyvat's Seven Stars”, like any lover of cliche novel and manhwa tropes, this is the time you think that maybe life wasn't so shitty on you.

....there's only one tiny, teensy, itty bitty problem here, actually.

you're not the protagonist. you're not even one of the protagonist's faithful friends and underlings that light protagonist's road to conquering the world and its men (and as of the 4.0 update, it's women); no, you're none of those.

you're a no name extra, and not to mention, a character involved with the game's main villain characters who are coincidentally the love interests of the game's black route!

[ unlock transmigration package: ultimate transmigrator's route ( ????? MODE ) ]

[ no ] [ yes ]

( 国崩 ) SCARAMOUCHE — the tyrant

“as of today, you will be engaged to crown prince kunikuzushi, who is her grace the shogun's rightful heir to the throne.”

when given approval to stare at your so-called soon to be husband, you expect the worst, mostly. the multitudes of character dialogue you've played through detailing his rather discourteous personality (which basically meant he was a huge asshole) don't exactly paint a pretty picture.

however...

who was this tender hearted looking scaramouche that ‘obliterated armies in the blink of an eye?’ the t in tyrant stands for tyrannical, not timid!

eyes like lighting framed by the longest eyelashes you've ever seen and an unfairly pretty face, comparable to a fair lotus. after fawning over his otherworldly countenance, a sinking realization of dread pools in your stomach.

oh, you are so screwed.

essentially tied to the indigo-haired ticking time bomb of a future tyrant due to the strong standing of your family for a period of until the main story starts, you're destined to never get crown prince scaramouche's affection, being his fiancée who scaramouche is arranged to for political means only.

not to mention, you're in an even more deadly position; of all the characters you switched souls with, it's the one that essentially dies by their own fiancé's hand because they were horrible to him! what atrocious luck!

frantic, you wrack up about three ways to survive.

plan a) win over the shogun's favor by being an appropriate partner unlike the original flavor of this body, who resorted to bullying the innocent prince and unknowingly digging their own grave or b) be a guiding friend to scaramouche as he learns the ways of the world and c) make sure you don't end up giving the protagonist a bad ending via his twisted personality.

weighing all these options, you decide to do all three in hopes to cement a life instead of a deathflag. prevention is better than the cure (aka: the protagonist) after all!

(you may also just want to spend time with your favorite character. having a time limit and a sign that says ‘i'll die in the future!’ should at least warrant you extra time to show some affection to scaramouche, at least.)

so, you do what anyone in your position would do: give affection! lots of it.

admittedly, it wasn't all flowers and rainbows. scaramouche—ahem, kunikuzushi—was very shy and reserved indeed, with his mother ei even worse off! (besides, who trains and studies all day and has to stop crying every time they were injured?! that was just too much!)

it was rather hard at first, the frigid atmosphere of the usually silent Tenshukaku Palace almost impossible to permeate. but with your amazing charm (read: deathflag radar) and social skills, you manage to let the members of the Royal family open up to you.

speaking words of praise in ei's cooking (a very difficult feat to accomplish), spending afternoons with your fiancé and teaching him ‘how to be a shoujo worthy male lead, name-version’ (very confusing to explain), and the cherry on top, driving away that vile teacher of his—the Doctor—once word got out that he'd been taking advantage of scaramouche as a political puppet king in the future. trauma enabler destroyed! look at your immeasurable powers!

(“you're not a failure.” clasping kunikuzushi's hands in yours as he reels back from you. damn that doctor.

his tears shot a wave of heartache through you. you can't bear to see your favorite in such suffering. “whatever happens in the future, i won't abandon you.

no matter what, i'll always be on your side, okay?”

kunikuzushi looks at you with something in his eyes—something like adoration. “do you promise that?”

“yeah.” you say without hesitation, the glow of the sunlight hitting your face so dazzlingly that kunikuzushi's eyes widen that his mouth hangs agape in awe. “i promise, kuni.”)

to your greatest delight, your efforts worked in your favor.

ei now spends time with her son, and though it's almost always just a tad bit awkward, you and the guuji yae miko get the two to strike up conversation, and overtime, kunikuzushi becomes more open to you.

(“[name], what kind of man is your type?”

“huh? well...” you think for a while. this was a great opportunity to say it, right? that life changing protagonist quote!

“to me, the only person i'll ever like the most is you, kunikuzushi.”

“do you really, really mean that?” and oh, he looks so cute—flustered and red from your words. worth it.

“yup! now, i made some shimi chazuke, try some—”)

(admittedly, lots of favoritism is involved.)

—and while you reap the fruits of your hard work, you spend warm, sunlit afternoons with ei at tea, even learning about other nations from scaramouche's aunt nahida and even befriended a few of his future affiliates—childe (though for some reason, kunikuzushi always pulls you away from him whenever he spots the two of you together), signora (she tolerates you, you think) and etcetera.

(“then, if i do well, can you kiss me on the cheek, [name]?”

you agree, much to his delight. scaramouche avoids the gaze of a certain pink haired fox eyeing him questionably. unbeknownst to you, he glares at the woman's scrutiny.)

unprecedented things unrelated to the plot happen too; like how your family, which basically only saw you as a political bargaining chip and an unwanted child they could get rid of easily—no longer sent you any demeaning letters demanding money once scaramouche found out....

(“they've been leeching off of you for how long?” so scary... is this was kunikuzushi is like when he's worried?)

(“...kunikuzushi, how long will you keep up that weak-hearted facade of yours? if they find out how.... dishonest you are....”

“i don't need the reminders of a foxy old hag that doesn't know her place. this is fine as it is.”)

(you don't need to know.)

but, you're nothing compared to the inevitable flow of the plot. inazuma is wracked with war, and it just so happened that you'd been unceremoniously kidnapped by a certain resistance leader's trusted general, used as a hostage bargain for approximately the majority of your life. in the worst moments in your dreary cell, there's only one thought in your mind.

....kunikuzushi's face, devastated when he tries to reach for you, before slipping away from him like sand— face morphing into an unbridled state of rage that's too natural, too familiar. when did he learn to make a face like that?

(they say the kingdom was wracked with thunderstorms all night that day.)

afterwards, fate doesn't make it kind for you.

years go by in the blink of an eye, with your capture fervently forgotten in the midst of the growing animosity of the two conflicting forces.

although you did hear that yae sent out a search party for you while at the resistance's base, the shogun's forces never reached you.

eventually, you got released secretly by sympathy of kokomi, the leader of the resistance, who felt pity for you getting caught in the crossfire. letting you go under the condition that you'd likely never meet any of the precious characters you've gotten to know and change was a heavy price to pay, but you didn't have any choice.

indeed, no matter how much you tried to divert the plot, your duty as an extra has ended, and you were even lucky to even be alive. you could only hope that your fiancé—ex-fiancé—took note of your lessons well, bidding farewell to inazuma as you hop on the boat to mondsdat.

by now, you at least hoped that scaramouche and the protagonist met, his true chance at happiness starting now that you were basically dead.

(even if your heart felt like breaking into a million pieces.)

....is what you thought would happen, but why is it that after three years from your supposed capture, inazuma was still at war?

“that crazy prince... he's still working to find his former fiancée... and he's razing almost every village apart looking for them!”

“—didn't the shogunate say that whoever finds her would receive almost 3 million mora?”

“the entire lot of them are lunatics, i tell you. all because of a missing person, too!”

what's more, why was it still going because of you?!

( 艾尔海森 ) AL-HAITHAM: the information guild master

to be fair, normal people don't really run into one of their favorite characters often after transmigrating.

but to be fair, again, you certainly didn't think you'd actually be in your favorite video game franchise caged in bed with essentially one of its main love interests.

eyes wide and unceremoniously looking—definitely not ogling— at the toned body that's currently enveloping you in its arms, the soft tuft of ashy gray hair caressing the crook of your neck, murmuring incoherent mumbles of—is that another language?

???????

you blink, looking down at the bare body currently embracing you. oh. oh.

you're an extra.

you're just an extra, but why are you in bed, currently being served breakfast by the most gorgeous man you've ever laid your eyes on, with a pretty view of the rainforests' canopy?

“you should lie down. if i recall, sufficient sleep is required in order for the human body to perform its basic bodily functions. although our partnership is temporary, to let you fall to harm is a situation i'd like to avoid as much as possible.”

“....what?”

“...?”

the guild master, al-haitham, is a character in Teyvat's Seven Stars that is heavily debated on whether he's technically a villain or not. in the game, he's the right hand of sumeru's leader, nahida, working as the overseer of the AKASHA, a guild that gathers information to the nation's leader. he's a pretty shady character—always working behind the scenes and very unfalteringly blunt—and a ‘villain’ for crown prince scaramouche's route, helping the protagonist escape his clutches.

he's often the subject of comedic ire, his banters with a certain broke architect always the highlight of any bonafide al-haitham fan.

“we're expected to work together by lord kusanali's decree in the duration of investigating the hivemind project the lord suspects the baron siraj is partaking in.”

right, that one scene in the game where al-haitham needed to go undercover to infiltrate a coup de etat staged by one of the factions against nahida... right... what.

you were that extra! the one that fell in love with him and pined for his affection!

(“well, i get that part, but does sleeping together really have to play a part in this...?”

al-haitham gives you a mere quirk of the lip, tilting his head. “we do have to play the part of a married couple in dire straights, do we not? this cover is more efficient.

...besides, i don't have anything to complain about. you're certainly better company than kaveh.” )

in truth, al-haitham wasn't bad company. far from it. aside from the internal giggling and fangirling (you) and the incredible stack of books (alhaitham) that you have to see more than the grey haired man on a daily basis, the two of you work out a rapport that stems from memories of the body you transmigrated in.

he's nice to be around, surprisingly considerate when he wants to be—he tells you about the books he always reads....

(who even reads ‘20 Tongues Language Memorization Guidebook: A Basic Overview of Vocabulary and Terms’ for enjoyment?

the content makes your head run in circles because of how complicated it is; but who wouldn't like to listen to an extremely attractive man overexplain to you with a calm and pretty voice?)

...is generous enough to provide meals and cook dinners that have you crying tears of gratitude because you know how awful yours compares (it was either too bland or too seasoned; al-haitham is surprisingly picky when he wants to be)

(you assigned al-haitham the title of “absolute s-tier husband material”— his capabilities are out of this world!)

by chance, you once gave al-haitham a little tidbit of information that proved to be valuable later in the investigation—courtesy of your avid game knowledge—when you two had been lost to the psychological illusion magic cast by siraj when you two finally broke in his estate.

(“whatever happens, if siraj messes with your mind, just make sure to think of me instead of anything else.” al-haitham lets his hand find yours.

“you once asked me if i trusted you, [name].”

