VN Ren'Py Cosy Cafe [v0.10] [Cosy Creator]

[Konrad Simon]

If there was a poll on this site for which game dev actually had the most success with women IRL based on the writing... i'd have to vote Cosy

My first reaction the first time I played the game was, "Oh, hey, a dev who has actually kissed a girl!"

 

[Gwydion]

I mean he isn't even blackmailing her, he's giving her an option to do it if she chooses. Her situation is shitty and I do feel for her but her behaviour has also been rude, haughty and arrogant. I'm looking forward to her mellowing and fitting in with the group but also getting the help she needs when that happens and she's brought back down to earth.

That's certainly one side of things, and I don't disagree - but really, what is her actual alternative here?

She's broke, she has no consistent income, her family home is owned by a rival family, ANOTHER rival family effectively owns her family, and it's not as if she can really just not pay back the money she owes and there just be no consequences, especially after she told MC everything.
So while she could refuse, that would leave her and her family with nothing, and no other way out of the hole that she herself didn't even get them into - her father, Sarah's family, and Hannah's family did, and she's been playing by the rules she's been taught to get them out of it - and much like with Hannah and her engagement to Brian, she's going along with it because she feels she has to, not because she wants to.

She's sacrificing herself as a bargaining chip, the MC knows this, and is taking advantage; even if he isn't going to do anything, SHE doesn't know that, and she's pretty clearly terrified whenever she gets pushed in a direction where she thinks something sexual is going to be done to her, to the point of tears and shaking.

Yes, she has a bad attitude, but Victoria and Sarah were also much the same as her at first - hell, she and Veronica were in the same social circle and belittled the same people in the same way; Catherine at least has her upbringing to partly explain why, whereas Victoria doesn't have that excuse - and Victoria CONTINUES to be rude, haughty, and arrogant, so they're still not that different, Victoria just gets away with it.

I think the thing that actually pisses me off, is that the MC could've just made a deal with her behind closed doors and left it that, but instead he made it public knowledge to the whole group that she then has to spend all this time around being ridiculed and degraded, including the people whose families own hers; of COURSE she's going to be upset and angry around those people, so would any of them.

 

[LostKing]

That's certainly one side of things, and I don't disagree - but really, what is her actual alternative here?

She's broke, she has no consistent income, her family home is owned by a rival family, ANOTHER rival family effectively owns her family, and it's not as if she can really just not pay back the money she owes and there just be no consequences, especially after she told MC everything.
So while she could refuse, that would leave her and her family with nothing, and no other way out of the hole that she herself didn't even get them into - her father, Sarah's family, and Hannah's family did, and she's been playing by the rules she's been taught to get them out of it - and much like with Hannah and her engagement to Brian, she's going along with it because she feels she has to, not because she wants to.

She's sacrificing herself as a bargaining chip, the MC knows this, and is taking advantage; even if he isn't going to do anything, SHE doesn't know that, and she's pretty clearly terrified whenever she gets pushed in a direction where she thinks something sexual is going to be done to her, to the point of tears and shaking.

Yes, she has a bad attitude, but Victoria and Sarah were also much the same as her at first - hell, she and Veronica were in the same social circle and belittled the same people in the same way; Catherine at least has her upbringing to partly explain why, whereas Victoria doesn't have that excuse - and Victoria CONTINUES to be rude, haughty, and arrogant, so they're still not that different, Victoria just gets away with it.

I think the thing that actually pisses me off, is that the MC could've just made a deal with her behind closed doors and left it that, but instead he made it public knowledge to the whole group that she then has to spend all this time around being ridiculed and degraded, including the people whose families own hers; of COURSE she's going to be upset and angry around those people, so would any of them.

For the record I do see where you are coming from but...

She could have not spent more money than she has, she could have accepted that she isn't rich anymore and lived a normal life, she could have approached and asked the MC for help, she could have not bullied Lucy at the start.

She hasn't endeared herself to any of the group and she forced her way into it. Once again she isn't being forced and the MC didn't have to help her at all with how she has acted the whole time. She can walk away at any point, she has choices, shit as they are right now, she made hers.

For the record I hope she cools down and becomes one with the girls and they help her from her situation, I actually really like her after the last update but her role in this is only just starting so maybe give it more of a chance? The MC has never been a white knight for strangers, especially when their own behaviour is crap but he clearly looks after his own which Catherine will become...

 

[PaxHadrian17]

That's certainly one side of things, and I don't disagree - but really, what is her actual alternative here?

