- Mar 25, 2021
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Not at all friend besides I don't think we'll be able to get Mason pregnant unless on the dark path. Unless Neon changes his mind of course.
- Thread starter NeonGhosts
- Start date
- Mar 20, 2019
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I should really make an FAQ post at some point, because I think I've talked about this a few times now. :'D There's a lot of weirdness in the first three chapters. I don't think I really hit my stride until Chapter 4, where you have Britt's photoshoot. Around that time I started to nail down the balance between the different Guy personalities, my camera choices became more consistent, and I started backing off the heavy-handed narration, to let the art speak for itself. And more importantly, I started to tag way more decisions with variables, so I could call back to decisions more easily.
I also was trying to figure out how to write a choice-based VN. Initially I set it up so that the onus to initiate sex is more on the player. That's why you ask Ashe to stay when she says she should probably go, and initiate with Gabby as the night is winding down. Otherwise, you part as friends. But, when people said they felt like they were still forcing/pressuring Ashe and Gabby into sex, I adjusted following characters' paths to make them initiate, and give you the option to break off/push away. Still, some people see that as coercive, just due to the circumstances the various love interests find themselves in, when they make the offer.
The long and short of it is, there's a lot of stuff I'd like to touch up in the first three chapters. The first is being completely overhauled, while the second and third will be largely left alone for now. But, longterm plans are to basically add more options/variables.
- Make the kiss with Gabby "count" on the love path, instead of basically being a non-issue. Right now you do it and quickly brush past it with a, "Well, I was drunk, that didn't mean anything.." because I didn't tag it.
- Make the corruption path with Gabby have a less aggressive entry point. Right now the dark path and the corruption path both begin the same way, and I think it'd be nice to have something more like Viola's corruption scene to begin Gabby's possible sugarbaby path.
- Likewise, I want to give players the chance to play Ashe's corruption path in a way that's less asshole-ish. It'll still result in her having disdain for you, but it'll be a little easier to get onto her "good" corruption path, following your date with her.
- I'd also like to inject a little bit more optional aggression into Gabby's love path, setting up the ability to get onto a love-corruption path, which kind of aligns with the scene where you gaslight her at the clothing boutique.
- Aaaaand just generally touching up little dialogue quirks, etc. I was initially writing Guy, even on the benevolent paths, as being.. A little maladjusted? I saw him as reeling from Nicki's departure, and using alcohol, sex, and his suddenly awesome life as a way to cope. Which meant being confident/assertive to the point of being kind of pushy and over-eager. Once Nicki turns back up, Guy starts to relax a little, and seems to better appreciate his new responsibilities. I don't know if that really works/comes across/fits Guy as he's been written since.
And a lot of people might wonder why I didn't just change some of this stuff along the way. The main reason is that I did the chapter variables in kind of a dumb way. Rather than put them all before the game start, I put them in the beginning of each chapter. Which means fucking with them now, will lead to some game-breaking bullshit. Another reason to redo Chapter One, is to force everyone to restart their game, with the new variable system in place.
Finally, as to the whole 'daddy' thing, and the generally discomfiting nature of the player's relationship with Gabby.. A lot of that's sort of baked into the premise, intentionally. Like, Gabby is 18. She's smitten with this guy who is (in my mind) double her age. That is nnnnnot a healthy starting point for a relationship, and it's loaded with all kinds of implicit power imbalances.
The lingering question of Guy and Gabby's romantic relationship is whether or not it can actually work. Even compared to some of the other characters in her in-game peer group (Viola, Pepper, kinda Mason) she comes across as younger. And I think that's due to physical traits (big eyes, pink hair) and how much of her family dynamic we see in detail. But, part of it is also just her general vibe. She lives at home, and doesn't work a proper job. She seems to have less agency than Viola, who supports her mom, or Pepper, who supports herself.
So, a big part of her journey is learning how to assert herself, and be taken more seriously.
- Jul 12, 2020
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And why isn't it? Be careful making assumptions there....only bad because you think it's bad...she a legal adult...she can do as she pleases. Don't infantilise young, legal adult women please.