“....” you're treated to one of al-haitham's rare smiles, one that warms you up from within. “i do. so don't let yourself get hurt.”)

however, your temporary partner had faltered for once, flinching when siraj took the form of his old grandmother who'd passed to exploit al-haitham's mind, hesitating and frozen in place while siraj inched ever closer to finding out his weakness.

and you couldn't stand it, the character you cared for—the al-haitham that always had a plan, always knew how to stay calm, had looked so unsure and hopeless.

(“wake up, al-haitham!”

with you cradling his face, al-haitham stares back at the only constant in the memories of his grief, eyes meeting yours. “you don't have to do it all alone. i'm right here, aren't i? believe in me.”)

your (fake) husband snaps back to reality, finally allowing enough time to apprehend siraj and put a stop to his malicious project.

(“thank you.” al-haitham tells you solemnly. it hits you that this may be the last time you may ever see him. “i'm grateful that you brought me back to y— to my senses.”

there's a sincerity in your voice that rings from your heart. “anytime, al-haitham.”)

you thought that was the end of it.

defeating siraj meant you two no longer had to associate with each other, but somehow, to your great surprise, al-haitham doesn't stick to the plot at all. you were sure you didn't interfere with the game, though?

for some reason, al-haitham doesn't erase himself from your life, unlike the original route's flow.

in fact, he's become... easy to run into, a constant in your otherwise mundane life. he takes you out to lambad's tavern for an occasional drink, says he's lending you his headphones when you find yourself overwhelmed by the city (you were never good with noises) and even helps you out as you vent your problems to him.

(the day after, said problem conveniently disappears. how strange....)

and most of all, allowing you to enter his personal space... leaving kaveh's jaw dropping when he accuses al-haitham of having a lover.

“you're always going who knows where with them! what else is there to figure out?”

“...we are merely friends.”

“a friend that you let into your personal library? do they know that you still keep the ‘fake’ ring in a box inside the closet?” kaveh laughs. “nice try, al-haitham.”

(after all, kaveh could never unsee the way al-haitham's eyes softened at the feeling of the head on his shoulder lean onto him, with you no doubt asleep. he even took his headphones off! kaveh has never seen him actually take them off in order to keep the person who's sleeping on his shoulder as undisturbed as possible.

in fact, kaveh doesn't think he's ever seen al-haitham be this touchy or considerate with anyone this much before.

.....and most importantly, kaveh would never forget the way al-haitham, a man who found no merit in politeness and preferred bluntness, a man who preferred solitude rather than company—deliberately getting close to someone—pressing a fleeting kiss on the crown of your head.

kaveh blinks. it seems even the throes of love can reach even the most unconquerable of peaks....)

( 莱欧斯利 ) WRIOTHESLEY — the monster duke of the north

“—i need you to gather information on duke wriothesley. serve him undercover as one of the prisoners of the fortress.”

the duke of meropide—a man swamped with terrible rumors. they say he was exiled from the nation due to murdering his entire family. they say he possessed a face worthy of the title of a beast— grotesque, littered in scars. they say that any who end up in his estate, the iron prison of the north, meropide, never saw the light of day again.

(“only criminals of the worst kind are fated to be sentenced there. nobody returns, so we've stopped questioning it...” )

so to say you're not fearing for your life that bad right now is a massive understatement.

“now, mind telling me how you were able to sneak into the most impenetrable prison in all the land, miss prisoner?”

how did it end up like this?

so you wake up and find yourself in jail. lovely.

seriously, of all the places you can transmigrate into, why did it have to be fontaine?! Teyvat's Seven Stars chapter 4's main starting point, the nation of justice is littered with dark themes and high difficulty capture targets.

.... such is the case with the man in front of you. unlike what the rumors of him say, duke wriothesley paints a rugged yet dashing picture of a nobleman, even if he was —if you recall— one of the hardest capture targets to conquer in the game.

a villain character who you played once during one game route, acting as the driving force during one of the love events of one of the protagonist's other love interest, lyney. duke wriothesley almost assassinates lyney's younger brother, freminent, leading lyney to rally up a certain group to bring the nobleman down.... a typical side character villain, who's existence was added as late as 3 patches away from lyney's.

(even inazuma would be better than this! at least the tyrant route could be avoided, and let's not mention the easy sumeru route as well...)

“well, miss prisoner, cat got your tongue?”

in summary: fortunately for you, the body you transmigrated is in the position to spy on the current affairs of the fortress of meropide, with courtesy and with permission of one of Fontaine's leaders, neuvillette. unfortunately for you, it seems our dear monsieur wasn't able to inform wriothesley beforehand, leading to the current situation.

aka, you're pressed dangerously close to wriothesley's chest, with a knife at his throat and his hands pinning you against the wall, noses almost touching. you're not sure if this is even the kind of tension that two people who are trying to kill each other are supposed to have...

(“i'm an ally!” you sputter out. wriothesley raises an eyebrow at you. “monsieur neuvillette sent me.”

“how am i supposed to trust you after i saw you slinking around here, knife at my throat?” he replies, eyes narrowing. “i know that i'm labelled as a beast, but i don't really know what came over that pretty little head of yours when trying to sneak into my chambers.”

what does he take you for?! “...are you accusing me of something indecent?!”

“just saying — i've met lots of prisoners with your excuse, my lady.”

“i'm prepared to use this knife, you know.”

“hah.” wriothesley grins. “how aggressive. more aggressive than most. do you want me that bad?”

“stop twisting my words!”)

in any case, you hate wriothesley. you know he's one of the characters in Teyvat's Seven Stars and is a villain for one of the easy love interest routes in the game, but his personality is... a real piece of work.

you'd rather the protective and kind kazuha, or even the charming and elusive lyney! why did it have to be him?

not only did he not believe you, he even told you to prove your authenticity! you're just glad that his assistant sigewinne had been there to vouch for you — you're not sure if you'd even be on your two feet right now if she didn't.

so now you're stuck constantly on your feet, running to and fro — helping the dark-haired man record new prisoners, establishing trading routes to the main city of Fontaine, and treating other prisoners of the fortress with sigewinne.

your biggest surprise by far, though, is just how... different the duke is from the rumors. his scars were merely battle scars of honor (to which sigewinne rolls her eyes, “your grace, please stop trying to look cool”) he got from various succession fights, not scars to show how he was cursed to turn into a beast. he has a love for tea, but always seems to have a cup of your favorite blend with him when you feel tired after a long day of working (laboring) for him and the estate.

(“your daily report of new convicts, your grace.”

“-this is the tea you like, your grace. i've prepared it in advance.”

“you're very adamant on proving yourself. aren't you sick of such tasks by now, miss prisoner?”

“no.” wriothesley's expression screams 'why not?' on it. “ it's because of my own misjudgement of you.”

“...elaborate.”

“i may have had unnecessary prejudices on your conduct thus far. but you're... not like what the rumors paint you out to be.” you say sincerely. “you're more amazing and incredible than anyone else. i truly do admire you.”

wriothesley's expression; you couldn't decipher it. “i see.”)

he's battered, but caring. sigewinne makes you watch (in horror) as she doodles cartoonish looking characters on his face when he's asleep — wriothesley never fusses, only an exasperated sigh to his assistant. he's harsh with his tasks and duties, but is the first to rush you into sigewinne's infirmary to tend to you after you pass out from overwork.

(“don't worry, [name]. the duke may not look it, but he's very gentle!” sigewinne giggles. humoring the little girl who was the first to show you actual decency in this place, you try to nod. sigewinne doesn't seem convinced.

“i'm serious! after all, compared to other people who've snuck into the fortress, you're the first he's treated this way.” she says cheerily.

“what does that mean?” you can't help but scoff at that. “so he just works someone to the bone from the get go?” you shudder. damn production zone...

sigewinne blinks. “ oh no, not like that. it's just that he's never been so lenient before. in fact, when you fainted, he even gave me the order to prioritize treating you over anything else.”)

well, this wasn't exactly what you thought you would be doing when you transmigrated into your favorite game, but you suppose you can take it.

besides, you'd miss a certain duke otherwise. life truly is full of strange twists....

a/n: thank you for making it this far! if anyone asks why wriothesley's was short, listen, this was completely impulsive and i was out of inspiration LOL, but i do hope you enjoy! look forward to new parts though hehe :3

@ ICEUNHIE: do not repost translate or plagiarize my works.

[wildflower-otome]

[Translation] Shuuen no Virche - Creator Interview: Misa Yoshida

Shuuen no Virche -ErroR:salvation- Official Visual Fanbook Creator Interview

Director | Misa Yoshida

About the project

—First, please tell us how the idea for this project began.

My previous work “Tlicolity Eyes” was undeniably a bright and happy title with no bad ends, but  thinking to myself, ‘I wonder what would happen if I did something the complete opposite?’ was the inspiration for this one.  I wanted to make something that was thoroughly tragic with bad ends. I also had the thought that I wanted to make a title with “grim reaper” as the motif, and the image of the game grew from there.

—Now that the game has been released, were there any big changes from the initial plan?

Before creating the project plan, I always make rough notes, but it really did change quite a lot from my initial concept (that didn’t even make it into the project plan). It had a strong science fiction vibe and was set in a technologically advanced near future world where people continued to live on via ‘memory download.’ The main character was a real grim reaper, and held the power of life and death over ‘men whose existence was inconvenient to this world’.....that was the story. After I wrote it into my notes, I had second thoughts, thinking, ‘No no, this is getting overly complicated!’ and eventually settled on the storyline we have now.

Another thing was that I had definitely wanted Yomi-san for the original art from the beginning, so when I thought of ‘What kind of art did I want to see from Yomi-san?’, I imagined a Western fantasy, that was also a primary factor that caused changes from the initial idea.

—What did you want to place most importance on when creating the game?

What I most wanted to place importance on was how the keywords for this work, “despair” and “salvation” applied to the characters. It must be hard for the players as they see these characters feel pain, joy and sorrow, laugh, despair and experience salvation.....that said, I believe we have brought across the greatest possible despair and salvation they could arrive at from their personalities and situations.

Apart from that, the other thing I wanted to do was to absolutely not use the word ‘happy end.’ When each end is presented, it was done so the words ‘despair end’ and ‘salvation end’ were used in place of ‘bad end’ and ‘good end.’ There is no such thing as an all-out happy ending, that was something I couldn’t compromise on.

—Please tell us if you experienced any difficulties that you can talk about now.

More so than it being difficult, there was a lot of pressure since it was the first time Yomi-san was creating original art for Otomate, but right now as I think about it looking back, 90% of the development period was a tough time. However, back then I was full of adrenaline so I didn’t really realise it myself. It was a sad state of affairs that I realised only when those around me said, ‘You sure went through a lot!’ (laughs). It must have been that the fun I was having was greater than the hardship.

About the visuals

—How was Yomi-san chosen for the role of character design?