She's broke, she has no consistent income, her family home is owned by a rival family, ANOTHER rival family effectively owns her family, and it's not as if she can really just not pay back the money she owes and there just be no consequences, especially after she told MC everything.
So while she could refuse, that would leave her and her family with nothing, and no other way out of the hole that she herself didn't even get them into - her father, Sarah's family, and Hannah's family did, and she's been playing by the rules she's been taught to get them out of it - and much like with Hannah and her engagement to Brian, she's going along with it because she feels she has to, not because she wants to.

She's sacrificing herself as a bargaining chip, the MC knows this, and is taking advantage; even if he isn't going to do anything, SHE doesn't know that, and she's pretty clearly terrified whenever she gets pushed in a direction where she thinks something sexual is going to be done to her, to the point of tears and shaking.

Yes, she has a bad attitude, but Victoria and Sarah were also much the same as her at first - hell, she and Veronica were in the same social circle and belittled the same people in the same way; Catherine at least has her upbringing to partly explain why, whereas Victoria doesn't have that excuse - and Victoria CONTINUES to be rude, haughty, and arrogant, so they're still not that different, Victoria just gets away with it.

I think the thing that actually pisses me off, is that the MC could've just made a deal with her behind closed doors and left it that, but instead he made it public knowledge to the whole group that she then has to spend all this time around being ridiculed and degraded, including the people whose families own hers; of COURSE she's going to be upset and angry around those people, so would any of them.

It is easy to judge a story when you are in the middle of it.

Catherine created a situation where she owes the MC a significant amount of $.

She also chose to be antagonistic towards the MC until the point when he suddenly became of use to her (revealed as a founding family member).

The MC has given her two ways to pay this back - dishwasher and special Princess services - Catherine's choice on the mix.



He could have called the police and had Catherine charged but he did not.

He is allowing her to preserve her public dignity and the public dignity of her family.

Catherine gets to choose the type and timing of 'bonus' payments on the debt - which you can see has no interest.

The MC does not keep secrets from his women - he has made this clear.

You are saying he should make a special exception for Catherine ('the MC could've just made a deal with her behind closed doors'), effectively damaging his relationship (and breaking his promises) to all the other women he is with.

Catherine wants to join the harem, and she will need permission from every other gf of the MC's before this happens.

Do you see the other women accepting Catherine into their 'family' when she is treated differently than they are/protected differently than they are?

The MC has been very clear about how he treats his girlfriends and what it takes to become a girlfriend.

In this story - Catherine has decided that she accepts this, and she wants to continue to pursue the MC for marriage.

Back to this being the 'middle' of the story.

Let Cosy tell Catherine's tale through time, seeing how she evolves from an entitled Princess to someone who the MC enjoys enough to claim as a girlfriend as well as someone the other women enjoy enough to want to share the MC with her.

Cosy Cafe is a story of with a number of facets, including how the different characters grow through time.

I think we should let Cosy tell and show us Catherine's growth through time before judging her journey.

Cheers!!

 

[Cosy Creator]

That's certainly one side of things, and I don't disagree - but really, what is her actual alternative here?

She's broke, she has no consistent income, her family home is owned by a rival family, ANOTHER rival family effectively owns her family, and it's not as if she can really just not pay back the money she owes and there just be no consequences, especially after she told MC everything.
So while she could refuse, that would leave her and her family with nothing, and no other way out of the hole that she herself didn't even get them into - her father, Sarah's family, and Hannah's family did, and she's been playing by the rules she's been taught to get them out of it - and much like with Hannah and her engagement to Brian, she's going along with it because she feels she has to, not because she wants to.

She's sacrificing herself as a bargaining chip, the MC knows this, and is taking advantage; even if he isn't going to do anything, SHE doesn't know that, and she's pretty clearly terrified whenever she gets pushed in a direction where she thinks something sexual is going to be done to her, to the point of tears and shaking.

Yes, she has a bad attitude, but Victoria and Sarah were also much the same as her at first - hell, she and Veronica were in the same social circle and belittled the same people in the same way; Catherine at least has her upbringing to partly explain why, whereas Victoria doesn't have that excuse - and Victoria CONTINUES to be rude, haughty, and arrogant, so they're still not that different, Victoria just gets away with it.

I think the thing that actually pisses me off, is that the MC could've just made a deal with her behind closed doors and left it that, but instead he made it public knowledge to the whole group that she then has to spend all this time around being ridiculed and degraded, including the people whose families own hers; of COURSE she's going to be upset and angry around those people, so would any of them.

