I haven't been following this game and this thread from the beginning, but I have been here since the early days of Episode 2, so it's interesting that this is the conversation which finally made me post here. But I decided that I had to throw my 2¢ in on the topic of "happy endings" for Monica.
I have a different take on this. I don't think that a happy ending, in which Monica finally gets everything back, should depend on whether or not she was more decent during the game, or even on whether or not she "learns her lesson." Sure, those things can factor into an ending, but I don't think that they should be the only way for her to reach a happy ending. And here's why I say this: I think it matters more what the player deserves.
Now, I don't mean to say that DecentMonkey should be guided and directed by whatever each player wants from the game. It's his story, and he should tell it as he sees fit. I'm a big advocate for developers not allowing players to hijack their stories. That being said, I do think that there is a big subset of the player base for this game which is persevering in the game in the hope of seeing Monica win, in the end. And I would probably put myself in that group, at least most of the time. I'm fine with all of the degradation and exploitation which Monica and Melanie suffer. I love it. Give me more, please. But I do want to see an ending in which they come out on top. Make them suffer for the entire middle of the story, but let them win in the end.
Sure, Monica is a bitch. If she wasn't, there would be no game. And Monica isn't smart, really. But she's perseverant, and she's ruthless. And those qualities can often produce success. So, after she has persevered through all of the shit, and after she has ruthlessly done anything necessary to get what she wants, I would like to see at least one ending where she gets it all back, whether or not she's been decent, and whether or not she's learned a lesson.
If I were writing the endings for this game, here's how they would go.
- There would be an ending in which Monica gets everything back and brutally punishes everyone who made her suffer or humiliated her. She would probably rescue Melanie from Alex, and possibly reward Melanie in some way, because Melanie became her ally and shared in her sufferings, but I would probably leave it up to the player to decide that. This ending would not depend on Monica having been decent from the start, having become more decent during the game, or having learned a lesson.
- There would be an ending in which Monica gets everything back, but doesn't punish anyone, or punishes only certain people, such as Victoria and Steve and Biff and Philip (and possibly some others). This ending would be dependent on her not having been decent at the start, but having learned her lesson from the karmic justice of suffering at the hands of those she made to suffer. In this ending, it would not be a player choice to help Melanie out. The Monica who learned her lesson would automatically help Melanie.
- There would be an ending for the Monica who was decent from the start. This Monica wouldn't exact vengeance on anyone, but other people would punish those who deserved it, on her behalf. This Monica would also help Melanie automatically. Who she ended up with, if anyone, would probably be down to player choices.
- There would be an ending in which Monica goes to the farm. This would be a long ending, with lots of farm content, because it's ridiculous that the farm was introduced almost at the beginning of the game, and we still haven't had any content for it. I understand that this is likely because of Patreon, but it's still a travesty.
- There would be an ending in which Monica does not get everything back, but she does escape from Marcus, the farm, and Victoria. Player choice might decide whether she ends up on the street, running the VIP escort service, or living with Ralph.
- There would be a "Victoria wins" ending, with Monica and Melanie escaping the farm animal fate, but never escaping from Victoria.
- There would be a "Fred wins" ending, with Fred getting Monica's mansion and money, but not her business. He would get rid of Ralph, marry Betty, and make Monica stay on as their maid. He would also welcome Bardy home from college, because fuck Patreon.
- There would a "Steve wins" ending, with Steve taking over the fashion magazine, Tiffany managing Steve's old office for him, and Monica being forced to go on catering to both of them.
- I would also include a ninth ending, in which Monica, with the support of the investors, escapes from Marcus and Victoria, but is not fully restored. The investors keep her on as a figurehead at the magazine, but she has no real authority. She somehow escapes having to marry any of the investors, but ends up having to keep them all satisfied, and also gets passed around by all of the office personnel, who have learned that she's just a puppet without any power.
Obviously, this isn't what will happen, but that's my wish list for endings.