From the beginning of planning this project, I felt that I “didn’t want to make the characters feel fictional.” When I saw other works that Yomi-san had created the original art for, from the expressions to their fingertips, they all looked so ‘real’ and unexaggerated I was captivated. Even since then I kept thinking I would like to have Yomi-san work on some original art someday.....I suppose I can say now I did the planning with the feeling of a passionate one-sided love (laughs). After that, my wish miraculously came true when I was coincidentally blessed with the opportunity to get in touch with her.

—Please tell us about how the characters were created.

For the most part, all I did was tell Yomi-san the character’s basic information, their circumstances and situation up until the beginning of the story, along with the essential elements for the character (for example, for Yves it is his mask, Mathis, having a pale complexion from spending all his time inside, and clothes that were easy to move in for Adolphe) and then leaving the rest to her. The characters were mostly exactly as I imagined right from the first draft, so I think now in that respect I was fairly spoiled. What I remember even now is that at the very first meeting I was asked, ‘If possible, I’d like a chronological table’ and that it made me feel even more determined to make these characters feel life-like. 

-Is there anything that changed from your initial plans for the story because of ideas that came about during the character design stage?

There were quite a few, but the one who had an especially important addition was Lucas. The weapon for Bourreau was originally to be only a short sword, but the first design Yomi-san submitted, which had him carrying a spear, looked so very cool we ended up having it become a halberd. I asked that it be designed so that it could fold up much like a three sectioned staff so it wouldn’t be a problem when it came to running around and sneaking into the mansions of Shudie.

—I think one of the standout points for this game is how the fashion suits the setting’s worldview.  How did you decide on things like what accessories the characters wore?

 When it came to characters that were close to the research institute and the center of Arpéchéle, I requested that there be a strong cyber influence. Scien and Mathis’s outfits would be the ones where this is most obvious. Because Arpéchéle is a closed country, I asked for a gothic design for characters who aren’t close to the center. Therefore, for that reason, Ceres, Yves, Lucas and Adolphe, the characters that live in the common district, don’t have a single cyber element. Mathis is in the middle point as far as the ratio between cyber and gothic go, so for him Yomi-san and I compared and contrasted the designs together and used that as a base thereafter. The cyber feel for this game uses electronic circuits as the image, so I had her use that as part of the designs.

—Please tell us if there was anything you paid particular attention to when it came to the general flow and direction of the event CG’s.

There were many times where I would hand over some truly rough notes along with the scenario and mood to Yomi-san and entrust the rest to her. Basically, the same as with the character designs.... Whenever there were any points she was unclear on, she would always ask questions, so production progressed without any worries on my end. She would draw everything as I wanted right down to the finer details so most of the CG’s were done in one go, without any need for retakes. 

—Are there any CG’s that you are particularly fond of?

I am fond of all of them so it’s hard to choose. The first salvation end in the third act in which Ankou gives Ceres the flower bouquet, or the one with Adolphe and Ceres smiling at each other in the field of white lycoris....after much thought, if I absolutely had to pick one, perhaps it would be Mathis’s smile at the end of his salvation end. As per the title, the game is quite serious with many dark scenes, however I feel like this bright CG with its white and yellow colours most suits the words ‘beneath the light of the sun.’ It felt as if it was expressing a single ray of light shining down on their future, no matter how many troubles were to await them from there on, so I remember not being able to help breathing a sigh because I was so moved the first time I saw it.

—What points regarding character settings did you not want to compromise on?

 I am repeating myself, but it would be that they are “living humans.” Although it is a story with the unique set up of ‘memory downloads’ and ‘relivers’, for better or worse, the characters of Arpéchéle, including the ones without sprites, are all human-like existences who fall in love, hate others, want to protect the ones important to them, make compromises, and fear and loathe the things that they cannot understand. “Life” is one of its most important themes, so when it came to portraying humans who are its vessels, I was conscious of the fact it was something I couldn’t treat as unimportant.

—Please tell us if there were any particular aims and themes you had when it came to character settings, interesting inside stories during production or ideas that were rejected partway through.

Ceres

The line “Dear God, I have killed many people” that was used in the first promotional video was what I came up with for her at the beginning and is where her image grew from, making her development process perhaps a little different from the other characters. Ceres’s image flower is the immortelle, small yellow flowers which mean ‘undying love’ and ‘immortality’ in flower language, and that was how I decided her character.....but it came to me later that yellow certainly has a cheerful image.

Her original personality is that of a bright normal girl who smiles often, but she grows melancholy after she starts being called a grim reaper, I would be happy if she could become the kind of main character you would want to cheer on as she regains her original self through her interactions with the other characters. 

Yves

Speaking from a variety of different points, his image was that of a ‘traditional knight.’ Due to his burns, Yves lost the ability to feel pain, was abandoned by his parents and treated as a monster. So that those around him would love him, he had no choice but to become a ‘knight-like existence whom everyone would seek out and depend on.’ That said, even knights are human too, so course I think he would still have his own worries and trials. Because there is no such thing as a perfect knight like in the stories, one is all the more human and beautiful for being imperfect. Yves’s burns are also the result of the human-like emotion of ‘wanting to save a single girl from a fire.’ I believe that such scars are a symbol of beauty, not ugliness. Speaking of behind-the-scenes stories, the first design image that Yomi-san came up with is now the vigilante corps uniform. The inner shirts and trousers are the members’ personal clothes. 

Lucas Proust

I received various opinions regarding his salvation end, but a person who took away so many lives must be punished…..that was the point I absolutely could not concede on. Lucas dislikes when things are not done the proper way, so the rule I decided on was that he would not use casual abbreviated verb forms in his speech. The only time he purposely deviates from that rule is when he says, ‘I love you too,’ just before credits roll for the salvation end. Completely abandoning the version of himself that those around him had wanted, and the rules he had decided for himself, we see that he is finally able to face Ceres head on as his true self, I think that this was a scene with a lot of impact. By the way, the daggers he stabbed into the hearts he extracted were modelled after crosses (they are also shaped like them too!).

Mathis Claude

For me, he was the first character whose setting I had firmly decided on. Because he is an irregular existence who is neither human nor a reliver, I believe we were able to write a story that displayed Arpéchéle’s twisted way of life and view on romance from a different perspective. We weren’t able to have it come up in the game, but the idea was because he keeps his knife hidden behind his right thigh, he has rather bad manners when sitting on chairs, sitting with his arms up around raised knees like a gym student. That said, if we had included it, it would mean having to keep writing scenes where Jean or one of the other characters tell him off each time, so it was with a heavy heart I decided not to. His character tagline is ‘The man spurning his fate to forgive’, but the hidden story behind that becomes pure humans ‘do ○○’ and the character who wasn’t ‘did ○○.’ I thought that it would be nice if people were able to notice this after finding out Mathis’s true identity as a homunculus.

Scien Brofiise

I spoke about this on the official blog, but initially he was a character that spoke politely in front of his subordinates. But as he is now, he is certainly not the kind of man to worry about appearances (laughs). He is said to be someone that can resolve almost anything, but it must be remembered that is only in cases where a cause has been established, and it is something that has caught Scien’s interest, in the game those conditions just so happened to come together. He does not involve himself at all in things he isn’t interested in, or that go against his personal principles.

By the way, as he is the only character that fights barehanded, I imagined his fighting style to be similar to savate (TL note: french kickboxing). Seen from the point of view that it is something he started doing and learnt on his own initiative, it’s sort of like he just so happened to pick up the skill as he trained in self-defence from being targeted so often. Speaking of which, although he is a short sleeper and rarely sleeps in front of others, once you have his trust, he will sleep while leaning on your shoulder.

Adolphe

Truth be told, right up until the end Adolphe was the character whose setting I had most trouble deciding on. It is mentioned in the story, but since he is the only one amongst the characters who is able to live longer than 23 years, he is the character most similar to the viewers. As I pondered on how to make sure such a character held his own amongst the others, I thought there was no other choice but to turn the tables and make him “normal.” If you think about it, dying at the age of 23 in and of itself isn’t normal, and so once I arrived at the conclusion that the existence of such a person in that situation would become special, the rest of his characterization followed on very smoothly.

People were rather surprised with regards to Adolphe’s intonation, but the reason for it was because I wanted it to be one point in common for ‘Adolphe = Ankou.’ Incidentally, as he has spent such a long time living at the institution and on his own, he is the most able cook amongst all the main characters. 

Ankou

I believe there are people who may have realized this, but the origin of his name is that of the grim reaper spoken of in the Brittany region of France, which is why I had him appear in the prologue scenes of the first and second acts wearing the wide brimmed hat and cloak from the legends. Even now when it comes to Ankou, I feel an indescribable emotion. Actually, the original plan for his setting was even more beyond saving.  He had continued to fight for the sake of Ceres’s smile, but after spending so long despairing he grows twisted and his greatest wish instead becomes for him and Ceres to die together. In order for that wish to come true he tries to have her make the wrong answer when it comes to Arpéchéle’s curse…..that was the plan, but it was too dark so we changed a lot of things partway through. The title ‘Shuuen’ (eternal demise) bears various meanings, but one of them is in reference to Ankou. When I was directing Ankou’s final scene in the third act, even now I have a strong memory of praying all the while that he would rest peacefully.

Salome

I received a lot of comments saying, ‘Even just her name is scary!’ (laughs) I believe the Salome everyone is thinking of is the one who was written as a villainess in the play (TL note: Oscar Wilde’s play ‘Salome’), but actually it is the one from the Bible that I had in mind. In the play, she is the one to ask for Jokanaan’s head herself, but in the Bible she asks for it because her mother, who holds a grudge against Jokanaan, commands her to, she is being used by those around her. I borrowed her name thinking that it was similar to the way [Salome from the game] is betrayed by her own relatives, the royal family. No matter what kind of life one lived, it may become something different in posterity depending on other people’s interpretations and hearsay, I think she became a character with that kind of story.

Perhaps getting off topic, but the one to douse Bourreau with sulphuric acid in the fifth chapter of the common route was Salome. She had been following them with the thought of helping Ceres and the others should anything happen, and took action once she realised Bourreau was still able to move. The words, ‘You let your guard down too easily’ were directed towards Ceres and Adolphe.

Hugo

The one person who clearly hates Ceres for being Death. In a different way from Adolphe, he is a man with normal emotions who is afraid to have the girl said to bring death next to the people he is close with, but because he seems to have lived for a long time it is not easy for him to say so openly. I think once you become an adult it gets difficult to tell the person you hate to their face that you hate them. I really did receive a lot of feedback on the emotions that he holds, and there were many things I was made to rethink.

Speaking of background information, he talks about having younger sisters in the game, but he actually has an older brother, making for four siblings in total. His reliver mark is on his back, with the meaning of bearing a household, his older brother also has his in the same spot.

Dahut

As an existence who would not even have been born in a world in a country with a lifespan of 18 years, because of his appearances throughout the second act, to Ankou he could be called an ‘error.’ He is the mastermind behind everything but if not for Dahut, Arpéchéle’s citizens would likely have continued to live closed off from the world, not realising its abnormality as a nation until the day they were invaded by other countries.