"What is her alternative?" Finish school, get a job, and be a normal person. She isn't in a terrible situation, she's in the same situation 99% of the rest of the population is in. In fact, when you consider their family lives, she's in a much better position than Lucy and Vicky. And you can actually see that the MC agrees with you when he thinks that it's her family pressuring her to pursue him: that really would be a terrible position for her, and so he goes easy on her. But after learning that she and she alone is the one behind her pursuit, because her pride won't allow her to let go of the idea of being a high and mighty princess? That's not a sacrifice, in fact, her motivation is pretty self serving, as she makes it clear the rest of her family aren't bothered about the current situation. That's not to say she isn't somewhat sympathetic, but she is in no way an agencyless victim that the MC is taking advantage of.

 

[duckydoodoo]

Catherine just needs regular spankings and lots of heavy petting. All other arguments are void!

 

[Gwydion]

It is easy to judge a story when you are in the middle of it.

Catherine created a situation where she owes the MC a significant amount of $.

She also chose to be antagonistic towards the MC until the point when he suddenly became of use to her (revealed as a founding family member).

The MC has given her two ways to pay this back - dishwasher and special Princess services - Catherine's choice on the mix.

View attachment 3920278

He could have called the police and had Catherine charged but he did not.

He is allowing her to preserve her public dignity and the public dignity of her family.

Catherine gets to choose the type and timing of 'bonus' payments on the debt - which you can see has no interest.

The MC does not keep secrets from his women - he has made this clear.

You are saying he should make a special exception for Catherine ('the MC could've just made a deal with her behind closed doors'), effectively damaging his relationship (and breaking his promises) to all the other women he is with.

Catherine wants to join the harem, and she will need permission from every other gf of the MC's before this happens.

Do you see the other women accepting Catherine into their 'family' when she is treated differently than they are/protected differently than they are?

The MC has been very clear about how he treats his girlfriends and what it takes to become a girlfriend.

In this story - Catherine has decided that she accepts this, and she wants to continue to pursue the MC for marriage.

Back to this being the 'middle' of the story.

Let Cosy tell Catherine's tale through time, seeing how she evolves from an entitled Princess to someone who the MC enjoys enough to claim as a girlfriend as well as someone the other women enjoy enough to want to share the MC with her.

Cosy Cafe is a story of with a number of facets, including how the different characters grow through time.

I think we should let Cosy tell and show us Catherine's growth through time before judging her journey.

Cheers!!

One of those options, the only one that doesn't involve selling her body in some fashion, would take more than a year to pay off, even without interest. It's an obvious non-option, especially when she's trying to free her family from the other rival families.

Her father specifically doesn't mind living poor, but then who cares what he thinks when he's the one who created the situation for his whole family.

My thought was that MC could've easily just told the others that a deal had been struck for her to pay the money back, without going into specifics - he's done that a couple of times before, when telling the whole truth up front would negatively affect the other person.

Catherine's living condition is pretty not great, but still livable, true - up until the point where she ended up with zero money trying to get her family out of that situation, at which point it becomes much worse, since her parents apparently have very little money either so there's no real option to bail her out.

I guess it's a character thing really - like, if it was Lucy or Akatsuki, possibly anyone in the group other than MC and Victoria that she sought help from, then they'd likely have been more kind about it. But the MC, while not terrible, is still kind of a dick to most people, something he acknowledges as well.

All of that aside, while Catherine's definitely not being forced, she's certainly being coerced and exploited - "do these things for me that you don't want to do, or you'll be left in debt" is entirely coercive because neither alternative is a good one even though one is still worse.

I do think Catherine very much needs an attitude and perspective change, for sure, and she's obviously going to get there - it's just a very different dynamic from early on, because there's such a large established group now that a newcomer needs to be accepted by, at least half of whom are actively antagonistic towards her, so it's going to be an intimidating and painful.

To be clear here, I'm not saying I want the story rewritten or anything, of course not, I'm just saying I don't like that particular story beat and why; that's just feedback.

Regardless of attitude issues, which if we're honest many of the characters including the MC share, I just personally don't enjoy seeing someone struggling to deal with a blatantly shitty situation they didn't even cause and having it be made harder for them than it needs to be - by her or other people - but that's an "I don't like this part of the story or how most of the characters (except Lucy, she's a perfect angel) are acting during it, and hope it gets resolved soon" not a "this is badly written and it sucks".

On an entirely separate note, I'm very much looking forward to the MC finally pulling his head out of his ass and telling people he loves them.