I could date a 30 year old woman....20+ years younger than me....there would, most likely, still be a huge power inbalance because of my personal circumstances/finances. Age really makes no difference when it comes to either grooming or power imbalances.
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- Jan 23, 2021
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Well, in theory, an 18-year-old girl should be studying with hardly any income of her own, while a 30-year-old person should already be more stable. Furthermore, a person of 18 can be more manipulable than a person of 30. Being 18 does not make you a mature adult as many believe, many people of that age are still very immature and dependent on their parents. so I do see a power imbalance.
- Jul 12, 2020
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And if this forum is anything to go by, many adults are also incredibly immature
Age has very little to do with maturity. There is also a serious power imbalance with every LI in this story, what makes Gabby any different just because she is 18? Idiot thinking, usually from people in the States who tend to have an issue with what other people do and who they date and think anything more than a 2 year age gap is weird (regardless of any 'perceived' power imbalances).
Look at all the shit Dicaprio gets (mostly online, where these people hang out)...do you really think these women are blind to his habits and what he is like? Do you think they are all just mindless dumb children who don't know what they are doing and are being taken advantage of? Pfff....
My original statement stands.
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- Mar 25, 2021
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Fuck power imbalance I'll treat my angels (Mason & Nicki) with lots of love. I hope they understand I like lots of cuddles and romantic dates.
- Jan 23, 2021
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Yeah, that's exaggerated and I agree, obviously everything depends on maturity and stuff, I'm just saying that in theory an 18-year-old should be more immature than a 30-year-old. But hey, this is fiction so who cares.And if this forum is anything to go by, many adults are also incredibly immature
Age has very little to do with maturity. There is also a serious power imbalance with every LI in this story, what makes Gabby any different just because she is 18? Idiot thinking, usually from people in the States who tend to have an issue with what other people do and who they date and think anything more than a 2 year age gap is weird (regardless of any 'perceived' power imbalances).
My original statement stands.
- Mar 25, 2021
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True. I mean I've had people say I'm more immature than a teenager before lol.
- Mar 25, 2021
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So, you wouldn't approve of me dating Mason? what about Nicki?some brows getting a good workout with this latest discussion lol
this games a nice fantasy which lets us explore things that wouldn't be healthy or moral or legal in the real world. thats as far as id wanna go, i see no reason to defend any of it in the real world
- Jan 23, 2021
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- Mar 25, 2021
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- Oct 19, 2022
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If we're being honest joshy, I think those of us concerned about power dynamics would always feel like you were the one being taken advantage of.
- Jan 23, 2021
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I diagree, age has a substantial effect on maturity. There's certainly variation within any given age bracket and plenty of overalp across ages, but the center of the maturity bell curve goes up with age. There really is no substitute for experience and the younger you are the less time you've had to experience new situations.
Gabby exacerbates that issue because she's already on the lower half of her particular curve. Neon pointed out her physical traits and domestic situation, which is certainly valid, but I think it runs deeper than that. Gabby acts like a child. She rebels against her stepmother, she lashes out whenever anyone defies her, and she absolutely refuses admit her real feelings - even to herself. And of course her childish behavior results in people continuing to treat her like a child, which only intensifies her frustration causing her to lash out even farther. I'd argue it's only in the previous update (where she mutes her normal hair color before going to see her father in jail) that she finally shows signs of the adult she's growing into.
This is obviously not to say Gabby is a kid or that her portrayal is flawed, just that I think there are very good reasons to treat the MC romancing her with a more skeptical eye than most of the other LIs despite their similar financial issues.
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- Jul 25, 2017
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While personal experience helps I don't think it is all needed either when it comes to maturity. I have little to no life experience in alot of things ( to little for my age) but after a certain age it's just like I randomly woke up had a different view on things, wanted to better my self etc etc.
I think anything goes in fantasies & games
I just think the real world demands a lot more thought and consideration, if not outright asceticism, for things like age gaps, temptation notwithstanding. 
- Oct 11, 2023
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Regarding stable and harder to manipulate, let me introduce the trope of the 30 y.o. single mother who's trying to make ends meet and is starved for male attention beyond a quick lay...
- Jul 12, 2020
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