His background is that he has a younger appearance than his peers due to the stress he endured when he was younger, but Dahut doesn’t see this as a bad thing and instead uses it as a tool so that those around him will dote on him (let their guard down).

Nadia Proust

‘How could such a thing happen to such a good girl…..’, I received a lot of comments such as these and truth be told, I also agree. To the point that I was racking my brains when coming up with the plot trying to think of a way she could be saved. However, making up my mind that it wouldn’t be ShuuViru if I wrote something so convenient, I decided on that ending.

The scene where Nadia is set free in Lucas’s salvation ending was revised to be as it is at a truly late stage towards the end of development. I believe that it perhaps expresses the scene title ‘Blade of Release’ in the fullest possible way.

It is a regret of mine that we were not able to have a sprite of an older Nadia in the third act.

Capucine

Being the founder of the Exorcist religious organisation while also holding the position of a doctor, nowadays I think he really was a troublesome character. Because he deals with patients out of goodwill on the surface, wanting the fact that he is actually after money to not be too obvious, Capucine is the single character who had his design completely changed from the first draft. Although he has the role of being the villain who is most beyond saving in the game, as his motivations are firmly set it was very easy to move him around in the story.

The background that was most fun to come up with was actually his research lab.

Jean

Despite only ever being written from Mathis’s POV in the game, I had readied a personal history for both his false identity as Jean and his true one as Camille. Not only is it important when creating a story, I believe it shows just how serious “Camille’s feelings about reviving Rosalie” were, that he would go to the lengths of coming up with a history as Jean. It also adds to the feeling of a meticulous plan being put into place.

I also included various small details such as the words ‘Ma cherie Rosalie’ being written in blood on the wall of the underground research lab at Claude Manor along with engravings of the number of victims that wasn’t revealed in the game.

—Please tell us if there were any points that you were particular about when establishing the relationships between characters.

Perhaps it was that they wouldn’t only have positive feelings towards one another. That goes for the other characters towards Ceres, and also the other way around as well. Humans are not made up of only beautiful emotions, because it is not possible to be loved by everyone, I took care so that could be clearly seen, whether as individuals or as groups.

Also, there were actually relationships that came to light after we began writing the scenario! Unexpected chemical reactions occur when different characters come together, and that was especially true for the drinking party scene in the common route. That scene became the decisive blow for Adolphe’s becoming the long-suffering character in the group (laughs).

—Speaking of which, were there any scrapped characters that didn’t end up appearing?

In my first draft notes there was a con-man who had the tagline “The man who celebrates the fate of deceiving others”. His story was that he swindled people in order to save money to treat his sick sister, but once we had decided on Arpéchéle as the setting, thinking that, ‘If you continuously ran scams in a such a small country, you’d soon be found out’, the character was scrapped. The sick sister storyline was inherited by Lucas.

About the story

—Please tell us if there were any specific considerations you had in mind or things you were particular about in the process of writing the story.

It would be the point about, as much possible, not having everything turn out conveniently. In ‘ShuuViru’, an ending where all characters including the sub characters survive does not exist. You could say that it is realistic for happiness to be built on the sacrifice of others, I personally think that it is not possible for everyone to become happy. Nevertheless, when it came to the salvation routes, so that the characters who lost their lives in the events leading up to the ending wouldn’t become mere sacrificial pawns, I always kept it in mind to make all the lives and deaths feel meaningful.

And also, as it is an otome game, no matter the route, I took care not to neglect the “love” aspect.

—Please tell us if there were any troubles you experienced while writing the plot and scenario, or any interesting episodes that occurred during the writing process.

The foreshadowed reveals were really difficult…..the main writer Satomi Nakayama and I brought everything together after a lot of groaning and intensive discussion. There was also quite a bit of fine tuning on where to draw the line when it came to the despair. Going this far might be too much for an otome game, but at the same time since we’re talking about despair, we didn’t want to take a half-hearted approach to it.

As for an inside story, the truth is Adolphe was alive in the first draft of Scien’s route, but thinking that there wasn’t enough despair, and also so that Ankou would be able to talk about the truth after the end, we ended up changing it. Nowadays I think that perhaps might be one of the main reasons people who have played the game often tell me, ‘You’re heartless.’

—Please tell us if there was anything you were particular about in regards to the game system.

That the other salvation ends wouldn’t unlock until the third act’s salvation end was cleared was something that was decided on from the first. I’m sure it must have caused the players a lot of distress [doing it this way] but Ankou being the first one to be saved was a point I couldn’t compromise on. My thought was ‘Who on earth would I save first while leaving behind Ankou, who has continued to fight for the sake of Ceres’s smile for so long?’ Also, another reason was that I wouldn’t be able to write all that I wanted for each of the character’s salvation ends without all of the truths being revealed first. 

This isn’t related to the system, but I took as much care with how things were arranged in the game as time would allow me. From facial expressions, to the timing of changes in the BGM, the movements of the sprites…..I was very conscious of creating a display screen that allows players to immerse themselves in the story without losing interest. By including a lot of sprite cut-ins, not just in the everyday scenes, but in the fight ones as well, I hope that I was able to create a feeling of actually being at the scene.

—Please tell us if there was anything you were particular about when it came to romantic scenes.

Romance is but one aspect of human emotion, so I took care that the flow of the story up until that point wouldn’t feel unnatural. The aim wasn’t to create romantic scenes, but ones that expressed love.

My thought was that as [it is a game with] an overall brutal atmosphere, if I were to forcefully make it romantic, it might cause the kind of heartburn one gets from adding an absurdly large amount of sugar into bitter coffee (laughs).

I also took a lot of care that each of the characters would express their love in a way that was unique to them. 

—Please tell us about a love scene and ending that you were particularly fond of.

I am fond of all of them, but [for love scenes] it would be the proposal amongst the flames in Yves’s salvation route. The reason Yves is able to have the determination to accept everything, both good and bad, is because he is the type of person who has continuously accepted both kinds of emotions. Ceres’s responding with, ‘…..Idiot’ to Yves’s confession, is something I am particularly fond of as it is a response appropriate for a girl her age, in contrast to her usually constrained manner up until that point.

When it comes to endings, it would likely be Lucas’s despair end. Although it is a bad end seen objectively, from Lucas’s point of view it is a happy end in which he is able to become family with the person he loved and live out his last days together with them, as we had the BMG match up with that, I believe it became a scene which left an impression. Also, a ring on a white bony finger is a scenario that I have always wanted to do, I was glad I was able to make it happen.

—Apart from the love scenes and endings, were there any other scenes that you would like people to play close attention to?

It would be the scene where Ankou and Ceres meet, and he smears her lips with blood. It was something I had wanted to do right from the beginning of planning, and when we did, it really stood out visually, so it is a favourite of mine. I think it became a scene with two facets, on your first playthrough, it gives the impression of Ankou as someone suspicious, but when you look back on it after finding out the truth, you are able to feel his emotions and love [for Ceres]. 

—Finally, were there any scenes or routes that ended differently to what you had originally planned?

The same goes for each of the routes, but particularly for the third act, the number of scenarios became much more than we had envisioned. When it came to writing Adolphe and Ankou’s story it ended up becoming longer by necessity, both Nakayama—san and I sobbed over it together (laughs).

When it comes to something I can talk about now, there was actually one more pattern that we came up with for Lucas’s despair end. Roughly explained, it was that Lucas would decide Ceres was a ‘bad girl’ for trying to kill him and cut her down instead. He would raise a baby that was born at the moment of her death as Ceres’s reincarnation, and then when he was near the end of his lifespan, take her along with him in death saying, ‘Next time, let’s be reborn together’…..but it really wasn’t the kind of material that should appear in an otome game so I refrained.

About the sound

—Please tell us if there was anything you were particular about in regards to the BGM production. 

The fairly challenging discussion we had was to create a synthesis of ‘classical compositions that use string instruments and the like’ with ‘cyber techno style noise.’ I had the main theme ‘Shuuen no Virche -ErroR:salvation-’ created first, and even now remembering getting goosebumps hearing the part where the techno noise comes in just before the climax thinking, ‘This is it!’ Just like with the character’s clothing, the techno noise was used as the main music for things with a strong connection to the research lab and relivers, while the classical sound was used for the Drifter legend and everyday life scenes.

Parts of the BGM also feature arrangements from the main theme, which I think is most obvious in tracks like ‘Kaihou no Katsuro -Break-.’

For this game, we asked Ichikawa Jun-san, who has created a lot of BGMs for anime and dramas [to be the composer], his work further expands on the imagery of the scenes for which it is used, there were truly many compositions that went beyond my expectations. There were very few retakes, most were given the OK from the get-go!

-Please tell us if there were any incidents that occurred during the voice recording stage that left an impression.

The voices we heard during the tests were pretty much as I had imagined them to be, so there wasn’t much by way of finetuning. Everyone had thoroughly read through the scenarios and materials, so it felt as if it wasn’t necessary. It was very reassuring when Yoshimasa Hosoya, who voiced Scien suggested, ‘I think this kind of atmosphere would be good for this scene.’

Another event that left an impression was the commotion caused in the booth by how overly realistic Lucas’s voice actor Daisuke Hirakawa’s acting was in the scene where he vomits blood. We were all on edge saying, ‘He isn’t really vomiting blood, is he?!’ (laughs)

—Is there a scene that became more impactful once the voice acting was added?

It would be the scene in Mathis’s route where different memories are downloaded into him one after the other. Along with Kouhei Amasaki’s blood curdling performance, it becomes more obvious that, ‘Mathis’s personality is being replaced’, increasing the atmosphere of despair.

Another is the scene in the third act with Ankou’s line, ‘I want to see Ceres, I can't see Ceres.’ Because of Kazuyuki Okitsu’s performance, I think the amount of pain he went through for centuries feels all the more real. …..If I were to speak about everything in detail, I could go on for quite a while, truth be told, everything became more impactful (laughs).

—Please tell us if you had any special thoughts in regards to the main theme songs, or if you have any anecdotes regarding their production.

OP: Lycoris no Ai (Lycoris Love)

I had a number of detailed requests when it came to the lyrics, so I ended up causing a lot of trouble for LOVERIN TAMBURIN-san…..

I think people who have played the game must have noticed, but the lyrics have a small trick to them, the first time you hear them it is from Ceres’s POV, and then once all has been revealed, become lyrics from Ankou’s POV. I would be happy if my aim to have everyone enjoy even the lyrics was at least slightly achieved. ‘The flowers of demise are an illusion coloured by death’ and ‘I will love you forevermore’ are phrases I am particularly fond of.

Despair ED: Shuuen no Yume (Dreams of Demise) 

From the image of being bound hand and foot, rendered immobile by a fate of death, the discussion was to make a song with a tempo and rhythm that was difficult to take up and hard to sing. Fundamentally speaking, the despair ends are situations in which [the characters] have lost to Arpéchéle’s twisted technology and way of life, so it is noisier and has more of a cyber feel than the OP…..it was that sort of atmosphere I asked them to emphasise.