 

[S1nsational]

On an entirely separate note, I'm very much looking forward to the MC finally pulling his head out of his ass and telling people he loves them.

Completely agree, like it's nearly getting childish. The love is obviously there, but MC acts like saying the words would physically hurt him

 

[Mark Loring]

On an entirely separate note, I'm very much looking forward to the MC finally pulling his head out of his ass and telling people he loves them.

Agreed on this last part. I mean c'mon now. Lucy deserves it more than anyone, followed by Vicky, and even the kitten now. Sara will be next, but yes, his round-about ways of telling Lucy how much he loves her is genuinely annoying.

When it comes to the Princess, as she gets closer to him and her snot-nosed spoiled brat walls drop, she'll want to go further with him and do different things on that list. He would never force the girls to do something they don't want, and that goes the same for Catherine. She, like Hannah (who has already seen it), will see how much he loves his girlfriends, and he leaves their decisions to do things with him up to them, he never forces his hand.

 

[Konrad Simon]

On an entirely separate note, I'm very much looking forward to the MC finally pulling his head out of his ass and telling people he loves them.

So am I, but I'm not holding my breath for it.

Seriously, I agree with all of you, but I am also aware that some guys really, really struggle to say those words, and MC seems exactly the sort of guy who would have that problem. I don't like it, and I don't understand it, but it is believable. And let's recall that it isn't just the girls who are undergoing character growth, and learning things about themselves. I'm sure he'll get there.

 

[Jimskeleton]

Spoiler

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Hey guys, it's time for the final dev log of the 0.10 development cycle!

So the main news is that I've set a release date; I'm aiming for September 1st. Assuming that no unforeseeable catastrophes crop up, that should give me plenty of time to finish off the content and sort the android issue I've mentioned previously (more on that below). Actually, I could probably get it done a week earlier, but I don't want to set the deadline too tight and then be left rushing too much at the end!

So, on to my usual progress report: In the last two weeks I've completed another 350 renders, created all of the new maps that will feature in the update, and finished off all of the new characters that will appear - including side and background characters, on top of some very important Founding Family members, there were a lot this time.

Next, we have the android file size limit issue I've been talking about for the last couple of months - I've finally settled on going with the simplest solution, and that is to split the Android version into multiple parts. Overall this should be fairly straightforward for me, with the only real sticking point being making sure that saves don't get mangled when people swap from part one to part two, and back again. But I don't foresee any major difficulties with that.

So that's about all I've got to report! If I were to stick strictly to my two week dev log cycle, I would get one more in before the update, but honestly, I probably wouldn't have much to say. It would go something like "Update nearly finished, it'll release next week!", so I probably won't bother. That means the next time I talk to you all will be for the release on September 1st, which I'm really looking forward to! On top of being a very long update, I think it's a pretty interesting one, too!

So until then, as always, thank you all for your support - I truly appreciate it!

- Cosy Creator

 

[Lerd0]

Spoiler

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Hey guys, it's time for the final dev log of the 0.10 development cycle!

So the main news is that I've set a release date; I'm aiming for September 1st. Assuming that no unforeseeable catastrophes crop up, that should give me plenty of time to finish off the content and sort the android issue I've mentioned previously (more on that below). Actually, I could probably get it done a week earlier, but I don't want to set the deadline too tight and then be left rushing too much at the end!

So, on to my usual progress report: In the last two weeks I've completed another 350 renders, created all of the new maps that will feature in the update, and finished off all of the new characters that will appear - including side and background characters, on top of some very important Founding Family members, there were a lot this time.

Next, we have the android file size limit issue I've been talking about for the last couple of months - I've finally settled on going with the simplest solution, and that is to split the Android version into multiple parts. Overall this should be fairly straightforward for me, with the only real sticking point being making sure that saves don't get mangled when people swap from part one to part two, and back again. But I don't foresee any major difficulties with that.

So that's about all I've got to report! If I were to stick strictly to my two week dev log cycle, I would get one more in before the update, but honestly, I probably wouldn't have much to say. It would go something like "Update nearly finished, it'll release next week!", so I probably won't bother. That means the next time I talk to you all will be for the release on September 1st, which I'm really looking forward to! On top of being a very long update, I think it's a pretty interesting one, too!

So until then, as always, thank you all for your support - I truly appreciate it!

- Cosy Creator

 

[Mark Loring]

Spoiler

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

You must be registered to see the links

Hey guys, it's time for the final dev log of the 0.10 development cycle!

So the main news is that I've set a release date; I'm aiming for September 1st. Assuming that no unforeseeable catastrophes crop up, that should give me plenty of time to finish off the content and sort the android issue I've mentioned previously (more on that below). Actually, I could probably get it done a week earlier, but I don't want to set the deadline too tight and then be left rushing too much at the end!

So, on to my usual progress report: In the last two weeks I've completed another 350 renders, created all of the new maps that will feature in the update, and finished off all of the new characters that will appear - including side and background characters, on top of some very important Founding Family members, there were a lot this time.

Next, we have the android file size limit issue I've been talking about for the last couple of months - I've finally settled on going with the simplest solution, and that is to split the Android version into multiple parts. Overall this should be fairly straightforward for me, with the only real sticking point being making sure that saves don't get mangled when people swap from part one to part two, and back again. But I don't foresee any major difficulties with that.

So that's about all I've got to report! If I were to stick strictly to my two week dev log cycle, I would get one more in before the update, but honestly, I probably wouldn't have much to say. It would go something like "Update nearly finished, it'll release next week!", so I probably won't bother. That means the next time I talk to you all will be for the release on September 1st, which I'm really looking forward to! On top of being a very long update, I think it's a pretty interesting one, too!

So until then, as always, thank you all for your support - I truly appreciate it!

- Cosy Creator

This is my first actual update during the development of this game I'll be around for and just from the image alone I'm very eager to see what happens, not just with the Founding Family stuff, but the fallout from the swimming pool day, Miss Takamura, the kitten, and Sarah, plus that she-bitch Rachel. Going to be a KILLER! update

 

[netcov]

All of that aside, while Catherine's definitely not being forced, she's certainly being coerced and exploited - "do these things for me that you don't want to do, or you'll be left in debt" is entirely coercive because neither alternative is a good one even though one is still worse.

So basically everyone finding themselves in situation where they themself / a family member overspent or maneuvered themself into debt and thus picking up an activity which is not "wanted" or "unsightly" is being coerced by either the creditors or the the person/business offering a way to get the money needed to pay off said debt.

By this logic nearly everyone on this planet is being coerced/exploited because they have to pay taxes as they alternatively might face jail time or whatever.

Catherine choosing to 'join' MC's harem is basically a sound decision to be made on her part. She thinks she might influence MC in whatever relationship she plans about. It's the same logic as why people start out as interns in reputable firms. Climbing up corporate ladder, gaining influence and exerting this influence for their own agenda.
Furthermore she sees herself at the top of the social hierarchy by being the first daughter of one of the heads, while additionally others also commented on how strict her views are on this matters and what her expectations for herself and those around her are (not the mention her mother). She was practically groomed to maneuver in those social circles with whatever assets she can utilize.

That's not a sacrifice, in fact, her motivation is pretty self serving, as she makes it clear the rest of her family aren't bothered about the current situation.

And to be perfectly clear: I think Catherine values a founding family member's vote more than money. She might initially be driven for the financial reasons stated before by various members, although there is a lot of content and remarks about the social status and their reach. Just take a look on how the favour raffle is playing out and why people make such a big fuss about a favour from the founding families. Especially since Catherine is invested way over her head by taking up many receipts in order to maximise her chance to win the raffle.
She is LITERALLY putting herself in a position where anything but a win is just more debt, while she has no plan on how to pay it back in case this strategy pays off (there is not a single remark about her having a back-up plan and her confidence pretty much crumbles as the realization of her actually not winning the raffle hits her as she becomes more desperate in her attempt).

So a naive plan to just throw money out of the window for the slight glimmer of hope of rebuilding her family's prestige is all it takes.

I guess it's a character thing really - like, if it was Lucy or Akatsuki, possibly anyone in the group other than MC and Victoria that she sought help from, then they'd likely have been more kind about it. But the MC, while not terrible, is still kind of a dick to most people, something he acknowledges as well.

What's him being a dick by comparison to the others has anything to do with "coercing and exploiting" her according to your statement?

You can be a dick and not automatically coerce other people. You can be very forthcoming and nice and still coerce someone while sugarcoating the trap. Just being able to say 'fuck off' to anyone being a bitch to your social circle is not a character trait that results in coercing others. This is just forced interpretation.

For cosy reading this:
I put 'join' in quotation mark as I want to emphasize and respect your writing in how the people grow and build their relationships. I think Catherine will truthfully choose to join the group just the moment she realizes she's grown to like MC and group in total.

 

[mordred93]

So basically everyone finding themselves in situation where they themself / a family member overspent or maneuvered themself into debt and thus picking up an activity which is not "wanted" or "unsightly" is being coerced by either the creditors or the the person/business offering a way to get the money needed to pay off said debt.