Salvation ED: Junpaku no Kyuuzai (Pure White Salvation)

The keywords for the song were without a doubt ‘salvation’ and ‘normality.’ For this one, with the meaning of being released from a twisted way of life, I asked that there be none of the [electronic] noisy feel from the OP and despair ED. Also, in the OP there is a line, ‘Taken away by errors, I lost my emotions (heart)’, but in the salvation ED there is, ‘I will live tomorrow following my emotions (heart)’ ….. I am particularly fond of the fact it feels as if part of the phrases in it are in opposition to the OP.

*

—What was the response like after the game released?

Since I challenged myself with this title in creating different kinds of themes and endings, character relationships and behaviours, I had steeled myself to receive all types of feedback. However, after receiving passionate messages and comments of support, I was honestly as much surprised as I was happy as I hadn’t expected that so many people would end up playing the game. We have received many comments from those who are looking forward to new developments, so as staff we feel blessed to be in such a position.

—Were there any reactions or requests from fans that particularly left an impression?

It would be [comments about] liking not just one of the characters but all of them. There are many who say they are ‘hako oshi’ (TL Note: people who are fans of all of the characters) when it comes to ShuuViru….I am conscious that is something to feel very gratified about.

Another thing is that there were many comments about wanting to know the origins of the characters’s names as well as their birthdays. It would take a very long time to talk about the origins of all of them, as each of the characters has a meaningful name. If I am blessed with another opportunity at some point, please allow me to take the time to talk about them properly.

In this book I am also introducing the birthdays for the sub characters for the first time as well. Since it has still been only slightly less than a year since this title was released and making them official would constitute spoilers for the third act, we haven’t yet been able to celebrate them, but please allow me to leave behind my ambition of celebrating all the characters someday here.

 —[The fanbook] this time includes Yomi-san’s omake comics and illustrations, how did the creation of those come about?

Yomi-san kindly sent them to me saying, ‘So I’ve drawn these as a bit of fun.....’ However, each time I look at them I tilt my head in puzzlement, ‘She did these “for fun”.....? Aren’t these beyond the level of mere doodles?’ During the busy development period I kept them on my PC desktop as a source of encouragement.

There weren’t any back sketches of Yves, Adolphe and Ankou at the time of design, so once it was decided this book would be created, I had her grant my selfish wish to have some drawn.

—Please tell us if there is anything you have planned for the future, or anything else you would like to do.

In September, [Virche] is in the lineup for Otomate Party 2022, so speaking of the near future that would be one of them.

When it comes to something I would like to see, it would be the characters moving around on stage in a play or musical. Because the clothing designs are very showy and splendid, I think the fight scenes would really stand out!

No matter what form it may be in, I would be happy to be able to show the world of ShuuViru once more. I am striving forward with it firmly in my mind that no matter what kind of new developments there are, it must be something that is able to answer the expectations of everyone who has shown their support.

—Lastly, please give us a message for the fans.

To those holding this book, and those who have played ‘Shuuen no Virche’, I am truly grateful. The reason I have been able to work on these various developments is solely due to everyone’s support. Let me take this opportunity to thank you all once more.

Going through material from the first stage of development in the process of creating this book, thinking, ‘How nostalgic, there used to be these kinds of scenes, I would liked to have written this,’ has been very emotional. I am happy from the bottom of my heart to have been granted this opportunity.

It is my earnest wish that you will love this work, and the salvation and despair that they arrived at, here on and into the future.

[egscomics]

I brought up the subject of villainess stories (wondering if I made my character Hope a villainess reincarnation protagonist), so let's do this.

"Villainess" premises in manga I have read (and in one case, seen advertised), just to give a general idea of how varied it can be:

1 - Isekai in which a person is reincarnated as an otome game Villainess, and wishes to avoid the fate of that villainess. Probably the most well-known.

2 - Isekai in which person is reincarnated as an otome game heroine, but is in love with the villainess instead of the intended love interests (to be fair, I'm only aware of "I'm in Love With The Villainess" for this one).

3 - Previously a villainess in the same world, dies, reincarnates in the same world later (haven't read, seen in a plot synopsis)

4 - Died, only to time travel back to when they were younger for various reasons (possibly unexplained). In some cases, the premise is they've died multiple times (in at least one story, over 100 times).

In some cases, the character (either the actual person, or who they've reincarnated into) is an actual villainess, but in others, they're a falsely accused villainess.

For example, the protagonist of 7th Time Loop is a category 4 villainess who is falsely accused of villainess behavior, and in Lady Rose Just Wants to be a Commoner, she's actually reincarnated as a the main protagonist, but accepts villainess accusations to take control of her own fate.

Enough tropes are shared that I'd still call them villainess stories, but there's an asterisk to be had, there (but then I almost universally support fine print clarifying precise meaning).

I feel like there are probably more types of villainess stories, but I mostly wanted to make it clear that it's not just isekai reincarnation.

[halovx-x]

[Click play to continue]

Second part of the story! Also pls tell me if there’s any mistakes cuz it’s my first time writing long fics ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡(to me their long)

[Warning(s): reader gets compared to a god (does that count as a warning?), violence (only a little)

To your surprise the student council president wasn’t there today because of a cold and as you were walking to your dorm after the day had ended, you had gotten a text from him asking for you to come to his house with medicine.

So here you were walking from the convince store with a bag of medicine, the walk was peaceful, none of the other student council members were there and the sun was setting leaving a beautiful golden glow everywhere.

As you were walking past a stairway that lead to the train station you had heard, grunting. You turn your head to the direction of the sound and there you see three guys one was knocked out on the floor and the other two were throwing punches at each other. 

What had caught your though was one of the guys, he was this cliché otome game’s “bad boy” true to his character description in game he had obvious dyed red hair, you could tell from his black haired roots in his spiky hair. You had never gotten the chance to befriend him because of the other four in the student council, as you were about to turn around to continue the journey to the council president’s  dorm -you didn’t had to worry about him losing, he had always won fights in the game- you had both made eye contact.

 ➳————————˖ ࣪⭑ 𓆩♡𓆪⭑ ࣪ ˖————————♡

It was on the first day of college when he had saw her, although she had brown hair that covered her eyes, he had thought she was beautiful.

She was kind and thoughtful she cared for him when he knows no one else would, not even his family cared too much to know about what he was doing far away at college, but a part of him was glad because he knew that if they did care he wouldn’t have met her.

Despite what people said about him he wasn’t dumb he knew the gazes she and that other man had given each other but why would he still chase her if he knew? Maybe because he didn’t want to lose the person who saw him differently, or maybe he was holding on to some false hope that she would love him one day too.

But..

Who would’ve thought he had completely forgotten about her for because of simple eye contact, someone who he had heard about but never really gotten the chance to see for himself. Whatever the cause was he was glad he was able to forget her for them.

They were angel in his eyes on top of that stair case the golden light outlining their form as they gaze at each other’s eyes was something he wished he hadn’t felt with her…no they aren’t her, they were someone new, someone beautiful and handsome at the same time

They were-

A sharp feeling of pain broke him out of his trance..oh yeah they were fight with someone -what were they fighting about again?- he had laid a punch on there jaw and had knocked them out.

He looked back hoping to see them but they were gone only the golden light that had showed their form was left, was this how people felt when they say, they had met a god?

A god…He liked that, the corner of his lips lifted up, he thought it matched them. They were a god, his god.

[4/5 characters unlocked!]

TAGLIST!!

@alexiris

[yuikomorii]

Heya! In which of the boys route do you think Yui was broken/hurt the most?

I always wanted to know which would be the worst scenario (route) for like.. an avarage girl irl . I know most girls would not survive there😅 but just wanted to know your opinion which of those 6 doors you would never open. Or 13 if we count all the characters.

// Since it's an otome game, it goes without saying that there will be a lot of plot armor and that the love interests can't really harm the heroine seriously throughout the route, regardless of what she does, because the plot would go nowhere like that. Most characters are jerks but not really that hard to handle, since they were known for scaring Yui rather than letting her get genuinely hurt. However there were certain Diaboys who were very scary, as it felt like they had no feelings of remorse or empathy.

Laito:

Can’t say that his HDB route is the worst thing Rejet has ever written (because it’s definitely not) but it baffled me how he was so okay with Yui breaking like that to the point where she lost all her will to live and only wanted to be set free from him. I mean, she literally tried to commit and he was just there not even intending to stop her bleeding veins despite being the one who cut them?? It’s true that in the Vampire Ending she doesn’t turn out that bad but after all, this is just because it’s fiction.

Kanato:

He was easier to understand than Laito because at least you were able to know that he had a soft spot for sweets and Teddy. Nevertheless, it was a bit too much how he kept stabbing Yui with the fork and a few chapters later, I’m pretty sure he stabbed Yui with a knife in more places as well. Still, it’s surprising how she turned out worse in his route, considering the fact that in the afterstory she kills innocent people—

Kou:

I love Kou but he was a literal demon in MB. I really hated how he made his fans bully Yui JUST FOR FUN. It wasn’t even any sort of punishment, he merely wanted to make her suffer. Another thing I couldn’t stand was how he kept putting Yui’s life in danger, only to make her prove her love. I understand wanting to test someone but it would have been way better if he actually saved Yui after seeing her do something dangerous. That way it would have proved that he cared for her yet he continued to watch her get hurt for him over and over again, without feeling any empathy. He was sorta redeemed at the end but yeah, most of his route was big yikes, especially since you wouldn’t have expected a cheerful and friendly idol like him to be such a wicked person.

Carla:

I like the Tsukinami family's desire to preserve their lineage but sorry, I must say that I find it repulsive that a 17-year-old would be forced to become pregnant out of the blue with strangers. I understand that Yui was partially to blame for Carla's anger and subsequent dungeon scene but that moment grossed me out sooo bad. She lost her will to live but Carla literally jumped on a depressed girl and was on the verge of rap€ing her, if his Endzeit didn’t kick in. He gets gradually better throughout his route but this scene left a sore taste in my mouth.

Kino:

Look, Kino is a great villain and a lot of fun, but his LE route was trash. Kino killed a child, mistreated Yui, abducted both Yui and Ayato, planned to sell Ayato to the church for execution, manipulated Yui and tortured Ayato. The pain he caused them both was immense and although I appreciated Yui calling him out, it's so sad that she was brainwashed. While it's true that Kino can be quite cute when he wants to, their romance was so rushed and forced because they didn't give us any reason why Yui would fall for him other than manipulation when Ayato, who was seen to care more about her than for himself, was right there. I wish they developed Kino’s feelings better, given that he straight up blackmailed Yui to become his, otherwise Ayato would had been killed, therefore Yui had no other choice but accept the situation. That’s why his CL route is way better.