By this logic nearly everyone on this planet is being coerced/exploited because they have to pay taxes as they alternatively might face jail time or whatever.

This is the story as old as time. A person has to do something they don't want to do due to "duty", "honor", "law", or "contract". How many kids work in high school (USA terms) because their parents cannot afford food? How many people have to pay off debts of spouses because they secretly ran up credit card charges in their names?

There are 3 ways to handle these situations, 1) Suck it up Buttercup and deal with it 2) Ignore it and face the consequences 3) Get creative at a solution. Alison chose #2 when she said she wasn't going to marry Brian. Catherine chose #3 when she tried to win the cafe favor contest, but she sucked at math, so she now is choosing #1 going forward.

In general, humans who live in a modern society (have laws, social rules, have a government, etc.) have to pay a minimum to live in said society. Those are your taxes. Then if you want to survive, you have to have enough for the basics. Once you get done with that, then you have to have enough to thrive. Once you get beyond that, you get to have enough to become wealthy. That's kinda the way things work.

 

[Mark Loring]

This is the story as old as time. A person has to do something they don't want to do due to "duty", "honor", "law", or "contract". How many kids work in high school (USA terms) because their parents cannot afford food? How many people have to pay off debts of spouses because they secretly ran up credit card charges in their names?

There are 3 ways to handle these situations, 1) Suck it up Buttercup and deal with it 2) Ignore it and face the consequences 3) Get creative at a solution. Alison chose #2 when she said she wasn't going to marry Brian. Catherine chose #3 when she tried to win the cafe favor contest, but she sucked at math, so she now is choosing #1 going forward.

In general, humans who live in a modern society (have laws, social rules, have a government, etc.) have to pay a minimum to live in said society. Those are your taxes. Then if you want to survive, you have to have enough for the basics. Once you get done with that, then you have to have enough to thrive. Once you get beyond that, you get to have enough to become wealthy. That's kinda the way things work.

My mother went into credit card debt twice, and I had to save her both times by cashing in bonds I had given to me by my grandparents. I told her if I'm giving you my money, I wanted something in return. Naturally she agreed, both times. She used my money twice to save her own bacon. Don't know if that's relevant to the discussion here but I kind of think it is.

She overstepped her boundaries and her limitations to where she had to be bailed out. No different than what the MC is doing with Catherine; giving her a way out, which she took, knowing what could, and would, be in store for her.

 

[PaxHadrian17]

This is my first actual update during the development of this game I'll be around for and just from the image alone I'm very eager to see what happens, not just with the Founding Family stuff, but the fallout from the swimming pool day, Miss Takamura, the kitten, and Sarah, plus that she-bitch Rachel. Going to be a KILLER! update

Welcome!

This tends to be a pretty good community and, when there are disputes, it is usually over best girl (I CAN'T go with just one - so Lucy And Allison ).

Cosy keeps to a pretty tight production schedule and this next update covers 2 entire days - so lots of Cosy Cafe goodness for all.

Cheers!

 

[duckydoodoo]

My mother went into credit card debt twice, and I had to save her both times by cashing in bonds I had given to me by my grandparents. I told her if I'm giving you my money, I wanted something in return. Naturally she agreed, both times. She used my money twice to save her own bacon.

Do tell us more about your mother's bacon!

Sorry had to say it, between your chosen euphemisms and where we are at, it would have been a waste not to.

 

[Konrad Simon]

Do tell us more about your mother's bacon!

You are a bad human being and I'm proud to know you.

 

[netcov]

This is the story as old as time. A person has to do something they don't want to do due to "duty", "honor", "law", or "contract". How many kids work in high school (USA terms) because their parents cannot afford food? How many people have to pay off debts of spouses because they secretly ran up credit card charges in their names?

There are 3 ways to handle these situations, 1) Suck it up Buttercup and deal with it 2) Ignore it and face the consequences 3) Get creative at a solution. Alison chose #2 when she said she wasn't going to marry Brian. Catherine chose #3 when she tried to win the cafe favor contest, but she sucked at math, so she now is choosing #1 going forward.

In general, humans who live in a modern society (have laws, social rules, have a government, etc.) have to pay a minimum to live in said society. Those are your taxes. Then if you want to survive, you have to have enough for the basics. Once you get done with that, then you have to have enough to thrive. Once you get beyond that, you get to have enough to become wealthy. That's kinda the way things work.

Yup, exactly my reasoning.