I only mentioned 5 instead of 6 but that’s mostly because no other character came closer to them in terms of bad scenario. The rest of them felt decent in their routes for a game called Diabolik Lovers, lol.

[velvet-cupcake-games]

Made Marion Mini-FAQ, Sept. 23

Just a few bits and bobs that I can talk about at this point in development!

Q: Players commit to their route ending at the end of Chapter 3 and then experience one of two different Chapter 4s. Does that make each chapter 4 choice-free?

There are still choices in the Chapter 4s! Many of the game's major love scenes are in the relevant character's Chapter 4, so you'll have the love scene choice if you have explicit text on. The rest of the choices are for the purpose of role-playing and making decisions about Marion's future. They won't make major changes to the ending, but they'll let you put a personal stamp on your endgame experience.

Except, of course for that choice. The one that leads either to victory or to a bad end. Which choice is it? You'll find out!

Some of your earlier choices can also cause minor changes in Chapter 4. For instance, in Sherwood Common Marion can write either an angry or a diplomatic letter to her father. This may affect whether he appears in the epilogue segment at the end of a Sherwood character's route.

Q: What kind of experience does the option to turn off explicit text provide? Does it allow for asexual relationships?

Because one of the main goals of the Made Marion project was to provide mature-rated love scenes for adult otome/amare fans who were interested in them, we don't have the option for asexual relationships in this game. Marion is allosexual by canon and it's obvious from the way she views the world from the very beginning of the game.

When explicit text is off, the player reads a shortened, non-explicit version of scenes that involve sexual activity. I try to get across the emotions that the characters are feeling without getting into the nitty-gritty of things, but it's still stated that the characters are having a sexual encounter.

Explicit text is ON by default in Made Marion, so players who do not wish to read such text should turn it off in the Options menu ASAP. Once a scene with explicit text has begun, turning the option off won't work until the next explicit scene (not that we're loaded with them, it's just how the script flow of the game works). I may be able to program a "break-out" button later on, but it won't be available as of the first Early Access release.

Q: Characters in Made Marion drink "tisane." Is that tea or something else?

A tisane is a hot drink with an herbal infusion. Many tisanes, also known as herbal teas, do not contain actual tea leaves. Tea is a very specific beverage, and its history in Europe is tied up in colonial-era violence. Instead of trying to work that into my alternate-magical-Europe history, I decided that it made the most sense for Avalons to simply drink non-tea-containing tisanes. Considering that plant druids are all about making magical hybrid plants, they probably have some delicious ones! They are caffeine-free but may contain other types of stimulants.

When Avalons aren't drinking alcohol, there's a good chance that they're drinking tisane. Thanks to druidic knowledge and the environmental protections inherent in the Pact, Avalon drinking water is way cleaner than the water was in Medieval England. But as Avalon science doesn't yet have a working knowledge of microorganisms, boiling your water is still the safest way to go.

[stuffedsand]

T3 cover thoughts,,, and psuedo guesses

Haruka : considering both of his songs were from the android girl album I feel like he's gonna get a third. Of which the only other song I know the lyrics to is relationship scramble.

I think it could work ("right now I want instant love", could be the whole any attention is good, negative inclusive, so long as it's attention) (bro idk)

Yuno : honestly not a clue haha, tho I think Rabbit Hole would work (+it's a popular prediction for her, I haven't listened to it but it could be a good choice?)

Fuuta : .....he got Salamander this trial I don't know what they're gonna give him anymore....I don't even know what the deal is with mosaik role,,,,,

Maybe Chimera? I've only listened to it once but it has the Vibes tm. I think it fits? I'm not very good at lyrical analysis but it'd be fun idk

(or volt tackle haha)

Muu : Theory of Negativity because idk it vibes. Similar to otome dissection kinda idk

Alternatively, Cinderella just cuz it....vibes like her I don't have a better explanation sorry

Shidou : I reeeally want to say cosmic rendezvous,,,, but it doesnt fit with his other covers. I hope dearly for cosmic rendezvous but let be realistic haha

My prediction. Ghost Rule or 118. Ghost Rule would be fun !!!! 118 would be, to me, if someone died in t3, cuz the lyrics can be twisted abit. It'd be so fun. Also "no law to pardon my crime" and "ethics are a delusion, but I'm still guilty when the morning comes" vibe the same. Also his va can do it I believe in him

The cover would also SLAP cuz from what I can tell shidous covers have a more...frantic? Energy to them and that works for a lot of the GHOST album songs. Anyways Ghost Rule milgram cover?? Please??

Mahiru : I had more but I forgot so here's the ones I remembered

U (unlikely, it's a English song... But hey it'd be fun) / Poison Apple (I'd say poison apple works for kazui but... There are funnier picks for him so)

I think her voice fits for these songs idk they just...vibe. really well. I believe in her va

Most fitting from what Ive seen is Zombies or Psuedo-Hope Syndrome which would work vocally and thematically I think! Idk tho haha mahirus is really vibe based

Kazui : ok wishful thinking : Ghost Rule. Fits with the liar theme. But I already gave it to shidou and it doesn't fit his other two covers (sad melancholy) so he gets the song I initially chose for shidou! Cosmic Rendezvous. A win for old man yaoi truthers (JOKE)

No seriously. The lyrics could be read as non romantic, and it continues his cover theme of Regret. It'd be fun, thematically relevant, fir the other covers, AND it'd hurt me. Perfect. If he does get cosmic rendezvous I will cry

Alternatively; we the hostages (?) Idk this pick was also solely vibes. I really want cosmic rendezvous though but that's cuz I want someone to say fuck

Amane : Angel Hair. I don't have a particular reason? Also this would be more in line with Positive Parade which was the trial one song.... And she got animal which I never would've expected so? Who knows. This is a fun list for vibes. Oh I think then all her songs would be Mannequin songs too

Mikoto : uhhhh (Not) a Devil. Cuz I'm not creative and it'd be funny. Uhh otherwise I'm not too sure.

Honourable mention that I think both Mikoto and Kotoko could get Addiction? By vibes alone lol cuz I can't read the captions...

Kotoko : imma be real I forgot. To kin assign her a song. But after having a short look at Anti - Beat I think she could get Dilemma? I think it works for kotoko. Idk

Tell me what songs you guys predict for any given character next trial I like seeing people's readings on what fits the character or the covers!!! Particularly kotoko, yuno and mikoto as much as I like their characters I don't have much of a read on them...

Also tell me what your favourite covers are!!!! I personally like both of shidous, kazui's, mahirus and fuuta's, and I really liked the monopoisoner one! (Haven't listened to reversible campaign enough to form opinion), as well as Harukas two breaths walking cover (haven't listened enough to the android girl one whoops)

[moonlight-coffeebean-147]

Doodles featuring @twistedtummies2 ft. Usagi. Or as I like to call it… late night doodles to distract myself from how I’m being boiled alive in my apartment/hj (The boiler’s being garbage)

1. Not much to say other than it’s just based on a meme 😂 And I love Smitty’s confused face here

2 & 3

It’s super funny drawing Elias as dog images 😂 Especially with the second which I felt goes perfectly with that part in Chapter two of his introduction story. There is a third one that is still a w.i.p. But I might finish it. Btw…. At this point I’m basically gonna be known as the “Elias artist” aren’t I? 😂/lh

4. I was originally gonna do all of your Twisted ocs… but I need to at least try to sleep it’s like 3 AM 😭. Plus to me it’d be poetic for me since these four were the characters that were the most developed and I grew the most familiar with when I first discovered your page. With this I added how I drew their eyes… since I’m trying to practice with eye style variety. Technical details:

Nakoda: I’ve actually doodled him once in one of my sketchbooks before. And he was actually fairly easy to draw, I’ve had ocs that had similar hair to him before. And… I have plenty of ocs who are just as flirtatious as he is and have made the exact look I drew him with 😂

Billy: Other than Elias… he was the easiest to draw and figure out how he’d work in my style. I was at first worried about his hair since it was my first time drawing his kind of hairstyle and I’m not that used to drawing short hair. But it actually worked out. It also helped that he’s similar to one of my own giant ocs in terms of personality. Fun fact, to the point where I almost thought he had freckles… which is a trait on my oc… but he doesn’t so… 👌

Elias: Is it obvious who my favorite is 😭

Reno: ……I’m just gonna say it. His hair SUCKED to draw 😭😂 I don’t know if it’s because I’m tired… the heat was getting to me.. or what… but his hair was not working out. Like with Billy I’ve at least drawn hair similar to his in the past… with Reno it was like the first time I’ve ever drawn that hairstyle in general. Even now I’m still not that happy with it… even in the first doodle. Like bruh I just 🥲I know that’s probably just me being over critical of myself since this does count as fanart of someone’s ocs, not just that, but someone who I admire the work of, believe me my years of participating in Art Fight has familiarized me with that feeling but just….. don’t be an artist guys 😭/j. Maybe when I do the others I’ll redo him.

5. ….Usagi going through how I feel right now

Don’t know who’s next to her… could be any of the pred lads… Insert “Twisted Wonderland isn’t an Otome Game” joke here. Though I do think this could be an interesting Vore concept… being so hot and just done that even the idea of being in a warm stomach is just… “bruh can you not?” 😂. Btw… this is how Usagi acts when their in one of her moods… a lot more snappy, sarcastic, and blunt with their wording…. I wish your bois good luck with that. Also fact about Usagi is that they literally have trouble finding pjs their size since she’s a frail little thing.

Also fair warning to all the Vore enthusiasts.. it’s not necessarily a big kink for me, hell it’s why safe Vore is in the neutral section of my pinned post so in turn….. I don’t take it seriously. I very much make a lot more jokes and memes involving it.

6. To end things off… this

Death stare Usagi. Is not something to be messed with. They may be small… but they will bite and is legitimately terrifying sometimes.

Would like to know reactions to not even just Usagi, the Prefect in general making this face 😂

Anyways that’s all from me for tonight…. Or morning technically lol

Moon signing off… wish me luck in this heat. Art is hard

[shirolian]

Star Crossed Myth - Review of Zyglavis, Hue and Scorpio

My current Star Crossed Myth career is at its peak - I wholly finished three routes (yes, that much, envious?) and now I need to unleash my brainrot. The finished routes: Zyglavis, Hue, Scorpio - in this order. 2:1 for Punishments but I suppose that is not surprise given that this game subverts the expectations of how gods should be and Punishments gods are mostly mewling kittens.

Zyglavis route as whole was, how to put it, felt like I dated a man who is older than me by 20 years. Comforting, reliable but also very lonesome and sometimes distant experience. His later parts of story were frustrating but this time the meme "my life is living hell and I have nobody but myself to blame" applies. The King shockingly is not the antagonist in this route, Zyglavis rigidity is. As much as I love strict meganes who are kind souls inside, I couldn't feel the real love and connection between him and his MC. Favorite scene in his route: The realization in his main story, where he finally acknowledged that he loves MC. The tenderness was palapable as he wiped her tears and whispered "you cry for others?" - it was very defining moment that rekindled his faith in humanity Favorite scene with Zyglavis overall: His infamous arrival in Hue's route where he breaks through window 😂 Route rating: 7,5/10

Hue... I kind of regret that I did his second. I should definitely do him last. So if you plan to play, don't do the same stupid mistake like I did. His route is full of lore and background about MC. The background especially will cause you LOTS of pain if you do his route early and then proceed to other gods. Relationship with Hue felt just right. Like two halves of one soul united and in a sense, it's true. Two halves of stars reunited 😭 I mean how much more of "their love is destiny" vibes can this get? Their banter was entertaining and witty, ocassionaly MC really flipped the tables back on Hue and it was amusing to see his reaction. Hue is definitely the brain in this relationship but his MC is not stupid either - rather, she is jealous and insecure. If you read my previous post where I ranted about this, you will understand what I mean. The ending of whole route was very unsatisfactory and the jelaousy plot of MC's was dominant arc, which annoyed the hell out of me. You know what would be absolutely perfect ending for Hue? If he got Scorpio's ending. Here, I said it. Favorite scene in his route: When MC travels back in time and is Clotho. Then she dies and we can see the aftermath - Hue, standing in the darkness of his room and MC clinging to his lifeless, breathing body. He just pulled out his eye for her, effectively crippling himself in the name of love even if the result was uncertain. The sheer rawness of the moment, the despair and mourning - it all deeply resonated with me. Favorite scene with Hue overall: The sequel (?) ending where Hue and MC talk their feelings and MC admits that she thought the source of Hue's uneasiness was his dissatisfaction with their lovemaking. Hue is literally speechless for a moment because it would never ever occur to him that THIS was one of MC's concerns. The aftermath to this scene is 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Rating: 9,5/10 - I blame overused jelaousy plot. Once, it was nice. Using it all the time was rather tiresome.

Scorpio, the local tsundere god from Wish- ahem, Heavens. He definitely is the most rude LI that I had the honor to date 😂 I don't really like tsundere types and at first, I really couldn't warm up to Scorpio. But his scene with train tickets won me over - man was extremely cute 😂 However, in terms of relationship, his and MC's reminds me of italian couple - they argue, loudly and violently, and then they probably hate-fuck or make up. Not the most healthy dynamic on the market but hey, it's otome, red flags are welcome. Needless to say, that Scorpio became green flag in disguise. His explosive vocabulary and prickliness won't go ever away but he softens significantly and opens up to MC. It was very heartwarming to see the progress fromt he begining, where he couldn't read MC's emotions at all to the end, where one look at her face was enough for him to deduce what she is thinking. The constant source of comedy in this route was Scorpio's mind reading ability and his open defiance to the King. Yes, the King. If I thought that the King was extremely tame in Hue's route, in Scorpio's the King is main antagonist and the biggest dick in universe. "Sparkly bastard. Sorry excuse for a king. That bitch." - Scorpio, circa 2015 This route had absolutely the best ending of all three - literally the ideal outcome that I wished would happen in Hue's. The real promise of Infinity together. I don't know what I expected but it really was not the most romantic rendition of Sleeping Beauty. Favorite scene in this route: Rabbit. Apples. The first time when they come up, the scene is SO darn cute. Then the apples become the staple of the route and source of comfort between MC and Scorpio. CUTE. Favorite scene with Scorpio overall: My knees went weak from that CG and moment where Scorpio and MC couldn't touch each other. They were in MC's apartment and Scorpio was about to leave. The longing, the love, the passion when they touched and kissed as the glass window separated them... *slaps seal of forbbiden longing* This is how it should be done. Rating: 10/10, no regrets. They said fuck the King and really did it.

[neerons]

I hope you don't mind me answering you in the Ask section 😅 I find it easier this way, and I think our discussion can be interesting for other fans of MK!

I could be wrong, but from what I remember, Kazuomi already checked his birth certificate and it was written that his "mother" was his birth mother. However, like he said, his father might have falsified the document. So in the end he couldn't know the truth.

Kazuomi never trusted his father, and I kinda understand, because from what we saw, his father was a shady man, a red flag and a bad husband. Also, can we really call him a father when he didn't fulfill his role as one? No wonder Kazuomi didn't like him 😅

Besides, we know that Kazuomi said he doubted that his "mother" was his real mother because he didn't look like her at all. He is a copy of his father, and thanks god it's only the looks, not the personality 🙏

By the way, my first reaction to this information was : "Kazuomi... You know, in fiction it's quite common to see a son who is the spitting image of his dad. So your mother might really be your mom. You don't have to look like your mom for her to be your birth mother. You want an example? Eisuke's genes are so dominant that his 3 sons look exactly like him lol. I know that your father had many mistresses, so I understand your concern, but still..." In the future, if Kazuomi and the MC have a son who look exactly like him, I hope he won't doubt that the MC is the mother of his child 😂

More seriously, yes, it seems Kazuomi also felt betrayed by his mother because she was showing him affection, but only because he's the spitting image of his father. In the VIP room, his younger version says that the love he received might have been false love... It's just his assumption, but we can't deny what he was feeling (he was lonely and wasn't feeling loved). Also, I think the possibility that his mother might not be his "real" mother (birth mother) broke his heart even more. It also broke my heart because he deserves love 🥲 Unfortunately, we don't choose our parents, and not everyone is fit to be parents...

Okay now I'm curious, what is your recurrent thought about his past? It doesn't matter if it turns out to not be accurate. We're here to theorise haha.

As always, thank you for your reply ❤️

(I'll send you a DM for Ikemen Prince! I'll write in French because it'll be easier haha)

Hi again, and no worries 🤗

Indeed, he checked his birth certificate and he saw on it that his mother was stated to be his actual birth mother, but knowing his father, Kazuomi expected that he falsified the document so that Kazuomi wouldn't learn the truth.

Yeah, his father was barely there for him, as he mostly cared for his business... And I agree that the genetics in otome games are usually quite strong 🤣 Eisuke's sons, except for maybe Kaito who looks a bit like MC, all look like him. I find it so funny to have a mini army of the LI as if we didn't see his face enough 😂 But it's cute in the end.

Also, I do often see this line in Kazuomi's VIP room yes! I feel really bad for him. I can't imagine how much he suffered from not feeling loved by his own family.

Thank god he had Zack later. He's probably the father he wished he had in the first place, and Zack made Kazuomi grow so much ❤ He is the Kazuomi Shido he is now thanks to him. I can't wait to see how everything will play out next

My theory about Kazuomi's past

[TW: mentions of potential SA]

Okay so this is meant to be taken with a grain of salt because I might be overthinking this. This is also going to mention triggering topics similar to Kei's story so avoid reading this if you're not comfortable.

This is only a possibility among many other possibilities, so in a way I hope I'm wrong and I most probably am.

I'm going to assume in this theory that Kazuomi's mother is not his actual birth mother to make it a bit less horrible. There were many ingredients of the story that made me reach a recipe darker than I would have liked, to be perfectly honest 😅

So, we have a woman who is probably not even Kazuomi's mother, completely head over heels with her husband, Kazuomi's father.

Sadly, her husband has many mistresses and doesn't "giver her the time of day". He's often out, and when he does come home on rare occasions, he spends time with shady men and still doesn't care about her.

On the other hand, there's Kazuomi, the child her husband (possibly) had with another woman, who looks exactly like her husband. He's young, naive, yearns for attention and consolation, and vulnerable.

Her husband is often away and she has many opportunities to spend time with Kazuomi.

My brain made me reach a potential conclusion that, and I hope it's not true, it's not impossible that this woman used Kazuomi to satisfy her desires since she was longing for her husband.

But then again, my brain sometimes reaches very dark theories so, again, I'm hoping for something different so my heart could be spared. And if I'm honest there are so many other things we could imagine other than this. I feel kind of bad for putting this thought out there 😢

Even if she didn't use him sexually, at least we know she used him as an emotional replacement, so this theory isn't so far from the truth technically speaking.

Anyway, thank you for the ask again!

[kurayami-no-ko]

Ascertaining that heat (Chojiro's short story)

Translator's note: This story tells about what happened after Chojiro's route in an otome game called Nightshade. It focuses on Chojiro and Enju. It was sold as a set along with a standee of Chojiro but is no longer sold now. whitedogfestival was the person that provided me with the raw of this story, along with another story focusing on Ieyasu, which I have already translated a while back.

Now enjoy!

Ascertaining that heat

“You overexert yourself again. I kept telling you this so many times already.”

While wiping off Chojiro’s sweat with a cold towel, Enju pouted. While laying under the blanket and being at a complete loss with her displeasure, Chojiro closed his eyes.

“But in that type of situation, there was no other way…”

“There was. It would have been better if we had ran together.”

“But then you would have been wet, too.”

“Only a little bit. It would have been better than you getting soaking wet, brother. Luckily, it seems that you only have a light fevel but...you haven’t fully recovered yet, after all.”

Though this turned into a minor quarrel, it immediately subsided then Enju and Chojiro’s eyes met. At the end, the person to fold first was Chojiro.

“Then, next time, I will try not to do something like this again. I will respect your wish..”

Then Enju said, “Okay. Please do it next time.”

The origin of this business was yesterday evening shower. The rain suddenly fell from the sky and both of them were unprepared and had to find a place to take shelter from the rain.

However, the rain was very strong so in order to prevent Enju from becoming wetter, Choji forcibly hugged her and ran. The result was that on the next day, Chojiro became sick and ended up being taken care of by Enju this way and that inside a room of an inn.

“Welll...is this what being husband and wife is like?”

Though something like this rarely happened, recently, whenever some differences occurred between two of them, it was more often for Chojiro to yield. There was no longer a trace of the Enju who once kept calling him brother and following his orders.

“Ye-yes. Because we are husband and wife, brother, I want you to listen to me a little bit…”

When the conversation reached that point, Chojiro had a displeased expression.

“Then how about you, too, stop calling me brother?”

“Eh…”

Because she looked like she never thought about it, Chojiro started to speak slightly teasingly.

“While we are married, calling me brother is strange, right?”

“Then, what can I call…”

“Let’s see, what can you call me?”

To her, this was a very difficult problem. Chojiro understood this but to him, this was an opportunity to speak of it.

After thinking of this for a short while, Enju sat properly next to his futon and called out his name.

“Then...Chojiro, sama.

“It feels somewhat formal.”

“...How about dear lord husband…” (Translator’s note: She actually used anata-sama. Anata is a term of endearment that Japanese woman use to call their husbands, but sama is a honorific.)

“I don’t mind it, but I still feel it is distant.”

It was as if Enju returned back to the days when she still spoke very formally. For a while, she became silent then she brought up another way of calling.

“...my dear.” (Translator’s note: she used anata which is less formal.)

“Ah...It is good.”

While lying stretched out, Chojiro seemed to be satisfied, gave his nod of approval and closed his eyes.

Now, Enju’s face became all red and she grasped tightly at the towel she was holding on.

(I did think about one day calling him like that, but to think that it will be now…)

Embarrassed because the distance between them suddenly seemed smaller, Enju earnestly casted her eyes down and thought of what to say to escape this. Noticing this, Chojiro called her name.

“Enju. I feel a little bit cold.”

“Yes. Then, now, I will bring you something warm to drink…”

“No. Come here.”

Here? Enju leaned her head to one side puzzledly so Chojiro lifted up the futon a little bit to show her. Seeing this, Enju became increasingly red. It was unexpected so for a while, she seemed quite confused.

However, Chojiro did not seem to be giving up so at last, she yielded and slipped half of her body under the blanket.

“Isn’t it cold that way? Come close.”

Then finally, under the blanket, she laid in his arms. Something like this had happened before but Enju wondered about whether before, Chojiro had been so forcible in embracing her. However, his hot breath touching her ear made it hard for her to think about such things.

“...Was I a little bit too mean?”

“Yes. Teasing me so much like this…”

Enju was staying this but stopped when she suddenly noticed how hot Chojiro’s body was.

She thought his body temperature was only a little bit too high, but now it seemed to increase greatly. Chojiro was holding her body tightly with his eyes closed and she did not attempt to move away from him.

(That is why I want him not to overexert himself… Single-mindedly continuing on travelling is not an easy thing.)

She remembered the journey thus far, and then drew up the future.

They continued on running towards the west. They spent one night in a village near the ocean, they smelled the scent of a plant that they had never seen before, they talked to people whose accents were heavy for the first time. The food that they ate for the first time were all fresh and if there was Chijiro by her side to eat with her, the food all felt delicious.

...However.

Occasionally, they got overcome by their deep sorrow regretting the light of the life that was now past. They felt worried about the coming end of themselves who had nowhere to go back to. Furthermore, what was most worrying was that Chojiro’s condition had not fully recovered yet.

Despite that, Chojiro tried to prioritize Enju and she could not stop worrying about that.

After letting out a small breath, Enju gently grabbed hold of her husband’s clothes. Then she moved closer towards his chest, and felt his heat.

“Please sleep properly...my dear.”

It seemed that Chojiro could hear these few words.

Despite not responding back, his chest simply rose up and down slowly and just like that, Enju continued nestling close to him.

[shysublimecoffee]

This represents my personal perspective on the matter, so please don't interpret it as a factual statement. It's an opinion, and there may be exceptions if you explore thoroughly. However, I find the otome isekai genre quite monotonous. The recurring theme of recycling concepts, reusing character designs with a prevalent "same face syndrome," and the prevalence of protagonists resembling each other, particularly the Duke of the North archetype with that clichéd Idol haircut, contribute to a sense of staleness. The majority of flawless female leads with 99% being blonde, with a few exceptions, adds to the predictability.

For me, the transmigration or reincarnation concept caught my attention around 2018, starting with works like "Who Made Me a Princess" and the infamous "They Say I Was Born a King's Daughter," even though I admit my taste was not the best back then.

The idea of taking over someone's body and living their life fascinated me. What made it unique was the perspective shift, allowing us to see many previously despised villains from other stories in a new light, experiencing the narrative from their point of view.

But, this is when it started getting old real quick. My god, how many fucking times am I going to see a good heroine turned evil and the villainous be taking the leftover men from the heroine side and forming a harem. The villainous unfortunately can't be nuanced because all these stories do is just make shit black and white. Our MC can't be held accountable for what they did but sob hard enough and we get an ally to ride behind her.

You know what's incredibly frustrating? These Korean women from the 21st century keep transmigrating into these villainous roles, and it's just downright irritating. They either come off as overly naive or stick to the tired narrative of being an office worker who suddenly becomes wealthy and tramples over others. It lacks uniqueness, and seriously, what do we really know about the female lead (FL) beyond the prologue? Who is she? What's her home life like? Does she want to return? These are questions I want answers to, but we're not given the chance because the focus remains on the villainous character. Even that aspect isn't executed well; they end up softening her character and making her more compliant than she was in the original story just to avoid a bad ending. I'm more intrigued by understanding the backstory of the actual original villainous character.

The male lead (ML) seriously disappoints. I get it, this genre revolves around romance, but let's get real for a moment—do we genuinely care about this so-called "romance"? What truly matters is the chemistry between characters that makes us feel, cry, and get infuriated, and that's what a story should evoke. Worse than a bad boy ML is a downright boring male lead. Whether it's the Duke of the North or any other generic character, they all feel like mere props catering to the female lead, and that's painfully dull.

I couldn't care less because these MLs exist solely to assist her in everything, whether it's for revenge, to play the savior, or to be the healer. Nothing feels genuine; there's no emotional investment in the romance for me. I'm not overjoyed by the idea of them being together. Many readers seem more fixated on their aesthetics and how well he serves her, but let's be honest—their designs are unimaginative, resembling countless other MLs and MCs. Frankly, I wish more effort were put into creating distinct and captivating characters.

No matter how much one might criticize the toxicity of old-school Shojou romances and the portrayal of male leads, I absolutely loved it. Sure, the romance might not be ideal, but that's precisely what makes it fun and enjoyable to read. The characters have their quirks and distinct personalities, creating their own unique dynamics that add to the charm of the story unlike the former.

Transmigration/Reincarnation is so barley touched in a genre surrounding that very concept. It's like they dip into a puddle but don't expand on the horrors or intrigue of anything really and they be explaining everything from the prologue instead of letting us breathe. We don't settle or sit with the characters and writers are far more interested in miscommunication. It's why I like manga because you get beautiful scenes of just peace or character introspection than you would in colored format.

If there's one story that truly captivated me and made me fall in love with this particular brand of Otome Isekai, it's "A Stepmother's Märchen." It may not be a masterpiece, but the deliberate and slow-paced narrative, reminiscent of a novel, along with the meticulous attention to depicting a semi-realistic high society, drew me in. The story offers complex and conflicted characters, and the stunning art, which interestingly mirrors European illustration outside of the main cast, adds to its appeal. Of course, it's not without its flaws, but the beauty of the narrative has made it stand out to me even years later. It's not a one-note copy it did it own thing that I wish OI did more.

Kill the Villanous,

Death is the ending the villanous

I appreciate how these stories took the isekai concept and added their unique twists. It's refreshing, and I wish more writers would follow suit. While I understand that Otome Isekai is primarily about wish fulfillment, I also crave narratives that offer more than just that. A well-crafted story with thoughtful character development would be a welcome addition to the genre because it sticks out to me more. I don't remember OI titles but for me to remember those is because the concept were different from the usual OH no I woke up in the villain body.

[waterloggedsoliloquy]

Theres a genre of otome webtoon where a girl protagonist is raised by an evil king/tyrant. The fantasy here is straightforward-- what if my dad was mean to everyone but me? Its not a bad self indulgent thing to explore. But there's also a proximity to the power and violence that comes into play in these webtoons. The girl protag can remain pure and "good" because she is not the one doing the violent acts, and she might even be able to direct her father's violence or curb it at her discretion. the patriarchy is used as a weapon by her and also a shield against criticism of her actions. she can be as selfish as she wants bc shes also under threat by her tyrant king emperor dad!

I have a gravitation towards Bad Patriarch content in general which is how i know about the tropes employed in these webtoons… but the Bad Dad content i explore in my own works is explicitly about how the lack of agency is horrifying, and proximity to (violent) power means more often than not being disproportionately affected by it, even if the instigator of that violence doesn't necessarily want to hurt you, and any boon or protection coming from that proximity is outweighed by the actual material harm caused.

the things i write is abt reclamation. interacting intimately w the power structure for a lack of options, but ultimately growing too big for it, to the point where the characters no longer can fit inside it, and can see the power for what it is. its abt disruption and exploration. pushing boundaries. status quo is actively questioned or rejected

when i write my bad dad content, the daughter in question is usually roped into the violence. they dont get to stay in their ivory tower. their patriarch leads them into violence, but they get blood on their boots all the same. theyre on the ground with the rest of the bodies. (and they have more in common with these bodies than the seemingly untouchable patriarch.) their situation causes them to lash out at others, at their patriarch. theres no cut and dry delineation between bad agent and good observer. by nature of existing under him they're made complicit.

there r plenty of tyrant romantic leads too, so this isnt just a trope of found family stories. one manga that does this rly well is Even Monsters Love Fairy Tales, which is actually really fucking on the ball with how the protagonist Sylph Biebel is, while being a wellmannered girl, corrupt by her association to the tyrant king (who actually does violent and immoral acts, unlike a lot of other stories where its implied but never happens bc we cant make the tyrant in question actually evil or dangerous and lose reader interest. sigh.) her proximity to him and the protection her offers her causes material harm for people. people die because she accepts his terms. at this point im rambling. i wish more stories were willing to show the inherent cognitive dissonance and moral-- well, dilemmas-- about the premise

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

is there a card or a part of the story where victor officially asks her out and they start dating?

and thank you sm for translating his cards😭🫶🫶🫶🫶

hahaha, in case you’re wondering if there were something like an official confession card, proposal card, (!spoiler) moving in together card like TOT has — Themis is actually the first of big CN otomes to have had these milestones announced as official events lmao. no other games have done it before them or after haha 😂

Now, in Victor and MC’s case specifically,

(here’s a timeline I had made previously, you can check it out if you’re interested: ♡♡! )

it was a very chronological and gradual process. you need to follow through his dating universe cards for this, and you can see how it progressed from a relationship between colleagues (while keeping at the back of their minds that this reunion cost them 17 FREAKIN' YEARS, and it especially being unimaginably draining for Victor 🥺)—

where he used to drop her off at her place, to tentatively spending after-work hours together, to spending the weekends together, trying out new things, to actively making an effort to reserve time for the other person in their daily schedule, to the first kiss... to becoming indispensable parts of each other’s lives, the (unofficial) dual proposals... to living together (officially)~ 🏡💕

and if I had to pin a point in time for when Victor x MC’s dating era officially began, it was the “Lantern Date” (the lantern festival itself is known as the True Valentine’s Day in China, btw).

It took place after Victor had taken MC to his dad’s for Chinese New Year, and in the date itself, MC actually was the one who asked Victor out! which, out of sheer nervousness, she couldn’t admit back then, but MC jokingly later mentions in the Springtime Revival Date how she first pursued him “officially”, while Victor begs to differ saying it was a mutual approach from both sides haha + their wishes on the lanterns were the most romantic and one of the most classical Chinese ways you could ever tell someone about your feelings. Victor had read his wish aloud to MC btw, so their relationship was a two-way street from the beginning! 🥺❤️

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